SKEWERS WON'T BE ASKEW FOR LONG.

Byline: Larry Lipson Daily News Restaurant Critic

In its first week on the former Surma Gate site in Sherman Oaks, Skewers could be termed slightly askew.

Two up-and-running successes are located in West Hollywood and downtown L.A., but in the Valley, it had run out of falafel one day by 7:30 p.m. Another time there were no desserts left ``until the next shipment.''

And during the review visiting period, a soup of the day was never available, although it's listed on the menu.

It doesn't take much restaurant knowledge to see why Skewers is successful elsewhere. First, everything is under $10. And most importantly, you get plently of relatively tasty food to eat here.

And once its beer and wine license in approved, this place probably will become a very popular hangout.

That's partly because it's a grazers' paradise. Smart menu planning has four of its five appetizers available on a platter as a generous assortment for $6.95, and then there are four dips served with falafels that also can be had as one sharing dish for $7.50. The latter is modestly termed the ``mega platter.''

On the former come half a dozen spheres of falafel with a tahini dip, a couple of chubby rice and ground-beef-stuffed grape leaves, two spiced ground-beef-filled fried filo crispy cigars and a couple of triangular filo dumplings stuffed with herbed potato.

The dips are just as Middle Eastern. And they're all good (though one day the pita bread served with them was cold). There's the sesame-flavored chickpea paste known as hummus or hommus, also the garlicky eggplant mixture known as baba-ghanoush (here it's called ``babaganosh''). And there's the lemony refreshing finely chopped parsley, onion, bulgur and tomato salad called tabbouleh or tabouli, plus a purplish spicy tomatoey dip made with red and green peppers, cilantro and onions simply listed as ``Turkish.''

Of the dozen main-course skewer options, five have been tried. Traditionally seasoned Middle Eastern-style chicken breast ($8.50) was moist and flavorful, and the two skewers crammed with meat chunks alternated with smoky roasted vegetables ranked well above the ``menta'' chicken breast skewers ($8.50). The menta cubes, spiced with curry and mint, arrived undercooked and had to be sent back, only to be returned a tad too dry.

That same evening, ahi tuna skewers ($8.50) requested seared, unfortunately came up fully cooked through, leaving them much less moist than desired. But lamb ($8.95) was perfectly textured and delicious one time, while beef teriyaki ($8.50) on another occasion had some chewy and some tender chunks on each skewer.

One of the best dishes in the house, however, is not a skewer at all. It's a deftly spiced and seasoned thick, juicy, double chicken breast with a bit of a peppery kick called ``picante'' ($9.95), and like the skewers plates, it's delivered with a heap of well-executed rice and a passable serving of fresh-tasting chopped salad.

One should not eat at Skewers without sampling a side order of roasted garlic ($1.75). That's, of course, if you're one of the universally growing legion of garlic lovers.

And there's a perky condiment-style offering of spicy shaved carrots ($1.25) that adds immensely to any of the skewer dishes.

No sandwiches have been tried, but it would seem, based on the highly rated picante plate, that the chicken picante sandwich ($5.75) would be the best choice. As for salads, the Mediterranean ($6.95) with moist sauteed chicken on a delectable melange of shredded lettuce, corn niblets, red onion and plum tomatoes, served with a strongly citric lime-cilantro vinaigrette dressing, gets my nod as No. 1.

With an all-blond knotty pine interior - floor, tables, chairs - its dining room's somewhat stark quality is broken up on one wall by a multitoned Picasso-style mural flanked by artistic arrangements of wood slats and on another by childlike framed abstracts.

And there's a handy boulevard patio area where diners can watch the action on the thoroughfare.

Skewers is likely to be heartily welcomed by the strolling, browsing, shopping, evening crowd in Sherman Oaks, a neighborhood throng of all ages that appears to be particularly drawn to casual, inexpensive eateries with a touch of ethnic interest such as this one.

THE FACTS

The restaurant: Skewers.

Where: 14611 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks.

When: Open for lunch, dinner and snacks from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. or later, especially on weekends.

Recommended items: Mixed appetizer plate (falafel, grape leaves, filo cigars, triangular dumplings), roasted garlic, spicy carrots, Mediterranean salad, platter of dips (hummus, baba-ghanoush, Turkish, tabbouleh), skewers (authentic chicken, lamb), chicken picante special.

How much: Everything under $10. Beer and wine license pending. All credit cards accepted except Diners Club and Discover.

Reservations: Not taken. Information: [phone].

Our rating: Three Stars for food; Two and One Half Stars for service; Three and One Half Stars for value.

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Photo: Jimmie Acre, manager of Skewers, offers some of the Sherman Oaks restaurant's skewer and hummus dip dishes.

Terri Thuente/Daily News