If I had a dollar for every time I thought about starting my own newspaper, I'd have enough money to start my own newspaper. Even when you work for the best, it's natural to think you'd be better off working for yourself.

That, I imagine, was the Varona brothers' thinking when they opened The Boulevard early this year near Hollywood's Young Circle. Jorge Varona, the man in the kitchen, worked his way through an impressive roster of South Florida kitchens including Pacific Time, Chispa, Mark's and Touch.

With brother Jean-Paul running the tiny dining room and sidewalk patio, The Boulevard is, in many ways, the classic bistro that coastal Broward has been waiting for.

At its strongest, the menu flirts with brilliance, combining the owners' Cuban heritage with the most familiar elements of American, Creole, French and other flavors. As I sat at the outdoor bar on a Sunday evening, listening to live music from across the street and polishing off the last scraps of a chili-rubbed hanger steak with shallot chimichurri and veggie-infused polenta fries, it was easy to fall in love anew with South Florida.

And yet . . . and yet.

Too many dishes seemed hesitant and tentative, afraid to offend or overwhelm. Chef Varona takes the bold step of sprinkling tender morsels of spicy churrasco steak over his calabaza soup, but the pumpkin-like broth was thin and almost watery.

He spikes tuna tartare with chile oil instead of the usual sesame and serves it with crunchy yuca chips instead of the more-common potato, but the flavors are not intense enough.

A notable exception on the appetizer menu is the superb and unusual andouille sausage. The flavor is smoky with a hint of sweetness; I could almost smell the fruitwood that must have been loaded into the smoker. With a bed of thick toast, a sweet smothering of caramelized onions and a pungent dollop of dark mustard, the dish shows just how much imagination and culinary heft Varona can muster.

The strength of those dishes makes the disappointments that much keener. A hearty appetizer of bayou shrimp -- enough for a decent lunch -- is served over grilled Italian bread for sopping up the light, herbal cream sauce, but the flavor was forgettable.

The entree list is heavy on fish, and Varona seems determined to break the mold here. Do not miss the exceptional paella-style snapper, a whole, pan-seared fillet served over luscious risotto and a heavenly saffron broth.

Pleasing customers is clearly a priority at The Boulevard, something made clear when I ordered the barbecue-glazed salmon one recent weeknight. The chef came to our table to apologize that the remaining cuts of salmon were not up to his standards; he offered the same preparation using fresh mahi.

The lighter fish proved a little too mild for the guava-based glaze, and the promised smoked bacon was undetectable in the tantalizing ragout of Caribbean root vegetables, but the accommodating gesture was gratifying.

Restaurants are notoriously difficult to launch successfully -- which is to say, profitably -- so maybe Varona is holding back on the spices for fear of turning off customers. That's no excuse for the bland shrimp kebab entree; I certainly enjoy a nice shrimp drowned in butter, but my wife expected to taste the red curry, ginger and lime that were promised on the menu.

Desserts are simply divine, especially the apple tart in a phyllo-like pastry shell.

The Boulevard could fill a gaping void in Hollywood -- a welcoming, casual bistro with mouth-pleasing, belly-filling meals at surprisingly reasonable prices. If the Varona brothers can dare to consistently and boldly serve their exciting creations, their restaurant can only flourish.

I'll be sure to write about them again when I start my own newspaper.