SARATOGA LAKE — The track opens in a couple of weeks, and most likely you'll soon be looking for a place to eat in the Saratoga Springs area. Or, if you belong to the other half of the population, you figure you've only got a little while to enjoy Saratoga before it turns into a total madhouse.

Either way, if you are looking for a terrific restaurant, do not overlook Panza's Restaurant on 9P on Saratoga Lake. It's been around so long it is an easy place to take for granted. It all started with a little shop in Mechanicville hi 1901. A few years later, the Panza family . opened a pizza shop on Saratoga Lake, and in 1938 they opened a family restaurant that kept growing and growing. The Panza family has been keeping customers happy in one form or another for more than 100 years.

And still some people are just discovering the place. Even Night Owl, who has eaten in almost every place that serves food in the Capital District, made his first visit with me a couple of weeks back.

Our experience was so good he swears it was an oversight that will be rectified with more frequent trips — after the track closes.

You wouldn't know we were Panza virgins when we showed up about 6:30 on a Saturday night to honor our reservation for two. I was surprised at the sophisticated environment — attractive linen, fine cutlery and silverware, and there is even an unobtrusive piano player pro­viding comfortable mood music.

As soon as we walked in we were made to feel like regular customers. By the time we left, we believed we were family.

The family theme extends to the kitchen as well as the atti­tude of the people who serve you. Night Owl and I swore everything we ate was home made, and even when our per­sonable and helpful waitress, Cheryl, told us that one or two things wasn't made on premis­es, we didn't believe her because everything was so fresh and good. But Night Owl never believes anyone, and I always agree with Night Owl.

You might guess that Panza's is an Italian restaurant, but you should know that though a Northern Italian cooking influence dominates the food, basic dishes such as steak and pork-chops are available. But why go to Panza's and order Ameri­can? If you want basic beef or comfort food, Cliffs is about a mile away. Go to Panza's and enjoy food that takes more skill to prepare than simply throw­ing a steak on a grill.

For example, pork chops are available for $17.95. For a dollar more, they also offer Pork Chops Ma Panza. Instead of settling for something basic, I opted for the Ma Panza, two enormous chops that are broiled and glazed with home­made balsamic vinegar. The dish is enhanced with several glazed, vinegared sweet pep­pers that are fantastic and which elevate the meal beyond the ordinary to the unique.

I would suggest that when you visit, ask if the peppers could be served as an appetizer, but that would mean you'd have to decide not to have the Lobster Ravioli, and that would simply be wrong. Night Owl originally wanted to share the escargot for an appetizer, but I talked him out of it. I pointed out that each was $8.95, and for the same price, why would anyone have snails instead of lobster?

Of course he mocked, won­dering if we'd be able to detect any lobster hidden in the home­made ravioli. Boy, do I like it when Night Owl is wrong! He was so wrong he admitted it, saying he could not remember seeing so much fresh lobster in this kind of dish. Of course, he was hard to understand, because his mouth was filled with bread that he was eagerly dipping in the remains of an out-of-this-world sun-dried tomato, basil cream sauce.

For his entree, Night Owl decided to go basic Italian and had a tough time making a choice. I think it bothered him that every­thing was priced so reasonably, with most dishes priced between $16-$20. He said that because everything looked so good, he decided to taste as much as he could by ordering the Pasta Sam­pler. Even Night Owl was not pre­pared for what arrived at the table. He thought he was getting a sampling of three pasta dishes. Instead, he got what looked like full portions of three pastas. At $18.95 it was a steal.

Another rarity was that Night Owl found no negatives with any of them. He declared the La Michael Fettuccini Alfredo "extremely creamy, mild yet rich and not the least bit heavy." The rigatoni was declared delicious, and the fresh-tasting chunky tomato sauce was made even better by the addition of small chunks of sausage that offered a hint of spiciness. As for the Angel Hair with Pesto, he called the pesto sauce "very traditional, in the good sense of the word," and he marveled that angel hair pasta was not in the least bit mushy. Overall, Night Owl was delighted by the "wonderful variety of flavors" offered by the sampler. In other words, he liked it.

Realizing that his entree didn't break our budget, he insisted on desert, and I became a willing accomplice when I heard about the Fallen Chocolate Cake, offered for $6. It was so rich that even Night Owl would have had to work to finish it by himself. But it was so good it would be worth trying.

The meals were not only special, but each was served with excellent eye appeal. My Pork Chops were served garnished with a pretty flower (edible, according to Night Owl, who thinks that anything that grows is edible) with some sage folded into the center. My vegetables of thin baby carrots and string beans were crisp and tasty. The bread was fresh and the butter tasted unusually flavorful and creamy.

And the meal comes with a salad that was very good, as were the dressings — Honey Dijon for him, Ranch for me. And neither of us could finish more than half of our meal.

Obviously we had a superior dining experience, and try as Night Owl might, the bill remained reasonable. A wonder­ful shared appetizer, two terrific entrees with a salad, a shared dessert and a bottle of Sam Adams (me), a soft drink and two coffees- all came to only $57.40. A $12 tip for truly excellent and friendly service brought the total to $69.40. That's a really good price for a super meal. It would justify eating at Panza's even during the busy racing season.