Aromas Grill

There’s little in the approach to Aromas, a series of windy North County streets flattening into a speck of a downtown, to suggest fine dining. There’s equally little upon first glance at the Aromas Grill, next to Marshall’s Market and across from the grange.

But the ambitious menu, classic American with Italian and Mexican leanings, is surprisingly high-quality, especially considering this place was started by two brothers with no restaurant experience.

Sal Alvarez owns the Ace Hardwares in Castroville and Prunedale. As he tells it, he got tired of the lack of restaurants in the neighborhood, so he started one.

“I’ve lived here 18 years,” he says, “and I’d get home from work, and there was like nothing to eat here.”

The old Aromas Cafe had been closed for about three years when Sal and his brother Mario decided to buy and renovate the building. The result is a simple, casual spot, full of vibrant hues and subtle, elegant tile inlay, while still true to its rural roots.

An American flag waves from the patio, and the lunch conversation at the table next to me one sunny afternoon concerns mostly the best practices for inseminating a cow.

The service is also country-paced, which is fine if you’ve got time to spare. Servers are pleasantly chatty, but seem to be too few for the persistent bustle.

Country music plays on the stereo, and occasional live music sets up in a corner. Friday nights are comedy nights, and Taco Tuesdays feature $1.50 tacos. The grill seems to be perpetually busy, serving as a community crossroads as much as a restaurant. When my friend asks to tack a flier up in the bathroom promoting a talk about Elkhorn Slough seagrass, Sal instead offers to frame it and put it at the edge of the bar.

There’s the sense that this is the Cheers of Aromas. Everyone knows everyone. On one visit, Sal buys my entire table a round of beers, because he recognizes a regular at the hardware store.

It’s not just the vibe, but the food that makes the grill feel like a North County staple that’s been around for years, despite opening just nine months ago.

The fare is stick-to-your-bones, even when it comes to salads and pizzas. (One server recommends substituting alfredo sauce for marinara on a pizza, as if it’s not already rich enough.)

Chef Marvin Romero comes most recently from Blue Fin, where he spent 15 years except for a brief stint as a truck driver. He’s worked at Bubba Gump’s, and opened Baja Cantina in Carmel Valley.

Appetizers rely heavily on the fryer, with perfectly-crisped potato skins ($8) and calamari ($8). Only the unusual crab cakes ($9/two) are grilled rather than fried, leaving them without the usual crunchy exterior, and a little mushy.

The salads stand out, particularly the grilled vegetable salad ($8), which is a hearty meal in and of itself, a heaping bowl of mixed baby greens laden with green and yellow squash, carrots, red bell peppers and red onions charred but still firm. Served with the garlicky, creamy balsamic vinaigrette, this filling salad alone is enough to keep me returning.

The dressings are made in-house, with the exception of the Caesar – the only one that disappoints for blandness. The other downside to otherwise excellent salads are the tomatoes, mealy and flavorless, even when it was peak tomato season in sunny North County.

On one visit, citing the menu tagline – “Fresh food from local farmers” – we ask if the salmon is local. “Yes, it’s wild,” the server replies.

There’s not a coherent definition of local, but a solid effort: The breads and pizza dough come from Seaside’s Palermo Bakery, the meat daily from Del Monte Meat Co. in Marina, the mushrooms from neighboring Monterey Mushroom. There’s also a selection of local wines ($6-$8/glass, $20-40/bottle) including District 7 and Scheid, and a few domestic beers on tap ($4-$6).

The Philly cheesesteak sandwich ($11, with fries or salad) combines exemplary ingredients into an elegant take on a greasy standby: The steak is grilled and seasoned nicely, not chewy at all, served with grilled onions and peppers and melted mozzarella on an airy roll.

Portion size reigns, with generous helpings of everything, sometimes even too much. The pizzas are so heavily laden with sauce and toppings that the yeasty crust loses crunch, and the salmon tacos are oddly overloaded with shredded cheddar cheese. The burger ($10) is good, but the bun is drenched in mayo – too soggy.

The meat lovers pizza ($13) is covered in sausage, bacon, ham and pepperoni, with an underlying smoky flavor from the mozzarella, and you can’t even see under the thistle hearts on the artichoke heart pizza ($13). The fish tacos ($14/three) are packed to the brim with shredded salmon or red snapper, and served with a side of rice and remarkably flavorful beans, seasoned with cilantro, garlic, olive oil and plenty of salt.

As with all great rural spots, they don’t skimp on the good stuff.

AROMAS GRILL is at 304 Carpenteria Road. Open Tues-Fri 11am-9pm, Sat-Sun 8am-9pm. 726-9999.