As with a lot of pho places in OC’s Little Saigon neighborhood, Long Beach’s Pho Hong Phat doesn’t look like much from the outside. And given the restaurant’s location near the intersection of Anaheim Street and Redondo Avenue, as well as the city’s ongoing street-construction efforts, the parking situation pretty much sucks. (Locals in the […]
Newsletter - Food
Higo Sushi’s Chef Opens Peruvian Restaurant Higo Chicken in La Habra
It was Saturday night at Higo Chicken. The small dining room was at capacity; the wait list, a half-dozen deep. As I stood there twiddling my thumbs, I saw one of the cooks at the stove. Flicking his wrist, he tossed ingredients around in his wok as flames erupted in bursts. And as he coaxed […]
Pizza Press at Orange Village, Our Beers of the Week!
Real talk: I’ve been to many Pizza Press locations throughout Orange County, and always thought the tap list was meh at best. They either have an overwhelming amount of faux-craft, such as their Anaheim location, or whatever the distributor sales guy tells the manager is good. Chances are, if a tap list looks like the “craft beer” […]
Now Open: Malibu Farm in Newport Beach and MORE!
Malibu Farm is the latest eatery to open at Lido Marina Village. It offers brunch and a variety of nrunch-apprpriate drinks, including mimosas. The restaurant is part of a growing chain that began in Malibu. 3420 Via Oporto, Ste 101, Newport Beach, CA 92663 A new ramen restaurant has opened at The Marketplace in Irvine. […]
What the Ale: Best Beers to Grab at Trader Joe’s
A hoppy IPA sitting on a warm shelf is not the way any brewer intended to have his or her beer be sold. But at Trader Joe’s, there they are, testing the limits of shelf stability, one day at a time, gently melting away hop aromatics and flavor while paving the way for the inevitable […]
It’s Your OC Weekly Decadence 2018 Complete Dining Guide (and Then Some)
With barely a week left before we celebrate all things Decadence, we’re taking this opportunity to remind you of all the eats and drinks you can look forward to. Did you say you don’t have a ticket yet? Then head over to Eventbrite and score one now! Note: All confirmed participants are subject to […]
Chef Ryan Adams’ Parallel Pizzeria Offers a Slice of Haven
Parallel Pizzeria’s pies are different from any other I’ve had in Orange County, and that’s a good thing. First, there’s the shape: They’re more oval than round. Second, they’re not sliced into triangular wedges. Instead, the cuts are made in, yes, parallel lines so that the pieces are rectangular, like at Little Caesar’s. Parallel’s pizzas […]
Guatemalan Restaurant Opens in Long Beach Just in Time for the Country’s Independence Day
It might not be vogue to say this in Southern California, but Guatemalan tamales are superior to Mexican ones. Apologies to all the dense, hand-molded Mexican masa mounds out there, but when it comes to texture and fillings and flavor, los chapínes win. Though harder to find (and even harder to find done right), the […]
Bottle Logic Aeon of Strife, Our Beer of the Week!
As the last call bell rang at the CA Beer Summit Festival in Sacramento, hundreds of Lyfts lined the State Capital Mall, waiting to book rides from thousands of sweaty beer lovers. 170 breweries scooped up their leftover swag, jockey boxes, and empty kegs, excited to head to the airport after an exhausting three-day event. After […]
NOW OPEN: Hello Kitty Grand Cafe in Irvine and MORE!
View this post on Instagram We're less than a week away from the Grand Opening of the first-ever Hello Kitty Grand Cafe at @IrvineSpectrumCenter! 🎉 ⠀ ⠀ Starting at 11am on Friday, September 14, join us all weekend long to celebrate the new location. The first 50 customers each day (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) will […]
Opening Night: TERRACE by Mix Mix at South Coast Plaza
Two years ago this month, we announced the relocation of Ross Pangilinan from Costa Mesa to Santa Ana. It was a bold move that is paying off, as he quietly launched dinner service at his second restaurant this past Friday. Located in the former zCafe space at South Coast Plaza, TERRACE by Mix Mix begins […]
Panxa Cocina’s Special September Menu Celebrates Hatch Chile
Nothing presages the turning of the seasons for New Mexicans quite like the smoky aroma of Hatch chiles roasting in a spinning barrel–tickling nostrils into a sneeze with its unleashed heat when prepared. The long, green chile is the Southwest’s gift to the world during its harvest season with local grocery stores stocking up during […]
Chef Art Gonzalez Went Straight to the Source for Panxa Cocina’s Hatch Chile Roast-Out
Over the summer, Long Beach chef Art Gonzalez drove to New Mexico to meet with the state’s foremost academic expert in Hatch chiles, the seasonal sweet-then-hot peppers that have come to define the region’s complex history and cuisine. Every September, as New Mexico’s hot days and cool nights begin to turn into harsh winter, a […]
Quan Bun Co Giao Thao in Garden Grove Has a Dish That’s Horrible to Smell, But Wonderful to Eat
If you weren’t born or bred in Southeast Asia, then bun dau mam tom is something of an acquired taste. Served at Quan Bun Co Giao Thao in Garden Grove, the dish involves a sauce made from a fermented shrimp paste that can be best described as Vegemite with B.O. To put it mildly, mam […]
Now Open: Chaak Kitchen in Tustin and MORE!
Chef Gabbi Patrick of the popular Gabbi’s Mexican Kitchen in Old Towne Orange has opened Chaak Kitchen in Old Town Tustin. According the website, the menu features Yucatecan and Mayan “staples of pibil, recados, seafood, smoke, and exotic spices.” 215 El Camino Real, Tustin, CA 92780 Robata Wasa by the owners of Izakaya Wasa has […]
Blinking Owl Where the Heck is Scandinavia? Our Drink of the Week!
When contemplating Fall cocktail names, Blinking Owl’s beverage director Megan Barton asks, “how does WuTang Jam Ain’t Nothin to Fig Wit sound?” while attaching a WuTang lapel pin to the glass. The drink, which is still being developed for Fall, has their Old Tom Gin, fig jam, lemon, pineapple, and Angostura bitters. But it’s still summer, and there’s […]
What the Ale! New Brewery Alert: GameCraft Opening Soon in Laguna Hills
While we wait for Modern Times to open Leisuretown sometime next year in Anaheim, near Leisure World in Laguna Hills, a new brewery is scheduled to open this week. GameCraft, a Scott Cebula project, has set its sights on millennials who like to drink beer and play adult-friendly games. “I really wanted to build something […]
Eat This and Drink This Now! Tear Into Ancient Grains and Booze at Tana
Not all eating experiences need to be educational. However, sometimes a dish is so foreign that it needs to be broken down and equated into something familiar. More than a decade ago, I had Ethiopian food for the first time in San Francisco’s Haight district, and it made quite the impact. Once I got over […]
Ammatolí Mediterranean Bites Is One of the Most Exciting New Restaurants in Long Beach
In classical times, a large swath of the Eastern Mediterranean—from Turkey through Syria and around the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt—was known as a single cultural region, with a shared history, its own Arabic dialect and a cuisine that reflected its location at the literal crossroads of the world. In Arabic, the area was called Sham […]
Eat Great Fish and Chips at Circle Hook as You Take in the Newport Harbor Scenery
There are currently four restaurants at Lido Marina Village, the revamped dockside mall that seems to be the epicenter of everything new and chic in Newport Beach these days. Of those four, Circle Hook is the only one that offers counter service. Beneath the words “Order Here” is a big opening through which you can […]
Now Open: DIY Sushi in Tustin and MORE!
At the new DIY Sushi in Tustin (which was formerly Kaminariya Yakitori Dining) , the name says it all: you build your own sushi. The restaurant offers plates where you choose your protein a la carte. Provided are the rice, nori seaweed, sauces, and trimmings to create your own rolls. 14071 Newport Ave, Tustin, CA […]