3737 W. Chapman Ave. Orange, CA 92868
714-456-9642
http://www.anepalcoscafe.com At the second Anepalco’s dinner is served. And it’s then that Danny Godinez starts to really crack his knuckles and show you that Mexi-French cuisine isn’t monopolized by Richard Sandoval’s Raya at The Ritz. Baguettes are served with guajillo chile butter and dessert is from a roster of crepes that, of course, includes one with Nutella and banana. The single best dish has to be a pan-sautéed tilapia where Godinez turns a bargain fish into something as delicate as seabass. Everything you require from a French restaurant fish dish is present, from the coveted crispy sear of the flesh, to a silken potato puree, to a lick-the-plate good serrano beurre blanc an accomplished saucier would sell his soul to produce. More >>
5720 E. Seventh St. Long Beach, CA 90803
562-668-5100
http://www.chafortea.com Liquid refreshment makes up most of the extensive menu at Cha for Tea, and the high point may be the lilac-hued, creamy taro-milk tea. Even the food at Cha features notes of tea. The subtle tea-flavored minced pork and the tender, stew-like, tea-flavored beef are served with your choice of rice, egg noodles, or salad, and two sides of the day. More >>
http://www.class302.com You’re sitting in a wooden school desk. There’s a cubbyhole for stowing your books and an indentation carved at the top so that your pencil doesn’t roll off the edge. Above you, on a large green chalkboard are scribbled Mandarin characters and cartoons. Bright construction-paper posters and various kiddie-toy bric-a-brac are stapled to the walls. Your server wears knee-high black stockings, a pleated skirt and a green schoolgirl uniform. The meal she just dropped off is in an honest-to-goodness lunch tin. You are in Class 302, the first Orange County sequel of the hit Rowland Heights eatery that has stumbled into a previously untapped market: people who have fond memories of their Taiwanese grade-school experience and want to relive it in a restaurant. More >>
