FROMAGE ENHANCEMENT A.O.C.'S SELECTION OF WINE AND CHEESE A SUPERB COMPLEMENT TO TASTY TAPAS.

Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic

PACKED ALMOST every night, A.O.C. on West Third Street shows that L.A.'s hip, young crowd is finally going for substance over looks when it comes to dining out.

Basically a wine bar - actually, there are two wine bars on the premises - A.O.C. produces tapas-like plates of food out of its kitchen, most of appetizer size, some large enough to warrant small entree designation.

Formerly L.A. Trattoria, this nifty, new cafe named after the French ruling titled Appelation d'Originee Controlee (which regards wines and some food from specified regions), is the brainchild of wunderchef Suzanne Goin of Lucques on Melrose and her savvy maitre d'-manager-partner, Caroline Styne.

Diners can have a great time here just sipping wines and nibbling cheeses. Options on both are huge compared to any sit-down eating place in town. As many as 15 cheeses come from Spain, Portugal, Italy, Australia, France, England, Ireland, even right here in California.

They're conveniently segmented into goat, sheep, cow and blue categories and cost $5 for one, $14 for three and $20 for five. And they're wonderfully ripe and soft when served.

During two review visits, Australian cheeses were picked as endings, one a superb triple cream cow cheese called Seal Bay, the other a really good blue cheese titled Roaring Forties.

More than 60 wines are poured here by the glass or carafe and there are interesting flights of three California syrahs for $18 or three sparkling wines including Krug Grand Cuvee and Dampierre champagnes, also for $18.

Financial caution is needed here, especially if you're a curious wine fancier.

That's because the bucks mount up fast when you're tasting wines. At a table next to us in the main dining area, which is noisier and crammed with deuces (tables for two), a couple gasped when they received their bill. They'd spent more than $100 on wine alone.

What did we spend?

Two of us noshed on a delicious roasted salt cod and potato gratin dish ($10), a plate of clams, chickpeas and chorizo ($12) and a tart salad of escarole, radicchio and anchovies ($8) one night and complemented them with a small carafe of 2002 Neudorf sauvignon blanc from New Zealand's great Marlborough region.

But by rounding the meal off with tender, grilled skirt steak paired with a black olive aioli ($13), then the slab of Seal Bay cheese, a red wine was definitely called for. Consequently, a mini-carafe of '99 Guy Louis Cotes du Rhone ($19) was ordered.

And it filled the bill admirably.

Oh yes, the bill.

It came to $82 plus tax and tip.

At a second visit there were four of us and we tasted more dishes and smartly ordered a bottle of wine to share, although I couldn't resist trying the sparkling flight as a beginning.

This time we sampled such small plates as roasted dates, bacon and Parmesan ($6) - remember rumaki at Don the Beachcomber's? - and a roasted pear, endive, arugula and hazelnuts salad ($8).

The larger-portioned servings of hearty, Spanish-style black-inked rice with calamari and a saffron aioli ($12), juicy skewered lamb ($13), earthy morels in cream ($13), perfectly grilled yellowtail and wild salmon ($12 each) provided an adventurous sharing feast.

Additionally, A.O.C. thoughtfully sends forth at no charge crispy toasts and a spicy dip studded with small black olives to kick-start the evening.

Yessir, A.O.C. is A-OK.

A.O.C.

Food: Three and one half stars. Wine: Three and one half stars. Service: Three stars.

Where: 8022 W. Third St., Los Angeles.

Hours: Open for dinner only from 6 to 11 p.m. weeknights, from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

Recommended items: Salt cod, inky rice with squid, lamb skewers, morels in cream, grilled yellowtail, grilled skirt steak, wild salmon, roasted pear salad, cheeses, wines by the flight.

How much: Tapas-style plates range from $7 to $16, cheeses from $4 to $5 each, desserts $7 each. Beer and wine. All major credit cards except Discover.

Wine list: The 12-page list has loads of interesting wines that run from $5 for a glass of chardonnay to $475 for a bottle of Bryant Family cabernet. Corkage: $25.

Reservations: Needed. Call [phone].

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Photo:

(1 -- 2) Cheese lovers will enjoy the options at A.O.C., which include a variety plate of three, top, and the salt cod and potato gratin, above.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer