20,000 Leeks Under the Sea

A celluloid-bright yellow submarine of exaggerated cartoon dimensions is now docked at the foot of the Century City Shopping Center. Topped, improbably, with an olive on a toothpick, the new sandwich palace Dive! launches Steven Spielberg as restaurateur (with a little help from Chicago-based Levy Restaurants, which developed and runs the place). Last weekend kids, parents and assorted caretakers in tow, lined up by the hundreds. It was an unruly lot, but one willing to wait the wait to be among the first to climb aboard the beckoning ship.

“Cool,” my 10-year-old escort pronounced the decor awash in dials and trappings of the deep. Not so cool, when we were told we had yet another hour to wait in the bar. “Keep your eye on this coaster; it lights up when your table is ready,” the crewman told me. The room dimmed. Sirens blared, lights flashed as the submarine restaurant prepared to dive. How did I know this? D.I.V.E. flashed on the 210-foot screen and we seemed to sink through a flurry of bubbles many fathoms below. Enthralled by the eerie blue underwater voyage, we munched on fries (very good) with two of nine sauces until our coaster (finally) lit up. Later, the sub prepared to dive again (and again) as we waited for our order of USS Humongous.

That’s a submarine sandwich sampler for four ($13.95 per diver). The theme--if you hadn’t guessed--is the “reinvented submarine sandwich served up in 18 fashions, from traditional cold cuts and Italian meatballs to brick oven-roasted steak, even fajitas and Chinese chicken salad, plus three vegetarian versions. There’s a good, if overdressed, chopped vegetable salad. And for dessert, a warm cookie sundae topped with white chocolate ice cream and a billowing cloud of whipped cream. Too sweet?, I asked the kids. No! But next time, they insisted, they’re having the burger.

* Dive!, Century City Shopping Center & Marketplace, 10250 Santa Monica Blvd., West Los Angeles. (310) 788-DIVE. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Valet parking. All major credit cards accepted. Full bar. Subs $7.95-$12.95; kids’ subs $4.95.