Country Dining

Few neighborhoods in the Valley have the bucolic charm of the stretch of Riverside Drive just north of Griffith Park.

Riverside Cafe is somewhat of a landmark on this street. It’s a quirky place with an eye-popping blue and white awning that makes it stand out from the tract-like homes around it--and an eccentric menu that feels recklessly out of place here in suburbia.

One more distinction is that this may be one of the few Southland restaurants where you can watch people riding horseback as you dine. Look out the window at any time and there’s a good chance you’ll see nattily dressed riders on well-groomed saddle horses out for a canter from the nearby Equestrian Center.

Riverside Cafe is operated by an Englishman and his American wife, and they obviously work well together. Imagine having to prepare items as diverse as cold cucumber soup, chicken chili, seafood stew, shepherd’s pie, ostrich burgers, coq au vin and Greek-style lamb--all in a kitchen no bigger than your average pantry. (And an ornate copper espresso machine takes up a good deal of the space.) It’s no small achievement.

The dining room has a large, L-shaped vinyl banquette and half a dozen narrow tables. On cool days, the best tables are out on the patio.

A good way to start a meal would be with one of the cold soups: say, the sweetly soothing pureed cucumber soup or the peppery, pleasantly chunky gazpacho. There’s a spinach salad topped with shaved Parmesan, roasted red peppers and red onions, dressed in a light balsamic vinaigrette. Authentic salad Nicoise is served in the usual way--in a bowl--or sandwich style on a French roll.

Good sausages are available either in appetizer portions or as main courses. The Cafe Special is three sausages--English banger, chicken whiskey fennel and Cajun andouille--the last two of which are particularly zesty. In season, there are buffalo and wild boar meat sausages. The sausages, from Alpina Meats, are served with mustard and crusty baguettes from La Brea Bakery.

Some gimmicks work, others do not. Why order French fries when you can have the fresh potato chips, made to order and still hot when you get them? And why pay $2 extra to have your burger made with ostrich meat, when the patty is dry and not very flavorful? And I’m not a huge fan of the house chicken chili, which has way too much cumin.

Entrees come with good vegetables (fresh green beans, pureed carrots, roasted potatoes) and well-crafted sauces. The beef Bourguignon, for instance, is simmered in a hearty red wine sauce. With charcoal-broiled lamb chunks, you can have a goat cheese and garlic sauce that lifts the dish out of the ordinary.

I’ve had a nice hunk of swordfish prepared medium rare, also a fine mixed seafood stew--a saffron-scented broth loaded with cod, calamari, shrimp and bay scallops. There are always blackboard specials, too. One day I found a creation called spicy chicken: chicken breast, zucchini, tomatoes and carrots in a wickedly hot red sauce. Another day there was a superb shepherd’s pie--a layer of moist ground lamb topped with a crust of baked mashed potatoes.

Most of the desserts come from La Mousse Bakery, but the restaurant does make its own chocolate chip cookies and tiramisu, the latter with a good mascarpone topping. At the finish there is French roast coffee, with a lot more kick than the Illycaffe espresso brewed in the copper monstrosity.

BE THERE

The Riverside Cafe, 1221 W. Riverside Drive, Burbank. Hours are Tuesday-Wednesday, 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m.; Thursday-Friday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Saturday, 8:30 a.m.-9 p.m; Sunday, 8:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Dinner for two, $21-$35. Suggested dishes: Paula’s potato chips, $1.75; spinach salad, $5.50; sausages, appetizer, $3, entree, $9; seafood stew, $10.50; shepherd’s pie, $8.75. No alcohol. MasterCard and Visa accepted. (818) 563-3567.