THE ATHENIAN ASTROBURGER

What lurks behind the facade of our fast-food outlets?

“Awful stuff,” sniff the serious gourmets.

But hold on a minute. Surprises can turn up in that humdrum hamburger joint. Consider a three-egg Greek omelet filled with the best imported feta cheese to be found in Los Angeles (fresh tomato and onion too). The hash browns are not precooked commercial spuds but non-greasy, lightly crisped, hand-shredded potato strands. Toast too, any kind you want. The tab: $2.85 plus tax.

Not in a mood for Greek food? Then how about huevos rancheros, served with real refried beans, fresh tomato salsa and those handmade hash browns. Or a tostada heaped in a flour tortilla basket that is fried to order, not hours in advance. Or a burrito with pinto beans and beef cooked from scratch.

It’s got to be a hamburger? They’re OK too, even the $1.60 basic burger with its homemade Thousand Island topping and specially blended sweet-pickle relish. Or try the avocado burger or the chili burger oozing with thick, gooey, chili that is made on the premises, not bought in frozen bricks.

The place to go for this cover-all-bases, cosmopolitan assortment of food is trendy Melrose Avenue. The exact spot is just west of Paramount Pictures and a ways east of the trendy part. There, on a corner, is the Astroburger, clearly marked by a giant star outside.

Inside is an energetic, food-loving Greek who is slowly building the Astroburger into his concept of what a fast-food place should be. Athens-born Cosmas Kapantzos took over the business three years ago. It’s an independent operation, separate in menu and management from other Astroburgers around town.

An avid cook, Kapantzos constantly seeks new ideas. He thought about introducing Chicago-style skirt-steak sandwiches but decided Californians wouldn’t go for the tough meat. Now he is considering a soft drink from Australia.

Recent additions are a Greek salad and the pita-wrapped Greek gyro sandwich. The salad is a big bowlful of sliced cucumbers, tomatoes and onion with oil and vinegar dressing, Greek olives, lots of feta cheese and a sprinkling of Greek oregano. Kapantzos, who says good feta must be firm yet creamy and not too salty, tasted all the fetas he could locate before settling on the Greek brand that he uses.

Even newer is a meat loaf sandwich. The meat loaf is a mixture of beef as firm as luncheon meat that Kapantzos seasons in Greek style with oregano, garlic, onion and parsley.

The most recent change at the Astroburger is its looks. The restaurant has been repainted, its booths recovered and it will soon display trendy glass bricks. Even snazzy new trash cans are planned.

A realist, Kapantzos knows that some shortcuts are necessary when food has to be prepared and served rapidly. His answer is to seek out the best commercial products and improve on them. So he doctors the commercial Thousand Island dressing he uses on the salads, and sweetens the mix for the hot blueberry muffins that are set on the counter every morning.

The meat for the gyros comes from a Chicago dealer. But Kapantzos makes his own sauce, a blend of sour cream, finely shredded cucumber, garlic and oil. In an interesting ethnic crossover, this same sauce appears on the tostadas.

Astro prices are far from astronomical. The beef tostada, which includes a lot of meat, is $3.25. Hold the meat, and the price drops to $2.85. The meat loaf sandwich is $2.75, and the Greek salad, which is large enough for a light lunch, is $2.25.

While adding new dishes, Kapantzos maintains a good balance of the basic sandwiches, salads, breakfasts and beverages expected in such a place. I remember when he offered a two-egg, three-hotcake breakfast for 89 cents. Prices always go up and this one has too, but by only 26 cents. At $1.15, it’s still a bargain.

Astroburger Restaurant, 5601 Melrose Ave. (corner of Gower), Los Angeles, (213) 469-1924 or 469-1925. Open 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday; to 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday; 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday. Parking lot in back. No credit cards accepted.