MULTIPLES OF PIE TROUBADOURS SEARCHES FAR AND WIDE FOR NEW PIZZA IDEAS.

Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic

PIZZA FOR GOURMETS? What is it?

I once enjoyed a slice of pizza at Spago topped with white truffles.

I suppose that would qualify.

Well, now we have a restaurant in Woodland Hills (previously Jezebel, Mo's and Stanley's) that suggests its pizzas are for gourmets, using the word ``gourmet'' as an adjective in its title, Troubadours Gourmet Pizza.

Perhaps we should blame Wolfgang Puck and/or his first Spago pizza chef Ed LaDou (now owner of Caioti Pizza Cafe in Tujunga Village) for bringing us these upscale pizzas, often referred to as designer pizzas.

Anyway, the Troubadours kitchen puts out some pretty heady pizzas, both thick- and thin-crust types, perhaps the most daring being the Shogun of Japan pizza ($18.75) with a scattering of lump crab meat, cooked-though pieces of ahi tuna, bits of tempura shrimp and snippets of avocado plus a spray of vinegary ponzu sauce.

Of course, the secret to making such a pizza pie work is when to put the individual topping ingredients on the dough, before baking, during (which means interrupting the normal baking process), or after.

In the case of the Shogun pizza, it's an edible novelty that I would not order again, mainly because I would prefer my tuna seared as promised, not well done, and my tempura fluffy, not as indistinguishable crunchy things.

But the crust is good and probably the other thin-crust offerings, which cost less, work better.

A better pizza, particularly from a toppings standpoint, is the Brittania ($16.75), of thicker crust, caped with prosciutto, plum tomatoes and Parmesan, and preferably utilizing the red sauce over the white. (Incidentally, this pizza reheats quite well at home the next day.)

From a kitchen that reportedly has three chefs (one cooking American, one cooking Italian and one cooking Asian), the appetizers, soups and pot pies seem superior to the entrees and salads.

And in a place that uses the word ``gourmet'' in its title and is not exactly big on bargains, one would expect a more modern style of food presentation than on oversize plates and in deep bowls, pot pies being the exception.

The Troubadours lobster pot pie ($12.75), served en casserole, has lots of flavor, lots of lobster meat and tasty vegetables in a homey, creamy sauce. It's old-fashioned and wonderful.

But whitefish ($16.50), breast of chicken Milanese ($13.50) and leg of lamb ($11.50) all looked like coffee shop efforts one night, all served up with the requisite dollop of mashed potato and al dente broccoli accompaniments.

Yes, they were edible. But the whitefish was strangely small portioned, the Milanese quite dry and the sliced lamb draped with an uninteresting brown sauce.

In direct contrast, an order of the baked scallops appetizer ($8.75) came forth with a generous number of the scallops, mushrooms and broccoli, a nice creamy sauce, plus a surprise, numerous pieces of lobster meat.

Evidently, the same scallop and lobster mixture is served on the Isle of ``Wright'' salad ($14.75), but much less of it. By the way, is Wright wrong? Isn't it the Isle of Wight? Or perhaps it's supposed to be a play on words.

Premises-baked pies ($3.50 per small slice) are worth a try. The good ones sampled: bumbleberry, chocolate pecan and apple.

More homey, though, than ``gourmet.''

Larry Lipson, [phone]

larry.lipson(at)dailynews.com

TROUBADOURS GOURMET PIZZA

Food: two and one half stars - Wine: one and one half stars - Service: two and one half stars

Where: 20969 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills.

Hours: Open for lunch, dinner and snacks from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, to midnight Friday and Saturday.

Recommended items: Gazpacho soup, lobster pot pie, baked scallops, Brittania pizza, premises-baked pies.

How much: Starters and salads from $5 to $14.75, pizzas from $11.75 to $19.75, pastas and entrees from $9.50 to $24, desserts $3.50 each. Full bar. All major credit cards except Diners Club.

Wine list: Starter list of 40 bottles from $16 to $165, nine under $20, some without vintage dates, emphasis on Italians and Californians. Fourteen wines by the glass from $5 to $8. Several good brews on tap. Corkage: $5.

Reservations: Helpful. Call [phone].

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Photo:

The shrimp salad at Troubadours Gourmet Pizza in Woodland Hills is among the items available to accompany the restaurant's specialty dish.

Phil McCarten/Staff Photographer