VENTURA BLVD.--THE LAST BITE

We’ve been eating our way along Ventura Boulevard the last few Sundays. This is the last in the series.

Cafe Cordiale (14015 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, (818) 789-1985). It’s pretty (soft pastels, pink and blue neon, tasteful prints on the walls) and waitresses are remarkably pleasant, but there is a lot to like about the place besides the service. The best of the appetizers is the shrimp cocktail. Pizzas have trendy toppings like chicken and sun-dried tomatoes. Salads tend to be decent and so is the pasta. You can’t go wrong with an order of the chicken curry or a special salad of radicchio with spinach and apples and chicken and Caerphilly cheese. If you really want to leave with a good taste in your mouth, there’s a chocolate mousse concoction, embellished with whipped cream and raspberries and ladyfingers. Lunch and dinner daily. MasterCard, Visa and American Express. Full bar. Validated parking in rear. Dinner for two, food only, $20-$40.

Downtown Grill (16925 Ventura Blvd., Encino, (818) 986-6660). Tiled, streamlined, with bare beams and innards exposed, done up in the fun colors of flamingo pink and black, the Downtown Grill is something like a sophisticated New York grill. There’s an open kitchen (behind glass) that serves terrific chicken paillard , moist and full of flavors from the wood-burning grill. Also excellent is the chicken salad with wild rice vinaigrette. The shoestring potatoes are crisp and light, the coffee is wonderful, the bread memorable. For dessert try the chocolate pecan pie. Dinner daily. All major credit cards accepted. Full bar. Valet parking. Dinner for two, food only, $25-$40.

Lalo and Brothers (17237 Ventura Blvd., Encino, (818) 784-8281). Lalo and Brothers is one of half a dozen or so restaurants in the Valley good enough to be evaluated by the standards one would use to judge Spago, Citrus or St. Estephe. The pleasant dining room is candle-lit and hangar-size. The menu lists a standard range of California-style dishes, including a decent version of angel-hair pasta with tomato, garlic and basil; a nice Caesar salad; and some good, crisp crab cakes. But simple dishes are best here: grilled swordfish, seared salmon, grilled shrimp and scallops. Try the crisp-skinned roasted chicken stuffed with creamy goat cheese and served in a buttery tomato sauce, or a heap of sauteed sweetbreads filmed with dusky mushroom essence. If you’re hungry, Lalo serves a very good prime rib the size of a small lap dog. The hot apple turnover, crisp, light and very good, would be a good dessert. Lunch Mon.-Fri., dinner daily. All major credit cards accepted. Full bar. Valet parking. Dinner for two, food only, $70-$120.

Silver Grill (17239 Ventura Blvd., Encino, (818) 784-4745). The kitchen and a couple of booths are housed in a tiny converted ice-cream parlor, but the action is outside, under the blue canvas patio umbrellas. The Silver Grill serves wonderful burgers--charred and crunchy-crusted from the grill, pink and moist within, on grilled sourdough bread. And hot dogs: fat, violently grilled knackwurst on grilled onion rolls. Terrific, tart slaw comes alongside the sandwiches. You might also try the fresh grilled fish; perfectly grilled sea bass with a lime-butter sauce and garnished with vegetables and tiny grilled potatoes is very good. A crisp-skinned half-chicken can be had grilled with lemon juice and garlic or with barbecue sauce. If you’re lucky they won’t run out of their marvelous apple torte, which is nice and greasy and served with a great dollop of dense whipped cream. Lunch Mon.-Sat., dinner daily. MasterCard and Visa. Beer and wine. Parking lot. Dinner for two, food only, $12-25.

Melange Seafood (17547 Ventura Blvd., Encino, (818) 501-0501). Melange is committed to combining intense, unusual spices and foreign-influenced sauces with fresh seafood. A mountain of perfectly steamed mussels in a fragrant garlicky broth is one successful melange. Tender and peppery fried calamari is another. The snapper with cucumber and ginger sauce is terrific, but unless you’re an athlete-in-training, you’ll probably take half home with you. A real treat is the yellow Chicken Melange served on sweet onions and topped with confit , a heavenly, candied, roasted lemon peel. Desserts include mousses in chocolate boxes, cheesecakes and nut tortes. Lunch Mon.-Fri. and dinner daily. MasterCard, Visa and Diner’s Club. Beer and wine. Parking underneath building or in rear. Dinner for two, food only, $35-$50.

Buffet of Tokyo (18406 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana, (818) 345-0838). The first time you eat here you might have trouble figuring out the game plan. Fortunately, the staff is friendly and willing to guide you. After being seated at a table with rosy pink linen tablecloth under glass, you’re offered beverages and left on your own; there’s no limit to the number of trips through the buffet line. There are mussels and clams, won ton, egg rolls, pot stickers, swordfish kebabs, tempura, fried shrimp, fried noodles, beef and broccoli, squid, yellowtail, cucumber salad and crab-stuffed shumai. And there is sushi: unagi (freshwater eel), shiro maguro (albacore), hirame (halibut), tai (red snapper) and tamago (omelet), and on and on, concluding with apples and oranges. Most items are very acceptable, especially considering this is buffet-style service. Lunch and dinner daily. MasterCard and Visa. Beer and wine. Parking in rear. Dinner: $10.95; lunch: $5.95.