Grub Guide

 

We get your feedback, folks, and thusly apologize: the geniuses who redesigned our website have yet to put up our fantabulous online Dining Guide. Rather than explain to ustedeswhy this fiasco occurred, I'll just print the names, addresses and one-sentence reviews of as many restaurants as possible until the problem is rectified. This week, we go city-by-city up to the letter R.

 

DINNER FOR TWO:

¢ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Less than $10!

$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10-$20

$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $20-$40

$$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡Eres muy rico!

ALI BABA RESTAURANT
For those of you who like your Arabic and Persian food on sticks, order the jujeh kebab, chicken kebabs surrounded by mounds of basmati rice. 100 S. Brookhurst St., Anaheim, (714) 774-5632. $$ALOHA CHICKEN
The soy-sauce-fueled sizzle of meat slapped upon a grill is a constant at Aloha Chicken—that and a powerful punch-in-the-palate scent, the collective odors of thousands of chicken lunches and acrid macaroni salads gobbled within the restaurant's tiny premises. 10488 Valley View Ave., Buena Park, (714) 826-6672. $

ANASTASIA
The food is billed as French/California hybrid, but that is selling it short. 470 Ocean Ave., Laguna Beach, (949) 497-8903.$$

ANITA'S NEW MEXICO-STYLE
This nondescript Fullerton mock-adobe is one of the few Southern California restaurants emphasizing true New Mexico dietary traditions: thundering pozole bowls and meticulously stuffed chile rellenos that strike the model balance between earthy cheese and mild spice. 600 S. Harbor Blvd., Fullerton, (714) 525-0977. $

AVO'S BISTRO
Order at the counter—their succulent braised-beef-and-lamb gyro is a good choice—and the food is brought to your table. 580 Anton Blvd., Costa Mesa, (714) 556-6555. $

BABETTE'S FEAST
Babette's Feast is a boulangerie/patisserie par excellence, laying out a spread of delectable, mouth-watering delights that makes you thank heaven above for the gift of taste buds and these ungodly desserts. 4621 E. Second St., Long Beach, (562) 987-4536. $

BANDERA
Fancy, fancy, fancy but good, good, good. 3201 E. Pacific Coast Hwy., Corona del Mar, (949) 673-3524. $$$

BCD TOFU HOUSE
There are other things to munch on at BCD Tofu besides its namesake—a limited barbecue selection, bibimbap (a spicy noodle salad) and succulent chunks of raw crab spiced to a level worthy of any Mexican. 9520 Garden Grove Blvd., Garden Grove, (714) 636-5599. $

BODHI TREE VEGETARIAN CAFÉ
Deciding what to eat at Bodhi Tree–there are more than 100 mock-meat choices–involves the same deliberation needed for a koan. 501 Main St., Ste. E, Huntington Beach, (714) 969-9500. $

ELLEN'S PINOY GRILLE
Ellen's attracts as many non-Filipinos as pinoys, perhaps because Ellen's offers a menu—a list of all 70 entrées, 10 of them available at any time in the always-steaming turo-turo buffet. 7971 Valley View St., La Palma, (714) 522-8866. $

EMPANADA MAN
Chicken and beef empanadas are mini-stews of joy, the meats moist and accompanied by corn kernels in the former, hard-boiled egg slices in the latter. 20761 Lake Forest Dr., Lake Forest, (949) 855-9257; www.empanadaman.com. ¢

GREAT WALL MONGOLIAN BBQ
In a culinary tradition that varies little whether you're chopsticking through Mongolian barbecue in Ulan Bator or Utica, Great Wall differentiates itself by offering grub more fiery, more nuanced and a bit more bountiful than other charcuteries. 1261 Harbor Blvd., La Habra, (714) 680-3569. ¢

ISLAND GRILL
Island Grill sells Hawaiian food with a Japanese bent, which means you can get your sushi and bento box fill along with sumptuous teriyaki bowls. 4390 Katella Ave., Los Alamitos, (562) 431-6496. $

JON'S FISH MARKET
The fresh, fried seafood offerings are tasty and reasonably priced, but the ambiance is about what you'd expect from a fish market. 34665 Golden Lantern, Dana Point, (949) 496-2807. $

 

LA MAISON GOURMET
Every Friday for about two years, this charming shop on the edge of Lake Mission Viejo has opened its private lakeside patio for wine tastings. 27772 Vista del Lago, Ste. B-15, Mission Viejo, (949) 916-4810; www.lamaisongourmet.net. $$$

LUCKY CHINESE
A bowl of rice and one selection from the steam table will knock you on your ass for less than $3. 18527 Brookhurst St., Fountain Valley, (714) 962-4221. ¢

P.J. BERNSTEIN'S RESTAURANT N DELICATESSEN
Breakfast all day, every day. 25211 Paseo de Alicia, Laguna Hills, (949) 472-2266. $

RAY'S PIZZA
Ray came to the U.S. from Iran to learn engineering, but now he engineers simple, solid, blue-collar pizzas with one choice of crust that is a sublime, Italianate, bready altar upon which the full-bodied sauce enriches otherwise standard ingredients. 4199 Campus Dr., Ste. D, Irvine, (949) 854-5044; www.rayspizza-ca.com. $

Need a restaurant recommendation before our damned dining guide is up and running again? E-mail Gustavo at ga*******@oc******.com, and he'll answer within the day!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *