At Canyon Bistro, the Chef Should Hurry Back to Kitchen

Canyon Bistro in Santa Monica puts a new wrinkle on the dining scene: chef as maitre d’. The affable chef with his name embroidered in red on his spotless white jacket is everywhere at once--opening the wine bottles, checking reservations at the door, chatting with customers. Everywhere, that is, except the kitchen. When a guest one night wonders out loud who’s cooking, he announces, “At my level, I don’t cook--I order.� Spreading his hands wide, he adds, with a Cheshire cat grin, “It’s Hollywood. We have to put on a show.�

This fellow may play the part of handsome young French chef perfectly, but what’s coming out of the kitchen wouldn’t pass muster with anybody who has even a passing acquaintance with French food.

First of all, the menu is about as boring as they come. The French onion soup, served in a wide shallow bowl, is mildly pleasant, but missing the best part, the traditional coverlet of bread and melted cheese. This one gets a crouton about the size of a cork with the merest dab of cheese. The best starter is a roasted beet salad surrounded by delicious little Roquefort croquettes. There’s a goat cheese “cake,� something like potato salad bound with fresh goat cheese--a perplexing concept. So is the special risotto molded into a cylinder and topped with a layer of sea urchin roe.

The yellowtail so highly recommended by the chef that night is overcooked. Veal shank turns out to be a Frenchified version of osso buco, the shank so buried under a thick blanket of sauce, we think, at first, the meat has gone missing. The best entree we try is a New York steak with Gorgonzola sauce: The regular steak frites is not only overcooked, it’s drenched with what tastes very much like Worcestershire sauce in an attempt to give the meat flavor.

Au contraire, I’m inclined to say to Canyon Bistro’s chef, it might be a good idea to forget the maitre d’ duties--and any thoughts of Hollywood--and get back into the kitchen. Fast.

BE THERE

Canyon Bistro, 108 W. Channel Road, Santa Monica; (310) 230-9100. Open daily for dinner only. Appetizers $6 to $10.50; main courses $16 to $28. Valet parking.