N.Y. Deli Is Latest Fashion at Beverly Hills Barneys

On Saturday, it was official. Barney Greengrass, the celebrated New York deli, is now bi-coastal. The sleek new restaurant opened at the top of the Beverly Hills branch of Barneys New York. On a clear day, you can make out the letters of the Hollywood sign from the elegant terrace.

For everyone who hankers for the deli’s superb smoked fish, the opening of Barney Greengrass here is terrific news. Not only are they flying in the smoked sturgeon and sable, the New York bagels and the Brooklyn-baked bialys also take the red-eye along with the pickled herring and the deli’s special caramelized onions. They’ve even got New York water--well, sort of. Using a process the restaurant calls “reverse osmosis,” our local bog-water is filtered to match New York’s H2O.

I stepped off the elevator, took one look at the display of smoked fish and immediately called a friend who I knew would go crazy over it. He wasn’t there, so I left a message to meet us at Barney Greengrass. While waiting for him, we devoured an order of pickled herring in cream sauce. We happily spread ivory cream cheese on toasted bialys and polished off an entire platter of smoked sturgeon and Nova Scotia salmon. He never showed.

When we got home, there was a plaintive message on our answering machine: “Where the hell are you guys? In New York?”

* Barney Greengrass, Barneys New York, 9570 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, (310) 777-5877. Open daily 9 a.m.-7 p.m., except Sundays till 6 p.m., Thursdays till 8 p.m. Soon to come: tea menu from 3-5 p.m.; caviar and vodka menu from 5 p.m. till closing. All major credit cards accepted. Valet parking. Appetizers $7-$14, entrees $6-$33.