Delicious Little Secret : When choosing among many eateries on Ventura Boulevard, don’t overlook Tabu Bistro.

“There must be a thousand restaurants on this street,” said my friend as we pulled up to Topanga Town Plaza. “How do you know which one is going to be good?”

The answer is, you don’t. There are bound to be sleepers you wish you’d gotten to sooner, and Tabu Bistro is firmly in that category.

During the day, when the mall is busy, I prefer to sit in its quiet, art-filled dining room. But in the evening, when the traffic subsides, the best tables are out on a patio fronting Ventura Boulevard.

Chef Cal Calbassi, French trained but of Iranian descent, cooks his own sort of Continental cuisine--nothing terribly original, but with personal touches.

The rack of lamb, for instance, is crusted with crushed pistachios, which add an interesting richness to the meat. Blackened ahi tuna, meanwhile, comes with a tart raspberry beurre blanc, which raises the dish above cliche.

Taking a hint from Cafe Bizou, it has an enlightened $2 corkage fee, and also a $1 option of house salad or French onion soup with all entrees. The entree prices are reasonable to begin with.

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For appetizers, choose the crisp, delicious shrimp won ton, served with a thick remoulade for dipping. The smoked salmon in potato pancakes with creme frai^che is not as appealing--the fish is nicely smoky, but the pancakes are soggy and there’s not much creme frai^che.

Both the hefty chicken ravioli and the brandy-spiked wild mushroom pasta are perfectly al dente, with good accompanying sauces.

The star among the entrees is that lamb rack--five excellent chops cooked medium rare, the flavor of the meat enhanced by the lingering taste of pistachio and a well-reduced merlot sauce.

The nicely done Long Island duckling is a roast leg flanked by thin slices from the breast in a cracked-pepper sauce laced with cherries. The potato crust on the whitefish is properly crunchy, but the fish, although moist, doesn’t have much flavor. The coq au vin--simmered in white, rather than red, wine and rosemary--is a perfect bistro dish.

For dessert, there’s a pleasing mousse-filled chocolate opera cake and also a crusty apple tart with delicious hot caramel sauce. The waitress assured us the whipped cream topping was real, though I could have sworn it came from a can.

With all the local competition, even a sleeper like Tabu Bistro needs to be more careful.

BE THERE

Tabu Bistro, 18607 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana. Open nightly, 5-11 p.m. Parking in rear lot. Beer and wine only. All major cards. Dinner for two, $35-$57. Suggested dishes: shrimp won tons, $7.95; chicken ravioli, $13.95; coq au vin, $14.95; pistachio-crusted lamb rack, $17.95. Call (818) 758-9368.