SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE, ANY TIME OF DAY OR NIGHT CORAL CAFE STILL A BARGAIN BURBANK INSTITUTION.

Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic

STEPPING BACK in time, a visit to the 47-year-old Coral Cafe in Burbank reminds me of those days of yesteryear when the majority of the culinary landscape in and around Los Angeles consisted of California coffee shops.

Eventually, these coffee shops, many of them open 24 hours like the Coral Cafe, began calling themselves family restaurants.

And as Coral Cafe expanded physically under several ownerships, so did its menu.

Today, it has a little bit of everything. There's the down-home American fare. There's a grouping of deli sandwiches. You see Greek food like gyros, loukaniko sausage, salad and pasta salad with feta cheese, even a Greek omelet.

There are pastas, pizzas, Italian sausages and dishes named marsala and parmigiana.

You'll find numerous Mexican dishes, Cajun-seasoned offerings, English fish and chips, teriyaki chicken or hamburger, chicken kebabs and, of course, a Chinese chicken salad.

Want a fusion dish? How about Cajun mostaccioli ($7.75), to which you can add chicken for an extra $1.

About the only thing Coral Cafe's kitchen doesn't cook is pierogi. Or bulgogi.

And the only items priced over $10 here are three steaks and a dish of pork chops, each at $11.50.

Also, with each entree-type dish you get a choice of soup (as many as four different daily choices) or a mixed green dinner salad.

And you'll always receive a heaping plate or brimful bowl of food here. The Coral Cafe kitchen has evidently never heard of the term ``small portioning.''

Some plates are disappointing, others minor revelations.

Like an appetizer dish ($5.25) of 10 thick, sweet scallops, each dipped in a batter and fried to acceptable crunchiness. Very nice.

Or a couple of big, wide pork chops ($11.50) cooked to a point of dryness that even applesauce couldn't save.

Or a plate of chili size ($6.25) that was unusual in the fact that a hamburger bun was used to form a mushy, soak-up bed under the burger meat topped with chili and beans. I remember this dish as a slab of ground beef topped with chili - sometimes with beans, sometimes without.

Or a wedge of banana cream pie ($2.50) that had none of that expected yellow custard filling but was simply pie crust, banana and whipped cream.

I like the fries here better than the mashed potatoes, the latter being almost cold one time, of improved texture and warmer another.

Order a main course and invariably the vegetable accompaniment is a mix of peas and corn niblets, all right the first couple of times, but something that could become boring on a regular basis.

The kitchen makes a fair meat loaf ($7.95), passable fish and chips ($7.95) and an acceptable hot turkey sandwich ($7.25).

The fresh salmon ($9.25) wasn't bad one time, and hot apple pie ($2.50) really hit the spot on one occasion.

Actually, there are a slew of pies, cakes and puddings to choose from at dessert time. Or if you happen to want a snack at 3 a.m.

Oh yeah, and you should see the lineup of breakfast dishes here.

No doubt about it. The Coral Cafe has something for everybody at any time of the day or night.

Even ground ostrich meat.

Larry Lipson, [phone]

larry.lipson(at)dailynews.com

CORAL CAFE

Food: Two stars - Wine: One star - Service: Three stars.

Where: 3321 W. Burbank Blvd., Burbank.

Hours: Open 24 hours.

Recommended items: Creamed potato soup, fried scallops, meat loaf, hot apple pie.

How much: Everything under $12. Beer and wine. All major credit cards accepted.

Wine list: House varietals are Robert Mondavi Woodbridge (chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, white zinfandel) by the glass ($3.50) or bottle ($11.95). Corkage $3.

Reservations: Helpful. Call [phone] or [phone].

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Photo:

Salmon Vera Cruz is one of the choices from the voluminous menu at Burbank's Coral Cafe.

Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News