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.

* 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 Mondays-Fridays, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; dinner Mondays-Thursdays, 5:30-9 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 5-10 p.m.; Sundays, 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 Tuesdays-Fridays, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; dinner Tuesdays-Sundays, 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 practically anything from the dessert menu. Bayside, 900 Bayside Drive, Newport Beach. (949) 721-1222. Lunch daily, 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m.; dinner Sundays-Wednesdays, 5-10 p.m.; Thursdays-Saturdays, 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 varieties 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 Mondays-Fridays, 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, 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 Tuesdays-Fridays, dinner Tuesdays-Saturdays. $$

* 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. $$$

* 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: flatiron steak, smoked prime rib and an amazing Mandarin chicken salad. Canyon Lodge, 31106 Coast Highway, Laguna Beach. (949) 499-2271. Lunch Tuesdays-Saturdays, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; dinner Sundays-Thursdays, 5-9 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 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. Sundays-Thursdays, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sundays, 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. Sundays-Thursdays, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 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. Sundays, 4-11 p.m.; Mondays-Wednesdays, 5:30-10 p.m.; Thursdays-Saturdays, 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 Tuesdays-Wednesdays 5-10 p.m.; Thursdays-Saturdays, 5 p.m.-2 a.m.; Sundays, 3-10 p.m. $$$

* DARYA: For Persian cuisine in an elegant, fine-dining environment, South Coast Plaza Village has Darya. Appetizers include borani (eggplant dressed with yogurt) and tah dig (crisp rice crust) with pomegranate walnut sauce. For entrees, try the seafood platter (especially the shrimp), the boneless chicken kebab, and the naderi kebab. Darya, South Coast Plaza Village, 1611 Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana, (714) 557-6600. Lunch and dinner daily . $$

* DIZZ’S AS IS: Dizz’s As Is has been around since the ‘70s--decades longer, if you count the two previous restaurants, Ford’s Cafe and Polly’s Pizza, that have occupied this location. Locals still line up to eat retro specialties like cheese-stuffed veal chop, steak Diane and swordfish Madagascar (menu changes daily), because seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. The Art Deco dining rooms are a hoot. Dizz’s As Is, 2794 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach. (949) 494-5250. Dinner only Tuesdays-Thursdays, 5:30 (seating for dinner at 6)-9:30 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 5:30 (seating for dinner at 6)-10 p.m.; Sundays, 5 (seating for dinner at 5:30)-9:30 p.m. $$$

* EL CHOLO CANTINA: In its pleasant hacienda setting, El Cholo Cantina features the full El Cholo chain’s tried-and-true menu: cheese-heavy combo plates, nostalgia dishes like the Sonora-style enchilada topped with a fried egg--and, of course, those famous sweet, green-corn tamales (May through October only). El Cholo Cantina, 5465 Alton Parkway, Irvine. (949) 451-0044. Lunch and dinner daily. $

* EL FAROLITO: For 26 years, El Farolito has managed to please two kinds of Mexican food customers: those who want forceful dishes like birria and menudo and those who are looking for big margaritas and cheese-rich enchiladas and nachos. It’s a plain, friendly little place where even rice and beans are tasty. Check out the excellent steak milanesa. El Farolito, 201 S. Bradford Ave., Placentia. (714) 993-7880. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $

* FIVE CROWNS: A theme restaurant that has been doing the Olde English inn thing so long it’s acquired a paradoxical authenticity. The food’s more than acceptable too. Salads and appetizers are always good, and you can’t go wrong ordering the roast duck or the prime rib. Five Crowns, 3801 E. Coast Highway, Corona del Mar. (949) 760-0331. Dinner daily. $$$

* FLORENCE ITALIAN CUISINE: Elegant but casual, Florence Italian Cuisine offers a wide array of Italian favorites with an emphasis on seafood. Try the lobster-filled ravioli de l’aragosta, the filet mignon, the lasagna and the linguine vongole. For dessert, the tiramisu and the spumoni. Florence Italian Cuisine 14210 Culver Drive (Heritage Plaza), Irvine. (949) 857-8265. Lunch and dinner daily; brunch Sundays. $$

* 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, the Block at Orange. (714) 634-9653. Sundays-Thursdays, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. $$$

* I LOVE SUSHI: I Love Sushi may sound like a new situation comedy, but it’s really one of Orange County’s best sushi restaurants, and at shockingly low prices. Chef Hideo Matsuda, a true visual artist, has a deft hand with fish; his yellowtail and halibut sashimi are as delicate as you’ll ever taste. Come for lunch, when you’ll easily get a seat at the sushi bar and when the restaurant also serves a variety of hearty rice bowls. I Love Sushi, 2340 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa. (714) 540-6195. Lunch daily, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; dinner Sundays-Thursdays, 5-10 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 5-11 p.m. $$

* 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, a 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. $$

* JAVIER’S CANTINA: This restaurant bridges the gap between taqueria authenticity and the happy-hour chips-and-salsa scene. Familiar Mexican specialties are here, but it’s the seafood specials like brocheta del mar and the sweet, powerfully corn-flavored green-corn tamale that make dealing with Laguna Beach parking worth it. Javier’s Cantina & Grill, 480 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach. (949) 494-1239. Lunch and dinner daily. $$

* LEFT AT ALBUQUERQUE: With its blues soundtrack, Southwestern decor and eclectic cooking style, this eatery is a bit of an odd duck. The menu features a variety of mesquite-grilled meats and fish, along with a huge list of premium tequilas. Try the griddled corn cake appetizer, the Asian-tasting grilled Dixon pork. Left at Albuquerque, 3309 Michelson Drive, Irvine. (949) 757-7600. Sundays-Thursdays, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. $$

* 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 Sundays-Thursdays, 5-10 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 5-11 p.m. $$$

* MAMA ROSE: Walking into Mama Rose is like walking into a family Italian restaurant back East. The three cozy dining rooms are themed separately, and the walls are covered with intimate family portraits. Chef Richard Lombardi’s cooking is in the abbondanza style: big portions with lots of sauce, oil and garlic. The best dishes include stuffed dried tomatoes, roasted peppers and pistachio-crusted rack of lamb. Mama Rose, 2346 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa. (949) 650-1949. Dinner only Tuesdays-Saturdays, 5-10 p.m. $$-$$$

* McCORMICK & SCHMICK’S: There are 40 or more kinds of fresh seafood on this menu, served in nearly 90 treatments. The inventive appetizer menu is highlighted by excellent crab-and-shrimp cakes, and the oyster selection is still one of the best around. The adjacent Pilsner Room brew pub serves an impressive list of microbrews. McCormick & Schmick’s, 2000 Main St., Irvine. (949) 756-0505. Lunch Mondays-Fridays, dinner daily. $$

* MULBERRY STREET RISTORANTE: A cozy, welcoming setting for robust, old-school Italian food. It’s notable for dishes that achieve simple harmony through a deft balance of flavors. For appetizers, try the fried mozzarella and the steamed mussels. Exceptional entrees include the steak Mulberry and the fettuccine Caruso. Mulberry Street Ristorante, 114 W. Wilshire Ave., Fullerton. (714) 525-1056. Lunch Mondays-Saturdays; dinner served daily. Late night menu served Fridays and Saturdays until 12:45 a.m. $$