THAT OFF-BROADWAY TOUCH

Dennis Roussel used to be the type of person restaurant owners dreamed about. He ate out a lot, and generally - often up to five nights a week - he was entertaining others.  The ultimate customer, Jimmy Kristo called him.  In those days, Roussel was in the oil business with a robust expense account. Kristo, on the other side of the counter, is a restaurant man through and through. He has never held any other type of job. He can list on his resume 19 dineries, all owned by someone else.

A dozen years ago, the two struck up an acquaintance when Roussel brought some clients into a St. Louis restaurant that Kristo was managing. A friendship developed, and they soon learned they had one big thing in common. Each wanted to own a restaurant.

Last December, those dreams became a reality when they opened Jimmy's Cafe on the Park in Clayton. The 90-seat restaurant generally serves 200 to 250 on weekend nights and has nice crowds most week nights as well. In other words, if you want a table, call for reservations.

The location, in a residential area just west of the city limits of St. Louis, has a lot to do with that, Roussel and Kristo believe.  Centrally located, lots of foot traffic, decent parking - and a charming old building, a brownstone grocery across from Concordia Park.  It was love at first walk-through. They signed the lease the day they first saw the place.

Much of the redesign was by the hands of Roussel, by now in the outdoor furniture business and pretty handy with tools. The furnishings, mostly second-hand, give a New York bistro touch to the place. Caricatures of celebrities and customers line the walls, adding to that off-Broadway feel.

The place looked right, but no restaurant will survive long without the food that people appreciate. For that part of the equation, Roussel and Kristo turned to Kathy "Crash" Schmidt, a private club chef with a flair for combining flavors into innovative and tasty dishes.

Schmidt calls the dishes she makes comfort foods - bold but not outlandish. There's something for everyone, the adventurous and the timid. Chances are her comfort food will be a little different than what you have had before, however.

The pastas, for example, are mostly served with a broth-based instead of an olive oil sauce.  "People wonder about them at first, but they seem to come back for more," she observes. The pork tenderloin is flavored by smoking over a variety of citrus fruits.  "I like a lot of intense flavors," she says. "I use a lots of garlic, lots of shallots, lots of wine."

The daily special could be a tortellini with scallops and a sprinkling of feta cheese, or a rich cioppino. Or it could be something put together to try to satisfy the desires of one of the regular customers. The shrimp Shawsie appetizer is named after one of the faithful who was looking for something a little bit different.

"We get pretty wild with our specials!" she exclaims. And Kristo and Roussel couldn't be happier.  An example of the innovative cooking of Crash Schmidt (the Crash comes from her propensity to drop glassware at an earlier job) is the ravioli made with wonton skins (recipe opposite). She notes that you can substitute anything you want in the filling or garnishes.

Kristo's wife, Peggy, is generally on hand to greet customers. His father, Tommy, who waited and served as maitre'd at several of the cities finer restaurants during a long career, helps out at least three nights a week.

And then there is Roussel, still the ultimate customer. He is always watching the tables and from his years of entertaining generally can tell when someone is in need of a little attention. A word in the ear of a waiter, and that attention is quick to come.

The menu is designed so that a couple on a big night out can spend $120 on an elegant meal, or they can go the sandwich route and get out for under $15.  "This is a fun place," Kristo says. "A casual place. Everyone is welcome."  And if you come back more than once, you just might find your caricature on the wall.