Restaurant Review:

Though it was always my desire when I was a young man, I never got to eat at Wolfgang Puck’s famed Spago in Hollywood.

When my mom asked me where I wanted to go for my birthday dinner, that was the reply for several of my teenage years.

My mom thought I was crazy and instead suggested more tame — and less expensive — restaurants.

It was then that I realized how much voting power I had in the Reger household.

As I got older and more independent I figured I would get there someday, but the closest I ever got was standing across the street one year in college watching Hollywood celebrities walk in to Swifty Lazar’s famed post-Oscar party.

When the restaurant closed in 2001, it was a momentary regret that I had never eaten there, just because of what it was, not for the food it served.

Now Puck, one of the first celebrity chefs, has incorporated and has set up more restaurants with a touch of the Spago philosophy.

I am not going to pretend that the Wolfgang Puck Café at South Coast Plaza is anything like his flagship restaurant, but there was a certain amount of anticipation when I went there last year.

Then I saw the closed for remodeling sign and thought I would never get to eat at one of his places.

Of course if I had waited this long, so what was another six months to a year?

It turned out to be good and for a chain had some significant touches with the menu that make it distinctive.

The café’s management gets several of its items from organic local farmers and Puck’s philosophy of good food with touches of inventiveness is certainly prevalent.

The ruby beet and goat cheese salad is a good example of the marriage between simple food dressed up with creative thought.

The beets are roasted and placed with fresh tangy goat cheese on a bed of spinach.

The candied pecans give it a sweetness, balanced out by a slightly tart citrus vinaigrette.

That dressing is also used on another solid salad, the chopped rotisserie turkey. Romaine lettuce is used with fresh locally grown green beans, corn and tomatoes.

Though the pizzas have always been a signature item for Puck, I instead tried one of the main course entrees.

The 10 dinner selections are varied and each are a reliable cuisine with a surprise, like the bacon-wrapped meatloaf that comes in port wine sauce or the tandoori-style chicken that has a cucumber-mint raita.

My dish was the half-barbecue-glazed chicken that was prepared very well. The white meat was very moist and the glaze was not slathered on.

The two sides, coleslaw and French fries, were good as well.

My guest decided on the dinner duo, which for $15 was a great deal for your choice of pizza or pasta with a salad and a glass of wine.

The wine she selected was the Campion Pinot Noir, which is $10 a glass.

She opted for the barbecue chicken pizza; I wish it had more cilantro on it. One pizza I want to try is the wild mushroom and caramelized pearl onions with gruyere cheese and baby arugula.

This is comfort food in a comfortable setting and at an affordable price. Puck has demonstrated for us latecomers that his idea for a restaurant is still a timeless one.

Wolfgang Puck Café

ADDRESS: 3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa

PHONE: (714) 545-5439

WEBSITE: www.wolfgangpuck.com

CUISINE: American

SPECIALTY DISH: Pizza

ALCOHOL SERVED: Beer and wine

ENTRÉE PRICE RANGE: $9.95 to $16.95

FAMILY FRIENDLY: Yes, separate children’s menu

CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED: American Express, MasterCard and Visa

RATING: 3 stars ***

JOHN REGER reviews local restaurants and may be contacted at Nolimepublishing@aol.com or P.O. Box 2984, Seal Beach, CA 90740.