The All-Cal Diet

Pizza, pasta, radicchio, carpaccio ... some of the basics of a “proper” California diet. These recently reviewed restaurants are good places for this kind of cuisine. Camelions (246 26th St., Santa Monica, (213) 395-0746). This charmingly eccentric little complex is known for its traditional romantic atmosphere but its food is more of the innovative-eclectic school. Consider crab cakes with corn relish (some of the best you’ll ever have), or the terrific sweet potato pancakes topped with sour cream and caviar. The only problem with Camelions’ inventiveness is that quality can be erratic. But you’re usually safe if you stick to the specials, especially fish: There might be monkfish, roasted and served in a shrimp-butter sauce along with a mushroom flan, or the nicely conceived grilled mahi mahi in red bell pepper sauce with artichoke mousse anointed with truffle oil on the side. Desserts are also good--pear strudel with an achingly sweet caramel sauce is a delight. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sat., Sunday brunch and dinner. All major credit cards. Full bar. Street parking. Dinner for two, food only, $50-$80.

City of Angels Brewing Company (1445 Fourth St., Santa Monica, (213) 451-0096). They call this a “brew pub” but don’t get the wrong picture. This is no cozy wood spot for ale and a game of darts. Walls are painted shades of green and gold and the beer tanks are bathed in chilly blue light, suggesting a cross between “Blade Runner” and “The Night Belongs to Michelob.” But it does brew its own beer and it serves thick French fries with lime-flavored mayonnaise that are a definite pleasure. Portions are large (the roast turkey thigh, as big as a Buick fender) and the mashed potatoes with cracked pepper are terrific. But the best here is dessert: a deliciously moist cinnamon apple cake, or a rich homemade frozen fudge bar that gives the Dove Bar a run for its money. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat., dinner only Sun. MasterCard, Visa and American Express. Beer and wine. Valet parking. Dinner for two, food only, $20-$55.

Crocodile Cafe (140 S. Lake St., Pasadena, (818) 449-9900). This offshoot of Pasadena’s popular Parkway Grill is bright, open and attractive, but there is nothing remotely luxurious about it. You sit in patio chairs at simply set tables, and the kitchen is in full view--its attendant roar going full blast. But what emerges is beautiful, i.e. the red chile relleno , a startling swatch of red in a bright-green tomatillo sauce. The grilled chicken-and-pork skewer comes with two delicious chutneys, and spicy chicken salad comes with crispy Thai-style rice noodles in a piquant peanut dressing. Linguine with tomatoes, ricotta cheese and basil is exactly as promised--simple ingredients in perfect balance. But the clear winner is the grilled chicken breast with papaya and chili-mint relish, fried plantains, and black beans. If you still have room, try the brownie sundae for dessert. Lunch and dinner daily. All major credit cards. Beer and wine. Validated parking. Dinner for two, food only, $15-$35.

Noodles (215 N. Central Ave., Glendale, (818) 500-8783). Noodles is a clattery, high-volume, California-style, post-modern-industrial trattoria where people can get a good look at each other and eat fashionable food. Pizza and pasta are Noodles’ long suit. Even the tasty house rolls are knots of pizza dough rolled in butter and herbs. A fettuccine with salmon mousse-stuffed shrimp is certainly far better than it sounds. And the wood-oven baked pizzas have good, chewy crusts and come with a wide variety of toppings--the Cajun-shrimp pizza with andouille sausage, red onion, bell pepper and sauteed okra is excellent. But except for a good apricot tart, the desserts are less than inspiring. Lunch and dinner daily. MasterCard, Visa and American Express. Full bar. Valet parking. Dinner for two food only, $15-$40.

Tosh Restaurant (1909 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, (213) 453-3333). Here for all the world to see is a California Cuisine restaurant. It has an atmosphere of sun-tanned elegance, and serves such Cal- nouvelle staples as Maui onion tart and ahi tuna with mango relish. Tosh’s trademark is its basket of fresh breads--one is flavored with dill and other herbs, another with black pepper and another with walnuts. Pork tenderloin--cut into slices and rearranged nouvelle -fashion, of course--comes in a barbecue sauce with red-and-yellow-pepper relish. Naturally, there is a pizza of the day. It might be something as goofy as an ordinary cheese/tomato pizza topped with barbecued chicken. For dessert there’s the irresistible “disk cake,” a huge brownie sliced like cake. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Fri., dinner only Sat. and Sun. MasterCard, Visa and American Express. Full bar. Valet parking. Dinner for two, food only, $40/$75.