The following are summaries of recent Times...

The following are summaries of recent Times restaurant reviews.

* Amici, 3220 Park Center Drive, Coast Mesa. (714) 850-9399. Open Mondays through Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. , Mondays through Thursdays from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 5:30 to 11:30 p.m.

Massimo Navaretta is alive and well at Amici, making even more of an impression than he did at Scampi, his previous success. This is a serious new restaurant that is small and intimate, all Deco lines and salmon-colored sconces, and what comes out of the kitchen is equally stylish. Special antipasti like potato souffle with porcini and lightly fried zucchini blossoms are pure magic; wonderful scampi are flown in from Europe and are fabulous eaten from the shell. Great pastas, excellent imported wines.

* The Food Court at Yaohan Market, 665 Paularino St., Costa Mesa . (714) 557 - 6699. Most concessions open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m .

If you are looking for a crash course in contempo Japanese, look no further than Yaohan Market in Costa Mesa and its colorful Food Court. Several concessions are in full swing here, serving a variety of Japanese lunch and snack foods including bento (Japanese lunch box), ramen and curry rice; there’s even a bona fide sushi bar. You will also find a bakery that serves Japanized versions of such Western dishes as clam chowder and spaghetti--and a large number of curious, puzzled customers. Good, cheap fun.

* The Original Pancake House, 1418 E. Lincoln Avenue, Anaheim. (714) 693-1390. Open Tuesdays through Sundays from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Original Pancake House is one of the very best restaurants in Orange County. Just ask anyone who has eaten there. All the batters are made with sourdough yeast and come straight from the grill--light, finely textured and complex. The Belgian waffles are eggy and crispy, and the apple pancake, a giant golden puff with a cinnamon glaze topping, is one step away from nirvana.

* Prego, 18420 Von Karman Avenue, Irvine. (714) 553-1333. Open Mondays from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Tuesdays through Thursdays till 11 p.m., Fridays till midnight; Saturdays from 5 p.m. to midnight, Sundays from 5 to 10:30 p.m.

Prego, 4 years old, remains one of the area’s most impressive Italian restaurants. The exterior is that of a Tuscan villa; inside, it’s elegant and neo-classical. The kitchen serves mostly northern Italian fare that is all the rage now: homemade pastas, rotisserie meats, sumptuous desserts. It’s best to stick to basics here--wood-fired pizzas, terrific roast duck and lamb. Service ranges from gracious to arrogant, but there are plenty of excellent Italian wines to toss around.

* The Cat and Custard Cup, 800 E. Whittier Blvd., La Habra. (213) 694-3812 or (714) 996-6496. Open Mondays through Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Mondays from 5:30 to 9 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays until 10 p.m., Saturdays until 10:30 p.m., and Sundays from 5 to 9 p.m.

Cafe El Cholo, 840 E. Whittier Blvd., La Habra. (213) 694-4600 or (714) 525-1320. Open Mondays through Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sundays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m .

The Cat and Custard Cup and Cafe El Cholo are located across a La Habra parking lot from one another and their themes couldn’t be more divergent. One is a lovingly reconstructed English pub with a campy Continental menu and dark, medieval trappings. The other is bright, festive and Mexican, with fajitas, guacamole and frosty margaritas. Both are charming, cheerful, and worth a wide detour.

* 3-6-9 Shanghai, 613 N. Euclid St., Anaheim. (714) 635-8319. Open daily except Sundays from 11:30 a.m., Mondays through Thursdays till 9:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays till 10.

One of the best small Chinese restaurants in the heavily ethnic San Gabriel Valley, 3-6-9 Shanghai has opened this storefront sister in an Anaheim shopping mall, bringing nearly all of its popular dishes. Handmade breads and savory dumpling preparations excel here along with such exotic cold appetizers as tea smoked chicken and braised baby bamboo. The restaurant is cheap and basic; tell them to tread lightly on the MSG. The steamed pork with rice powder is a revelation.

* The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton, 33533 Ritz-Carlton Drive, Dana Point. (714) 240-5008. Open nightly for dinner from 6 to 10:30 p.m.

A meal at the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton is always a memorable experience, but in some instances the memories tend to be a bit flawed. Amidst the beautiful surroundings, elegant service and well-heeled clientele, chef Fabrice Canelle has introduced a creative, eccentric but imperfect cuisine, a blend of French, Californian and international influences. The menu is small, and dishes have a tendency toward the sweet. Salads, Sonoma duck liver, lamb and outstanding desserts are the hallmarks.

* Voila Bistro and Grill, 16871 Beach Blvd., Huntington Beach. (714) 841-1166. Open Tuesdays through Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays from 5 to 10 p.m., Sundays from 4:30 to 9 p.m.

A new local dining spot, Voila Bistro and Grill is a surprising find indeed, a combination of Paris casual and Huntington Beach chic. Chef Rochelle Robinson turns a brilliant onion soup--a bistro classic--and does fine braised duck and lamb dishes. Dessert souffles such as chocolate and lemon are on the varied menu, and given proper notice the chef will even make a cheese souffle. Salads, pizzas and a respectable little wine list fill things out nicely.

* Heritage Brewing Company, 24921 Dana Point Harbor Drive, Dana Point. (714) 240-2060. Open Sundays through Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to midnight, Fridays and Saturdays till 2 a.m.

Heritage Brewing Company has the somewhat dubious distinction of being Orange County’s only brewpub, a rowdy place with dart boards, foosball and a young, party crazed crowd. If the beer had any flavor at all one could even call the place lively. Four brews are offered--pale ale, golden ale, Irish red and Dana porter--along with a variety of salads, finger foods and sandwiches, the best of which is beef on wick, wafer-thin roast beef on a salted bun. The burgers aren’t bad.

* Kotobuki, 24356 Avenida de la Carlota, Laguna Hills. (714) 587-0290. Open Mondays through Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Totally awesome. That’s how Hiro Watanabe, sushi-maker extraordinaire, describes most of his creations at Kotobuki, his pint-size, big-hearted new Japanese restaurant. Hiro-san’s food has a quirky appeal--from Philadelphia roll (crab, avocado and cream cheese) to the more authentic preparations such as uni (sea urchin) and hamachi (yellowtail). Put yourself in the chef’s hands and let him do his thing. He probably will anyway.

* Panda Inn, 2 Center Point Drive, La Palma. (714) 522-6082. Open daily from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Panda Inn, an upscale Chinese restaurant chain, recently arrived in La Palma. It can credit its success to its attractive, mildly Americanized interpretations of traditional Mandarin cuisine. Purists beware. Shy away from the complicated fare (lemon this, orange that) and stick to basics: the well-crafted soups, the excellent lamb and pork dishes, and the first-rate sauteed vegetables. Don’t go home without a serving of mango pudding for dessert. It is a real palate cleanser, with a refreshing taste.

* Ciao, 1730 E. 17th St., Santa Ana. (714) 972-3101. Open Mondays through Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Saturdays from 4:30 to 9:30.

Ciao is one of those indistinct little neighborhood restaurants you can drive by 100 times without noticing, but it happens to be an exceptional one. Bina Crivello, a Sicilian mater familias who runs the restaurant with the help of her five sons, makes most of the food herself: crusty pizzas, earthy pastas, and a good rich tomato sauce to go with them. Bring a hefty appetite, and leave room for the excellent tiramisu--intense, mocha rich, and drooling mascarpone cheese.

* Morell’s, in the Irvine Hilton, 17900 Jamboree Road, Irvine. (714) 863-3111. Open daily except except Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., 6 to 10.

Morell’s is one hotel restaurant making an obvious effort to keep up with the times, but one still comes away with the impression that instituitional practices die hard. It’s a quietly elegant room done up in various shades of pink, and there is a formal quality to the service. Appetizers such as sweetbreads and smoked salmon are among the strong suits. Desserts are visual stunners. The basically sound main dishes suffer occasionally from a desire to impress.