A sign outside the H2O restaurant in...

A sign outside the H2O restaurant in Manhattan Beach reads, “Dine American.”

Initially, I thought this was strange, since the restaurant’s first courses include carpaccio, tempura, pirogi, quesadilla, blini and escargot. Then it hit me: Any restaurant that offered appetizers from Italy, Japan, Poland, Mexico, Russia and

France would almost certainly be American.

The variety of the cuisine is also understandable, considering the background of the chef and the general manager. Chef Thatcher White has worked in some of the best restaurants in Los Angeles, including Patina and L’Orangerie. His partner, Steve Welton, was manager at the Depot and the Hard Rock Cafe. This combination adds up to one of the hottest new restaurants in the South Bay.

Selecting an appetizer is a bit difficult; everything is tempting. Pirogi ($5.25) are noodle dumplings filled with potatoes, Monterey Jack and Parmesan cheese, with a fine balsamic vinegar sauce. Roasted bell peppers ($5.75) are stuffed with Gruyere, Parmesan and goat cheese, mushrooms, pine nuts, thyme and garlic. The quesadilla ($6.50) oozes with smoked Gouda cheese, caramelized Bermuda onions, and is topped with pineapple salsa.

While the appetizers tend to be international, several of the main courses are all-American: smothered pork chops ($14.50), beer-battered fried chicken ($12.50) and a chicken pot pie ($12.50) loaded with moist chunks of breast meat in a flaky puff pastry. For an interesting twist on that childhood favorite, H2O offers a shrimp and scallop pot pie ($17.75.)

For lunch, H2O lists several excellent sandwiches. The most popular is the pressed ham sandwich ($7.75), a hollowed-out baguette crammed with ham, bell peppers, raclette cheese and tomatoes, then sauteed in clarified butter. A crab burger ($8) features Maryland crab, dill, shallots, and bell peppers.

H2O is at 401 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Manhattan Beach. Telephone: (310) 545-6220. Open Tuesday through Friday 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., and Sunday (bar menu only) 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.