July 23, 2008

Blanca

Rating: **

Location: 3420 Via Oporto, Newport Beach; (949) 673-0414; www.blancanewport.com.

Ambience: Sophisticated Mediterranean menu featuring Italian crudo (raw sliced fish) in a relaxed setting with tables overlooking Newport Beach harbor. There's also an outdoor bar and separate crudo bar, which stays open late.

Service: Earnest, still learning.

Price: Dinner appetizers, $12 to $20; crudo bar items, $9 to $14; main courses, $26 to $40; cheese plate, $14; dessert, $10 to $11.

Best dishes: Albacore crudo, kampachi crudo, Scottish salmon crudo, foie gras terrine with strawberries, vitello tonnato, organic soft-egg ravioli, butter-poached lobster, wild mushroom paella, Muscovy duck breast with stone fruit, chocolate decadence with salted caramel ice cream, "zuppa di bacca" with goat cheese ice cream.

Wine list: Not very good. Corkage fee, $15.

Best table: One on the dock in front of the harbor.

Details: Open from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tuesday through Sunday (restaurant kitchen closes at 10 p.m., but bar and crudo bar stay open). Full bar. Street and lot parking; valet parking on the weekends, $9.

To see a photo gallery, go to latimes.com/food.

Rating is based on food, service and ambience, with price taken into account in relation to quality. ****: Outstanding on every level. ***: Excellent. **: Very good. *: Good. No star: Poor to satisfactory.