CHOW, BABY! : AN OPINIONATED GUIDE TO DINING IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA : ORANGE COUNTY

If you think of Orange County as the world capital of stuffy dining, think again. Probably more good new restaurants have opened here in the past few years than any place else in the country (we needed them). O.C. residents may not be surprised by the range of this list, but everybody else, be warned: You’re not in the seacoast of Kansas anymore.

CAFE ZINC. Artists and bikers hang out on the patio of this Bohemian cafe, sipping O.C.’s best cappuccino. There are breakfasts of homemade granola, muffins and toast you can trust: The bread’s from the La Brea Bakery in L.A. Lunches, for those who linger,include chili and great salads. Cafe Zinc 350 Ocean Ave., Laguna Beach; (714) 494-6302.

spectacular. The “eel” here is made from seaweed, gluten and tofu, and the traditional rice-paper egg rolls are filled with wild cilantro, vegetables, and fresh noodle instead of shrimp and pork. Forays into the healthfully exotic include the iced pennyworth leaf, a green elixir that makes wheat-grass juice seem banal. Vien Huong, 4702 W. 1st St., Santa Ana, (714) 775-6467, and 14092 Magnolia St., Westminster, (714) 373-1876.

MEZZALUNA. New York City comes to Corona del Mar in this trendy trattoria . The pizza is wonderful and matzo-thin; the pastas, such as integrale (made with whole-wheat semolina flour) are chewy. Grappa is the other attraction--but be aware that the designer digestivos, poured from elegant hand-blown bottles, sport New York City price tags. Mezzaluna, 2441 E. Coast Hwy., Corona del Mar; (714) 675-2004.

KITAYAMA. O.C.’s most impressive Japanese restaurant is a mock temple, replete with white fir, traditional lanterns, elegant screens and a garden courtyard. Specialty of the house is traditional kaiseki , multi-course meals of bite-sized delicacies that are beautifully presented--and incredibly expensive. More affordable: the shokado boxes at lunch. Kitayama, 101 Bayview Place, Newport Beach; (714) 725-0777.

GRANVILLE’S STEAK HOUSE. Big food for big eaters in the Disneyland Hotel. Everything’s oversized, from the 20-ounce Kansas City strip to the 20-layer chocolate cake. This masculine room is a big favorite with out-of-towners in Mickey Mouse ears, so reserve well in advance. Granville’s Steak House, 1150 W. Cerritos Ave., Anaheim; (714) 778-6600.

MCCORMICK & SCHMICK’S. Being part of a Portland-based seafood chain has its advantages: It means McCormick and Schmick always has a terrific assortment of fresh, seasonal oysters (Skookum, Quilcene, Malpeque). The fish are outstanding too--in season, you can even get salmon from the Copper River, the best in the world. McCormick and Schmick’s, 2000 Main St., Irvine; (714) 756-0505.

PASCAL. French food that the French might actually eat--if they were eating in a Newport shopping mall. Chef-owner Pascal Olhats comes from Normandy, but his menu tilts toward the south: sea bass with a thyme crust, warm salad of duck confit, Mediterranean fish stew. Plus light desserts that suit the casual ambience. Pascal, 1000 Bristol St., Newport Beach; (714) 752-0107.

GUSTAF ANDERS. When La Jolla’s best restaurant and liveliest piano bar moved to Santa Ana, the reception was icy. But locals soon got beyond the stark setting and discovered freshly made bread, home-pickled herring and the area’s most impressive continental cuisine. Try the wild-rice pancakes with caviar and sugar-and-salt-cured salmon with creamed-dill potatoes. South Coast Plaza Village, at Bear and Sunflower streets, Santa Ana; (714) 668-1737.