BEER-FRIENDLY FOOD GOES BEYOND GRUB.

Byline: Larry Lipson Daily News Restaurant Critic

Generally, what's expected from a brewpub is pub food.

But the new Doc's Brewpub and Restaurant in Simi Valley goes way beyond this.

A multipage menu of appetizers, salads, pizzas, pastas, sandwiches and entrees - many of them quite inventive - immediately notifies customers that here's a kitchen that takes itself quite seriously.

The only problem with Doc's and its clever ``Good for What Ales You,'' slogan, is its own ailment - inconsistency.

And though I'm not a doctor in any way, shape or form, I'd diagnose the reason for such inconsistency as trying to do a little too much too soon.

Food wavers from brilliant and wonderful-looking to dry and overcooked, sometimes for the same dish ordered on different occasions.

However, for the beer and pizza crowd, the Spago-esque pizzas are excellent here. There's even a smoked salmon a la Puck version with caramelized onions and a sprinkling of black caviar ($6.95) that's a nifty appetizer with the house ESB (extra special bitter) brew, probably the best of brewmaster Victor Novak's efforts to date.

Other worthy starting noshes include slightly gooey (from the avocado and goat cheese) California spring rolls with chicken, sun-dried tomato, red onion and apricot-mint dipping sauce ($6.50), and spicy, red-curry-marinated chicken satay ($6.50) featuring moist, smoky, skewered pieces and a Thai-style peanut sauce.

One thing about chef Derek Ashworth that is both brave and admirable is his bold truth-in-spiciness quality. Most kitchens describe items as spicy when they're not. His nearly always are.

One exception is the Jamaican jerk chicken ($8.25 at lunch), usually a peppery treat, which although of mixed degrees of juiciness has spicing here that lacks its usual Jamaican heat.

Crawfish etoufee ($9.50), on the other hand, with mushrooms, tomato and leeks, arrives on a mound of angel hair with a fiery Cajun sauce that gives the palate an extra-sharp kick with every bite.

Ditto on the kick-in-the-palate effect from Ashworth's grilled scallops entree dish ($12.25), which comes paired with basil-flavored fettuccine. The peppery explosion comes from neither the scallops nor the pasta but the accompanying torrid chili pesto sauce.

As for the more kind and gentle recipes, there are ups and downs. Disappointing one time, roasted chicken (served as a leg and thigh but billed as half a bird) was sent back after it arrived dried out and tasteless. However, during another visit, the same dish was rated the best of those ordered.

Its replacement, skewered lamb ($13.50) of strong rosemary-accented flavor had some tender and some chewy pieces. It wasn't a bad dish unless you counted the hard, almost inedible purple potatoes.

This is a dish that's described as lamb ``marinated in rosemary, onion, honey and white wine, skewered and grilled, with caramelized onions, grilled purple potatoes and seasonal vegetables (and) with a caramelized onion and rosemary sauce.''

Sounds complex, and perhaps it is.

Many of the dishes here have ingredients that are marinated, spiced, crusted or whatever. Then they're paired with other ingredients and served with a sauce.

The majority of them display skillful, artistic plate arrangements. But sometimes it appears that the complexities of the preparations may cause occasional kitchen glitches.

A kitchen with a menu of this size and diversity - just under 100 items - can end up a logistic nightmare when too many preparation steps are left in place.

But there are plenty of positives, too. Yes, definitive, assertive flavors are fine with beer. And two of Ashworth's sausage dishes tried here verify this.

His duck sausage pasta - jalapeno linguine with leeks, green onions, pasilla pepper, sun-dried tomatoes and a Citron vodka sauce ($6.95 at lunch) - and his grilled, Guinness stout-marinated veal and sage sausage plate with its warm red cabbage, grilled peppers and horseradish cream sauce ($8.95) are marvelous companions to Doc's brown ale ($3.50 a pint).

If you prefer a red wine, the 1994 Dunnewood cabernet sauvignon is a pleasant surprise for only $15.

In many respects, Doc's does provide a welcome remedy for hunger and thirst.

THE FACTS

The restaurant: Doc's Brewpub & Restaurant.

Where: 1424 Madera Road, Simi Valley.

When: Open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and dinner from 4 to 9 p.m. daily.

Recommended items: Smoked salmon and caviar pizza, soup, chicken satay, California spring rolls, crawfish etoufee, spicy grilled scallops, duck sausage and pasta, veal sausage and peppers, house ESB or brown ales.

How much: Starters and pizzas from $6.50 to $10, pastas and entrees from $8 to $16, desserts $3.50 each, house beers $3.50 and $3.75 per pint. Full bar. AE, MC, V.

Wine list: Appropriate smallish, reasonably priced list fitting for a brewpub.

Reservations: Helpful. Call [phone].

Our rating: Three Stars for food; Three Stars for service; Two Stars for wine.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (1) Chef Derek Ashworth, left, brewmaster Victor Novak and general manager Trevor White pair site-brewed beers with a wide selection of food at Doc's Brewpub and Restaurant in Simi Valley.

(2) Dishes at Doc's include black and white sesame fried shrimp with pineapple garlic sauce.

Tina Gerson/Daily News