AROUND THE WORLD IN L.A.

Not every city boasts a dining scene as filled with international variety as Los Angeles. For the next three weeks we will take a trip around the world without leaving town.

CARDINI (Italy). (930 Wilshire Blvd., in the Los Angeles Hilton and Towers, (213) 227-3464.) Post-modern decor--marble floors, ultra-modern arches and columns--reigns at this handsome restaurant. As impressive as the interior is the black ravioli filled with shrimp and chives. But first, try involtini di melanzane al formaggio , delightful slices of eggplant wrapped around goat cheese, and then for the pasta course, risotto with scallops--the inside of each grain of rice slightly al dente , the outside melted into perfect creaminess. The rack of lamb, is perfect for a main course, and no small production; it contains no fewer than six chops, garnished with mostarda and rosemary-scented potatoes. For dessert try one of the gorgeous pastries off the dessert tray. Lunch Mon.-Fri., dinner Mon.-Sat. All major credit cards accepted. Full bar. Valet parking. Dinner for two, food only, $40-$100.

KNOLL’S BLACK FOREST INN (Germany). (2454 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, (213) 395-2212.) No rushing here, you are welcome to sit and eat and talk for hours. Seezungefilet in der Krauterkruste auf ratatouille (filet of sole in fresh herbs on ratatouille) and lammfilet mit champignonomus auf Krautersauce wirsingroulade mit tomaten gefuellt (lamb tenderloin with pureed champignons and savoy cabbage stuffed with cherry tomatoes) are among the Inn’s best traditional German offerings. But the real winner is the duckling--a generous, meaty, tender, specimen that needs no yucky sweet sauce to bring it out; a simple slice of baked apple on a dollop of intense lingonberry jam accompanies it. Try the excellent spatzle , and the terrific sweet-sour, red cabbage, too. End with a hunk of German chocolate cake or strudel, with good, strong coffee. Lunch Tue.-Fri., dinner Tue.-Sun. All major credit cards accepted. Full bar. Valet parking. Dinner for two, food only, $50-$70.

MATUSZEKS (Czechoslovakia). (7513 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, (213) 874-0106.) The decor here is upscale high-tech Czech, all clean lines and potted palms. The thing about Matuszeks is that you have to be in the mood for Czech cuisine, and that means hungry. Plates come heavy with chunks of meat of one sort or another, plus dumplings or potatoes, all of it swimming in a gravy sea. Try moravsky vrabec , a dish in shades of white--lean chunks of pork with slices of potato dumpling and a pool of creamy caraway seed-spiked sauerkraut, or kure na paprice , a terra cotta-colored arrangement of boned breast of chicken paprika and sliced white flour dumplings. Best of all is the apple strudel that Mrs. Matuszek makes for dessert, chock full of raisins and a taste of orange peel. Dinner Mon.-Sat. MasterCard and Visa accepted. Beer and wine. Parking in rear and street parking. Dinner for two, food only $25-$40.

MIGNON EUROPEAN RESTAURANT (Romania). (1253 N. Vine St. Los Angeles, (213) 461-4192.) No visa needed at this spare, Hollywood restaurant that answers the question: Just what is Romanian food like? You must try the group of appetizers common to all Balkan and Middle Eastern cuisines called meze , meant to be eaten leisurely with a drink. At Mignon it includes eggplant pate, tomato and onion salad, feta cheese, homemade pickles, and white caviar, made with red roe and olive oil that turns almost pure white when mixed. The rasol de vita (Romanian osso buco ) is a great plain boiled shank served with excellent white rice, carrots and turnips. For dessert, try the crepes filled with Romanian sour cherries. A live band entertains on weekends. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. MasterCard and Visa accepted. Beer and wine. Mall parking. Dinner for two, food only, $20-$45.

TOLEDO (Spain). (11613 Santa Monica Blvd., West Los Angeles, (213) 477-2400.) Toledo is a dark, double cave of a place where garlic is always the word of the day. Start with garlic soup, stocked with toasted bread and egg, and rich with the taste of the good stuff. The shrimp in garlic sauce perfumes the air strong enough to clear out a room of squeamish debutantes. Monkfish and red snapper are nice and fresh and come drowned in a heavy, deliciously garlicky, tomato sauce. Iberian ham is another good bet, and the blood sausage is so sinfully rich it almost melts in your mouth. End with the intense creme caramel , or best of all, a tarta manchega-- a concoction of orange peel, Grand Marnier and cream. A warning: Tapas , cheap enough in Spain, run into real money here; at $3 to $7 a dish and a bottle of Spanish wine, you might find yourself with a bill for $70. Still, it’s cheaper than air fare to Spain. Open for lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. Full bar. Parking lot. Dinner for two, food only, $35-$55.