By MERIDITH FORD
Journal Restaurant Critic

PROVIDENCE

The name Julian's doesn't appear anywhere on the outside of this West Side restaurant. There's just an awning with the number "318" in large print.

The lack of a title gives this popular bistro on Broadway all the signs of being one of the city's best-kept secrets -- except everyone knows about it.

Only a few other bistros -- the former Leon's, Z Bar & Grille, Hotpoint -- have managed to rise from being just another neighborhood restaurant to the neighborhood restaurant.

The beatnik atmosphere, eclectic sandwich board menu -- and the lack of a pink martini anywhere -- have made Julian's a bohemian enclave since it opened in 1996. Low lighting, along with a potpourri of local artwork strewn across the walls, and a hodgepodge of mismatched tables and chairs scream nonconformity.

Yet there are the comforts of home, too. Candles give a welcoming touch, and the staff is ever friendly, especially since the atmosphere can make a newcomer feel like an outsider.

The menu of seasonal offerings is extremely enticing -- chef Andrew Nicoll, a Johnson & Wales graduate, cooks everything from dashi broth to grilled tofu with maple-chipotle sauce. Owner Julian Forgue still cooks occasionally, and his artistic style is reflected in the menu's composition as well as the place's funky atmosphere.

Ten years ago, I would have applauded this kind of diversity on a menu. But Julian's would probably do well to do a little menu housecleaning. There's almost too much from which to choose, and even though many of the dishes are extraordinary, some aren't.

For instance, I brooded over French onion soup for several minutes before finally giving up on it -- it tasted like a slightly salty bowl of water. A stir-fry of rice noodles with tofu in a peanut sauce was mushy beyond recognition and offered little flavor to compensate. A cranberry clafouti (sort of like a fruit cobbler) on the dessert menu tasted as if no sugar had been added to the cranberries at all.

On the other hand, the prosciutto-wrapped pumpkin was something otherworldly -- the gentle, layered flavors of soft, seasoned pumpkin come together beautifully with the rustic saltiness of the prosciutto, and the experience becomes downright decadent with grace notes of oozing brie.

The dashi broth, a Japanese fish stock, was enough to cure what ails you -- not only was the rich stock flavorful, it was teeming with somen noodles, bits of tofu, broccoli and mushrooms.

Risotto cakes are more like tiny timbales of the rice placed on the plate than actual pan-seared cakes -- but they are chock full of chunks of buttered-up butternut squash and crunchy bits of walnuts.

A sirloin steak is so plump it looks like a pillow; inside it is juicy and tender, bursting with full-meat flavor. It's surrounded by perfectly roasted potatoes and white beets and a dark, tomato-laced sauce flecked with minced onions.

Old standbys such as tagliatelle with more of the roasted butternut squash, sliced red peppers, mushrooms and walnuts, or a quesadilla filled with onions, peppers and Monterey jack cheese are perfectly passable -- flavorful and reliable without setting off too many intimidating bells and whistles.

It's this kind of cooking -- creative, but with a flair for down-home goodness -- that has garnered for Julian's so much praise over the years, and provided the restaurant with such a loyal fan base.

Desserts are a case in point: It's extremely impressive when a restaurant of this size makes all its own, and several at that.

Most fall into what pastry chefs have for years called "rustic" -- in short, something your mother would make. A dense, chocolate-studded bread pudding was sweet, and particularly satisfying with the large dollop of sweetened whipped cream plopped beside it.

Julian's, 318 Broadway, Providence, 861-1770. Casual dress. Reservations for 6 or more. Restroom is wheelchair accessible. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Smoking after 11 p.m. On-street parking. V, MC, AM. No highchairs.

Appetizers, soups and salads are $4 to $9.50. Entrees are $6 to $19. Desserts are $3 to $6. Wines range from $15 to $30 a bottle. Breakfast includes items such as eggs Benedict Florentine from $7 to $9.50.