September 27, 2001
OCEANA
Summer has ended, but Oceana carries tastefully on


By MERIDITH FORD
Journal Restaurant Reviewer

NARRAGANSETT -- Sometimes the perfect time to dine at a waterfront restaurant is when summer is ending.

I was thinking of this when sitting in the expansive dining room at Oceana, with its sweeping views of the ocean and large, windswept deck. I'm sure that just weeks before, the restaurant's deck was swarming with end-of-summer revelers soaking up the last drops of sun and warmth.

But September had arrived, along with cooler breezes and earlier sunsets. And the summer sun-seekers had retreated, leaving the beach and Oceana's dining room less crowded.

Oceana's decor is lighthearted -- wicker chairs and white linen table cloths, and an enormous vase of flowers on a table at the center of the room.

The restaurant's food is ambitious, and on most levels it is successful. Chef John Sweeney has an ambitious eye for swirled sauces and layered presentations, both of which are at their least amusing, and at their best, enticing.

An affable host

Our evening started with two perky young women (one of whom was in training) presenting us a list of specials and taking our drink order with the deftness of seasoned professionals. The restaurant seems to be a job source for URI students, who scurry around the dining room with verve, personality -- and skill.

Jim LeDonne, Oceana's owner, is an affable host who makes sure that everyone is happy. He wanders from table to table, greeting diners and checking on things. (It's obvious where the URI students get their enthusiasm.)

One of the best things all evening was the bread and a zesty tapenade of olives -- presented as a colorful, tiny, drum-shaped timbale drizzled with olive oil. The rustic bread was warm and comforting, and the saltiness of the olives and smooth flavor of the olive oil made for a nice start to a meal.

But of course, there's so much more to the start of the meal than bread. A mussel bisque held a smoky flavor, and the mussels were tender bits of sea flavor swimming in a perfectly rich tomato base. Fried calamari, though, were too heavily coated in a floury batter for the flavor and texture of the squid to eke their way through. Peppery Thai seasonings, along with a hint of sesame oil, gave them the heart of their flavor.

The flavor of plump, juicy shrimp gave way to fresh tomatoes and basil in a scampi wrapped in a flaky crust, a creative variation on crostini (thin toasts).

A lobster parfait, served with a brandy sabayon, had caught my eye; it caught everyone else's, too, because by the time I ordered it, the kitchen had run out.

Bay scallops a hit

With entrees there was mixed success.

Bay scallops, tender and speckled with black sesame seeds, came enrobed in an ethereally light crust of phyllo. Most of the flavor, though, came from a wasabi-laden sauce that packed a yummy horseradish-flavored punch, highlighted by the delicate, but pungent, taste of a dollop of pickled ginger. The dish was a little busy with the flavors of several other sauces that were on the plate, too -- a pepper coulis and a creamy sauce laced with sesame flavor -- but overall it was a winning combination.

It's hard to put a finger on what was wrong with the filet mignon wrapped in bacon. Hefty portions of creamy garlic mashed potatoes and wispy onion rings gave the dish classic steakhouse appeal. But ultimately any dish that centers around a steak relies on the meat's taste, and here the robust flavor I wanted was timid at best.

Desserts at Oceana came with mixed results as well. A mocha mousse layered with thin slices of moist chocolate cake tasted a little stale, and the layer of mousse was difficult to find amid the cake layers. But a house-made ricotta cheesecake was dotted with candied lemon peel and almonds, and had a luscious cheese flavor not overburdened by sweetness.

Appetizers (including soups and salads) are $6 to $12; entrees are $15 to $28. Desserts are $6. There is a raw bar with oysters and little necks at $1.75 to $1.95 each. A small wine list of mostly California wines has bottles between $21 and $74.

There was something romantic about dining at Oceana just after the height of its season. The food, the view . . .

Toward the end of the evening I watched the white tips of waves gently crash on Narragansett Town Beach. Summer may have ended, but at that moment I didn't lament it. Full, content, I was ready to dress for fall.

Oceana, 1 Beach St., Narragansett, 792-3999. Casually upscale. Reservations accepted. Wheelchair accessible. Smoking in lounge and outside areas. Open Sun 2 to 9 p.m., Mon-Thu 4 to 9 p.m. and Sat 4 to 10 p.m. V, MC, AM, DIS, DC. Ample parking. Highchairs and booster seats available. $$$.