Salumi! Craft beers! Hut, hut, hike!

IT used to be that a sports bar was a sports bar -- where patrons were more particular about the beers and cheers than about the food. But lately, with the proliferation of neighborhood gastropubs, sushi sports bars and even beer-friendly wine bars, there are alternatives.

Real sports fans may still be happiest at real sports bars, but for the rest of us, there are some great places -- with multiple screens -- to catch some or all of Super Bowl XLII this Sunday while enjoying some terrific foods and well-chosen microbrews. It’s all about playing the percentages.

If you’re looking for a 50-50 ratio of dining pleasure to sports excitement, check out a gastropub or food-forward lounge that’s making the Super Bowl an event -- such as the Del in Playa del Rey, 3rd Stop in West Hollywood or BottleRock in Culver City -- where the beer-friendly food is often ambitious and creative.

If you’re more of a 75-25 food-to-sports person -- if, for example, you’re not in a hurry to sit through the whole game but wouldn’t mind catching Tom Petty at halftime -- check out some of the bar-cafes that acknowledge sports but focus on dining, such as Crow Bar and Kitchen in Corona del Mar.

And if you lean in the direction of making sports this weekend’s can’t-miss moment but don’t want to sacrifice culinarily, check out the handful of pubs we’ve discovered (after researching dozens) such as Muldoon’s in Newport Beach and Kai Sushi Sports Bar in Torrance, where food traditions -- and standards -- are beautifully upheld.

When choosing the perfect snacks to serve with a craft beer, it’s hard to beat popular standards like a platter of spicy wings, a juicy burger and a basket of crispy, salt-dusted fries. The new generation of brew pub fare riffs on the essential flavor components -- spicy, meaty, salty and fried -- of those familiar bar foods.

“With beer you want flavors that are simple, almost minimalist, not overly complicated,” says Matt James Tymoszewicz, executive chef at the Del. “But that doesn’t mean you need to stick to typical ingredients. I like to push the boundaries.”

Tymoszewicz gives a nod to the Irish pubs he frequented in Boston with platters of fried Ipswich clams with house-made tartar sauce and skinny, garlic-scented fries. But it’s dishes such as wild boar loin with red currant gastrique (great with Guinness) that are most intriguing here.

The Del is one of several places opening early for Super Bowl Sunday. And, like the Library Alehouse in Santa Monica, it’s turning up the volume on its half-dozen flat screens, not an everyday occurrence.

Squeeze into the Library Alehouse’s snug, shotgun bar and grab a pint -- and if you’re lucky, a seat -- to catch the game. Among the 20 draft brews are several Belgian ales, such as Piraat and Leffe, great with a basket of the crispy, lightly breaded calamari with spicy house-made cocktail and tartar sauces.

At halftime, try the bison burger, a pleasantly gamey, lean version, and a bottle of dark amber Canadian Maudite.

At 3rd Stop, the atmosphere is more upscale neighborhood pub than laid-back bistro-lounge. On game days, locals sidle up to the bar and scan the more than 30 domestic and international beers on tap.

Small groups of friends linger among the tables nearby, dipping grilled vegetable skewers into spicy chipotle sauce and sharing steaming bowls of mussels in white wine and crisp thin-cut frites.

Order one of the pizzas topped with mozzarella and spicy sausage or Gruyere and smoked ham and taste a variety of interesting ales including a Sharkbite red ale from San Marcos or a lighter Oregon Mirror Pond Pale Ale.

In recent months, the wine bar BottleRock in Culver City has expanded its beer menu to include half a dozen draft beers and a carefully chosen list of more than 50 bottled beers. You can sample a variety of hard-to-find brews, including a Japanese Kiuchi white ale and a new raspberry-blackberry-strawberry hard cider from Ace in Sonoma County.

The giant screens, even more recent additions to the one-room spot, are viewable from every seat, so sports fans can watch the play-by-play between handfuls of pan-fried Marcona almonds sprinkled with sea salt as well as more substantial offerings such as salads, grilled shrimp with sage butter or an artisan cheese platter of Rogue Creamery’s smoky blue, creamy Saint Vernier and Old Quebec aged Cheddar.

New takes on favorites

IN the intimate bar area at Crow Bar and Kitchen in Corona del Mar, the television is more akin to an animated background painting than a gateway to live-action sports. “The TVs are here, but sports aren’t our focus,” owner Steve Geary says. “We’re more about the food. It’s an entirely different atmosphere once you turn up the TVs.”

The menu is filled with wry takes on pub favorites -- Scotch eggs made with quail eggs, “banger” and mash made with salumi from Fra’ Mani, meatballs served a few at a time on an escargot plate. The ketchup, a tangy, roasted tomato marmalade with sweet bits of caramelized onions, is house made. Use it as a dipping sauce for gloriously decadent French fries fried in duck fat.

Choose carefully from among the two dozen local and international draft beers. They’re all offered at the same price, so you’re getting a deal on such brews as Delirium Tremens.

The right classic sports bar can have timeout-worthy food too. At Muldoon’s Dublin Pub in Newport Beach, a local landmark, TVs hang from the balcony surrounding the sunny New Orleans-style garden courtyard.

You can sit outside with a basket of thick-cut, house-made potato chips or cozy up in the dark, wood-paneled bar and sip a glass of Midleton Very Rare or Dublin Redbreast whiskey.

In both spots, steaming loaves of tender caraway-currant and brown bread arrive on a wooden tray to temper your appetite while you peruse the menu.

The draft beer selection of British pub standards such as Smithwick’s and Boddingtons drinks beautifully with the well-executed, personal versions of dishes including whiskey-marinated wings and Guinness beef stew.

A few blocks away at Rudy’s Pub & Grill, all eyes are on the wall-to-wall plasma screens lining the brick walls. But look around the room and you’ll see Carolina Panthers fans digging into pulled-pork sandwiches and their buddies popping fried calamari into a spicy ginger-soy dipping sauce.

A handful of interesting microbrews are available among the dozen draft beers, such as a dark, coffee-scented Pipeline Porter from Hawaii. Enjoy it on a sunny game day afternoon when the retractable roof is rolled back and the AstroTurf glistens beneath the communal tables.

It’s definitely 50-50 sports-to-food fun at Kai Sushi Sports Bar in Torrance, a sunny spot that opened a little over a year ago and proudly displays the upcoming sports schedule next to its sushi lineup on the menu. The sushi bar turns out good sashimi and rolls, such as a house special with tempura fried shrimp, steamed asparagus, avocado and spicy tuna.

Or settle in with a group of friends at one of the dozen larger tables and order appetizers to share -- a side order of tempura fried vegetables, thinly sliced soy-marinated beef ribs and the tuna with “crunch mix,” an oddly described but tasty mound of chunky albacore, diced tomato and crushed fried wontons on crispy wonton rounds.

Choose your beverage: sake -- a round of chilled Sho Chiku Bai Ginjo, maybe -- or Japanese bottled beer.

Touchdown.

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Beers, pub fare and big screens

Over several recent weeks, we checked out dozens of gastropubs, lounges, bar-cafes and sushi sports bars. (Some, of course, don’t have TVs; some that have screens, including the Bowery in Hollywood, won’t be open until halftime Sunday; others, such as the Village Idiot in West Hollywood, only have televisions in private rooms.) Here are some recommendations, in alphabetical order, of spots with interesting selections of beer and better-than-your-usual-sports-bar food. They’re all open for Super Bowl XLII -- see individual listing for details.

BottleRock. Small, lively wine and beer bar with two large flat screens over the bar. Eight microbrews on draft (mainly from California) and more than 50 international beers in bottles. Best dishes: roasted dates stuffed with blue cheese and walnuts and wrapped in prosciutto, Marcona almonds tossed in olive oil and sea salt, truffle grilled cheese. Open this Sunday from 1 to 11 p.m., serving the evening menu beginning at 2:30 p.m. 3847 Main St., Culver City, (310) 836-9463; www.bottlerock.net.

Crow Bar and Kitchen. Neighborhood bistro with a 10-seat bar and one TV, no standing room. Good selection of two dozen international beers and California microbrews on draft, and 19 bottled beers. Best dishes: meatballs with red pepper aioli, blue crab deviled eggs, burger with house-made tomato marmalade, duck fat fries. Open from 11 a.m. to midnight this Sunday, serving bar snacks from 2 to 4 p.m., full evening menu after 4. 2325 E. Coast Highway, Corona del Mar, (949) 675-0070; www.thecrowbarcdm.com.

The Del. Beach-town restaurant opening in phases whose central bar-lounge has several booths and tables. Full bar with small draft beer selection and several microbrews in bottles. Best dishes: kabocha squash tempura, Ipswich fried clams, shrimp and chips. Open this Sunday from 1 p.m. until the game ends. 119 Culver Blvd., Playa del Rey, (310) 823-6800; thedelrestaurant.com.

Kai Sushi Sports Bar. Bright, contemporary family- and group-friendly sushi sports bar with a dozen plasma-screen TVs lining the restaurant. Variety of sakes and a small selection of Japanese and American bottled beer. Best dishes: tuna with “crunch mix,” Asian beef ribs, tempura fried vegetables. Open this Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; table reservations recommended for groups. 24215 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance, (310) 325-7979; www.kaisportsbar.com.

The Library Alehouse. Neighborhood pub with two TVs in the small bar area and half a dozen two-person tables. Rotating selection of 20 Belgian ales, ciders and microbrews by the pint and pitcher, and 15 bottled beers, mainly from Belgium. Best dishes: fried calamari with house-made cocktail and tartar sauces, bison burger, classic fried chicken. Open this Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to midnight. 2911 Main St., Santa Monica, (310) 314-4855; www.libraryalehouse.com.

Muldoon’s Dublin Pub. Irish sports bar with TVs in the outdoor courtyard and an indoor wood-paneled bar. Eight British beers on draft and 12 whiskeys. Best dishes: whiskey-marinated wings, house-made potato chips, lamb stew, banger bites with mustard sauce, currant-caraway and Irish soda breads. Open this Sunday with food service from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., bar open until 1 a.m. 202 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, (949) 640-4110; www.muldoonspub.com.

Rudy’s Pub & Grill. Sports bar with dozens of flat screens lining the walls, a bar area in back with small tables and several communal tables in front beneath a retractable roof. A dozen beers on draft, mainly standard Americans, with a few interesting bottled microbrews. Best dishes: Carolina-style pork sliders, fried calamari in spicy soy ginger sauce, house potato salad. Open this Sunday from 7 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. 3110 Newport Blvd., Newport Beach, (949) 723-0293; or www.rudyspubandgrill.com.

The 3rd Stop. Beer-focused upscale neighborhood pub with several flat screens in the bar area and small bar tables. Good selection of more than 30 international beers and microbrews on draft and more in bottles. Best dishes: lamb and vegetable skewers in chipotle sauce, moules frites, dessert pizza with Nutella and mascarpone. Open this Sunday from noon to 1 a.m. 8636 W. 3rd St., West Hollywood, (310) 273-3605.

-- Jenn Garbee

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Muldoon’s whiskey-marinated wings

Total time: 3 hours

Servings: 8

Note: Adapted from Muldoon’s Newport Beach. The restaurant recommends Maytag for the blue cheese. This recipe makes slightly more barbecue sauce and dressing than is called for in the final recipe.

Barbecue sauce

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup orange juice

1 1/4 cups chili sauce

1/2 cup molasses

1 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons dry mustard

Generous 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic

2 dashes Tabasco sauce

1 tablespoon plus 3/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon plus 3/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoons hickory liquid smoke

In a large saucepan, combine the chicken broth, orange juice, chili sauce, molasses, ketchup, soy sauce, mustard, garlic, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and liquid smoke and bring to a boil, stirring the bottom of the pan regularly to prevent burning. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook an additional 45 minutes. Remove from the heat to a nonreactive container and allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until needed. This makes 3 1/2 cups sauce and will keep for 2 weeks refrigerated.

Blue cheese dressing

1 1/4 cups mayonnaise

5 tablespoons sour cream

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 drops Worcestershire

2 drops Tabasco

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

2 teaspoons sugar

2 ounces (scant 1/2 cup) blue cheese, crumbled

5 tablespoons celery leaves, minced

3 slender green onions, white part only, minced

1 tablespoon minced chives

Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, Worcestershire, Tabasco, pepper and sugar in a medium bowl. Gently fold in the cheese, celery leaves, green onions and chives. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. This makes 1 3/4 cups dressing and will keep for 1 week refrigerated.

Chicken wings and final assembly

1/2 cup Irish whiskey (preferably Bushmills)

2 1/2 cups teriyaki marinade

2 1/2 cups barbecue sauce, divided

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 pounds chicken drumettes

1 cup blue cheese dressing

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix together the whiskey, teriyaki sauce, 1 cup barbecue sauce and oregano. Place the chicken wings in a large pan and pour the sauce over them. Cook for 2 hours, until the meat is tender and almost falling off the bone. Remove the wings to a foil-lined sheet pan and allow to cool slightly.

2. Brush each of the wings with a little of the remaining barbecue sauce. Place the pan under the broiler just until the sauce begins to char, about 2 minutes. Remove from the broiler and place the wings on a platter with the blue cheese dressing on the side. Serve immediately.

Each serving: 403 calories; 16 grams protein; 23 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 27 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 54 mg. cholesterol; 1,648 mg. sodium.