The following are summaries of recent Times...

The following are summaries of recent Times restaurant reviews.

Dewi, 1762 N. Tustin Ave., Orange, (714) 637-1101, and 9606 Hamilton Ave., Huntington Beach, (714) 962-4446. Open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Hurry over--while there is still time--to Dewi in Orange, a small Indonesian restaurant/grocery store hidden among commercial properties along a busy avenue. Nasi rames is a mixed rice plate with a whole cookbook full of Indonesian goodies, and the restaurant has fabulous barbecued chicken and hot stewed beef dishes. Owner Edith Vredevoogd is constantly preparing little snacks like lemper , a sticky rice roll filled with minced chicken, or cendol , mysterious green bits taken with crushed ice, syrup and jackfruit. Don’t despair if you miss the Orange restaurant, though. There is a second Dewi run by Mrs. V’s brother in Huntington Beach. Exotica at its best.

Duang Dara, 8924 Bolsa Ave., Westminster. (714) 891-8775. Open daily, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Westminster’s Bolsa Avenue is known as Little Saigon, but its culinary treasures are not restricted to Vietnamese restaurants. Duang Dara, a Thai restaurant in the neighborhood, is authentic and accomplished. Try the larb , a spicy appetizer made from ground chicken; it will blow the top of your head off. Somp tum , made from shredded papaya, is another memorable experience. There are more than a hundred dishes to choose from on this large and diverse menu, created by Vietnamese Beau Dolan and his Thai wife Penkae, but don’t ask Dolan how they taste. Thai food is just too spicy for him.

Hornblower Yacht Cruises, P.O. Box 1779, Newport Beach. Call (714) 548-8700 for further information.

Hornblower offers weekend dinner cruises in exotic Newport Harbor as an acceptable alternative to shorebound dining drudgery and brings it off with style. Chef Todd Mosher, a young Bay Area talent, keeps the menu simple and satisfying, limiting the options to three exquisitely prepared specialties. An excellent trendy salad of oak leaf and chickory, and real San Francisco sourdough, reflect solid taste and good judgment. There is a dance band available for those who get antsy offshore. Also Sunday brunch.

Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant, 8039 Beach Blvd., Buena Park. (714) 220-5080. Open daily except Christmas, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Disneyland, 1313 Harbor Blvd., Anaheim. (714) 999-4565. Open daily, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturdays until midnight.

Between them, Knott’s Berry Farm and Disneyland feed more mouths than any local restaurant ever could hope to, yet their food concessions get surprisingly little notice. With regard to Disneyland, it is not surprising: You are a captive audience there, and the food is mediocre at best. Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner restaurant fares much better. You don’t even have to enter the park to eat there. For $7.95, hungry families can get individual dinners consisting of a rhubarb appetizer, a mixed green salad, fried chicken, traditional mashed potatoes and country gravy, fresh cabbage seasoned with ham, buttermilk biscuits, and a choice of pie. Take that, Mickey.

Magic Island, 3505 Via Oporto, Newport Beach. (714) 675-0900. Open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 6 p.m.; Sunday brunches at 9:30, 10:30 and noon.

There’s no shortage of illusion at Magic Island, a onetime private club that has been recently opened to the public, but the illusion of dining often fails to materialize. The evening begins with a snappy show featuring first-rate magicians, and then proceeds to one of the myriad dining rooms where a stuffy, often over-extended menu is offered. Less is more here: Simpler fare like grilled meats and plain salads tend to upstage the flashier performers, like anything stuffed or sauced. You are going to have a good time at Magic Island, but at present, it is the kitchen that needs magic. Expensive.

Pascal, Plaza Newport, 1000 Bristol St., Newport Beach . (714) 752-0107 . Open Mondays through Fridays , 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Sundays through Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays till 10:30 p.m.

Pascal is the latest, brightest and most engaging of the small area restaurants serving unadulterated French cuisine. You don’t have to worry about being terrorized by the waiters or cream sauced to death in this charming country cottage. The chef, Pascal Olhats, is a Bocuse protege with solid area experience, and uses no artificial anything in his kitchen. Don’t miss a delightful Provencal fish soup appetizer, or a lamb salad redolent of sweet basil. An entree of sea bass, coated with thyme, and served in a tomato coulis, vaut le voyage (is worth the trip). Desserts are light and guiltless.

PoFolks, 279 E. Orangethorpe Ave., Fullerton . (714) 992-1515. Open daily, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

This PoFolks is the first of a projected 50 to be built in southern California: The chain is off to a good start. This is a high-quality family restaurant, with prices so low they are frightening. Chicken and dumplings a dollar nineteen? Yes, you read it right. Some of the best things here are a giant bowl of seafood gumbo, chock full of shrimp, rice and chunked okra, priced at $2.19, and a lightly breaded chicken-fried steak. Such accompaniments as corn muffins, biscuits and many side vegetable plates all are done with skill. Just don’t ask anybody what a moon pie is. If you do, you will be sorry.

Taiko, 14775 Jeffrey Road, Irvine. (714) 559-7190. Open daily 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m.

Taiko, a trendy sushi bar in an Irvine shopping mall, actually is the rara avis among Japanese restaurants that seems to appeal to both Japanese and American taste. It is a cultural encounter every time you dine. The menu has both the exotic (baby crab, deep fried abalone with vinegar sauce) and the mundane (chicken teriyaki), but anything prepared by the white-hatted chefs is apt to be done with style. If you want the best of Taiko, you had better sit at the long sushi bar. Many of the most interesting items are not brought to the tables. The Japanese have never been long on compromise.