San Francisco Chronicle
Trapeze puts on a good show in Burlingame Cal-Ital the star at neighborhood bistro
A reader called my attention to a new restaurant called Trapeze in Burlingame. I Googled it. There was a champion borzoi named Trapeze Star from Burlingame. There was a guy named Burlingame who wrote about circus stuff (OK, mostly jugglers) in 1896. Nothing about a restaurant. I Googled it a few days later and Chowhound.com came through, its message board offering a compelling description of the 8-week-old restaurant that definitely made it worth a visit.
Trapeze is a lovely little neighborhood restaurant with the clean, spare lines of many of San Francisco's beloved bistros and an unfussy menu that leans toward Cal-Ital dishes with a hint of nostalgia (cheesy gnocchi and veal scaloppine stuffed with mozzarella, sage and prosciutto). Entrees hover in the $13-$14 range, service is sophisticated yet warm, and the interior is attractive.
I could swear that on my first visit there was art on the walls (a good thing), but in subsequent meals the walls were long, uninterrupted expanses of pale yellow with whimsical track lighting and cool little pendant lamps. My one quibble with the decor is the sign out front -- gorgeous and stylized after dark, it is nearly impossible to read, or even see, during daylight hours. Before dusk, look for the bagel shop next door and you'll find your way.
The waiters describe the food as "European," perhaps a description that defies easy interpretation these days. The lineup wanders around that continent, with the Mediterranean dishes the most successful, and the cream- heavy Italian ones less appealing.
A full bar allows for skillfully made cocktails, and the wine list is fairly priced, with mostly California mid-priced familiars and a nice array of by-the-glass offerings.
Our favorite dishes on the appetizer list were a pleasant trio of grilled polenta cakes ($5.50), stacked tomato and fresh mozzarella ($6) and Greek salad ($7). The polenta might have been crisper to support the juicy medley of sauteed wild mushrooms and the salty, nutty melted manchego, but we enjoyed it nonetheless. Still early in the season for really stellar tomatoes, the tomato salad relied on its plush fresh mozzarella, bits of grilled zucchini and too- sparse fig-lime vinaigrette for its flavor. Still, very nice. And the Greek salad was a textbook smorgasbord of crisp romaine, pitted kalamata olives, fluffy feta, red onion and cucumbers in a piquant, oregano-kissed lemon vinaigrette.
Standout entrees included a gorgeous salmon ($17.50) that showcased a big triangular wedge of fish encrusted with a mixture of sauteed spinach, fennel and leek crisped under the broiler, all married with a beurre blanc and a dainty pile of mashed potatoes. A wonderfully old-fashioned veal scaloppine ($16.50) consists of thinly pounded veal swaddled in a blanket of molten mozzarella, wisp of sage, paper-thin prosciutto and an intense mushroom gravy.
In a few visits, we worked our way through most of the short menu, regretting only a few of the pastas. In particular, the house-made crab tortelloni ($16.50) should be rethought. Awash in cream, the thick, gummy pasta packets overwhelm their plain interior, and the little pops of caviar don't do much to alleviate the monotony.
Desserts make for a strong ending, with a nice bowl of fruit sorbets ($5) and an airy berry-infused tiramisu ($6) at the top of the list. The poached pear ($7) is on the right track but so Merlot-punchy that the pear flavor gets obscured.
|
|
Trapeze
266 Lorton Avenue
Burlingame, CA. 94010
(650) 344-4242
Email Us
Make a Reservation Online
 |
