BEST BITES

The following are some capsule reviews of the better restaurants recently visited by our critics:

Heard of Mariscos Miguel? Not many people have, and it’s a shame. Owner Miguel Gonzales serves some wonderful Mexican dishes, particularly the seafood, in this former coffee shop.

Some of the appetizers can make great light lunches. The tostadas de ceviche consist of pieces of fish marinated in citrus juice, with chunks of tomato, cilantro and cabbage. And for one quesadilla dish, shrimp are sauteed in onions and herbs and tucked into corn tortillas and fried.

As for entrees, there are the traditional tamales, chiles rellenos and enchiladas, but it’s the seafood dishes that stand out. Pescado alla Gonzales is fresh halibut sauteed with tiny shrimp and served in a lemony salsa de una butter. The mahi-mahi is served crisp on one side, tender on the other, with a cilantro-butter sauce, homemade tomato salsa and a delicious fruit salsa.

For breakfast, there is a choice of American dishes--pancakes, French toast, omelets--or Mexican dishes. The chile verde omelet is filled with cheese and covered with a green chili sauce.

Mariscos Miguel is at 1812 Cliff Drive, Unit C, Santa Barbara, 687-7783. Breakfast and lunch are served 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday to Saturday; 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. Dinner is served 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday to Monday. Dinner for two, food only, will cost $11 to $32.

Start with a house salad. That’s the easiest way to initiate the palate into the Turkish and Mediterranean dishes served by Abraham Aymelek, the owner-chef of Moonangel.

Actually, why not start with several house salads? A sampler features tastes of five selections, highlighted by the patlican salatasi --an eggplant dish that is mousselike in texture--and the sweet and tart grape leaves stuffed with rice. The borek, or spinach pie, is pretty tempting too.

Following that introduction, move on to the main course. One of the traditional Turkish menu items is mantarli kuzu, a lamb and mushroom stew. The list of Mediterranean dishes is topped by the poached seafood wrapped in paper and steamed in a wine-based, seasoned broth.

Moonangel is located at 302 W. Montecito St., Santa Barbara, 962-8949. Lunch is served 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, dinner 5:30 to 11 p.m. daily and brunch 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Buffet lunch for two, food only will cost $15. Dinner for two, food only will cost $32 to $50.

Neon beer signs and colored lights make Golden China restaurant look like a pizza parlor. But that’s where the similarity ends. The two large dining rooms with carved wood panels, Oriental chairs and lantern light fixtures are a dead giveaway.

So are the 113 Mandarin and Sichuan items on the menu, most of which are rich with garlic and ginger, and some very sweet.

The mixed appetizers are served on a wooden platter with a fire pot burning in the middle. The resulting glow over the table is nice, as is the teriyaki beef on a stick.

Golden China is located at 1105 S. Seaward Ave., Ventura, 652-0688. Lunch and dinner are served 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Dinner for two, food only, $20 to $44.

From the way the suns shines through the dining room, to the classical Mexican and Yucatan cuisine, Cafe Vallarta is a treat for the senses. The new menu includes such entrees as a calamari-stuffed chile relleno, a mild pollo almendrado and an award-winning caldo de mariscos (or bouillabaisse). The beer snacks, especially the cochinita pibil (pork cooked in banana leaves), are worth trying. Cafe Vallarta is located at 620 E. Haley St., Santa Barbara, 564-8494. Dinner is served from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, and 5 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The restaurant is closed Sundays and Mondays. Dinner for two, food only, $28 to $40.