Illustration by Bob AulSo you finally made it to the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, and the day has been chock-full of Dick! You visited the plot where the 37th Prez and his wife, Pat, are laid; the white-frame “house my father built,” including the quilt-laden bed where Tricky breathed his first; and the library galleries, where you viewed everything from the Colt .45 pistol Elvis gave Dick to Tricia Nixon's wedding gown. You even watched a documentary about the Nixon-Kennedy debates in which JFK never speaks (amazing!) and walked through a shadowy Watergate exhibit that presents Nixon as blameless. Revisionist history causes hunger in some, acid reflux in others. If you're among the former, try one of the five eateries below. For the latter, grab a copy of Anthony Summers' Nixon bio, The Arrogance of Power.
•WILD ARTICHOKE, 4973-A Yorba Ranch Rd., Yorba Linda, (714) 777-9646. Elegant little, candle-lit spot. As the tallest man ever to suffer from a Napoleon complex, Dick would've loved their Wild Artichoke Napoleon: puff pastry layered with sautéed artichokes and mushrooms ($7.50).
•BARI BARI JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE, 19677 Yorba Linda Blvd., Yorba Linda, (714) 695-0030. Funky little teppan grill where they do a Benihana-type shtick. Splurge and get the scallops with filet mignon ($23.45).
•CHARM THAI RESTAURANT, 18318 Imperial Hwy., Yorba Linda, (714) 528-4922. Charmingly true to its name. You can celebrate the historic Shanghai Communique by ordering their Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce ($6.25).
•PHO HOANG, 1156 E. Yorba Linda Blvd., Placentia, (714) 993-6509. Adventurous palates should visit this authentic Vietnamese pho house just over the line in Placentia. Have a bowl of noodle soup with steak, brisket, flank tendon and tripe ($5.25).
•POLLY'S BAKERY CAFÉ, 18132 Imperial Hwy., Yorba Linda, (714) 572-9679. For the less adventurous with grandma in tow, Polly's is the place. Suggested meal: chili in a sourdough bowl with salad ($7.53). For desert, order the Whittaker Chambers special: a slice of pumpkin pie ($2.68)
