And what does the sort of writing that I spend much of my professional life doing give me any license to be even an amateur food reviewer? (Excerpt from a recent sample: "Our objective here is to develop a classifier h that can correctly predict the (binary) classification of inputs x Î X (often X is Rⁿ). If the correct classification of an input is c(x), then we can denote the classification error as a loss functional L(h,c).")

These thoughts occur to me on the twenty-five-minute drive from where I have been working on the paper from which the above excerpt is taken to our venue this week. Portofino is in downtown Wayzata: you take I-394 to the 101 North exit, then Central to Broadway, and wend your way to a Lake Street that bears little resemblance to its more familiar namesake in Minneapolis. Not that you could mistake this area for the inner city in any case. Yachts the size of my house are moored at the marina, a brokerage house has its "Wealth Management Group" located nearby, and you’ll never see promotional materials touting the neighborhood as "vibrantly diverse."

Lunch takes us this far out of our usual grazing range because we have a guest reviewer this week, a friend of my wife’s and mine: she’s not the Wayzata type either, but works there regardless. I am a little intimidated, since she is quite possibly the best cook I have ever met (with the possible exception of my wife, and whether that caveat is in the interests of precision or marital harmony [or both] we’ll leave unsaid). On top of that, she’s a writer as well with a novel in the works. Portofino is her suggestion but (to anticipate the upshot of this column) I won’t hold that against her.

The restaurant is located on the ground floor of a multistory building situated on the Lake Minnetonka shore. The wall facing the lake is all glass, but instead of an uninterrupted view of the water you look out on the marina and the aforementioned cruise ships—you can boat your way to dinner from your lakefront estate. Also in between is an outdoor seating area with umbrellas for shade, although we opted for the cooler indoors. The interior space is one large split-level room. The wall opposing the glass is a mural with trompe l’oeil flourishes that’s intended to transport you to an Italian town. Otherwise it’s dark wood and comfortable seating in booths and tables. Waitstaff sport multicolored ties, a fad that I suspect is on its wane (a change of fashion that’ll take a while to find its way here).

As with apparently everything in Wayzata, the menu is large too—both sides of a legal-size sheet printed in ten-point type. Around half-a-dozen selections are listed in each of over half-a-dozen categories, which include appetizers, salads and soups, pastas, seafood, and meat. Italian dishes make up the majority, and even some other dishes are given an Italian touch. Thus the tuna is "Sicilian roasted"—which means, according to the menu, that it is slowly roasted with herbs, garlic, tomato, onion and olive. There are four fresh fish dishes that sound appealing although a bit much for my lunch appetite: grilled salmon with (Italian, of course) wild cherry sauce; pan seared sea bass with sweet pepper coulis and grilled polenta; grilled tuna with lima beans; and pistachio-crusted halibut served with semolina gnocchi. The pasta selection is the most extensive category, and there are also three gnocchis to be had. A number of wines can be ordered by the glass; the Nebbiolo I opted for was thin but palatable in the style of some inexpensive Italian reds.

We started with an appetizer, grilled polenta with portabella mushrooms. Other choices here included Maryland crab cake, artichoke dip, and scallops with spinach. It was a wise decision to split the one appetizer, because it was huge, served in a sizable bowl containing a rich, savory Marsala wine sauce with two thick wedges of polenta and one large Portabella. The polenta had a good, firm consistency; I was worried that sitting in the sauce would render it mushy but instead the sauce imparted flavor without degrading firmness. The mushroom was beefy and substantial. The sauce was also a highlight; tasty enough to eat with a spoon.

For my main course I had the gnocchi with sausage and pistachios. I found the gnocchi flavorful but they reminded me of mashed potatoes rather than the light, airy, potato and flour pillows I have occasionally had. But the real disappointment in this dish was the sauce. The sausage was bland, with the barest hint of any herb or spice. The chopped pistachio nuts, which would have complemented a spicy sausage or sauce nicely, were wasted in this medley.

We did the usual taste-around, and I would put our guest reviewer’s dish, the sea bass ravioli as the best of the trio. B had a lobster salad club sandwich in which the lobster was sweet and fresh but the mayonnaise had been applied with a heavy hand and the toasted bread retained none of its crispness.

I haven’t remarked on the service as yet. It was slow enough that both my lunch partners had to leave before the tab was all settled. So they didn’t stay to witness a novel restaurant faux pas. The total bill came to about $75 but when our waitress brought the credit card slip back for me to sign, the total had mysteriously increased to $82! Perhaps your average Wayzata denizen never takes a second look at a tab (I suspect otherwise, however) but I thought this was rather sloppy. The problem was eventually fixed, after a further delay.

As I left Portofino, yearning for less refined surroundings, my default radio station, KFAI, was in the middle of its African Rhythms show. Driving along the lake, upscale haberdasheries on one side, upmarket yachts on the other, I had this urge to roll down my windows and crank up the volume. Some Nubian music would have been just the ticket for this area, but then I thought I’d probably be violating some noise ordinance and resisted the urge. Live and let live.

The predictably suburban restaurant scene in downtown Wayzata has gotten a bit more interesting with the opening of Portofino in the Minnetonka Boatworks at 294 Grove Lane East. Owner Brian Bang has successfully managed the reincarnation of his restaurant, Grazzi, formerly located in an easily forgettable strip mall location at 494 and Carlson Parkway. The new space, overlooking Lake Minnetonka, offers both inside and outside dining, weather permitting. The interior, designed by Shea, a Minneapolis architectural firm, accentuates the lake view, with a raised level space at the back with booths, reminiscent of the old Grazzi. The front space is ground level and spacious, with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the lakeside patio space. Tables are graciously spaced, allowing the diner the illusion of privacy.

The menu has also undergone a transformation from the former Grazzi days. Designed by chef Mauro Mafrici, the new menu has a whole new look: offerings are in English, and have been broadened from the strictly Italian fare to include a smattering of American favorites, some with an Italian twist. Menu prices range from $4.95 - $16.95 for appetizers, salads, soups, sandwiches and pastas.

The grilled polenta with portabella mushroom appetizer was very good. Four thick polenta sticks are grilled and served in a light Marsala wine sauce, with a nice amount of portabella mushrooms, and topped with parmesan shavings. The smooth, slightly gritty texture of the polenta was nicely complemented by the tender mushrooms and light wine sauce. From its description, the Lobster Club sandwich, a new menu addition, promises more than it delivers: Maine lobster salad with lemon mayonnaise on toasted country white bread with lettuce tomato and crisp pancetta. In reality, the lobster salad is too wet, which makes the bread soggy and difficult to eat. A great concept, the execution needs some refining to bring it up to its $14.95 price tag. The gnocchi with sausage and pistachios is a carryover from the old menu. The gnocchi live up to their billing: the homemade potato dumplings have just the right texture (not an easy thing to achieve). The sauce is subtle -- sweet sausage in light cream with roasted pistachios and parmesan. The sea bass ravioli was the standout from the trio of entrees sampled. Fresh sea bass, spinach, herbs and cheese is stuffed into homemade pasta and liberally napped with a very zesty tomato sauce with chopped clams, garlic and white wine. The wines sampled included a refreshing Chenin Blanc-Viognier blend, a fruity Zinfandel, and an overtired Nebbiolo.

The service was very friendly, but inept. Silverware which left the table with the appetizer plates was not replaced. My sea bass ravioli was delivered by a smiling wait person who announced, "This plate is very hot!" as she handed it to me, instead of placing it on the table. Plates were cleared one by one, while the one slower diner plugged away on his lobster sandwich. And allow plenty of time for lunch: the restaurant was not full the day we had lunch, we came at 11:30, and yet it took a good hour and a half to complete the meal.

With just under two months in its new location, Portofino is a refreshingly different addition to the Wayzata dining scene. Allow time for a leisurely meal experience, stick to what Grazzi did best when ordering -- the homemade pasta and more standard Italian fare -- and you won’t be disappointed by the few kinks that are still being worked out with service and new menu items. Reservations are highly recommended, and absolutely necessary for dinner on the weekends.

Guest Reviewer

Editor.