ORANGE COUNTY DINING

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

$: less than $10.

$$: up to $20.

$$$: up to $30.

$$$$: more than $30.

OYSTERS: “Asian-influenced California cuisine”--well, you can’t blame Oysters for wanting to distance itself from all the bad fusion cuisine around. But this spot, with its Chicago speak-easy ambience, could give fusion a good name with dishes like artichoke with tarragon sambal-aioli and Near East paella. Good oysters too, of course.

* Oysters, 2515 E. Coast Highway, Corona del Mar. (949) 675-7411. Open for dinner daily. $$

THE PERUVIAN GRILL: It specializes not so much in grilled food as in in Peruvian seafood dishes, such as ceviche appetizers large enough for a small meal and pescado ajo macho, a grilled fish topped with scallops, shrimp, calamari and a spicy cilantro sauce. Empanadas, not listed on the menu, are also worth a try.

* The Peruvian Grill, 9606 Hamilton St., Huntington Beach. (714) 593-3883. Dinner Monday-Saturday. $$

P.F. CHANG’S CHINA BISTRO: It serves Asian-inspired dishes in a high-voltage setting--and the dishes can be high-voltage with pepper themselves. Good appetizers are seared ahi and Chang’s spare ribs. The best entree is Paul’s catfish: tender chunks of fried catfish tossed with a garlicky black bean sauce. Desserts are outstanding.

* P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Irvine Spectrum Center, 61 Fortune Drive. (949) 453-1211; Fashion Island, 1145 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, (949) 759-9007. Lunch and dinner daily. $$

PICAYO: Hidden away in residential north Laguna, a little bungalow houses Picayo, a French restaurant with Spanish and Moroccan influences and a taste for duck, both as appetizer and entree. Try Chilean sea bass on eggplant with olive vinaigrette, or the napoleon of scallops, prawns and salmon with black truffle sauce.

* Picayo, 1155 N. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach. (949) 497-5051. Dinner Tuesday-Saturday. $$$

POLISH RESTAURANT MR. SMOKE B.B.Q.: First it was a plain barbecue restaurant, but patrons liked the Polish dishes that sneaked on the menu so now it’s Polish Restaurant Mr. Smoke B.B.Q. So enjoy the potato pancakes, the sweet-sour sauerkraut, the veal cordon bleu-like cutlet Sobieski--and once in a while, have some of that barbecue too.

* Polish Restaurant Mr. Smoke B.B.Q., 2610 W. La Palma Ave., Anaheim. (714) 827-6251. Lunch and dinner daily. $$

THE QUIET WOMAN: The Quiet Woman leads a sedate life, but it is one of the area’s most consistently good dining spots. Entrees, mostly cooked on a mesquite grill, include Angus beef steaks, fresh fish and a terrific rack of lamb. There are good salads, excellent homemade soups and fine desserts too. Don’t miss the homemade pumpkin pie in season and the fudgy Toll House pie all year.

* The Quiet Woman, 3224 Coast Highway, Corona del Mar. (949) 640-7440. Lunch Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; dinner Sunday-Thursday, 5 p.m.-10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m.-11 p.m. $$$

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 Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; dinner Monday-Thursday, 5:30-10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5:30-10:30 p.m. $$$

THE RITZ: Hans Prager’s ornately decorated restaurant, the Ritz, remains a bastion of Continental cuisine after more than two decades at Fashion Island. A well-dressed Newport crowd still turns out for retro faves such as lobster bisque and veal Oscar. Now there is a lovely outdoor garden area open during lunch and dinner.

* The Ritz, 880 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach. (949) 720-1800. Lunch Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.; dinner Monday-Thursday, 6-10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5:30-11 p.m. $$$

ROMA D’ITALIA: Tustin’s busy Roma D’Italia is an old-fashioned checked-tablecloth pizzeria/restaurant specializing in dishes with big, rich flavors, such as chicken d’Italia, which includes eggplant, ham, tomatoes, provolone and mushroom sauce. For something lighter, try the mixed seafood platter in a flavorful garlic white wine sauce.

* Roma D’Italia, 611 El Camino Real, Tustin. (714) 544-0273. Lunch and dinner daily. $$

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., the Block at Orange. (714) 939-8686. Daily, 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. $-$$$

ALLEGRO: Allegro is a suburban Italian restaurant with a big-city sensibility: Tokyo, maybe, or even Milan. Chef Mario Petillo, 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 Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; dinner Monday-Thursday, 5:30-9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5-10 p.m.; Sunday, 5-9 p.m. $$$

BACK POCKET: At Back Pocket, the casual restaurant attached to Gustaf Anders, you get most of the benefits of dining at a first-rate establishment without the formality or expense. In the tiny Scandinavian Modern dining room, you eat chef Anders Strandberg’s terrific cured herring and salmon, Swedish comfort foods such as beef Lindstrom and excellent desserts. Don’t miss the creamy Swedish princess cake, a marzipan-frosted treat.

* Back Pocket, South Coast Plaza Village, Bear and Sunflower streets, Santa Ana. (714) 668-1737. Lunch Tuesday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; dinner Tuesday-Sunday, 5:30-10 p.m. $$$

BAYSIDE: Chic, grown-up Bayside is one of Newport’s most auspicious new restaurants. Designed by Michael Carapetian of Venice, Italy, it is really striking, with a towering glass wine case that houses almost 500 vintages. Chef Paul Gstrein’s menu is short and sweet. Try tuna tartare, Colorado lamb loin and almost anything from the dessert menu.

* Bayside, 900 Bayside Drive, Newport Beach. (949) 721-1222. Lunch daily, 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m.; dinner Sunday-Wednesday, 5-10 p.m.; Thursday-Saturday, 5-11 p.m. $$$$

BLUE AGAVE SOUTHWESTERN GRILL: A fun, slightly kitschy theme restaurant, but the food does not suffer. Good beef, such as carne asada adovada in blackened tomatillo sauce. Some thoughtful fusion dishes (kebabs with chipotle-spiked orange marmalade), some trad Mexican (excellent carnitas) and 92 primo tequilas at the bar.

* Blue Agave Southwestern Grill, 18601 Yorba Linda Blvd., Yorba Linda. (714) 970-5095. Lunch and dinner daily. $$

BLUEBERRY HILL: This location in Long Beach is the company’s first sit-down restaurant. Besides Blueberry Hill’s superb hamburger (the Grand Thrill), the restaurant serves a big menu of family favorites, including a great spinach artichoke dip and fine desserts. Don’t miss the gravy fries and the foot o’ rings--light, crisply battered onion rings piled on a wooden ring toss.

* Blueberry Hill, 5735 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach. (562) 986-4455. Daily 7 a.m.-10 p.m. $$

BLUEWATER GRILL: South Coast Plaza Village needed a good seafood restaurant, and now it has one. Chef Brian Hirsty stocks more than 15 fresh fish daily and prepares them in a variety of imaginative ways. It’s best to stick with fish caught close to home and to order them blackened or served with the delicious teriyaki sauce. Accompanying the fish are good sides and a great list of wines by the glass. Go elsewhere for dessert.

* Bluewater Grill, South Coast Plaza Village, 1621 W. Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana. (714) 546-FISH (3474.) Lunch and dinner Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon-9:30 p.m. $$. There is also a Bluewater Grill in Newport Beach at 630 Lido Park Drive. (949) 675-3474.

THE BUNGALOW: The Bungalow specializes in trendy cocktails (a million fruit-juice-based martinis) and expensive, high-quality prime beef, the pride and joy being the rib eye. But this toniest of Orange Coast steakeries also offers fine seafood (e.g. a decadent lobster tail), novel appetizers and a meaty rack of lamb.

* The Bungalow, 2441 E. Coast Highway, Corona del Mar. (949) 673-6585. Open for dinner daily. $$$

CAFFE PIEMONTE: A family-owned place that serves excellent northern Italian food with a personal touch. Try the calamari saltati alla marinara, tagliolini alla Bolognese, pheasant ravioli and osso buco.

* Caffe Piemonte, 498 E. 1st St. Tustin. (714) 544-8072. Lunch Tuesday-Friday, dinner Tuesday-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 management). Is this a taste of the 21st century?

* Cafe Tu Tu Tango, the Block at Orange. (714) 769-2222. Sundays-Fridays, 11 a.m.-midnight; Saturdays, 11 a.m.-1 a.m. $$

CAFE ZOOLU: Cafe Zoolu is Laguna Beach all the way, from the funky quasi-Polynesian interiors to former Pascal chef William Withrow’s jazzy cooking. Try the baseball-sized cut of grilled swordfish in lemon, caper and butter sauce. This place is casual and hip without being trendy, but bring your wallet.

* Cafe Zoolu, 860 Glenneyre St., Laguna Beach. (949) 494-6825. Open for dinner daily. $$$

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CALIFORNIA CAFE: For a warm, energetic, contemporary-looking place with a bit of Asian influence on the menu, try California Cafe. For appetizers, try the chicken spring roll or the corn crisp calamari. For entrees, the crab-crusted halibut perfectly cooked and the “chicken under a brick” is redolent of garlic and rosemary.

* California Cafe, the Shops at Mission Viejo, (949) 347-9333. Lunch and dinner daily. $$

CANYON LODGE: Canyon Lodge overlooks a rustic golf course landscaped with chaparral, and the restaurant serves a menu of comfort foods that is nearly as American in spirit. They serve a mean cream of tomato soup and sumptuous desserts. Best dishes: flat iron steak, smoked prime rib and an amazing Mandarin chicken salad.

* Canyon Lodge, 31106 Coast Highway, Laguna Beach. (949) 499-2271. Lunch Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; dinner Sunday-Thursday, 5-9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5-10 p.m.; Sunday brunch, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. $$

CAPRICCIO: It doesn’t hold back on big flavors like garlic and capers. The massive pasta dishes are smothered with aromatic sauces and, with some dishes, savory shrimp, mussels and clams. Also a fine selection of daily seafood specials.

* Capriccio Italiano Ristorante. 25380 Marguerite Parkway, Mission Viejo. (949) 855-6866. Lunch Monday-Friday, dinner daily. $

CEDAR CREEK INN: The Cedar Creek Inn in Brea may be less homey than the others, but it’s an appropriate setting for a serious, fine-dining approach to American food. There are classics like German pot roast and prime rib, mostly successful innovations like chicken breast stuffed with pecans and Brie--and, of course, devastating chocolate desserts.

* Cedar Creek Inn, 20 Pointe Drive, Brea. (714) 255-5600. Lunch and dinner daily. Also in Laguna Beach, San Juan Capistrano. $$

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 rare ahi rolls with avocado or the slushy mango margarita.

* Chimayo at the Beach, 315 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach. (714) 374-7273. Sunday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.;

Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. $$$

CHINA PALACE: China Palace has kept pace with changing tastes in its 20-year existence, while dozens, even hundreds of nearby restaurants have come and gone. This gaudy, tropical-themed place has a sushi bar and a Chinese kitchen that turns out dishes such as veal scaloppine with basil, fried soft-shell crab, Pekin duck and terrific fried calamari.

* China Palace, 2800 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach. (949) 631-8031. Lunch Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.; dinner Sunday-Thursday, 5-10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5-11 p.m. $$

CHIN CHIN: A longtime Los Angeles staple, this Orange County outpost specializes in Chinese snacks and dumplings, as well as noodles, salads, barbecued meats and stir-fried dishes. The best items include barbecued pork, Sichuan dumplings and stir-fried eggplant. If you want real dim sum, though, you still have to go to Monterey Park.

* Chin Chin, 27441 Crown Valley Parkway, Mission Viejo. (949) 367-9595. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. $$

COWBOY NEWPORT BEACH: The hot 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 Newport Beach, 850 Avocado Ave., Newport Beach. (949) 718-0187. Sunday, 4-11 p.m.; Monday-Wednesday, 5:30-10 p.m.; Thursday-Saturday, 5:30-11 p.m. $$$

CUBAN PETE’S: You can call this an exotic family restaurant, one of the few within a stone’s throw of Disneyland. The menu, not surprisingly, tends toward Cuban, but there are also wonderful dishes of Puerto Rico, a combination of many influences. Don’t miss the ham croquettes, the mashed plantain dip mofongo, the roast leg of pork and the terrific guava cheesecake. The atmosphere is lively, the staff especially cheerful.

* Cuban Pete’s, 1050 W. Ball Road, Anaheim. (714) 490-2020. Dinner only Tuesday-Wednesday 5-10 p.m.; Thursdays-Saturdays, 5 p.m.-2 a.m.; Sundays, 3-10 p.m. $$$