Rancho Santa Margarita

Bruxie Opens in Rancho Santa Margarita TODAY

Orange County's favorite wafflería officially opens its third location today in Rancho Santa Margarita. The Bruxians treated the local food bloggerati last night to a fabulous pre-opening celebration during which we sampled our way through countless delicious versions of Bruxie favorites, as well a ... More >>

Two OC Starbucks To Sell Beer and Wine

Earlier this year, Starbucks reported plans to test-market beer and wine sales in a few, select markets across the country, and named Southern California as one such region. We learned the chain has chosen two Orange County locations where their baristi won't have to change their job titles, since t ... More >>

Cismontane Brewing Doubles Production And Expands Tasting Room

​Cismontane has been producing standout beers for nearly two years. Now the tucked-away Rancho Santa Margarita microbrewery is becoming less of a secret--and less tiny.

[UPDATED With Official Explanation] Rancho Santa Margarita Extends Ban On Marijuana Dispensaries

​UPDATED, Nov. 10, 1:30 P.M.: There's an interesting story on the Rancho Santa Patch website about the city's recent moratorium. In it, city attorney Greg Simonian, who came up with the idea along with city manager Steve Hayman, basically tells reporter Martin Henderson that the city is just using ... More >>

If You Get Lost and Land in Rancho Santa Margarita Tonight, Look Out for the Sobriety Checkpoint

​Legend has it that at the end of a toll road that stretches far off over the horizon, there is a magical land the pixies who live there refer to as "Rancho Santa Margarita." And somewhere in this Smurfy berg there is a busy street, inhabited by pixies in pixie-mobiles. At times they get whiffs of ... More >>

Man Fights With Estranged Wife Then Sets Himself on Fire

​A 50-year-old Rancho Santa Margarita man attempted suicide by setting himself on fire.The Orange County Sheriff's Department and Orange County Fire Authority responded to a call that came in around 11:15 p.m. Friday from a neighbor who heard the man screaming on the deck of his condominium on Blu ... More >>

James Harry Fluch Accused of Embezzling $822,000 From Buddy's Business to Fund Lavish Lifestyle

​A former Rancho Santa Margarita accounting consultant is scheduled to be arraigned in Santa Ana today for allegedly embezzling $822,000 from a longtime friend's company, using the ill-gotten money to pay off seven credit cards that racked up charges for gasoline, bar tabs, restaurant bills, cable ... More >>

Two Men Arrested for Anti-Semitic Hate Crime in Coto de Caza

Branstetter (L) and Wickham Booking Photos​Two men have been arrested and one has so far evaded capture in an alleged April 6 hate crime attack in Coto de Caza, the Associated Press reports, noting that the classy south OC enclave is "familiar to reality TV show viewers as the home of 'The Real Ho ... More >>

Ask a Comida Critic: Best Chile Relleno in OC?

​Someone actually asked this months ago, but it got lost in the pile along with my W-2 (eep!). Anyhoo, the query:What's the best chile relleno in Orange County?I must admit: I never order the dish. A chile relleno is never about subtlety; it's supposed be greasy, gooey, eggy, a glop to be mixed al ... More >>

Tapas and Beer In Rancho Santa Margarita: First Taste

ProfessorSalt.comGrilled chicken marinated in achiote with pineapple rice​If you thought I meant Papas and Beer, that south-of-the-border mega-bar, calm down. This is Tapas and Beer, a new restaurant that seeks to fuse a small-plate concept with a neighborhood sports bar.And the place looks like a ... More >>

Avoid Pink Elephants and Roving DUI Patrols Tonight

​Take a cab, plan an alternate route, or get your drink on somewhere else: roving sobriety patrols will be out tonight in Lake Forest, Mission Viejo and Rancho Santa Margarita."These multi-city DUI teams will target areas that have a high incidence of DUI-related arrests and collisions," reads an ... More >>

OC Cannabis University Now Offers Classes En Español

​Time was, all the good weed came from Mexico. After all, that's where it'd been grown for who knows how long, up in the hills of Sinaloa, Michoacan and Oaxaca. Now, the good stuff is grown north of the border, and with the legalization of cannabis for medical purposes now 15 years in the making, ... More >>

War on Christmas Rages in OC's Wealthiest 'Hoods

​Bill O'Reilly, Mike Huckabee and other Fox News blowhards yammer on and on about the "War on Christmas" waged by progressives who choke baby Jeebus in the cradle with their "happy holidays" chatter. Some dare call this fear mongering or lefty smearing, but those patriots are right: There is a War ... More >>

This Week in Food: Crab Vending Machine, OC Food Contests, and Battle Deep-Dish Pizza!

Flickr user Hydro-Man​Another amazing week on this infernal, yummy blog. After the jump: the best of the best!

Five Food Challenges in Orange County

The Catch Facebook Page The WTF Burger at The Catch in Anaheim is a stomach-busting stack of eight pounds of meat, five avocados, 15 strips of bacon, 24 slices of cheddar and a heaping pile of fried peppers.​Yes, America, this is why you're fat. Ah, well. Unbutton those pants and win some stuff! & ... More >>

La Reconquísta en Rancho Santa Margarita?!??

ProfessorSalt.comSloppy but good: tacos of beef morita, tinga, and lengua​Maybe I don't get down to the sleepy bedroom enclave of Rancho Santa Margarita enough, because I was surprised to see today that quite a few mom-and-pop restaurants have encroached in this land of chain franchisees. Hell, th ... More >>

This Week in Food: Rare Ramen, A Reason to Visit Rancho Santa Margarita, And Waiters Trying to Get Laid!

Flickr user soundfromwayout​Some of the many highlights this week on this infernal blog after the jump, and including more than what the descriptive title promises!

Drunk in the 949: Cismontane Brewing Co.

Dave Lieberman​There aren't many reasons to go to Rancho Santa Margarita when you're a food blogger. It's nice to head to the Pavilions on Antonio Parkway to see the orange trophy wives shopping in their terry-cloth yoga pants, and of course Pane e Vino and Rice and Spice (our best Thai this year) ... More >>

Random Picture Of The Day

Edwin Goei This is a cheap shot, but I couldn't resist.  This street sign in Huntington Beach says it all in its

[UPDATED:] Stacey Tomekia Bryant, O.C. Homicide No. 35: Murder-Suicide Victim

​UPDATE: Murder-suicide couple identified (updates throughout) . . . A neighbor in the quiet Robinson Ranch community in Rancho Santa Margarita called 9-1-1 after hearing gunshots Wednesday afternoon.

Slayings Awake Sleepy Rancho Santa Margarita

​What in the devil is going on in Rancho Santa Margarita?Essentially a giant master planned community, the 10-year-old city boasts neighborhoods with rows of million-dollar homes, locations where most of The Real Housewives of Orange County are filmed and, until the past 13 days, no reported homic ... More >>

Warning to Rummies: DUI Patrols Tonight!

Brooklyn Museum ArchivesDid somebody order a designated driver?​If you're driving in Lake Forest, Mission Viejo or Rancho Santa Margarita today, you may notice more sheriff's patrol cars on the road than usual.And, if you've been drinking:1) What are you doing driving, butt wipe?2) The deputies in ... More >>

Return of the 241 Toll-Road Extension: South County Officials Pen Scary Letter to Feinstein

Also known as "a concrete cage without walls."​The 241 extension saga in a nutshell: Transportation Corridor Agencies propose extending a toll road from Rancho Santa Margarita to the Interstate 5 in San Diego County, environmental groups flip out at the prospect of a freeway potentially encroachin ... More >>

Spa Week Wonders

[Trendzilla] Take the low road to high-end treatments, for a limited time only

Orange County's Sexiest Cities

[Sex Issue] Our guide to the steamiest-and not so steamy-municipalities

Gettin' Made: Knit One, Cure Too

The holidays are supposed to be about sharing good will (and a boozy eggnog or two) with others - and it's always nice when you can use your crafty talents to help a great holiday cause as well! This Friday from 4-7pm, Spa Gregorie's and Mainplace Mall in Santa Ana are proud to host the second annua ... More >>

Crime Time: Creepy Toys, Slick Bank Robbers, Egged On Victims, Dog-Beating Dipshits and At Least [Alleged] Criminals Still Read Newspapers

It's the Weekly's weekly roundup of local police calls and assorted mayhem.MONDAY, NOV. 2". . . and I don't like you!" ​"I'm Talking Tina . . . and Things Are Going to Be Different Around Here" A woman called 9-1-1 around 3:45 in the morning to say she heard a baby toy go off downstairs in her hom ... More >>

Rule 1 for Being a USC Trojan Pigskin Slinger

Clockwise from top left: Mark Sanchez (Santa Margarita Catholic High School, Rancho Santa Margarita); Todd Marinovich (Capistrano Valley and Mater Dei high schools); Matt Leinart (Mater Dei); and Carson Palmer (Santa Margarital).  Steven Travers, a USC graduate, sports historian and fo ... More >>

TONIGHT: Lost Art and Abtract Rude at Blue Cafe in Long Beach

​The life of a local hip hop artist is a saga that usually leaks its way into the inspiration of their rhymes, more so than any other genre. And in that regard, tracks by Rancho Santa Margarita emcee The Lost Art  is rife with true life tales. I spoke of him a while ago when he released his s ... More >>

Crime Time: Methed Mom, Nitrous Oxide, a Full Moon, a Gutted Black Cat and a Skateboarding Giant Ax Carrier

It's our weekly Weekly roundup of Orange County police calls--with suspect mugs!TUESDAY, JULY 7Courtesy of Cypress Police DepartmentAlison Le Anne EbertAt Least She Left the TV On Officers responding to an anonymous, 4:45 a.m. report of child abuse in a home in the 8500 block of La Homa Street in Cy ... More >>

Capistrano Unified Recall Leader Weighs In On Film, Is Mum About Excluded Journalist

City of Rancho Santa MargaritaTony BeallAs if to demonstrate why anyone would be interested in a movie about school districts, Capistrano Unified delivered some of its trademark drama at last night's premier of Not As Good As You Think (which we previewed here). Capistrano Dispatch editor Jonathan V ... More >>

It's a Quick Read 30

Orange County Register: Fans gathered around a makeshift memorial outside Angel Stadium to honor pitcher Nick Adenhart, who died in a car accident. . . . A woman driving a car with a baby aboard was shot and killed in Santa Ana after leading police on a high-speed chase that began in Buena Park ... More >>

It's a Quick Read 29

Orange County Register: Anaheim police want to question two men shown in an Angel Stadium surveillance video in the opening day assault death of Brian Powers, 27, of Buena Park. That's right, sports fans, they're even watching you in the cheap seats. . . . A man who was arrested at Disneyland l ... More >>

It's a Quick Read 18: Gone Since Friday Edition

Orange County Register: Miss me? Great economic news! Pier 1 Imports will only close 80 or so stores, not the 125 anticipated originally. . . . The California Energy Commission is considering a ban on big screen televisions. It's not the pollution network programmers spew that is spur ... More >>

Howard Ahmanson Jr. Only the Second Biggest Hater

Gustavo's pal Howard F. Ahmanson Jr. just missed the top spot on the Dishonor Roll published online by Californians Against Hate. The Knights of Columbus of New Haven, Conn., gave $1.425 million to the campaign for the same-sex-marriage-barring Prop. 8, while Howie only ponied up $1.395 million.Hey, ... More >>

Protest Prop 8 tonight and Sunday

Is your activist streak feeling unloved after watching footage of yesterday's protests in LA against the passage of Proposition 8? Well, here's your chance to vent (peacefully, people, peacefully...). Tonight (Friday), the Long Beach Gay & Lesbian Center is organizing a protest march down Broadway, ... More >>

OC Fire: Reader Photos

Some readers have shared their fire photos with us. Click the photo to see them. So far, we have snaps of the blaze from Rancho Santa Margarita, Lake Forest and Foothill Ranch. Send yours to jpkahn@ocweekly.com with a short description (and the photographer's name) and we'll add them to the slidesho ... More >>

Hard Knocks

Three years in the life of the Capistrano Unified School District

Acing the Exam

The pad see ewe reveals all about Rice and Spice Thai

This Hole-in-the-Wall Life

Oh Yes, Oh Yes

Special Screenings

Movie of the Week:

GoodFellas

Special Screenings

Winter non-recommendation edition

Special Screenings

Movie of the Week: EDWARD SCISSORHANDS

Special Screenings

Movie of the Week: The Wizard of Oz

When the Moon Is the Only Light We See

Stand By Me 19 summers later

Rancho Santa Margarita

Stand By Me 19 summers later

Frozen Assets

Stand By Me 19 summers later

R

Stand By Me 19 summers later

Rancho Santa Margarita

City of the Big Boxes

Something Beige This Way Comes

Rancho Santa Margarita flirts with disaster