2087, AN UPSCALE DINING ODYSSEY.

Byline: Larry Lipson Daily News Restaurant Critic

Though it calls itself a bistro, 2087 is really an important new upscale restaurant in Thousand Oaks.

Conveniently located across the street from the City Hall and Civic Arts Plaza, the low-slung, free-standing building is a handsome, modern-looking structure housing a spacious, airy, well-conceived restaurant.

Inside, the contemporary design motif immediately becomes apparent, with blond wood chairs, blond wood in flooring and paneling as well as in matching beams set in a large expanse of white ceiling interrupted only by inset lighting.

A narrow exhibition kitchen with a counter takes up one end of the room, a curved banquet the other.

There's a small bar near the entrance and a dramatic, fully stocked, walk-in wine cabinet adjacent to it.

Patrons dress casually, sophisticatedly, and look perfectly at ease spending money for chef-partner Desi Szonntagh's best efforts.

Szonntagh has outstanding credits. Names like Le Cirque and Provence in New York, Greenbrier in West Virginia, Roger Verge's Le Moulin de Mougins in France, Tatou in Beverly Hills and Ocean Avenue Seafood in Santa Monica dot his resume.

He excels in seafood. Currently, the availability of Copper River salmon allows hims to grill it expertly over mesquite ($18.50) and serve it in a red wine (pinot noir) sauce with crunchy spears of green asparagus and rice.

Being in the 'burbs, he doesn't get too exotic. He tends to stay with safer favorites like Chilean sea bass ($17.50) and whitefish ($16.50) and does them beautifully.

The juicy, soft sea bass arrives adorned with a crab meat coat and a vibrant tomato coulis. The whitefish, immaculately cooked and topped with a spray of crispy potato strands, leans provocatively on a bed of mashed Yukon Gold potatoes. Nearby are daubs of a lemon and olive oil sauce flecked with a sprinkling of capers. Delicious!

Lamb chops ($22), requested pink, come up a bit too red and are sent back for more fire. They too, when returned, offer welcome juiciness, the fine flavors of tamarind and pomegranate, and the hearty gratification of an eggplant lasagna accompaniment.

Szonntagh's only other evening nod to the pasta craze is a ravioli primavera entree ($12.50, $10.50 at lunch) of nicely turned, square, thin dough envelopes, a mite stiff, stuffed with a fresh-tasting, creamy ricotta and spinach mixture. The ravioli are effectively paired with a slew of well-textured, full-flavored vegetables (zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, mushrooms, tomatoes) cooked in olive oil with garlic and pignolia nuts.

Back to starters. Signaling that there are good things afterward, 2087's soups ($4.50 and $5.50) can be a rich lobster potage with corn tidbits, croutons of polenta and a few small chunks of lobster meat; a skillfully wrought leek and potato recipe topped with leek strands; or a tasty artichoke soup thickened with a creamy vegetable puree.

Nonsoup starters have varied in acceptance from a generous plate of superb, fresh-tasting, fried calamari ($5.50) with a tomato-boosted tartar dipping sauce; an above-average Caesar ($6.25) of cold, crunchy romaine with toasty and heavily herbed oblong croutons and a good dressing; and pretty, well-seasoned crab cakes ($11.50) that were too salty for one diner, yet hungrily consumed by another.

Service is attentive, seemingly almost too much so on occasion, by a staff that varies in confidence, training and knowledge. Time will probably take care of most problems, but meanwhile plates and glassware are sometimes taken away too swiftly, prices are not always known, and requests for certain things have to be repeated.

Best of the desserts ($5.50 each) tried is the intensely lemon-glazed lemon tart, thankfully not too sweet. Unfortunately, a pie made with fresh blackberries from Underwood Farms in Moorpark didn't quite live up to its rave notices by the waiter.

And though the same waiter brought the wrong bottle of wine one time, the mistake wasn't a bad one. In fact 2087's wine list shows a concerted effort to present a variety of styles by California winemakers and, in doing so, may have made it difficult for new staffers who will eventually learn all the labels and names, to be efficient and who will surely make an error or two along the way.

But the just-opened 2087 restaurant - already a pretty good place to eat and drink and likely to get better and better - is definitely a welcome addition to an area in need of creative, well-conceived, independent restaurants where locals can dine well and get home quickly and safely.

The facts

The restaurant: 2087 - An American Bistro.

Where: 2087 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks.

When: Open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, brunch Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., for dinner from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. nightly, to 11:30 Friday and Saturday. Light menu served between 3 and 5:30 p.m. daily.

Behind the scenes: Chef-partner is Desi Szonntagh. General manager-partner is Charles Bruchez.

Recommended items: Soups, fried calamari, Caesar salad, crispy whitefish, crab meat-crusted Chilean sea bass, tamarind lamb chops, ravioli primavera, glazed lemon tart.

How much: Starters from $5.25 to $11.50, entrees from $12.50 to $22, desserts $5.50 each. Full bar. AE, MC, DC, V.

Wine list: Impressive starting list of 118 bottlings, only 11 under $20. All still wines are Californian except one from Washington state. Interesting groupings of verticals from five vineyards. Best white buys: Four Corners 1994 pinot bianco ($18), Frog's Leap 1996 sauvignon blanc ($22), Four Corners 1994 chardonnay ($23). Could use some more Rhone-style Southern California varietals. Also lacks under-$20 zinfandels, pinot noirs and merlots.

Reservations: Suggested. Call [phone].

Our rating: Three and 1/2 stars for food; two and 1/2 stars for service; three stars for wine.

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Photo

Photo: Chef-partner Desi Szonntagh, left, and general manager-partner Charles Bruchez bring fine food, an impressive California wine list and stunning contemporary decor to 2087 - An American Bistro in Thousand Oaks.

Hans Gutknecht/Daily News