QUITE A FIND BISTRO PROVENCE TRANSPORTS DINERS TO A LAND WHERE GREAT FOOD NEED NOT BE EXPENSIVE.

Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic

INCONSPICUOUSLY situated at the far, back end of a fairly busy Vons shopping center, the new Bistro Provence in the Toluca Lake area of Burbank is not easy to find - even if you know it's there.

But that hasn't diminished its burgeoning popularity.

That's because, as one patron put it, ``You're getting Patina-style food at real bistro prices.''

Which makes sense because executive chef Miki Zivkovic previously cooked at the Patina Group's Studio City restaurant, Pinot Bistro.

Zivkovic and his chef de cuisine Kelly Malinak deliver handsomely arranged plates from a workable nine-entree, eight-starter menu featuring such ``bistro classics'' as chicken frites, beef bourguignon and cassoulet.

Bistro Provence's roasted chicken ($15.50) comes forth crisp-skinned, deliciously garlicky, with wonderfully moist flesh underneath. The accompanying fries are truly French in style - just the right thinness, texture-perfect and non-greasy.

You might be surprised if you order beef bourguignon ($17.25).

Here, it's not at all like the expected French bowl of stew. Instead, tender cubed beef au jus, joined by mushrooms and celery, arrives perched on a horseradish-flavored bed of mashed potatoes, very attractive, quite non-stewlike.

As for the cassoulet ($15.75), the Zivkovic/Malinak kitchen utilizes Italy's cannellini beans, apple wood-smoked bacon and twice-cooked pork to upgrade this famous Languedoc/Provence staple.

But such homey, comforting casserole fare doesn't end there.

A very tasty wet-style paella ($17.25) featuring arborio rice, mussels, clams, rock shrimp and sausage is a palate-please.

Risotto ($14.25), either with wild mushrooms and duck confit or a veggies-only version, continues the down-to-earth rice offerings, while the chefs add snapper, fennel, basil and lobster broth to their primary shellfish for a nicely executed bouillabaisse ($17.50).

Grilled trout ($15) and salmon ($16.50) are the regular fish plates currently, but crusted halibut and other special fish recipes usually expand the nightly seafood entree listings.

Beginnings here can be as light-meal-gratifying as a salad plate topped with grilled slices of lamb sirloin ($9) boosted with roasted bell pepper, haricots verts (green beans) and herbed feta cheese.

And there's a satisfying steamed clams starter ($9.25) with garlic, basil, white wine, sweet pepper and zucchini to kick off an evening, along with a couple of nifty salad options and a soup du jour ($6) that's usually a vegetable potage like a cauliflower puree or a smooth, silky tomato-fennel bisque.

Desserts ($6) may involve the ubiquitous creme brulee, a creamy cheesecake topped with fruit, a refreshing lemon curd and meringue with fresh berries and perhaps a warm chocolate truffle cake, all promised as house creations.

Yes, you'll eat well at Bistro Provence - and won't have to pay outlandish prices.

And if you live in or near Toluca Lake, think of the gas money you'll save, too.

Larry Lipson, [phone]

larry.lipson(at)dailynews.com

BISTRO PROVENCE

Food: Three and one half stars - Service: Three and one half stars

Where: 345 N. Pass Ave., Burbank.

Phone: [phone].

Meals/hours: Open for lunch from noon to 2 p.m. weekdays and dinner from 6 to 9:30 p.m. nightly.

Food type: Bistro French.

Cost: Starters from $6 to $9.50, entrees from $13.75 to $17.50, dessert $6 each.

Credit cards: All major.

Patio dining: One table outside.

Parking/valet: Free self-parking in shopping center lot.

Full bar: No. Beer and wine application posted, pending approval.

Wine/corkage: Corkage; no fee.

Music/entertainment: None.

Takeout/delivery: Takeout service provided, no delivery.

Reservations: Suggested. Call [phone].

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 2) Bistro Provence chef de cuisine Kelly Malinak, left, general manager Stanko Mihajlov and executive chef Miki Zivkovic present some of the Burbank restaurant's creations, including beef bourguignon on a bed of horseradish-flavored mashed potatoes, above.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer