LA MERENDA

Tables and chairs of various dimensions and styles fi ll the room. T e warm wall col- ors suggest a place where someone would drink sangria, a lot of sangria. Plates – of empanadas, duck confi t crêpes, Korean braised short ribs – cover the tables. Chef/ co-owner Peter Sandroni walks out to de- liver an order or greet diners. La Merenda’s small plates – 25 or so in all – transcend their size. With rice, prosciutto, moz- zarella and sweet peas, this tapas retreat can conjure up Italy. But there are other countries to evoke – China, Peru, Morocco, Jamaica, France, Greece. T e fl avors are big and international, though many of the ingredients come from farms as close as possible. T e menu’s spring additions feature Jamaican jerk trout over coconut- pineapple rice, T ai green curry and a Mexican red mole-lamb dish served on potato and cornmeal sopes. $4-$9.25. (125

E. National Ave., 414-389-0125)

SANFORD RESTAURANT

T e sale just weeks ago of Coquette Café – and the closing of Harlequin Bakery several months ago – has freed up owners Sandy and Angie D’Amato to focus on the restaurant they opened 21 years ago in the old D’Amato family grocery store. It’s a playground for people who view a meal as akin to a performance by the New York Philharmonic. Sandy is getting back to his roots – creating art on the plate with some- thing as small as a poppy seed or as large as a pig carcass. With skilled chef de cuisine Justin Aprahamian in tow, spring couldn't look brighter. A few additions: lekvár- glazed duck breast with peppered apricots and wilted watercress; seared lobster and sea scallops with glazed radish and sorrel spring onion emulsion; and warm molasses Indian pudding cake with rhubarb com- pote. Entrées $29-$39. (1547 N. Jackson

St., 414-276-9608)

UMAMI MOTO

T e restaurateurs of Milwaukee Street have worked, more than any other area, to create dramatic spaces. T ere’s no subtlety to Restaurant Row. But as for achieving a serene feel, nobody does it like Umami (named for the “fi fth taste,” which joins salty, sour, sweet and bitter). Tile walls, wave-like panels and stone-

Photo by John Cizmas

covered pillars suggest the slow, calm- ing movement of water. Executive chef Dominic Zumpano keeps a clean look to his plates – Asian fusion with more twists and turns. T e 32-year-old Chicago ex- pat is inspired by oysters Rockefeller. It becomes a nori roll – one of many exotic, snake-like creations. Kung pao is one of Zumpano’s favorite Chinese dishes. On the appetizer list: kung pao duck with ly- chee salsa and scallion corn pancake. You can’t accuse Zumpano of overdressing his food. T e succulent miso sea bass, a crisp coating covering creamy fl esh, rests regally on bamboo rice. T at beauty just might be the sixth taste. Entrées $14-$39.

(718 N. Milwaukee St., 414-727-9333)

sea scallops with potato-andouille hash.

$18.25-$39. (4313 W. River Ln., Brown Deer, 414-354-1995)

MASON STREET GRILL

Since early 2009, Mark Weber has been the Pfi ster Hotel’s executive chef, a posi- tion that ties in closely to Mason Street Grill, the hotel’s signature restaurant. If the kitchen is grooving along, which it has been, Weber is doing his job. If you’re being frugal these days, Mason Street’s $20 three-course Sunday dinner hits the spot. But I’m willing to drop some dough on the regular menu’s rich bone-in rib- eye and relatively light veal piccata. And

SANFORD

RESTAURANT

Sophisticated palates in a refined room.

RIVER LANE INN

If you walked into River Lane fi ve years ago, it wouldn’t look much diff erent than it does today. T e status quo works fi ne for owner Jim Marks. In 2007, Mike Kusch worked his way up in the kitchen to head chef. Like every chef before him, Kusch has the fi sh touch. River Lane is both a place for quality fi sh and a good value. Entrées come with starch and side salad. T ree of the best choices are longtime signatures: mustard-crusted rare ahi tuna, calamari Parmesan (a thin steak), and cedar-plank salmon with horseradish cream sauce. T e specials – written on a hand-held chalkboard – can make an evening. Some recent: Arctic char with glazed apricots; grouper with lobster hash and Creole Choron sauce; and Cajun

talk about a good hotel burger – topped with Muenster and honey-glazed onions.

Entrées $10.75-$50. (425 E. Mason St., 414-298-3131)

COQUETTE CAFÉ

On the March day that this modest but stylish T ird Ward French bistro was offi - cially signed over to its new owners, found- er Sandy D’Amato described the reaction of new co-owner Chris Hatleli after the at- torney congratulated him: Hatleli “kind of fl ipped out. He let out a sound, then came over and hugged us,” says D’Amato. For Hatleli and partner Nick Burki, this is the realization of a dream. Both have worked for the D’Amatos and at places like T e Social and the Milwaukee Art Museum’s Café Calatrava. T ey say maintaining

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