The following are summaries of recent Times...

The following are summaries of recent Times restaurant reviews.

Hornblower Yacht Cruises, P.O. Box 1779, Newport Beach. Call (714) 548-8700 for further information.

Hornblower offers weekend dinner cruises in Newport Harbor as an acceptable alternative to shorebound dining drudgery and brings it off with style. Chef Todd Mosher, a young Bay Area talent, keeps the menu simple and satisfying, limiting the options to three exquisitely prepared specialties. Accoutrements, like an excellent trendy salad of oak leaf and chickory, and real San Francisco sourdough, reflect solid taste and good judgment. There is a dance band available for those who get antsy offshore. Also Sunday brunch.

Magic Island, 3505 Oporto, Newport Beach. (714) 675-0900. Open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 6 p.m.; Sunday brunches at 9:30, 10:30 and noon.

There is no shortage of illusion at Magic Island, a onetime private club that has recently been opened to the public, but the illusion of dining often fails to materialize. The evening begins with a snappy show featuring first-rate magicians and then proceeds to one of the myriad dining rooms where a stuffy, often over-extended menu is offered. Less is more here: Simpler fare like grilled meats and plain salads tend to upstage the flashier performers, like anything stuffed or sauced. You are going to have a good time at Magic Island, but at present, it is the kitchen that needs magic. Expensive.