David Craig Bethesda: A star is born on St. Elmo Ave.

Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2006

Click here to enlarge this photo Susan Whitney-Wilkerson⁄The Gazette Chef-owner David Craig of David Craig Bethesda displays his steamed mussels cooked with garlic, shallots, white wine, butter and parsley (left) and seared salmon served with a ragout of brussels sprouts, Idaho potato, haricots verts, acorn squash and prosciutto in light white wine shellfish cream.

David Craig Bethesda 2924 St. Elmo Ave., Bethesda 301-657-2484, fax 301-657-1350 Hours: Sunday, Tuesday-Thursday 5:30-9:30 p.m., Friday-Saturday 5:30-10 p.m., closed Monday Entrée prices: $20-$29 Credit cards: All major cards Accessible www.dcbethesda.com

Before icons Roberto Donna and Jean-Louis Palladin tapped the canny Scotsman as their opening chef at Pesce in Dupont Circle 10 years ago, Craig worked at fine restaurants in Cyprus, Scotland and England. He met his current business partner John Fielding while working subsequently at the Tabard Inn downtown. His recent reign at Black’s Bar & Kitchen in Bethesda only added to his reputation as a wizard with seafood.

Formerly the site of Napa Thai, the cozy space is divided into front and back rooms seating about 56 in all. A small bar separates the two rooms whose walls are adorned by unframed abstract canvases.

Feeling like visiting royalty, we are greeted by no less than four people before we are midway through the restaurant. A perk in choosing the back room is that you can see the kitchen action from some seats. On the other hand, if you are looking for a romantic, dimly lit table, you may find the bright kitchen lights that shine through the window distracting. Personally, I wouldn’t trade the view of the chef (sporting a baseball hat with Alaska on it) for anything.

The look of the menu is our first surprise. In a concise manner, a single page enumerates 25 items from soup to sorbet. Words are not wasted.

The first item reads: ‘‘Roasted Local Pumpkin Soup. Carmelized Shallot & Dried Cranberry Ravioli. Crisp Sage. Pumpkinseed Oil. 7.” You almost want to say ‘‘bam!” at every period. You also want to give thanks to a menu that makes its ingredients so explicit.

All three pastas, plus the risotto, are available as half portions. That is another thing to like. Four of us shared two half-portions as appetizers, and the size was just right. The hand-cut flat noodles Carbonara style (that’s with bacon, egg, Parmesan and cream, the menu reminds us) are devastatingly rich. The hand-cut fresh square noodles (like thin linguine) and shrimp lavish white wine-garlic butter, another potential winner. (The only discordant note to dinner is a somewhat heavy hand on the salt with these pastas. Attention must be paid.) I look forward to returning to try the Vialone risotto featuring Maine lobster, roasted local apples, winter squash, smoked bacon and mascarpone.

Craig is clearly an artist, one who uses the medium of food to create unexpected pleasures. Working with fresh seasonal ingredients, he complements the main ingredient, whether seafood or meat, with care and flair. His beautifully prepared and beautifully plated food is, to quote a colleague, ‘‘divine.”

To this heavenly assessment, I submit the crispy skinned local rockfish, a filet caressing a ragout of winter root vegetables with applewood smoked bacon and wilted Swiss chard and thyme. Likewise, the seared salmon paired with a ragout of Brussels sprouts, Idaho potato, haricots verts, acorn squash and prosciutto in light white wine shellfish cream. Vegetables take on a new dimension in these astonishing ragouts. Pan-roasted Atlantic cod served with corona beans, Serrano ham, roasted garlic, fennel and Roma tomato in a shrimp broth is another delight.

Not content with one prep, Craig offers chicken two ways — the breast with prosciutto and Fontina and the leg stuffed with wild mushrooms — served with apple cider-braised cabbage and polenta fries. Terrific.

Duck lovers can look forward to their favorite three ways: liver flan, housemade sausage and seared breast.

Desserts are equally inventive. Toasted pound cake, as light as angelfood cake, bathes in chocolate and caramel sauces, garnished with sweet and sour cream. Homemade vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce complement light-textured chocolate bread pudding.

The arrival of David Craig Bethesda gets 2006 off on the right foot.