SMORGASBORD : FOOD TOPICS : Cooking Colossus : Oxnard restaurant hires a chef from Cafe Athens in Los Angeles and updates its lunch menu.

Nikolaos Xidarakos, welcome to Ventura County.

Formerly of Cafe Athens, one of L.A.’s best Greek restaurants, Xidarakos is the new chef at The Greek in Oxnard, replacing Niko Georgeopoulis, who left in January.

Xidarakos, who attended a culinary academy in Athens, has been involved in traditional Greek cooking both in the United States and in Greece for the last 20 years.

Since his arrival, The Greek has updated its lunch menu, which now includes lighter lunches and new specials--all with a Mediterranean flair.

The most popular item is the mini-sampler ($4.95)--five different items to showcase the variety of tastes the old country has to offer.

First there is the tzatziki, a customary yogurt and cucumber dip.

Next, spanakopeta, spinach and feta cheese baked in a pastry triangle.

Kepta (a meatball usually of lamb) and dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) are included.

And, of course, what meal in the old country would be incomplete without pita bread.

Xidarakos started cooking at the restaurant in February, but has been splitting his time between his old gig and this one.

Next week he’ll begin working full time at The Greek.

So who has been keeping the avgolemono soup flowing the rest of the time?

According to co-owner Lynn Mikelatos, her husband/partner Makis has been in the kitchen preparing food and has been conspicuously absent in the dining room where he usually attends to patrons.

Healthful substitutes: Let’s hop over the net and head over to Pierpont Racquet Club’s Courtside Cafe where Suz Montgomery is now serving healthful dishes for lunch and dinner instead of the hamburgers and nachos they used to serve.

Montgomery grew up in a Chicago family restaurant and has spent much of her life in a prep-kitchen.

Over the years, she has had her own cooking show and catering business.

And she has been a member of the club for almost as long as it has been open.

During the few months she has had her hands in the kitchen, Montgomery has served homemade breads and pasta to club members and their guests.

Every day there are new and healthy specials such as a spicy Thai roasted chicken salad with sesame dressing.

Unfortunately, the club is private, open only to members and their guests.

If you are lucky enough to be one of about 950 members or you know a club member, you might want to visit the Courtside Cafe.

Let’s do dinner: Nestled behind the Herb Garden of the main drag in Ojai is Espresso Bollo, a patio cafe draped with a canopy of wisteria dripping with clusters of fragrant purple flowers.

Last week Espresso Bollo began serving dinners Thursday through Sunday evenings.

Each week, five new specials will be offered.

An entree for vegetarians will always be available and the full regular lunch menu is offered as well.

The grand opening fare included chicken Kiev served with Russian spaghetti-cooked pasta layered with Parmesan cheese, scorched butter and baked until crispy.

Espresso Bollo, owned by partners Robert Northrop, and Emily and Rob Gullixson, also serves up coffee drinks, locally made pastries, muffins and biscotti and several kinds of fresh bagels.

* WHERE AND WHEN

* The Greek, 2343 Oxnard Blvd., Oxnard; 981-1891. Hours: Monday-Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday 5 to 10 p.m.; Sunday 5 to 9 p.m. Lunch for two, food only, $8-28. Dinner for two, food only, $20-46. Full bar, credit cards, parking lot.

* Courtside Cafe at the Pierpont Racquet Club, 500 Sanjon Road, Ventura, 548-5161. Members and guests only, lunch and dinner Tuesday-Sunday.

* Espresso Bollo at the Herb Garden, 109 N. Montgomery St., Ojai 646-3733. Hours: Sunday-Wednesday (no dinner served) 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Thursday-Saturday (dinners served) 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Food for two $2-22. Beer and wine, street and lot parking.