RESTAURANT REVIEW : Like a River, Stoner Avenue Flows, Disappears, Reemerges

Stoner Avenue, Stoner Avenue. You know you’ve heard of it. Somewhere around Barrington, right? One of those L.A. “avenues” that disappear for a couple of blocks and then reemerge, like an intermittent river?

There happens to be a restaurant named for Stoner Avenue on its very shortest and most inconspicuous block. It is surprisingly grand for the neighborhood, with a ceiling traversed by massive wooden beams, and service plates hand-painted for it in Greece. The back wall is covered with curiosities that look ancient Greek, at least from where we sit. In the front is an authentic L. A. antiquity: the gorgeous English bar from the old El Padrino.

And come to think of it, the intermittent river idea is sort of relevant here. Stoner Avenue Restaurant is owned by a woman named Nikki Lubich, so you could say it represents the reemergence of a family that used to own some well-known restaurants around Century City. Twenty years ago, her father had a French place called La Place, and then Edo’s Other Place, which Nikki took over and called Nikki’s.

I’m a little at a loss how to describe what she is now serving.

It almost seems to be in no particular style. What do you say about a menu that lists osso buco , chicken Jerusalem, sweetbreads and meat loaf?

The most distinctive touches are Yugoslav. One of the appetizers is chevapchichi, which are little grilled shish kebabs of ground meat (a mixture of beef, pork and lamb), topped with yogurt. Well, actually they aren’t so distinctive as all that--frankly, the grape leaves stuffed with rice and meat that come with them are somewhat more interesting. There is a dish of lamb shanks described as being “between Greek and Italian style,” which is a description that would cover a lot of Yugoslav food. They’re simply stewed with celery, carrot and onion and scarcely seasoned at all.

A heritage of sturdy Yugoslav cooking may be the reason why the shrimp chowder is basically home-style vegetable soup (tomatoes, carrots, the whole thing) with shrimp in it. I have a feeling the shrimp wonder what they’re doing there, but it’s a nice vegetable soup. Also, I have to say the vegetables that tend to accompany every entree are very nice--garlicky and roughly fried--and I’d like to believe there’s something Old Country here. I never thought cauliflower was a vegetable that could seem rugged and suntanned, but this is downright peasanty cauliflower.

The rest is all over the restaurant map: Kasseri cheese and mild green chiles flamed in modified Greek style (that is, with tequila). Rather good smoked trout with horseradish whipped cream. At lunch an artichoke with a good tablespoon of peppercorns sprinkled among the leaves, set on top of a nice mustard sauce.

The most expensive thing on the menu is the lamb chop plate; there are only three of them at a rather pricey $18.95, but I must admit they are among the best lamb chops I’ve had, sweet and tender. The sweetbreads and wild mushrooms are also very good, and the agnolotti with asparagus and pesto sauce are neat little stuffed pastas.

But there are some rather dull things on this menu. The “Southwestern chicken hash” (which replaces an earlier “Chicken Hash 21”) is mixed with onion and tomato, and looks (and tastes) rather like one of those vague, sloppy dishes vegetarian restaurants are pleased to serve. Chicken Jerusalem, which it seems to me is one of those turn-of-the-century dishes you still see on old-fashioned San Francisco menus, is chicken breast fried in egg batter and topped with artichoke hearts, stewed onions and a lemony sauce. I do hope it is a glorious old San Francisco tradition, because strictly on its own merits, it’s not the most exciting dish in the world.

Pasta with basil and fresh tomatoes needed a good dose of Parmesan. And the side dish of creamed spinach--the spinach being mixed with yogurt and fried onions--might be improved if the spinach didn’t taste canned.

There are some good desserts, though. “Victoria’s dessert” is a sort of jelly-roll made of meringue and nuts with a whipped cream filling, and served with strawberry syrup. The lemon tart is like a Key lime pie with a graham crust and lots of real whipped cream.

So what am I going to say about this place, bearing in mind that I ran my intermittent stream metaphor into the ground 10 paragraphs back? I guess it’s this: Stoner Avenue is handsome and eager to please and not quite like any other restaurant, and I do love that old bar from El Padrino.

Stoner Avenue Restaurant, 2214 Stoner Ave., West Los Angeles; (213) 473-9492. Open for lunch Monday through Friday, for dinner Monday through Saturday. Full bar. Free valet parking. American Express, MasterCard and Visa accepted. Dinner for two (food only), $34 to $61.