Patria

If it seems like nothing ever changes at Patria, there’s a good reason.

The dishes – jägerschnitzel, veal scaloppini, lamb pfeffer, charcuterie plates, salmon prepared in parchment, salads put together a la minute – evoke thoughts of restaurants past. The menu suggests reliability and stability rather than the daring of modern fusion.

And the places Patria’s chef and owner Paolo Kautz helmed previously – Taste and Cafe Rustica – are equally enduring, furthering the notion of a staid, consistent experience.

“A lot of people pressure me to change, so I change,” says Kautz. “Then they come back and say, ‘We came for this, where is it?’”

Yet the chef does tweak the menu, and on a regular basis. Steamed mussels are a new listing. As is the grilled ahi tuna and an escargot starter.

These are hardly bold additions, to be sure. But Kautz is versed in tradition, and it has resulted in a devoted following.

His roots are evident in the flammekeuche-style pizzas. In one version caramelized onions, applewood-smoked bacon, goat cheese and a dusting of thyme rest on a gentle bechemel. The result is sometimes playful – a sharp, candied apple sweetness from the onion braying alongside the tangy cheese – sometimes brooding, as when the acrid trail of bacon drifts into the bittersweet char scorched into the crust.

But the flavors are always complementary. And the crust is an old-school revelation: crackling, chewy and airy, with hints of malt and dusky blisters from the oven. Kautz and his staff pull the dough and ready it for baking when the order comes in, so there’s an artisanal feel. This is, however, a rustic Alsatian preparation, one Kautz grew up with in Germany.

The goulash also carries a time-worn charm. Served over spaetzle, it’s an earnest presentation that speaks of Old World country kitchens. While you may wish for some braising or extended stewing – cubes of beef tend to be parched and difficult – the profound sauce more than makes up for it.

A base of tomato paste and red wine is rankled by the earthy sweetness of sweated onions. Hints of garlic and paprika nip around the edges, with a cheerful impression of citrus. It’s rich and layered – a spectrum from bright to sharp to spicy and musty flitting over the palate. Yet there’s something more enigmatic lurking underneath: the distinct spark of caraway, but pounded until almost powdery.

“That’s how I learned it,” Kautz says, explaining that German home-style goulash starts with equal portions of meat and onions. “Most people don’t use that amount of onions.”

All that said, Kautz can bring an unexpected flair when he wants. Hidden in a warm and familiar bowl of butternut squash soup, thin slivers of sauteed apple release a juicy sweetness that rises slowly, lending a mulled cider sensation to the autumnal broth.

That’s the way a traditional chef becomes unstuck in time – without straying too far from the time-tested techniques.

PATRIA 228 S. Main St., Salinas. 5pm-close Tue-Sun. 424-5555.