By David Nelson
SDUN Restaurant Critic

In the years since television learned it could profit from the world’s second oldest profession—cooking—the annual “Top Chef” cable program has attracted several toques from San Diego.

The youngest of these, Rich Sweeney, was chef at the Gaslamp Quarter’s swank Confidential when tapped for the competition, and he returned from his weeks in front of the cameras not as the last chef standing, but with the desire to open his own restaurant. At the age of 29, the sizeable, neatly bearded and just about perpetually cheerful chef has opened his own place, R Gang Eatery, in the Fifth Avenue site that for 25 years housed Busalacchi’s. It comes naturally to him, he says, since his dad was a restaurant manager, and his mom, Lucy Stara, also worked in the business; she now patrols the premises at R Gang, making everybody more than welcome. Once he began working summers at restaurants in Provincetown, on Cape Cod, Sweeney says he was hooked by the business.

The “Our Gang” comedies filmed in the 1930s were among his favorite entertainment when he was a child on Long Island, and he says that his friends nicknamed him Spanky. So the R Gang Eatery both recalls his youth and emphasizes that it’s a clubby kind of place, with membership open to everyone who wants to belong. Sweeney has plenty of friends who have become patrons, some of them his customers at Pecs, an Uptown men’s bar where he has poured shots and pulled drafts on Sunday nights for some time. Because of these duties (it’s impossible to think of another chef who bartends, especially at an establishment other than his own), Sweeney closes R Gang on Sundays—and also on Mondays, so he can rest up from his labors.

R Gang has its charms. On one recent visit, a waitress waiting at the door chirped, “Hi, sweetheart, how are you?” to an arriving guest, and had already shortened the greeting to “sweetie” by the time she seated him and his party on the comfortably revitalized terrace. This area views Fifth Avenue from behind a wall of glass and certainly boasts the restaurant’s prime seating. Sweeney undertook a relatively quick renovation of the former Busalacchi’s, and the place frankly looks good, although it’s the ambiance more than the décor that supplies most of the character. An example: a big sign on the terrace spells out “FUN” in a blaze of crimson letters. It’s not so much an order as a description of what to expect, and if you want to put on your party hat, this is the place to do it.

“Sometimes the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence roll through,” said Sweeney, adding, “It’s really fun. We’re a local spot, we want locals to come. If people from other parts of town make us a dining destination, fine. But I want the neighborhood.”

He lures locals with a so-called “retro-Americana” menu of comfort food that sometimes takes its inspiration from what mom (his, yours, anybody’s) served on weeknights, usually dressed up from the home version. The fact that he makes his very own tater tots is a little frightening at first but the waitress assured “they’re a slice of heaven,” and flavored with chives and Cheddar, the crisply fried dumplings of creamy mashed potatoes had a trio of guests loudly singing their praises ($6 as an appetizer, also served as a garnish with some dishes). Salisbury steak was introduced during World War I as both economical and healthy for invalids, and it can be pretty pallid. Sweeney replaces the traditional cubed steak with ground lamb, mixed with figs and fresh mint and served in a pan gravy enriched with Cabernet and wild mushrooms ($16). The garnishes of roasted corn and garlicky mashed potatoes only add to the pleasures of this sophisticated “home-style” creation.

Like Sweeney himself, the flavors are big—and sometimes huge. For example, the watermelon-cucumber gazpacho ($5) totally takes the mouth by surprise. It’s light and refreshing like the traditional Spanish soup, but novel in its medley of tastes, and frankly just delightful. Even bolder in its approach, a summery tomato soup ($5) is decked out with polenta croutons, crispy fried basil leaves and a musky Parmesan “cream,” each of which adds a unique texture and savor. As an alternative to the familiar house salad ($6), the unfamiliar “pre-pickle” salad ($5) flavors English cucumbers with red onions and a spicy, somewhat complicated garlic-dill vinaigrette.

Sweeney is not one to serve modest portions. He bakes an unusual, spicy version of monkey bread, a rich pull-apart loaf, and if you eat much of it before something like the burger, you probably won’t eat much of the burger. Under the “smaller bites” heading, there are Portobello mushroom fries (Sweeney can be quite clever) served with a house-made chipotle-heated ranch dressing ($6), honey-bourbon glazed pork tenderloin skewers served with a racy pecan-mint pesto ($7), and seared ahi tartare with a bevy of interesting garnishes ($7).

For big events, try spicy skewered shrimp over grits rich with feta and Cheddar ($15), and an equally rich mac ‘n’ cheese that employs smoked Gouda for drama and a topping of toasted, buttered cracker crumbs for crunch ($13). The Blue Plate Halibut takes a different guise daily, according to Sweeney’s mood (market price), and is a well-prepared option that should suit anyone hankering for seafood. The R Gang Burger, a triumph of the genre, seems expensive at $13, until the vast patty arrives crowned with blue cheese, house-made barbecue sauce, thick-cut bacon and a hot topping of tempura-fried jalapeno slices. Follow any of these with the inventively gooey S’mores Casserole and leave happy.

R Gang Eatery
3683 Fifth Ave.
Hillcrest
677-2845
rgangeatery.com
Closed Sundays and Mondays