The following are summaries of recent Times restaurant reviews.

Al’s Steakhouse and Saloon, 16020 E. 1st St., Santa Ana . (714) 550-0847 . Open for dinner daily from 5 to 10 p.m. (until 11 on weekends). Just as our waitress promised, there is “nothin’ fancy, just food” at this urban steakhouse that looks as if it belongs alongside one of those old highways made obsolete by the interstates. Appetizers are served on large, cast-iron skillets, and there is a giant relish tray with all meals. Salad dressings are homemade and include a very good Caesar and a thick, hearty ranch. Steaks can be tough, but non-steak items are terrific, like barbecued pork ribs, an entire slab, and lamb chops, six mini-chops marinated in garlic and flame broiled. Bionic baked potatoes and heaps of steamed veggies ride sidesaddle. Be hungry, or have a big dog waiting at home.

Aurora Ristorante, 1341 S. Euclid St., Fullerton. (714) 738-0272. Open for lunch Monday thr o ugh Friday, dinner Monday through Saturday.

Aurora Ristorante looks as if it belongs in another age, with its tuxedoed waiters, a dimly pink ambiance and classic preparations too rich for the blood of the ‘80s. Chef-owner Leo Holczer has a taste for the traditional, but he tempers it with such exotic specials as alligator, buffalo and wild game birds. Pastas are rich and creamy, and there is a wonderful wine list with a wealth of vintage Italian reds. The music gets to be a bit much, though, particularly when a live organist is straining to be heard over a pianist playing for a private party in an adjoining banquet room.

Best Place Restaurant, 9693 Garden Grove Blvd., Garden Grove. (714) 638-3600. Open daily .

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.

Capriccio Italiano Ristorante, 25830 Marguerite Parkway, Village Mall, Mission Viejo. (714) 855-6866. Open Monday through Friday for lunch; daily for dinner. Visa and MasterCard.

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 marvellous, 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.

The Clay Oven, 15345 Jeffrey Road, Irvine. (714) 552-2851. Open Tuesday to Sunday for lunch and dinner. All major cards .

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.

Dewi, 1762 N. Tustin Ave., Orange, (714) 637-1101, and 9606 Hamilton Ave., Huntington Beach, ( 714) 962-4446.

Hurry over--while there is still time--to Dewi in Orange, a small Indonesian restaurant/grocery store hidden among commercial properties along a busy avenue. Nasi rames is a mixed rice plate with a whole cookbook full of Indonesian goodies, and the restaurant has fabulous barbecued chicken and hot stewed beef dishes. Owner Edith Vredevoogd is constantly preparing little snacks like lemper , a sticky rice roll filled with minced chicken, or cendol , mysterious green bits taken with crushed ice, syrup, and jackfruit. Don’t despair if you miss the Orange restaurant, though. There is a second Dewi run by Mrs. V’s brother in Huntington Beach. Exotica at its best.

JW’s, in the Anaheim Marriott Hotel, 700 W. Convention Wy., Anaheim . (714) 750-0900 .

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.