Boca Brings A Taste Of Caribbean To Alki

----------------------------------------------------------------- Restaurant review

XX 1/2 Boca, 2516 Alki Ave. S.W. ($$) Lunch ($2.95-$8.95) from 11 a.m. weekdays. Dinner (same menu, $2.95-$16.95) until 10 p.m. daily. Brunch ($3.50-$9.50) 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sunday. Full bar. Major credit cards. No smoking. Reservations: 933-8000. -----------------------------------------------------------------

"Exotic dining on Alki," reads the photo-emblazoned Boca business card.

Boca is nothing if not exotic. At times, in fact, one might wish for a little bit more of the ordinary.

Boca ("mouth" in Spanish) is the creation of chef Marianne Zdobysz and owner Lorry Clark, who has put his mouth where his money is; it's colorful and imaginative, sited on one of the more scenic stretches of the West Seattle beach. It looks as if it might have been transplanted from the Florida Keys or maybe Jamaica, and the aromas from the kitchen (banana, coconut, jerk barbecue spices and grilled fresh seafood) reinforce the impression.

Clark was born in Everett and has lived for several years in West Seattle. An artist-designer-entrepreneur, he traveled extensively in the Caribbean and was fascinated by the rich ethnic mix, and how that mix influenced cuisine.

"It was healthful, imaginative and fun," he said. "You had everything from classic French to African to East Indian. What we have done isn't entirely authentic - we toned down some of the

hotter sauces because we felt they didn't fit with the Northwest palate."

Zdobysz is a young but talented and experienced chef (she opened Chez Shea, Entros and the Queen City Grill). She has merged Clark's multifaceted culinary vision. Most of it works admirably well.

Creative seafood

Clearly, this is not a typical Northwest fish house.

There's salmon on the menu, but it's paired (as an option) with Eggs Meggsican on the brunch menu. We have sea bass, but it's grilled and steamed inside of a banana leaf. And, of course, there are crab cakes. But these are a la Martinique Crab Cakes ($14.25), grilled and presented atop a papaya and basil coulis. It's a grand coulis.

Nine appetizers lead off a diverse, intriguing menu. Two of us split a Carib-styled Tamale ($3.75), spicy "rustic chicken" stuffed into masa harina, sauced with a smoky tomato sauce and wrapped not in a traditional corn husk, but a banana leaf.

Ceviche de la Casa ($5.75), sliced scallops and diced marlin, was perfect in a tart marinade of lime and orange juice, with papaya, minced red onion and cilantro. It's served attractively in a cup of two or three overlapping leaves of radicchio. A basket of French bread, tub of sweet butter and a chilled glass of Chardonnay fit nicely.

Local Penn Cove mussels ($7.50) get a tropical treatment; savory and pan-fried with saffron and chilies and splashed with coconut milk.

A substantial cup of corn chowder ($2.95) was pleasant but not memorable.

Affordable soups, salads

Boca, at this time, doesn't have a specific lunch menu. But you may order inexpensively from a selection of soups (up to $4.25) and salads ($3.50 for mixed greens; $4.50 for a hearts of Romaine Caesar; $8.75 for alder-smoked Marlin over wild greens with a mango-mint salsa, or $8.95 for the Caribbean Lamb Salad, which is grilled with jicama, tossed in a potent roasted serrano vinaigrette and arranged on baby lettuce). And there are sandwiches (around $7).

Eight dinner entrees ($14 to $17) are always available, along with a couple of daily seafood specials. At lunch, many are offered in scaled-down versions and at lower prices.

I loved Boca's Bass ($15.95), Chilean sea bass marinated in fermented black beans with lime and pineapple juices, then steamed in a banana leaf. The effect of the fermented marinade is not dissimilar to the slightly sweet finish of Kasu black cod.

Tia Tata's Tenderloin ($14.75; no inquiry was made as to nomenclatural origin) is a char-grilled pork tenderloin with an ancho and chipotle chili rub. It's prepared medium-rare unless specified otherwise. The flavors are rich, almost intense, and lingering.

I thought the Spit-Roasted Jerk Chicken ($13.25) was one of the best of its kind in the city: slow-roasted, moist, tender throughout.

The Yucatan Omelet ($7.25 at Brunch) looked lovely and the brandied banana-macadamia nut chutney was a delight. But the diced pork and banana filling was more novel than rewarding.

The Banana Split dessert with chocolate and coconut ice cream . . . sigh.

(Copyright, 1995, John Hinterberger. All rights reserved.) John Hinterberger, who writes the weekly restaurant review in Tempo and a Sunday food column in Pacific, visits restaurants anonymously and unannounced. He pays in full for all food, wines and services. Interviews of the restaurants' management and staff are done only after meals and services have been appraised. He does not accept invitations to evaluate restaurants.