CAFE HAS MUCH TO OFFER BESIDES MEATLOAF.

Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic

Differing from most hotel restaurants, Le Cafe sits apart from the main building housing the Westlake Village Inn, thus looking more like an independent, free-standing dining place.

Subtitled ``A European Bistro,'' it tries hard to be all things to all people, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, offering a mixed menu of omelets, crepes, burgers, waffles, hot and cold sandwiches, soups, pastas, salads and even pizzas.

Most of the food rates from passable to good, and the service is surprisingly attentive.

The staff does its best to please and should be listened to for advice, as I quickly found out one evening.

The personable waiter, when asked what he thought of the house meatloaf entree ($10.25), answered diplomatically: ``There are better entrees.''

He was right. But I erred and listened instead to a dining companion who lived in the area and had presumably heard the meatloaf was a local favorite. Wrong. This meatloaf, pasty and with an almost Spam-like density to its texture, was the one big disappointment in an otherwise pleasant evening of dining.

On that evening, the kitchen of new chef Ronald Lento delivered a wonderfully moist, boneless half chicken ($15.95), tender and echoing the subtle flavoring of its citrus and herbal marinade.

Lento's respectable version of bouillabaisse ($17.50), crammed full of seafood in a saffron-tinged tomato broth, was the perfect remedy for the chill of a cold November night.

The multipage wine list, a recent Wine Spectator award winner, revealed a worthy red wine bargain, a Caliterra Chilean cabernet for only $17.

Pastas are handled well here. One of the better choices is penne Milano ($12.95), made with the slant-cut penne noodle perfectly cooked al dente and tossed with a handful of crunchy tiger shrimp, chopped fresh garlic, capers, kalamata olives, diced gold and red Roma tomatoes and fresh basil.

I happen to be a fan of chopped salads. Here, there's a pretty good one ($10.95) made with chunks of barbecued chicken, black beans, corn, tomato, cilantro, jicama, two cheeses (jack and cheddar), corn tortilla strips (for crunch) and finely chopped lettuce. This is all tossed in a refreshing ranch dressing and provides enough to justify entree status.

Hamburger fans will enjoy the well-cheesed, thick, juicy half-pounder ($8.95) with passable fries. And there's an onion soup ($5.59) out of the Le Cafe kitchen that holds its own.

Incidentally, save some room for the peach cobbler ($5) of shareable size that makes for a gratifying ending.

Just pass up the meatloaf.

LE CAFE

Where: Westlake Village Inn, 32037 Agoura Road, Westlake Village.

When: Open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Recommended items: Chopped barbecued chicken salad, cheese burger with fries, half marinated roast chicken, penne Milano, bouillabaisse, peach cobbler.

Children's menu: Coloring menu for lunch and dinner for those under 10 offers five items (grilled cheese sandwich, hot dog and fries, hamburger and fries, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti and meatballs) for $3.95 each. Four kiddie breakfasts range from $1.95 to $3.95.

How much: Full bar. Accept all major credit cards.

Wine list: Surprising multi-page list. Only some wines are vintage dated, though. Plenty of opportunities in all price ranges. Corkage: $7.

Reservations: Helpful. Call [phone].

Our rating: Three stars for food; three and one half for service; three stars for wine.

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Le Cafe's appetizer offerings include this bruschetta with diced tomato and lemon-and-dill-scented lobster.

John Kennedy/Special to the Daily News