O’toto: No Eclectic Wanna-Be

More adventures in eclecticism: goat cheese flan with a smidge of grilled Japanese eggplant; ravioli filled with a puree of butternut squash, fontina cheese and nasturtium petals. This may be the stuff of California cuisine in the ‘90s.

In the case of the newly opened O’toto--the Zen-minimalist space was blessed by a Buddhist monk--and its chef, Jeanette Holley, the cultural mix-and-match game mostly makes sense. Unlike most eclectic wanna-bes, Holley, who was raised in Japan and Korea, seems to understand the Asian cuisines that influence much of her food. She doesn’t clutter up dishes with a lot of ingredients.

In her take on the classic Thai papaya salad, she uses fresh shrimp instead of dried, and she tones down the chile. Her version is more a salad than a drinking snack. At lunch, there’s an interesting-sounding salad made with fried chicken, black-eyed peas and hush puppies.

Not everything works--O’toto is still very new. One brave choice that does: simmered beef tongue with epazote black beans.

O’toto, 7119 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 937-5435. Entree prices, $7.95-$16.