It’s a pretty town that the average Hillcrest denizen might characterize as “conservative,” “yuppish” or “straight.” But scratch beneath the surface of Del Mar’s stiff façade and you’ll hear of a lively little restaurant where a handful of gay and lesbian couples drop in regularly to celebrate their anniversaries.

While Sbicca doesn’t exactly offer the same openly gay atmosphere as say, California Cuisine, its friendly chef and co-owner Susan Sbicca says couples became engaged over dinner here — and faithfully return each year to commemorate their relationships.

And why not?

Single or hitched, gay or straight, diners are afforded tangential views of the ocean from the restaurant’s rooftop patio, plus a romantic ambience inside the main dining room and a lively bar experience in the front antechamber. Add to the mix what appears to be a broad-minded patronage, and a trip outside the Hillcrest dining scene doesn’t seem so sacrilegious.

Sbicca’s menu reflects its quintessential California backdrop. From the ocean you’ll find Blackened Pacific Swordfish, Grilled Ahi served with Wasabi Butter and a chock-full of shellfish used for making Seafood Paella. Bright, spunky salads and trendy entrées made with ultra-fresh ingredients appeal to Southern Californian appetites in the same way that khaki slacks from Eddie Bauer strike a solid note with “Del Martians.”

Asian and Latin nuances are naturally present in some of the dishes. (Could the cuisine be called “American-contemporary” without them?) My companion’s Shiitake-Blue Crab Egg Rolls, for example, incorporates blue cheese, pecans and sweet onions into the filling — a busy, but satisfying composite of flavors that are neither here nor there in terms of ethnicity. The appetizer comes with a mild, nondescript Asian dipping sauce.

My Proscuitto-Wrapped Prawns, listed among other “small plate” items such as Sesame-Seared Ahi and Avocado-Jack Cheese Quesadilla, were both a departure and a nod to Italy in both flavor and presentation. The extra-large prawns were cloaked in good, lean proscuitto and drizzled in a delicious lemony pesto. A bundle of bright-green asparagus and a few oil-cured olives on the plate made for a memorable first course.

With the intention of adding a few more greens into the meal, I sprung for Spinach Cream Soup. Somewhere in this sweet, rich concoction I might have absorbed a trace of Vitamin A and iron. But if I didn’t, who cares? It was worth the zillions of calories.

My companion’s Herbed Soft Shell Crabs were a crispy treat, served with warm asparagus-fennel salad and blood orange sections oozing off to the side. But given the scarcity of prime beef lately, I remained glued to my wonderful Flat Iron Steak, which Sbicca buys from an organic distributor in Wisconsin.

The meat is marinated in rosemary and glazed with a Burgundy-horseradish sauce. It’s currently the only prime-grade beef entrée on the menu since the Charbroiled Filet Mignon was demoted recently to “choice.”

Other tempting dishes include Chicken Breast in Masa-Filo, Maple Roasted Pork, Halibut-Pesto Brie Napoleon and Grilled Wild Salmon with Orange-Scented Saffron Sauce. But the winds of change blow through the kitchen weekly, as some of the entrées are tweaked with seasonal accompaniments and new sauces.

Our dessert came in the form of what looked like a giant pinwheel — a Key Lime Tartlette with hypnotic swirls of raspberry sauce on top. Big enough for two, the delicious macadamia crust made up for the slight lack of citrus flavor in the custard.

In keeping with the West Coast food theme, Sbicca’s husband, Dan, mainly targets northern California for developing the wine list. His selection is eclectic as it includes everything from cabernet blends and syrahs to sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and blushes. An attractive wine room near the upstairs patio shows off the stock and offers a coveted table for large parties.

You’ll probably never see Sbicca listed in the Damron Travel Guide, but it’s well worth a visit if you’re combing the coast for a relaxed place to eat, drink and be “Mary.”