Dinner

Victoria Alberty, who runs www.TheLocalHB.com, received the Ambassador of the Year Award at the Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce’s 105th annual dinner Jan. 15. The Member of the Year Award went to Janis Mantini of the Boeing Company. This year’s theme was “Decked out in the Decades,” where guests dressed up from different eras throughout the 1900s. The theme of Alberty’s table was the Titanic, and the table won the People’s Choice Award for the evening.

Some friends like to bike or hike. Others play video games or watch sports together; but my friends and I prefer to eat and drink and have long-winded dinners in which we challenge each other to eat more than we actually (and comfortably) should. But dining out is an expensive hobby that a proletariat like myself really can’t indulge in as often as I have been lately; there’s a giant hole in my checking account that just told me so. At a recent dinner along Main Street, I ordered a salad and an ice tea and passed on the appetizers, cocktails, entrees and even dessert.

"Cheaters." That's what Harmon Killebrew called the recently revealed Major League Baseball steroid users to a packed dinner crowd at SeaCliff Country Club last week at the KinderVision fundraiser. It was but one of many revealing, interesting moments in the evening. You may recall reading about KinderVision in this column two weeks ago. It is the national child safety education program dedicated to the protection of children from abduction and sexual exploitation. KinderVision plans to host an annual golf/dinner banquet in Huntington Beach, and if next year is anything like this, we're in for a treat.

Roberta McMillan Huff's Restaurant, at the corner of Goldenwest Street and Edinger Avenue, offers an array of home-style American cuisine with large portions at generous prices. Coupons are easily found for this eatery, formerly known as Sunny's, by looking in various newspapers, including coupons for two-for-one breakfasts, lunches and dinners. What I enjoy most about this restaurant, other than the food, is the friendly service and the clean and home-like atmosphere.

John Volo My buddy Zach startled me when he confidently suggested I check out a restaurant he favors. Upon regaining my composure, I asked, "Isn't it like Denny's? Carrow's? Norm's?" The fact I'd never been to this establishment was immaterial. I was positive its clientele consisted solely of bowlers scarfing down chicken salad sandwiches and bingo players sipping coffee alongside a slice of huckleberry pie. Zach countered by portraying it as an underrated, all-American family restaurant, serving satisfying meals at a fair price.

Some people are easily recognized by a single name like Garbo or Madonna. Capone is one of those whose name conjures legends of 1925 Chicago, where life was in the fast lane and restaurants offered great Italian food like the authentic dishes found at Capone's Pasta & Pizza on Beach Boulevard and Utica Street in Newland Center, Huntington Beach It's a minimalist place with dark red wood tables, ladder-back chairs, ...

Tomorrow is Good Friday and this Sunday many here in Huntington Beach will celebrate Easter in their homes or in their places of worship. Family and friends will gather together around dinner tables throughout our city as they celebrate this special holiday. This year there will be many who are far from the family's table, stationed on military bases around the world and having Easter dinner with their military buddies. But as they eat their Easter meal you can bet their thoughts are of family back here in Huntington Beach.

Send DATEBOOK items to the Huntington Beach Independent, 18682 Beach Blvd., Suite 160, Huntington Beach, CA 92648; fax to (714) 965-7174; call (714) 965-7176 or e-mail hbindy@latimes.com. Submissions must be received two weeks before publication. TODAY A Free Thanksgiving dinner will be hosted from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Tumbleweeds Bar and Grill, 21094 South Beach Blvd. The turkey dinner is open to everyone and reservations are not required. Information: (714)

Ellen McCarty Family status: Married, two stepsons. Age: 50 Education: Bachelor's degree from Georgetown University, doctorate from UCLA. Present occupation: Assistant Superintendent, Business Services for the Huntington Beach Union High School District. Explain your job: I oversee the business functions of the high school district, including facilities. Your greatest achievement: A happy marriage. Personal motto: Be careful what you wish for. Most humbling moment: My healthy, athletic sister had a heart attack two years ago at age 51. Your greatest extravagance: I have never seen a pair of shoes I didn't need.