The following are summaries of recent Times...

The following are summaries of recent Times restaurant reviews by Max jacobson. Prices are based on average cost for a party of two without wine. $--less than $15 $$--$15 to $39 $$$--$40 to $75 $$$$--More than $75

AMERICAN

* Cafe Zinc, 350 Ocean Ave., Laguna Beach. (714) 494-6302. Open Mondays from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.; Tuesdays through Sundays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. $$

A Berkeley-style cafe in Laguna, Cafe Zinc has remarkable, densely foamed cappuccino; fresh, imaginative muffins like millet or cranberry; and an outdoor patio.

* 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 to 2 a.m. $

This brewpub is 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.

CAJUN

* Bayou St. John, 320 Main St., Seal Beach. (213) 431-2298. Open daily from 5 to 10 p.m. $$

Bayou St. John in quiet Seal Beach is Orange County’s only bona fide Cajun restaurant. The boom has faded, but not the delights of this cuisine. Indulge yourself with such specialties as homemade gumbo, full of hidden flavors; oysters Rousseau, a rich appetizer with cheese, bacon, cream sauce and spicy tomato; and stuffed trout, pan-fried in pure butter. Blackened items are a must. Seafoods are flown in from the Gulf.

CHINESE

* China Palms, Fullerton Metro Center, 104 W. Orangethorpe Ave., Fullerton. (714) 526-2196. Open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays 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.

* Dynasty, 9200 Bolsa Ave., No. 215, Westminster. (714) 898-3189. Open Mondays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; weekends from 9 a.m. $$

A vast Hong Kong-style restaurant in a Little Saigon shopping mall, Dynasty is beginning to strut its stuff. The dining room is now in the hands of the capable Tony Lai, a Chinese foodie with Beverly Hills in his resume, and both food and service have taken a sharp upturn. Black-pepper beef brisket from the Page 1 specials menu is extraordinary, and don’t miss the first-rate kung pao dishes, sand dabs with spicy salt, or soy-sauce squab. On a menu with 150 entrees, there is much to choose from.

CONTINENTAL

* The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton, 33533 Ritz-Carlton Drive, Dana Point. (714) 240-5008. Open nightly for dinner from 6 to 10 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. Amid the beautiful surroundings, elegant service and well-heeled clientele, chef Fabrice Canelle has introduced a creative, eccentric and 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.

* The Golden Truffle, 1767 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa. (714) 645-9858. Open Tuesdays through Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Tuesdays through Thursdays from 6 to 9:30 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays to 10 p.m. $$$

The Golden Truffle is an eccentric restaurant with an eclectic menu that defies rhythm or logic. Chef Alan Greeley is whimsical; he cooks for the sheer pleasure of it, and it mostly tastes terrific. Bay shrimp cocktail Yucatan is like a combination gazpacho-ceviche , with tiny shrimp and chunky pieces of avocado immobilized in a thick, tangy puree of tomato and chili. Broiled marinated skirt steak with pinto beans and cactus is a triumph. Nothing else on the menu will prepare you for it. There is a wide selection of premium wines and bistro-like desserts. The ambiance is relaxed and casual.

* Hastings, in the Anaheim Hilton and Towers, 777 Convention Way, Anaheim. (714) 750-4321. Open Mondays through Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Mondays through Saturdays from 6 to 10:30 p.m . $$$

Hastings has good food for a hotel restaurant, but other aspects of dining there can be annoying; service is particularly spotty and indifferent. The room is predictably clubby with the predictable hotel creature comforts. The menu features a sumptuous lobster ravioli appetizer, a fine seafood Caesar salad and some highly credible entrees, among them filet mignon that melts in the mouth and a great veal. Seafoods are done handsomely. The wine list is extensive and intelligent.

CUBAN

* Felix Continental Cafe, 36 Plaza Square, Orange. (714) 633-5842. Open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. $$

You can smell the garlic for blocks around this European-looking, Cuban-style cafe in the old downtown of Orange. The menu abounds with exotica. Papa rellena (a potato and egg croquette rolled in bread crumbs) is the best appetizer. Roast chicken Cubano (a crispy half-chicken with bitter orange peel added for extra dimension) is definitely the best entree. Save room for dessert--it is the best course here. Pineapple-raisin bread pudding, a soft, buttery suspension of rum, eggs, flour and fruit, is good enough to make Betty Crocker blush.

ENGLISH

* 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 to 10 p.m.; Saturdays to 10:30 p.m.; and Sundays from 5 to 9 p.m. $$

The Cat and Custard Cup is a lovingly reconstructed English pub with a campy Continental menu and dark, medieval trappings. It is charming, cheerful and worth a wide detour.

FRENCH

* The Pleasant Peasant, 4251 Martingale Way, Newport Beach. (714) 955-2755. Open Mondays through Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Mondays through Thursdays from 5:30 to 9 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays to 10 p.m. $$

* La Brasserie, 202 S. Main St., Orange. (714) 978-6161. Open Mondays through Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Mondays through Saturdays from 5 to 10 p.m. $$$

Country French cuisine has a huge audience, but many of the restaurants advertising it end up serving much fancier dishes instead. (They can charge more that way.) The Pleasant Peasant is reasonably priced, with both soup and salad included in the prices of main courses. Stick to lamb and anything without sauce here. La Brasserie is a lot pricier but also considerably more accomplished. The coq au vin rouge is terrific, as is a wonderful homemade chicken-liver mousse in aspic. Good desserts and plenty of romance here too.

* La Vie en Rose, 240 S. State College Blvd., Brea. (714) 529-8333. Open Mondays through Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and from 6 to 10 p.m. $$$

La Vie en Rose is supposed to be fashioned after a Normandy 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 with slices of preserved duck and a heady garlic dressing) makes a terrific lunch. Fish is 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.

GREEK

* Greek Cuisine, 13011 Newport Ave., Tustin . (714) 731-1179. Open Mondays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; daily from 5 to 10 p.m. $$

* Flamingo, 17185 Brookhurst St., Fountain Valley. (714) 964-0016. Open Tuesdays through Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays to 11 p.m. $20

Ethnic eateries in mini-malls: Greek Cuisine in Tustin boasts exquisite taramo, creamed carp roe, fall-off-the-bone oregano chicken and a fine array of Greek specialties, while Flamingo in Fountain Valley is more terra incognita: seco norteno (piquant lamb stew in onion gravy), papas a la Huancaina (potatoes in a cheese-sauce blanket), picarone (hot pumpkin fritters in blackstrap molasses). Both restaurants are casual and inexpensive.

INDIAN

* The Clay Oven, 15435 Jeffrey Road, Irvine. (714) 552-2851. Open Tuesdays through Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. $$$

The Clay Oven is an Indian restaurant inauspiciously located in a country shopping mall and specializing in dishes from the tandoor, the authentic oven advertised by the restaurant’s name. Fish tikka , here made with chunks of broiled swordfish, is downright heavenly, and tandoori chicken, rubbed red with a spice mixture and broiled until sizzling, is another winner. There is an interesting selection of vegetable dishes as well. Wash everything down with giant bottles of imported Indian beer and lament the fact that most of the really exotic specialties you see displayed on the menu won’t be available.

INDONESIAN

* Dewi, 1762 N. Tustin Ave., Orange. (714) 637-1101. Open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m to 8 p.m. $

Hurry over--while there is still time--to Dewi, a small Indonesian restaurant/grocery store hidden among commercial properties along a busy avenue in Orange. Nasi rames is a mixed rice plate with a whole cookbook full of Indonesian goodies, and the restaurant has fabulous barbecued chicken and hot stewed-beef dishes. Owner Edith Vredevoogd is constantly preparing little snacks such as lemper (a sticky rice roll filled with minced chicken) or cendol (mysterious green bits taken with crushed ice, syrup and jackfruit). Don’t despair if you miss the restaurant, though. There is a second Dewi run by Mrs. V’s brother in Huntington Beach. Exotica at its best.

ITALIAN

* Agostino’s, 34700 Coast Highway, Capistrano Beach. (714) 661-8266. Open Tuesdays through Sundays from 5 to 10 p.m. $$

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

* Capriccio Italiano Ristorante, Village Mall, 25380 Marguerite Parkway, Mission Viejo. (714) 855-6866. Open Mondays through Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and from 4 to 9:30 p.m.; weekends from 4 to 10 p.m. $$

Capriccio may mean “whim” in Italian, but there is nothing whimsical about the food in this restaurant; it is polished and sophisticated. For my money, it is a real find. The kitchen is run by two brothers from Palermo, Sal and Franco Maniaci, but there is barely a trace of Sicilian influence in the dishes they serve. Appetizers like vitello tonnato and lumache del bosco are marvelous, and pastas are fresh and homemade. Many main dishes have French overtones, like a stylish lamb rack with truffles and foie gras , or a civet of hare called lepre salmi . Cappriccio’s location is modest, and so are prices, but its class is obvious.

* Prego, 18420 Von Karman Ave., Irvine. (714) 553-1333. Open Mondays from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.; Tuesdays through Thursdays to 11 p.m.; Fridays to 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 neoclassical. 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.

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

Service is fluid and solicitous 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.

JAPANESE

* The Food Court at Yaohan Market, 665 Paularino Ave., 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 also will find a bakery that serves Japanese versions of such Western dishes as clam chowder and spaghetti--and many curious, puzzled customers. Good, cheap fun.

* Kitayama, 101 Bayview Place, Newport Beach . (714) 725-0777. Open Mondays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 6 to 10:30 p.m.; Saturdays from 5 to 11 p.m. $$

Kitayama, the first really serious Japanese restaurant in Orange County, is an exquisite addition to the local dining scene. You’ll think you’ve wandered into a Buddhist temple--until you taste the delicate, sophisticated cooking of Yoshio Shirai and his team of chefs. The sho-ka-do lunch is the most beautiful $14 meal anywhere, and the omakase kaiseki, a multicourse feast at $50 per person, is unforgettable.

MEXICAN

* Caliente, 1910 Main St., Irvine. (714) 975-1220. Open seven days a week, 11 a.m. to midnight. $$

Caliente is Spanish for hot, and that is exactly what this stylish new restaurant is. It’s the latest jewel in the El Torito crown, and its modest adobe exterior conceals a stunning design--a faint red ‘80s-chic motif complete with dramatic lighting, an open kitchen and a comal (a high-tech version of a stone tortilla cooker). The restaurant smokes its own meats, and you can wash them down with premium margaritas made from vintage tequila. Desserts, such as burnt cream and apple crisp, are wonderful.