CAFE HAS PUCKISH FARE FOR LESS.

Byline: Larry Lipson Daily News Restaurant Critic

You have to admire Wolfgang Puck, whether you want to or not.

His burgeoning Wolfgang Puck Cafe chain proves that his famous Spago food can be duplicated with almost as much finesse and appeal as the original at a much lower price.

Both the Puck style in food preparation and wife Barbara Lazaroff's style in decor come across with as much vitality and imagination as anyone could want at their new Promenade Mall location in Woodland Hills.

Sure, there's an occasional glitch in service or on a plate from the kitchen. After all, there are humans working here. And sure, the barrage of bright tile hues can be viewed as overkill by some eyes. But, the overall perception is that this is an attractive restaurant for informal diners that stands head and shoulders above most of its competition.

Opened in mid-December, the Woodland Hills Puck place brings to the West San Fernando Valley his signature rotisserie chicken plates, his spicy chicken and smoked salmon pizzas, and a Chinese chicken salad dubbed Chinois that many regular eaters of this type of salad insist is the best they've ever experienced.

This rendition ($5 a half order and $8 per full) gets its crunch from flat dough crisps rather than thin, crispy, rice noodles.

But like everything here, the total ingredient freshness stands out.

An alternative salad, the chopped vegetable one ($4.50 or $7.50), is personally preferred. This satisfying plate is a full-color presentation of diminutive, diced vegetables tossed in a balsamic vinegar dressing, a veritable rainbow of flavors and a welcome diversity of textures.

Of the daily soups here, the pureed, smooth and creamy butternut squash seems to be the most prevalent ($4.75), and sometimes it's smartly delivered with the initials WPC formed in it with a red pepper sauce.

Another, almost as handsome and just as good-tasting, is a spicy tortilla soup (also $4.75) with fire-roasted tomatoes, grilled chicken and red onion.

Puck's smoked salmon pizza may be his most famous, but it's also the most expensive ($14.50) on his cafe menu. One that is easily recommendable is topped with coppacola ham, caramelized onions, Nicoise olives and roasted corn ($9.50), a delightful harmony of sweet, tart, soft and piquant flavors.

In the pasta department, the spinach papardelle ($9.50), an unusual wide, flat noodle, intriguingly dark green on one side and light green on the other, is paired with sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese for a pleasing dish. However, one time the goat cheese was forgotten. When the exclusion was pointed out, a little pot of goat cheese was hurried to the table.

Pad Thai pasta ($11.50), a provocative play on the popular Thai noodle recipe, utilizes spaghettini mixed with peanuts, shrimp, green onions, cilantro and a shrimp sauce for a tasty plate, perhaps hampered slightly by a slight over-oiliness.

For something more meaty, Grandma Puck's linguine ($9.50) with a substantial chicken Bolognese topping provides a good, hearty plate that goes well with a red wine (try the '94 Blackstone merlot).

Incidentally, Sonoma Cutrer's '94 chardonnay is sold by the half bottle for $14, a refreshing, well-crafted white wine to complement certain dishes.

It even stands up well to Puck's rotisserie garlic chicken ($9.75), a robust and properly executed entree, especially gratifying with garlic mashed potatoes.

There are plenty of choices at Puck's cafe. Main-course regulars are meatloaf, salmon, catfish, pepper steak and osso buco with prices ranging from $11 to $15.50. Most pastas and other items remain under $10.

Desserts, all priced at $4.50, don't disappoint.

A changing fresh fruit cobbler, on one visit pear and cranberry, has been impressively conceived by chef and Puck pal Guy Leroy. And the warm chocolate souffle cake with hot fudge sauce and whipped cream should certainly keep chocolate fanciers happy.

So who needs Spago, anyway?

THE FACTS

The restaurant: Wolfgang Puck Cafe.

Where: 6100 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Woodland Hills.

When: Open for lunch, dinner and snacks from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, to 9:30 p.m. Sunday.

Behind the scenes: Wolfgang Puck is chef-owner. Barbara Lazaroff is designer.

How much: Starters from $3.50 to $8, entrees (including pastas) and pizzas from $8.50 to $15.50, desserts $4.75 each. Full bar. Major credit cards.

Reservations: Only taken for parties of six or more. Call [phone].

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

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PHOTO

Photo Chef Wolfgang Puck lowers the price of Spago-style cuisine at his chain of cafes, including one newly opened in the Promenade Mall, in Woodland Hills.