Czech Out The Change -- Labuznik's Owner/Chef Cools His Temper But Not The Food

CHANGE HAS COME to Labuznik.

"Not the Rossini!" you might cry, if you'd tasted it just once. Rest easy: The liver mousse still melts deliciously over the tournedos with madeira sauce.

"Not the Rack of Lamb!" No, it's still there: thick, tender, daring any challengers to be better.

Thankfully, owner and chef Peter Cipra has not touched the menu at his Belltown restaurant. For sheer quality and attention to culinary detail, Labuznik remains among the region's leading dining rooms.

What has changed at Labuznik is perhaps even more unimaginable.

Peter Cipra has mellowed.

It's not hard to come by stories about the old Cipra. Like the time a man was eating at Labuznik with his wife and mother-in-law. The man knew Cipra, and like him was Czech-born. The mother-in-law ordered Veal Orloff. And complained that the meat was too red. Cipra disagreed. Passionately. The customer, it became clear, wasn't always right.

Cipra has mellowed so much he will tell you himself what he used to be like.

"In the old days, I would go nuclear. I didn't want to disturb the whole motion" of preparing the meals. "It was the professionalism that people didn't understand.

"I went the wrong way," he says. "I'm a lousy psychologist. It had an effect on the waitresses."

And now?

"Now it's, `Bring it in, forget about it.' "

Today Cipra, who will soon turn 50, sounds like a not-so-lousy self-analyst.

"I really was a nasty boy," he says. "I wasn't happy with myself.

"It takes a lot of time to mature, particularly if you have bad temper, and I have a bad temper. I was young and strong. Now I'm old," he says, pausing as a smile grows across his face, "and I'm not so strong. You don't pick big fights so much. Like George Foreman: If you're gonna get beat up, get beat up for big money."

Big money was one thing Cipra had in mind when he opened The Prague in Pioneer Square in 1970. Six years later, he bought a building on First Avenue between Stewart and Virginia for $60,000. He moved his restaurant to the ground floor and renamed it Labuznik (Czech for "gourmet").

Now he can afford to live out his old dream: retire, move to his 300-acre Winthrop ranch, build a house, work in the garden.

Yet he doesn't.

"Your dreams change. You just want to continue, instead of create and change."

Cipra mostly credits his second wife, Susan, for his revised views. She also works in the restaurant Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. But ask about change, and both will talk about the brain tumor removed from their younger son last year. Now Karel is doing well, and Cipra finds himself "having more fun now than I've ever had.

"It took me a long time to get there," he says. "Last year, I start putting less pressure on people and more on myself. Last year, I slowed down a bit. I sit more."

That's not evident in the Labuznik cuisine, which is continental, with a firm nod toward his native land.

Neither the dining-room menu nor that in the cafe lists appetizers, a blessing at dessert time. If you must, Cipra's seasonal sauteed mushrooms make a fine starter.

The mixed-greens Dinner Salad ($3.25) is unerringly fresh and lightly dressed, taking into account the main-course sauces to come. A Cream of Vegetable Soup du jour ($3.25) was fine if not remarkable; the Cream of Veal another night was creamy and smooth. But the standout was the Hungarian Sauerkraut Soup with Smoked Sausage' Cipra shares his simplified recipe at right.

For this sauerkraut soup, a love of pickled cabbage is definitely not required. Plentiful beef and vegetables balance the tartness perfectly. Susan Cipra tells of an older customer once who grumbled that the soup of the day should be more populist. She countered that he try it. The restaurant was so busy she didn't get his reaction until some time later. He looked up, glared, then smiled and said, "I'll have another bowl for dessert."

Cipra's entrees, however, shouldn't be missed. His replacement of the traditional liver pate with mousse atop the Tournedos Rossini ($23) raises the dish to regal status. Suppliers tell him Labuznik sells more Rack of Lamb (seasonal price, usually from $28 to $32) than any place its size. For good reason - the knife is almost superfluous. The mustard cream sauce and pickles highlight Pork Medallions "Poprazsku" ($18.50). Bohemian Roast Duck ($13.95), complete with sauteed red cabbage and dumplings, is the best deal in the house.

Regulars, by the way, have been known to stop in for just the side vegetables: creamed spinach, glazed carrots and the cabbage.

Some of Labuznik's servers have worked there for 10 or more years; trust their recommendations. For one dessert we were steered toward a Meringue Basket ($6.50 to $7.95), filled with ice cream and mixed berries. It had five spoons clashing for one more bite. A wonderful, more subtle sweet is the Baked Pear ($6.50), served warm with raspberry sauce, amaretto cookie, Grand Marnier and whipped cream (chocolate is extra). Likewise the Chocolate Mousse ($4.50) managed to be rich but not overwhelming.

The cafe offers Labuznik quality in 16 lower-priced items, starting with Soup and Bread ($4.75). The Labuznik Pasta ($8.25) has enough basil to satisfy the herb's most devoted fans. And the Pepper Steak Sandwich ($11.95) shows off a luscious green-peppercorn sauce.

Cipra makes a point to share credit with assistant chef Fernando Lopez and with his veteran wait staff. Still, regular diners come to appreciate that they are in Cipra's hands. When he is not there, Labuznik is closed. They serve only in the evenings, and not on Sundays and Mondays. And when the cooking day is over, Cipra starts in cleaning. "The bathrooms and the hallways, they are mine," he says, with pride.

Susan Cipra agrees her husband has changed - to a point.

"I think that he has the same intensity and the same passion that he's always had. You have to have that to do what he does.

"I don't know if you would call it age or the wisdom of age, but you begin to realize you have only a certain amount of energy to expend, so you might as well expend it more positively.

"Having children helps," she says. "And our youngest son had a life-threatening illness last year. That, certainly, makes you realize there's more to life than a perfect veal chop."

"But it does help."

# # # 1/2 Labuznik, 1924 First Ave., Seattle. Dinner ($11.50 to $32 in dining room, $4.25 to $14.95 in cafe), from 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Lounge, full bar. Major credit cards. Smoking in bar only. Reservations (for the dining room and for cafe parties of 6 or more): 441-8899.

Molly Martin is assistant editor of Pacific. Benjamin Benschneider is a Seattle Times photographer.

-------------------------------- SAUERKRAUT SOUP -------------------------------- Makes 6 servings

1 tablespoon vegetable oil . 1 onion, coarsely diced .

1/4 pound chuck steak, cut into 1/3-inch cubes . 1 teaspoon caraway seeds .

Pinch of red pepper flakes .

Salt and pepper, to taste .

1/4 pound (1 link) farmer's or Polish sausage, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds, then quartered . 3 tablespoons Hungarian paprika . 4 medium potatoes, diced . 2 carrots, julienned . 1 to 2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans beef broth or homemade beef stock . 1 to 2 cups sauerkraut, to taste .

1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram . 1 tablespoon white vinegar . Sour cream, for garnish .

. 1. Heat the oil in a large pot, add the onion and saute until light brown. 2. Add the meat, caraway seeds, pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Cook until the meat is browned. Add the sausage; saute another five minutes. 3. Remove the pan from the heat and add the paprika. (Important: Do not burn the paprika, or it will become bitter.) 4. Return the pan to the heat and simmer, stirring, for two minutes. Stir in the potatoes and carrots. 5. Add broth, at least one can and up to two, depending on desired consistency. Bring soup to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook until ingredients are tender. 6. Stir in sauerkraut. Simmer for five minutes. 7. Just before serving, stir in marjoram and vinegar. Serve garnished with a dollop of sour cream.