Tustin

Habibi's Funnel Cake Closes; To Be Replaced By A New El Toro Bravo

Habibi's Funnel Cake opened in the summer of 2010 in Tustin adjacent to a Starbucks, next to a busy freeway on ramp to Interstate 5. At the time, I not-so-quietly wondered that it seemed like an unlikely place for a funnel cake place (it's nowhere near a ferris wheel or anything remotely county-fa ... More >>

Irvine Joins Anaheim, Placentia and Buena Park in DUI Checkpointing Saturday Night

The Irvine Police Department just announced a DUI checkpoint Saturday night at Jamboree Road and Birch Street.This is the first of eight such ops the department has scheduled in coming months.

International Food Festival

Strata Tustin Center

Five Great Local Places to Go When Hung Over

​Hangovers aren't pretty, and they're almost never subtle. They aren't things we really plan for--it's not like our calendars will reflect being hung over; your phone will never go off with a reminder that you're supposed to be hung over at any given moment. They aren't planned events; they're eve ... More >>

[UPDATED with Trial Order:] Akeem Jelani Johnson Accused of Raping Drunk Australian Outside Bar

​UPDATE, JULY 7, 5:01 P.M.: Orange County Superior Court Judge Thomas Goethals ruled Wednesday that Akeem Jelani Johnson must stand trial for allegedly raping a drunken Australian tourist outside Godfather's Bar in Tustin that day after Thanksgiving 2010.However, Goethals dismissed charges against ... More >>

iPhone App Helps You Navigate Asian Markets

​We've sung many praises for our trusty Asian grocery stores--locally, we've got 99 Ranch, Freshia in Tustin, Mitsuwa in Costa Mesa, Thai & Laos Market in Anaheim, all treasure troves of wildly flavorful ingredients at affordable prices. But for the amateurs, or even experienced shoppers, navi ... More >>

[UPDATED with Bigamy Charge:] Antonio Potenciano Gana, OC Homicide No. 15: Allegedly Shot By Wife Accused of Also Shooting Son on Mother's Day

​UPDATE, MAY 12, 1:20 P.M.: A Filipino newspaper reports Antonio Potenciano Gana, the 72-year-old Mother's Day murder victim, is the former general manager of the Manila International Airport Authority, which oversees the airport in the country's capital. The Philippine Star also claims the slai ... More >>

Bundt Cake Bakery Chain Opens First OC Store Today

​Nothing Bundt Cake has one of those clever monikers that wraps a pun inside a title that's slightly more creative than Absolutely Phobolous and What the Pho. The franchise comes out of Sin City. The first of three Orange County branches opens today in Costa Mesa at 270 E. 17th Street, #4.

Bari Bari BBQ Closes in Tustin After Four Months; Now To Be A Gyu-Kaku

Edwin GoeiBari Bari BBQ​I should've seen it coming. There were hints. Though the food was great, the restaurant was often deserted. Bari Bari BBQ, the mom-and-pop yakiniku that opened barely four months ago in Tustin after a long delay, has gone up in smoke. It is now replaced by one of the gia ... More >>

New $10 Million Dinner Theater to Debut Feb. 1 in Anaheim

Last year, we saw Tustin's Curtain Call Dinner Theater take its final bow. This year, starting on Feb. 1, Anaheim will up the net gain of dinner theaters by one. Battle of the Dance is Medieval Times meets Dancing With the Stars--a dinner theater show that aims to cover Bollywood, Michael Flatley a ... More >>

Grab Bag o' Goodies

Nine great posts from our Stick a Fork In It blog you might've missed

No Sushi, No Problem at Izakaya Meijiya

Another (delectable) attempt to make a small-plates Japanese eating-and-drinking concept work in OC

Another Eatery Shuts Down At The District in Tustin

Edwin Goei Can you tell me what's missing from this picture I took at The District in Tustin? If you guessed Valentino Chocolatier Café, you'd be right. The independent confectionary (at 2829 Park Avenue), which featured Belgian chocolates, crepes and cupcakes, has folded and has done so qui ... More >>

Thank God It's Monday: This Week's Shows

​Today we're recommending something slightly different: bowling. That truly American pastime- just ask Homer Simpson-remains straightforward at its core, but the trappings have changed with the years; some will still remember the legendary and now sadly long gone Kona Lanes in Costa Mesa and its s ... More >>

Second Dosa Place Opens in Tustin

Photo Courtesy of dosaplace.com​Dosa Place's second location had their grand opening recently, just across town in the same city that the original resides: Tustin. According to the India Journal, the mayor was on hand to cut the ribbon to with owners Vijaya and Randy Vedulla. Their newest site - ... More >>

Traditions Offers Cheap, Hot, Delicious North Indian Cuisine

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 bl ... More >>

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 thi ... More >>

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." Anyw ... More >>

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 ... More >>

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 ... More >>

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 t ... More >>

(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 th ... More >>

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 Z ... More >>

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, a ... More >>

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 ha ... More >>

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 ... More >>

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 pe ... More >>

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 ten ... More >>

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. Othe ... More >>

The Verdict is In

Michael Connelly

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

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. He ... More >>

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 ... More >>

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

This Hole-in-the-Wall Life

Yum Buns

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 Sch ... More >>

This Hole-in-the-Wall Life

Carbon Cabrones: Tacos al carbon at Taco Factory

This Hole-in-the-Wall Life

Pricey (Get Over It) Sandwiches at Zon Baguettes

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 ... More >>

Grub Guide

A taste of Orange County's best damn dining guide

This Hole-in-the-Wall Life

Noodling Around On Noodle Avenue!

Grub Guide

This Week in Great Service

Tustin

Plum Pickings

Two grand ways to eat at Kappo Suzumaru

Eight Days

T

Can We Sleep in Your Great Park?

Agran downsizes plan to turn military units into affordable housing

Tustin

Not full of hot air

Eat Cheap

Part Two