RESTAURANTS : Two Cheers for Bites and Beers : Microbreweries Are Toast of Laguna Beach

The results are still out on the microbrewery restaurant concept. Several years back, no less a name than Wolfgang Puck had to watch helplessly as his own Eureka went belly-up, despite magnificent appointments and all the publicity in the world.

Now two microbreweries have surfaced, almost simultaneously, in trendy downtown Laguna Beach. For the moment, I’m glad to say, both seem headed for a prosperous run.

Maria and Jonathan Thomas had only aspired to open a small cafe until they learned of microbrewing at a restaurant trade show. That discovery eventually led to purchasing the vast, impressive copper brewing tanks that dominate their Ocean Avenue Brewery, a narrow, beige-toned space that fairly buzzes with excitement toward happy hour (expect a wait in the early evening).

Four beers are brewed behind the crowded bar: dark, sweet Doppelback, the faintly medicinal Red Sunshine, Muddy Water (I didn’t try it) and the golden, lager-style Honey Wheat. The last is not arbitrarily named--there are faint notes of honey and wheat in the flavor.

The beers are cold, clean-tasting, rather sweet, insidiously alcoholic and somewhat of a novelty. Is it fun to dive into a pint? Sure. Would I rather have a bottle of imported Pilsner? Well, ditto.

The real surprise here is the food. Maria Thomas was born in Italy, and her menu, slanted steeply toward her homeland, has strong appeal. Bruschetta with tomato, basil, garlic and extra virgin olive oil, for instance, relies on cracker-jack ingredients to win you over: toasty bread, great oil, ripe tomatoes. Although the tomato mixture comes piled untraditionally high on the plate--yard-high, in fact--it’s irresistible.

The calamari fritti may be the best in town, crisp and fresh beneath a wonderful cilantro aioli. Caprino goat cheese is smeared on toasted pan rustica , crostini -style, the rounds perched atop a flurry of crisp Romaine tossed with walnuts and a balsamic vinaigrette.

There are fine panini , too, such as the vegetarian model (grilled eggplant, zucchini, spicy bell pepper sauce and imported Emmenthaler on filone bread). Even the simple prosciutto crudo with plum tomatoes on focaccia is excellent.

The pizzas have thin crusts and well-thought-out toppings. The savory pizza Margherita adds a shrewd amount of anchovies to the classic recipe. The odd-sounding shrimp pizza--with pesto, pine nuts, caprino cheese and jumbo shrimp--goes very well with the off-bitter Red Sunshine beer.

The pastas and entrees have more northern Italian flair than the pizzas and appetizers. Penne with porcini mushrooms, chopped Italian parsley and a light tomato cream sauce is one you can rely on.

I found the fish Caprese, an entree from the blackboard menu featuring mixed sauteed fish with pine nuts and olive oil, to be unpleasantly salty, and casually complained. The waitress unhesitatingly removed it from our check.

With an accommodating attitude, winning design and enjoyable food, bet on Ocean Avenue Brewery to last. I won’t be a bit surprised if the beer improves, either.

Ocean Avenue Brewery is moderately priced. Beer is $3 a pint, $1 for a six-ounce taster. Appetizers are $3.95 to $5.95. Panini are $6.25 to $7.95. Pizzas are $6.25 to $10.75.

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The Laguna Beach Brewing Company is far more ambitious, at least if square footage is any criterion. This is an enormous space, encompassing at least five rooms on two levels, not to mention a nifty outdoor balcony and a mezzanine with a fine view of the brewing equipment.

The restaurant has a prime PCH location and makes an unusually long list of brews--10 altogether, though generally only three or four are available on any given day.

Sitting on the balcony, with a bird’s-eye view of both the ocean and the starlit houses up in Laguna Canyon, a lot of people, I suspect, would be happy enough sipping Mountain Dew out of a paper sack. We sampled, from light to dark, Festival Light Ale, Greeter’s Pale Ale and the oatmeal-based Thousand Steps Stout. All were pleasant, if undistinctive.

If you’ve come to eat, you’ll find glorified pub grub. The many burgers, kid dishes and pub favorites that occupy this menu may explain why the place has been a hit with families.

Tops on my list has to be the quaintly named “Cajun lambaaa”--four baby lamb chops coated with Cajun spices (suspiciously rich in cumin, like an Indian restaurant lamb chop) and finished on the grill.

The meat is well charred and the price, $4.95, astoundingly low. The soppy Buffalo wings, at almost the same price, are not nearly as interesting.

As many a pub knows, fried foods promote a healthy thirst. The beer-battered onion rings and fresh fish and chips require a good half-pint to wash them down, while the grilled sandwiches, most notably the spice-crusted Cajun salmon and the tasty hickory burger, are well salted, to the same effect.

Ocean Avenue’s pizzas are baked in a wood-fired brick oven but tend to be doughy. Don’t order Thai chicken pizza unless you like a nice mouthful of sweet, pasty sauce. The pepperoni pizza will be fine when they learn to hold back on the oregano.

There are also pastas, such as a reasonable mushroom ravioli with nicely restrained sage butter and linguine with basil, garlic, tomato and fresh Parmesan. Kids seem to like the Chinese chicken salad, the fish tacos and the traditional cheese pizza. And they can drink pink lemonade, while the adults indulge in home brew or in a fine selection--10 in all--of imported Belgian ales. Bottoms up.

Laguna Beach Brewing Company is moderately priced. Beer is $3 a pint, $1 for a six-ounce taster. Appetizers are $3.25 to $4.95. Brewery favorites are $5.95 to $7.50. Pizzas are $6.75 to $8.05.

* OCEAN AVENUE BREWERY

* 237 Ocean Ave.

* (714) 497-3381.

* Lunch and dinner 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday, till 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

* All major cards.

* LAGUNA BEACH BREWING COMPANY

* 422 South Coast Highway, Laguna Beach.

* (714) 494-2739.

* Lunch and dinner 11:30 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday, till 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

* All major cards.