WHERE APPETIZERS MAKE A MEAL.

Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic

When ordering food at the new Honduran cafe called Restaurante Honduras-Maya in Van Nuys, don't expect it to be served American-style.

This means that you may receive your pupusas after your entree. But not necessarily.

And if the menu indicates that you get rice, beans, salad and tortillas with your main course order, figure on the salad being part of the entree plate, sometimes the rice as well.

The beans, mostly refritos, are also likely to be on the entree plate. Occasionally you'll be served a good, refreshing, spicy coleslaw instead of salad, and that comes separately.

And you might get your rice and tortillas served as a side dish.

But no matter. The excellent Honduran tortillas are handmade, smaller and chubbier than Mexican ones. And the nicely cooked rice is white with a hint of carrot and corn, not at all like orange-toned ``Spanish''-style rice found in many Mexican restaurants.

Honduran pupusas ($1.40 each), which are basically tortillas with different stuffings, appear to be much akin to Salvadoran ones. They feature loroco, a dark green shootlike vegetable, and white cheese as one of the several stuffing options.

At Honduras-Maya, they arrive puffy and delicious - I'm partial to the revueltas (mixture of ground pork and cheese) pupusas. They're likely to be served with a mild red chile dipping sauce and spicy coleslaw.

Yes, you can easily make a meal of just pupusas if you wish.

The same might apply to Honduran pastelitos (three for $2.50) which are like little chicken-filled empanadas that come with a delicious julienned cabbage and cheese sauce.

As for tacos (three for $3.50), here they're rolled and fried, looking and tasting like oversize chicken-stuffed taquitos. They're lovely and crunchy, perched attractively on a platter with an almost sweet tomato and onion sauce plus the same julienned cabbage.

The Honduran tamale ($1.40 each), generally pork-filled, not wrapped in husk or leaf, stands alone and is fine that way.

The specialty of the house here, sopa de caracol ($8.95), is described on the menu as ``snail soup.''

If you question the server closely though, you'll discover that the ``snail'' is no Central American escargot, but really conch.

This sopa, one of several entree-size portions, materializes as a fair-size bowl of creamy corn soup redolent with white, curly conch pieces, nearly all quite chewable, one or two somewhat rubbery. A thick slice or two of plantain also shows up in the bowl.

A companion plate holds a heap of white rice, a wedge of lime and a couple of those warm, fat, little tortillas.

It's a satisfying feed.

Homey dishes of tapado de res (beef stew, $6.95), filete de pollo empanizado (breaded filet of chicken, $6.50) and the house ``plato supreme'' ($9.99) combination of steak, chicken and shrimp are worth trying.

The beef stew is a soupy dish of moist chunks of meat and a sprinkling of sliced plantain and possibly a piece or two of yucca floating in a creamy coconut-flavored broth.

The breaded chicken has good taste in a sort of ``milanesa'' manner. And the combo platter displays an onion and sweet pepper saute preparation that makes for instant gratification.

According to owner Louis Moran, his Honduras-Maya is the San Fernando Valley's first Honduran restaurant.

It deserves a warm welcome.

RESTAURANTE HONDURAS-MAYA

Where: 7030 Van Nuys Blvd., Van Nuys.

When: Open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks except Sunday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Recommended items: Pastelitos, pupusas, tacos dorados, Honduran tamales, sopa de caracol (conch soup), tapado de res (beef stew), plato supreme (steak, shrimp and chicken), filet de pollo empanizado (breaded filet of chicken).

How much: Breakfast items with coffee and tortillas $4.24 each, antojitos catrachos (appetizers) from 99 cents to $5, sopas (soups) and entrees from $6.50 to $10. No alcohol. No credit cards. Cash only.

Reservations: Taken. Call [phone].

Our rating: Three stars for food; Three stars for service; Three and one half stars for value.

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

The cuisine at Restaurante Honduras-Maya includes this dish of carne asada beef, beans, rice and salad, with a maracuya drink.

needs review bugGene Blevins/Special to the Daily News