The following are summaries of recent Times...

The following are summaries of recent Times restaurant reviews.

A La Carte Bistro, 16847 Algonquin Road (Huntington Harbour Mall), Huntington Beach. (714) 840-8152. Open Mondays through Thursdays 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Fridays to 10 p.m., Saturdays 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The A La Carte Bistro has a giant menu for such a tiny space, and the portions are giant to match. Chef Friedrich Rechberger has a dedication that borders on fanaticism, and a deft hand behind the range. You have got to see the house salad to believe it, a huge, European-style platter of mixed salads that comes with dinner. Such game dishes as rabbit, venison, and quail abound. A must here is one of the chef’s special desserts, such as Kaiserschmarn, a chopped-up, butter-fried pancake served with powdered sugar and pureed apricot. Guaranteed to keep the wolf from the door for days. Antonello, 3800 S. Plaza Drive, in the South Coast Plaza Village, Santa Ana. (714) 751-7153 . Open Mondays through Thursdays 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., 6 to 10 p.m.;Fridays 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., 6 to 11 p.m.;Saturdays, 6 to 11 p.m.

Expect to be treated with courtly attention at this charming restaurant, where the main dining room is a miniature of a street scene in Bistagna, Italy. But you will probably be disappointed by what you eat. Appetizers from a lavish antipasto bar suffer from a surfeit of oil, albeit the extra virgin type, and homemade pastas are sometimes tired and flavorless. Owner Antonio Cagnolo has a wonderfully attentive staff and spares no expense for raw materials. Veal chops are thick and tender, beef is superbly marbled. One would think that this restaurant would be superb, with so many pluses. But at present, it’s the classic underachiever.

Best Place Restaurant, 9693 Garden Grove Blvd., Garden Grove. (714) 638-3600. Open daily 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Korean cuisine is remarkable--full of musk and smoky flavors. A stretch of Garden Grove Boulevard has a number of places to experience it. Look no further:Best Place Restaurant, a barbecue house serving stews, grills, griddles, and even sushi should satisfy all your needs. Try the gool bo sam , a large platter of raw oysters, salt pork, white radish and Chinese cabbage;you roll everything up and eat it like a taco. Pa jeon is a giant pancake with green onion, pork, and red pepper. Sit on low cushions and barbecue beef on a tableside grill, just like the Korean families do it. Remarkably addictive. Bistango, 19100 Von Karman Ave., Irvine. (714) 752-5222. Open daily 11:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 5:15 to midnight.

Bistango is a visually stunning new restaurant with an open kitchen, high-tech lines and the feel of a contemporary art museum. The kitchen has potential, but service is inexperienced and the management seems more concerned with appearance than with maintaining a standard. Outstanding appetizers include duck sausage with polenta, carpaccio of veal and beef and Maryland crab cakes with pink grapefruit and mache lettuce. Pastas also highlight this Italianate menu, created by executive chef Eugenio Martignago, a veteran of the restaurant wars on Los Angeles’ Westside. Desserts are nearly as stunning as the surroundings. Don’t leave without trying the three-chocolate terrine. When Bistango matures, look for greatness. Capriccio Italiano Ristorante, 25830 Marguerite Parkway, Village Mall, Mission Viejo. (714) 855-6866. Open Mondays through Fridays 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 4 to 9:30;weekends 4 to 9:30.

Capriccio may mean “whim” in Italian, but there is nothing whimsical about the food in this restaurant;it is polished and sophisticated. For my money, it is a real find. The kitchen is run by two brothers from Palermo, Sal and Franco Maniaci, but there is barely a trace of Sicilan influence in the dishes they serve. Appetizers like vitello tonnato and lumache del bosco are marvelous, and pastas are fresh and homemade. Many main dishes have French overtones, like a stylish lamb rack with truffles and foie gras , or a civet of hare called lepre salmi. Cappriccio’s location is modest, and so are prices, but its class is obvious. China Palace, 2800 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach. (714) 631-8031. Open daily 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., 5 to 10.

China Palace is a curious hybrid of East and West with a healthy dose of California thrown in;call the cooking style PCH Peking. Prepared by a team of chefs from Taiwan, the food is of the solid, dependable, no-surprises variety that safely appeals to most Western palates. Minced squab on lettuce leaf is terrific. Orange flavor chicken has a delightful crunch to it. Eggplant with minced pork is loaded with garlic. The eccentric, clubby dining room is pure Newport. There is even a sushi bar. The Clay Oven, 15345 Jeffrey Road, Irvine. (714) 552-2851. Open Tuesdays through Sundays 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 5:30 to 10:30.

The Clay Oven is an Indian restaurant inauspiciously located in a country shopping mall and specializing in dishes from the tandoor, the authentic oven advertised by the restaurant’s name. Fish tikka, here made with chunks of broiled swordfish, is downright heavenly, and tandoori chicken, rubbed red with a spice mixture and broiled until sizzling, is another winner. There is an interesting selection of vegetable dishes, as well. Wash everything down with giant bottles of imported Indian beer and lament the fact that most of the really exotic specialties you see displayed on the menu won’t be available. Duang Dara, 8924 Bolsa Ave., Westminster. (714) 891-8775. Open daily 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Westminster’s Bolsa Avenue is known as “little Saigon” but its culinary treasures are not restricted to Vietnamese restaurants. Duang Dara, a Thai restaurant in the neighborhood, is authentic and accomplished. Try the larb , a spicy appetizer made from ground chicken;it will blow the top of your head off. Somp tum , made from shredded papaya, is another memorable experience. There are more than a hundred dishes to choose from on this large and diverse menu, created by Vietnamese Beau Dolan and his Thai wife Penkae, but don’t ask Dolan how they taste. Thai food is just too spicy for him. Eve ‘n Orleans, 1829 W. Katella, Anaheim. (714) 776-4022. Open Tuesdays through Fridays 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.;Tuesdays through Sundays 5 to 9 p.m.

Eve ‘n Orleans is simply smashing, a delight for lovers of Cajun and Creole cuisine. Owner/chef Joyce Washington is from Lake Charles, La., and her menu abounds with regional specialties:spicy fried chicken, seafood gumbo, crawfish etoufee , and sweet potato pie. One taste of her smothered pork chops--fried pork in a country style roux made from pepper, onion and secret spices--will make you beg for more. Red beans and rice are modestly sumptuous, and the homemade cole slaw is sweet and dreamy. A stop here is a must for anyone who thinks American regional cooking is just hype. Pure bliss, and cheap to boot. The Greek Corner, 520 Main St., Huntington Beach. (714) 960-3212. Open Mondays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.;Sundays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., 5:30 to 10:30 p.m.

The Greek Corner is an odd-looking restaurant, with barely a hint of Greek decor, but it is full of Hellenic spirit and Mediterranean fire. Weekends, there is dancing on the dining room floor led by the proprietor, papa Loizides, and his wife Rodula who doubles as chef. Don’t expect your food to come out with any regularity. All dinners begin with fresh bread and tzatziki , an addictive appetizer made from yogurt, garlic, cucumber, mint, and olive oil. The spinach and cheese pie appetizers are the best in the area. Don’t miss the kota psiti , lemon marinated baked chicken, or pastitsio , a noodle casserole. Horikawa, South Coast Village, 3800 S. Plaza Drive, Santa Ana . (714) 557-2531. Open daily 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Mondays through Fridays 5:30 to 10 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays to 11 p.m.

At Horikawa, the simplest food tends to be the best:Beef tataki , an appetizer of sizzling filet mignon, is delightful, and broiled salmon is good. But tempura , the batter fried shrimp and vegetable dishes, are leaden and overcooked, and various combination plates are insipid and expensive to boot. Your best bet is the upstairs teppan room, where knife-juggling chefs sear delicacies over a metal grill. The restaurant is expensive;better hope the company account covers this one. JW’s, in the Anaheim Marriott Hotel, 700 W. Convention Way, Anaheim . (714) 750-0900 . Open Mondays through Saturdays, 6 to 9 p.m.

JW’s is one of those staunchly old-school special occasion restaurants, but the food is somewhat innovative and of surprisingly high quality. Appetizers show a certain daring, like home grown foie gras served on a potato galette in a Madeira sauce, or escargot ravioli with wild mushrooms. Main dishes show enthusiasm as well, and the sauces accompanying them are generally big hits. Roast boar comes drenched with a simple sauce of sage, juniper and honey, and has a robust spiciness. Venison comes in a sauce based on red wine vinegar. Prices are definitely on the high end, service attentive and manicured. It is fail-safe the way only a good hotel restaurant can be. La Mer Genkai, 540 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach. (714) 497-6799. Open daily from 5:30 p.m.

La Mer Genkai is a restaurant with something for everybody:the food is Frenchified Japanese, with more than a hint of California thrown in for good measure. Belly up to the sushi bar for such designer treats as “dynamite,” a seaweed wrapped cone with tuna, daikon sprouts and Japanese chili. Or sit in the woodsy dining room with the pink back lighting and ape at sauteed duck in rasberry butter served rose petal style and simple salmon teriyaki. Both traditional and non-traditional dishes are given a field day in this noisy, exuberant restaurant. Yuppies are especially welcome. Mene’s Terrace, 23532 El Toro Road (Orange Tree Plaza), El Toro. (714) 830-3228. Open Mondays through Fridays 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 9:30 p.m., Saturdays 5 to 9:30 p.m.

Mene’s Terrace is like a sun splashed Aegean taverna, transported magically to an El Toro shopping mall. You know you are not in Greece because you can see the Denny’s just outside the window. The menu is small, but everything is prepared the way an Orthodox grandmother would prepare it. Tiropita and spanakopita , little cheese and spinach pies in a filo crust, are near perfect. The egg lemon soup is even better. Wonderful char-grilled meats, marinated in lemon juice and Greek spices, are served with rice pilaf and pan roasted potatoes. There is even complimenatary baklava at dinner time. Mi Rincon, 7001 S. Bristol St., Santa Ana . (714) 836-9482 . Open daily except Monday s from noon to 9 p.m., weekends until 10 p.m.

Mi Rincon specializes in Peruvian cuisine, a mingling of Indian and Spanish influences with a host of original twists. Ceviche, the seafood appetizer of marinated raw fish so often identified as Mexican, is really Peruvian in origin, and Maria Leva, the chef here, makes one of the best versions ever. Papas a la Huancaina is a classic dish from northern Peru, whole boiled potatoes blanketed with a rich sauce made from cheese, cream, chili, and olive oil. Arroz con pato is an amazing braised duck specialty with coriander rice. Watch out for Inca Cola, a pale yellow monstrosity that tastes like liquid bubble gum. Everything else is a delight.