The place: Westside Cellar Cafe & Lounge, 222 E. Main St. Ventura, 652-7013.

The chef: Kelly Briglio, 31, also is co-owner with developer and wine enthusiast James Mesa. She grew up in Ojai, where she started her culinary career busing tables at the old Wheeler Hot Springs on Maricopa Highway. "I waited on (former Sports Illustrated model) Kathy Ireland back when the place was fancy," she said with a laugh. At 23, Briglio sold everything she owned to finance travels that included living for four years in Costa Rica, where she opened a restaurant called Piranha -- its name inspired by the tattoo on her back.

Favorite ingredients: Briglio likes the punch of garlic and habanero chilies.

Most memorable meal: During a camping trip in Costa Rica, Briglio and friends spent four hours on surfboards trying to catch a fish for dinner. "We finally caught the smallest red snapper. It came right out of the ocean and onto the open fire. It was the best thing ever. It didn't even need salt," she said.

The look: Westside Cellar opened in July in what used to be a gift shop across from San Buenaventura Mission. The space features a wall of exposed brick and a floor of time-worn wood. New touches include a fireplace set with Craftsman tiles, a sage velour sofa and banquette seats of ruby velvet accented with throw pillows in metallic fabrics.

Aren't we a pair? Briglio likes to pair the dish featured here, $6 in the restaurant, with a glass of sparkling wine to cut through the creaminess of the cheese. A favorite: Nino Franco Rustico Prosecco from Italy, $7 per glass.

Dish on the dish: When making this recipe for customers, Briglio uses red Belgian endive for its powers of presentation. It tastes the same but costs more than its pale-green cousin, she said. Briglio also makes her own pralines; cooks in a hurry may opt for packages of glazed pecans like those from Emerald of California, found in supermarkets. Use either a tawny (Briglio's choice) or a ruby port for the reduction. Just don't splurge on a bottle of the 10-year-old stuff, she said.

Baby Arugula and Endive Salad with Port-Marinated Berries, Pralines and Blue Cheese with Citrus-Champagne Vinaigrette

• 1 red or pale green Belgian endive, leaves washed and gently pressed dry with a paper towel
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• 1 package pre-washed baby arugula
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• Citrus-Champagne Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
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• Port Reduction (recipe follows)
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• 1/4 cup mixed whole blueberries and blackberries
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• 2 strawberries, washed and sliced lengthwise
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• 1 peach, peeled and cut into thin, lengthwise pieces
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• 1 5-ounce bag glazed pecans
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• 1 3- or 4-ounce package blue-veined cheese, preferably Point Reyes Original Blue, crumbled

Citrus-Champagne Vinaigrette

• 2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice, pulp removed
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• 6 lemon verbena leaves
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• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
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• 4 small shallots
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• 1 cup Champagne vinegar
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• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
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• 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
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• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
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• 1 cup canola oil, combined with
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• 1 cup olive oil

In a sauce pan over medium-high heat, bring the orange juice, lemon verbena leaves and sugar to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and allow to boil until reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

Put the shallots, vinegars and dried herbs in a blender. Add the cooled orange juice mixture and pulse until combined. Add the oil in a slow, steady stream. Set aside.

Port Reduction

• 1 750-ml bottle of port
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• 1 cup brown sugar
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• 8 whole peppercorns

Put ingredients together in a sauce pan over medium-high heat for about 20 minutes, or until contents have reduced to about 1 cup. Allow to cool. Place whole berries, strawberries and peach slices in reduction for 15 minutes. When you're ready to serve the salad, lift fruit out of the pan with a slotted spoon.

To assemble the salad: Arrange five endive leaves in a star pattern around the edges of two plates.

Toss the baby arugula with some of the Citrus-Champagne Vinaigrette. Arrange the arugula at the center of the plate, surrounded by the endive.

Scatter port-marinated berries and a few of the peach slices over each salad, making sure not to weigh down the arugula leaves. Add a few glazed pecans to each plate. Sprinkle with crumbled blue cheese.

Serves two.