COVER STORY : THE VALLEY’S TOP 20 RESTAURANTS : Despite a damaging earthquake and a tough economy, dining choices are more eclectic than ever.

It’s been a tough year for Valley restaurants and restaurant-goers, what with the earthquake, a down economy and a perceived dip in creativity and enthusiasm. Many of our favorite restaurants-- Il Mito, East India Grill (renamed Akbar Grill this week), Art’s and Cafe Cordiale--suffered severe damage. (Art’s, a perennial member of this list, reopened just last week, and Cafe Cordiale has yet to reopen.)

There are bright spots. Posto and Pinot remain exemplars; they should become honorary members of this list. And a few more successful Westside restaurants--Tribeca, Delmonico’s and the Ca’ Brea spinoff Ca’ del Sole--crossed Mulholland and joined the community.

For this, the third annual Top 20 Restaurants in the Valley, I’ve changed the list considerably from last year, partly because I’ve been disappointed in a few of the places included on the previous list, partly because a few new restaurants inched their way in. I’m delighted to say that the Valley has not one but two excellent Chinese restaurants now, both included here, and more eclecticism than ever. There’s also more good Italian food than ever, as evidenced by the presence of La Pergola, and an absolutely top-notch sushi from the hand of a man named Nozawa.

Who knows what 1995 will bring?

(Inexpensive is less than $10 per person, moderate is less than $22 a person and expensive is more than $23 a person.)

1. Posto

It’s been a very tough year for Posto owner Piero Selvaggio. The man lost a house in the Malibu fire and a staggering amount of wines from his Valentino restaurant during the earthquake. This hasn’t prevented Posto from making further strides. Luciano Pellegrini’s rustic cooking is better than ever; he has added an incredible pasta menu to complement the wonderful, bargain-priced list of Italian wines. I’d come back any time for the addictive Parmesan chips called frico , even if Pellegrini didn’t craft miracles out of wheat flour, olive oil and salt. See if you can talk him into making you his crab pancake.

14928 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks. (818) 784-4400; reservation recommended. Expensive.

2. Pinot Bistro

At present, this is the Valley’s only polished bistro. Chefs Octavio Becerra and Michael Otsuka were trained by the masterful Joachim Splichal, owner of Pinot, Patina and downtown’s Patinette; their menu is a symphony of Mediterranean, California and creative elements. Come for items like spiced seafood cakes or brioche French toast at the exquisite Sunday brunch, original sandwiches or light spa cuisine at lunch. Dinner can be an epiphany: crispy whitefish, beef tongue with bone marrow or carmelized onion tart with marinated salmon.

12969 Ventura Blvd., Studio City. (818) 990-0500; reservations recommended. Expensive.

3. Ca’ del Sole

Our brightest new entry, a modern bastion of Italian cooking, occupies the site that once housed the legendary Maison Gerard. You won’t recognize the place now, with all soft yellow brick, Venetian carnival masks, richly hued woods. Chef Antonio Tommasi has proved himself on the other side of the hill at such restaurants as Locanda Veneta and Ca’ Brea. Here, he’s added Venetian rarities to his resume, baccala di San Pietro , fish hash with potato and capers; pomodori appassiti , baked San Marzano tomatoes; a cuff link-shaped pasta called gemelli , and a magnificent stewed duck. Beats paying a gondolier.

4100 Cahuenga Blvd., North Hollywood. (818) 985-4669; reservations recommended. Moderate to expensive.

4. Cinnabar

Glendale’s best restaurant is a blend of Pacific Rim and California, filtered through ‘90s elegance. The bar’s centerpiece is a Chinese antique that once graced L. A. Chinatown’s Yee Mee Loo; the dining areas have pastel colors and lots of Asian art. Proprietor Alvin Simon is an old pro, head chef Hisashi Yoshiara an artist with a strong sense of the visual. Taste Yoshiara’s sea scallops wrapped in shredded potato, free-range veal in a classically rich brown sauce, applewood-smoked salmon and wonderful vegetarian creations.

933 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale. (818) 551-1155; reservations recommended. Expensive.

5. Cha Cha Cha

The quake never slowed the pace at Encino’s lively Cha Cha Cha. Two days after the Jan. 17 temblor, many locals were acting like party animals on the Titanic, downing tropical drinks, platters of Jamaican jerk pork and black bean tamales as if nothing had ever happened. Mambo gumbo is a great soup of okra, shredded chicken and spices; camarones negroes are jumbo shrimp in a dark, spicy sauce. Desserts alone are worth a visit--the best banana cream pie in the Valley, and an ice cream flying saucer made from a coconut macadamia nut cookie and rich vanilla bean ice cream.

17499 Ventura Blvd., Encino. (818) 789-3600; reservations recommended. Expensive.

6. Sushi Nozawa

The legendary impatience of sushi master Kazunori Nozawa, of Studio City’s Sushi Nozawa, is one reason to position yourself at one of the restaurant’s glass-topped tables, instead of directly under his scrutiny at the bar. (Nozawa once bounced a friend of mine because she wasn’t eating fast enough.) Still, no one can deny that the man’s a terrific talent, or that the fresh, clean-tasting sushi--the killer yellowtail, finely marbled fatty tuna belly, for instance--he serves is the equal of any in town, save perhaps the phenomenally expensive Ginza Sushi-Ko in Beverly Hills. Nozawa’s gracious wife performs the table service.

11288 Ventura Blvd., Unit C, Studio City. (818) 508-7017. Moderate.

7. Dos Arbolitos

Chef Yayo is a master of the stewpot and the corn tortilla. At Dos Arbolitos, a food stand / patio in a quiet North Hills neighborhood, he puts out the Valley’s best and most authentic Mexican dishes. Nothing here is more than $5--a grainy, murky turkey mole; costillitas , baby pork riblets in three-alarm red sauce, and wonderful po z ole , a hearty soup thick with pieces of hominy and lightly fried pork. Great rice, wonderful beans a la olla , out-sized tortas drooling avocado, turkey and complex salsas.

16208 Parthenia St., North Hills. (818) 891-6661. Inexpensive.

8. East India Grill

After being closed for about six months due to earthquake damage, Encino’s East India Grill reopened in early July with a new chef, Mohammed Ashraf Ali, and a spate of colorful new dishes. (Last week it was renamed Akbar Grill.) This is still a restaurant that breaks the monotony of our cookie-cutter similar Indian restaurants, relying on such condiments as mustard seed oil, green coconut, cilantro and tamarind to do so. Try such snacks as potato bhaji , delicious, savory potato croquettes full of chopped onion, and main dishes such as saffron chicken tandoori, hot from the clay oven with a cashew infused crust.

18003 Ventura Blvd., Encino. (818) 343-1838. Moderate.

9. Downtown Bistro and Cafe

Mitchell Frieder and his baker wife, Susan, change the menu constantly at their homey little high desert restaurant, formerly called Cakes and Company. This fall, Frieder has added such dishes as braised whole lamb shank cooked with cinnamon and lavender, honey-marinated pork tenderloin with a touch of Dijon and tasso (Cajun-spiced ham) to complement his exemplary duck confit and traditional Louisiana-style gumbo. Pancakes are killers at breakfast; fluffy, sour cream-based Heavenly Hots, corn-based, Rhode Island-inspired Johnny cakes to go with the good homemade breads and preserves. A truck stop, this ain’t.

858 W. Lancaster Blvd., Lancaster. (805) 948-2253; reservations recommended. Moderate to expensive.

10. Daily Grill

The experts have announced that we’re all retreating back to the safety of American comfort foods; the Daily Grill, in its many Southland locations, is cashing in on the trend.

No one makes a better BLT, better french fries or better plain American fare like meatloaf. The casual, comfortable ambience is a throwback to homey small-town grills of the post-Depression era. Excellent sourdough bread to start off a meal here; good, simple desserts such as rice pudding to finish one.

12050 Ventura Blvd., Studio City. (818) 769-6336 . Also, 16101 Ventura Blvd., Encino. (818) 986-4111. Reservations taken for parties of six or more. Moderate.

11. Talesai

Talesai is an offshoot of a successful Sunset Boulevard Thai restaurant, and it has been designed with timeless beauty--a sleek serving bar, a dose of modern art, spare, metallic colors that add a cool hipness. This is modern, authentic Thai food, the only rub being that dishes sometimes lack the sharp flavors and pungency that they would have when Thais cook for themselves. Standouts include hor mok , a delicate, coconut-rich fish mousse served on red clay, coriander-crusted lamb and the city’s best sate.

11744 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, (818) 753-1001; reservations recommended. Moderate.

12. Dr. Hogly Wogly’s Tyler, Texas Barbecue

This Valley roadhouse barbecue hasn’t changed since the ‘60s, so expect to come walking into a time warp. Meats are slow-smoked over hardwoods like hickory, oak and cherry and usually fall off the bone tender. Pork ribs are a specialty; the restaurant recently took top honors in a citywide rib cook-off. I’m a fan of the flaky, complex brisket, served sloppy in a bland sauce with two slices of retro bland white bread.

8136 Sepulveda Blvd., Van Nuys. (818) 782-2480. Moderate.

13. Il Mito

Il Mito closed briefly during the earthquake, then gaudily announced that it had been reborn. I can’t say all the hype was necessary, but I can say that food here is still top-notch. Chef-owner Michael Fekr is a protege of Antonio Tommasi, and he cooks with a steady hand. The casual Art Nouveau style makes the restaurant a favorite with industry types and New Agers. They come for such dishes as risotto with beets, duck with blueberries and incredible minced shrimp ravioli, not only to discuss their latest scripts.

11801 Ventura Blvd., Studio City. (818) 762-1818; reservations recommended. Moderate to expensive.

14. Moonlight Tango Cafe

Forties atavism rules at this square, glass-ceilinged supper club, where owner Vicki Criezis regularly books big bands and other anachronistic entertainment forms. Criezis, formerly associated with good Greek restaurants such as the Great Greek and Cafe Athens, has a menu here that is a mix of New Orleans, California and the Mediterranean. Don’t miss Texas Gulf crab cakes with red Apache sauce, Opelousas black roux seafood gumbo, great Italian-style scampi or the caviar roe whipped with avocado puree. Shhhh. We won’t tell anybody this is a fancied up Greek dish called taramo.

13730 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks. (818) 788-2000; reservations recommended. Expensive.

15. La Pergola

The ebullient Tino Pettignano raises his own produce--pumpkin, squash, peppers, green beans, artichokes--in 6,000 square feet of gardens behind his restaurant. For that alone, he deserves some kind of award. His restaurant is also loaded with charm--a beamed ceiling, white brick walls, gorgeous Italian pottery, all of which makes La Pergola a compelling destination. Try stuffed zucchini flowers; good, fresh pastas such as panzerotti , a giant pocket filled with white corn and prosciutto, and the sumptuous fettuccine del giardino , made with spring fennel, Maui onions and pine nuts.

15005 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks. (818) 905-8402; reservations recommended. Expensive.

16. Jin Hung Won

Chinese cuisine takes chameleonic shapes throughout Asia; perhaps nowhere is it more immediately appealing than in Korea. This modest North Hills restaurant serves the Valley’s best Chinese cooking, in part because it hasn’t yet learned to be insincere, in part because of the pervasive Korean influences.

Ask for cha jiang min , sticky wheat noodles in brown sauce, the exemplary steamed dumplings, an irresistible thing called spicy crispy chicken and stewed meatballs--fine, fatty pork meatballs with heavily browned crusts. Bring a healthy appetite.

9102 Sepulveda Blvd., North Hills. (818) 893-6656. Inexpensive to moderate.

17. Barcelona

Spanish food is but a distant cousin of Mexican, robust Mediterranean fare dependent on olives, rice, tomato and seafood. Jose Maria Companys is from Spain’s Catalonia; his modest grill is decorated in rustic appointments.

Foods are straightforward, grilled meats or the tiny appetizers known as tapas . Try a blood sausage called morcilla or chorizo , a fatty Spanish sausage; saffron-rich paella chock full of lobster, sausage and large prawns; the peasant-style, charcoal-grilled chicken, and the wonderfully eggy dessert, crema Catalana.

14054 Burbank Blvd., Van Nuys, (818) 997-6604; reservations recommended. Inexpensive to moderate.

18. Montana’s Bar and Grill

Another new addition that has made a reasonably big splash, this quasi-American bistro, which occupies a former L’Express, succeeds on sheer energy. The decor in here is Late Grunge, the food mostly American comfort. Montana’s makes some of the best Buffalo wings in the city; chewy interesting pastas, and good, solid American entrees such as meatloaf, pork chops and a crusty, smooth turkey pot pie.

One more selling point is the sensible half portions, available on all but a few items.

3575 Cahuenga Blvd. West, Universal City. (213) 850-6220; reservations recommended. Moderate.

19. Vegetable Delight

This remarkable Chinese restaurant fashions wonders out of gluten, tofu, mushrooms, yam paste and nuts, the handiwork of a shy Chinese chef who learned his craft among Buddhists on the island of Taiwan. Don’t be put off by a name like “smoked veggie fish.” It’s made from pressed tofu sheets, looks exactly like real fish and tastes terrific. The only thing the chef has failed to reproduce are the bones. Among the many delights are onion pancakes, hot pot with Napa cabbage, assorted mushrooms and mock meat balls, and an amazing “squid” made from yam paste.

17823 Chatsworth St., Granada Hills. (818) 360-3997. Moderate.

20. Tribeca

One more restaurant that came traipsing over the hill in 1994 was Tribeca. The restaurant makes this list on chutzpah and enthusiasm. The bar is a scene, packed with attractive young men and women; the dining area is problematic with undersized tables, hard-backed chairs. The kitchen can be erratic. Solid American cooking is the saving grace--terrific swordfish with olive oil, basil and capers; good blackened prime rib, encrusted with pepper. Desserts are a treat--pear shortcake, a tart plum cobbler, the bittersweet cappuccino creme brulee.

17401 Ventura Blvd., Encino. (818) 386-1339; reservations recommended. Moderate to expensive.