Cioppino is good to the last drop at Boulder's Trattoria

John Lehndorff, Rocky Mountain News

Published April 21, 2006 at midnight

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Ah, cioppino.

It's pronounced cha-pee-no, and this Italian stew is often a letdown composed of overcooked leftover seafood.

At Trattoria on Pearl, chef Daniel Cofrades composes a broth of crushed tomato with layers of flavor incorporating garlic, herbs, and a wealth of saffron. It's the ideal medium to gently simmer super-fresh octopus, mussels, clams, squid, shrimp, salmon and scallops.

The resulting aromatic bowl ($23.95) was sheer aquatic bliss - good to the last drop, sopped up with house-baked foccacia. It's on Cofrades' daily specials list because if he doesn't have the right fish, he won't offer it.

This first-class dish made me take Trattoria on Pearl seriously as an Italian contender. Someone's home and paying attention to the details.

Sara and Guillermo Casarrubias opened their restaurant in a space on Boulder's Pearl Street Mall that formerly held Trattoria Girasole, Amuse and the Little Russian Cafe. Sara's a Boulder native and Guillermo sharpened his restaurant savvy while toiling at the Brown Palace, the Left Bank in Vail, and Chicago's Pump Room.

Their partner, the Spain-born Cofrades, trained in France and cooked in Venezuela, Brazil and Indonesia before working with Brian Moscatello at Adega and Kevin Taylor at his eponymous eatery.

The sunflower-adorned dining area is warm and comfy with tables on different levels plus a patio for people-gazing while sipping potent, housemade limoncello liqueur. The menu is modern, not meatball, cuisine with decent-sized portions, not piles on platters.

Butternut squash soup ($6.25) with its bit of spice and loads of cream, is easy to love. The soup's sweet undertones induced my son to lick the bowl. It was an ill-mannered act, yet I had to applaud his enthusiasm for vegetables. Mom applauded the pasta e fagiola ($6.25) - in my family, we call this soup "pasta fazool" - because it was hot and swimming with penne, beans and veggies.

Cofrades' Caesar salad ($7.50) is as good as this fusion dish gets, with pale Romaine leaves lightly painted with lemony dressing, topped with shaved Parmesan, creamy whole white anchovies and soft croutons. It was almost equalled by an arugula and radicchio salad ($7.95), a sweet balsamic dressing balancing the refreshingly bitter greens.

Seafood expertise shows again in the tangy black mussels ($9.50) in a tomato broth riddled with saffron, roasted garlic and cannelini beans, and light baby calamari ($7.50), with chunky marinara and aioli.

I would never turn down the house fonduta ($8.95), a brandy-infused creamy cheese sauce with mushrooms and dipping toasts.

In unpretentious trattoria fashion, the middle of the menu offers pizza and pasta choices that can be a meal in themselves.

The six classy cracker-crisp pizzas range from a textbook Margherita ($8.25) with house-made mozzarella to a tomato-free Colosseo with its mozzarella and mushrooms. The latter was appealing despite a minor glitch: the moist, premium prosciutto was cut too thickly to bite through.

Co-owner Guillermo Casarrubias' wine savvy shows in a carefully collected international list. We couldn't get over the three, half-glass pours in his lovely wine flights ($11-$12). We giddily sipped and discussed the flights of Italian and Californian reds and whites.

The menu and nightly specials allow the chef ample elbow room to devise fresh pasta, risotto and gnocchi combinations. I was knocked out by provolone tortellini ($14.95) awash in robust roasted vegetable puree and the penne alla vodka ($10.50; $14.50 with salmon), a brightly hued bowlful of asparagus, tomatoes and al dente macaroni in a compelling creamed tomato sauce crowned with fine grilled salmon.

Tradition is well honored in the Trattoria's linguine vongole ($13.95), itty bitty manila clams nestled in housemade pasta, and the piping hot, real lasagna ($14.95). Well-baked noodles are layered with ground veal and sweet, fennel-seeded sausage, plus bechamel sauce and various cheeses. The result is far from the heavy, tomato-ey, cheese-shrouded Italian-American version.

For those of the pork persuasion, entree heaven is pork tenderloin ($17.95) adorned in a treasure sauce incorporating figs, roasted grapes and apple balanced with tart chevre. Lamb lovers will find bliss in the silky bites of meat from the 25-ounce Colorado lamb osso buco ($26.95). Even the Trattoria's half roast chicken ($16.50) is a joy infused with the holy quartet: olive oil, garlic, rosemary and olives.

Risotto ($15) is the minefield from which few chefs emerge unscathed. Cofrades dotes on his Arborio rice, delivering that magical mix of creaminess and single grain integrity tumbled with mushrooms and roasted garlic.

For a sweet finish, we smiled over spot-on cannoli ($5.95) and tiramisu ($5.95), gelato-filled profiteroles ($5.95) and a stellar tarta mermelata ($5.95) topped with blackberry jam. The roster of great gelatos and sorbets ($5.95) produced by Boulder's Glacier Ice Cream included stellar peanut-ella, limoncello, cassis, and double-shot latte flavors.

Only a few minor glitches separate Trattoria from greatness. The gnocchi ($15) were lovely pan-seared dough thumbs, but its four cheese sauce was unfortunately grainy. Our cheese ravioli ($16.95) were way undercooked, but we liked the gorgonzola sauce with spiced pear and walnuts. Likewise, a good chocolate banana torte ($5.95) suffered from an underbaked crust.

During each of our three visits, there were always families - some with seniors, others with babies - set around big tables appreciating the generosity of spirit that marks the Trattoria's experience.

Boulder is home to a bevy of buzz-worthy, chef-driven bistros such as Frasca, L'Atelier, The Kitchen and Mateo. Add Trattoria on Pearl to that list of destinations.

Trattoria on Pearl

• Grade: B+

• Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 3 and 5 to 10 p.m. daily

• How much: $5-$14 starters; $10-$27 pastas and entrees

• How loud: moderate

• Reservations: yes

• Information: www.trattoriaonpearl.com

John Lehndorff is the dining critic; lehndorffj@rockymountainnews.com or 303-892-5103

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