Bountiful, Bountiful Huntington Beach

The focus near the Huntington Beach pier these days is not just on surfing. The area’s on its way to becoming a destination point for diners. The brand new Waterfront Hilton is open, with its ocean-view Cielo Mare restaurant. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, accenting Mediterranean fare, prepared by a French chef. Average dinner price: $21. The hotel is at 2100 Pacific Coast Highway. Reservations: (714) 960-7873.

Peppers Golden Bear, across Pacific Coast Highway at the peach-and-teal, four-level Pierside Pavilion, will open Aug. 20. Bearing the same name as a legendary nightclub that once presented the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, if features a 500-seat concert venue as well as a dining room for 280. In either area, you can savor Norteno (North Mexican-style) fare, with such sizzling platters as mesquite-broiled fajitas served with Alaskan king crab legs or lobster tail. And there’s more, from super burritos to baby back pork ribs. Concert/dinner packages are available. Peppers Golden Bear will be open daily, beginning with a happy hour from 4 to 8 p.m. (with a free 30-foot display of appetizers) and offering dinner and entertainment till 2 a.m. Sunday brunch also is planned. This is the Southland’s third Peppers. The others are in the City of Industry (also a concert hall) and Garden Grove (restaurant only). Information: (714) 969-3434.

Friday, Aug. 10, is the scheduled opening of Johnny Rockets, also in the Pierside Pavilion. Franchisers are Paul Wimmer and Bill Schroeder, owners of Maxwell’s just across PCH at the pier, plus Ben Hobberman. It’s a ‘50s-style diner concept, with cooked-to-order hamburgers, a variety of sandwiches and made-with-real-ice-cream malts and shakes. The jukeboxes will play ‘50s and ‘60s tunes, and the staff (wearing the traditional fountain hats) will perform skits to some of the records. Johnny Rockets started in West Hollywood on Melrose and now has locations in Beverly Hills, Westwood and Sherman Oaks. The Huntington Beach franchise is the first in Orange County, but Wimmer, Shroeder and Hobberman plan to open another in November in Fashion Island. For info in Huntington Beach: (714) 536-2111.

Still more from Wimmer and Schroeder: In September they’ll unveil, also in Pierside Pavilion, the second-story, ocean-view (plus terrace seating) Main Street Bar and Grill. True, it’s another dinner house, but while Maxwell’s specializes in seafood, the Grill will concentrate, as the name suggests, on steaks and other grill items. An all-day a la carte menu, prepared in an exhibition kitchen, will price entrees from $6 to $20. The restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner daily, with a sit-down brunch on Sundays. (714) 536-2101.

Also scheduled for an early September debut in the Pierside Pavilion: Amy’s Deli, which will also feature its own bakery and a selection of wines. The Pavilion is at Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street.

Alfredo’s Ristorante in the Westin South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, recently introduced a new, lower-priced, less formal, more comfortable dining style. New menus, developed by chef Wade Simpson, highlight, for dinner, a classic cioppino, smoked Italian sausage in egg and spinach ravioli with rosemary red pepper sauce, sauteed sea bass with fresh fennel, anisette and cream. (Entree prices: $10.25 to $23.50) The new luncheon menu includes potato gnocchi with pancetta and Gorgonzola, gazpacho primavera with shrimp and pesto sour cream. The price range is $7.25 to $11.25. Alfredo’s traditional service and its naturally lit garden setting will not change. The Westin is at Bristol and Anton in Costa Mesa; (714) 540-1550.