RESTAURANT REVIEW / EATZ BISTRO : Special Specials : Whether it’s the daily offerings or the orzo, this is one of best places to eat in the Conejo Valley.

It’s difficult to find, hidden away down at the bottom of a garden retail and office complex called the Water Court in Westlake Village, and its address there is “Suite X.”

Suite X is worth hunting for because that’s where the Eatz Bistro is, at the edge of a group of artificial ponds, with seating inside and out and food that’s worth ferreting out.

Neal and Sharon Rosenthal--he’s generally in the open kitchen and she’s mostly in the “front of the house”--have, simply, one of the best restaurants in the Conejo Valley.

I’m going to say that I think dinner at Eatz is better than lunch, but don’t get me wrong. There is very little difference in the menus, and Neal does almost all of the cooking for each meal.

Perhaps this is an environment that needs to be shown off by a darkened sky and artificial lights.

Usually I’m not too wild--at either lunch or dinner--about restaurants that have paper tablecloths (isn’t that an oxymoron?) and crayons to play with.

But I do appreciate the exposed ceilings at Eatz and, more to the point, I like the exciting, different things that come out of the kitchen.

This is a place where specials are special.

And when the waiter discusses them, he earns my appreciation by avoiding one of my pet peeves--a recitation that omits prices, which then become a big question mark until the bill arrives.

The prices are upfront here, and the specials are worth knowing about.

One may be thinly sliced pieces of swordfish, gently cooked and layered with fresh tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and a mild--perhaps just a bit too mild--gazpacho ladled over all as a sauce. A lovely, unexpected dish.

Neal apparently has an affinity for swordfish because the next evening we found it again, this time rolled thin, breaded with crumbs, capers and tomatoes, then poached and sliced.

One night it was rack of lamb, served on a bed of crunchy red lentils with a sauce of chutney that had traces of cumin, garlic and vinegar, with some cayenne in it to provide a certain kick.

One of the menu dishes I’ve enjoyed is the baked orzo, that ricelike pasta, this one mixed with feta cheese, capers and red wine, topped with slices of grilled rare tuna.

The appetizer list includes that contemporary staple, calamari fritti , served with a tomato and basil sauce.

The oil is clean, the sauce tastes fresh and I recommend the dish.

Other menu listings that deserve consideration are the bruscetta , Italian grilled bread with a fresh chopped tomato and garlic, which at lunch comes with grilled shrimp, and the entree of Chinese chicken salad, served at Eatz with fried won-tons and a dressing of sesame oil vinaigrette.

One dish I didn’t get to try was the hot meat loaf sandwich, on a baguette with Cheddar cheese and barbecue sauce.

That’s a long way from a dish as delicate as the scallops, served with a pasta timbale stuffed with sweet peas and carmelized onions, laced with a butter sauce.

Neal Rosenthal’s family was in the produce business.

“My mom’s a great cook,” he said, but he didn’t get his start in the kitchen.

He started his career at the front of the house, which Sharon Rosenthal now handles with great aplomb, and worked his way back.

On a slow night, Neal’s out among the tables, getting his customers’ feedback--pun intended--and discussing the desserts, which Linda bakes.

I like Eatz so much I wish that I could rave about the desserts.

And they look so good, sitting there in the display case or on the counter. But the English trifle was dry and dull, and the peach cobbler, one of my perennial favorite desserts, is not something you’d go “wow” over.

It’s other things, such as the cordial and efficient service that goes with those specials, and the simply good food in nearly every dish that makes Eatz in Suite X a place to which you want to return.

* WHERE AND WHEN

Eatz Bistro, 900 Hampshire Road, Suite X, Westlake Village, 494-4133. Open for lunch 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, for dinner from 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and from 5:30 p.m. Saturdays. Major credit cards and reservations accepted. Full bar. Lunch or two, food only, $14-$38. Dinner for two, food only, $30-$56. Recommended dishes: baked orzo, $12; nearly any special.