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.

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, as one would expect in such a high-volume operation. Save room for the homemade desserts and the good espresso.

Stix, 28251 Crown Valley Parkway at the Center at Ranch Miguel, Laguna Niguel. (714) 831-STIX. Open 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. weekdays, 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. weekends.

Stix is a bright, airy, mirror-lined new Chinese restaurant where 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.

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

Gustav Anders is a recent arrival from La Jolla, where it 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 for which Anders once was known. Chef Ulf Strandberg has a deft hand with smoked fish, pate, and salads. But his main dishes, such as the insipid deep fried sweetbread or too-sharp rabbit livers, are disappointing.

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 privilege 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.

Ferrantelli, 25001 Dana Point Harbor Drive, Dana Point. (714) 493-1401. Open Mondays through Fridays 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Sundays through Thursdays 5:30 to 10, Fridays and Saturdays till 11.

Ferrantelli is an engaging dockside pasta house that doesn’t take a lot of chances but offers solid meals. The house antipasto, a stunning palette of color and taste, gives an idea of the type of effort the kitchen puts in with its limited skill. Pastas are fine, too, made fresh daily by Pasta Mia and embellished with a variety of good sauces. But the veal dishes are tasteless, and main courses are often sweet and cloying.

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.

Kachina, 222 Forest Ave., Laguna Beach. (714) 497-5546. Open nightly from 5:30 to 10.

Kachina is new, but it already may be the county’s best restaurant. Named for an American Indian doll of the Southwest, the restaurant serves food that is rare and exotic--edible art. David Wilhelm, late of Pave and the El Torito Grill, has composed a menu featuring some of the most imaginative, intelligent cooking this side of the Twilight Zone, full of sumptuous tastes and color-splashed textures. Run, don’t walk, to taste their green corn tamale, honey-glazed pork and celestial chocolate bread pudding. And go early.

Agostino’s, 34700 Coast Highway, Capistrano Beach. (714) 661-8266. Open Tuesdays through Sundays noon to 3 and 5 to 10.

Entirely new management is in place at this Chicago style Italian restaurant, famous for its homemade sausage and romantic beach view. Much of the menu, including the tableside Caesar and the rich, creamy pastas, is the same as it was when the place was called Sabatino’s. But Agostino already has added many seafood dishes including mussels, fresh salmon, and calamari. The bar is as good a hangout as you’ll find on Capo Beach.

Tuttomare, 545 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach. (714) 640-6333. Open Mondays through Thursdays 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Fridays 11 to midnight; Saturdays 11:30 to midnight, Sundays 5 to 10.

Service is fluid and solicitious at this smart, stunning restaurant, located in the building that used to house the Savannah Grill, but the kitchen is having its ups and downs. Wonderful, yeasty foccaccia bread served with virgin olive oil and the fine grilled seafoods are some of the ups. Naked vegetables and bland pasta dishes are some of the downs. Lombata di vitello, veal chop with fontina and prosciutto, is one reason to go back for a second look.

Umi, 2075 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa. (714) 631-2208. Open Tuesdays through Sundays 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5:30 to 10:30, Fridays and Saturdays till 11.

Umi is a modern and imaginative but often unprofessional sushi bar with high-tech pretensions, and knowing what to order is important: You are safe if you stick with the sushi, which is fresh and crafted with an excellently prepared rice, but it is easy to run aground on the many hot dishes. Among them, best are a wonderful scallop casserole, a toothsome Japanese steak, and yaki-onigiri, grilled triangles of sushi rice with various fillings. Service can be painfully slow.

Pinnacle Peak, 9100 Trask Ave., Garden Grove. (714) 892-7311. Open Mondays through Fridays 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., weekends till 10 p.m.

Crazy Horse Steak House, 1580 Brookhollow Drive, Santa Ana. (714) 549-1512. Open Mondays through Fridays 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., Saturdays and Sundays 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.

While everyone else is busy disavowing addiction to good steak, sneak off to one of these places. Leave the tie at home when you visit Pinnacle Peak; someone will sneak up on you and cut it off. Honest. The restaurant’s trail boss steak, cooked over an open flame, is a char-broiled monster, a great value at $9.95. The Crazy Horse is a bit longer on atmosphere but, apart from the high-grade beef, it’s run-of-the-mill. Many of the side dishes have been frozen, and the whole place has a packaged feel about it.

Garduno’s Ristorante Italiano, 298 E. 17th St., Costa Mesa. (714) 645-5505. Open Mondays through Thursdays 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Fridays till 10 p.m., Saturdays noon to 10 p.m.

Garduno’s may be the quintessential Italian sidewalk cafe-except the sidewalk is missing. Mark and Julie Garduno, an engaging young couple, run the place as if it was a small family room, serving fresh, home-cooked fare that often delights. Standout dishes include a killer carbonara loaded with fresh peas, pancetta and sauteed mushrooms; and a fabulous fusilli, twirly pasta spirals in a chunky tomato sauce with big pieces of homemade sausage. The regular menu has all the favorites, the cappuccino is frothy, and there are wonderful creamy cheesecakes to boot.