It's heartening to welcome a new neighborhood restaurant in these dismal economic times. And Bloomfield residents and workers certainly seem to have embraced Sausalido, which opened in November in the Liberty Avenue storefront formerly inhabited by Mezzanotte.

Black walls and slightly claustrophobic booths have been replaced with warm earth tones, rows of cute little bistro tables, bud vases of carnations, and rotating art exhibits from the nearby Box Heart Gallery. The downstairs dining room seats 40, the upstairs dining room, used mostly for private parties, has room for 38.

Owner Nick Mineo (cousin of the pizza Mineo's) runs the catering arm and collaborates on the menu, but executive chef Michael Simpson is primarily responsible for lunch and dinner service.

Sausalido's best dishes were those few on the lighter, more streamlined side. The autumn hummus ($6.50) was a smooth, simple puree topped with some chunks of raw zucchini and yellow squash. It was served with a pile of warm, crisp herbed pita chips redolent of garlic. This dish was very simple, but it was also tasty and healthful.

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Sausalido

Atmosphere:

1 1/2 stars = Good+
Ratings explained

Service:

1 1/2 stars = Good+
Ratings explained

Food:

Ratings explained

Overall:

1 star = Good
Ratings explained

4621 Liberty Ave.
Bloomfield
412-683-4575
www.sausalido.net

• Hours: Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Saturday 4:30-10:30 p.m.; Sunday closed.
• Basics: A neighborhood place with bistro-style decor and friendly service, but poor technique, unbalanced flavors and fussy presentations are detracting from the food.
• Recommended dishes: Autumn hummus, euro Atlantic salmon, almond creme brulee.
• Prices: Appetizers, $4-$13; entree salads, $8-$12; entrees, $18-$26; desserts, $6-$6.50
• Summary: Not wheelchair accessible due to step at front door; park on street or in nearby city lots; credit cards accepted; reservations encouraged on weekend; BYOB, corkage, $2 per person.
• Noise level: Low to medium-loud.

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The euro Atlantic salmon was another relatively successful dish, both more complex and more original. A pan-roasted fillet of salmon was set over a mix of lentils and white beans cooked with chopped roma tomatoes. The salmon was cooked through, which some would consider overcooked, but it was still fairly moist. I liked the combination of lentils and white beans -- the textures played off each other well, and lemon oil added a pleasant note of brightness too often missing from other dishes.

Cutting out some of the frippery would help modernize the plate -- there's no need to garnish it with a half dozen little slices of lemon, much less to ring the plate with a starburst of reduced balsamic.

But for the most part, dishes were more problematic, for a couple of different reasons. Too many of the appetizers were of the assemble-and-cook variety, the kind of food you can make at home with little effort, time or money.

Baby bellas were stuffed with a mixture of sausage, roasted red peppers, sauteed spinach and grated imported parmesan cheese ($10). The parmesan cheese had the plastic-like taste and waxy texture of improperly stored hard cheeses. The mushrooms, while cooked through, were seriously under salted -- a bland backdrop for an otherwise one-note dish.

These mushrooms improved their standing a little in the portobello caprese with lump crab meat ($13). Here, a large marinated, roasted portobello mushroom cap had some of its trademark meaty flavor. Unfortunately, the layered concoction formed atop the mushroom cap did little to enhance that flavor. Between slices of the saddest possible roma tomatoes -- pink, mealy and flavorless -- underseasoned crab meat and a thick, gooey cap of melted buffalo mozzarella, this dish managed to be quite substantial, without tasting like much of anything.

The antipasto flatbread ($8) also was deadened by an overwhelming load of cheese, this time piquante provolone.

In today's economy, when most people have stopped eating out merely for convenience, restaurants need to give diners something a little more complex and impressive than stuffed mushrooms or flatbread, even if they make the flatbread themselves. Or, if they are going to serve simple food, the ingredients need to be of such a high quality, and the technique so precise, that the finished product is equally impressive.

The entrees, at least, were more interesting, but plate presentations were out-of-date and fussy. Garnishes such as rings or zigzags of reduced sauces, and vegetables cut into geometric shapes such as diamonds or flowers are old-fashioned and do nothing to improve its taste.

Pumpkin ravioli ($18) is the sort of dish that must be very carefully executed to keep from becoming too sweet. Here, the pumpkin filling was sweet, the ravioli were swimming in a sage and cinnamon butter that tasted only of cinnamon, and the dish was garnished with sugary, caramelized apples and a handful of blueberries. This was dessert, masquerading as an entree. Cut out the apples, the blueberries and the cinnamon and you might have been left with quite a tasty dish.

Roasted duck came with a sticky-sweet orange-apricot-balsamic glaze ($26) and a duck breast so dry that one had to saw at it with a steak knife even to liberate a bite. The leg meat was marginally more tender, but it also was strangely grainy. The risotto served with it, as well as another risotto sampled on an earlier visit, seemed to get its creaminess entirely from an abundance of cheese, rather than from the starch of the rice. This dish also was garnished with berries, this time strawberry halves.

The actual desserts were classic dishes that need to be executed more carefully. The almond creme brulee ($6.50) had a good custard base, but the sugar crust was studded with burnt spots. Roasted apples in a tarte tatin ($6.50) were soft without being mushy but the thick pastry crust was undercooked and served with a gelato that was far more icy than creamy.

Of course, Sausalido isn't the most expensive restaurant in Pittsburgh, and much can be forgiven where prices are reasonable. Diners are served bread baked at Sanchioli bakery along with a white bean and rosemary puree; entrees come with a side salad. Still, given the quality of the food, right now this restaurant doesn't particularly feel like a bargain.

Despite serious problems, there's still something heartwarming about Sausalido. The place is charming and the servers are making an effort. Tables are crumbed, silverware is replaced, wine bottles are opened and water is refilled, all pleasantly and professionally. Both Mineo and Simpson seem thrilled to work in a neighborhood where first-time diners quickly become regulars.

Mineo stops to chat with every table, and he's clearly pouring a lot of passion into this restaurant. But passion isn't a substitute for well-thought out dishes, careful cooking and honest presentations. Make room for these ingredients and Sausalido could still be the kind of casual neighborhood spot that everyone wants on their corner.