RESTAURANT REVIEW:

The debate at lunch between my guest and I was how we would classify Billy’s at the Beach.

My friend insisted the food should be called Hawaiian, while my vote was seafood.

The restaurant claims both, merging the two, though I still maintain there aren’t enough Hawaiian dishes to claim that moniker.

It doesn’t really matter what you call the food, it has been one of the staples of West Coast Highway for years.

The reason is simple: The food is well-prepared, with enough creativity to keep diners returning.

The one part I have always had a tough time with is the room. The views in the dining room of the bay are great, but the room is much smaller than it appears from the outside.

The patio off to the side of the bar gives a less claustrophobic feel and is actually preferable when the weather is warmer.

It is not the décor or ambience that I am seeking out when I go there. It is the food, and that is perfectly acceptable.

My visits for lunch never start without the Ahi poke tower. The Hawaiian-style dish has Ahi with ogo seaweed, sesame oil and soy sauce layered on wonton chips and sliced avocado. It is served with a spicy, but not overly so, wasabi cream and wasabi tobiko caviar.

Billy’s has several starters that could be made into meals. The ceviche of scallops and opakapaka is made fresh daily, and the spicy lime-and-cilantro mix is a great combination.

The crab cakes are served with Buerre blanc and mango sauces. The Buerre blanc, French for white butter, provide a mellow base for the sweet taste of the mango. It should not be missed when considering an appetizer.

Another starter that intrigued me was the scallop roll. Scallops, spinach and avocado are wrapped in a wonton skin and seared until crisp. The dish is served with a spicy hot sauce, but I prefer something sweeter.

My friend never misses a meal at Billy’s without ordering the chopped Cobb salad. The mixture of romaine and iceberg lettuce has grilled chicken breast, bacon and the other usual suspects, such as avocado, tomato and hard-boiled egg.

I saw nothing special with this salad, though my friend swears it is one of the best he has ever had.

I was extremely impressed with the garlic-and-herb-crusted mahi mahi. The fish is pan-seared and then oven-baked with a crust of fresh herbs, garlic, ginger and panko, the crispy, wheat bread crumbs.

While the fish was perfectly good on its own, the roasted macadamia nut vinaigrette provided another dimension to the dish and made a good piece of fish great.

My friend had saffron linguine with pan-sautéed shrimp. The saffron gave the linguine a lighter taste, and the shrimp were a much better accompaniment than the other choice, clams. The garlic and shallot marinate worked very well with the pasta.

For dinner, I would go for the meat. Bone in rib eye, filet mignon and New York strip are all offered. The red meat is all USDA prime, and the 18-ounce rib eye would be my favorite of the choices.

The surf and turf at the restaurant is pricey at $72, but worth it at least once. The petite filet is served with a 10- to 12-ounce Australian lobster tail.

There are more than enough entrees to choose from, and the quality of the food is very good. I just don’t know how many of them I would consider Hawaiian dishes, but that is a minor inconvenience and not a reason to skip going to the restaurant.

ADDRESS: 2751 W. Coast Hwy., Newport Beach

PHONE: (949) 722-1100

CUISINE: Hawaiian

SPECIALTY DISH: surf and turf

ALCOHOL SERVED: full bar

DRESS: casual to dressy

FAMILY FRIENDLY: yes

CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED: Visa, MasterCard and American Express

RATING: ***

JOHN REGER is the Pilot’s restaurant critic. His reviews run Thursdays.