RESTAURANTS : Liveliness Brewing in Newport

Things are livelier than usual down on the Balboa Peninsula, perhaps because there are two noteworthy new public houses within shouting distance of each other. Newport Beach Brewing Co. is one of our ever-increasing tribe of local brew pubs. Hooters is the first Southern California branch of a Florida-based chain boasting more than 150 locations across the country.

At Newport Beach Brewing Co., the watchwords are spaciousness and energy. The vast dining area has beautiful hardwood floors, and the perimeter is dominated by half a dozen gleaming copper vats stretching up to the ceiling. The tables are spaced well apart, with some of the best located in an attractive outdoor beer garden facing Newport Boulevard.

There’s nothing new about the idea of brew pubs, but the recent proliferation of them does represent a phenomenon. Like similar establishments in Laguna and Huntington Beach, this place brews beer daily, using only the four ingredients mandated by the 16th-Century German brewing purity law: malt, hops, yeast and barley. The beers are good, too.

The best way for a novice to get acquainted with them is the format called the taster set. For $1 per 6-ounce glass, guests are served four or five beers neatly arranged on a paper mat printed with corresponding descriptions. The one called Bisbee’s ESB is frothy and slightly bitter. Newport Beach Blonde is a delightful Munich-style Pilsner, with a cold, clean snap and a medicinally sweet aftertaste.

Don’t worry about going thirsty or hungry. The kitchen turns out some really good eats, even though it can be erratic on pastas.

You get a generous portion when you order the lean, smoky Hunan rib appetizer, usually five meaty ribs. The sweet-tart barbecue sauce is a spicy version of the plum sauce some Chinese restaurants use, and a fine companion for the taste of beer. I’d pass on the appetizer called armadillo eggs--these salty, deep-fried, cheese-stuffed jalapenos are never going to be on the American Heart Assn.’s good-guy list.

Cajun chops have a silly name, “lambaaa,” but this is one dish I wish to bleat over. Apart from the fact that four baby lamb chops would be a steal anywhere at $5.25, spicy lamb chops are simply an inspired bar snack. The chops come to the table blackened and redolent of cumin, along with a tiny tub of creamy ranch dressing. We couldn’t resist a second order.

A classic Caesar is only $2.95 a half portion. Order it; the fresh smoked tuna salad, at more than double the price, isn’t even half as interesting. So the fish is smoked on the premises--it’s still flavorless, and the citrus vinaigrette dressing is insipid.

The thin-crusted pizzas, cooked in a wood-fired brick oven, are for hungrier pub crawlers. The Buffalo mozzarella pizza is subtle and smooth, garnished with an appealing blend of both fresh Roma and sun-dried tomatoes. The gooey Thai chicken pizza has the right proportion of peanuts and spicy sauce, while the smoked salmon pizza has the smooth tang of oak-smoked fish and a cooling dilled creme fraiche.

The pastas need work. Linguine with scampi and garlic was bland and mushy, and we had to send another linguine dish back to the kitchen. The sausage topping on that one was undercooked, and the thick marinara sauce was sour.

For dessert, how about . . . beer? That’s right, Newport Beach Brewing Co. features Lindeman’s Lambic beers from Belgium, which are flavored with fruit purees like raspberry, peach or cherry. I’d call them an acquired taste. (The raspberry is best.) For the less courageous, there are homemade brownies and root beer floats with Haagen-Daz.

Newport Beach Brewing Co. is moderately priced. Appetizers are $3.25 to $5.25. Pastas are $5.75 to $9.95. Pizzas are $7.50 to $8.50.

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At Hooters, the slogan on the waitresses’ tank tops reads, “delightfully tacky--yet unrefined.” This frat-boy paradise originated in Clearwater, Fla., and has been a big hit throughout the South.

The food here is mostly bar snacks, shellfish or sandwiches, though the major draw seems to be a team of waitresses in shorts colored a bright Caltrans orange. They’re quite good sports about it all.

Some of what you eat here is colored a similar shade of orange. Hooters chicken wings--10, 20 or (gasp) 50 to an order--are far and away the most popular item here. They’re properly crunchy and not bad-tasting at all, though I can do nicely without any of the iodine-colored hot sauces, especially the ones called Three Mile Island and Wild Wing.

Decent steamed shrimp are served hot and ready to peel. The roasted oysters are blank-tasting, as if the distinctive oyster aroma had been removed by magic. Among the sandwiches are a nondescript Philly cheese steak (using a relatively tough piece of meat as a centerpiece) and a horrific item the chain calls the Ultimate Ham and Cheese sandwich, featuring a flavorless mass of preformed sliced ham. Good curly French fries make a tasty complement to most things served here.

Our waitress was especially friendly; she did her best to improve everyone’s spirits. But I don’t think the management would have approved of her parting shot, after we mentioned our food could have been better.

“No one really comes here for food,” she said, winking.

Hooters is moderately priced. Prices start at 75 cents, for cole slaw, and run up to $16.95, for a seafood sampler platter.

* HOOTERS

* 2406 Newport Blvd., Newport Beach.

* (714) 723-5800.

* Open 11 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.

* American Express, MasterCard and Visa.

* NEWPORT BEACH BREWING CO.

* 2920 Newport Blvd., Newport Beach.

* (714) 675-8449.

* Open 11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

* All major cards.