BEST BITES

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

Voila Cafe may be in an ordinary little California stucco house, but the food is anything but nondescript. This restaurant knows how to come up with a fine dining experience.Voila Cafe is at 1095 Thompson Blvd., Ventura, 643-9445. Lunch and dinner are served 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Friday. Breakfast, lunch and dinner 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday; Sunday brunch 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Dinner for two, food only $27-$46. Sunday brunch with champagne $16.50 per person.

Sushi Marina may not look much like a traditional Japanese restaurant, but the sushi is wonderful, and the place has a kind of happy-hour energy even during the week. Soft-shelled crab is a wonderful appetizer, crisp, crunchy and delicate; and the teriyaki beef is as good as it gets. Untraditional sushi rolls include the Philly, made with cooked salmon and cream cheese. Sushi Marina is at 120 S. California St., Ventura, 643-5200. Lunch Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; dinner Monday-Sunday 5:30-10 p.m. Dinner for two, food only, $22-$62.50.

It’s not back in Texas or Tennessee, but off the highway going into Saticoy that Buster’s Original Bar-B-Q and Bakery sits, dishing out down-home style ribs, chicken and the house specialty--the best tri-tip sandwich between San Diego and the Oregon border. Buster’s is at 1201 S. Wells Road, Saticoy, 647-2103. Open Tuesday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday-Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Meal for two, food only, $10-$20.