Nothing Fishy About Castel’s Prices

When is a pink scallop not a pink scallop? When, of course, it’s cooked like a snail, sort of rubbery and doused with garlic butter, and served bubbling in its shell. Hey, a mollusk is a mollusk.

Castel, the new fish bistro occupying the old Sostanza space in West Los Angeles, has a penchant for dishes such as these: osso buco made with lamb instead of veal, rillettes made with salmon instead of duck, and mussels a la poulette made with cider and cream instead of the classic lemon and egg yolk.

Chef Jean-Pierre Bosc, formerly of Fennel (see above) in Santa Monica, is in charge of the kitchen; the owners of the now-defunct Sostanza run the business side. It seems that the new partners need time to work out a few problems--oysters weren’t as delicious as you’d expect from such a sea-focused place, some fish was overcooked. But one thing doesn’t need fixing: the prices, nice and reasonable.

* Castel, 12100 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, (310) 207-4273. Entrees $11.75-$16.50.