COMFORT, WITH A TWIST SOMETHING TO BE SAID FOR FAMILIAR FLAVORS AT NEW VALENCIA GRILLE.

Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic

In an otherwise Spartan dining room there are splashes of color on the walls - the abstract works of Len Aaron, one of the Aaron brothers of the framing and art supply chain - at the new Valencia Grille.

With a menu of mostly familiar comfort food with an occasional surprising twist and moderate to low pricing, this new, no-nonsense cafe and wine bar could eventually endear itself to Santa Clarita Valley locals.

It does tend to be coffee-shopish though, with paper napkins, no tablecloths and plastic-wrapped saltines served with its soup.

But it departs from an institutional mode with its solo soup (cup $3.95, bowl $5.95), for example, which turns out to be a rather tasty version of chicken (plenty of pieces) with vegetables.

And in these surroundings who would expect a juicy, pan-fried pork chop ($14.95) to arrive perched in a fruity, balsamic-cherry sauce and topped with an inviting mantle of warm, black, pitted cherries?

Or to receive a neatly cooked piece of moist, flaky salmon ($13.95) glazed with an appealing orange-soy mixture and capped with a scattering of sesame seeds and green onion slivers?

However, the vegetable accompaniments with such triumphs can be a few mundane strips of red bell pepper and small broccoli flowerettes plus inconsistent mashed potatoes, one time tasteless and gluey, another time much better, fresher-tasting, displaying passable texture.

While still in its infancy, the Grille's kitchen suffers downturns.

Fish (sole) and chips ($9.95) one time revealed dark brown, obviously overcooked and dry, too thin pieces of batter-coated fish, though the accompanying fries were properly cooked, showing crunch and no oily residue.

And in a somewhat similar vein, buttermilk-dipped fried chicken ($10.95), though possessing good overall taste, also was cooked a bit too long, leaving pieces that were dark in color and dryish on the palate.

Starters, however, show some promise.

I like Valencia Grille's ``beamers'' ($7.95), more though for the idea than the execution.

These are little spheres fashioned from a paste made from crab meat mixed with Parmesan and cream cheese, sweet red peppers and mild jalapenos, then breaded and deep-fried.

A serving consists of about half a dozen of them with a little cup of an effective pimiento aioli dipping sauce.

Hummus blended with chipotles ($6.95) is another good idea.

Here, the kitchen serves a generous dollop of it cold, surrounded by crispy, toasted bagel chips for dipping and spreading.

But meaty buffalo wings ($6.95) touted on the menu as ``hot, hot, hot'' could come forth, as they did one day, mild, mild, mild.

But there can be a good, creamy, thick wedge of moist cake ($4.50 or $4.95) to finish up with here.

And the owner has plans to add jazz entertainment in the back room.

Could be the start of something big.

VALENCIA GRILLE

Where: 23320 W. Valencia Blvd., Valencia.

When: Open for lunch, dinner and snacks from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays except Monday, to 10 p.m. Fridays, from 8 a.m. (for breakfast) to 10 p.m. Saturdays, from 8 a.m. (for breakfast) to 9 p.m. Sundays.

Recommended items: Smoky chipotle hummus, beamers, chicken vegetable soup, pork chop in balsamic cherry sauce, salmon Valencia, cake.

Children's menu: Half-dozen items at $4.95 each (cheeseburger, grilled cheese sandwich, pasta plate, chicken fingers, cheese ``kidsadilla,'' mac 'n' cheese). Each includes a choice of fries or salad and soda, milk or juice.

How much: Starters from $4 to $9, salads and sandwiches from $4 to $10, pastas and entrees from $9 to $20, desserts $4.50 each. Wine and beer. AE, MC, V, Discover.

Wine list: Starting list has 16 labels, no vintage dates, with all except one bottle available by the glass ($4.50 to $8). Priced from $16 to $49, labels are mostly Kendall-Jackson connected, even the imports, one of which, the Argentine Tapiz cabernet sauvignon ($17) is a good buy. Corkage fee: $10 for first bottle only, any additional bottles no charge.

Reservations: Helpful. Call [phone].

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

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1) Valencia Grille owner Brad Roen raises a glass to good eating.

(2) Hail and hola to the Santa Fe Chicken Caesar.

(3) Herb Roasted Chicken invites diners to dig in.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer