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Tortilla Tuesdays: La Tortilla Factory

I am a gabacho. While I have many non-gabacho food-shopping habits (markets in Tijuana, an intimate familiarity with my local Northgate, a love for nopales, etc.), when time is of the essence, I resort to the dreaded White Folks Supermarket--you know, Vons, Albertsons, Ralphs, et al.The problem is t ... More >>

Long Beach Lunch: El Taco Loco #3

A few months ago, I decided to go on a hunt for handmade tortillas in Long Beach, which in a moment of Google-induced stress, I was afraid did not exist. But after asking some hood-dwelling friends and Mexis in-the-knows, I was pleased to find that there are, in fact, two places in town that make th ... More >>

Roberto Gonzalez Barrera, Founder of GRUMA/Destroyer of Mexico's Tortilla Industry, Now Rotting In Hell

See Also:* "Five Reasons to Hate GRUMA, Makers of Mission and Guerrero Tortillas, Maseca, and Other Tortilla Evil"* Read about REAL tortillas in our weekly feature: Tortilla Tuesdayst's amazing--scratch that. It's disturbing as hell how ill-informed the mainstream media is and how damn laz ... More >>

Tortilla Tuesday: Flour Tortillas at Rubalcava's Market AKA Best Flour Tortillas in Southern California

In the borderlands, a flour tortilla is sacramental, holy, filling, the true daily bread: fluffy, filling, thick, pliable, toothsome love. In Southern California? Universally, shit.I've eaten tortillas my entire life, and the flour versions have only been consumed out of necessity for quesadillas (d ... More >>

Tortilla Tuesdays: La Banderita

Let's take a moment for a reality check here. Orange County has, as we've demonstrated in this column, some truly outstanding tortillas. There are tortillas in every corner of the county that are made the traditional way and which taste right. The problem is that when it is 5:18 p.m. and your dinner ... More >>

Tortilla Tuesday: El Metate

To be honest, I've never shopped at the El Metate chain of supermarkets--no need. But I'm familiar with their tortillas, because the Soho Taco guys use them for their tacos whenever they're not doing their awesome hand-made ones. After one recent taquiza for the Weeklings, they had the big ol' stack ... More >>

Pandor Boulangerie Brings French Breads to Newport Beach

Though we have lots of great ethnic food in Orange County, great French food is hard to come by. Spurred by the dirth of worthwhile French breads in these Orange Acres, Raffi and Tiffany Sepetjian decided to open a bakery and make their own. Pandor Artisan Boulangerie & Café opened Monday in Ne ... More >>

Tortilla Tuesday: Evan Kleiman on El Toro Meat Market!

Southern California food goddess and host of KCRW-FM 89.9's Good Food Evan Kleiman rarely ventures into Orange County, but when she does, she's usually hanging out with my chica. One time for a segment, Evan went to El Toro Meat Market in SanTana, and has never fallen out of love with it, especially ... More >>

Tortilla Tuesdays: El Super

I bought a bag--an enormous, three-pound bag, because that was the smallest available size--of tortillas at my local El Super on Saturday afternoon. At 3:30 p.m., when I checked out (and bagged the purchase myself, because that's apparently how El Supers keep their prices almost exactly the same as ... More >>

Tortilla Tuesdays: La Flor de Mexicali

9 a.m., Memorial Day. Santa Ana is mostly silent, sleeping off as much of the previous night's hangover as they can before venturing timidly out for extended-weekend menudo and birria. The line at Tortillería Flor de Mexicali looks jarring; it extends out the door and into the parking lot, people w ... More >>

On the Line: Jonathan Eng of Le Pain Quotidien, Part One

Le Pain Quotidien has been around since 1990, but took its own sweet time arriving in Orange County. They transplanted Jonathan Eng from New York's Bleeker Street bakery to helm the daily breadmaking last autumn. Hungry to explore his dining options beyond Fashion Island, we meet up to recharge over ... More >>

Tortilla Tuesdays: Northgate González Markets

Sorry for the loooong delay in this column, but we got a bit...busy 'round these parts, what with the book and the promotion and stuff. But I got a month's worth of different tortillerías in the bag, and I'll restart with the one I was supposed to do before things got a bit...busy--Northgate Gonzá ... More >>

One Nation, Under Tacos

An excerpt from 'Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America'

Eat This Now: Cake Donut at Cream Pan

​If I need a baguette and I'm in the area, chances are I'm headed to Cream Pan. Fellow Forker Dave Lieberman recently honored the Tustin bakery with the top spot on his "Ten Great Bakeries in Orange County" list for having the best strawberry croissants, baguettes and epi in all the land.I'm not g ... More >>

Eat This Now: Cake Donut at Cream Pan

​Went in for a baguette at 1 p.m., they were out for the day. Took home a loaf of ciabatta as a consolation prize, but discovered the cake donut, which more than made up for the miss on the baguette. Crispy on the outside, dense and sexy on the inside. Could hear crunch and crackle of the golden b ... More >>

Gourmet Grill Masters Has Chicken that Don't Stop!

[Hole In the Wall] The famous rotisserie-chicken purveyor opens its first restaurant . . . in Irvine?!

Tortilla Tuesdays: Diana's Tortillas

​Diana's is a chain of restaurants, bakeries and tortillerías in what are loosely termed the "Gateway" cities--in other words, the suburbs south and east of Los Angeles. I've never been to the restaurants, but my wife picked up a package of their tortillas at our local Albertson's.

On The Line: Wing Lam of Wahoo's Fish Taco, Part Three

Photo by Meranda Carter​What else can we say about Wahoo's co-founder Wing Lam that we haven't already covered? How about that he's teaching at both Chapman and Concordia Universities (this fall and winter, respectively.)? A man that can often be found on his company's taco truck serving the local ... More >>

Tortilla Tuesdays: Tula Market

Dave Lieberman​Lake Forest is an amazing place. It's much more like North County than South County (the bizarre subdivision of Foothill Ranch notwithstanding), and it's where the Latinos of the 949 go for their groceries when Santa Ana is impractical due to traffic. This week's Tortilla Tuesday go ... More >>

French Baker Creates 24-Hour Baguette Vending Machines

Flickr user roboppy It's well-known that the Japanese have gone vending machine crazy. Not only can you get a cup of instant ramen (which is child's play) by inserting a few coins into the machines, you can also pick up fresh produce and even lobsters.

Tortilla Tuesday: La Reina Tortilleria

​What, you thought your last name had to end in -a, -o or -z to be able to review tortillas? Nope! The humble disk of corn, the legacy of pre-Columbian Mexico, is a staple not just for Mexicanos; they're indispensable even in European-mutt households.La Reina is a market with a bad location: cater ... More >>

Tortilla Tuesday: Tortilleria Ruben's, Santa Ana

​Our series looking for the best OC-made tortilla continues...tune in every Tuesday for the latest installment!The only problem I see in doing this column is that it takes commitment: most packets of tortillas contain three dozen, and although I eat tortillas with nearly every homemade meal, I don ... More >>

¡Ask a Comida Critic!: Is Irvine or Anaheim the County's Most Integrated Supermarket City?

​From Das Ubergeek himself:A white guy (not me) and an Asian guy in the El Super on Anaheim and Ball [in Anaheim] arguing about the merits of gorditas vs. tortillas. Total integration of Anaheim, or sure sign of the Reconquista?Let's use this introductory sentence for my required plug for my comin ... More >>

First OC Outpost of Belgian Bakery Chain To Open At Fashion Island

http://www.lepainquotidien.us​Le Pain Quotidien, a bakery started by a Belgian chef, has conquered the rest of the world, including Bahrain, Japan and India.  L.A. has a dozen already.  Now the first Orange County outpost is planned for Fashion Island, the first in Orange County.

Al Wadee Bakery: As American As Manakeesh

[Hole in the Wall] Our future Muslim overlords make really tasty flatbreads, so it won't be all bad

Saigon Bakery: OC's Banh Mi Champeen?

[Hole In the Wall] This Westminster eatery specializes in the Vietnamese sandwich and other baked goodies.

Tortillas Instead of Forks?

[¡Ask a Mexican!] Plus, praise for a town in Northern Arizona

Great Sourdough Hidden In the Orange Circle

​I'm in Old Town Orange at least twice a week, but I never once thought to go into the Gallery on Glassell, just north of the circle, until my wife and I were taking a stroll last weekend. The store concentrates on the art of California and the west and has an interesting display of Day of the Dea ... More >>

Taco Asylum Is Tasty--But Not the Taco Part

Taco Asylum's homemade hot sauces, made from the world's two hottest peppers: a bit sludgy, could use more flavor given the heat overwhelms any discernable notes... ​"Okay, we need to remember that we are here objectively," said one of the Zambrano brothers behind Soho Taco. It wasn't Gabriel. Was ... More >>

Gabacho Discs of Glory: Battle Grocery Store Flour Tortillas

​Last week, your intrepid Forkers received a pitch from a company called Circle Foods selling as Tortillaland and advertising the availability of fresh, uncooked tortillas in the local grocery store. The company's website is a depressing attempt to evoke vaguely Mexican imagery while selling such ... More >>

Wraps Xpress Is the Turkish Rose of Irvine

[Hole In the Wall] Inside this strip-mall restaurant is a great eatery desperate to express itself

Home Cooking at Taqueria Zamora

[Hole In the Wall] Is this the most Mexican restaurant in OC?

Little Bull Sandwiches: Bocadillos de Toritos

Dave Lieberman​I'm going to make a bold prediction here: I see toritos as the next appetizer to hit our Mexican restaurants, especially our finer-dining ones, in a big way. A torito, for those of you who've never ventured south of the border, is a chile güero (a yellow chile that looks like a mor ... More >>

[Hole in the Wall] The Soup and Cubism Special at Cafe Picasso

[Hole in the Wall] Tasty Battleships at Alebrije's Grill Taco Trucks, Parked in Santa Ana

[¡Ask a Mexican!®] Special Tortilla Contest Edition

[This Hole-In-the-Wall Life] A Tale of Two Nik(k)i's: Niki's Indian Food

This Hole-in-the-Wall Life

Pricey (Get Over It) Sandwiches at Zon Baguettes

Grub Guide

Tasty morsels from OC's best damn dining guide

This Hole-in-the-Wall Life

That Golden Glow at Haveli

!Ask a Mexican!

Special Food Edicion

This Hole-in-the-Wall Life

Breadth of bread: Wholesome Choice

Grub Guide

Tasty morsels from OC's best damn dining guide

Salamat Market and Deli

Boulangerie Pierre & Patisserie

Banh Mi, Dont Be a Hero

Trawling for the countys best Vietnamese sandwiches

Good Breakfast, Fab Lunch, Great Dinner

The Dining Day at the Irvine Hyatt Regencys 6ix Park Grill

Naan & Kabob

The Mexican Mormons Jewish Bakery

Abel Salgado keeps the Challah coming

Indian Adventure

Why Indian beer comes in big bottles