TRAVEL TO EXOTIC BLUE PYRAMID.

Byline: Larry Lipson Daily News Restaurant Critic

In a free-standing building a bit off the beaten path, Blue Pyramid in Glendale pulls off what a lot of restaurants have tried with much less success. It's the all-Mediterranean-cuisine concept.

Though there's a strong suggestion of the Middle East in many of the dishes, there are equally important accents of Greece and Italy - even a touch of North Africa - in Blue Pyramid's food.

It's a semi-casual environment featuring a main dining room that has a courtyard or ancient street look with plenty of artwork on the walls, mostly mural-style Egyptian and Byzantine depictions, also a row of ficus trees adorned with pinlights along the front window.

It would appear that the two booths at the rear of the room would be prime seating, but they're not. Unfortunately, patrons sitting in the booth closest to the kitchen are constantly reminded of its position by the incessant banging of the door as waiters enter and leave.

Yet the service - for the most part - is excellent, with knowledgeable waiters answering questions on the food with aplomb and patience.

Seated customers receive a basket of pita-style bread for dipping into a paste called zaatar that consists of the powdery Middle Eastern condiment called sumak, coupled with a mixture of sesame, oregano and tarragon - all stirred with olive oil.

For those who like something a bit spicier, the waiter will bring you a small container of harisa, the Moroccan-Tunisian chile-paste.

As for the zaatar, it turns up on the house pizza ($11.50), an unusual but nonetheless appetizing creation with a thin crust topped with soujouk sausage, caramelized onion, tomato, halloumi cheese and arugula.

Other starter-type offerings range from a good soup du jour ($4.75) - one day it was a superb nonfat, vegetable-base, celery and Swiss chard soup with orzo (Greek ricelike pasta) - to a platter laden with assorted dips and small bites ($28).

Fat, sweet grilled scallops, mussels roasted in Lebanese white wine, cooked oysters, hummus, tabbouleh, creamy buffalo-type mozzarella cheese, grilled eggplant and other vegetables, baby lettuce salad and dolmathes stuffed grape leaves dominated this large antipasto serving.

Perhaps the best individual appetizer is what is labeled ``wild mushrooms Napoleon'' ($7.50) on the menu.

However, this is more of a filo-wrapped turnover of a duxelle-style mushroom mixture with goat cheese, garlic and a brown sauce. Whatever it's called, it's delicious.

From the pasta list, pennette Marrakesh ($11.50) is one more intrigue of Italian heritage with Blue Pyramid's North African influences.

This time, Moroccan lamb sausage is tossed with pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese and a slightly spicy tomato sauce to achieve a tasty result.

Less impressive is a much too soupy risotto ($14.50) tossed with a variety of mushrooms and vegetables.

Incidentally, the menu lists certain types of wine in the headings of its three main categories indicating that such wines will complement the category's dishes.

From the main course segment suggested as companions to chardonnay, pinot noir or cabernet sauvignon, chicken breast ($13.50) stuffed with goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and pesto with a basil-studded mashed potato accompaniment is a fairly simple, well-executed plate that more than satisfies.

To some degree, so does the aged filet mignon ($16.75) with a kalamata olive, mushroom and Armenian brandy sauce.

The only trouble with this dish is that the cooked kalamatas have a rather pungent smell, strong enough to overpower the other foods on the table.

But together with a scattering of roasted potatoes and a touch of a ratatouille-type mixture, the basic good tastes are strong enough to overcome other olfactory sensitivities.

The least gratifying of the entrees tried is a plate listed simply as lamb loin chops ($19.50).

That's because the expected thick, meaty loin chops have too much bone and gristle. And their separate flavor and texture isn't all that tempting.

But again, a honey glaze tinged with rosemary, plus chard, yam and persimmon to bolster the recipe, gave the dish certain interesting and palatable aspects.

Blue Pyramid, which started out with a two-page menu - perhaps cumbersome for the kitchen and now whittled down to one - provides enough departures from the norm to draw adventurous diners in increasing numbers.

THE FACTS

The restaurant: Blue Pyramid.

Where: 1000 E. Broadway, Glendale.

When: Open for lunch, dinner and snacks from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday and 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday. Closed Mondays.

Recommended items: Soup, wild mushrooms Napoleon, insalata Greca (Greek salad), pennette Marrakesh, pizza Pyramid, goat cheese-stuffed breast of chicken, filet mignon kalamata.

How much: Starters from $4.50 to $12.50, pastas and entrees from $11.50 to $23, desserts $6.50 each. Full bar. All major credit cards except Discover.

Wine list: 48-label list with vintage dates mixes up whites, reds and sparklers from all over the map, including a couple of Lebanese wines. Only wine under $20: a Mirassou riesling. Four at $20 include two inexpensive Italians. Wines by the glass mostly $6 and $7 each. Most expensive still wine is '81 Clos du Val for $120. And '95 Far Niente cabernet is $105. Corkage: $8.

Reservations: Suggested. Call [phone].

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

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Photo

Photo: Chef Gaetano Patrinostro, left and head waiter Abdalla Abdelgainy are part of the team at the new Blue Pyramid in Glendale.

Evan Yee/Daily News