RESTAURANT REVIEW : One Meal at Il Balcone Explains the Will to Wait

Restaurants, like any fluctuating entity, have their day.

But most of the time they’re in a state of ascension or decline. New restaurants are trying to figure out their menus and establish a clientele, and older strongholds try to hang on by keeping their most loyal customers happy with dishes that might have gone out of fashion years before.

For consumers, the trick is to eat at a restaurant when it’s at the height of its powers.

Right now, Il Balcone in Encino is having its day. This small, white-walled Italian restaurant is as busy and successful as it can be--literally. At various points during the night, even early in the week, a line forms at the door. No reservations are taken, although the restaurant appreciates it if larger parties call ahead. The kitchen’s running as hard as it can.

After one meal at Il Balcone, we understand the will to wait. The food, while not fancy or definitive, is just plain good. And the surroundings, which will win no design awards, are full enough of sensory input to keep even the easily bored amused.

There’s a busy open kitchen for those who enjoy watching others labor over hot stoves. For future novelists, screenwriters and other students of humanity, there’s a good mix of customers--a large Italian family, husbands and wives out for a treat, kids on dates. Personally, my favorite occupation is to look at all the pizzas and pastas sailing past so I can get an idea of what to order.

My sister often says that maturity is the ability to make decisions; at Il Balcone, I think I must be around 6 years old. The menu is actually quite modest: a few pastas, pizzas, appetizers and desserts, augmented by half a dozen specials written on a small blackboard. The problem is, I’m forced to choose from among my favorite dishes. Caprese or roasted peppers? Ravioli with butter and sage or linguine with fresh clams?

The Answer: both the caprese and roasted peppers are just fine, but skip the linguine--the clams are lost in a slightly too pungent red sauce. The ravioli, however, with crispy sage leaves and ever-so-lightly browned butter, is simple and wonderful.

The pizzas come with a thin, bubbly crust and a neon-orange tomato sauce; we particularly enjoyed one topped with artichokes, zucchini and prosciutto.

On a hot summer night recently we had a meal that was pleasurable from start to finish. It started with ice-cold Pellegrino, which was particularly welcome after a long drive on the Ventura Freeway without air-conditioning. We had cold, sweet cantaloupe, which was a fine contrast to a few finely cut slices of excellent prosciutto. The dinner salads--good romaine topped with slivered carrots, zucchini, roasted pine nuts and a nice vinaigrette--were far better than what you get at most places.

A special angel-hair pasta had shrimp so fresh the flavor was heady--oceanic. Another special, ravioli boscaiola with mushrooms and cheese was bright-tasting and hearty. Both had red sauces, yet were utterly different.

In fact, that’s one of the most fun and interesting things about Il Balcone. Each dish has its own flavor and provides its own distinct experience.

Desserts are as consistent as the rest of the cooking. I tasted excellent versions of tirami su and apple tarte tatin .

I also liked the service at Il Balcone. The waiters are busy, but we never went without. And I never felt rushed. Il Balcone reminds me of cafes in southern Europe, where you go out not only to eat, but to visit with each other.

Il Balcone is not a fancy restaurant or even a highly unusual restaurant. Rather, it’s a great little restaurant smack-dab in its prime--which means that the time to go there is now.

Il Balcone

15826 Ventura Blvd., Encino; (818) 788-9068.

Open for lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, 5:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday. Beer and wine. Parking available. MasterCard, Visa. Dinner for two, food only, $15 to $40.

Suggested dishes: ravioli with butter and sage, $7.95; angel-hair pasta with shrimp, $9.95.