Dulces Latin Bistro in Madrona: How sweet it is, but pricey

Sixteen years ago this month, Julie Guerrero and Carlos Kainz opened a small bakery-cafe in West Seattle called Dulces, Spanish for "sweets." The name was especially apropos because it was Guerrero's gift for desserts that first put the couple on the food-lover's map.

After a move to Madrona in 1995, the cafe evolved into a full-fledged bistro. While Kainz concentrated on building an impressive wine list, Guerrero wowed the dinner crowd with her seafood-packed paella, chorizo-plumped ravioli and Dungeness crab custard — still highlights of Dulces' menu.

In the mid-'90s, Latin cuisine was just gaining a foothold in Seattle; Dulces predates Bandoleone, Andaluca, Harvest Vine and Tango. Then sophisticated Dulces was a novelty in the neighborhood. Now Madrona harbors many such stylish bistros — Cremant, Coupage and St. Clouds among them.

Is Dulces keeping up with the pack?

Yes ... and no.

Certainly Dulces is a congenial, well-run establishment. From the moment you walk in the door, it is clear that everyone's chief concern is your contentment. Guests are greeted warmly, usually by one of the owners. Service is faultless without being stuffy. The chef herself might refill your water glass or deliver your soup.

In the relaxed, romantic dining room, ripe tomato walls meet ruby velvet drapes that not only inject drama but also create seclusion for the kitchen and bar. Conversation thrives at well-spaced, white-clothed tables, even on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, when a pianist plays standards on the baby grand. The lighting is so subdued, one customer was given a flashlight to peruse the small print on the hefty wine list.

That international wine collection is another of Dulces' charms. The list has breadth, but also depth, with many affordably priced bottles. (Every Wednesday, all bottles are discounted 25 percent.) It's a little slim on by-the-glass choices, but half bottles are available — though you have to get all the way to the end of the 31-page tome to find them.

The pleasures of dining at Dulces extend to some of the bistro fare that borrows from Spain, Mexico, France and Italy. The food satisfies in an everyday sort of way; it's the prices that are hard to swallow. No doubt the $28 foie-gras-stuffed burger at Coupage has raised the bar for menu prices in Madrona, but there's nothing quite so audaciously delicious on the menu at Dulces, where $28 is the average entree cost.

Paella is noteworthy for its complexity and subtle smoky heat. The firm, ruddy rice reveals chicken, chorizo and seafood. Mussels and clams; lots of tiny, rather elastic squid; bay shrimp; and bits of soft white fish turn up. Use the lemon wedge provided to add some sparkle.

Zarzuela also benefited from a squeeze of lemon. This seafood soup lacks the paella's punch, though the flavors are similar. The peppery tomato broth suggests saffron and Spanish paprika, but bay scallops far outnumbered their mates — shrimp, clams, mussels and firm white fish, all tiny or bite-sized, as if scaled to match the petite scallops.

Sea scallops tempted from the fresh sheet one night. They were sautéed with halibut cheeks and meaty oyster mushrooms — but the dish would have been better off without them. The mushrooms gave the buttery, thyme-flecked white-wine sauce an appealing, gravylike quality; the cheeks were meltingly tender, but the scallops were rubbery and undercooked.

The fresh sheet also yielded rabbit-stuffed sage ravioli, unaccountably dull even swaddled in garlic cream sauce. A much better choice is chorizo-filled red-pepper ravioli, served with a lively, pale-green cilantro and tomatillo cream sauce that complements the bold flavor of both pasta and filling.

Those zesty housemade ravioli deserve their perennial spot on the menu, as does the Dungeness crab custard. A frilly phyllo cup cradles succulent lumps of sautéed claw and leg meat planted in garlicky custard. Every luxurious bite is a joy. Same for the vibrant roasted-red-pepper soup, and a beet and romaine salad scattered with toasted Marcona almonds and topped with a pungent slice of Spanish blue cheese.

I couldn't muster as much excitement as my dining companions for chewy, pine-nut-crusted veal scallopini in a tame Romesco sauce, but I adored the elegantly simple duck, a tender, impeccably cooked breast escorted by a terrific, lavender-flecked, grilled pork sausage. A simple sauce of sweetened pan juices echoed the lavender and set off the duck's appealingly gamy character.

When entrees approach $30, it's fair to expect some creativity on the plate. But the starch and vegetables accompanying most entrees lacked imagination, and sometimes even finesse. A "risotto cake" served with the duck was not risotto at all; it was fluffy long-grained rice blended with cheese and pressed into a dull patty needing salt. Rice with tomato sauce, or just plain rice, came with other entrees; most also sported some combination of steamed squash, carrots and green beans; colorful, crisp-tender ... but ho-hum.

The silver dessert tray, on the other hand, never gets monotonous. Indulgences such as German Chocolate Cake or lemon mousse cake — divine layers of vanilla sponge interspersed with fluffy lemon mousse — prove Guerrero still has a talent for sweets.

Recently Kainz offered dessert on the house. "To celebrate our 16th anniversary," he explained to the surprised customers. It was a gracious gesture from a couple of consummate hosts.

Providence Cicero: providencecicero@aol.com