Subject: Tustin

• Caring for Creation is So Hot Right Now

  The Orange County Interfaith Coalition for the Environment presents its 9th annual Caring for Creation Interfaith Conference from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Tustin. The event, which is open to all, explores "the moral imperative of all people of faith to address the urgent environmental problems facing humankind." Creation Spirituality leader Matthew Fox gives the keynote address, an Earth Celebration with Native American dance and music will be

  October 5, 2006

• Man meat extravaganza at Newport Beach

  If you're up at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow, grab your binoculars and head to Newport Pier, where around a hundred lifeguards will be racing in honor of local legend Buddy Belshe. The 73-year-old was a lifeguard for 57 years - He retired earlier in the year, and now helps kids out at the Blue Buoy Swim School in Tustin. How cuddly.

  August 21, 2007

• What You Missed Over The Weekend Part XV

  On Friday night, Dave Segal watched London duo, Black Ghosts, put on one of the better hipster-dance live shows he's seen in a while. Saying, "It was kind of like a combination of Daft Punk and Chemical Brothers, full of aggressive beats, filthy synth textures and sing-along tunes." Saturday found our own Luke Y. Thompson at the toy store shopping for Iron Man action figures to add to his collection. He found himself a Robert Downey Jr. action figure at the Toys R Us in Irvine. Too bad it loo

  March 24, 2008

• If Anyone Cares About Bowling Or OC Reality Shows

  Last night some new fancy schmancy bowling alley called Strike had a grand opening party in Tustin. Yes, bowling alleys are the next thing to hop on the glam wagon. And several reality show stars (or former stars) from The Hills and Real Housewives Of OC showed up because... hell, who knows. Here's the link if this strikes(!) your interest in the least.

  June 6, 2008

• Every Burger

  Name: Every Burger Origin: Japan Found at: Freshia Market, Tustin Cost: $1.99 Ingredients: Wheat Flour, Sugar, Cacao Mass, Milk Powder, Palm Oil, Shortening, Margarine, Lactose, Cocoa Butter, Sesame Seed, Butter, Condensed Milk Powder, Egg, Corn Starch, Poppy Seed, Maltose, Wheat Meal, Glucose, Egg White, Salt, Calcinated Calcium, Leavening, Emulsifier (Soy), Artificial Flavor, Color (Annatto, Carotene). Why I Bought It: Well, look at it! Wouldn't you be curious what an Every Burger

  October 16, 2008

• Plum Pickings

  August 25, 2005

• Grub Guide

  June 15, 2006

• Koo's Catering Truck: Now Without The Truck

  This past summer I gorged on the hotteok from Koo's Catering Truck. I usually took a few back to the house and ate the Korean sweet pancakes as breakfast on Saturday mornings. It went well with a cold glass of O.J. I loved it so much, in fact, that I chronicled it for our Cheap Foods Issue. Other than the great bargain and the deliciousness of the pancakes, it was a reassuring sight to see the truck parked there every weekend at the Freshia Market parking lot in Tustin. But as soon as summe

  November 9, 2008

• Curly Tops

  Name: Curly Tops Origin: Philippines Found at: Pinoy Mart, Tustin Cost: $1.59 Ingredients: Refined Cane Sugar, Milk Powder, Hydrogenated Palm And Palm Kernel Oil, Whey, Cocoa Powder, Soy Lecithin, Vanillin and Cinnamon Powder, Iodized Salt. Why I Bought It: Apart from the name, which is, of course, cuter than a button, this is as straight forward a packaging as you'll ever see. On the box, there are pictures of the product, which uses primary colors and looks like it was illustrated

  November 19, 2008

• Bistro West to Open Mid-Month, Marmalade Cafe in Spring

  It's full steam ahead at The District in Tustin, despite the failing economy.  Bistro West and Marmalade Cafe are close to being done.  For Bistro West, this will be the second location.  The original is a few miles south, in Carlsbad.   For Marmalade Cafe, this will be the tenth.  The first hailed out of L.A. Bistro West is opening sometime this month.  Preview dinners are happening this week for a few invited guests. Marmalade is debuting in February. This is

  December 1, 2008

• Does Rutabegorz Serve the Best Gabacho Nachos?

  Nachos have an interesting existence--enjoyed mostly by gabachos yet of Mexican origins, but created to serve hungry gabachos. Edwin has written about the carne asada nachos Alerto's (or is it Alberto's?), and the county has enough renditions of Chili Billies to placate a Little League squad. But perhaps the best take built specifically for the white man is at Rutabegorz, which is wrapping up its 30th anniversary in Tustin.I went a couple of days ago at the insistence of milady, who wanted somet

  December 10, 2008

• This Week in the OC Weekly

  Find out what our greatest blogs of the year were in our year end blogapoloza! We've lifted the best blurbage from Navel Gazing, Heard Mentality and Stick a Fork In It, each of which you need to peruse daily. Plus... • The Weekly's standing columns, ¡Ask a Mexican!, Hey You! and Savage Love. • Restaurant reviews of Lost Bean Coffeehouse in Tustin and El Cabrito in Santa Ana.• Culture focuses on the years best graphic books and novels and Trendzilla talks digital and air-wave p

  December 31, 2008

• Will The Feds Come After Tustin Hospitals Next?

  All the key swindlers in the homeless patient dumping scheme that sucked hundreds of thousands of dollars from Medicare and Medi-Cal programs in fradulent claims last year have been indicted -- except, that is, for the bad boys in Tustin who were also allegedly involved in the scheme. Last August a several months-long federal investigation culminated with the raids of three hospitals and the arrest of a hospital CEO in Los Angeles for alleged involvement a scheme that recruited homeless "patient

  January 30, 2009

• Marmalade Cafe Opens At The District Today

  You might remember that I wrote about Marmalade Cafe's expected Spring opening date back in December. And here were are: It's barely spring, and lo and behold, they're open!  Honestly, I've never seen a restaurant promise a debut date and actually deliver. It's kind of a small miracle, and perhaps a good sign that the folks at Marmalade might actually know what they're doing.  If you are reading this in the early morning of Tuesday, March 10th, you can have breakfast there in a

  March 10, 2009

• This Week in Food

  Our favorite SAFII posts of the week:Gustavo unearthed another Taco Bell Crime of the Week. The "restaurant" overcharged a Washington family by $135, not including overdraft fees (which TB subsequently paid on his behalf).Edwin ate in the dark one night--no, not because he didn't pay his electricity bill but because he'd been invited to the third annual Orange County Dining in the Dark event, hosted by the Foundation Fighting Blindness organization. With spring officially upon us and a bounty of

  March 27, 2009

• Zov's Bakeries, Bars And Bargains

  Fans of Zov's might be miffed to hear that the bakery sections at the Irvine and Newport locations have been removed to give the bars more space. However, core items will still feature on the dessert menu (and others can be ordered in advance), and the full range is still available at the original Zov's Bistro in Tustin.  A spokesperson for the family-run mini chain tells us that it's in response to customer needs, with the existing bar areas becoming increasingly packed (presumably as

  March 31, 2009

• The Verdict is In

  October 16, 2008

• Huell Howser Talks Orange Groves, Blimp Hangars, Trestles, the Evil TCA

  September 11, 2008

• House of Pain: Arther Masaoka's Fight to Stop the City of Tustin From Bulldozing His Home

  March 20, 2008

• This Hole-in-the-Wall Life

  October 18, 2007

• This Hole-in-the-Wall Life

  July 19, 2007

• This Hole-in-the-Wall Life

  June 28, 2007

• Grub Guide

  November 9, 2006

• This Hole-in-the-Wall Life

  April 27, 2006

• Grub Guide

  February 9, 2006

• Tustin

  October 20, 2005

• Eight Days

  July 15, 2004

• T

  October 24, 2002

• Can We Sleep in Your Great Park?

  September 12, 2002

• Tustin

  September 27, 2001

• Eat Cheap

  March 16, 2000

• Seen a Frozen Yogurt Shop Lately? **UPDATED**

  (May 1, 2009) MOVED UP (POSSIBLY FOR THE LAST TIME...unless there are still more out there).  This week, I got a few more submissions via comments and direct e-mail (THANK YOU ALL!).  We've built up an impressive list of sightings of yogurt shops in O.C.  This has been a fun project.  See the list as it stands below. (April 24, 2009) MOVED UP FOR AN UPDATE:  Even more submissions!!  Thanks and keep 'em coming!  Our project grows ever more impressive and fascinating (at least for me).

  May 1, 2009

• (Two Days Ago) Live from Coachella: Pictures! Glorious!

  OMGzerz! Not that these plain text posts haven't been TOTALLY FANTASTIC, but wouldn't you like to see some actual color photographs from Coachella? Guess what! We got some! Beth Stirnaman's pictures from Friday are right here, for your enjoyment. The pic above is of Morrissey, natch, and inspired this great comment:"For such a preachy vegetable guy, why does he look so bloated? Morrisey's a fat lazy rich pig who takes millions of dollars and then prances off to Europe and slags stupid Americans.

  April 19, 2009

• One of O.C.'s Best Rice Dishes: Puliyogre at Dosa Place

  Dosa Place in Tustin remains the best Indian buffet in Orange County, not just because it's a rarity 'round these parts (a South Indian dive instead of a focus on tandoori everything, although that's available as well) and all-you-can-eat but because the food is excellent on all levels. Although the chefs stick to tried-and-true subcontinent parameters (curries, rice dishes, veggie meals), the fun is in guessing what will bubble up on a particular afternoon. Will the curry be carrot? Beet? Squas

  May 5, 2009

• Muslims and Christians Talk Jesus at Interfaith Event

  Hot on the heels of President Obama's speech in Cairo, where he quoted from the Bible, the Koran and the Talmud, the Islamic Institute of Orange County hosts an interfaith discussion Sunday about the role and status of Jesus Christ in the Muslim and Christian faiths. "The Path of the Shepherd: Jesus in Christianity and Islam" will be led by Rector Reese Riley of St. Paul Episcopal Church in Tustin and Sheikh Junaid Kharsany of Inglewood Masjid. According to the institute, their "friendly discuss

  June 5, 2009

• Dueling Dishes: Green Beans. Capital Seafood vs. Jamillah Garden

  The title for this new feature in Stick a Fork In It should be self explanatory. Each week, we'll try a dish, either deliberately or randomly, which may or may not be a signature item of the place from where we choose to try them, and then compare them against each other, concluding with what we think is the better dish. This week's duelers: Dry fried green beans from Capital Seafood in Irvine versus those from Jamillah Garden in Tustin Why? Well because the dish is a personal favorite of mine

  June 12, 2009

• Fun With Rotating Teasers

  We in the Biz call those little photos and story captions at the top of the OC Weekly home page "rotating teasers" because Flash technology allows promotions for several stories on our site to occupy the same space by fading in and out. It's all thanks to a patented process called "magic." Anyway, what I believe just happened is I was staring at one teaser, blinked, and then my eyes picked up the next at the exact same spot for the next teaser that had rotated in while my eyes wer

  June 12, 2009

• Just Another Orange County Weekend

  Business was brisk Friday night at the Swinging Door Saloon in Tustin, but whooping it up in one corner more than anyone else in the watering hole known for its calendar girl bartenders was a small group of women and maybe one or two dudes. The leaders of the pack seemed to be a couple thin blondes who grinded, shook their moneymakers and, in the case of one, used a pool stick to pole dance to the music. Who were these chicks, who a couple decades earlier would have inspired

  June 15, 2009

• The New Kéan Coffee in Tustin Has a Familiar Feel, Smell and Taste

  June 11, 2009

• Recipe: The Winery's Zinfandel Braised Bone-In Prime Beef Short Ribs, Carrot Pearl Couscous and Roasted Asparagus

  Here's a recipe that's more elaborate than others we've featured recently. It's from the Winery Restaurant & Wine Bar in Tustin (where Yvon Goetz is Executive Chef and Partner), so it should come as no surprise that a whole bottle of the drink of the gods is a key ingredient. And if you can get your version to look as good as his, you deserve a second one.Ingredients (serves four) For the short ribs:4 1lb short ribs, bone in1 bottle Zinfandel1 qt veal stock2 tsp vegetable oil1 cup flour

  July 15, 2009

• Traditions Offers Cheap, Hot, Delicious North Indian Cuisine

  July 23, 2009

• Kogi BBQ Truck Returns To O.C. This Saturday (August 1st): Tustin and Fullerton.

  ​As you saw first on this blog, I wrote on July 20th that Kogi will be making its triumphant return to O.C. in August.  Particularly, The District in Tustin.The date is set (although things can always change) for this Saturday, August 1st.  But first, the truck will make a stop in Fullerton.  Then they will finish out the night at The District.Here's the official schedule as freshly posted on their blog:6PM-9PM@KST Stop in Fullterton - 2437 Orangethorpe Ave 10:30PM-1AM@The District in Tust

  July 27, 2009

• Revolving Door of Malaysian Cuisine: Belacan Grill To Replace Defunct Tropika

  ​As excited as we were to discover last night that there's a new Malaysian restaurant in town (Tustin, to be precise), we soon realized that it's on the very same site as Tropika, also Malaysian, which closed in June. The new joint, Belacan Grill, is the second venture of the people who own the original in Redondo Beach. The Tustin location (17460 17th Street, right next to Zov's) is due to open on September 1, although owner Jimmy Niwa concedes that it may end up being a day or so later than

  August 11, 2009

• Monday Night = Zov's Kebobs

  ​For $13.95 you get three kebobs (angus beef, chicken and harissa tuna), rice and two sides...We went last Monday to Zov's Bistro, Bakery & Café in Tustin to check it out. It's a generous fill--not tons, but certainly enough (we took a box of leftovers home, only to wolf them down the minute we got in the door).The kebobs were nicely spiced, and three of our four sides hit the spot: grilled eggplant with feta and rosemary (juicy!), m'jaddarah--that's lentils, rice and caramelized onions (

  August 13, 2009

• This Week in Food

  ​Over the last seven days, we:Brought you tales of exploding trash cans outside a Taco Bell in Tracy, California.Broke news about openings: Belacan Grill (a Malaysian coming soon to Tustin), the Counter (another outpost of the gourmet burger joint coming soon to Newport Beach) and Daily Express (a mystery restaurant coming soon to the South Coast Plaza area). FYI, Edwin, I do know something about it: It's the name of a crappy British tabloid. Hopefully unrelated to the restaurant!Continued blo

  August 14, 2009

• Recession-Time Sushi at Kappo Suzumaru

  You know times are tough when even a standard like Kappo Suzumaru in Tustin, still one of the better examples of serving serious Japanese food and sushi, was near empty on a Thursday night like yesterday. I've patronized this place for years, usually Thursdays for purely coincidental reasons, and have always seen it slammed from 6 p.m. until closing. My friend and I arrived around 8:30 p.m.--we were the only ones in the sushi bar the entire night.Suzumaru doesn't have the best sushi in the count

  February 6, 2009

• Five Great "Anti-Starbucks" Coffeehouses

  ​By "anti-Starbucks" I don't mean they've launched campaigns against the coffee behemoth (not that I know of, anyway), but that in terms of look, feel and menu they're the antithesis of the chain everybody loves to hate. The Gypsy DenOf the two locations (Costa Mesa and Santa Ana), I prefer the larger Santa Ana one. The décor is kooky, the cakes excellent, and the events--including Lee Mallory's Factory Readings on the first Tuesday of the month--impressive. Alta CoffeeThe coffee's nowhe

  August 24, 2009

• Dosa Place to Open Second Restaurant in Old Sevens Steakhouse Space

  Craig Medici​This news comes from fellow itinerant diner cdmedici, (otherwise known as Craig) who sent me an e-mail with only this in the subject line: "The old Sevens Steakhouse in Tustin" Attached was a photo, which you see above.  It really says it all.I was going to call Dosa Place to confirm that they were opening a second restaurant in the same city (their original restaurant is also in Tustin on Redhill), but I didn't need to.  Their website has a flashing sticker that proclaims with

  August 26, 2009

• Restaurant Closures During September--More Than In Previous Months

  ​Following a period in which the number of closures was down, they've now increased again. September saw five OC places shut up shop for good. They were:Wienerschnitzel, Mission ViejoJaponaise Bakery, Tustin (for Edwin's full report, CLICK HERE)Contodo Mexican Grill, OrangeVessia Ristorante, IrvineYum Yum Donuts, Costa Mesa

  October 1, 2009

• Global Warming Activists as Inescapable as Global Warming this Weekend

  ​Last week, we posted about the Global Climate Change Day of Action event taking place at Irvine Regional Park tomorrow. There'll be bells tolling, bikes biking, and a bunch of people forming a "350" for an aerial camera.But there are a bunch more of these shindigs tomorrow all over the world, including in Orange County. It is the Global Day of Action, after all.The most intriguing, at least for Jews: a "global climate healing Shabbat" at Temple Judea Laguna Hills. More events after the jump.

  October 23, 2009