RESTAURANT REVISIT: A RARE HUNGARIAN TREAT IN THE VALLEY.

Byline: - Larry Lipson

Most chefs dream of owning their own restaurants.

Laszlo Bossanyi achieved this 14 years ago when he opened Hortobagy in Studio City.

In the Los Angeles area, Hungarian restaurants are a rare breed. Look in the current Zagat guide, for example, and in the cuisine index there isn't even one Hungarian dining spot listed, which means they're almost impossible to find, or relatively unpopular, or both.

Bossanyi, who had been a chef at Chasen's prior to opening Hortobagy, learned to cook much more than his native Hungarian cuisine.

His first major career stop was in Budapest at the Hotel Beke.

His next major job found him in the kitchens of the Lucerne Hotel in Switzerland. Later, the ambitious young chef turned up in the chefs' mecca, Paris, where he perfected his classic French cooking abilities at the Hotel Maurice.

Bossanyi decided to call his restaurant Hortobagy, named after the area of Hungary that's the equivalent to our prairie, Australia's bush or Argentina's pampas. These are the Hungarian plains, where cowboy types ride herd and eat hearty.

However, in 1996 Bossanyi decided that the name Hortobagy didn't genuinely reflect ``his diverse culinary background in European cooking.'' Consequently, he added the sign ``Laszlo's Cuisine.''

Name: Hortobagy - Laszlo's Cuisine.

Address: 11138 Ventura Blvd., Studio City.

Phone: [phone].

When we last reviewed: May 9, 1991.

How long in business: 14 years.

Menu/cuisine changes: In Hortobagy's initial years, chef Bossanyi cooked almost entirely Hungarian fare beginning with a Hungarian cheese dip appetizer called ``korozott,'' then working through a conscientious entree list that included three goulashes and finishing with several desserts, one being the highly acclaimed Hungarian palacsinta crepe stuffed with jam, nuts and cheese.

But when he introduced the Laszlo's Cuisine sign seven years after his restaurant's debut, he revised his menu to include several fish dishes (including, at the time, catfish) plus ravioli, roast duck, steak and shrimp.

At a recent visit when one of two goulashes on the menu was requested, the reply was ``We don't have any today.''

Although many of the restaurant's staples (chicken paprikas, stuffed cabbage, Hortobagy's signature wooden platter, et al.) are still available, noticeable items on the current menu like foie gras on mixed greens, grilled chicken breast with mashed potatoes and mushroom sauce, bouillabaisse, mustard-coated salmon and sea bass indicate a broader slate in chef Laszlo's kitchen.

Decor/physical changes: Generally speaking, the restaurant has retained its comfortable, casual cafe looks inside and out, obviously well kept up over the years.

Recommendable dishes: I like the robust cabbage soup sporting a scattering of sliced Hungarian smoky sausages, Hortobagy's fresh vinegary cucumber salad (included with all entrees), the paprikas dishes (both mushroom and chicken) and the premises-baked seven-layer cake.

Service quality: Staff seems thoroughly knowledgeable when it comes to detailed menu questions. And the restaurant is small enough for diners to signal for attention, be seen and handled quickly.

Pricing: One would have expected much higher prices today based on those asked here in the early '90s. Stuffed cabbage, for example, was $9.95 then, and is only $11.50 now. Ditto for the chicken paprikas. The farmer's plate of assorted grilled sausages, roast pork, red cabbage and parsley potatoes has risen only $2, being $10.50 then and $12.50 now. And the wooden platter for two, a mighty feast of veal, pork, veal liver, sausages, mushrooms, red cabbage, rice and parsley potatoes, has gone up a mere $3, from $25.95 to $28.95. Today's pricing has starters ranging from $4.40 to $9.50, pastas and entrees from $11.50 to $14.95.

Wine list/service: With more than 20 Hungarian wines by the glass, Hortobagy tells us loud and clear that Hungary has plenty of wine tradition. Of course, its famous red is called ``Bull's Blood'' and it goes well with the heartiest meat offerings here. Corkage: $7.

Miscellaneous comments: It's nice to see a genuine interest in informing non-Hungarian diners on the basics of Hungarian fare.

Noticeably, Hortobagy is often the preferred dining destination of Hungarians visiting Los Angeles, currently those connected to a local festival of Hungarian films.

Our latest ratings: Food: Three stars - Wine: Three stars - Service: Three stars

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Photo:

At Hortobagy - Laszlo's Cuisine in Studio City, the menu is a blend of Hungarian specialties - like this stuffed cabbage - and more continental fare.

Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer