By Look and by Cook

Valley Inn first opened in the late ‘40s, but its lurid, antebellum design is more reminiscent of the frontier era. Red walls and ceiling give the main dining room, lined with cushy leatherette booths, a distinctive air.

The smaller, more intimate Rumble Room is decorated with antique auto memorabilia. Only the foyer plastered with head shots of local industry legends is unashamedly 20th century.

Russian-born Sophie Brodetsky became the new owner this year, but nothing much has changed. Chef Peter Trump, who has cooked here for 10 years, still puts out a variety of American dishes solidly conceived and well prepared.

Trump’s Caesar, for example, remains one of the most muscular in town, rich with a blend of anchovies, garlic and Parmesan.

Two more swell starters are barbecued duck quesadilla and a surprisingly good plate of crab wontons. The quesadilla’s filling is flavorful shredded duck mixed with restrained amounts of cheese and tangy sauce. The wontons are big, crisp and bursting with pure crab, a leap from those horrid cream cheese-filled atrocities all the rage in Chinese restaurants.

As good as the appetizers are, a few of the main courses are even better. This is one of the best places on the street for fresh sand dabs, fall-apart tender sauteed fillets drizzled with a proper lemon caper butter. White sea bass, one of the more creative entrees, is presented with a kumquat and roasted cashew butter sauce. The tart fruit and mildly sweet chopped nuts complement each other well.

The beef short ribs are beautifully braised and fork tender, a treat with mashed potatoes and crisply sauteed green beans. This is also one of the only restaurants in the city still serving real pan-fried chicken. Four big pieces come to the table in an iron skillet, along with a dish of country gravy. The batter is delicious, the meat is moist and the cream-based gravy is perfumed with smoked bacon.

Trump makes all his own desserts, too. Almost everybody who eats here orders a towering wedge of his New York-style cheesecake, which has a graham flour crust, a light, airy filling and a rich sour cream topping. Another Eastern seaboard mainstay, Nantucket blueberry crunch, is a delicious hot dessert cooled down by a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Thursday night, the restaurant kicked off a series of internationally themed dinners with a Russian menu. The special prix fixe menus cost $30, and Brodetsky plans to feature a different cuisine each month. Call the restaurant for more details.

BE THERE

Valley Inn, 4557 Sherman Oaks Ave., Sherman Oaks. Lunch 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday; dinner 5-10:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 5-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 5-10 p.m. Sunday; brunch 12-4 p.m. Saturday. Full bar. Self parking. All major cards. Dinner for two, $40-75. Suggested dishes: duck quesadilla, $6.95; Caesar salad, $9.95; sea bass, $16.95; pan-fried chicken, $14.95; short ribs, $16.95. Call (818) 784-1163.