Joule gives Wallingford a jolt

Forgive the scientific musings, but Joule, a gem of a restaurant named after a unit of energy, prompted me to ponder electricity — phenomena that create sparks, literally and metaphorically. Infectious, emotional exhilaration is the sort of electricity I found at this new Wallingford bistro, where plate after pretty plate generated frissons of excitement, stimulating several senses at once, as really good food does.

A menu that embraces kimchi and gnocchi, cornbread and sweetbreads defies pigeon-

holing. The eclectic nature of the food is underscored by the menu's unconventional arrangement. Dishes are loosely grouped into evocative categories with headings — Tossed, Simmered, Crisped, Sparked or Pickled — that kindle interest immediately. Start anywhere you like on this succinct bill of fare — there's no right or wrong way to order.

From the "Crisped" section comes a procession of shallow, rectangular, enameled cast-iron dishes, each not much bigger than a butter dish nestled in a wooden trivet. These bakers might hold cornbread, lasagna, gnocchi, roasted potatoes or carrots.

A melt of smoked Gouda trails across the cornbread's brittle, golden plain, under a rain of chopped chives, an occasional clove of preserved garlic peeking from the delicate crumb.

Lasagna is layered with extraordinarily delicate pasta. The edges get cracker crisp, and between the sheets lays a heavenly blend of béchamel, house-made ricotta and Bleu D'auvergne (a creamy French blue cheese) tethered to earth by slices of shiitake mushrooms.

Kalamata olives tint potato gnocchi pale blue-gray. The flavor plays nicely with sweet roasted red pepper, the softness an appealing contrast to sliced almonds.

Apple slices and spicy, pickled green grapes nestle among vivid red-orange roasted carrots spiked with cumin and ginger. They transform an everyday vegetable into something seductive; just as anchovies, garlic and crackling nuggets of wild boar bacon turn roasted fingerling potatoes into objects of desire.

Speaking of longing, how could anyone perch at Joule's kitchen counter and not covet one of the whole fish lined up sizzling on the grill. (See "Sparked.") Mackerel, branzino and daurade are all served "on the bone." A type of sea bream, daurade has delicate, almost sweet flesh under bronzed skin that practically dissolves in your mouth. It swims with two wildly good condiments: sweet-and-sour eggplant and almond piccata, a biting mince of nuts, roasted lemon and garlic.

Other items that "sparked" interest: lamb sirloin, veal sweetbreads and Kalbi-style short ribs. Potent daikon kimchi, diced and glistening with red chili sauce, is the perfect partner for the meaty short ribs. Tuna and anchovy give depth to a sauce enhancing beautifully caramelized veal sweetbreads, sliced to expose palest pink meat.

Large grains of salt dot rosy slices of lamb sauced with a brilliant green sesame leaf emulsion. A Korean variation on shiso, sesame leaf tastes a bit minty; blended with ginger and garlic, it resembles a powerful Asian pesto that pairs beautifully with the lamb.

Those Asian accents aren't simple trend chasing: Chef Rachel Yang was born and raised in Korea. Seattleites first encountered her provocative Korean riffs at Tom Hurley's Madrona restaurant, Coupage, where Yang and her husband, Seif Chirchi, were the opening chefs. The couple left Coupage in late spring and opened Joule in early November.

The 30-year-olds met in the kitchen at Alain Ducasse in New York, where Yang also cooked at Thomas Keller's Per Se. Their résumés account for the crisp formality they use with each other in the kitchen and their intense concentration as they work. That training also no doubt honed the painstaking attention to detail that enhances each presentation.

Darling canning jars hold a seasonal assortment of spicy sweet pickled peppers, chunks of Asian pear and root vegetables (see "Pickled.") Potent XO sauce is strategically sprinkled into the gaping maws of clams emerging from satin-smooth roasted fennel soup (see "Simmered"). A roseate radish coin sits just so atop a cold seafood salad ("Tossed") composed of squid, mussels in their shells and three large, meaty poached prawns in a tangle of mizuna clad in sweet chili vinaigrette.

Under "Sweetened" you'll find some dazzling desserts. Blue d'auvergne reappears baked in a brittle spring roll wrapper that sits in a puddle of celery honey scattered with plump, rum-soaked raisins. Slices of ruby red grapefruit glitter like gemstones against a creamy background of tapioca pearls, each slippery spoonful perfumed with opal basil and lime zest. The galette failed to charm, however; the combined efforts of apples and kabocha squash in the filling unable to compensate for tough pastry and gritty ginger ice cream.

The worldly wine list is as brief and eclectic as the menu, and just as reasonably priced. Choices by the glass include sparkling and still sake.

Yang and Chirchi are assisted in the kitchen by "Big Mike" Whisenhunt. Sometimes Chirchi bustles about the compact dining room, where fresh flowers punctuate the spare elegance of black wooden tables set with tiny candles, Chilewich place mats and graceful, V-shaped water goblets. When he does, he injects a welcome note of warmth and vigor to service that sometimes feels diffident.

It's still early days for this young couple and their first venture, but you can feel the energy percolating. As confidence builds with experience and time, look for Joule to become a considerable force.

Providence Cicero: providencecicero@aol.com