THAT’S ITALIAN!

Los Angeles’ Italian restaurant s have traditionally been Americanized affairs -- red velvet places where waiters had to be cautioned to leave the cinnamon off the cappuccino. In the last few years, though, that has changed. These days we have quite a lot of easygoing, spirited Italian restaurants to choose from. Here are a few of them, recently reviewed in the Times. All prices exclude drinks. CHIANTI (7383 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, (213) 653-8333). Chianti is beautiful, as dark and hushed as Cucina next door is bright and clamorous. It’s sort of an elegant hunting lodge of an Italian restaurant: all dark wood, luminous white tablecloths, etched glass and murals of nighttime sylvan scenes. Appetizers include marinated grilled eggplant filled with goat cheese, arugula and sun-dried tomatoes, and tortellini filled with lobster. The duck in herb sauce is spectacular--dark and juicy, crisp and rich. Dover sole is austere--perfectly criss-crossed by the grill, expertly boned tableside. Cap off the meal with strong, mellow espresso, good tiramisu and chocolate meringue cake. Open for dinner nightly. MC, AE, V. Full bar. Valet parking. Dinner for two: $45-$80.

ENZO’S PLACE (2139 Foothill Blvd., La Canada, (818) 957-2669). The small, comfortable dining room is bathed in a warm glow. Tables and booths are covered in rose and pink, with fresh flowers sprinkled about. Come with an Olympian appetite: Portions are huge. Begin with the house antipasto; eaten with the wonderful house bread, the simple vegetables become almost rhapsodic. Equally intoxicating is a special platter of wine and garlic-marinated mussels and clams. Pastas come family sized to the table, in large porcelain serving dishes. Spaghetti mediterraneo with a red sauce and baby shrimps is enough for two. Main dishes are not particularly imaginative, but veal piccata, made with perfectly trimmed meat as soft as butter, is recommended. Open for lunch Wed.-Fri., dinner nightly. Parking in lot. Beer and wine. MC, AE, V. Dinner for two: $35-$55.

MADEO (8897 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 859-4903). Madeo’s recent remodeling has resulted in wood-burning ovens and a livelier atmosphere. They’ve covered all the banquettes in white-striped fabric, given the walls a brighter coat, and enthroned two tile-fronted ovens in the front room. Herb-sprinkled deep-fried bread is absolutely irresistible, as is the pizza covered with Gorgonzola (or, in fact, all the pizzas). The carpaccio is thickly cut, delicious meat covered with artichoke hearts and Parmesan cheese. For the best food, stick to the simply cooked dishes that come from the oven--roast meat and fish--or one of the dishes from the rolling cart. Open for lunch Mon.-Fri., dinner only Sat. Full bar. Valet parking. Major credit cards. Dinner for two: $40-$80.

LA PASTERIA (7212 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 934-7259). This is a modest, almost makeshift little restaurant; the main decorative features are white plastic patio chairs with blue cushions, French blue walls, the paint as glossy as the frosting on cheap birthday cake and a pretty platter of bright-red tomatoes on the kitchen counter. The place smells great and the food lives up to its aroma. Chicken with roasted garlic comes sitting on a delicious bed of pasta whose sauce took its flavor from the drippings in the chicken pan. Fusilli with broccoli, mushrooms, garlic and red peppers is great, the broccoli bright green and crunchy. There are also daily specials, such as garlic chicken or white salmon with rosemary and lemon, as well as appetizers including bresaola, prosciutto, and fried mozzarella. Open for lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat. MC, AE, V. Dinner for two: $20-$40.

PRIMAVERA (8701 Beverly Blvd., West Hollywood, (213) 659-3051). This is no dark, Americanized Italian restaurant--light floods into the airy black-and-white tiled rooms. There are handsome black tables, high-tech black “chandeliers” and the ceiling of the glassed-in porched room is hung like a Mary Poppins set with colorful open parasols. The food is simple and modestly priced. Beware the bread--actually pizza dough twisted into a long cruller and doused with olive oil and basil--which is addictive. An artfully balanced pizza of forest mushrooms, goat cheese, prosciutto and red onions comes with a nifty thin crust. The rack of lamb is extraordinarily tender. The grilled chicken breast with rosemary is moist and the great orgy of angel hair pasta is tempered with a delicate pesto sauce. The desserts look pretty, but their appearance wins out over their taste. Open for lunch Mon.-Fri., dinner Mon-Sat. MC, AE, V. Dinner for two: $25-$60.

RISTORANTE BASSETTO (136 E. Commonwealth Ave., Fullerton, (714) 773-5050). Ristorante Bassetto is the real thing. The cooking has authority; the flavors are full of lightness and freshness. The ambiance has a sort of European hotel flavor to it, a kind of grandeur that could go either fancy or casual. Appetizers are lively; try the mixture of shrimp and squid, either boiled or deep fried with a good, crusty breading. The soup that automatically comes with entrees is a rather mild and strikingly neat minestrone. Half of the menu is pasta--one batch comes on the appetizer page, and another batch on the entree page. Cannelloni and lasagna are good here and the veal is terrific. The lunch menu runs to sandwiches (including plain roast beef) and smaller entrees. Open for lunch Mon.-Fri., for dinner Mon.-Sat. MC, AE, V. Dinner for two: $28-$40.

TROVARE (21618 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills, (818) 340-4451). A Northern Italian restaurant that looks for all the world like a mosque gone deco. It’s got an understated, almost mysterious, stark white exterior: inside, a domed skylight, deco glasswork, deco lighting, deco chairs, deco bar. Besides the up-to-date decorative cliches, there are all the latest buzz foods: arugula, pasta this and that, veal with fresh herbs or sauteed radicchio. Trovare’s Orecchiette Barese consists of little petals of pasta mixed with fine-chopped broccoli and sun-dried tomatoes, tons of them, and tons of garlic too, all bound together by fine olive oil. Scampi is good, but a special whitefish in a tomato caper sauce turned out to be really special. Open for lunch Mon.-Fri., dinner nightly. MC, AE, V. Full bar. Valet parking. Dinner for two: $40-$80.

VITO’S (2807 Ocean Park Blvd., Santa Monica, (213) 450-4999). Vito’s looks like what used to be called a man’s restaurant: It’s dark and clubby, wood-paneled, filled with fat, cushy burgundy leatherette booths, bookshelves, oil paintings and bric-a-brac. It serves traditional Italian cuisine with lots of butter, olive oil and cream, as well as a Pritikin-inspired menu that includes no-fat, no-salt, pasta, fish, chicken and salad of the day, as well as “lightened” versions of sauce-heavy dishes. On the low-cal side, there’s whole-wheat pasta with mushrooms, parsley and no salt and boned and skinless chicken cacciatore which is very tender, enlivened with red, green, and chili peppers and scallions with a light tomato reduction. Open for lunch Mon.-Fri., dinner Mon-Sat. Valet parking at night. Major credit cards. Reservations recommended. Dinner for two: $40-$75.