RITROVO'S AUTHENTIC ITALIAN KEEPS TABS ON MODERATE SIDE.

Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic

FROM PADUA in Italy, where he was chef at the Ristorante Ritrovo, to Woodland Hills - where he does the same at the newest Ritrovo right here - comes Gianni Zitali.

He cooks what Ritrovo's owner Liliana Forfoli describes as ``basically the same'' food as he did in Italy.

Consequently, Ritrovo, which replaced Trattoria Frascati, has an authentic Italian feel to it. And though it bakes pizzas (they are thin-crusted and very good) and serves spaghetti and meatballs ($9.95), a typical Italian-American dish, you certainly cannot mistake the new Ritrovo for your everyday, red sauce, neighborhood pizzeria.

And in certain ways, it's surprisingly moderate in pricing.

Steaks, for example, thick and tender, range from $17 to $20, with my favorite here the New York alla Trevigiana ($16.95) sauteed in olive oil and coated in bread crumbs.

Accompanying vegetables are usually broccoli and French-cut beans with cubed, roasted potatoes that unfortunately tend to arrive cooled off.

Also, many of the entrees include a side plate of al dente pasta with tomato sauce, generally either penne or rigatoni.

One of them, agnello alla casalinga ($16.95) translates into delectable baby lamb chops off the rack that obviously have been soaking in a garlic marinade before being cooked.

If you like garlic, you'll love these chops.

A dozen appetizers on the menu include the interesting Venetian-style arancini (crunchy rice balls with ground beef and peas, $7.95) and a bountiful, shareable platter of calamari, scallops and shrimp bathed in extra virgin olive oil with yellow bell pepper and onions ($9.95).

And fluffy half-moon-shaped mezzaluna envelopes come forth as a light and lovely pasta ($12.95) in a nonintrusive cream sauce, topped with peas, prosciutto and onions.

Follow the savory with a touch of sweet in the form of crispy, house- baked cannoli ($3.95). Or try a wedge of grandma's lemon tart (torta della nonna, $5.95), also baked in-house.

They're both worthy endings to any meal at the new American branch of the now international mini-chain (Woodland Hills, Padua and Venice) of Ritrovos.

Larry Lipson, [phone]

larry.lipson(at)dailynews.com

RITROVO

Food: Three stars - Service: Three stars - Wine: Two stars

Where: 21136 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills.

Hours: Open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily and for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. nightly, to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Recommended items: Arancini alla Veneziana, frutti di mare (calamari, scallops, shrimp), New York steak alla Trevigiana, spiedini di carne, agnello alla casalinga (baby rack of lamb), mezzaluna with peas, prosciutto and onions, cannoli, torta della nonna.

How much: Starters from $5 to $11, pastas and entrees from $8 to $20, desserts from $4 to $6. Beer and wine. All major credit cards.

Wine list: Italian-emphasized selection of 75 labels features 22 offerings by the glass. Heavy on expensive, luscious amarones ($60 to $280) that include a 2000 Luigi Righetti at $15 per glass. Recommendations: 2003 Marchesi di Barolo barbera ($7.50 per glass, $30 per bottle). No noticeable bargains. Lowest-priced wines are $23 chardonnay and cabernet Californian house wines from Esser. Corkage: $7.

Reservations: Helpful. Call [phone].

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Photo:

Peas, onions and prosciutto add to the creamy sauce of this penne pasta dish at Ritrovo in Woodland Hills.

Joel P. Lugavere/Special to the Daily News