PIATTI EXCEEDS THE STANDARD.

Byline: Larry Lipson Daily News Restaurant Critic

``It's got cayenne pepper in it.''

``Yeah, you're right.''

Both diners were wrong. Chef Bradley Bennett's way to spice up his cozze e vongole bianchi e neri ($15.95) pasta platter at the new Piatti restaurant in Thousand Oaks is Calabrian chili.

And this dish of lilting, very fresh white and black fettuccine that tastes like it was made from scratch within the past hour or two, signifies how good the pastas are at Piatti.

Of course, there's a lot more to this particular dish, like a slew of fresh black mussels from Santa Barbara, a scattering of small, tender and juicy clams from Washington state, plenty of garlic and a few squirts of pinot grigio white wine.

This intriguing, Italian-accented chain restaurant that sits in a commanding new, free-standing building a block away from the Westlake Boulevard off-ramp of the Ventura Freeway (101) is not purveying your standard Italian fare in suburbia.

You'll appreciate this by ordering Bennett's pappardelle fantasia ($14.95), another pasta triumph, this time with the wider flat noodles flavored with a touch of saffron, just as fresh-tasting as the fettuccine, also perked up with a hint of the Calabrian chili - though not as apparent in this dish - and just as garlicky.

But, instead of mussels and clams, you'll find crunchy shrimp, tomatoes, arugula, white wine, butter and lemon skillfully utilized for maximum gratification.

The bitter arugula works well in this recipe. And it's apparent that Bennett likes using it.

His roasted beet salad has it. So does a beef dish for the curious, described as fire-roasted hangar steak ($13.95) that consists of attractively sliced pieces of beef joined with mashed potatoes.

The meat, described by one waiter as ``part of the leg'' and another as ``like flank steak,'' provides good taste and juice, but texturewise may be a bit too chewy for some.

This is exactly the opposite of the house specialty, pollo della roticcieria ($11), a marvelous rendition of roasted chicken with skin crisped dark from its distinctive spice mixture coating, delivering moist, flavorful meat underneath, about as tender as you'd ever want it to be.

But as good as the rotisserie chicken is, panzarotti di pollo ($12.50), another chicken recipe, was voted the best dish tried one evening.

Chicken, corn, shiitakes and asiago cheese are incorporated into pasta ``pillows'' that are baked to the beginnings of crispness. And the result is superb texture and flavor.

If you're worried about weighty dishes, order the ravioli al limone ($10.95), which brings forth the lightest of ricotta-spinach paste-filled ravioli envelopes you could ever imagine. How light are they?

Well, don't take them outside; they would be blown off the plate if there was any wind present. And that could happen even though they arrive moistened by a frothy lemon sauce.

As for beginnings, you can start off here rather admirably with a slightly messy bruschetta of grilled bread topped with a delicious merging of wild mushrooms ($5.95) or a couple of pieces of neatly executed, thinnish, Sangiovese wine-boosted goat cheese and sweet onion tart on puffy pastry ($6.25).

The creative stuffing of baked polenta with walnuts and gorgonzola cheese ($5.95) provides one more starter dish that Piatti can call its own, whether it's traditionally Italian or not.

A pizza is dubbed pizzetta here, probably because you may think it's going to be one of those big, unwieldy pies.

And by topping one of these smaller versions with sharp pecorino cheese along with garlic, oregano and a peppery marinara sauce, the kitchen comes up with a fine, thin-crusted appetizer pizza ($6.95) that is still big enough to be shared.

The house Caesar ($5.25) is merely simple and passable.

Yet, you'll quickly become addicted to a complimentary olive oil, balsamic vinegar, crushed red pepper and parsley dipping mixture served here. It's an alluring combination, presented at each table with a basket of foccaccia and regular bread, and a very welcome gesture.

Wine at Piatti is priced fairly high, desserts ($5 each) are relatively appealing, and service is basically attentive.

In the latter case, though, runners who deliver dishes are not always informed who gets what and sometimes reach across a table to place a plate down.

These are easily correctable, however, and when accomplished will make Piatti even better.

THE FACTS

The restaurant: Piatti.

Where: 101 S. Westlake Blvd., Thousand Oaks.

When: Open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, for dinner from 4 to 9 p.m. nightly, to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Recommended items: Goat cheese and onion tart, walnut and gorgonzola polenta, small pizzas, panzarotti, black and white fettuccine with mussels and clams, pappardelle with prawns and arugula, spice-rubbed rotisserie chicken.

How much: Starters from $4.50 to $10, pastas and entrees from $9 to $20, desserts $5. Full bar. AE, MC, V, DC.

Wine list: Well-rounded choice of some 75 bottlings, but most wines are marked up fairly high. No evident bargains, though there are seven wines priced at $20 or less, only one a red. Corkage is $10 but sometimes waived.

Reservations: Suggested. Call [phone].

Our rating: Three Stars for food; Two and One Half Stars for service; Two and One Half Stars for wine.

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Photo: Piatti manager Pepe Amespil, left, and chef Bradley Bennett offer a sampling of the dishes at their Thousand Oaks restaurant.

Michael Owen Baker/Daily News