Restaurants : Dear Restaurant Critic : Who has good, cheap Italian food? What about good fish? Everyone dines out this time of year, and they have a lot of questions

I don’t have to look outside to know what time of year it is. All I have to do is sit here and open my mail.

The rest of the year, most of my letters go something like this: “Dear Restaurant Critic: My grandmother will celebrate her 102nd birthday next month, and I’d like to take her out for a really elegant celebration. She doesn’t hear so well anymore, so we want to take her to a quiet restaurant. She still has all her teeth and chewing is no problem, but she doesn’t like anything spicy (forget Thai or Mexican food), she hates garlic (Chinese is out) and her doctor has forbidden her to eat butter and cream (so don’t send us to a French restaurant, either). We don’t mind a short drive, but given her age, coming all the way into Los Angeles is out of the question. If you could come up with something within a 10-mile radius of Norwalk, that would be appreciated. Money isn’t really an object--there will be 10 of us, and we’re willing to spend as much as $5 to $8 apiece (we’ll bring our own cake). Where should we go?”

You’ll understand why it is a relief when the holidays roll around, bringing with them a dramatic change in query. All the 102-year-old grandmothers disappear from my mail; suddenly everybody wants to party. Specifically, when it comes to my mail, everybody is coming into Los Angeles to eat, and they want to know where to do it.

Where can I take my boss to dinner that will make a good impression but won’t cost a fortune?

The problem is that I don’t know your boss. If he’s someone who will appreciate good food and pleasant service in a very cozy room (but rather cramped quarters), I’d suggest Locanda Veneta. The restaurant serves wonderful northern Italian food at very reasonable prices. If he’s young and hip, you might try Indigo, a neighborhood restaurant for foodies. You can sit in an ultramodern setting and eat such dishes as chicken chili and seafood pot stickers. And if he’s a very proper person who appreciates good food and good service, you might opt for lunch instead. Patina serves a businessman’s lunch for $18.50. You’ll get fabulous food in a small, beautiful (but slightly cold) room--and your boss will undoubtedly think that you are very smart.

I have friends coming in from out of town, and I want to take them to a typical Los Angeles restaurant. What do you suggest?

There has never been a better time to do this. With the recession coming on, tables are available almost everywhere, and if you’re willing to eat either early or late, you can take them to Spago (still, in my experience, the most sought-after reservation in town). Other suggestions: Campanile, with its wonderful space and fantastic rustic Italian food; DC-3, with its beautiful room overlooking the Santa Monica Airport; Chinois on Main, with its innovative blend of French, Chinese and California cuisines, and Matsuhisa, a wild, Latin-influenced sushi bar that serves food you won’t find anywhere else.

I want to dress up and have a nice time in a good atmosphere. But I don’t want to starve to death either. Where should I go?

Nouvelle cuisine is dead and small portions aren’t the problem they once were, but some restaurants continue to equate elegance with delicacy of appetite. One that doesn’t is Saddle Peak Lodge, a dramatic, romantic restaurant in the Calabasas hills that looks like a rich man’s hunting lodge and serves portions that would please a hungry hunter. Another big-deal restaurant that respects reasonable appetites is Champagne. I’ve hardly met anybody who managed to finish a portion of their cassoulet.

I don’t cook, and I don’t want to buy takeout food, but I would like to be able to invite people out for food that tastes like it was made in somebody’s house, instead of a big cold commercial kitchen. Does such a place exist?

There aren’t many. But if you like Italian food, Mario’s Cooking for Friends is a place you should consider. The restaurant is small and attractive with soft yellow walls and comfortable chairs. The simple food really tastes as if it were cooked by someone’s mama. The service is so pleasant that although the restaurant allows you to bring your own wine, they serve it as if it came from the most expensive cellar.

I want to take my teen-age daughter out for lunch, and I’m hoping to find something she’ll like besides hamburgers and Coke. More importantly, I want to take her someplace I’ll like as well.

This one’s easy. Take her to the new Border Grill in Santa Monica. The atmosphere is bright and raucous, and she’s sure to see lots of great-looking guys. And though this is truly terrific Mexican food, what teen-ager doesn’t like tacos? Meanwhile, you can enjoy such fare as tongue stew and sophisticated tamales.

What is the best fish restaurant in Los Angeles?

Unlike New York, San Francisco and Seattle, Los Angeles doesn’t have a single great place to eat seafood, outside of Cantonese seafood restaurants such as Chinatown’s new VBC. (Although Ocean Avenue Seafood in Santa Monica does have a great oyster bar.) On the other hand, since almost every restaurant in town serves seafood, you can go to any good restaurant secure in the knowledge of finding fine fish.

All my relatives want to do when they come for a visit is go out to eat where they can see stars. But I refuse to put up with the awful treatment “nobodies” get in most of those Hollywood places. Where should I take them?

This is an easy answer: Musso and Frank Grill, Hollywood’s favorite restaurant for 70 years. And no wonder. Even the stars aren’t treated like stars here, and everybody’s treated well. You’ll have to wait for a table, but it gives you a chance to look at the celebrities and drink the best martinis in town. When you get to your table, stick to the simple dishes (prime rib, grilled sea bass, creamed spinach) and you’ll be happy. You’ll be happy when the bill comes, too--the prices are reasonable.

What’s the best place to go for dim sum? I don’t want to drive all the way to Monterey Park.

Ocean Seafood, a brand new Chinatown restaurant on the site of the former Miriwa. The dim sum is truly spectacular--especially anything made with fish. Don’t miss the siu mai, the long noodles with shrimp, the scallop dumplings and the giant clam, which is cooked on a cart before your very eyes. Come hungry. Every cart that comes your way will be seductive, and it’s almost impossible to not end up with a table filled with food.

My father is a major meat-eater. Where should I take him for steak?

Pacific Dining Car is cozy, Hy’s is elegant and the Palm is a scene--but when you really care about great meat, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse is the place to go.

I want to go someplace nice--but I don’t want to spend a lot of money. Are there any fancy restaurants that serve bargain meals?

Yes. The bar and the terrace at La Cienega’s upscale Pazzia has become a restaurant called Pazzeria. For remarkably reasonable prices you can eat great antipasto, pizza and pasta. Even with wine (sold by the carafe), a couple can eat well here for $40.

My husband has high cholesterol and has been told to cut down on butter and cream. Is there anyplace where we can get a really good meal that won’t kill him?

Lots of them. While there are a number of restaurants that specialize in healthy food, you don’t need to stick to them. Most Mediterranean cuisines are low in cholesterol, and any Italian restaurant will have dishes that fall into your husband’s diet. And while much French food relies on high-cholesterol ingredients, many local chefs pride themselves on being able to serve healthy food at a moment’s notice. A few restaurants to try: La Toque, La Famiglia, Patina, Il Forno.

We plan to spend the afternoon at the L.A. County Museum of Art. Is there anyplace nearby to eat lunch?

Without even getting into your car, you can have a wonderful meal at one of the best Lebanese restaurants in the country. Al Amir serves extraordinary hummus, fattoush, kibbeh and the like--in a quiet, comfortable and dignified room. They even have an outdoor patio.

A friend’s birthday falls right at the beginning of the year. A group of us want to take him out to a place where we can make a lot of noise without people giving us weird looks--and get good food. Does such a place exist?

If I were you, I’d choose Rebecca’s. Architect Frank Gehry’s wild, wonderful room has a really festive feeling and the upscale Mexican food is delicious. The noise on a weekend night can get so intense that a baby could wail for hours without disturbing anybody. If you have a party of about a dozen, there’s a private dining room that hovers over the bar like a flying saucer about to land. It makes a particularly pleasant place for a small party.

You’re always saying, “Put yourself in the chef’s hands and you’ll get a wonderful meal.” Really? Where can I safely do that? Do I have to call ahead?

Many great chefs like nothing better than to make special meals for people who they know will appreciate them. There is nobody who does this as happily--or as wonderfully--as Michel Richard of Citrus. If he is on hand, you need only tell your waiter that you’d like to speak directly to the chef about your meal. To be on the safe side, it would be wise to call ahead and arrange the meal (and the price) ahead of time. This sort of eating is exciting--and expensive. Piero Selvaggio, owner of Valentino, is another expert at the special, impromptu meal. He loves to stand at your table and invent dishes on the spot. And at Dan Tana’s, you don’t even have to ask for the owner. You can safely throw away the menu and simply tell your waiter what you’d like to eat.

I get up late, eat breakfast late and don’t want lunch until 3 or 4 in the afternoon. The problem: Most places have closed by then. Do I have to eat fast food?

No. My favorite place for a lazy, late lunch is City, one of the few restaurants that actually have a separate middle-of-the-day menu. My favorite meal: a giant mush of avocados and goat cheese that you scoop up on crisp little toasts, followed by City chocolate cupcakes. Count on a light, late dinner.

Is there such a thing as a good fast food restaurant?

In Los Angeles, definitely. The La Salsa chain, with its freshly made soft tacos, gives fast food a good name. Benita’s Frites in Santa Monica serves French fries worth dreaming about. Zankou chicken in Hollywood makes exemplary chicken, with great garlic sauce. And Senor Fish makes shrimp quesadillas so good that I have been known to jump into my car in the middle of a deadline and race off to Highland Park.

The restaurants, in order of appearance:

Locanda Veneta, 8638 W. Third St., L.A., (213) 274-1893.

Indigo, 8222 1/2 W. Third St., L.A., (213) 653-0140.

Patina, 5955 Melrose, Ave., L.A., (213) 467-1108.

Spago, 1114 Horn Ave., West Hollywood, (213) 652-4025.

Campanile, 624 S. La Brea Ave., L.A., (213) 938-1447.

DC3, 2800 Donald Douglas Loop, Santa Monica, (213) 399-2323.

Chinois on Main, 2709 Main St., Santa Monica, (213) 392-9025.

Matsuhisa, 129 N. La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Hills, (213) 659-9639.

Saddle Peak Lodge, 419 Cold Canyon Rd., Calabasas, (818) 340-6029.

Champagne, 10506 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A., (213) 470-8446.

Mario’s Cooking for Friends, 7475 Beverly Blvd., L.A., (213) 931-6342.

Border Grill, 1445 4th St., Santa Monica, (213) 451-1655.

VBC Seafood Restaurant, 711 N. Broadway, L.A., (213) 680-0888.

Ocean Avenue Seafood, 1401 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, (213) 394-5669.

Musso & Frank, 6667 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, (213) 467-5123.

Ocean Seafood, 750 N. Hill St., L.A., (213) 687-3088.

The Palm, 9001 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, (213) 550-8811.

Pacific Dining Car, 1310 W. 6th St., L.A., (213) 483-6000.

Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, 224 S. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, (213) 859-8744.

Pazzeria, 755 N. La Cienega Blvd., L.A., (213) 657-9271.

La Toque, 8171 Sunset Blvd., L.A., (213) 656-7515.

La Famiglia, 453 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, (213) 276-6208.

Il Forno, 2901 Ocean Park Blvd., Santa Monica, (213) 450-1241.

Al Amir, 5750 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., (213) 931-8740.

Rebecca’s, 2025 Pacific Ave., Venice, (213) 306-6266.

Citrus, 6703 Melrose Ave., L.A., (213) 857-0034.

Valentino, 3115 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, (213) 829-4313.

Dan Tana’s, 9071 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, (213) 275-9444.

City, 180 S. La Brea Ave., L.A., (213) 938-2156.

La Salsa, many locations

Benita’s Frites, 1437 3rd. St. Promenade, Santa Monica, (213) 458-2889.

Zankou Chicken, 5065 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, (213) 665-7842.

Senor Fish, 5111 N. Figueroa St., Highland Park, (213) 257-2498.

Ruth Reichl is The Times restaurant critic.