Subject: Chinese Food and Cooking

• Out-of-County Experience: Dim Sum at New Capital in Rowland Heights

  If we're in a recession, someone forgot to tell the Chinese. Yesterday, the dim sum crowd at New Capital in Rowland Heights was as crazy as always.  Judging by the number of people milling about outside waiting for a table, this go-to place for dim sum in the eastern part of San Gabriel Valley is as good as recession-proof. The going rate for all dim sum plates on weekends is now $2.39. Two years ago it was just $1.98. But everything is as good as I remembered from my last visit. Dim su

  December 8, 2008

• Guess What Restaurants Will Be Open Today?

  Ask anyone of the Jewish faith what they're doing for Christmas and they'll tell you, "Chinese food and a movie." But Chinese restaurants are also the refuge of those who can't or don't want to cook on the 25th. It's common knowledge nowadays that they'll be open. Christmas Day is usually their busiest. Two of my faves in O.C. -- China Garden in Irvine and King Lobster Palace in Orange -- will, of course, be open for business.  When I called China Garden to confirm their hours, the answer I

  December 25, 2008

• Capital Seafood's Glitzy New Irvine Location Fits Right Into Diamond Jamboree Plaza

  April 2, 2009

• Royal Kitchen Just Might Be Cooking Up a Coup to Reign as King of Irvine's Chinese-Restaurant Scene

  February 26, 2009

• Barcelona Comes to Fullerton Via Lizarran Tapas

  July 10, 2008

• Thai Swan in Orange Is Home Cooking Made Simple and Comfy

  April 17, 2008

• A Chicken-Foot Fetish at Fullerton’s California Asian Bistro

  February 21, 2008

• Sucking in the '70s

  The grub at Wong’s is sublime, if you don’t mind dangly tassels

  November 8, 2007

• Caraz Dulzura

  October 6, 2005

• This Hole-in-the-Wall Life

  April 26, 2007

• Cock & Bull

  August 10, 2006

• Grub Guide

  April 5, 2007

• Grub Guide

  March 29, 2007

• Grub Guide

  February 1, 2007

• Grub Guide

  January 11, 2007

• Grub Guide

  January 4, 2007

• Grub Guide

  December 21, 2006

• Grub Guide

  December 14, 2006

• Grub Guide

  November 23, 2006

• Grub Guide

  November 16, 2006

• Grub Guide

  November 9, 2006

• Sali Heraldez

  October 19, 2006

• Grub Guide

  October 12, 2006

• Grub Guide

  October 5, 2006

• Something So Good

  May 25, 2006

• This Hole-in-the-Wall Life

  April 27, 2006

• !Ask a Mexican!

  January 26, 2006

• This Hole-in-the-Wall Life

  January 19, 2006

• Fast, Hot, Cheap, Delicious

  October 6, 2005

• Editors Picks

  July 14, 2005

• The Asian Persuasion

  July 14, 2005

• Garden of Eating

  April 21, 2005

• This Week in Moon Meals

  February 10, 2005

• This Hole-In-The-Wall Life

  December 4, 2003

• Where Bread Is King

  August 14, 2003

• Repatriate Act

  July 31, 2003

• Meal of the Marauders

  June 26, 2003

• Battle of the Strip-Mall Chinese Restaurants

  May 9, 2002

• Suzie Wong Meets Lazy Susan

  February 21, 2002

• Fountain Valley

  September 27, 2001

• Double Happiness

  July 15, 1999

• Summer Eats

  July 1, 1999

• Noodling

  June 17, 1999

• On the Line: Amar Santana of Charlie Palmer at Bloomingdale's

  ​This week we grilled Amar Santana, Executive Chef at Charlie Palmer at Bloomingdale's, South Coast Plaza. As well as cooking, the Dominican Republic-born chef also teaches regular kitchen technique classes at the restaurant (for information, check the website).Here, he talks about his love of pork and his desire to grease up a certain ubiquitous food "personality".1. Dish that you cook that most represents you:Crisp pork belly. I just LOVE pork. 2. What was the last meal you had at home?

  July 28, 2009

• Go Around the World In 50 States (or Cities, or Regions, or Styles, or Whatever)

  August 6, 2009

• The Secret Menu at May Garden Opens Up a Whole New World of Taiwanese Tastes

  October 8, 2009

• I've Revealed A Secret; Now It's Your Turn

  Edwin Goei​If you've picked up the latest edition of The Weekly -- which is, by the way, our annual, and might I say, awesome Best of OC Issue (okay, I'm done with the shameless plug) -- you might have noticed my review of May Garden's secret menu in the usual Food section. During a chat with head honcho Ted Kissell, he asked me, "Don't many/most Chinese restaurants have two menus, the Americanized one and the Chinese one?" I told him that, actually, I'm not sure. But for the most part,

  October 9, 2009

• Is P.F. Chang's good? And News About Irvine's China Garden.

  Edwin GoeiTwo stories involving Chinese food caught my attention last week. First, there's local news about what is arguably one of OC's best Chinese restaurants, China Garden in Irvine. Fellow OC Food Blogger Julian Hsu has the scoop. In his post, he writes: "We just ate there for dimsum lunch today, and noticed a sign in the windows indicating that the new owner will be "VIP Seafood Restaurants, Inc."He adds, "Hopefully VIP Seafood Restaurants is the same entity that owns VIP Harbor Seafood

  May 26, 2009

• On the Line: Santiago Vallejo of Mariscos Puerto Esperanza

  Courtesy of Mariscos Puerto Esperanza​Santiago Vallejo has an impressive résumé: formerly at the Ritz, he left to open his own restaurant, Mariscos Puerto Esperanza, in a tiny shopping center in Orange. It caused an immediate sensation on the food boards (Chowhound, Yelp, etc.) and Edwin himself weighed in positively (his review is framed on the bar). Chef Santiago took a few minutes out of his day to answer our silly survey for this week's On the Line:1. Dish you cook that most represents y

  November 17, 2009

• The Northern Chinese Fare at Asian Tapas Isn't Really Tapas, But It Is Delectable

  November 19, 2009