Main Dish Recipes

On the Line: Mike Dimmitt of Garlic Scapes, Part Three

Creating a garlic dish that not only paired well with white wine, looked appealing when plated, but also didn't require silverware was something Garlic Scapes' Mike Dimmitt spent time conceptualizing. The recipe he shares with us fulfills all three requirements.  Mike also explained a common mi ... More >>

North Shore Poke Co. Has a Poke-Man

Shawn Gole's Huntington Beach restaurant finally gives the Hawaiian standard its full, undivided attention

On the Line: Dino McDonough of Slater's 50/50, Part Three

​Slater's 50/50 executive chef Dino McDonough refers to this as a very free form recipe. "We use our fresh ground bacon rendered down, flour, cream, and Montreal steak seasoning." And, of course, real maple syrup. Invite company over for his dish; it's Man vs. Food-worthy!Did you hear about why he ... More >>

Five Stupidly Awesome Thanksgiving Recipes

​Thanksgiving has a few connotations in our society: family, togetherness, getting together, being grateful; oppression and decimation of a native people; and, of course, the stupid crap we do to food in order to get it on the table. Ask anyone who has worked in an emergency room for longer than 1 ... More >>

On the Line: The Men of the Burnt Truck, Part Three

Photo by Meranda Carter​When asked to provide a recipe, the Burnt guys all agree the way to a hungry heart is through fried chicken. A virtual Hungry Man dinner that fits in the palm of your hand, layers of flavor from hearty gravy and garlicky mashed potatoes make for comfort cooking. Get to know ... More >>

Start Spreading the News About Broadway

Amar Santana's new restaurant in Laguna Beach would make Charlie Palmer proud

On the Line: Kevin Nagano of Sage Cafe, Part Three

Photo by Meranda Carter​This week's On the Line concludes with a recipe à la Kevin. Typically a sandwich standard, this chicken salad includes the cafe's favorite herb, two types of vinegar and red cabbage for crunch. Place an order with Veronica Milanko (the other half of Sage Cafe), pack it in ... More >>

Taking Back Pesto--Food Processors Be Damned

Dave Lieberman​Pesto. The word conjures up the 1980s, when seemingly every Italian restaurant in the United States discovered that there was more to dressing pasta than "meat or marinara?" Like so many foodie obsessions, it started out being made the traditional way, only to be subsumed by America ... More >>

On The Line: Manuel Gonzalez Of TAPS Fish House & Brewery, Part Three

Photo by Kevin Lara​Our last installment of On The Line with Chef Gonzalez finds him cooking some seasonal seafood. The addition of fresh peas and corn make for a bright dish, both in color and flavor. If you haven't already done so, be sure to check out parts one and two of our interview.

At the Farmers' Market: Black Kale

Flickr user sweetbeetandgreenbean​Kale gets so little love. It's treated as decorative plant fodder on vegetable trays, planted like a wayward herbaceous border in gardens, and generally ignored, abused and unloved. It's a shame, because all the varieties of kale are chock full of vitamins and min ... More >>

Five Beloved, Worn, Stained Cookbooks In My Kitchen

Dave LiebermanThis is the fate that awaits all beloved cookbooks in my kitchen.​I keep my own recipes in a black moleskine notebook, usually two entries to a page in my small, crabbed handwriting. The recipes are in no particular order, necessitating a sheet of paper to serve as an index in the ba ... More >>

Killer Pizza, Part One: The Dough

​Like my taste for big-haired blond women (thanks, Charlie's Angels!), my pizza opinions were formed during childhood in the 1970's. I grew up eating pizza in New York City, which indelibly marked me for my preference for a medium-thin, crisp crust with only a little breadiness. Why pay a lot for ... More >>

Getting Over Bitter in Little Phnom Penh

Bitter is not a flavor generally loved by the American palate. Bitter is a flavor we cover up--with cream and sugar in our coffee, with sweeter, baby bitter greens in our salads. Elsewhere around the globe--and in many an ethnic restaurant in Orange County--bitter is a flavored loved and enjoyed alo ... More >>

OltreMare's Triumphs and Tribulations

Many of the dishes at this San Clemente Italian eatery are indeed winners, but others come up short

Green Papayas

markuz @ flickr.com CC BY-NC-ND 2.0​Is there anything that doesn't grow in California (besides sour cherries)? Even the fruits associated more with tropical Mexico or Hawai'i are able to grow here. Papaya trees are suddenly everywhere, looking like palm trees with jagged leaves and clusters of hug ... More >>

Recipe of the Week: Chiles Rellenos de Picadillo

El Pato sauce... is there anything it can't do? It turns plain old ground turkey into delicious picadillo, which gets stuffed; add it to your favorite taco filling; use it as a base for queso dip.This week's recipe, which features this wunder-sauce, is not a classic chile relleno (it isn't battered ... More >>

Recipe: Craig Strong's Crab and Melon Salad with Micro Greens and Honey Sherry Vinaigrette

Here's another light, summery one, this time from Craig Strong, the new Executive Chef at Studio, at the Montage Laguna Beach.The recipe serves four and Strong recommends using Dungeness crab.Ingredients½ pound crab2 egg yolksjuice of ½ lemon1 vanilla bean, scraped, reserving seeds½ cup grapeseed ... More >>

Plums Café: It's Not Just for Breakfast, Anymore

Grub Guide

Tasty morsels from the county's best damn dining guide

Grub Guide

Orange Countys best damn dining guide

Grub Guide

Tasty morsels from the county's best damn dining guide

Grub Guide

Tasty morsels from the county's best damn dining guide

Grub Guide

Grub Guide

Tasty morsels from the county's best damn dining guide

Grub Guide

Tasty morsels from OC's best damn dining guide

Grub Guide

Tasty morsels from the county's best damn dining guide

Grub Guide

Tasty morsels from the county's best damn dining guide

Grub Guide

A sampling of Orange County's best damn dining guide

Grub Guide

A taste of Orange County's best damn dining guide

This Hole-in-the-Wall Life

Brains! Brains! At Nizams Nihari House!

Grub Guide

The county's best damn dining guide

Grub Guide

This week in one-of-a-kinds

Meat Juices Down Your Throat!

Savannah Steak and Chop House sizzles

!Ay, Mi Estomago!

Orange Countys 61 best Latino restaurantes

This Week in Home-Style Dining for the Holidays

THIS WEEK IN HOME-STYLE DINING FOR THE HOLIDAYS

The Asian Persuasion

Great Asian restaurants, and the Asians (and Chuck Devore) who love them

My Hiro

How a Cypress cafe stole my heart, one fusion dish at a time

This Week in Carnivores vs. Vegetarians

This Hole-in-the-Wall County

Orange Countys 74 Greatest Holes-in-the-Wall

Mmmm . . . Freedom Naan

India Houses buffet as a meal metaphor for the worlds largest democracy

Flip the Bird This Thanksgiving

Coincidentally, Clammy-Condom Chowder Claims Cloud Courts

Clashingly Yummy

Travel through Peru with Norys

The OC Weekly Book Of Food Lists!

Shawerma Shop

The simple greatness of Sahara Falafel

Hidden Treasure

Cafe Lafayette worth looking for

The Costa Mesa of North County

Brea enlists Cedar Creek in war on bland

Feel Not Sorry for the People of Anaheim Hills

Theyve got Rosines Mediterranean Rotisserie & Grill

Where famous people eat!

Transmigration of Sol

The food comes from all over the planet but ends up pleasantly in your belly

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