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Grub GuideTasty morsels from the county's best damn dining guide
Gustavo ArellanoPublished on July 06, 2006Visit the rest of Orange County's best damn dining guide at ocweekly.com/food, where it says "Where to Eat Now" on the right side of the screen. If there are any bugs with it, e-mail Gustavo at garellano@ocweekly.com with your complaints! DINNER FOR TWO: ¢ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Less than $10! $ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10-$20 $$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $20-$40 $$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡Eres muy rico! LA LANGOSTA
LORELEY RESTAURANT PLAZA GARIBALDI RASTHAL VEGETARIAN CUISINE YOGIRAJ BREA BREA'S BEST BURGERS CAPTAIN THAI RESTAURANT CANYON CITIES SILVERADO CAFÉ BANDERA Who would have figured that hidden within the confines of South Coast Plaza's Crate & Barrel wing lies this pearl of Southeast Asian cuisine? The Pep Op is one of the best poultry dishes in the county. 3333 Bear St., Ste. 20, Costa Mesa, (714) 540-7661. $$HI-TIME WINE CELLAR Not sure if there's a restaurant in OC that sells it, but the best wine since the days of Dionysius is Commandaria St. John, an elixir from Cyprus that's reputed to be the oldest vintage in the world. Hi-Time Wine Cellar stocks it, and nearly every other hooch on the planet. 250 Ogle St., Costa Mesa, (949) 650-8463; www.hitimewine.com. $$LINGONBERRY CAFÉ IKEA's insane mealtime bargain includes not only food but also free baby-sitting! So, hightail it upstairs for the manager's special: a godsend that includes a large portion of Swedish meatballs with creamy gravy and two steamed red potatoes. 1475 South Coast Dr., Costa Mesa, (714) 444-4532. $OKI DOKI Oki Doki is a pan-Asian restaurant but primarily draws in folks for its chicken ramen, a refreshingly light anomaly in the pork-centric ramen world. Chicken-based ramen is like a sharper version of the best Midwestern chicken soups, though now laden with sturdy noodles. Most of the toppings are typically Japanese: the chashu, hardboiled egg, bean sprouts and scallions. The delicious, fried crunchy bits of garlic, though, are an atypical, probably Vietnamese influence that are more than welcome as they provide a great tweak of sweet bitterness. 3033 S. Bristol St., Ste. O, Costa Mesa, (714) 540-2066. $SANTOUKA RAMEN Late last year, one of Japan's largest ramen chains, Santouka Ramen, opened its second California outpost here. But despite its chain ownership, Santouka's soup is stately, with cooks offering ramen from different regions: Tokyo (heavy with soy sauce, with a whisper of dried bonito flakes), the miso-flavored liquid pride of Hokkaido, and another style, shio ramen, simply flavored with salt. 665 Paularino Ave., Costa Mesa, (714) 434-1101.
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