FOOD FOR THOUGHT: VALLEY CAFE IS NO. 1.

Byline: Jesse Hiestand Staff Writer

SHERMAN OAKS - Never underestimate the power of good food at reasonable prices or wine with low corkage fees, for that matter.

Cafe Bizou, the bustling Sherman Oaks eatery known as much for charging people just $2 to bring their own wine as for its fine French cuisine, was named Friday the most popular restaurant in Los Angeles and Southern California in the revered Zagat guide, a first for a San Fernando Valley restaurant.

``Wine is a very funny thing,'' said executive chef and Bizou owner Neil Rogers. ``Some people will have a bottle for 20 years and keep it for a special occasion, so why should they be charged $20 just to open it?''

Offering a side salad or soup for just an extra $1 certainly didn't hurt in making the Ventura Boulevard eatery the most popular restaurant, knocking Patina off its long-held perch atop the list.

It was no easy list to lead either.

Los Angeles has the highest food and service ratings of any of the large markets covered internationally by Zagat, which publishes annual surveys of various cities using the opinions of actual diners. The Los Angeles survey covers restaurants from the Central Coast to Orange County.

Los Angeles also comes in second only to New York as the world's best dining city, according to the survey, beating out Paris, San Francisco and others.

Several other restaurants in the Valley, long underestimated for its culinary quality, ranked well in the 2001 Los Angeles/Southern California survey, which drew on a total of 1.42 million visits to 1,645 restaurants by 7,270 people.

Sushi Nozawa in Studio City held its place at No. 2 in terms of food quality, topped only by Matsuhisa.

``We hope for No. 1 but I don't know - the customers decide,'' said Yumiko Nozawa, who manages the restaurant where her husband, Kazunori Nozawa, is the sole chef. ``He goes to fish market every morning to get fresh fish. That's why I think it works - very delicious. Also he knows how to pick the fish.''

Asanebo, another of the emerging restaurants along a stretch of Ventura Boulevard in Studio City known as ``Sushi Alley,'' hit No. 10 in the top food rankings.

Calabasas-based Cheesecake Factory came in No. 10 in terms of most popular restaurants. It also placed among the 50 most-visited restaurants, noted for its ``enormous menu'' and ``huge portions.''

Even with its tiny menu, In-N-Out Burger is also listed among the restaurants with the highest volume. It also earned the top spot in the Survey's ``bang for the buck'' category.

Truly, the survey casts a wide net.

Bizou beat out, in order, Campanile, Spago Beverly Hills, Hotel Bel-Air and Patina.

Karen Berk, co-editor of the Zagat Los Angeles survey, said Patina may have been hurt by a perception that its quality has slipped since executive chef and owner Joachim Splichal sold his various Los Angeles restaurants, including Pinot Bistro in Studio City, to the New York firm Restaurant Associates.

``Because they have so many restaurants now and he's all over the place, it's just perceived to have gone downhill,'' Berk said.

It was indeed a tough year for Patina, which fell to No. 5, from No. 1, in popularity and to No. 6, from No. 4, in food quality.

Bizou, on the other hand, boasts ``gourmet food at rock-bottom prices,'' according to the survey.

Berk said that is why it has so much appeal for Valleyites.

According to the survey, per-person costs at Bizou are $27, making it by far the cheapest popularity winner among any major Zagat-surveyed city.

``Price is one factor, but maybe it's just that they really demand informal dining,'' she said.

Daily News restaurant critic Larry Lipson said Bizou is a shining example of a restaurant that is totally consumer-friendly.

``Dishes duplicate those at twice the price in L.A.'s haute spots,'' Lipson said. ``Wine fanciers bring in their own favorite labels for a mere $2 corkage fee per bottle. Service is crisp and attentive and it's always packed.''

The timing could not have been more perfect for Rogers and his partner, Philippe Gris.

Friday marked the opening of their third restaurant, a 200-seater in Santa Monica.

``I've been in the kitchen, shouting at my new cooks, screaming at them to get everything sorted out,'' Rogers said with a raspy voice.

In the past four years, Bizou has steadily climbed from No. 4 to No. 2 in the Zagat survey. There is also a Bizou in Pasadena.

``We've been rising up and knocking on the door, and finally our prayers were answered,'' Rogers said.

He called the lower corkage fee one of the ``little gimmicks'' that helps him give customers the ``best bang for their franc.''