This Buena Park restaurant takes Korean food and its beef short rib soup beyond the borders of Little Seoul
By EDWIN GOEI,
February 09, 2012
Have you noticed? Little Seoul, once constrained within the confines of Garden Grove, is slowly spilling into sections of Buena Park, spreading... More >>
This Lake Forest restaurant offers beer-can chicken and other delicious alcohol-laced oddities
By EDWIN GOEI,
February 02, 2012
I'm willing to bet that most people have never met beer-can chicken in the flesh. You may have seen the dish on a recent episode of Top Chef:... More >>
[Hole In the Wall] The Costa Mesa dive perfects Italian-American classics
By GUSTAVO ARELLANO,
February 02, 2012
"I've turned into a food snob," managing editor Nick Schou told me as he watched me scarf down a bowl of caesar salad at Ciao! Deli & Pizzeria in... More >>
[Hole In the Wall] The Garden Grove Vietnamese dive sells fake meats even a Midwesterner could love
By GUSTAVO ARELLANO,
January 26, 2012
The appearance of the vegetarian lemongrass chicken at Hoa Sen is limp, almost revolting: dun-colored lengths of soy shaved to the thinness of... More >>
The Irvine Taiwanese joint offers roiling hot pots with the malodorous delicacy called stinky tofus
By EDWIN GOEI,
January 19, 2012
If there is one last great culinary mountaintop most of us Westerners have yet dared to climb, it's the fermented delicacy known as stinky tofu.... More >>
[Hole In the Wall] The Santa Ana lonchera serves Sea of Cortez rarities like manta ray and cockles. Cockles!
By GUSTAVO ARELLANO,
January 19, 2012
In the world of culinary truth in advertising in Orange County, few dishes ring truer than the tostada perrona from Mariscos El Yaqui. The Badass... More >>
This Newport Coast eatery introduces great Indian cuisine to the rich folks
By EDWIN GOEI,
January 12, 2012
If there's one constant among our county's handful of great Indian restaurants, it's that you don't just eat the food, you end up wearing the... More >>
[Hole In the Wall] The East Bay transplant brings its luscious wieners as part of our wave of outside regional chains
By GUSTAVO ARELLANO,
January 12, 2012
Even as the Great Recession decimated the restaurant industry these past couple of years, one surprising sector experienced rapid growth here:... More >>
The wait is long, but the rewards are great at this Tustin hot spot
By EDWIN GOEI,
January 05, 2012
An all-you-can-eat meal at Gen Korean BBQ will cost you about $20. Parties of two are the minimum. Two hours is how much time they allow you to... More >>
The former Sorrento Grill brings affordability to Laguna Beach with its Sunday meals
By EDWIN GOEI,
December 22, 2011
Ever since Ryan Adams, the last chef to mind the stoves at Sorrento Grille, bought the restaurant and opened Three Seventy Common in its place,... More >>
[Hole In the Wall] The Mexico City-style mini-chain serves the rare fermented-pineapple drink—yum!
By GUSTAVO ARELLANO,
December 22, 2011
We had a commenter on our Stick a Fork In It blog last week ridicule our coverage of a Sri Lankan grocery store in Stanton, the heirs to the... More >>
[Hole In the Wall] The famous rotisserie-chicken purveyor opens its first restaurant . . . in Irvine?!
By GUSTAVO ARELLANO,
December 15, 2011
I love all of our local farmers' markets, of course, but the market I visit the most is the one held every Sunday morning in Hollywood, on the... More >>
Don't let its Irvine location's corporate sheen dissuade you from its tri tip
By EDWIN GOEI,
December 08, 2011
If there's any debate worth having about barbecue, it's the one about the debate. Otherwise, the only agreement you'll reach is that there's a... More >>
[Hole In the Wall] This Fullerton dive specializes in the rare Korean delicacy
By GUSTAVO ARELLANO,
December 08, 2011
Although I go on and on about how I'm an Anaheimer through and through, it's a bit of a lie. I grew up in a section of the city next to the 91... More >>
This Costa Mesa restaurant is great for pre-theater meals, just stick to its regular menus
By EDWIN GOEI,
December 01, 2011
I was attending a wedding reception at a storied LA hotel when a chef friend and I started to talk about the food we were eating. We lamented... More >>
[Hole In the Wall] This Santa Ana dive does Mexican and American—and Mexican-American!—beautifully
By GUSTAVO ARELLANO,
December 01, 2011
A perfect plate of restaurant chilaquiles is as elusive an achievement as hitting for the cycle in baseball. Most eateries are content to serve... More >>
This Anaheim Hills Japanese restaurant has it all, from live sweet shrimp to teriyaki served in hubcap-sized combo plates
By EDWIN GOEI,
November 24, 2011
For me, the reason to order live amaebi has never been the sushi. When compared to the divine slobber of uni or a luscious piece of toro, the... More >>
[Hole In the Wall] This Costa Mesa coffeehouse can convert anyone into the cult of coffee
By GUSTAVO ARELLANO,
November 17, 2011
I'm not a coffee cultist, save for the sugary Cuban mule-kick to the soul known as a cafecito. But even I had to make a pilgrimage to Portola... More >>
Have you noticed? Little Seoul, once constrained within the confines of Garden Grove, is slowly spilling into sections of Buena Park, spreading the gospel of its food to territories previously… More >>
Don't believe the hype about street food taking over Orange County in the past couple of years—there is no such scene outside of Santa Ana. Luxe loncheras at clustertrucks? Pshaw.… More >>
I'm willing to bet that most people have never met beer-can chicken in the flesh. You may have seen the dish on a recent episode of Top Chef: Texas; you… More >>
"I've turned into a food snob," managing editor Nick Schou told me as he watched me scarf down a bowl of caesar salad at Ciao! Deli & Pizzeria in Costa… More >>
Complacent and apathetic aren't traits you want in a chef, and the words certainly don't describe Jason Quinn, who made waves last week for telling a Yelper to "burn in… More >>
The appearance of the vegetarian lemongrass chicken at Hoa Sen is limp, almost revolting: dun-colored lengths of soy shaved to the thinness of shawarma, looking more like noodles than any… More >>
