The Television Food Network GP

On the Line: Danny Godinez of Anepalco's Cafe, Part Uno

Photo by Todd BarnesGodinez putting the finishing strokes on his bomb-ass huevos divorciados​I must admit I wasn't blown away the first time I visited Anepalco's Cafe in Orange--found the chilaquiles a bit too exotic. But I'm always man enough to admit when I was wrong, and I've more than made up ... More >>

On The Line: Derek Venutolo of The Capital Grille, Part Two

Photo by Todd Barnes​ Today we continue our Q&A with Derek Venutolo, the executive chef The Capital Grille in South Coast Plaza. Stay tuned for a recipe from the chef tomorrow. If you missed the first part, click here. What show would you pitch to the Food Network? Not going to share my ide ... More >>

On The Line: Timothy Kast of Seasons 52, Part Two

Photo by Todd Barnes​Today we continue our Q&A with Timothy Kast, the executive chef partner at Seasons 52 in South Coast Plaza. Stay tuned for a recipe from the chef tomorrow. If you missed the first part, click here. What show would you pitch to the Food Network? Healthy cooking from scr ... 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

Kris Kirk of Ecco Restaurant, Part Two

Photo by Todd Barnes​Today we continue our Q&A with Kris Kirk, the chef at Ecco at The Camp in Costa Mesa. Stay tuned for a recipe from the chef tomorrow. If you missed the first part, click here. What show would you pitch to the Food Network? Something to do with preparing a three course m ... More >>

Gabe Gordon of Beachwood BBQ, Part Two

Photo by Todd Barnes​ Today we continue our Q&A with Gabe Gordon, chef and owner of Beachwood BBQ in Seal Beach. Stay tuned for a recipe from our chef tomorrow. If you missed the first part, click here. What show would you pitch to the Food Network? I don't really watch the Food Network, so ... More >>

Greg Howe of Raya at The Ritz-Carlton, Part Two

Kimberly Valenzuela​Today we continue our Q&A with Greg Howe, Chef de Cuisine of Raya at The Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel. If you missed the first part, click here. Stay tuned tomorrow for our final installment: a recipe. What show would you pitch to the Food Network Something where real food wa ... More >>

Greg Howe of Raya at The Ritz-Carlton, Part One

Kimberly Valenzuela​Raya, the new restaurant at the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel, is Richard Sandoval's restaurant. Including this one, the celebrity chef (that you may not have heard of but will soon enough) has opened three eateries in Southern California since spring (The other two are in Santa M ... More >>

The Great Food Truck Race: Can Anyone De-throne Nom Nom?

Courtesy of Food Network​Never underestimate the power of people who've been churned through the Anderson School of Business machine. This week's episode of Food Network's "The Great Food Truck Race" showed that an ounce of amazing marketing savvy can overcome a pound of unfamiliarity with the pro ... More >>

Stephanie Morgan of Seabirds, Part Two

Photo by Kimberly Valenzuela​Today we continue our Q&A with Stephanie Morgan of Seabirds, the one and only vegan gourmet food truck in Orange County. If you missed the first part, click here. Stay tuned tomorrow for our final installment: a recipe. What would you'd like to see more of i ... More >>

Joshua Miller of 320 Main, Part Two

Photo by Meg Strouse​Today we continue our Q&A with Chef Joshua Miller of 320 Main. If you missed the first part, read it here. Stay tuned tomorrow for our final installment: a recipe from the chef. What would you'd like to see more of in Orange County from a culinary standpoint: Resurgence ... More >>

Jason Quinn of The Lime Truck, Part Two

Photo by Christopher VictorioDaniel Shemtob and Jason Quinn​Today we conclude our Q&A with Chef Jason Quinn. If you missed the first part, read it here. Stay tuned tomorrow for our final installment: a recipe from the chef. What would you'd like to see more of in Orange County from a culinary ... More >>

Craig Connole of House Of Big Fish and Ice Cold Beer, Part Two

Photo by Tracy Powell​Today we conclude our Q&A with Chef Craig Connole. If you missed the first part, read it here. Stay tuned tomorrow for our final installment: a recipe from the chef. What would you'd like to see more of in Orange County from a culinary standpoint: Street vendors.

Laura De Martin of TusCA, Part Two

Kimberly Valenzuela​This week we go On The Line with Chef Laura De Martin of TusCA--a new Italian restaurant inside the Hyatt Regency in Garden Grove.If you missed Part One, you can find it here. Check back tomorrow for a recipe from the chef herself!

Harry Kho of Harry's Deli, Part Two

Kimberly Valenzuela​Today we continue with part two of our interview with Harry Kho, owner and "Executive Sandwich Creationist" of Harry's Deli in Irvine. Missed the first part of our interview? Click here. Otherwise, read on.

Gino Buonanoce & Salvatore Ferrara of Antonello Ristorante, Part Two

Kimberly Valenzuela​Today we continue on with our profile of the two co-executive chefs at Antonello Ristorante at South Coast Plaza. Missed the first part? Click here. Otherwise...

Zov Karamardian of Zov's Bistro, Part 2

Photo by Kimberly Valenzuela​Today we continue on to the second part of our Zov Karamardian interview. Tomorrow, a recipe! Didya miss the first part? Click here to catch up. Favorite music to cook by: Classical, of course any of Mozart's collection.

Gabriel Caliendo of The Lazy Dog Cafe, Part Two

Kimberly Valenzuela​On The Line this week features Executive Chef Gabriel Caliendo of The Lazy Dog Cafe. In case you missed part one of the interview, you can find it here. Check back tomorrow for Chef Caliendo's recipe for Cast Iron Idaho Trout.

Jonathan Munsayac of Tranquil Tea Lounge, Part 2

Photo by Kimberly Valenzuela​Today we continue with Part 2 of our interview with Jonathan Munsayac of Fullerton's Tranquil Tea Lounge. Missed the first part? Click here. Otherwise, read on!

Jonathan Munsayac of Tranquil Tea Lounge, Part 1

Photo by Kimberly Valenzuela​Jonathan Munsayac and Michellee Phelps are the siblings behind Tranquil Tea Lounge, a loose-leaf tea bar which has become a sort of refuge in Downtown Fullerton for those who aren't feeling up to getting drunk at its many rock & roll bars or boozy cantinas. At t ... More >>

"Cooking Channel", A Spin-Off From Food Network, Set To Debut

WikiMedia Commons​Ready for Food Network Part 2? Scripps Network, the owner of Food Network and others, has seen its thunder stolen by such shows as Bravo's Top Chef. Their response? Start over by creating a whole new food channel. Set to start broadcasting on May 31, the new network is a sp ... More >>

Five Food Network Shows First In Line For Reanimation

Believe it or not, children, there was a time when the Food Network actually concentrated on teaching people to cook. The idea of ten hours a day of inane food "battles" was unheard of, Iron Chef still came to us from campy Japan, the appetite suppressant known as Sandra Lee hadn't yet created her f ... More >>

Delia Snyder of Don the Beachcomber, Part 2

Our interview with Delia Snyder, chef-owner of Don the Beachcomber in Huntington Beach, started yesterday--click here if you missed the first part, particularly if you're a fan of old-school Cantonese-American food. Photo by Kimberly Valenzuela  

Dee Nguyen of Break of Dawn, Part 1

Photo by Kimberly Valenzuela​Food critics don't always agree on things, but ask any of your Stick a Fork In It bloggers where the best breakfast in OC is, and you'll get the same answer from all of us: Break of Dawn, a stunning hidden gem in a freeway-adjacent plaza next to the Laguna Hills Mall.C ... More >>

Tanya Petrovna of Native Foods, Part I

​Tanya Petrovna is the chef and owner of Native Foods. Her ever expanding vegan eatery started out in Palms Springs in 1994, but we in OC know her best from her restaurant at The Camp, which is housed inside a yurt. She has two other restaurants in OC, not all of them in yurts, but serving the ... More >>

On the Line: Mark McDonald of Old Vine Cafe

​The McDonald brothers, Mark and Brandon, run Old Vine Cafe in Costa Mesa in a Manichean fashion: be nice, they treat you like gods. Be mean, they'll let the mick in them take over. I like them--otherwise, we wouldn't have named them the best restaurant in OC for 2009. And I'm glad to say they're ... More >>

Maria Sanchez of Los Chilangos

Dave LiebermanElena and Maria Sanchez​ You think you know Mexican food? Go into Los Chilangos on Anaheim's Lincoln Avenue, the sister to Santa Ana's venerable El Rincón Chilango, and read the menu. Tlacoyos? Pambazos? Huitlacoche? This ain't El Torito, amigo. This is real Mexican food from the ca ... More >>

On the Line: Bobby Bognar of History Channel's "Food Tech"

Courtesy of Bobby Bognar​It's ironic that the latest food show to hit the airwaves isn't on the Food Network (they're much too busy showing pointless, boring challenge shows) but on the History Channel.Though the format is a lot like "Unwrapped" and "Follow That Food", the last time Marc Summers i ... More >>

The Worst Show on Food Network

Food Network​Food Network, Food Network, Food Network, you have really lost your way.You used to teach people how to cook; there were interesting shows like the Two Fat Ladies. Even Good Eats, the best show ever on the network, has lowered its standards and got the preachy diet message going.You'v ... More >>

On the Line: Marque Hernandez of "The Worst Cooks In America"

Courtesy of Food Network​Normally our On the Line feature runs on Tuesdays and features a professional chef whose cooking has captivated the hearts of Orange Countians. We ask a series of not-very-serious questions and publish the results.Well, for this extra edition of On the Line, which we're pu ... More >>

On the Line: Shewaye Zeleke of Tana Ethiopian

Dave Lieberman​That Tana Ethiopian Restaurant is on a fairly short list of places I visit frequently is due to a serendipitous trip to Portillo's in Buena Park a few years ago. I saw a sign and pulled a quick U-turn in the road, earning me the ire of a bus driver and the first of many happy dining ... More >>

Top Five Food Scenes In TV Sitcoms

Food as a theme is pervasive on TV these days, and not just the obvious examples of Food Network and all those shows from Ramsay to Richman. I'm talking about sitcoms that have also used food as either a main story arc or just an amusing aside about our love, obsession, and need to eat. And no, I do ... More >>

On The Line: Hiro Ohiwa of Cafe Hiro

Photo by Edwin Goei​ Cafe Hiro is a favorite of mine. It's no accident that since I've been here at The Weekly, it's received with two accolades on two Best Of Issues (Best Japanese Restaurant 2009 and Best Fusion Restaurant of 2007). Psst, I didn't want to push for three wins, or else someo ... More >>

New Food Network Reality Show Features OC Contestants

Food Network​So the Food Network is close to debuting a food competition show called The Worst Cooks In America on January 3rd. Yes, if the Bravo show is called Top Chef, this would have to be referred to as Bottom Chef. But here's my question: How hard is it to find a bad cook, really? You ... More >>

On the Line: Wanida Sreewarom of Thai Nakorn

​When Thai Nakorn burned down in January 2007, lovers of Thai food the county over were cast adrift. The family opened a branch in Stanton to feed the demand for their amazing food, and finally, after months of delays and haggling with the city, Thai Nakorn returned to Garden Grove this August. If ... More >>

Ellie Krieger to Give Demo, Signing at SCP

​You know, it's never too early to be a buzzkill. New Year's resolution season is coming soon, and if, like just about everyone else in the world, one of your goals is to eat healthier food, you might want to come meet Ellie Krieger.Krieger, who is the host of Food Network's "Healthy Appetite" (on ... More >>

This Week in Food

​ Gustavo scores some seriously spicy salsa, pits IKEA's 99-Cent breakfast against McDonald's Deluxe Breakfast, and recaps a PR fiasco for Ferrell's Ice Cream Parlour.Edwin has some reservations about the recent purchase of the Travel Channel by the Food Network, says sayonara to Beard Papa's resi ... More >>

Travel Channel Bought By Owner Of Food Network

Photo Courtesy Travel Channel​I don't like where this is going. Scripps Network Interactive Inc., owner of the Food Network, which has slowly but noticeably descended into semi-homemade mediocrity, bought a controlling stake in the Travel Channel last week. For Anthony Bourdain's sake, I hope ... More >>

On The Line: John McLaughlin of At Last Café

Photo By Russ Roca​Every city should have a chef like John McLaughlin, who at his At Last Café cooks gourmet food but charges diner prices.  Long Beach, you're lucky to have him.  And we are lucky that he agreed to answer our silly survey.1. Dish that you cook that most represents you. ... More >>

On the Line: John Q Humphreys, Chef/Owner of Ramos House Café

​San Juan Cap's most famous eaterie has been home (literally) to Newport Beach native John Q Humphreys for the last 15 years. During that time it has built a reputation for low-key yet memorable grub, in particular a stellar brekkie/brunch. While succumbing to our inquisition, he gets fruity and v ... More >>

On the Line: Executive Chef James Hamamori of Hamamori

​An early pioneer of the sushi conveyor belt concept in New York, James Hamamori worked at Asakuma in Los Angeles before teaming up with entrepreneur Bronnie Lee and opening the first of several Wasa Sushi outlets. Hamamori, located in the satellite wing of South Coast Plaza, followed in December ... 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 >>

Top Chef Masters Sneak Preview Party at NapaStyle, Tuesday July 14

South Coast Plaza's "handcrafted home goods and artisanal foods" store, part of a chain owned by chef Michael Chiarello, will host the event to celebrate his appearance on Bravo's Top Chef Masters the following evening.As well as winning several Emmys for his Food Network shows, Chiarello has writte ... 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 >>

Iron Chef Cat Cora and Partner Are Both Pregnant

Courtesy of Food NetworkIt was announced yesterday that Cat Cora (Iron Chef and one of the three principles at Macy's Signature Kitchen at SCP) and her partner are both pregnant, with children from the same sperm donor. But this isn't the part that's interesting. No, what's interesting is that the ... More >>

Garden Grove's Korean District In New Cooking Show on KOCE

Before The Food Network came along , there was Martin Yan, Jacques Pepin, Tommy Tang, Jeff Smith (a.k.a. The Frugal Gourmet) and of course, Julia Child.  As a kid, I watched their shows every Saturday morning on PBS's KCET 28 when other kids watched cartoons.  I'd stare with rapt amuseme ... More >>

Cooking With Dog

An uninterested pooch. An affable narrator. And a Japanese mom-type doing the cooking. These are the simple components that make up one of my favorite cooking shows, called "Cooking with Dog". You won't find it on the Food Network or even PBS. It's only on YouTube. The shows started last yea ... More >>

[DVDish] Chafing Dishes: Reviews of No Reservations, I Could Never Be Your Woman, more

The Cutting Board Is Sacred

Everything I ever needed to know about the Japanese I learned watching Iron Chef