MORE BITES

In these capsules of recent reviews, dollar signs indicate the price of a meal for one, without beverages.

$: less than $10.

$$: up to $20.

$$$: up to $30.

$$$$: more than $30.

ROYAL KHYBER: In its new location, Royal Khyber is aiming to be O.C.’s top Indian restaurant, and it has all the tools--a gorgeous dining room, an innovative menu and the talents of chef Arun Puri in the kitchen. Some of the dishes need more oomph, but certainly not the terrific shrimp samosa, killer warm eggplant salad or wonderful lamb shank in spicy broth.

* Royal Khyber, 1621 Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana. (714) 436-1010. Lunch 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday; dinner 5:30-9:30 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 5:30-10:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday; Sunday brunch, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. $$$

CHIMAYO AT THE BEACH: Chimayo at the Beach has a hot concept, a killer location opposite Huntington Beach Pier and stunning design. The menu is half Southwestern (star restaurateur David Wilhelm’s forte), half seafood. Don’t miss the fish baked in a banana leaf, the rare ahi rolls with avocado or the slushy guava margarita.

* Chimayo at the Beach, 315 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach. (714) 374- 7273. 5-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 5-11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday. $$$

LUCIANA’S: Luciana’s has been around since the early ‘80s, but this rustic European restaurant is now managed by a new generation. Chef Brett Young serves a combination of old Italian recipes and more modern spinoffs. Especially good are his fagiolini verdi, fried green beans, tomato bread soup (zuppa campagnola) and delicious double-thick grilled pork chop glazed with balsamic vinegar.

* Luciana’s, 24312 Del Prado, Dana Point. (949) 661-6500. Dinner only, 5-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 5-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. $$$

RESTAURANT ABE: Master chef Abe (pronounced AH-bay) has been called the Matsuhisa of Orange County, and the comparison is apt: He has worked at Nobu Matsuhisa’s famed Japanese fusion restaurant in West Hollywood. Come to Abe’s Newport restaurant for the sushi if you must, but he has far more interesting creations, such as tuna rib, smoked monkfish liver, oddball oyster shooters and mind-blowing omakase dinners.

* Restaurant Abe, 2900 Newport Blvd., Newport Beach. (949) 675-1739. Lunch 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; dinner 5:30-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 5:30- 10:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday. $$$

COWBOY SEAFOOD: The hot new Cowboy Seafood has been packing ‘em in from Day One. It has a hip, comforting American menu, plus a lively bar filled with the young and the restless of Newport Beach. The best dishes on the menu are wonderful fried jumbo shrimp, pan-roasted cedar-plank salmon and the terrific Caesar. The place also has a nice wine list and, even better, no corkage fee.

* Cowboy Seafood, 850 Avocado Ave., Newport Beach. (949) 718-0187. 5-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 5-11 p.m. Friday-Sunday. $$$

TOMMY BAHAMA’S: The Caribbean meets Walt Disney at Tommy Bahama’s Tropical Cafe, a spiffy new restaurant with an attached clothing store. The pricey menu includes conch fritters, mango shrimp salad and other island-inspired fare. There is a lively bar scene, a delightful outdoor patio and a live steel band every evening.

* Tommy Bahama’s Tropical Cafe, 854 Avocado Ave., Newport Beach. (949) 760- 8686. 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday. $$$

ALLEGRO: Allegro is a suburban Italian restaurant with a big-city sensibility: Tokyo, maybe, or even Milan. Chef Mario Petrillo, formerly of Rafaello, doesn’t over-sauce his pastas and isn’t afraid of simplicity. There is a delicious rice and potato soup, a great Sicilian-style pasta made with tuna, eggplant, capers and olives and a long dessert list. The chairs could be comfier, but overall, this is quite a find.

* Allegro, 1160 N. Tustin Ave., Orange. (714) 639-7921. Lunch 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; dinner 5:30-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 5:30-10:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday. $$$

GRAND CAFE WOLFGANG PUCK: This is a dizzyingly eclectic spinoff of Puck’s successful cafe concept, including an express area, a mini-mart and a greatly expanded menu. Many starters, such as sushi, pad Thai and barbecued ribs, are Asian-inspired, to complement a menu of wood-fired pizzas, upscale pastas, rotisserie meats and creative main courses. Desserts, as one might imagine, are solidly appealing and seriously indulgent.

* Grand Cafe Wolfgang Puck, 20 City Blvd West, Orange. (714) 634-9653. 11 a.m.-11 p.m Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-midnight. Friday-Saturday. All major cards. $$$

GOLDEN MAIZE: Golden Maize is a charmer, a Victorian house dolled up with decorations celebrating the humble ear of corn, a staple in Colombia. The Colombian food includes arepas, seafood stews, grilled meats, a hearty pot roast and flat corn griddle cakes stuffed with cheese. Dress for an elegant, intimate ambience.

* Golden Maize, 264 N. Glassell St., Orange. (714) 532-5955. Lunch 11 a.m.- 2:30 p.m. daily, dinner 5-10 daily. $$

INDIA COOK HOUSE: One of our more cheerful Indian restaurants, though it holds no real surprises. The best dishes here are the meats and bread cooked in the tandoor, or cylindrical clay oven. But there are also good chutneys, vindaloos, a few nice vegetable dishes and fine homemade desserts. Don’t miss gulab jamun, gold-colored cheese balls served warm in syrup.

* India Cook House, 14130 Culver Drive, Irvine. (949) 857-4858. Daily 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., 5-10 p.m. $$

ALCATRAZ BREWING CO.: One of the most eye-catching places at the Block in Orange. You dine under a stunning replica of the Golden Gate Bridge, sipping well-made beers such as a chocolaty stout and a hopsy red ale. And surprise: The food is quite good, especially the brick-oven pizzas, the huge entree salads and a terrific sour cream fudge cake at dessert.

* Alcatraz Brewing Co., 20 City Blvd. West, Orange. (714) 939-8686. 11 a.m. through 10:30 p.m. daily. $$-$$$

REGATTA GRILL: Terrific-looking dining room with a nautical theme, and a great location, on a bluff overlooking Dana Point Harbor. Sunday brunch is great and a good buy at $21, but dinner is pricey and erratic. Chef Jeff Littlefield has good ideas but, one suspects, lacks the staff to back them up. Seafood stew and pan seared halibut are two of the better efforts.

* Regatta Grill at Marriott Laguna Cliffs Resort, 25135 Park Lantern, Dana Point. (949) 661-5000. 6:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 6:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. $$$$

CAFE TU TU TANGO: This cavernous, high-octane space is filled with art created on the premises by working artists. The eclectic, all-appetizer menu includes smoked ham and crab fritters, great rosemary lamb and Jim Beam wings and ribs. Live entertainment also surfaces (“spontaneously,” to quote the cafe’s management). Is this a taste of the 21st century?

* Cafe Tu Tu Tango, the Block in Orange, 20 City Blvd. West, Orange. (714) 769-2222. 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. $$-$$$

WOODY’S AT THE BEACH: This eatery features a pleasant deck, a stunning ocean view and the accomplished cooking of chef Jeff Armstrong. The restaurant does a great Sunday brunch complete with Ramos fizzes, waffles with poached pears and penne with smoked salmon. Dinners are delicious and eclectic, with anything from Moroccan lamb fricassee to ono with basmati rice in a lemongrass broth.

* Woody’s at the Beach, 1305 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach. (949) 376-8809. Dinner 5:30-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 5:30-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday; brunch 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. $$$

IMPERIAL INKA: Here is more evidence of the ongoing explosion of ethnic restaurants. Its best dishes are the salads of citrus-marinated raw seafood (ceviches) that you eat with vinegar-splashed onions and parsley. Kam-lu wonton reflects the Chinese influence in Peruvian cooking, but the asado is so close to pot roast that it could have been prepared by a Maine grandmother.

* 15070 Edwards St., Huntington Beach. (714) 899-5541. 11 a.m.-10 p.m. daily. $$