COLOMBIAN CUISINE, NICELY STARCHED.

Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic

In a spotless, 42-seat dining room in Chatsworth, with walls adorned with a horizontal strip of pin-lighted faux grape leaves and a portrait of Simon Bolivar, hero of South America's fight for independence from Spain, local diners can now thoroughly enjoy the adept Colombian cooking of chef and co-owner Luz Gomez.

In the small storefront confines of the restaurant space known previously as Sam's Trattoria, and before that Santino's, chef Luz, husband Rafael and (on weekends) their daughter Carmen have introduced their Bolivar, the West San Fernando Valley's first serious Colombian restaurant.

Quite inexpensive (of some 24 entrees, 14 are under $10 and all are less than $16), the homey-style main courses are tasty in a strong savory sort of way, and certainly filling.

This is not food for dieters. If you're into calorie counting, cholesterol and carbohydrate measurements, forget Bolivar. Starch rules supreme here. Look for mounds of rice, small skin-on yellow potatoes, fried yucca and those crunchy Colombian corn-flour patties called arepas with most entree offerings.

As for condiments, noticeably there are no pepper shakers on each table, only salt. This is a Colombian custom, explains host Rafael in Spanish with the aid of our waiter-interpreter Carlos. Diners may add peppery enhancement to their dishes from the replenishable saucer of spicy hot salsa verde delivered with each meal.

Also noticeable here is the lack on the menu of a starter or appetizer category. Or, for that matter, desserts.

There is, however, a side order (``ordenes ligeras'') segment at the end of the menu that includes a trio of meaty, beef-stuffed empanadas for a mere $2.50 and a flavorful Colombian sausage with arepa at the same price.

Both provide starter possibilities, as do unmentioned soups of the day.

However, it is wise to emphasize to the waiter that you are ordering these items as starters and want them served before the entrees.

If you don't, you may get them after the main courses - as we did one time.

Incidentally, any entree that includes a salad means that the salad portion arrives on the same platter with the rest of the dish, not separately.

As for soups, if you like a good, hearty one that'll warm your whole body on a cold, windy night, Bolivar's sancocho de cola (oxtail soup, $6.50) does the trick. Untried is the tripe and pork soup at the same price.

Served in large bowls, these two soups come with sides of white rice and arepa, ostensibly making them meals by themselves.

Smaller bowls of du jour soup ($2.50) here have also hit the spot. One time it was a patacon soup with plantains and potato in a beefy broth, another time a tasty pasta chicken soup.

Entree plates can be hugely satisfying assortments. The bandeja paisa ($10), for example, brings beans, rice, chicharron-style pork fatback, tender steak, sausage, a fried sunny-side-up egg, fried plantains and rice to the table. It's the ultra good-and-plenty main course dish.

Chef Luz pounds and breads a fair-sized pork chop milanesa-style (chuleta de cero, $9) and serves it with crispy yucca fries, a small green salad with avocado and tomato (no dressing, but there are two wedges of fresh lime to squeeze), also fried plantains as well as the usual rice and arepa.

If you like tender, moist beef tongue (lengua) as much as I do, you'll certainly appreciate the several options here. I picked the tongue with a rich red, tomato and onion sauce in a plate called lengua en salsa roja ($12). Simply superb.

If you'd prefer tongue with a fruity accompaniment, the kitchen obliges with either prune sauce or green lulo - a Colombian fruit - sauce.

A clever rolled pork creation called rollitos de lomo ($9), also paired effectively with the same tomato and onion sauce, provides a pleasing meaty alternative.

For those who may be categorized as fish and chicken fanciers, there are a number of additional opportunities here.

Just make sure you tell the waiter in advance in what order you wish to eat any of Bolivar's dishes.

And if you're into sweets, better check if a dessert is in the offing.

It so happens that we had so much to eat beforehand, we hardly cared that there was none available.

BOLIVAR RESTAURANTE COLOMBIANO

Where: 20454 Nordhoff St., Chatsworth.

When: Open for lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday; for brunch, lunch and dinner from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Behind the scenes: Chef Luz Gomez, husband Rafael Gomez and daughter Carmen are co-owners.

Recommended items: Empanadas, soups, Colombian sausage (chorizo con arepa), mixed grill platter (bandeja paisa), breaded pork chop (chulet de cerdo), beef tongue (lengua), pork or beef loin rolls (rollitos de lomo).

How much: Soups and sides from $1.50 to $6.50, entrees from $7 to $15. Lunch special $5. No alcohol. License pending. AE, MC, V.

Reservations: Helpful, especially on weekends. Call [phone].

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

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1) Luz Gomez, head chef - and co-owner - of Bolivar Restaurante Colombiano, offers a plate of lomo en salsa de lulo.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer

(2) The lomo en salsa de lulo plate features a sauce made from the green Colombian fruit.

(3) The mixed grill platter - bandeja paisa - is a house specialty.