JUST LIKE MAMMA MAKES.

Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic

SHOULD A RESTAURATEUR allow his mother into the kitchen?

Silvio De Mori, the affable Italian who was brought up in France and has charmed local diners since the '70s - starting with Pane Caldo and including his own Silvio (now Ago) and most recently Mimosa and Cafe des Artistes - evidently is strongly affirmative on this question.

At his new De Mori restaurant in the Rodeo Collection on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills he inherited vast, fully equipped kitchen space, much of it used by the previous tenant, the cowboy steak house Reata.

And now his 76-year-old mother, Maria De Mori, exerts her culinary influence here, leaving son Silvio lauding her cooking prowess while complaining that she still keeps recipe secrets.

Smartly, De Mori hasn't taken the entire square footage that Reata had, instead developing a more manageable restaurant that still includes plenty of inside dining room space in three connected rooms with one that includes the bar, along with the attractive outside patio.

He also operates a small tea and coffee bar and sandwich (panini) shop next to the restaurant.

As for De Mori's fare, you can start with Mamma De Mori's wonderfully gratifying vegetable and bean (minestrone di fagioli) soup ($5.50) or go for a heap of Maine black mussels in a slightly peppery white wine and herb broth ($8).

Other recommendable options are parmesan-coated, chubby, crunchy spears of green asparagus with a good prosciutto ($11) or from the pizza list, a sensational thin-crust smoked salmon pizza with tomato, cream cheese and pesto ($12).

``Better than Spago's,'' said a dining companion one night.

And from the salad offerings, the best may well be the Belgian endive salad with gruyere cheese and walnuts ($9).

Mamma's homey, al dente, tagliatelle noodles ($9.50) tossed with pieces of meat rather than ground beef in her hearty Bolognese recipe should satisfy pasta fanciers.

And there's a deep and flavorful, spicy bowl of cioppino ($24) here packed with fish and seafood, even a lobster tail. Also, big, grilled prawns in scampi sauce ($25) provide an impressive entree that seems to be a custom fit for patio diners.

For light eaters, delicate Lake Superior whitefish in a slightly spicy tomato broth ($15.50) means melty perfection.

On the meat side, perhaps Reata's cowboy steak ghost has something to do with the extra large ribeye ($24) served Florentine style, sliced on the bone and drizzled with olive oil. Here, it's dubbed ``la bella bistecca'' and its obvious companion called ``patatine, salvia e cipolle'' ($4) translates into sage-flavored french fries and onions.

And though the kitchen usually comes up with a grilled veal chop as a special, its regular offering is the plate-filling, breaded, pounded, Milanese-style chop ($27), moist and flavorful, garnished with pieces of various vegetables.

Served in a thick, rich reduction, grilled lamb chops ($24), tender and juicy, possess that extra taste touch from fresh mint while carrying the impressive Italian name ``scottaditto e mentuccia.''

At finale time, if you're not up to a generous chunk of gorgonzola caped in wild honey ($12) as a dessert treat, the De Mori pastry kitchen makes a fine chocolate souffle with a Grand Marnier sauce ($12) or my favorite sweet ending here, the montebianco meringue and chestnut cream creation ($7) named after Europe's highest mountain, Mont Blanc.

A dish anyone's mother would love.

DE MORI

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

Where: 421 N. Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills.

Hours: Open for lunch, brunch (Saturday and Sunday), dinner and snacks from 11 a.m. to midnight daily except Monday.

Recommended items: Minestrone di fagioli, smoked salmon pizza, prosciutto and green asparagus, endive and gruyere salad with walnuts, tagliatelle con bolognese, minted lamb chops, double ribeye steak, large veal chop Milanese, whitefish in tomato broth, cioppino Livornese, chocolate souffle, montebianco dessert.

How much: Starters from $5.50 to $12.50, pastas and entrees from $8 to $27, desserts from $7 to $12. Full bar. All major credit cards.

Wine list: Well-chosen beginning list of around 50 Italian, Californian and French labels with prices ranging from $18 (three choices) to $332 (Roederer Cristal Rose) plus 16 wines by the glass from $6 to $10 each. Corkage: $12 ($20 for magnums).

Reservations: Helpful. Call [phone].

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Photo:

Chef Dino Barrera prepares his enticing Cioppino Livornese at Silvio De Mori's new Rodeo Drive restaurant.

Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News