HOT SPOTS : IN LES BOONDOCKS.

Byline: Larry Lipson

Le Chene, 12625 W. Sierra Highway, Saugus, [phone]. A Gallic diamond in the rough, this is where cowboys eat escargots, duck with peppercorns, even a creme brulee. And the wine list has won national recognition.

Chain champ

Cheesecake Factory, 6324 Canoga Ave., Woodland Hills, [phone]. (Also in Brentwood, Beverly Hills, Redondo Beach, Pasadena, Marina del Rey and elsewhere.) Congrats due on an ambitious and rather exotic menu that's surprisingly workable. And the cheesecakes aren't bad as a bonus.

Under priced, over par

Tavern on the Green, 10400 Glenoaks Blvd., Sun Valley, [phone]. You eat comfortably in a country-club setting, and you eat for amazingly low prices. Would you believe an all-you-can-eat Friday night fish fry for $8.95?

Boffo Italian

Ca'Brea, 346 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, [phone]. Chef Antonio Tommasi reigns here with moderately priced cucina rustica that'll knock your socks off. The packed dining room proves it nightly.

Redondo rendezvous

Chez Melange, 1716 S. Pacific Coast Highway, Redondo Beach, [phone]. Mecca for foodies and wine lovers in the South Bay, this casual motel eatery proves that cooking innovation and imagination works wherever you put it.

Sky's the limit

L'Orangerie, 903 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood, [phone]. This is deep-pockets, haute cuisine of the so very, very French type, you may forget you're on U.S. soil. Every ingredient is premium, often flown over from La Belle France within the past 24 hours. Bon appetit.

'50s funspot

Ed Debevic's, 134 N. La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Hills, [phone]. It's a trip and a half for nostalgia buffs who enjoy diner food and staffers who want to be stars.