The New York Times-20080127-Enough Tapas To Satisfy a Crowd- -Review-

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Enough Tapas To Satisfy a Crowd; [Review]

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BLUE coast translates as Costa Azul in a new restaurant in Ridgefield that specializes in Latino-accented food. Though the setting is rather plain, with nothing except a few pictures and handicrafts to suggest a Spanish-style landscape, the food is lively, using many tropical ingredients, like plantain, yuca and mango.

Energized by a large menu of 22 tapas or appetizers, we were tempted on a recent visit to make a meal of several apiece. Our waitress corroborated this idea. You don't need entrees, she said. You'll have more than enough food with the tapas.

Instead, the entree lovers won. We ended up ordering six tapas for four of us and entrees for all. But our waitress was absolutely right. Tapas would have been enough, especially as they were preceded by good crusty bread with a sassy sun-dried tomato tapenade.

The only problem with the tapas, we discovered, was that so many were deep-fried, which rather tilts the balance for anyone conscious of heart-friendly food. Two of the tastiest were deep-fried jalapeno peppers in a cilantro crust (stuffed with bacon and melted Manchego cheese) and enyucados con carne (well-seasoned deep-fried yuca pockets filled with shredded chicken, served with cilantro-spiked sour cream). Other winners included chicharrones con limon (fried pork bites with plantains, fresh lime and Costa Rican-style coleslaw) and fried artichoke hearts with basil mayonnaise.

Mercifully, not every tapa was deep-fried. Ceviche de Costa Rica was a piquant, though soupy, marinade of sea bass in citrus juices, served with deep-fried plantain slices. Also pleasing was Costa Azul's rollatini de eggplant in a tomato-based sauce. We enjoyed as well a large crepe full of sauteed shrimp, portobello mushrooms and shallots in a creamy brandy sauce.

While there were fewer entrees to choose among (10 in all), they too offered appealing options. A standout was Albin's carne asada (named for the chef, Albin Piedra). It consisted of slices of deeply marinated skirt steak with Costa Rican coleslaw (with the mayo on top) and puffy deep-fried yuca garlic fritters.

Similar fritters appeared with Latin coast Chilean -- a thick fillet of pan-seared Chilean sea bass in a cherry tomato-seafood reduction, along with tidbits of deep-fried plantain (called plantain cake).

Another compelling entree was the ocean grill, a mix of grilled lobster tail, jumbo shrimp, diver scallop and a piece of swordfish that came with a baby spinach-asparagus risotto cake.

Not all entrees were Latin American in character. Raviolis de la costa consisted of a handful of large, house-made raviolis stuffed with lobster, ricotta and Parmesan in a rich lobster sauce. As though that were not enough, a fresh lobster tail also adorned the plate, along with herb garlic toast. At $25 this was one of the better values on the menu.

Costa Azul's dessert list sounded as fascinating as the rest of the menu, but the reality was less so. Our most agreeable choice was vanilla bean bread pudding (light and fluffy) in syrup. The syrup, though, was almost nonexistent.

Other options we sampled included a chocolate pyramid (a cake of so-so quality chocolate) with strawberries and real whipped cream; vino albarino cheesecake (ordinary cheesecake with a few squiggles of white-wine-infused syrup); and a classic silky flan with fresh strawberries and pears (oddly cut into teeny-tiny pieces).

All in all, I'd recommend that you do as our helpful waitress suggested: Make a meal of tapas, balancing the deep-fried gems with a few other just-as-tasty morsels.

Costa Azul

23 1/2 Catoonah Street

Ridgefield

(203) 438-7400

GOOD

THE SPACE Large dining room in a free-standing building. Wood floor, wood tables and a pared-down look, with mustard walls decorated with Latino art. Despite the hard surfaces, the dining room is relatively quiet. Several steps lead into the restaurant.

THE CROWD Mixed ages, casually dressed. Wait staff friendly and unusually helpful.

THE BAR Separate, with diverse complement of cocktails and small wine list with many selections from Spain and California, some from Argentina and Chile; bottles priced from $22 to $47.

THE BILL Lunch: entrees, $18 to $28. Dinner: appetizers, $5 to $11; entrees, $18 to $28; desserts, $6. American Express, MasterCard and Visa are accepted.

WHAT WE LIKE Ceviche de Costa Rica, enyucados con carne, fried artichoke hearts, chicharrones con limon, fried jalapeno peppers, stuffed crepe with sauteed shrimp, Costa Azul rollatini de eggplant; ocean grill, Albin's carne asada, raviolis de la costa, Chilean sea bass; vanilla bread pudding.

IF YOU GO Open Wednesday to Sunday, noon to 10 p.m.; Monday and Tuesday, 5 to 10 p.m. Reservations accepted only for six or more. Free parking in front and along the right side of the restaurant.

Reviewed Jan. 27, 2008

[Illustration]PHOTOS: LOTS OF LITTLE THINGS: At Costa Azul, the dishes include chicken arugula salad, upper left. (PHOTOGRAPHS BY SCOTT MULLIN FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES)