There are just a handful of tables at To Dine For in San Marino, and there’s a reason so many people are waiting for them.

The problem with To Dine For is space. This little San Marino restaurant, open only a few months, has been jammed as early as 6 p.m. There are only eight tables inside, plus a few on the sidewalk.

The kitchen, on the other hand, has lots of room, so it can turn out such classy dishes as ahi tuna tartare. This cylindrical stack of marinated raw tuna perches on a base of diced avocado, surrounded by daikon sprouts and little dabs of fish roe (some wasabi-flavored).

But To Dine For doesn’t push its contemporary bent too far. You can tuck into turkey meatloaf, grilled salmon, roasted free-range chicken or braised lamb shanks (a frequent dinner special).

The mashed potatoes that accompany the Asian marinated tri-tip are delicately seasoned with wasabi. The strips of tri-tip are sweetened with plum sauce.

What you don’t find on the menu is pork, apart from a ham and cheese sandwich at lunch. One look reveals why. There are pigs everywhere at this restaurant: pig paintings, pig photos, a pig figure holding a blackboard that urges diners, “Eat more chicken, please.”

Even more surprising, this restaurant was started by Judy McCarron, wife of jockey Chris McCarron. No wonder the restaurant advertises that it will provide post-race snacks as well as Hollywood Bowl dinners and food for large parties.

So modest is her husband that you have to go to the unisex restroom to find any trace of his career. There you will see a poster of the 1987 Kentucky Derby, won by Alysheba with McCarron on board, and a portrait of John Henry, the first horse to earn more than $4 million--again, with McCarron in the saddle.

In fact, that friendly guy who schleps stuff, asks whether your food is OK and offers to bring another wine if you don’t like the one you selected just might be McCarron. He’s not only helpful but intensely loyal. Ask what he suggests eating, and he replies, “I’m biased. I love everything.”

This unusual spot was once an ice cream parlor, as the stained glass window in front quaintly attests. Exposed rafters and brick make for a cozy, casual room, where neighbors drop in for a salad or sandwich during the day.

Lots of them order Chinese chicken salad. Here it’s not cloying and tiresome but a first-rate blend of chicken, nappa cabbage and red and yellow bell peppers. Fine bits of fried wonton skin and lots of toasted sliced almonds add crunch. The dark specks scattered throughout are black sesame seeds. The honey mustard dressing is sweet but subtle.

The roasted vegetable quesadillas are also very good. One day, the restaurant ran out of flour tortillas, so Judy McCarron dashed out to buy more. It was worth the wait. The crisp, browned, flaky tortillas contained bell peppers, eggplant and squash topped with Jack, mozzarella and Cheddar. Little crocks of sour cream, mild fresh salsa and hot tomatillo salsa also came on the plate.

While waiting, I tried a roasted tomato and mushroom soup. It was respectable enough but needed something like a dab of sour cream. The chicken, sausage and shrimp gumbo sounds like a hearty meal, but it’s more soup than anything else, and works well as a first course.

One of the more popular sandwiches is the Monterey, which combines chicken, mango chutney and lettuce on rosemary currant bread. I don’t know why the plate was ice-cold, unless it was to accommodate the salad. Sandwiches come with either coleslaw or a potato salad that involves big chunks of red-skinned potatoes, carrot shreds and green onions.

The ham sandwich, called the Hampton, also contains Gruyere cheese and arugula. The Huntington, named for the street that runs past the restaurant, is nut bread filled with smoked turkey, alfalfa sprouts, avocado and tomatoes.

To Dine For’s desserts include pies, a mascarpone cheesecake, tiramisu, brownies and creme bru^lee. My advice is to skip the lead-crusted pies and go for the creme bru^lees, which are superlative. If the chocolate creme bru^lee is available, don’t miss it, but even the plain vanilla bru^lee is outstanding.

BE THERE

To Dine For, 2004 Huntington Drive, San Marino. (626) 284-7170; fax (626) 284-6505. Lunch, 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; dinner, 5-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 5-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; closed Sunday and Monday. Wine and beer. Parking lot behind the restaurant. Visa and MasterCard. Dinner for two, food only, $25 to $45.

What to Get: Monterey sandwich, ahi tuna tartare, braised lamb shanks, Asian marinated tri-tip, chocolate creme bru^lee.