Restaurant Review:

Sports bars have certainly seen an evolution cuisine-wise the last several years. Gone are the stale pretzels and other bar fare tossed at customers, more as afterthought than actual hospitality.

If a sports bar dared now to serve dried-out chicken tenders and freezer-to-microwave mozzarella sticks, the more educated sports bar patrons would rise up and protest.

There is no danger of that happening at Oggi’s. The food is so much better than what you would find at the usual sports bar that I find it difficult to include it in the sports bar category.

But that is definitely the theme. More than 30 flat screen TVs surround the bar and dining room.

Jerseys hang from the ceiling and on the walls. A signed Tony Gonzales Chiefs jersey is hung prominently. The Huntington Beach native played across the street at Huntington Beach High School.

The sports bar started in 1991 as a pizza parlor in Del Mar by two brothers with little restaurant experience. It has evolved from that to a sports bar to a brew pub and produces a line of beer that includes amber, stout and lager. They also have many other domestic and international beers on tap and in bottles.

Accompanying the beer is a full bar that offers many specialty drinks and a line of martinis. There is also a pretty decent wine list.

But it is the food that has truly impressed me. The focal point of the menu is the pizza and there are 26 signature pizzas, with such exotic toppings as zucchini, Gorgonzola cheese, Brazilian tri-pepper sausage and pine nuts.

If you are more of a traditionalist, the opportunity is there to create your own pizza. There are 30 toppings and six different cheeses that can be put atop a personal size, medium or large.

I have found the pizza to be good, but I like the appetizers and entrees and usually focus on those.

One of my favorite appetizers is the Oggi stix. The pizza dough is brushed with a garlic and oil sauce, topped with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese and baked. There are ranch and marinara for dipping, though the ranch didn’t work for me.

I did like the ranch with the garlic knots. They are similar to the stix, but without the cheese. The ranch worked with it. The marinara they use for not only those two dishes, but some of their pasta dishes and pizza, is very good. It is not too sweet, and I like the taste of oregano in it.

While the garlic knots are good, they are screaming for more garlic. They are brushed with garlic butter and I would like to see minced garlic sprinkled on top. It would make it a much better dish.

While I have no problem ordering an appetizer, getting an entrée is always a challenge. The selections are plentiful and it is always tough for me to pick just one.

On this trip, I noticed something new that caught my eye. The prosciutto macaroni and cheese is relatively new, and I have seen variations of this dish elsewhere.

This one is unique in its spiciness. Red chili flakes are sprinkled throughout the dish and provide a real kick that may or may not be welcomed.

It caught me by surprise and at first it annoyed me, but I actually warmed up to the idea of the spice in the dish.

What I did not embrace was the broccoli. My waitress, who was very attentive, agreed that the vegetable would be better left off and it was the right call.

Mozzarella, Fontina cheese and cheddar are baked with the Italian meat and elbow macaroni. It is topped with a layer of panko bread crumbs and Parmesan.

I would have liked to have seen it cooked a little bit more, but did enjoy it. I think if I ordered it again, I would ask for half of the chili flakes to mellow it out a bit.

There are chicken dishes, pasta, sandwiches, wraps and burgers. If you want to try something out of the norm, order the pot roast with roasted garlic potatoes and Portabello mushrooms.

The televisions are muted and the radio doesn’t intrude in conversation. This would be a perfect place for a casual outing that includes food that is much more sophisticated than similar places.

Oggi’s Pizza and Brewing Co.

Address: 19461 Main St., Huntington Beach

Phone: (714) 969-8000

Website: www.oggis.com

Cuisine: American

Specialty dish: Pizza

Alcohol served: Full bar

Entrée price range: $5.99 to $22.99

Family friendly: Yes, eight-item children’s menu

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

Rating: *** 1/2

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