CALIFORNIA ITALIAN AT ITS ZESTIEST; TOUCH OF L.A. ACCENTS ZACH'S HYBRID FARE.

Byline: Larry Lipson Daily News Restaurant Critic

They label the food at Zach's ``classic California Italian dining.''

Whatever it means, it works.

Zach's Italian Cafe, which moved into the former Mary's Lamb converted residence in Studio City, now has a second Ventura Boulevard location in Encino, previously the home of Earth, Wind and Flour.

And if you're wondering what classic Californian Italian food is, you probably should try and picture a sort of updated pizzeria without red-and-white checked tablecloths where, for reasons like having both a Chinese chicken salad and a Cobb salad (both invented in Hollywood) being listed on its menu, it earns its Californian accent.

But don't look for arugula or radicchio on Zach's bill of fare, nor polenta, nor pesto.

And the late Bob Cobb wouldn't really recognize this version of the salad he introduced at his Brown Derby restaurant, though Zach's vague interpretation ($7.50) isn't at all bad.

But at either location, you'll know exactly where you are, in good ol' L.A., certainly not in Italy, when you see a plate of goat cheese lasagna ($8.75) on the menu, or Thai chicken on pizza ($12 or $17) or the same Thai chicken tossed with pasta ($8.95).

And you'll have cause to rejoice when you notice an inspired L.A.-style creation such as hazelnut chicken in an orange cream thyme sauce ($9.95) inscribed on this comprehensive bill of fare.

The latter, an incredibly enjoyable piece of moist, boneless, breast of chicken crusted with a mixture of bread crumbs and crushed hazelnuts, would have been even more spectacular one evening if the sauce had not been watery thin.

But like so many of the dishes at Zach's, the basic taste is the overall determinant of satisfaction.

Zach's doesn't go in for the frou-frou approach to cooking. And don't expect a great deal of cutting-edge finesse or artistic plate arrangements out of the kitchen.

That stuff is left for the more expensive places.

So, at Zach's you put up with a thin sauce and remember that this dish also has good, fresh vegetables and more importantly, is ticketed under $10.

You also might want to pass up the limited wine offerings on the list for a chilled pint of J.W. Dundee draft honey brew ($3.25) or a bottle of New Amsterdam Amber ($3.75).

At Zach's, the regular customer, the one who returns more than once a week, sensibly receives the most overall attention, though perhaps not on an individual basis. Thus, this translates into a restaurant that is generally geared more toward consistent returnees, which probably is why the menu has a rich variety of dish diversity.

And undoubtedly is why the possible boredom of the same soups day after day is removed by instituting daily changes.

I remember, for instance, a cup of herb tomato soup ($2) one day that was a real pleaser, also a skillfully executed, tasty chicken and vegetable ($2) recipe.

Both big and small appetites are appeased here. You can go for heartier stuff such as a platter of rigatoni topped with sausage slices, roasted red peppers and a zesty tomato sauce ($7.25) or opt for lighter fare such as linguine tossed with a scattering of crunchy shrimp, sweet scallops, mushrooms, zucchini, garlic and basil. The latter, titled seafood Napoli ($10.95), comes with a nicely restrained sauce of olive oil, lemon and white wine ($10.95).

Zach's, in the middle of the fierce competition of pasta and pizza places in the San Fernando Valley, seems to have discovered a formula that appeals.

Call it Californian-Italian or Italian-Californian, it certainly attracts customers.

THE FACTS

The restaurant: Zach's Italian Cafe.

Where: 10820 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, and 17644 Ventura Blvd., Encino.

When: Open for lunch, dinner and snacks from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, from 4 to 10 p.m. Sunday.

Recommended items: Herb-tomato and chicken vegetable soups, hazelnut chicken in orange cream thyme sauce, goat cheese lasagna, Italian sausage and roasted red peppers, seafood Napoli.

How much: Starters from $2 to $7, pizzas and calzones from $7 to $17, pastas and entrees from $5.75 to $14, desserts from $2.50 to $4. Beer and wine. All major credit cards accepted.

Wine list: Short list of 10 reasonably priced labels ($12 to $22 per bottle), all available by the glass from $3.25 to $7.

Reservations: Parties of seven or more only. Call [phone] in Studio City, [phone] in Encino.

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

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Photo

Photo: Zach's Italian Cafe owner Matt DeMasi serves up a few of the items available at the Studio City restaurant.

Tina Gerson/Daily News