Culinary Arts

Preview for SoCal Restaurant Show on KLAA-AM 830: Marcus Samuelsson, Montage Eating, and Our Own Bill Esparza!

If it's a Friday afternoon, that means it's time for the SoCal Restaurant Show on KLAA-AM 830 to give us a scoop on what they'll have on their Saturday morning show. Without further ado, here's producer (and kinda-co-host) Andy Harris with the details!

Urban Ocean Festival

Aquarium of the Pacific

Healthy Mind, Body, and Soul: A Community Health and Wellness Fair

Saddleback College

Stan Frazier's Punk Rock Culinary Quest Was a Trial By Fire

The former Sugar Ray drummer wins 'Chef Race: U.S. vs. U.K.' as a wild card

On The Line: Dean Kim of OC Baking Company, Part One

"I kinda like being the guy who does bread, but nobody knows who I really am."Oh, Dean. You shouldn't have let us into your office. It seems as though every third chef we interview name drops you. While you might not have your own restaurant, you do provide the goods to 70 establishments in the Ora ... More >>

Dana Point Lobster Fest

Doheny State Beach

An Interview with Diana Hsue, Queen of "Guess Where?"

​One of our favorite posts here is Guess Where?, where we put up photos of where we eat and ask ustedes to, well, guess where we eat. Doesn't get the most blog hits, but always awesome to see who knows their food and reward folks with small prizes.The great thing about the feature is that all sort ... More >>

On the Line: Jeff Armstrong of Splashes, Part Two

​With 20 years of cooking under his belt, Jeff Armstrong has paid his dues. With no particular role model or long-term plans, we get the feeling he's not quite happy-go-lucky, but more living in the moment. Part one may be where we started our conversation, but our second round of questioning prov ... More >>

On the Line: Keith Stich of Wildfish Seafood Grille, Part Two

Photo by Meranda Carter​Our featured interview with chef Keith Stich continues as we delve into familial influences and how he prefers his Branzini. Prepare for an Asian-inspired fish dish tomorrow, but today, catch up on part one.Hardest lesson you've learned:To control my emotions during a busy ... More >>

Monkeys to Go Benefit

Fox Theater

Veggie Land in Brea to Close :-(

​As a vegan, I make it a point to support businesses such as Brea's Veggie Land as often as possible because I never know when a niche, mom-and-pop grocery store catering to my hippie diet is going to fail. Unless, of course, said store sends a mass email telling me they are closing, which is exac ... More >>

Best In the West Chowderfest

Aquarium of the Pacific

Asbarez, America's Largest Armenian-American Newspaper, Angry That Turkish Cooking Classes Happening in Orange County

Photo by the Elmo MonsterAdana kabob from Anaheim's Doner G--actually Armenian?​I'm totally down with Armenians--much more so than Turks (it's that whole genocide question, alas, although I know more than a few Turks who freely call the Ottoman Empire's slaughter of Armenians in the first part of ... More >>

Stephanie Dinh of S Fine Dining, Part Three

Photo by Todd Barnes​Chef Dinh occasionally teaches cooking classes at her restaurant, and this recipe is designed expressly for the home cook. If you missed it, here's Part One and Part Two of our interview.

Kitchari Kindness

Whole Foods

On The Line: Craig Strong of Studio at The Montage

​Top Chef fans may already know that recent winner Michael Voltaggio now cooks at The Langham in Pasadena.  Well, Voltaggio's getting Craig Strong's sloppy seconds.  Strong was the Chef de Cuisine there -- earning both himself and the restaurant accolades from Michelin, Gourmet Magazine, ... More >>

Like Water for Chocolate

Bowers Museum

On The Line: Daniel Stevens of Z'Tejas Southwestern Grill

Courtesy of Z'Tejas Southwestern Grill​When not in the kitchen, Daniel Stevens, executive chef of Z'Tejas Southwestern Grill at South Coast Plaza, can be found surfing the waves in Huntington Beach. This Connecticut native graduated from culinary school in 1996 and has been leading the Costa Mesa ... More >>

Another Restaurant Goes Global Tapas

Flight Bistro​Susan Feniger, what hast thou wrought?After one-half of the Too Hot Tamales, of Border Grill fame, opened the nearly un-Googleable Street in Hollywood as a restaurant specializing in street foods from around the world, it seems like everyone has started jumping on the bandwagon.Edwin ... More >>

On The Line: Yves Fournier of Andrei's Conscious Cuisine

Photo Courtesy of Andrei's​Yves Fournier was born in Paris and has worked just about everywhere in the world, including France, England, New York, and, of course, Irvine, where he was Chef de Cuisine for 6ix Park Grill at the Hyatt Regency.  Now he is the Executive Chef of Andrei's, which c ... More >>

Dinner with Dave Celebrates Three-Year Anniversary

​Time to back up our words. In last week's "Best of" issue, the OC Weekly declared Costa Mesa's the New Limb to be the "best live band" in Orange County. Quite the title! And you judge for yourself, tonight, for free. With free food, too. Pretty good deal, all things considered.

Jon Stewart on the Shuttering of Gourmet Magazine

Like all of you, I was SHOCKED SHOCKED SHOCKED when I read the LA Times on Monday and saw the news about Gourmet magazine. But leave it to Jon Stewart to put even this in perspective. I need not say anymore, because really, the man has said it all.

Taste of Newport

Fashion Island

Dueling Dishes: Aioli Smackdown?

The Crow Bar's cool-as-hell logo...​Few culinary trends annoy me more than the spread of aiolis (pun intended)--just seeing the term on most any menu is a tell that the chef imagines himself to be some high-falutin', fusion-y maestro who's going to blow you away with something that's really glorif ... More >>

More Proof Santa Ana is Racist at its Core: Jefferson Davis Pie!

Davis: Culinary godfather of SanTana?​My one vice in life is buying books related to Orange County, and our fair land's numerous social organizations have gathered and published their recipes over the years. The oldest cookbook in my collection is one compiled by the Ebell Society of the Santa Ana ... More >>

Can Someone Tell Top Chef Contestants How to Pronounce "Ceviche"?

​Two episodes into the latest season of Top Chef, and most of the chefs have already established personalities and tics that will only grow and annoy as the season progresses. I appreciated the stab for marriage equality by the lesbian from Seattle in Episode 2, but really: are we to believe she w ... More >>

Julie & Julia & Pascal

Courtesy Sony Pictures​ Another Pascal-related post?  Can you say movie tie-in?  All this week (ending Saturday) in conjuction with the opening of "Julie & Julia," that French chef of OC's French chefs, Pascal Olhats, is offering a few of Julia Child's favorite F ... More >>

On the Line: Marc Cohen of Watermarc

watermarcrestaurant.com Marc Cohen's newest restaurant, Watermarc, is a flat out hit, even by Laguna Beach standards.  If you haven't heard of it, you will.  And if you haven't had his food, you need to.Here are his answers for our list of 8 frivolous questions.1. Dish that you cook that ... More >>

On the Line: Chef Florent Marneau of Marche Moderne

Courtesy of Marche ModerneHe is Florent Marneau, chef and proprietor of Marche Moderne, one of the best French restaurants in the county.  We are food bloggers with a few dumb questions that we've always wanted to know but were afraid to ask.  What do you get when you mix?  You get wh ... More >>

Memphis to Open New Restaurant in Manhattan Beach

The much-beloved Memphis Restaurant (both its Costa Mesa and SanTana locations) will soon have a third addition to their family: Memphis at the Beach. Head chef Diego Velasco told me recently they expect to open their first non-OC venture early in July. The menu will retain most of the Southern-ized ... More >>

Did Matador Cantina Owner Take Gustavo's Advice?

I have so many restaurants waiting for SAFII reviews  that sometimes I lag and get beat. That's what happened this Thursday, when the Orange County Register gave a thumb's-up to Matador Cantina in Fullerton. I visited about a month and a half ago, and don't necessarily disagree with writer Lori ... More >>

Wild & Crazy Taco Night This Thursday

The 16th Annual Wild & Crazy Taco Night will be held this Thursday. 1550 Superior Avenue, Costa Mesa 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM VIP Party 4:15 PM - 5:15 PM $60 - advance registration onlyVIP Party $150 - advance registration only There's limited availability, No tickets sold at the door For those wh ... More >>

Top Chef Masters Contestants Announced; O.C. Chefs Shut Out

Bravo TVThe food blogosphere is on FIRE (pun intended) right now over the announcement of Top Chef Masters, airing on June 10th. Think of it as Top Chef meets Iron Chef America meets WWE Smackdown. If there's such a thing as a foodie-gasm, this is the thing to inspire it. The judges will be celeb ... More >>

O.C.C.'s Captain's Table Starts Up Their $12 Lunch Lab This Week

It's back to school for the kids at Orange Coast College, which includes its culinary students, and we all know what that means: Orange Coast College's Captain's Table, the restaurant that functions as a lab and training class for the aspiring chefs, will be open for the Spring Semester. As I've m ... More >>

Blogging All Over the World

For all you armchair gourmands out there, here's a new roundup of the 50 best food blogs, courtesy of the Times in London. They range from the well-known (Chocolate & Zucchini) to the obscure (pretty much all the others), and are written by food lovers from across the planet.With useful recipes, ... More >>

To Do Tonight - 1/21

Mystery Book Group, 7 p.m.Join the Mystery Book Group for a discussion of The Savage Garden by Mark Mills and The Tattoo Murder Case by Akimitsu Takagi.Barnes & Noble, 7881 Edinger Ave., Huntington Beach, CA; 714-897-8781Cooking For A Cause, 6:30 p.m.Event donations will be dispersed by Culinar ... More >>

Long Beach's Rocco DeLuca to Play Spaceland Residency in January

Los Angels hipster haven Spaceland has Monday night residencies too, much like our Detroit Bar (which is hosting Dynamite Walls and Midnight Hour, the latter of which we wrote about here, this month). And on Mondays in January, Spaceland will be hosting Long Beach's Rocco DeLuca of Rocco DeLuca and ... More >>

Sorrento Grille Liberated; Wilhelm Back at its Helm

The Laguna Beach Independent reports that David Wilhelm -- who quit the Culinary Adventures empire he built from the success of his Laguna Beach restaurant, Sorrento Grille -- will be back at Sorrento's helm.  This time, he'll be working for its new owners: his old landlords, Laguna Beach resi ... More >>

Get a Free Avanti Cafe World Dinner!

I'm a constant at OC Weekly Best of 2008 Best Restaurant Avanti Cafe's World Tuesday, when the restaurant's junior chefs Veronica and Bartosz pick a culinary theme for a month and then take turns preparing a three-course (soup, entree, dessert) dinner. December is the islands of Europe--here's the l ... More >>

OC Register's Food Section Run by Morons

Just a couple of years ago, the Orange County Register's food section was amongst the best in the country--recipes, features, their own wine columnist in longtime Reg investigative reporter Chris Knap, and two food reviews per week: one on Thursday by the execrable Elizabeth Evans, and another one o ... More >>

Visit Our New Food Blog!

Stolen from our new food blog... "Hola, readers, and welcome to the Weekly's latest Internet endeavor: a food blog! Expect the same gourmand insanity I have brought ustedes for the past six years as food editor and Edwin Goei has in his year-and-a-half as my classier half: Where's the great local g ... More >>

The Food Reconquista Begins...

Hola, readers, and welcome to the Weekly's latest Internet endeavor: a food blog! Expect the same gourmand insanity I have brought ustedes for the past six years as food editor and Edwin Goei has in his year-and-a-half as my classier half: Where's the great local grub, the great personalities, but a ... More >>

Disney star proud to have "boned a duck"

The Register today profiles Amy Adams, star of Disney's recent hit ENCHANTED, and kicks of with a rather spicy quote: "I boned a duck today," she boasted from the back of a taxicab as it sped through the streets of New York City. Yes, these are heady times for the hottest actress in Hollywood Wai ... More >>

To Do Tonight - 10/24

Grub Guide

Light Dining

No Reservations is sweet and savory fare

Tweaking Tried-and-True

Craig Rouse continues his winning streak with SevenS Steakhouse and Grille

This Hole-in-the-Wall Life

2The Curse of 688: Let's hope Ramen House Mentatsu doesn't fall victim

A Guide to our Advertisers

Adios, Cliff

Rage, rage against the dying of the Cajun