REVIEW; ITALIAN TOUCH BOOSTS STEAKHOUSE FORMULA.

Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic

Blame Joachim Splichal for starting it.

He and wife Christine opened a steakhouse downtown called Nick and Stef's. Now comes Celestino Drago's steakhouse titled simply Celestino Italian Steakhouse.

Is there a mini-trend here of L.A.'s celebrity chef-restaurateurs going the meat-and-potatoes route?

Will Wolfgang Puck or Hans Rockenwagner open steakhouses soon?

Could happen.

Drago's beef emporium is in his former L'Arancino facility on Beverly Boulevard. Curiously, the upscale Sicilian fare obviously lacked the appeal that a good ol' steak has, hence the change.

A few minor decor touches later, we see that this new beefy lure is attracting the creme de la creme of show biz. Jay Leno was noticed a couple of tables away one evening.

The new steakhouse uses USDA-certified Piedmontese beef, bred domestically. These steaks, guaranteed leaner and surprisingly well-flavored, sharing honors with chef Drago's impeccable pastas and a handful of other entrees, have caught the attention of restaurant-goers in a hurry.

Porterhouse is the headliner here. Called ``fiorentina,'' it is a big 20-ouncer ($28) as a solo offering, almost filling the plate by itself. It's juicy and tasty on both sides of the bone, with the filet side being more tender but the other side actually more flavorful.

The star porterhouse also can be had as a giant 2-pounder ($52) for two people and is cut dramatically at tableside.

But my nod goes to the three-quarter-pound New York cut ($26) mainly because it's a thick, juicy slab of beef that comes forth with a rich barolo wine and bone marrow saucing.

Not that the other steak offerings are devoid of sauce choices. There are actually six of them to pick from. If you ask nicely, you can get more than one at a time.

Celestino's kitchen also has a respectable ribeye weighing 14 ounces ($26) that comes with a small arugula salad and thin rounds of potato.

My top sauce pick, the roasted garlic rendition, goes beautifully with this cut.

There's also a fine 10-ounce filet ($28) that seems perfect for the bearnaise sauce, hardly Italian, but smartly included among the options.

As for those wishing to stay purely Italian in saucing, there are a trio of possibilities, one being a porcini mushroom mixture, another a balsamic vinegar and mint sauce, and a third bringing olive oil, lemon and garlic together. The final sauce option is green peppercorn.

But Celestino's lean steaks and their sauces provide only part of the reason why this restaurant presents a worthy alternative to Arnie Morton's or Ruth's Chris.

It's when you have a member of your party who has a yearning for a great pasta that you recognize how handy it really is.

One night, a dining companion picked the linguine and whole lobster dish here ($24) and was thoroughly entranced with both its presentation and good taste.

And another time, spaghetti alla carbonara ($13) was shared as a pre-entree choice, solidifying the opinion that Drago is the city's master pasta maker. The combination of perfectly cooked spaghetti noodles tossed with smoked pancetta (Italian bacon), eggs and sharp pecorino cheese supplied the consummate choice as a lead-in dish to a juicy steak dinner.

Of course, this doesn't diminish the fact that the adventurous bagna cauda ($9.50) - a sort of Italian version of a fondue - and the as-good-as-it-gets house version of calamari fritti ($9.50) are superb starters.

Also, for those who are determined to stay on the beef trail, there's a nifty beef carpaccio ($12) here that's paired with foie gras and a celery heart salad.

And at endings time, if there's still room, both the panettone bread pudding and thin-crusted apple tart ($6 each) earn recommendations with the coconut cream pie (also $6) in third place.

Yes, Celestino Drago, you've just about convinced me that an upscale Italian steakhouse is a pretty good idea.

The facts

--The restaurant: Celestino Italian Steakhouse.

--Where: 8908 Beverly Blvd., West Hollywood.

--When: Open for dinner only from 5:30 to 11 p.m. nightly.

--Behind the scenes: Celestino Drago is chef-owner.

--Recommended items: Bagna cauda, beef carpaccio with foie gras, calamari fritti, porterhouse, New York, ribeye, filet, roasted garlic sauce, roasted chicken, whole lobster with linguine, panettone bread pudding, apple tart.

--How much: Starters from $6 to $12, pastas and entrees from $12 to $28, desserts $6 each. Full bar. Major credit cards.

--Wine list: Well-selected list of Italian and other wines. No noteworthy bargains, though. Corkage: $12.

--Reservations: Advised. Call [phone].

--Our rating: three and one half stars for food; three and one half stars for service; two and one half stars for wine.

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Photo: The 2-pound porterhouse, with all the fixings for two to share, is one of the highlights at Celestino Italian Steakhouse.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News