Tom Sietsema Visits Siroc in Northwest

Osso buco with polenta has replaced scallops with parsley sauce at downtown Washington's Siroc (915 15th St. NW; 202-628-2220), a new Italian establishment that supplants Gerard's Place, the late French restaurant.

Siroc's debut returns Martin Lackovic to a regular gig; for the past two years, the chef freelanced around the Washington-Baltimore area. Previously, Lackovic, 45, cooked in the District at the Caucus Room, Galileo and I Matti.

He's making his pasta from scratch, but "I'm most proud of my salads," the chef says. His dressings forgo balsamic vinegar for vinaigrettes that play up flavors as diverse as vanilla and duck bacon. An early hit among the starters is cayenne-spiked seared shrimp elevated on warm diced eggplant, its plate dappled with olive sauce. Rockfish arrives moist in its parchment wrap; the fish keeps company with tomatoes, fennel and artichokes. Rack of lamb with steamed spinach suggests conservative steakhouse fare.

Not much more than a jewel-toned chandelier survived the transition from Gerard's Place to the 65-seat Siroc, whose Italian name refers to the wind that sweeps over North Africa. What had been a dark and carpeted dining room emerged in mid-January as something sunnier, with floors of wood.

They opened in the middle of tight credit and gloomy business headlines, but Lackovic and his partners and hosts, brothers Keram and Mehdi Dris, don't have to sweat investors or banks. The chef says the trio bought the business for $120,000, which they paid in cash.

Dinner entrees, $15-$32.