REVIEW; IT'S A CULINARY JUNGLE OUT THERE PAIRING LOW PRICES WITH HIGH SATISFACTION, ELEPHANT BAR KNOWS HOW TO DRAW A CROWD.

Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic

The youthful staff is very friendly and helpful at the new Elephant Bar in Burbank, but why do they have to constantly refer to every party of dineras ``you guys.''

To me, mature women, especially those who've reached the grandmother stage, certainly don't fit my perception of a guy.

Even ``you folks'' would be an improvement.

Beyond this minor irritation, there's a lot to like about the Elephant Bar, of which there are a dozen locations in California. I'm not the only one who sees its appeal, as evidenced by the continuous occupation of its numerous tables, often resulting in the need for those vibrating-flashing contraptions being handed out to throngs of waiting customers.

The jungle theme - featuring a huge plaster-cast elephant's head greeting entrants, an indoor waterfall, striped and spotted carpeting and upholstery, tropical ceiling fans, framed pictures and murals of jungle animals, even a shelf filled with safari-goers luggage - offers a suggestion of adventure.

And the food is, for the most part, quite tasty and always generously portioned.

But the real draw could easily be the fact that there are more than 35 entrees priced under $10. Like the barbecue platter ($8.95) of pork ribs, strips of beef fajitas, a handful of chicken drumettes, sweet-sauced ranch beans and creamy coleslaw for the down-to-earth meat eater.

Or the decent-sized bowl filled with linguine noodles tossed with plenty of shiitake mushrooms, pieces of chicken and crunchy sweet whole shrimp in a savory marinara sauce ($9.50).

Beef fanciers can indulge in a homey, hearty oval dish of sliced sirloin pot roast ($8.95) dubbed Caribbean and cooked with sweet peppers, red onions and zucchini. The filling platter arrives with garlic mashed potatoes, a variety of sauteed vegetables and a small pot of cinnamon-spiced apple relish.

Or they might prefer a respectable rendition of charbroiled tri-tip ($9.50), cooked to order, sliced and delivered atop a bed of grilled onions and mushrooms, also accompanied by garlic mashers and fresh vegetables.

And from a group of nicely wrought, wok-cooked entrees, the best may be Asian-style noodles and chicken with shiitakes, pea pods, carrots, bean sprouts, bok choy, spinach and sweet peppers, all tossed carefully in a sprightly cooking mixture of sesame oil and soy sauce with ginger and garlic ($8.50).

But if you're a lobster lover, you might well consider a couple of reasonably good plates priced at a mere 95 cents over that economical $10 barrier.

For those who can take a bit of hot Cajun spicing, an order of the lobster and chicken jambalaya dish brings forth a very enjoyable mixture of moist chicken and lobster meat interlaced with fire-roasted sweet yellow and red peppers, onions and slightly tough-skinned smoked sausage in a peppery tomato sauce. There's also a mound of steamed white rice and, as with several items here, there's a hunk of toasted garlic bread on the oval plate in case one is in a dipping mood.

In a similar vein, the lobster meat (more than you'd expect) can be had tossed in a tomato-basil cream sauce with shiitake mushrooms and tart sun-dried tomatoes and a large serving of well-executed linguine. And yes, you pay the same $10.95 tab.

As for starters, a better-than-average Caesar salad is available with several entrees for $1.95, and there are a couple of fairly good soups, the baked onion ($3.95) being a shade superior to the chicken noodle ($2.95).

There's also a highly touted artichoke, cheese and spinach dip ($5.95), which could easily be passed up, and several of those familiar bar-type accompaniments like wings and potato skins.

Which brings us to the supposed elephant-sized martini ($5.25), which actually turned up one time in an extra-large martini glass that was only two-thirds filled, making it about the same as a regular martini in a full, normal-size glass.

So much for the hyped potions from the bar here, where, despite this place's name, most of the stool-seated customers seem to be eating full meals as much or more than drinking cocktails.

On the sweet ending side though, a few goodies can be found, No. 1 being the hot apple blueberry cobbler ($3.95) loaded with cinnamon, capped with crunchy walnut butter streusel and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

One thing obvious about the Elephant Bar is its enormous range. From burgers and sandwiches to salads, steaks, fresh fish items, even braised lamb shanks, there's something for everyone, for trenchermen, for birdlike appetites, full meal-takers or small nosh nibblers.

All you hungry guys.

THE FACTS

--The restaurant: Elephant Bar.

--Where: 110 N. First St., Burbank.

--When: Open for lunch, dinner and snacks from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

--Recommended items: Onion soup, Caesar salad, lobster and chicken jambalaya, Caribbean pot roast, charbroiled tri-tip, wok-fired chicken with Asian noodles, linguine with either lobster and shiitakes or shrimp and chicken with shiitakes, hot apple blueberry cobbler a la mode.

--How much: Starters from $2 to $8, entrees from $6 to $13.50, desserts from $3 to $4.25. Full bar. Major credit cards.

--Wine list: Limited to a few major brand labels. Better draft beer list.

--Reservations: Not taken. First come, first served. Information: [phone].

--Our rating: Three stars for food; Two and one half stars for service; one star for wine.

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo: Portions are good and prices are low at the Elephant Bar in Burbank, where Rick Dove, left, is a manager/partner and Luis Banda is a manager/chef.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News

Box: THE FACTS (see text)