[Hole In the Wall] This Huntington Beach fave offers great burgers and hot dogs, and its regional specialties are even better
By ,
March 31, 2011
Politically, I'm an open-borders type of guy—but that only somewhat extends to my culinary side. I welcome immigrants and their various food... More >>
Alessandro Pirozzi's third restaurant makes for a flawless trilogy of Italian food
By EDWIN GOEI,
March 24, 2011
I had not a single shred of doubt that the third and newest Cucina Alessa was going to be as good as the others. Even before it opened, I likened... More >>
People who go to OC's newest dinner show should focus on the show and less on the dinner
By EDWIN GOEI,
March 17, 2011
Battle of the Dance isn't the disaster that is the yet-to-debut SpiderMan: Turn Off the Dark. A reported $10 million was spent to convert an... More >>
[Hole In the Wall] This Anaheim restaurant does wonderful interpretations of Northern India cuisine
By ,
March 17, 2011
The big trend in Orange County Indian dining over the past couple of years has been the spread of its southern dishes—dosas and idli and thali... More >>
This Tustin dive dazzles as the first Okinawan restaurant in Orange County
By EDWIN GOEI,
March 10, 2011
Until now, only a handful of OC restaurants has flirted with serving the cuisine of Okinawa, an island prefecture of Japan. Though it's a sushi... More >>
This San Clemente Hawaiian restaurant will make you recall your fondest vacation memories
By EDWIN GOEI,
March 03, 2011
In an idyllic, sparsely inhabited town named Hawi on Hawaii's Big Island, there's a breezy restaurant in a converted plantation house. I can't... More >>
[Hole In the Wall] Orange County's first Somali restaurant impresses with its fried bread and other specialties
By ,
February 24, 2011
While Orange County has always hosted an embarrassingly small African-American community, actual Africans are beginning to arrive on our shores... More >>
Coffee, sandwiches, empanadas and more make this delicious Long Beach eatery hard to classify
By EDWIN GOEI,
February 17, 2011
Roots Gourmet is hard to pigeonhole. Is it a coffee joint or a sandwich shop? Is it a Latin restaurant that serves vegan food or a dessert place... More >>
The snow-covered log cabin of La Mirada still serves the meals that have made us obese and happy for a half-century
By EDWIN GOEI,
February 10, 2011
If I asked you to point me to the nearest snow-covered log cabin, I would be able to tell a little bit about you by the answer you gave. A person... More >>
A new Santa Ana Vietnamese-Cajun seafood joint joins the trend and tries to break the curse of its location
By EDWIN GOEI,
February 03, 2011
From the looks of the location, the low-slung building on Bristol Street near Macarthur Boulevard in Santa Ana ought to be a prime spot for an... More >>
With great French and Vietnamese offerings, this place is better-suited for Little Saigon than the Hoag Hospital crowd
By ,
February 03, 2011
I worry for Café Lotus, snugly hidden off Old Newport Boulevard, in the shadow of Hoag Hospital, an afterthought for drivers hurrying toward PCH,... More >>
Hideki Saito weathers drunkards and the clueless alike at his Laguna Niguel eatery to deliver greatness
By EDWIN GOEI,
January 27, 2011
The six people who sat at a table in the back of the restaurant were obviously drunk on too much sake. Their increasingly rowdy voices were fast... More >>
[Hole In the Wall] This Laguna Niguel eatery might be the smallest restaurant in OC—but its Greek dishes are stunners
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January 27, 2011
Two reviews of Laguna Niguel restaurants in one issue? Hey, the last time I reviewed one of the bland 'burb's eateries was in 2004, so we might... More >>
Charlie Palmer's downmarket burger at South Coast Plaza tries not to eat up all the profits
By EDWIN GOEI,
January 20, 2011
One of the most memorable things you can eat at Charlie Palmer at Bloomingdale's South Coast Plaza isn't the foie gras or the steaks; it's the... More >>
[Hole In the Wall] Inside this strip-mall restaurant is a great eatery desperate to express itself
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January 20, 2011
There are now two Irvines in existence: the city of Don Bren's dreams— robo-communities, never-ending development and HOAs that fine homeowners... More >>
The San Juan Capistrano restaurant's globe-trekking menu is already dizzying when you realize that one guy insists on cooking it all by himself
By EDWIN GOEI,
January 13, 2011
Sol Del Sur’s Dave Emery is a juggernaut. The owner and chef of this tiny San Juan Capistrano bistro has a menu of Herculean proportions. It’s a... More >>
The chain's new Laguna Beach restaurant-cum-clothing store has some kinks to work out before it can relax on the beach
By EDWIN GOEI,
January 06, 2011
Before I can talk about the new Tommy Bahama restaurant in Laguna Beach, I have to begin with the man himself. Though not as funny or popular as... More >>
[Hole In the Wall] Colombian Cuisine at Mitzi's Kountry Kitchen in Laguna Hills reintroduces the hearty South American cuisine to OC stomachs
By ,
January 06, 2011
My two-decades-long OC culinary dreams were answered in 2010. I wrote in this column about six months ago about the opening of Tacos Jerez in... More >>
Hidden Dinner is perhaps best defined by its name: It's hidden, and it's a dinner. There is no set location or menu. Find a password that allows you to access… More >>
I had my first real piece of foie gras as everyone usually does: at a French restaurant, seared and served with fruit to cut through the inherent richness. In celebration… More >>
Every couple of weeks, I get an urge to try the best damn tamales in Southern California, moist, fluffy masa bricks wrapped in banana leaves, rubbed with mole negro and… More >>
If Little Saigon is to Vietnamese restaurants as LA's seminal Chinatown is to Chinese food, then Lake Forest might be OC's San Gabriel Valley. For a bedroom community with a… More >>
An interesting trend is rising in Orange County: the emergence of second-generation Mexican food entrepreneurs continuing their family tradition, but tweaking the model to stay relevant. At the Northgate Supermarket… More >>
Like Break of Dawn's Dee Nguyen and the Playground's Jason Quinn, Danny Godinez cut his teeth and proved his chops during stints at the most expensive and uppity restaurants in… More >>
I literally ran into Bahay Kawayan, starving after a day driving across Southern California, needing a starch-filled pick-me-up before I could take on the night. One elderly lady grunted her… More >>
