BY ERIC NOLAND >RESTAURANT CRITIC

There was a time - and not so long ago - when sensibility prevailed for Los Angeles' dining fare: the lightest of sauces (if sauces were employed at all), the leanest of meats, the healthiest of cooking techniques.

But the pendulum of restaurant cuisine is subject to dramatic swings, and after describing a wide arc in the opposite direction, it has come to rest above places like the Foundry on Melrose. Here, unapologetically, are creamy sauces, fatty meats - you know, the ones with all the flavor - liberal use of cheese and butter, and other culinary indulgences.

Pork belly? Not something you often find on a West Hollywood menu, but there it is, glazed with mustard and snorting at you from among the appetizers ($15). It's a rich way to start dinner, but ooh, what flavor, accompanied by tiny brussels sprouts (though slightly overcooked), candied quince and pearl onions.

Yukon Gold potato gnocchi ($15) is another signature appetizer at the Foundry, and the half-dozen pillowy gnocchi are divine. But just to rev things up, they share the plate with duck confit, butternut squash and a thick bed of mornay sauce made with idiazabel cheese. Whew. (What, no caviar to sprinkle over that?)

On to the main courses, and another of the Foundry's specialties: beef short ribs ($29). The meat is remarkably tender and savory, but that's because the cut is so liberally laced with fat. It requires a fair number of surgical procedures with knife and fork to get to the edible parts.

Halibut ($27) provides a deviation from this trend - almost to the point of nostalgia. The filet is pan-roasted to a light crispiness, moist and tasty inside, and not overly salted. It is nicely accented with chunks of green apple in a saffron-apple puree.

At this point in our dinner, caution was long gone, so a cheese course ($15) seemed a fitting finish. "Now that one's got a little attitude to it," the waiter said as he set down the platter and pointed to a soft, smelly, delicious selection from France's Burgundy region. Our favorite in an assortment of four cheeses, however, was a domestic one: salty, creamy Maytag blue from Iowa.

Wasn't it just a month or two ago that war was being waged on carbs? You can surrender here. Rather than the standard basket, there was a sensuous parade of fresh breads throughout the evening: brioche with sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan as an amuse, fluffy-fresh foccacia with the first course, light and flaky country biscuits just before the main course, raisin toast with the cheese.

The Foundry's personality mirrors that of its executive chef-owner, Eric Greenspan (formerly of Patina): boisterous, personable, a trace of a swagger. The service has a lot of flair - our waiter poured blind tastes of three red wines to help us choose suitable matches for our dishes - but it was also a bit cavalier.

Dishes were described to neighboring tables but not to ours, our waiter was slow in getting to us for a wine selection for the main course (exacerbated by his stop at another table to discuss dessert), and there were long waits for the third course and the check.

At its best: If you want to live a little - and save that entree salad for tomorrow night - the Foundry provides free rein for your guilt.

Could be better: Enchanting courtyard dining area is open only on Friday and Saturday nights (on weeknights only if the restaurant gets busy).

Eric Noland, (818) 713-3681; eric.noland@dailynews.com

FOUNDRY ON MELROSE

>Rating:

>Details: 7465 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood. Open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday from 6 p.m. to 11p.m., Sunday (prix fixe menu) from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. (323) 651-0915, www.thefoundryonmelrose.com.

>Costs: Appetizers $14 to $15, main courses $26 to $29, desserts $7 to $15.

>Noteworthy: It's a short menu - five appetizers, five main courses - but items on the chef's five-course tasting menu ($75) may be ordered a la carte. Of the stripped-down menu, chef-owner Eric Greenspan told those at a nearby table, "We keep it small so we can recommend everything."