CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK LA TIMES Thursday June 2, 2005 A flash of Alto Palato's tenor Spark Woodfire Grill on Pico Boulevard is coming into its time. A flash of Alto Palato's tenor By S. Irene Virbila, Times Staff Writer Spark Woodfire Grill moved into the old Osteria Romana space on Pico Boulevard some months ago, but it's only now that the place is taking off. This is the third of the Woodfire concept Cal-Mediterraneans. There are also ones in Studio City and Huntington Beach, but this one is special. A little history: The three-story pink building opened as Osteria Romana Orsini in the late '60s. Through the years the owner brought in wave after wave of chefs and cooks and waiters from Italy. Celestino Drago started out here as a waiter. So Mauro Vincenti at Rex, remembers that they used to grow basil in big pots up on the roof, because you couldn't buy it anywhere then. Terribili later opened Alto Palato (now closed) in West Hollywood. Now, by a twist of fate, he's back at the place where he had his first job in L.A. � as owner (with Bill Chait, who founded the Louise's Trattorias). The place has a good look, updated and contemporary with bright pumpkin walls and jolts of color. Downstairs feels more clubby, and on Thursday nights the Wilson-Turner Collective holds forth from 8 to 11 p.m. Oh, you won't have any trouble hearing; even in this small space, the jazz musicians are amplified. On the second floor, which has its own separate bar, the music arrives muffled, stripped of juice, but it is possible to talk, always a plus. After a faltering start, the kitchen at this new Spark recaptured its mojo once Fredy Escobar, former chef at Alto Palato, took over the stoves. He's added some old Alto Palato dishes to the more generic Cal-Mediterranean menu. Start with a classic: a thin-crusted Roman-style pizza Margherita, garnished with a light tomato sauce, a little mozzarella and a few sprigs of basil. They've also got a build-your-own option for the anarchists out there. Or go with the rich, cheesy eggplant Parmigiana or a salad of creamy burrata cheese with tomatoes and basil. Pasta dishes are deftly handled, especially the homemade lasagna layered with smoked mozzarella and Bolognese sauce. Who even makes lasagna anymore? Spark "classics" are more American comfort food, things like meat loaf, spit-roasted chicken, tri-tip, etc. Smoky baby back ribs are falling-off-the-bone tender. At the Sparks, everything is big, so you'll have to enforce your own discipline. Or take home something for the doggie. Look to the specials board for grilled Santa Barbara spot prawns, or a Kansas City bone-in steak with blue cheese if you're hankering for the steak equivalent of a cheeseburger. The wine list has some good bottles at decent markups. The bar makes a mean cocktail. And for dessert, you can get an affogato � a cup of espresso poured over vanilla ice cream � for the road. The place is also surprisingly comfortable and welcoming. It's some place to get a supper during the week or, on Thursdays, and the weekend, hang out with friends. I suspect as Escobar settles into his new job, he'll be experimenting more with what a wood-burning oven can do. Spark Woodfire Grill Where: 9575 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles When: Lunch 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays-Fridays; dinner 5 to 10 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays, 5 to 11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays. Valet parking Cost: Starters, $5 to $12; salads, $7 to $13; pizzas, $12 to $14; classics, $14 to $17; chops and steaks, $15 to $29; desserts, $6 Info: (310) 277-0133, www.sparkwoodfiregrill.com

RESTAURANT REVIEW Smoking the Competition Spark Woodfire features tastes to be reckoned with. By MAX JACOBSON, Special to The Times Spark Woodfire Cooking is exuberant and popular--don't even think about getting in without a reservation on a weekend. The Studio City restaurant's menu includes baked pastas, thin-crust pizzas, creative salads and rotisserie meats, all in a vaguely Tuscan style. Nobody else in the Valley does these so well. The long, narrow dining room has wooden tables (a bit too close together) and a partially exposed kitchen where meats revolve seductively on spits. If you find the room too noisy, you can sit on a patio, shielded from the sidewalk by a canopy of clear plastic. Two of the best appetizers are mussels, roasted and served in a black iron skillet, and a delicate, lightly breaded fritto misto of shrimp, calamari and zucchini. You'll want to share the Spark Cobb salad, an eccentric twist on the classic that includes sunflower seeds, pancetta and a creamy buttermilk dressing. The pizzas, essentially the same ones you'd get at Alto Palato in West Hollywood (where owner Danilo Terribili is manager and co-owner), are always among the best things here. The arugula, pecorino and prosciutto pizza is terrific. So are the pizza Margherita and the ones with hackneyed toppings such as sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese. Pastas are baked in the same wood oven as the pizzas. Don't miss lasagna di Mauro, named for Mauro Vincenti, the late owner of Alto Palato. It's a dense, multilayered version alternating thin sheets of pasta, smoked mozzarella and a rich, meaty ragu. It's nothing like the familiar thick, gooey lasagna. The rotisserie is also wood-fired, and the meats are generally pretty good, the two best items being spicy chile-rubbed chicken, and porchetta, an herb- and pepper-crusted pork leg that comes in thick, robustly perfumed slices. . The kitchen turns out a nice cedar-planked Atlantic salmon. The lamb stew (spezzatino) has a properly gamy flavor, but too much meat and too little gravy. Side dishes include green beans with shallots and toasted hazelnuts; sauteed spinach with garlic, red chile and olive oil; and roasted potatoes with garlic and rosemary. These three dishes alone show why Spark leaves most of its competition in the dust. Or let's say, in the oak ashes. BE THERE Spark Woodfire Cooking, 11801 Ventura Blvd., Studio City. Lunch 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; dinner 5-10 p.m. daily. Full bar. Valet parking. All major cards. Dinner for two, $34-$53. Suggested dishes: Spark Cobb salad, $13; pizza arugula, pecorino, prosciutto, $14; lasagna di Mauro, $14; Petit Filet $ 25 or Slowly Cooked Iowa Baby Back Ribs $ 18. Call (818) 623-8883.