FAMILIA INFLUENCING PATRONS WITH GOOD FOOD : THE FACTS.

Byline: Larry Lipson Daily News Restaurant Critic

Frank Leon is obviously trying to influence us by labeling the food at his new Mi Familia restaurant, ``Gourmet Mexican cuisine.''

In the space previously occupied by Pyramid and Indigo on Third Street, Leon, who runs the popular Italian cafe La Loggia in Studio City, hopes to duplicate La Serenata de Garibaldi's two-location success as a serious Mexican eating place with food very different from that of the run-of-the-mill, gringo-Mex margarita palaces around town.

Well, Leon certainly influenced one patron of Mi Familia, who was heard to say that this was the best Mexican food he'd ever eaten.

It starts with the soups and appetizers in the comfortable, muted decor of the dining room - note the drapes around the deli cases, behind which fresh tortillas are made - especially the piquant lime soup with shrimp and tortilla ($7.95).

The large soups - there's also an excellent peppery chili-tomato-seafood one at the same price - can be had in cups for $4.50 each if you ask nicely.

And if you're a chicken soup fancier, there's one here that may not be listed on your menu called simply caldo de pollo ($5.50) which also has a touch of tomato, white chicken meat, some diced vegetables and avocado in it.

This is not, by the way, a place where a bottomless basket of corn chips and crucibles of replenished salsa comes gratis. Instead, a small plate holding a few corn wafers topped with a spinach and cheese mixture or some other little munchie will appear as soon as you're seated.

But you won't find better tortillas (and yes, they're replenishable) than the ones served hot and fresh here.

A tortilla maker prepares them to order, and they're puffy and wonderful.

You might want to alternate bites of your tortilla with one of the tastiest, stuffed poblano chilis ($4.25) experienced in some time.

This one has a mixed meat filling - mostly chicken, some pork - and comes with a delectably nutty walnut sauce.

If you love mushrooms, you'll find them to your liking here, wild and mixed in a garlic sauce in a corn pastry shell ($4.75) or sandwiched in a fresh, handmade cornmeal quesadilla ($4.95).

An unusual meld of crab and chicken meat is used to fashion terrific tortitas (patties, $5.95) in a chipotle and marjoram-flavored sweet red pepper pesto.

And more familiar items like taquitos (stuffed with chicken or vegetables, $4.95) are crispy delights with avocado sauce, and mini-tamales ($4.50) filled with pork loin and served with a tomato sauce.

Fresh red snapper lends itself better than whitefish to most of the offered fish preparations. A pasilla chili, plum tomato and scallion accompaniment with a tequila sauce ($9.95) makes for a very enjoyable dish.

Other interesting filet of fish options are regularly available at the same price, and there's a baked, whole red snapper on the menu at market price.

Meat is not only handled well by the kitchen, but appears to be of better quality than you'd expect for an under-$10 tab.

A juicy piece of New York steak comes with potatoes, grilled onions and a sauce of mashed mild chilis in red wine ($9.95) for the ``bistec'' set.

Pork medallions in a rich, earthy chili sauce provide another triumph from this talented kitchen.

And if you're an enchilada fan, I hope you're not the type who resists the norm, because Mi Familia stuffs a couple of them with fresh ricotta cheese, herbs and mushrooms topped with a light but flavorful tomato sauce for $7.95. And yes, with the majority of these dishes you receive superbly rich-tasting rice and a side of musky, watery beans.

For me, a bottle of Negro Modelo beer ($3) goes very well with this food. Sangria and wine margaritas plus a reasonable wine selection are also on hand.

Sweet endings ($3 to $3.50) include a respectable flan, stuffed guavas, a lemon tart and probably the best bet, a caramel-sauced sweet potato tart which sounds even better in Spanish, ``torta de camotes dulce,'' as do most of the menu items at Mi Familia.

The restaurant: Mi Familia.

Where: 8222 W. Third St., Los Angeles.

How much: Soups and starters from $2.50 to $8, entrees from $7.50 to $11, desserts from $3 to $3.50. Beer and wine. AE, MC, DC, V.

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

Our rating: three and one-half stars for food; three stars for service; three stars for wine.

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Photo: Chef Ignacio Arreola, left, owner Frank Leon and manager Ramondo Alexander displaying some of the dishes featured at Mi Familia.

Hans Gutknecht/Daily News