A Guide to the Best of Southern California : FOOD : Gourmet <i> Glasnost</i> in Los Angeles

IN RUSSIA, the Berouzka shops, purveyors of high-class food and drink, are reserved for Intourists and the in-crowd. For those of us on these shores with a few rubles to spare who pine for a taste of Mother Russia, perestroika has brought us our own Berouzka.

Stocked inside a narrow storefront are more than 40 kinds of Russian and Polish sausages and cured meats; loaves of crusty breads; Borgomi water from Soviet Georgia (consumed for its restorative powers, not for its taste); a wide selection of Soviet canned goods, including sturgeon in tomato sauce; quarts of chopped garlic; and half-dozen types of smoked fish, as well as fresh red and black Russian caviar.

The next time you need a special gift--say, an Opera (chocolate) cake with birthday wishes inscribed in Russian or Polish--Berouzka awaits.