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Friday, May 29, 1998

Schatzi's doesn't measure up to celebrity status

RESTAURANT: Schwarzenegger, Shriver's eatery doesn't serve up enough taste for meal's expense

By Frances Lee

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

It's not Planet Hollywood, but it's not exactly Spago, either.

Schatzi's on Main Street, the Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver-owned restaurant in Santa Monica, falls disappointingly short of expectations, especially given the new chef, Matt McLinn, and a revamped menu featuring Mediterranean, New American and a few Austrian dishes.

For people who revel in having their taste buds assaulted, this is not the ideal eatery. The dishes are not terribly exciting, the flavor is subtle or barely there.

With prices ranging from $10 to $30 per entree, Schatzi's is not easy on a student's budget, either. The menu, although not huge, offers everything from pizza and pasta to some of "Arnold's favorite Austrian dishes."

The plum tomato gazpacho soup with seared ahi tuna ($5) sounds good, but unless you're a big fan of cold spaghetti sauce, stay away from this one. The soup is a little too thick and the texture feels like a mouthful of Nerds - the candy that snaps, crackles and pops. Perhaps if it had been a hot soup, this might have worked.

As for one of Arnold's favorite dishes, the wienerschnitzel ($18) - not a hot dog - is a decent entree and a fairly large portion consisting of two thin, breaded pork cutlets, steamed spinach and spaetzle, a potato pasta. The tender meat slices easily with a fork, but the flavor is almost reminiscent of Shake N'Bake and remains unimpressive. The spaetzle has a gummy texture, and together with the light olive oil flavor, combines unique tastes.

The pasta-loving crowd should try the risotto with asparagus and scallops ($14). Again, there isn't much flavor, but this dish doesn't really need it. The risotto, slightly crunchy, along with the scallops, come close to perfect.

"Perfect" is the only word to describe the Viennese apple strudel a la mode. Served with what tasted like homemade vanilla ice cream, the dessert earns high marks for both presentation and taste. This wispy pastry and hot apple, cinnamon, raisin and nut combination, along with the ice cream, spectacularly tops off any meal.

Despite the average food, the service is excellent.

Immediately after sitting down, servers place a basket of bread on the table. But instead of the mandatory butter or margarine, Schatzi's offers a spicy cracked mustard spread and a diced olive vinaigrette, both of which clear the palette for the meal ahead (not that it needs much clearing, since most of the dishes are rather bland).

Waiters always hover nearby, ready to refill water or clear the table of dishes.

Low-key and inviting, this is the kind of place to take an out-of-town guest, or to throw a large party (think "graduation dinner").

But if you're strictly looking for a great place to eat, consider staying home and ordering take-out Chinese instead.

Think of it this way - you're not paying for the food, but the ambience and the chance to hang out with the "beautiful people."

GENEVIEVE LIANG/Daily Bruin

Schatzi's is Arnold Schwarzenegger's newest restaurant venture.