RESTAURANT REVISIT: WHERE THERE'S SMOKE ...

Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic

When the Smoke House opened in Toluca Lake 55 years ago, it was housed in a much smaller building up the street.

But its instantaneous success allowed the Stockton family, its founders-owners, to move into the familiar, sprawling, Tudor-style structure it still inhabits.

Situated across from the famous movie studios of Warner Bros., it has served food to untold motion picture stars and production bigwigs over the years. Generations of San Fernando Valley families have visited this landmark restaurant for lunch, brunch or dinner, some infrequently for special-occasion dining, others on a regular basis, perhaps for the renowned Smoke House early dinner.

Although it has gone through ups and downs in popularity during its lengthy existence, it appears to be enjoying a current revitalization.

At both its lunch and dinner hours, its main dining rooms seem to have very few unoccupied tables.

Which, at a restaurant this size, surely means success.

Name: Smoke House.

Address: 4420 Lakeside Drive, Burbank.

Phone: [phone].

How long in business: Since 1946.

Menu/cuisine changes: Very few major changes have been made here since the restaurant's inception. The emphasis has always been on beef, ribs and chicken; with steaks, fish and chips, and prime rib as constants.

Of course, the most famous item on the Smoke House menu is its garlic bread. Promoted as the ``world's greatest,'' it is often shipped to other parts of the country where those who can't face life without their Smoke House garlic-bread fix are willing to pay all the necessary charges to achieve satisfaction.

The restaurant's promotional material proudly boasts that 19 million loaves of garlic bread have been sold here.

Current general manager H.P. Felgenteff describes Smoke House food as typical American steak-house fare. As for such changes along the way as adding pasta dishes and the like, he says, ``You have to stay with the trends.''

Decor/physical changes: The same clubby look featuring reddish-brown wood paneling and plenty of spacious red-upholstered booths continues. Yes, it has been refurbished, but never changed to a point where the old look was gone.

Personnel changes: Current owner is James L. Lucero, who likes to be known as ``the Bijan of the restaurant business.'' His wife, Rosa Lucero, runs the kitchen.

Previous owner was Lee Spencer, now a Palm Springs-area restaurateur.

Always proud of its longtime employees, the restaurant has at least one waitress with 39 years of service and its bartender has 35 years under his belt.

Recommendable dishes: The obvious recommendations are the garlic bread (half-order $2.95, full $3.95) and slow-roasted prime rib of aged Midwestern beef, presently available at $19.95 for the 8-ounce cut, $23.95 for the 11-ounce cut and $26.95 for the 14-ounce cut. Scampi-style shrimp can be added to the prime rib for an additional $14.95.

A very tasty dish is the chicken Buena Vista (a bow to nearby Disney Studios) priced at $16.95, a casserole-style recipe of moist chicken breast pieces sauteed with mushrooms and artichokes and flavored with garlic and lemon.

The fish and chips made with fresh Alaskan halibut ($18.95) is a favorite here, and deservedly so. For those who want an old-fashioned turkey dinner, it's on the menu for $14.95.

Then there's that retro item, tournedos of beef ($26.95), here sauteed in red wine, topped with mushroom caps and served with Bearnaise sauce.

Incidentally, the Smoke House promises that its soups, sauces and dressings are all prepared fresh daily.

Our salad dressing recommendation is the house garlic.

Service quality: The experienced staff is used to serving crowds of diners and tries very hard to please. One evening recently, when a diner requested Worcestershire sauce, it couldn't be found. There were profuse apologies. Suddenly, a few minutes later, a beaming, triumphant staffer appeared at the table waving a new bottle of the sauce loudly exclaiming, ``I found it. I found it.''

Pricing: Unless one manages to get here early enough to save money by ordering from the special early dinner listings, the dinner prices can hardly be called moderate although there is decent range. And one must take into account that major entree prices include a choice of soup or salad, a choice of potato or rice or linguine and the vegetable(s) of the day. Starters run from $3 to $13 and entrees from $15 to $28 plus Australian lobster tail at market price. A Sunday champagne brunch that includes breakfast items, lobster Caesar salad, crab legs, poached or smoked salmon, shrimp and crab cocktail, peel and eat shrimp, roast turkey, ham, prime rib, chicken and a variety of desserts is $28.95.

Wine list/service: The one-page, 33-label list lacks vintage dates and offers bottlings from $15 to $80. Fifteen of the wines are ticketed under $30.

Policies worth mentioning: The Smoke House has always had a strong cocktail lounge following, especially on weekends when the better entertainers perform and there is dancing, too. Remember, this is where the Captain & Tenille, among other eventual musical stars, were discovered.

All major credit cards are accepted.

Advance reservations are always a good idea here.

Our latest ratings: food: Three stars; wine: Two stars; service: Three stars.

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Photo:

Diners Margaret Cotter and Jack Connely settle in for a meal of prime rib and New York steak at the venerable Smoke House restaurant in Burbank.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer