MARY FURR -- Dining Out

The restaurant owners and chefs are catching up with the architects and

changing the face of Main Street in Huntington Beach. Excitement seems to

wash up from the pier with the opening of each new restaurant -- most

recently Caffe Panini, owned by Dick Harlow.

Don’t be misled. Panini, Italian for “sandwich,’ is much more than its

name. Tables spill out to the sidewalk from the deep, brick-lined

interior. A blackboard outside tempts strollers with a menu of salads,

pizza and Mediterranean entrees.

We stopped by for an outdoor table and a sandwich -- a topsy-turvy No. 1,

Turkey Panini ($6.45) with a side of pasta and garlic-rosemary potatoes

or fruit, suggested by co-manager Caroline Vesse.

Chef Sean Sullivan from the School of Culinary Arts in Denver does

sandwiches differently. He layers the turkey slices and tomato between

the outside crusty part of the homemade focaccio bread with the soft

inside texture on the outside. This helps to keep the integrity of the

filling and the bread as separate tastes, with a slice of pepperoncini

adding an unexpected zesty bite to the turkey.

If you’re looking for an unusual combination, try No. 4 ($6.98), the Brie

Melt, with thin slices of Black Forest ham on focaccio spread with

buttery soft brie and the clean, sharp taste of Dijon mustard -- so

deliciously intense, you may only be able to eat half.

On to the pastas -- great choices for a larger lunch or dinner. Scampi

($13.95) has six tail-on shrimp, fresh and firm, arranged around a really

large serving of linguine -- narrow strips of pasta glistening with

butter. It has the rich taste of Northern Italy.

If you’re expecting pasta, there’s plenty here. But if you’re expecting a

rich butter garlic sauce to swirl the shrimp in, you’ll be disappointed.

Spinach Tortellini ($9.95), folded pasta stuffed with spinach and shaped

into a ring, are covered with a creamy sauce filled with thin slices of

prosciutto (Italian ham) and intense, wrinkled, dark red, sun-dried

tomato pieces that add great flavor to the dish. It’s a big serving

packed with a taste like a rainbow, ranging from the light and mild pasta

with a spring-like green filling of spinach to the full-bodied tomato

red. A robust dish, not for dieters.

Think Italian. Think everyone’s favorite Sunday night dinner. Think

pizza! Ours was Ham Pizza ($7, 7-inches) the way it’s done in Italy --

the thinnest cut Black Forest ham and red onion slices with thicker

slices of Roma tomatoes and lots of smoked mozzarella all covered with

fresh tomato sauce. It was so light, it just couldn’t be fattening.

Caffe Panini makes its own desserts. The Tiramisu ($4.25) has all the

richness you’d expect -- a liquor-soaked crust and a thick layer of

creamy marscapone (an ultra-rich Italian cream cheese) dusted with cocoa

on top. So good!

Management says outside dining along Main Street enhances the experience

for visitors and natives who love being part of the buzz, bustle and

passing parade.

* MARY FURR is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have comments or

suggestions for her, call (562) 493-5062.

FYI

Caffe Panini

WHERE: 311 Main St., Huntington Beach

HOURS: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, until 10 p.m. Friday

through Sunday

CALL: 960-5282

MISC.: Liquor license pending. Credit cards accepted.