Christine Brown studied cooking at the prestigious...

Christine Brown studied cooking at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, but her real cooking education began many years before, when, as a child, she would watch her mother, Pat, scurry about the kitchen preparing elaborate dishes. Her mother ran a catering business and so knew a thing or two about cooking for strangers. Brown has acquired that talent: She’s cooked in several restaurants around Southern California, including Campanile and City restaurants in Los Angeles and Depot in Torrance.

It was the owners of Depot, Michael Franks and Robert Bell, who decided that Brown had the stuff it took to head a kitchen. Last year, they put her in charge of another of their South Bay restaurants, the 4-year-old Fino.

Decorated with prints depicting the coasts of Italy, France and Spain--the Mediterranean lands that inspire its food--Fino is an inviting two-story restaurant.

The menu plays tribute to tapas , those small plates of food so favored in Spain. Two dozen hot and cold appetizers are offered, and it is fun to choose an assortment from the intriguing list. One of the most popular choices is the grilled portobello mushroom ($8) with a roasted garlic-meat glaze. The Italian potato cake ($6) is made with grilled prosciutto, arugula and Parmesan. A Spanish crepe ($4) is stuffed with duck, mushrooms and ricotta.

Among the cold tapas are the chopped Greek salad ($4.50) with cucumber, red onions, tomatoes, kalamata olives, feta cheese and a peppery lemon vinaigrette. The antipasto plate ($8) offers provolone cheese, prosciutto, broccoli, bufala mozzarella, salami and grilled polenta.

You could make a meal out of several of these tapas --and many people do--but there are several tempting main courses. Consider the lamb loin ($18.50) skewered with rosemary branches, or a lemon herb-crusted salmon ($16) served with white beans and pistou (a thick, garlicky basil sauce), or a chicken ($16.50) flattened with a brick and roasted with lemon, garlic and rosemary.

For dessert, a lot of people go for the macadamia-caramel tart ($4.95), served with chunks of bittersweet chocolate.

Fino is at 24530 Hawthorne Blvd., Torrance. (310) 373-1952. Open 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. seven days.