RESTAURANT REVIEW : Casual Studio City Bistro Offers Decent, Imaginative Food

We’ve discussed the Ventura Boulevard radicchio bunker, you and I, have gone round and round about background roar and the track-lighting that works better than a face lift. We’ve established the presence of chrome, of Chardonnay by the glass, and of men and women whose hair has gone prematurely blond.

A few distinguish themselves with the loudness of their rock ‘n’ roll, and one or two by the variety of their decor. Several are noted for bar scenes that resemble the Tokyo subway at rush hour. And, while all of these restaurants serve more or less the same stuff--salads, pasta, simple grilled fish, only a couple make a gimmick of decent, imaginative food.

Chatters, a newish glass capsule in Studio City, is one of those, the sort of casual California bistro where you’ll find fresh herbs, terrific skinny French fries and evidence that there might be an actual chef in the kitchen.

In one corner of the eerie dining room, the publisher of a hip news weekly jollies up his mom; in another, a group of musicians discuss a concert, one of them occasionally hunching his shoulders and humming a bar of music to make a point. Two tables away, a tear-streaked young woman bites savagedly into her cheeseburger between sobs as her friend nods sympathetically.

You eavesdrop a little too closely and you are greeted with hostile stares. In embarrassment, you stuff your mouth with cool, slick leaves of Caesar salad and are slightly surprised by a strong anchovy flavor, a bold undercurrent of garlic. This is not a timid appetizer. Neither is hot grilled bread, heavy with the scent of garlic and good olive oil, and topped with sauteed slices and slivers of squashes, tomato eggplant and earthy grilled mushrooms.

Skewers of chicken, though weirdly salty, are quite tasty, grilled just past pinkness and served with a luscious salsa made with herbs and very ripe tomatoes. A modified chile relleno, a roasted anaheim chile filled with warm goat cheese, was less successful, napped with a bland tomato sauce and studded with walnuts whose elusive sweetness confused what balance there might have been to the dish. A roast lamb sandwich was dry and unappealing.

But the grilled meats are excellent: a double pork chop as thick and juicy as a Jackie Collins paperback, with a savory heap of sauteed onions and apples nestled alongside; a zaftig chicken breast on a mound of garlicky mashed potatoes into which a lump of red peppered butter was melting. I liked the thick, crusty veal chop that came with a mound of perfect pommes frites . A salad of smoked trout with walnuts and herbed creme fraiche was wonderful, just what you hope for when you order an odd salad, but almost never get.

Desserts are the usual radicchio-bunker sorts of things: Robin Rose ice cream; thick creme brulee ; a super-rich chocolate torte; a chocolate terrine that tastes like the inside of the See’s candy you usually try to avoid; nice, fresh berries. Coffee is good and strong.

Chatters, 12650 Ventura Blvd., Studio City (818) 505-6400. Open for breakfast and lunch Tuesdays to Fridays, dinner Tuesdays to Sundays, brunch Saturdays and Sundays. Beer and wine. Parking in lot. MasterCard and Visa accepted. Dinner for two (food only) $20 to $35.