MORE MELROSE EATS

La Pasteria (7212 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 934-7259). This modest, almost makeshift little restaurant attracts a jazzy crowd: The women are smartly dressed with pounds of silver jewelry and the men are as handsome as Belmondo. Best of all, the food is as good as the place smells. Try the chicken with roasted garlic; it comes topped over delicious bow-tie pasta with a sauce made of flavors from the chicken pan drippings. Pritikin might not approve, but you will. Fusilli with crunchy broccoli, mushrooms, garlic and red peppers comes with just enough oil and garlic to keep things interesting. The tarte tartin is sinfully buttery, and caramelized like a big candied apple. Lunch and dinner, Mon.-Sat. MasterCard, Visa, American Express. Beer and wine. Valet parking. Dinner for two, food only, $20-$40.

Cucina (7383 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 653-8333). Cucina is like a great, big Italian kitchen. The floors are marble, the walls are white. Skillets dangle overhead, great haunches of meat turn on a rotisserie and fish sizzle on a mesquite grill. Antipasto comes with a taste of pasta salad, a morsel of mozzarella with tomato, and a puffy pillow of fried eggplant. The handwritten menu del giorno changes with the market and the whim of the chef. Nowhere will you find more intersting pasta combinations. The shocking pink linguine topped with little orange zucchini blossoms is one of the prettiest dishes in town. The roast pork, consisting of two fat chops arranged around a perfect plate of roast potatoes, is equally satisfying. In the marble coolness of this elegant kitchen, a whole pear, poached in wine and cinnamon, seems an absolutely perfect way to finish up. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat., dinner only Sun. Visa, American Express, Diner’s Club. Full bar. Valet parking evenings. Dinner for two, food only, $35-$50.

Angel City Grill (7505 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood, (213) 655-0955). All done out in pink, black and gray, with glass bricks, silver sconces, twinkling candles and potted palms, Angel City Grill fits right in on Melrose. The versatile menu ranges from Caesar salad, hamburgers, and designer pizzas to seafood pancakes and freshly grilled fish. Grilled sea bass, succulent and gently cooked, is inventively set on a dark brunette Cabernet ginger butter. The yellowtail steak is cloaked in a light ginger soy sauce and is fish-market fresh. The Angel City hamburger, charcoal broiled and juicy, comes on a whole-wheat sesame bun. It’s worth staying for dessert--at least for the brandied pecan tart or the flourless chocolate cake with raspberry sauce. Dinner daily, Sat. and Sun. brunch. All major credit cards. Beer and wine. Valet parking. Dinner for two, food only, $15-$35.

Magia, Caffe Italiano (7661 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, (213) 653-5364). At Magia you can enjoy friendly informality, good wine and terrific food. What to order? Try chicken or veal al marsala --the Marsala sauce is wonderful. Rigatoni with pesto sauce is also nice, as is the soft but chewy risotto. Veal saltimbocca , rolls of veal, prosciutto and cheese held together with long, slim skewers is another winner. If you still have room for dessert after the hearty food, Magia offers a wicked chocolate fantasy cake. There are also some very pretty fruit tarts. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat., dinner only Sun. All major credit cards. Beer and wine. Valet parking on weekends. Dinner for two, food only, $10-$35.

Rondo (7966 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, (213) 655-8158). Part of the charm of this small restaurant is its sheer unseriousness. It is warm and crowded and very friendly. The menu is neatly divided between rice and pasta, fish and meat, and there are, of course, pizzas. The prosciutto-olive-artichoke-heart-cheese pizza is so laden that eating it is like diving into a Christmas stocking. Zuppa di moscardini , a spicy, stew-like soup filled with tiny squid, makes an entirely satisfying meal with a few slices of bread. Battuta , a thin slice of beef pounded with garlic, oil and little peppers, is very tender and wonderfully seasoned. No meal here is complete without a cup of the thick, dark espresso--the perfect complement to a slice of Rondo’s excellent apple strudel. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat. All major credit cards. Full bar. Valet parking. Dinner for two, food only, $35-$60.