Grub Guide
Orange County's best damn dining guide
NEWPORT BEACH
BACK BAY CAFÉ
Located inside the beautifully kept Dunes RV Resort, this is an egalitarian waterfront-dining alternative. The New England clam chowder is one of the best in OC, rife with clams, tuna, shrimp and bacon. 1131 Back Bay Dr., Newport Beach, (949) 729-1144.$$
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Blue Bayou Restaurant
1313 S. Harbor Blvd.
Anaheim, CA 92802
Category: Restaurant > Cajun
Region: Anaheim
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Dream Cafe
830 S. Brookhurst St.
Anaheim, CA 92804
Category: Restaurant > Middle Eastern
Region: Anaheim
The Bungalow Restaurant
2441 E. Coast Highway
Corona Del Mar, CA 92625
Category: Restaurant > Steakhouse
Region: Corona Del Mar
Marukai Market
2975 Harbor Blvd.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Category: Restaurant > Grocery
Region: Costa Mesa
Lucky Chinese
18525 Brookhurst St.
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
Category: Restaurant > Chinese
Region: Fountain Valley
Amazon Churrascaria
1445 S. Lemon St.
Fullerton, CA 92832
Category: Restaurant > Barbecue
Region: Out of Town
El Camino Real
303 N. Euclid St.
Fullerton, CA 92832
Category: Restaurant > Mexican
Region: Fullerton
Al Waha B.B.Q. Family Restaurant
9562 Chapman Ave.
Garden Grove, CA 92841
Category: Restaurant > Middle Eastern
Region: Garden Grove
Joe's Italian Ice
12302 Harbor Blvd.
Garden Grove, CA 92844
Category: Restaurant > Ice Cream
Region: Garden Grove
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GULFSTREAM
Yes, Gulfstream is big, but you'll never be served an entrée that is outweighed by a power garnish, and no heaps-o'-chow that scream Claim Jumper either. Proportions are just right, as is the wine list. Desserts aren't a big deal at Gulfstream, but they make a fabulous hot fudge sundae with candied pecans. 850 Avocado, Newport Beach, (949) 718-0188.$$$
ROY'S
Roy's is all about Hawaii—from the "Aloha" you get when you come in the door and the Israel Kamakawiwo'ole playing over the speakers to the blah, blah, blah about Tokyo-born founder Roy Yamaguchi, whose childhood visits to Maui, we're told, indelibly shaped his palate (and his palette). Whatever: Yamaguchi has been fusing ever since, and with great success; he is now the Wolfgang Puck of some 31 eponymous restaurants in North America, with entrées such as rib-eye and wild Scottish salmon. 453 Newport Center Dr., Newport Beach, (949) 640-7697. $$$
ORANGE
BYBLOS CAFÉ
It's a drop kick from the historic traffic circle in the city of Orange, one of the county's best places for a leisurely summer lunch. "Fine Mediterranean Cuisine" (here, it means a mix of Lebanese and Greek cuisine) is the advertised fare. You are committing a crime if you do not have a cup of the lentil soup. 129 W. Chapman Ave., Orange, (714) 538-7180. $$
HOLLINGSHEAD'S DELI
It's a permanent tailgate at Hollingshead's, and not just because of the Green Bay Packers garb for sale hanging from the ceiling or the pickled eggs and pickles kept in chilled brine. Hollingshead's is one of Orange County's premier booze barns, stocking drafts, ales, Heifeweisen and other brands from across the world (with a special focus on the Deutschland and the former Soviet Bloc). The limited menu is stubbornly heartland: deviled eggs, boldly pungent macaroni salads and the sweetest baked beans this side of the Lambeau Field parking lot. 368 S. Main St., Orange, (714) 978-9467. $
MINI-GOURMET
The Mini-Gourmet is a Placentia strip-mall diner where adults wear T-shirts proclaiming allegiance to the football squad at nearby El Dorado High while sipping coffee alongside no-frill omelets. The Ortega omelet is all about the mild chili, ripe tomatoes and liquefied cheese awaiting its scraping up with toast. 1210 E. Yorba Linda Blvd., Placentia, (714) 524-1611. $
CARBONARA TRATTORIA ITALIANA
If you appreciate Laguna Beach's renowned Ti Amo restaurant, you'll more than likely appreciate this slightly less expensive but equally tasty relative. Recommended is the tagliolini caprini or the veal sorrentino. 111 Ave. del Mar, San Clemente, (949) 366-1040; www.carbonara.com. $$
ALDO'S SIDEWALK CAFÉ
You must try their paninis—fresh, crusty tubular rolls hold slim piles of turkey and salami, tomatoes fresh and bursting with red, and cheese melted into the bread. It's a pleasantly light, European-feeling sandwich. 31882 Del Obispo, Ste. 152, San Juan Capistrano, (949) 443-0423. $
SANTA ANA
BEBA'S RESTAURANT
Orange County's sizable Bolivian community packs Beba's for such hard-to-prepare plates as the divine ají de papalisa (beef simmered in an intoxicating ají sauce with three types of potato) and the addicting thimpú (a slab of lamb covered in a yellow sauce). Order at least one salteña, a meat pie that's more wondrous with each nibble. 630 S. Grand Ave., #102, Santa Ana, (714) 973-4928. $
BURRELL'S BAR-B-QUE
For years, Fred Burrell has smoked ribs, hot links, chicken legs and more in his beloved shack, his North Carolina-style 'cue still sublime, the pulled-pork sandwich as vinegary as a slow roast in Raleigh. No matter what time of year, lunch at Burrell's picnic-table seating is our communal Fourth of July party. 305 N. Hesperia, Santa Ana, (714) 547-7441. $
GREEN PARROT CAFÉ
At the Green Parrot, they know how to dish up hospitality instead of an endless bread basket and a maitre d's neglect. A prix frixe four-course tasting menu is affordable, comes with a not-teeny blood-orange salad with blue cheese and walnuts, and even a nicely crusted crème brûlée. Eat it outside in the twinkly-lighted patio or inside their beautiful dining hall. 2035 N. Main St., Santa Ana, (714) 550-6040; www.greenparrotcafe.net. $$
PRODUCE WAREHOUSE
Though minuscule, Produce Warehouse offers more ethnic grocery options than a Brooklyn neighborhood: mango chutneys, Persian lavash flat bread, instant Croatian broccoli soup and a Middle Eastern section that looks like a museum of pickled products. But don't miss the alfajores, an Argentine cavity inducer that's a crumbly double-layered shortbread cookie with a center made from the caramel-like confection dulce de leche. You'll chomp through Produce Warehouse's alfajor selections with ardor, the tension between the dulce de leche and chocolate outside as intricate and intense as a couple dancing the tango on their silver anniversary. 1225 W. 17th St., Santa Ana, (714) 542-8111. $
EL RINCÓN CHILANGO
El Rincón Chilango in Santa Ana is Orange County's best re-creation of Mexico City, and not just because the street-side restaurant features the megalopolis' iconic Angel of Independence statue as its logo, or because its marquee screams "100% D.F." Mexico City favorites are in order here: wonderful potato tacos with the shells fried until they shine like the Stanley Cup; supersyrupy sodas such as Jarritos and Boing; and the tlacoyo, a foot-long gordita bloated with earthy bright-yellow fava beans and splattered with diced onions and a tangy green salsa on the outside—the heartiest meal you'll eat until Thanksgiving. 1133 W. 17th St., Santa Ana, (714) 836-5096.
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