RESTAURANT REVIEW:

Tourists who walk into Duke’s may not know who the restaurant is named for. They might guess it is John Wayne, an Orange County icon, but that would be incorrect.

If they read their guidebooks they would know the restaurant honors Duke Kahanamoku, Hawaii’s most famous surfing ambassador and an Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer of the early 20th century.

The restaurant’s Huntington Beach location opened in 1998; there are others in Waikiki, Kalapaki Beach on Kauai and in Malibu. It embodies the surfing culture and is a prime eatery for locals and visitors.

The location of the restaurant couldn’t be more ideal.

Next to the Huntington Beach pier, the two main dining rooms utilize its available imagery.

Many of the tables are positioned with a nice view.

My brother Tom was visiting from Colorado.

A Southern California native, he was driven out of town by too much traffic and people, and he spent most of his trip reassured of his decision to leave.

But Duke’s gave him momentary homesickness for his native residence.

Calmed by the Pacific Ocean, he spent most of the meal looking out the windows, while we spent a long time lingering over our meal.

Even though it was late Sunday evening, the restaurant was crowded and it was a while until a waitress came to our table. She did, however come over and apologize for the wait and assured us she would be back soon. That earned her five more minutes for not ignoring us, a big plus when she was understandably slammed with tables.

On her recommendation, we ordered crab wontons and my brother was itching for shrimp, so he ordered a shrimp cocktail.

The wontons are quite good. With crab meat and cream cheese for the filling, they are served with a mustard plum sauce that is pretty spicy. The sauce is underneath, so it can be avoided, but dab at least a bit on to add to the taste of the appetizer.

In-between bites, we took advantage of the pickled cucumbers to cool our tongues down.

The shrimp in the cocktail is large and firm. With six pieces of shrimp it would be satisfying as a meal.

The sauce is not the traditional horseradish and ketchup, but a guava-based concoction that is sweet, but still tangy.

My brother kept with the shrimp motif and ordered one of the restaurant’s versions of surf and turf.

Duke’s has an Australian lobster tail and prime top sirloin, but Tom opted for four coconut shrimp and an eight-ounce top sirloin.

The shrimp has a subtle coconut flavor, not too sweet, but there is sweet and sour sauce if desired.

I didn’t think it was needed, as the shrimp stood out on its own. The steak I had was a great piece of meat, cooked well with no fat on it at all.

The only disappointment was the garlic mashed potatoes that were lacking in garlic.

I got one of the fresh fish selections, an Australian sea bass. At Duke’s you have the option of having it cooked several ways — baked with garlic, lemon and a sweet-basil glaze, or charbroiled and covered with a papaya-lime salsa.

I was leaning in the latter direction when my server suggested the house favorite. The fish is sautéed with panko — a crispy breadcrumb, and macadamia nuts, lemon and capers. It is a great flavor for the fish and I was pleased that my server talked me into it.

If you go to Duke’s for nothing else, go for the Hula pie. It is an incredible dessert, one of the best I have had in Huntington Beach: macadamia nut ice cream in a chocolate cookie crust, topped with chocolate fudge, whipped cream and macadamia nuts. It is rich enough that it should be shared with another person, but definitely shouldn’t be missed.

Over dessert I made the argument with my brother that there is no better place than Southern California to live. As he ate Hula pie and looked out onto the ocean as the sun was setting, I may have temporarily won him over.

Address: 317 Pacific Coast Hwy., Huntington Beach

Phone: (714) 374-6446

Cuisine: Hawaiian

Specialty dish: Herb-roasted prime rib

Alcohol served: Full bar

Dress: Casual

Family friendly: Yes, a kid’s menu with four items and a coloring book

Credit cards accepted: Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express

Rating: ***

JOHN REGER reviews restaurants for the Independent.