At age 14, Ante Perkov left the...

At age 14, Ante Perkov left the beautiful Dalmatian coast of Croatia to travel the world aboard a cargo ship.

Two years later, off the shore of Karachi, Pakistan, the ship’s chef got sick and Perkov, a chef’s aide, took command of the galley. Today, 53 years later, some of those same Croatian recipes that earned him the admiration of the crew are available at Ante’s, his restaurant in San Pedro.

Perkov, who opened his first restaurant in 1945, moved to his present location in 1968. Wearing his trademark fresh carnation in his hair, he can be seen going from table to table greeting his customers. The comfortable restaurant is decorated with a mural of the Adriatic Sea.

Among the Dalmatian specialties of Ante’s are the sarma ($10.50), two large cabbage rolls stuffed with ground beef and rice and served with a sweet-and-sour sauce. The rolls are accompanied by mostaccioli --large macaroni tubes--topped with tomato sauce and seasoned with onions, garlic, sweet basil, nutmeg end red wine.

Another popular choice is kiseli kupus sa svinjskim brzolima ($9.45). Chunks of spare ribs are mixed with sauerkraut, then vegetables and Polish sausage are added to make a large, full-flavored plate of food. In addition, all dinners come with soup or salad, and a large portion of mostaccioli , potatoes or rice.

A good way to sample the fare at Ante’s is with the combination plate ($17.95), which includes sarma, ribs and sauerkraut, cevapcici (a mix of ground veal, pork, beef and lamb), pot roast, and the ever-present mostaccioli .

Lunch highlights include stuffed red bell peppers ($7.50), beef stew ($7.50) and a pot-roast sandwich with mozzarella cheese ($5.50).

Although main courses are quite filling, try to save room for dessert. Vinka, the dessert chef, has been at Ante’s for 23 years, and makes all the sweets in-house, including crepes filled with orange sauce, and honey flavored flan ($3 each).

Ante’s is at 729 Palos Verdes St., San Pedro. (310) 832-5375. Open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday.