CABANITA FEVER GREAT SOUPS ARE JUST THE BEGINNING AT GLENDALE MEXICAN EATERY.

Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic

CHICKEN SOUP FAME only tells part of the story of La Cabanita, approaching its 14th anniversary in Glendale.

Here's a Mexican restaurant that defies the norm, the norm being those gringo-Mex eateries where the tortilla chips are multicolored and come from a restaurant supply house, where fajitas and huge burritos are the house specialties, where the soup is always albondigas and the salsa is always red.

La Cabanita, for the most part, does things the old-fashioned way.

Tortilla chips - as well as tortillas - are made in-house and come forth warm and crispy, of various shapes.

The duo of complimentary salsas show up as a bright green, tart and spicy tomatillo mixture and a fresh, earthy, brown sauce that probably has arbol chiles as its main ingredient.

There's a stand-up, tiled bar here that dispenses margaritas as you like them, the house offering being not at all bad at $6 a glass.

Bottled Mexican brews at $3.50 each and soft drinks like a refreshing iced tamarind beverage in a tall, distinctively angled glass ($1.50) provide the alternatives.

I've always said that you can usually tell a good restaurant by its soups.

La Cabanita is no exception.

In addition to its legendary chicken soup, it regularly lists delicious cream of corn and cream of carrot soups, both sprinkled with queso fresco (Mexican white cheese).

Soups can be had by the cup ($2.50) or by the bowl ($4.50) and especially in the case of the caldo de pollo (chicken) a larger version can suffice as a meal. In fact, that's exactly what it is on the menu as an evening entree for $7.95 or as part of a lunch special for $5.95.

But think about this. How many Mexican kitchens do you know of that prepare as many as four soups a day?

And prepare them well?

While you're trying to think of one, consider another starter dish at La Cabanita that's a true bargain.

It's titled ``taco de rajas con crema'' and is priced at $3.95.

You'll get a couple of those little, thickish, premises-made corn tortillas and a small bowl of a creamy, spicy mixture of chopped onions, poblano chiles and black beans that you can stuff into the tortillas.

It may be a bit messy, because it's difficult to keep the filling from dripping out of your taco as you eat it. Nevertheless, it's absolutely scrumptious.

So are the sopes here.

Best way to sample them is as an entree platter called sopes compuestos ($9), which materializes as a trio of sopes (small, round, corn tortillas with various toppings), one with chicken, one with mildly spicy chorizo (sausage), and a third with a picadillo mixture of tomato sauced-ground beef sweetened with raisins and almonds.

All have black beans, lettuce and white cheese added. Very gratifying indeed.

Also for the sweet-toothed, chiles en nogada ($11.75) delivers the traditional recipe of stuffed poblanos with piquant nut- and fruit-sweetened meat and a creamy pecan sauce.

Even the more mainstream items like beef fajitas ($8.95), chile rellenos ($10.95) or any one of five tamales ($2.50 each, a la carte) or a combo plate of relleno and tamale ($10.95) seem to possess more flavor intensity than what the average Mexican restaurant kitchen produces.

And if you have a mole in mind, the green-sauced pork plate ($10.95) should make you very happy.

The only disappointments here come from the blendered-style guacamole ($2.25), too smooth, too even; and a rather blah slab of flan ($3).

But a high-note ending from crispy, fluffy sopaipillas ($3.50) of quickly deep-fried tortilla dough draped in honey with a sprinkling of cinnamon and powdered sugar will have you convinced that there's definitely a lot more to La Cabanita than its superb Mexico City-style chicken soup.

Larry Lipson, [phone]

larry.lipson(at)dailynews.com

LA CABANITA

Food: Three and one half - Service: Three stars

Where: 3445 N. Verdugo Road, Glendale.

Hours: Open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays and from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Recommended items: Taco de rajas con crema, all soups, sopes compuestos, pork mole verde, chiles en nogada, chile relleno and tamale combination plate, beef fajitas, sopaipillas.

How much: Starters and tacos from $2.25 to $7, entrees from $7.50 to $12.25, desserts $3 and $3.50. Full bar. All major credit cards.

Wine list: Limited house selection at $4 per glass, $13 per bottle. Tequilas, margaritas and beers are the beverages of choice here.

Reservations: Suggested. Call [phone].

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Photo:

Waiter Rene Ramos holds a plate of enfrijoladas, front, and a combo platter of chile relleno, enchiladas, rice and beans at La Cabanita in Glendale.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer