DINING OUT -- MARY FURR

Like a kaleidoscope, all the pieces seem to fall just right at the

Huntington Beach Beer Co. this Fourth of July. The new brewmaster Kris

Martin has crafted golden bear brown ale just for Huntington Beach. The

cuisine has matured under the direction of Pablo Gutierrez and Pedra

Esparza; and owner Peter Andriet has just gotten married and moved into

Plaza Almeria, the big new condo just a block from the Main Street

location of the brewery.

Climb the narrow stairs or take the elevator to the top floor of the

high ceiling room on the corner of Walnut and Main streets. Here, loud

music introduces the beer company, an ambivalent night spot that brews

beer but also has an excellent kitchen. Five big shining vats fill one

side of the room while wraparound windows and two outside patios fill the

rest of the room with sunlight and a view of the Pacific Ocean.

Outstanding on the menu are starters like pub-style fish and chips

($8.29), fresh strips of cod dipped in the house beer and served with

steak fries or another quirky selection -- armadillo eggs ($5.99)

jalapeno stuffed with cheddar cheese and deep-fried.

Worthy of any fish restaurant is the salmon ($12.59), a grilled

six-ounce piece, crusty on the edges, moist and tender inside and topped

with a light cream dill sauce. It is served with some great grilled

vegetables -- big cuts of carrots, celery, broccoli flowers, fresh

succulent mushrooms and three small peel-on red potatoes. Combine this

dish with a view from the back patio and you have the best in Huntington

Beach.

There are 10 pasta dishes from Thai fettuccine ($9.99) and Thai Cajun

shrimp penne ($11.89) to Surf City penne ($9.59), but it is rosemary

chicken ravioli that steals my heart. Six tender round pastas filled with

bits of ricotta and cream cheese in a silky orange tomato sauce is

sprinkled with fresh rosemary, a herb with a strong flavor reminiscent of

lemon. Served on a good hot platter, it has triangles of wood-fired,

pizza-style garlic bread.

Whether you watch the parade with Grand Marshal Lou Rawls march up

Main Street from the front balcony of the beer company or go to

Huntington Beach High School for the entertainment and fireworks after

dinner, pizza is a choice popular with any age. The HBBC Supreme ($9.89)

is a six slice, wood-fired, brick oven baked and topped with a spicy

sauce, pepperoni, sausage, peppers and mozzarella cheese. It’s a thin

crust with a chewy rolled edge. You can even take it out to share while

you wait for the sun to set and paint the ocean a golden red.

* MARY FURR is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have comments

or suggestions for her, call (562) 493-5062.

*

o7 FYI

f7 Huntington Beach Beer Co.

WHERE: 201 Main St.

PHONE: (714) 960-5343

HOURS: 11:30 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to 2

a.m. Friday and Saturday

MISC.: Free live entertainment from 8 to 11 p.m. Saturday.