San Diego Metropolitan - Downtown Dining

Frank Dick, longtime bartender at Portabello Restaurant in the Gaslamp, bought the eatery from his employer, Allesandro Minutella, in June. After a quick close and remodel, mostly in the kitchen, he opened Seven-17 in late July.

The interior is a work in progress. Most of the key structural design elements have remained the same, including the arched brick ceiling, slate floor and mahogany bar. Dick added, or divided off, a private dining room and a sleek banquette in the main dining room, but, at the time of my visits, the restaurant still lacked the design details necessary to differentiate Seven-17 from Portabello.

It’s not just all the brand-new equipment that sparkles back in the kitchen. Ronald Bankston, a creative, talented and very ambitious young chef, shines brightly. Born into a family of restaurateurs from New Orleans and a graduate of the Culinary Institute of Louisiana, Bankston is the bright spot of this new restaurant. He takes top ingredients, uses classical French-style preparation methods and adds a hint of Cajun-style seasoning to create an interesting style of fare.

I’m a freak for bisque of any kind and Bankston’s Lobster Bisque En Croute ($10) is up there with the best (I compare everyone to Dobson’s mussel bisque). What sets this bisque apart is that the shells are roasted not once, but twice, the second time after brushing them with tomato paste. This creates a richly flavored, dark-colored stock, which is reduced, thickened with roux and rounded out with cream. An ounce of Mexican lobster and a sheet of puff pastry are added to each serving prior to a finish in the oven. The piping hot tureen of bisque, topped with a bumbershoot of buttery baked pastry, is finished with a shot of sherry tableside.

The “Seven-17 Salad” ($10) is a standout. Field greens, seasonal berries, Gorgonzola cheese and candied pecans are tossed with champagne tarragon vinaigrette. Other salad offerings include the regular cast of characters: Caesar, mixed green and a spinach salad.

The appetizer list is quite lengthy and offers both hot and cold starters. Two highlights are the “Pancetta Wrapped Prawns” and the “Lamb Chops” (both $15). Two 2.5-ounce Australian lamb chops are blackened in Bankston’s own combination of blackening spices, then grilled. The chops are topped with Stilton cheese, placed under the flame just long enough to melt it, and drizzled with white truffle oil for a strong finish.

The entrée list offers a huge variety of choices, including steaks, lamb, veal chops, pork tenderloin and at least a dozen seafood items.

Bankston gets creative with the “Blackened Sea Scallops” ($23). They are served with mashed potatoes, butternut squash puree and finished with a Frangelico cream sauce. (It sounds like a weird combination but it works.)

The “Grilled Free Range Chicken” ($19) is a great choice. The breast is grilled, then rubbed with a pasilla barbecue sauce. It hits a smoking-hot pan to seal in the flavor and then is finished in a hot, 500-degree oven. The plate is completed with mashed potatoes and a sautéed vegetable, which changes seasonally.

Even though I already had polished off the entire bowl of bisque, I splurged (calorically speaking) and ordered yet another sinfully rich dish.

The “Lobster Ravioli” ($19) did not disappoint. It actually could be called a lasagna as it is served open-faced and layered, but hey, it’s the chef’s whim. Thin sheets of spinach pasta are alternated with a generous slathering of a thick mushroom duxelle cream sauce and what seems like handfuls of rock shrimp and lobster.

Just as Batman has Robin and Laurel has Hardy, Bankston too has a right hand man —Willie Cross. The two met in the emergency ward (but that’s another story) and have worked together ever since. Cross not only acts as sous chef, but also doubles as Bankston’s pastry chef.

While Seven-17 may be lacking a painting here or a knick knack there, Bankston and company are putting out plates most worthy of a visit. This newcomer shows promise and definitely is worth keeping an eye on.