REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PASTA POMODORO CUCINA ITALIANA DELIVERS SOPHISTICATED VALUE.

Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic

WHO NEEDS PIZZAS? The new Pomodoro Cucina Italiana in Woodland Hills brings a delightful array of fresh, tasty and - most importantly - inexpensive Italian food to budget-minded suburbanites without a pizza pie in sight.

The brand-new setting at the former Feng Shui site is spacious, airy, clean and practical. There's no opulence here, but you can sit comfortably inside in a booth or regular table, or outside at a patio table, and receive linenless full service from black-clad, attentive, no-nonsense waiters and waitresses.

Start with a hot and hearty cup ($3.75) or bowl ($5.50) of flavorful tortellini in beef broth or nicely fashioned minestrone soup (cup $2.95, bowl $3.95), unless you prefer a salad or something more exotic.

Meanwhile, you'll receive crusty bread and a good-tasting dipping mixture of finely chopped basil and parsley with a touch of grated Parmesan and tiny pieces of garlic in olive oil.

Four salads (spinach, mixed green, Caesar and caprese) here are conveniently available in small and large sizes, the small priced from $3.75 to $4.25 and the large from $5.95 to $6.95.

But if you like chopped salads, there's a pretty good one for $7.95, entree-size and shareable for two. Not soaked in dressing, it's made with romaine, olives, carrots, tomatoes, grilled chicken, bacon and two cheeses (Parmesan and Asiago).

However you start, though, try not to miss ordering the puffy, seductive, steamed Prince Edward Island mussels ($5.95), about 18 of them, floating in a simple white wine, butter, garlic and herbs broth in which you'll want to soak pieces of bread after all the mussel shells have been emptied.

Primarily a pasta house, Pomodoro produces plenty of noodle power. And at extremely amenable prices. The kitchen even bows to American tastes and offers a spaghetti and meatballs ($7.50) plate.

I like the house ravioli di zucca ($4.75 or $7.95 portions), small and circular in shape, stuffed with butternut squash (zucca can also mean pumpkin) offering a hint of sweetness, moistened in browned butter and garnished with a sprinkling of crispy sage leaves and grated Parmesan.

For something a bit more substantial but never heavy, the half-inch-wide ribbon pasta called mafaldine ($10.75) here is tossed with crunchy sauteed shrimp and a scattering of small asparagus cuttings, all bathed in a creamy white wine sauce and flavored with garlic and a hint of tomato. Very enjoyable.

Incidentally, the pastas here appear to be cooked perfectly, almost al dente, not pasty or sticky, and neither over-creamed nor over-cheesed either.

Another mark in their favor - they arrive steaming hot and don't seem to gum up after cooling off somewhat.

A handful of main courses, though accompanied by small pasta portions, would not be described as pasta dishes. Three of them are chicken plates, one a steak item, and one has grilled salmon as its main ingredient.

The kitchen grills a double breast of garlicky, rosemary-flavored chicken neatly in its pollo griglia ($8.50) and pairs it with orzo (rice-shaped pasta) effectively mixed with arugula and Kalamata olives.

Its grilled ribeye steak ($11.95), though a rather thin cut, may not impress an affirmed steak fancier, but it has good taste, is tender in texture and comes forth colorfully with a small heap of white cannellini beans, green arugula leaves and cream-toned pecorino cheese shavings.

The best dessert of four is unquestionably the souffle al cioccolato ($4.95), a souffle-style chocolate cake with an interior of melted chocolate, topped with chocolate sauce and whipped cream.

Other endings are tiramisu, panna cotta and a bland ricotta and mascarpone cheesecake ($4.25 each).

As expected, no pies, pizza before or fruit after.

Larry Lipson, [phone]

larry.lipson(at)dailynews.com

POMODORO CUCINA ITALIANA

Food: Three and one half stars - Wine: Two and one half stars - Service: Three stars - Value: Three and one half stars.

Where: 21600 Victory Blvd., Woodland Hills.

Hours: Open for lunch, dinner and snacks from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Recommended items: Soups, Prince Edward Island mussels, chopped salad, ravioli di zucca, mafaldine ribbon pasta with shrimp and asparagus, grilled chicken breast, chocolate souffle cake.

How much: Everything under $12. Beer and wine. Major credit cards accepted.

Wine list: Small selection of 14 wines, all available by the glass ($3.95 to $7.75) and bottle (except house white and red, $19 to $30). Corkage: Undecided.

Reservations: Taken for parties of six or larger. Information: [phone].

CAPTION(S):

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Photo:

(1 -- 2) Pomodoro Cucina Italiana chef Jose Cisneros, above left, manager Francisco Navarro, cook Gustavo Mercado and manager James Harty deliver an array of fresh, tasty dishes, including mafaldine ribbon pasta with shrimp and asparagus in a creamy wine sauce, right.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer