FRIES GO BELGIAN AT SPUDS CAFE.

Byline: Larry Lipson Daily News Restaurant Critic

The Belgian ``friet'' has come to the San Fernando Valley.

Friet is the oblong-shaped fried potato known to Americans as a french fry, to the English as a chip, to the French as a ``pomme frite.''

And the Belgians claim the french fry isn't even French.

As the story goes, poor 17th-century Europeans from the area now known as Belgium fried pieces of potato carved into animal and fish forms in hot grease. Thus, the national dish of Belgium, the ``friet'' (so what happened to the waffle?) was born.

You can now buy Belgian-style, double-fried fries at a little quick-food eatery in Woodland Hills called Spuds Cafe.

It's one of those places where you order and pay at the counter and pick up your food when your number is called.

And the fries, cooked twice in what is boasted as the ``only temperature-controlled, computerized, digital potato fryer in America,'' are crisper and less oily than most.

They do tend to need seasoning, however and taste much better when eaten immediately.

And though Spuds doesn't have some sort of condiment mixture like Benita's Frites in Santa Monica - the recognized leading exponent of Belgian fries locally, it does offer several dipping-sauce options, beginning with the favorite of Belgians, mayonnaise, this one fresh and house-produced.

I like the garlic and/or provencale (tomato and onion) sauces best. Others offered are sweet and sour barbecue, regular barbecue, ranch, Thousand Island, tartar, blue cheese and a peanut sauce that's touted as spicy but appeared quite mild to my jaded palate.

Also seemingly mild is an otherwise fairly good, comparatively meaty chili ($3.95).

And there's more for meat eaters. Perfect for the current rainy weather is Spuds' rendition of beef stew ($4.50), a hearty, flavorful, warming bowl filled with chunks of properly cooked meat and vegetables that travels well as a takeout item.

And there are those standard items like burgers ($3.25) and a hot dog ($2.75), both passable, and a sausage on a roll with sauteed onions and green pepper ($4.75), not bad in taste, but possessing a rather chewy casing.

Chicken, here called ``vertical chicken'' because it's cooked on a Spanek roaster, comes in whole ($9.75) or half ($5.25) size. They didn't have the cooking time down pat when it was ordered one day, twice serving it reddish-toned by the bone, evidently not cooked through.

This, by the way, is not the fault of the roaster. We have one at home, and it works very well, allowing the fat to drip off the bird while heating it from the inside.

Chicken is also available in sandwiches, the best one being the chicken breast on a bun with marinara sauce, mushrooms and mozzarella ($4.50).

A couple of soups - surprisingly the chicken with rice and vegetables ($2.50 and $3.25) rates higher in my estimation than the leek and potato puree ($1.75 and $2.25) - plus salads, a baked potato and other side dishes add up to a rather comprehensive cafe menu here.

There are even good tasting, fritter-style ``beignets,'' banana or apple ($2.75), for dessert.

A lot of items for a place where the ``Belgian fry'' is supposed to be the star.

The facts

The restaurant: Spuds Cafe.

Where: 21833 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills.

Phone: [phone].

When: Open for lunch, dinner and snacks from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Recommended items: Double-fried Belgian-style fries, chicken and rice soup, beef stew, chili, hot dog with sauteed onions, -1/3-pound beef burger, Italian-style chicken breast sandwich, apple fritter-style beignets.

Children's menu: Burger ($2.75) or hot dog ($2.50) includes fries and soft drink.

How much: Everything under $5 except chicken ($5.25 and $9.75). MC, V.

Wine list: No alcohol.

Our rating: three stars for food; three stars for value.

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Photo

PHOTO Owner Alan Ruelens samples one of his Belgian-style, double-fried fries at the new Spuds Cafe in Woodland Hills.

Tina Gerson/Daily News