RESTAURANT REVIEW : Raffaele Will Have Trouble Keeping Up With the Pregos : Positioned squarely in the domain of many popular Beverly Hill restaurants, the Italian eatery has a lot to live up to.

Raffaele, a small, fairly decent, slightly pricey Italian restaurant, has put itself in a tough spot: on Little Santa Monica Boulevard between Bedford and Camden in Beverly Hills.

That makes it a block from Da Pasquale, the quintessential neighborhood Italian cafe, and around the corner from both the well-conceived Il Pastaio and the consistent, long-lived Prego.

Raffaele has its pleasures, but also its flaws. In a less restaurant-rich ZIP code, customers might well take the time to navigate Raffaele’s contradictions. But 90210 customers, given the spate of more-polished options, are more likely to go elsewhere.

The room is pleasant enough--deep and narrow with a comfortable banquette along one wall. But pale pink walls are closely packed with sentimental, pastel faux-Renoirs in huge gilt frames. There are fresh flowers on each table, and back on the counter, the requisite display of Italian oils, vinegars and wines, including a Gargantuan bottle of champagne.

The menu is essentially the menu: a nearly ubiquitous constellation of antipasti, pasta and entrees augmented by a handful of specials. Ingredients are of high quality; preparation is generally adept. Prices are a bit high--especially when one orders the specials, which are substantially higher than anything on the menu. I’m still thinking about the appetizer made with stunningly fresh, lightly grilled scampi. Compared to those fat, sweet shrimp, a perfectly good bresaola with shavings of Reggiano Parmigiano is dull. I wish the fresh Manila clams would come in a broth rather than a thick tomato sauce, but the flavors are sharp and lively.

Salads run the gamut from underdressed to sopping; a Caesar is downright dry while a tricolore salad swims in a brown balsamic vinaigrette. At lunch, I’m delighted by a bright, fresh calamari salad. Another salad, capricciosa , with roasted bell peppers, grilled eggplant, shredded carrots and goat cheese is also juicy and good, if a bit garbled.

I have the most consistent luck with pasta. At first, I am disappointed that the “basil sauce” on my rigatoni with chicken and mushrooms turns out to be a tomato sauce allegedly spiked with basil leaves. But it’s a fresh tomato sauce, the chicken is tender and after a few mouthfuls, I’m a fan. I’m also converted to Raffaele’s capellini with fresh chopped tomatoes and large grilled scallops.

Polenta con salsiccia here is made with a virtuous if uninspired chicken sausage, and served with rather too-cooked spinach. Veal scaloppine with a creamy mustard and porcini mushroom sauce is fine. A dinner special, Norwegian salmon, is awfully small, overcooked and, we discover when we get the bill, awfully expensive--$19.

Although it’s not on the menu, the chef prepares me a lovely chicken piccata, the fileted white meat pounded, tender and topped with thin slices of peeled lemon. I have a choice of vegetables or pasta and choose pappardelle, flat, chewy flaps of pasta in a marinara sauce. All told, it’s a classic, satisfying plate of food. Such flexibility in the kitchen is exactly what can and should build up a loyal clientele.

*

The service is friendly enough, but there are service-related misunderstandings. We are rushed one night to finish our appetizers, and for no good reason: Our next course is the aforementioned Caesar salad, so dry it could have sat for hours without wilting.

Wine is $4.50 a glass on the menu, $5 on our bill.

The most serious misunderstanding occurs when two of us order double decaf espresso. On this particular occasion, I’m up all night thanks to the “decaf,” and so, I discover several days later, was my friend.

Nothing like a lost night of sleep to chill one’s ardor for a restaurant, even for a restaurant that makes such a killer chicken piccata.

* Raffaele, 9634 Little Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, (310) 276-4466. Open for lunch and dinner. Beer and wine. American Express, MasterCard and Visa accepted. Dinner for two, food only, $35-$70.