Sbicca’s menu is comparable to a mullet hairdo: conservative up front, and a little radical and carefree when you see what’s behind it.

What was formerly called Meritage is now Susan and Dan Sbicca’s second restaurant carrying their surname (pronounced Sa-BEEK-Kah), an Encinitas dining destination that lovingly provokes the culinary staidness of the north coast. The couple recently changed the restaurant’s name to streamline the business, choosing to match it to the title of their original kitchen in Del Mar, which they still operate.

Chef Susan’s super-creamy lobster-shrimp bisque and blackened ahi tuna with creole mustard sauce are among the favorite commonplace standbys that aren’t going away anytime soon, despite the name change. “The regulars wouldn’t have it,” she noted. Instead, this masterful chef, known for her poignant executions of California-style comfort food, plays the wild card by augmenting familiar dishes with inventive sauces, infused butters and exotic fruits.

The couple’s aspiration for consistency appears in the restaurant’s sophisticated neighborhood atmosphere as well. Soft tan walls take on a miscellany of colorful murals that are still in place from when I visited four years ago under the Meritage name. Situated in the not-so-generic looking Lumberyard plaza, the red brick structure also features a comfortable bar lounge separated nicely from the dining room and a plantation-style front porch for outdoor dining.

New to our palates was carica from Peru, which Sbicca currently uses to augment pancetta-wrapped prawns drizzled with wasabi ponzu. Similar to star fruit, but without rinds, it’s tossed into a center pile of bitter radicchio, adding a mysterious, mango-like essence to the scheme. The jumbo crustaceans from Baja were prettily arranged and succulent. But their ocean sweetness was expectedly countered by the saltiness of the pancetta.

Juicy and intoxicatingly sweet were wedges of Bosc pears strewn throughout my companion’s salad of fresh mixed greens that gave way to candied walnuts, goat cheese and an exquisite plum vinaigrette of subtle fruitiness that set this pear salad apart from the dozens I’ve eaten at other restaurants. Also from the starter list is roasted artichoke tomato bruschetta, offering a rush of flavors from basil pesto, pine nuts, fresh mozzarella and feta. Served on a crisscross foundation of pita slices, my only complaint was that the dish contained too few tomatoes (sun dried), thus failing to “wet” the generous amount of bread on the plate.

Sbicca’s signature lobster-shrimp bisque is cherished for obvious reasons. The base is heavily creamed and spiked with a hint of cayenne, yet it allows for the flavors of the seafood to ring through blissfully. Cream of spinach won us over too, registering a little thinner on the palate and delivering a lively, earthy savor from the support of onions and tarragon.

My dining cohort toted in a couple bottles of red wine from his personal stash, and lucky for us, we came on a Tuesday night when corkage fees are waived. Also, on Mondays and Wednesdays all bottles are half price – even the expensive ones hitting the $400 mark. A good majority of the wine list is comprised of California labels, and the list has netted awards of excellence by Wine Spectator for seven years running.

“This is the best bottle I’ve seen brought in for a while,” commented our astute waiter as he corked my companion’s 1993 Vosne-Romanee by Jean Grivot, a classic burgundy that paired flawlessly with his half-pound filet mignon. The steak was downright lush – a pillowy-soft hunk of meat stimulated by gorgonzola-rosemary butter and grilled onion relish. Bright veggies and a heaping of extra-thin shoestring potatoes salted judiciously shared plate space.

My entrée, king salmon steamed in banana leaves, took on a novel twist of milky coconut-ginger glaze, which seeped freely into the light and nutty-tasting black rice served alongside the fish. Joining forces with the glaze was a modicum of macadamia pesto, adding further richness and decorous texture to the dish. I tolerated the sheaths of bok choy that came with the meal. It’s my least favorite vegetable when served in large quantities like this, because it’s often incorrigibly fibrous and just too difficult to wrestle with.

Chef Sbicca’s mouth-warming winter menu also features roasted chicken breast with pumpkin-chestnut risotto and sage walnut sauce; braised Meyers short ribs served with buttermilk mashed potatoes; and “Susan’s 3 x mac & cheese” that she swoops up with seafood, peas, corn, Pecorino ricotta, havarti and truffle cheese. Whew!

For dessert we took comfort in a wildly dense fudge brownie made of Gianduia chocolate and slathered in caramel sauce and cappuccino gelato, plus blueberry-peach crisp served piping hot in a seemingly bottomless deep crock.

The beauty of Sbicca’s cooking is that she balances familiarity with adventure without getting stuck on either side. And she’s trained her wait staff well in making sure the servers fully understand her menu and wine list before placing them in our hands.