The following are summaries of recent Times...

The following are summaries of recent Times restaurant reviews.

A La Carte Bistro, 16847 Algonquin Road (Huntington Harbour Mall), Huntington Beach. (714) 840-8152. Open Mondays through Thursdays 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Fridays to 10 p.m., Saturdays 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The A La Carte Bistro has a giant menu for such a tiny space, and the portions are giant to match. Chef Friedrich Rechberger has a dedication that borders on fanaticism, and a deft hand behind the range. You have got to see the house salad to believe it, a huge, European-style platter of mixed salads that comes with dinner. Such game dishes as rabbit, venison, and quail abound. A must here is one of the chef’s special desserts, such as Kaiserschmarn, a chopped-up, butter-fried pancake served with powdered sugar and pureed apricot. Guaranteed to keep the wolf from the door for days.

Be-Bop Burgers, 18575 Beach Blvd., Huntington Beach . (714) 842-1958. Open daily 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., 11 p.m. on weekends, with car hop service every night from 7 till closing.

Pinky’s Hamburger Grill, 4115 Campus Drive, Irvine . (714) 854-4632. Open Tuesdays through Thursdays 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. , Fridays and Saturdays till midnight, Sundays and Mondays till 10.

Be-Bop Burgers and Pinky’s Hamburger Grill are part of a wave of “nostalgia” hamburger joints currently engulfing Orange County, and both are longer on atmosphere than food. The Be-Bop burger is a good value, a full quarter pound of lean beef on a seeded bun that just drips with condiments. Pinky’s beach burgers are charcoal grilled and really taste good. Other sandwiches in both restaurants are less competent. Luckily, both restaurants exude energy, plus the mindless fun of the ‘50s and ‘60s.

Black Sheep Bistro, 303 El Camino Real, Tustin. (714) 544-6060. Open Tuesdays through Fridays 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesdays through Saturdays 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Tom Harrison and his wife Maribeth are not your typical restaurant couple: He is bearded and professorial; she is demure and wholesome. Together, they have created a charming little neighborhood bistro, and things would almost be perfect were it not for the spotty and eccentric food, some of which borders on the amateurish. Paella Tom’s way has hardly any rice in it; homemade pate is served with saltines. Still, the restaurant may win you over with its good pastas and desserts, and the delightfully engaging manner of the owners. They are awfully nice people.

China Palace, 2800 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach. (714) 631-8031. Open daily 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., 5 to 10.

China Palace is a curious hybrid of East and West with a healthy dose of California thrown in; call the cooking style PCH Peking. Prepared by a team of chefs from Taiwan, the food is of the solid, dependable, no-surprises variety that safely appeals to most Western palates. Minced squab on lettuce leaf is terrific. Orange flavor chicken has a delightful crunch to it. Eggplant with minced pork is loaded with garlic. The eccentric, clubby dining room is pure Newport. There is even a sushi bar.

Horikawa, South Coast Village, 3800 S. Plaza Drive, Santa Ana . (714) 557-2531. Open daily 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Mondays through Fridays 5:30 to 10 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays to 11 p.m.

At Horikawa, the simplest food tends to be the best: Beef tataki , an appetizer of sizzling filet mignon, is delightful, and broiled salmon is good. But tempura , the batter fried shrimp and vegetable dishes, are leaden and overcooked, and various combination plates are insipid and expensive to boot. Your best bet is the upstairs teppan room, where knife-juggling chefs sear delicacies over a metal grill. The restaurant is expensive; better hope the company account covers this one.

La Vie en Rose, 240 S. State College Blvd., Brea. (714) 529-8333. Open Mondays through Fridays 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 to 10 p.m. (Mondays till 9 p.m.), Saturdays 5 to 10:30 p.m., Sundays 5 to 9 p.m.

La Vie en Rose is supposed to be fashioned after a Normandie farmhouse, but the building is a masterpiece in kitsch: It looks like a swap meet replica of the Mont-St.-Michel abbey. Luckily, the food is good. Spinach salad sizzles with natural flavor. Salad perigourdine , a simple dish of mixed greens, sliced, preserved duck, and a heady garlic dressing, makes a terrific lunch. Fish are prepared with delicacy. The veal chop is wonderful. Service is flawless and attentive. The only major drawback is the noise level, which befits, well, a swap meet. Moderately expensive.

Mene’s Terrace, 23532 El Toro Road (Orange Tree Plaza), El Toro. (714) 830-3228. Open Mondays through Fridays 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 9:30 p.m., Saturdays 5 to 9:30 p.m.

Mene’s Terrace is like a sun splashed Aegean taverna, transported magically to an El Toro shopping mall. You know you are not in Greece because you can see the Denny’s just outside the window. The menu is small, but everything is prepared the way an Orthodox grandmother would prepare it. Tiropita and spanakopita , little cheese and spinach pies in a filo crust, are near perfect. The egg lemon soup is even better. Wonderful char-grilled meats, marinated in lemon juice and Greek spices, are served with rice pilaf and pan roasted potatoes. There is even complimenatary baklava at dinner time.

PoFolks, 279 E. Orangethorpe Ave., Fullerton . (714) 992-1515. Open daily, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

This PoFolks is the first of a projected 50 to be built in Southern California: The chain is off to a good start. This is a high quality family restaurant with prices so low they are frightening. Chicken and dumplings a dollar nineteen? Yes, you read it right. Some of the best things here are a giant bowl of seafood gumbo, chock-full of shrimp, rice, and chunked okra, priced at $2.19, and a lightly breaded chicken fried steak. Such accompaniments as corn muffins, biscuits, and many side vegetable plates all are done with skill. Just don’t ask anybody what a moon pie is. If you do, you’ll be sorry.

Royal Khyber, 1000 N. Bristol St., Newport Beach. (714) 752-5200. Open Sundays through Fridays 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and daily 5:30 p.m. to 10:30.

The cuisine at Royal Khyber is the rich Mughlai type from north India and the restaurant has a richness to match; it resembles a maharaja’s palace. The best time to visit is for Sunday brunch, when a tempting array of more than 20 dishes is spread out before you. Meats cooked in the 800-degree tandoor are tender and crumbly with exotic spices. Biryani , a simple basmati rice dish with peas and fried onions is soft and fragrant. Among the many other dishes, chicken curry, channa masala (stewed garbanzo beans) and the dessert, a carrot-almond pudding, are most memorable.

Sabatino’s, 34700 Coast Highway, Capistano Beach. (714) 661-8998. Open Tuesdays through Thursdays 5 to 10 p.m., Fridays through Sundays to 11 p.m.

Sabatino’s is familiar, Chicago import Italian, complete with a romantic beach view, the best sausage this side of Cicero, and cloying lounge lizard music. As long as you don’t mind hearing “Mama” three times during dinner, you will love the place. Owner Pete Sabatino mixes an outstanding Caesar tableside, using pickled garlic cloves that he hoards in a jar. Pastas are mostly fresh, with thick flavorful sauces like pesto and Alfredo. Main courses, as in most restaurants of this genre, are almost beside the point.

Sorrento Grill, 370 Glenneyre St., Laguna Beach. (714) 494-8686. Open Mondays through Saturdays 5:30 to 10 p.m., Sundays 5 to 9:30 p.m.

Sorrento Grill is one of the best new restaurants around, a virtual lock for local stardom. The restaurant is a high concept operation and it pushes all the right buttons: a stunningly designed open kitchen, post-modern vastness and a decibel level even Phillip Glass would object to. The food is wonderful. Young, innovative chef Roseanne Ruiz uses the finest ingredients, Chino ranch vegetables, carefully selected poultry and fish, and she prepares them with the finest olive oil and utmost care. Desserts like an amazing creme brulee are brutally rich. Expect lines and unbridled enthusiasm.

Steamers, 444 N. Harbor Boulevard, Fullerton . (714) 738-0781 . Open daily 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., until midnight on weekends.

Steamers is an ingenuous new seafood house in downtown Fullerton that is reminiscent of the wharf area in San Francisco, and the ambiance is big and bright. Owners Parin and Nazy Hirani have operated a Steamers in Placentia for several years now and are familiar with the problems facing a new restaurant, so things run smoothly. There is a large selection of fresh fish in a glass case staring you in the face as you enter, and the kitchen will prepare them any way you like. It is probably best to make use of the mesquite broiler, though, and to avoid any fancy preparation. Forget about sophistication and enjoy.

Tootsie’s Sidewalk Cafe, Fashion Island, 327 Newport Center Dr i ve, Newport Beach. (714) 759-9000. Open Mondays through Saturdays 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sundays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m..

Tootsie’s is a bit overdone for a sidewalk cafe, and the prices are rather steep. Nonetheless, the place is fun. It is an exaggerated-looking pink room that dares you to like it, complete with poster art, columns and gaudy mirrored tables. Food is average, but desserts, made by Tootsie herself, are outstanding. Flaky apple dumplings are served warm with vanilla ice cream and a perfect caramel sauce. A wonderful chocolate pecan pie has a dense chocolate mixture folded in. Cheesecake is topped with an outrageously rich turtle topping. Come to think of it the whole place is a bit outrageous.