A Tropical Hideaway

The stretch of 3rd Street between La Cienega and Fairfax is home to an eclectic collection of cafes, restaurants and tempting shops. Where else can you buy vintage buttons, the latest cookbook from Britain, a map of Nepal and a see-through purse on the same block? You can eat American (Cynthia’s Restaurant and Quality Food & Beverage), Japanese (Sushi Roku), Caribbean (Limbo), Spanish (Cava), Greek (Sofi), Mexican (El Carmen), Latin (Mi Familia), Italian (L.A. Trattoria), even Zen (Zen Grill). And now you can explore “world cuisine” at Tahiti, a restaurant occupying what once was the vegetarian mecca, the Golden Triangle.

Owner Tony Di Lembo, who was once Barbra Streisand’s private chef and owner of the groundbreaking Indigo in the early ‘90s, has created a restaurant influenced by the tiki huts of his parents’ generation. The valet station sports a fringed raffia umbrella. Two menacing South Sea Island carved heads flank the entrance. The long, skinny side patio features leaf-shaped cocktail tables and Polynesian print seating. Next door, the Tiki Lounge is under construction. That’s where they’ll concoct juicy tropical cocktails for the lounge set.

Di Lembo and Tahiti designer Damon Medley seem as if they’ve been inspired by flamboyant set designer Tony Duquette. Upside- down pagoda-shaped shields covered in peacock feathers hang from the ceiling. Ali Baba jars big enough to hide in lean at a crazy tilt in the middle of the room. The kitchen is shaded with a thatched roof, and the reception desk wears a grass skirt. Ensconced in leopard-print booths that zigzag around the edges of the room is a typical young Hollywood crowd. On a wall, two Galapagos-size turtles seem to inch toward a W. Somerset Maugham quote, “I looked up and I saw the outline of Tahiti. And I knew right away that this was the place I’d been looking for all my life.”

Whether Tahiti the restaurant holds the same allure depends on how you feel about Di Lembo’s world cuisine. Unfortunately, his bold creations seem more about playing to what’s trendy in L.A. now than paying tribute to any particular culinary tradition. Sometimes things work; more often they don’t.

If you order the wild-and-crazy achiote shrimp and guacamole pizza as a starter, your guests, like mine, may inquire not so politely, “Are you out of your mind?” But after they try the crisp, bready crust covered in Monterey Jack cheese, corn kernels, cool guacamole and plump achiote-dusted shrimp, I notice a couple of them sneaking a second piece. I can recommend the fried calamari, too, set off by a crock of vinegary red chile sauce that, with the fiery kimchi salad, contrasts nicely with the fried squid. And sour lime soup with calamari, diced tomatoes and Asian vegetables packs some delicious heat.

Crab cakes, however, are mushy and greasy. Crisply fried soft shell crabs, a special one night, are quartered and served with a nicely chilled, smashed avocado sauce. But a truly fresh crab would have been more juicy. Salads also are not a strong suit. When I order a grilled shrimp and papaya salad, I find myself tasting it again and again, searching for some burst of flavor or interest, anything.

Pasta is definitely not a good bet either. Ravioli with seafood stuffing are as big as index cards, the pasta too thick, the filling dry, and they’re covered with far too much hard grated cheese. And penne tossed with tiny meatballs, fresh peas and white beans is woefully overcooked.

The main courses are so generous that the food barely fits on the plate, which should make Tahiti popular with the budget-conscious doggie bag crowd. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look particularly appealing. Heartier fare includes a prime T-bone “charred Argentine style.” If that means your steak comes well-done when you order it rare, then it’s authentic. When my guest sends hers back one night, out comes another steak cooked medium. And the “chimichurri” bears little resemblance to its namesake, the fiery Argentine hot sauce.

Barbecued Porterhouse pork chop is an enormously thick cut, tough where it should be tender, slathered in chopped tomatoes and a cloying barbecue sauce. What can you say when the sauteed strips of sweet red pepper are the best things on the plate?

Fish and chips made with heavily battered lingcod would do a British establishment proud. The delicately flavorful cod comes with three different sauces, the best of which is the traditional vinegar. But other seafood doesn’t fare so well. A beautiful piece of white king salmon overcooked to the point of flakiness tastes like something out of a can. On another visit, grilled yellowtail filets are so funky that no one at our table will venture more than one bite.

Dessert provides no respite. Congo pie, described as a sort of pecan pie except made with macadamia nuts, comes in inch-wide strips garnished with two scoops of ice cream wearing coffee bean nipples. If you like gooey and sweet, this is for you. If not, pass up the gingerbread for one of the fruit sorbets.

World cuisine as practiced at Tahiti is something of a puzzle. Because the kitchen hasn’t figured out how to bring it all into focus, the effect of the flavors is blurred. And dishes could be better executed. Service is uneven, too. One night I have to flag down the waiter and the hostess in order to get the bill.

Once the adjoining Tiki Lounge opens by Labor Day, you’ll be able to cap off your meal with a tropical cocktail. If the cooking doesn’t improve, it might be a good idea to start with one, too, for the wine list doesn’t hold much of interest.

Though the feeling of the place is lighthearted and fun, if Di Lembo wants to attract more of a serious dining crowd, he’s going to have to fine-tune the food.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

TAHITI

CUISINE: World. AMBIENCE: Sassy tropical supper club with leopard-print booths, giant turtles climbing the walls and thatched roof kitchen. BEST DISHES: Shrimp and guacamole pizza, fried calamari, sour lime soup, soft shell crab, lingcod fish and chips, Congo pie. WINE PICKS: 1997 Alban Vineyards Viognier, Central Coast; 1997 Ici-La Bas Pinot Noir, Oregon. FACTS: 7910 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles; (323) 651-1213. Lunch weekdays, dinner daily. Dinner appetizers, $5 to $8; pizzas, $10 to $13; pastas, $10 to $15; main courses, $13 to $29. Corkage $12. Valet parking.