The following are summaries of recent Times...

The following are summaries of recent Times restaurant reviews.

Scott’s Seafood Grill, 3330 Bristol St., Costa Mesa. (714) 979-2400. Open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. All major credit cards accepted.

Scott’s Seafood Grill made a killer impression on me the first time I ate there, but the year was 1976 and the city was San Francisco. That was then, this is now. Today, in a stunning new Coast Mesa location, the romance wears a bit thin. Good oysters, rich clam chowder and a good wine list make for pleasant beginnings, but the fresh mesquite-grilled fish is often devoid of flavor, like one would expect in such a high-volume operation. Save room for the homemade desserts and the good espresso.

Gustav Anders, 3610 S. Plaza Drive, South Coast Plaza Village, Santa Ana. (714) 668-1737. Open daily from 11:30 to midnight. All major cards.

Gustav Anders is a recent arrival from La Jolla, where it had received critical raves from customers and critics alike. Here, in a beautiful setting, it fails to live up to its promise. Service is spotty and disorganized. The kitchen shows only occasional flashes of the brilliance it was once known for. Chef Ulf Strandberg has a deft hand with smoked fish, pate, and salads. His main dishes, like the insipid deep fried sweetbread or a too-sharp rabbit livers, are somewhat disappointing.

Stix, 28251 Crown Valley Parkway at the Center at Ranch Miguel, Laguna Niguel. (714) 83 1-STIX. Open 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. weekdays, 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. weekends. Visa/MasterCard accepted.

Stix is a bright, airy, mirror-lined new Chinese restaurant, with the novelty of an exhibition kitchen. The mysteries of the East will never be the same. The cooking offers few surprises but is straightforward and safe; no MSG, high-quality oils like peanut and sesame, you get it. The various kung paos, pan fried dumplings, and twice-cooked pork may lack the hotness and brio they have in Chinatown or Monterey Park, but added color and crunch make up for it. Clay roasted chicken looks fabulous.

Mayur, 2931 E. Coast Highway, Corona del Mar. (714) 675-6622. Open Mondays through Fridays 11:30 a.m. to 2:30, 5:30 to 11:30; Saturdays 5:30 to 11:30 , Sundays noon to 11:30 .

Breads like naan and aijwan paratha are perfect, steaming from the tandoor. Fish tikka comes dripping spice. Lamb vindaloo, a Goan preparation with vinegar, chili and potato, is hot, fragrant and well balanced. Be wary of the oily vegetable dishes and the unctuous service.

Spaghettini, 3005 Old Ranch Parkway, Seal Beach. (213) 596-2199. Open Mondays through Fridays 11 a.m. to 3:30, 4:30 to 10; Saturdays noon to 3:30, 4:30 to 10:30; Sundays noon to 3:30, 4:30 to 9:30.

A swank Seal Beach grill and pasta house, Spaghettini gets by largely on beauty: The food is somewhat spotty. Appetizers have little character, but pizzas are full grown and yeasty, fresh from an oak-burning brick oven. Pastas are made fresh daily but are not necessarily well prepared. Linguini clams turns out to be a bowl of sticky glop. It’s best to stick with items from the restaurant’s mesquite grill, like the perfectly blackened veal chop or the excellent mixed grill.

El Ranchito, 1351H Beach Blvd., La Habra. (213) 943-6020. Open Sundays through Thursdays 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays till 10 p.m.

Manana, 17171 Brookhurst St., Fountain Valley. (714) 963-8673. Open Mondays through Thursdays 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays till 11 p.m.

La Salsa, Irvine Ranch Farmers Market, Fashion Island, Newport Beach ((714) 640-4289) and Santa Ana MainPlace ((714) 543-9524). Open from 9 to 9 weekdays, 11 to 9 weekends.

Everyone, it seems, has his secret Mexican haunt, where the chilies are hotter or the tortillas fresher. El Ranchito is the place for carnitas, chunked pork marinated in lemon and garlic, and for some of the most toothsome handmade tortillas in the area. Larry Cano’s Manana specializes in fajitas, giant portions that easily feed two, loaded with trimmed meats, red and yellow peppers, tomatoes and carmelized onion. Best of all is La Salsa, a humble food stand dispensing antojitos, soft tacos, quesadillas and Mexican sandwiches. Meats here are impeccable, accompaniments rapturous.

Gemmell’s, 3000 Bristol St., Costa Mesa . (714) 751-1074. Open Mondays through Fridays 11:30 a .m. to 2:30 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays 6 to 10:30 p.m.

You’ve seen it all before: the quiet, understated rooms, the tables draped like ballroom gowns, the silver domes, the brandy cart. At Gemmell’s, thank heaven, it all makes sense. Treat yourself to an evening here, feasting on such specialties as goose liver wrapped in blackened cabbage, lobster in Sauteres, veal chop with morels. Chef Byron Gemmell has a carefuly designed menu with nearly every item on it worthy of praise. Prepare to pay handsomely for the privlege of praising.

McCormick and Schmick, 2000 Main St., Irvine. (714) 756-0505. Open Mondays through Fridays 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturdays 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., Sundays 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

McCormick and Schmick is the latest member of an exclusive chain that started in the Pacific Northwest, a slick, muscular operation specializing in fresh seafoods, and the food is terrific. Oysters like Quilicene, Olympia, Golden Mantle, and Skookum taste as if they have just been dragged from the sea. Fish like Copper River salmon in cream wiith bay scallops, or sea bass with Jamaican spices, are good enough to make a grown man weep. Non-fish eaters can feast on marinated chicken, or Cajun cheeseburgers. Head of the class.

China Palms, Fullerton Metro Center, 104 W. Orangethorpe Ave., Fullerton. (714) 526-2196. Open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Joe Ling put a palm tree in the middle of his restaurant, an airy, ultra-modern dining room in Fullerton’s spanking new Metro Center. But there is nothing tropical about the solid pan-Chinese food he serves, made in one of the most accomplished Chinese kitchens around. Cold dishes, dumplings and first-rate soups make perfect beginnings. Honey-glazed bananas, plunged steaming into an ice-filled bowl tableside, make perfect endings. The goodies you can have in between are too numerous to mention.

Yankee Tavern, 333 Bayside Drive, Newport Beach. (714) 675 5333. Open nightly 5:30 to midnight.

Those who know Yankee Tavern owner Hans Prager as proprietor of the Ritz may be surprised to see him in this urban roadhouse, catering to a crowd hungry for low prices, speedy service and an unpretentious menu. The food here is almost unfailingly good, though, in a cafeteria-style manner. Meat loaf, pot pie, lamb shanks and fresh seafoods are featured along with many New England style dishes such as Little Neck clams, seafood stew and blueberry cobbler. Good fun.