DRAI'S LATEST PRODUCTION A DELICIOUS SUCCESS.

Byline: Larry Lipson Daily News Restaurant Critic

Quickly proving that the initial resounding success of Drai's, the resurgent restaurant facility formerly known as L'Ermitage, was not a fluke, Victor Drai now has a smash hit in the form of his new Drai's Cafe.

And there's no doubt that chef Claude Segal, the skillful French chef once dubbed peripatetic because he changed restaurants every two years, has a lot to do with the newest Drai's triumphant beginning.

And along the way Segal has found a method - by being associated with Victor Drai - to change kitchens without changing jobs.

In the former Gingerman/Carroll O'Connor's facility on Bedford Drive in Beverly Hills, Victor Drai has become the Dennis Rodman of restaurateurs with his new blond, crewcut hairdo.

Drai, the ex-movie producer (``Weekend at Bernie's'' I and II) gained national attention when he supposedly told tycoon Marvin Davis he didn't have a table for him.

He claims to treat celebrities like every other guest.

Here at his new cafe, Drai doesn't have that many tables to choose from anyway. It's a comparatively small restaurant, with only 30 tables in the dining room and five in the bar.

But Westsiders have made it home already. They seem to enjoy to no end Segal's crisp and efficient menu of familiar fare.

And though the chef is French and known for a fairly traditional approach to cooking, he pleases the health-conscious with soups - including his signature carrot and ginger - that contain no dairy products, lots of salads and veggie items, basic bistro dishes such as a handsomely delivered (in a copper pot) French version of the British shepherd's pie (ground beef and mashed potatoes), steak frites and a trio of chicken offerings.

This is the kind of restaurant that easily could become the Ma Maison of the late '90s, unless the upcoming Spago in Beverly Hills steals it away when it debuts next year.

Ironically, Segal was the chef brought over to Patrick Terrail's power meal ``bistrot'' on Melrose when Wolfgang Puck left to open Spago.

Soon they will be competing for that same show-biz power clique, especially at lunchtime.

Meanwhile, Segal cooks excellent, simple, grilled whitefish or salmon ($19 each) with a choice of accompaniments, a good one being the ``warm, fresh tomato marmalade with olive oil, garlic and lemon.''

Sauteed chicken with a garlic and blue cheese sauce ($17.50) is delightful, and you won't find more succulent grilled lamb chops than the ones Segal does with a touch of thyme and lemon.

Desserts worth trying are an intriguing rice cake pudding and a fine apple tart, though neither are earth-shaking.

Actually what makes you shake here is the $20 corkage charge, though one day it was levied only on one of two bottles opened.

THE FACTS

The restaurant: Drai's Cafe.

Where: 369 N. Bedford Drive, Beverly Hills.

When: Open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily except Sunday and for dinner from 5:30 to approximately 10:30 p.m. nightly except Sunday.

Behind the scenes: Victor Drai is owner. Claude Segal is chef.

Recommended items: Soups (French onion, asparagus and fava, carrot and ginger), hachis parmentier (shepherd's pie), rice cake pudding.

How much: Starters from $6 to $14, pastas and entrees from $13 to $24, desserts $6.50 each. Full bar. All major credit cards.

Wine list: The starting list of 57 bottles ranges from $25 for a French Macon Villages '95 white or the '94 Chateau Couronneau house red to some great French labels more than $200 each. A tip guide of ``best values'' suggests five whites ($32 to $75) and eight reds ($34 to $69). No real bargains here, though the Chateau Laborde '90 ($35) is a fairly good Pomerol choice. However, corkage is $20.

Reservations: Mandatory. [phone]

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

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Photo

Photo: Chef Claude Segal, left, and Drai's Cafe owner Victor Drai with some of the restaurant's dishes.

Terri Thuente/Daily News