While the city of Denver is filled with over 60,000 beer ... [more]
Food & Drink
2018 Great American Beer Festival Winners, Our Beers of the Week!
While the city of Denver is filled with over 60,000 beer lovers attending the Great American Beer Festival, an underground ballroom at a lower downtown hotel is jammed with 293 beer judges working their way through 8,864 beers in 102 categories. The newest style that was added saw the largest number of entries: 391 Hazy […]
What the Ale! Off-Flavored Beer? Gross!
At the CA Craft Beer Summit in Sacramento, one of the seminars blew my taste buds as much as my mind: off flavors. We’ve all had a beer in the past that we just couldn’t get through, but the question is why? Master cicerone Pat Fahey led us down a bumpy road of vurp-inducing liquids […]
Pho Hong Phat in Long Beach’s Zaferia District
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 […]
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 […]
Eat This and Drink This Now: Angelina’s Pizzeria Napoletana
It’s been proven that certain colors can increase appetite. Red, for example, can raise blood pressure and heart rate, as well as make you hungry. Beige, at least for me, reminds me to drive the speed limit and put both hands on the steering wheel, especially in Irvine. It’s an age-old cliché, but over the […]
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 […]
Eat This and Drink This Now! Herding Cocktails at Vaca
Think there are enough ways to tickle your brain cells and taste buds with jitters-inducing, delicious coffee? Think again. Aside from award-winning local roasters, there are craft beer-coffee hybrids such as Noble Ale Works’ decadent Naughty Sauce, Beachwood’s Pablo Escobeer and Chapman Crafted’s Slow Riser. But caffeinated-beer-inspired cocktails that contain no beer? What kind of […]
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 […]
OC Grub Guide 9/6-9/12: Booze, Baguettes and BIG News
Welp, it’s a little bit of everything, and a whole lotta something on our Grub Guide. If dessert is your drug of choice, there’s crepes and baked goods. If you prefer saying cheers to the freaking weekend, whiskey and beer are down below. And then there’s the big reveal this week. . . Greg […]
What the Ale! Alza Osteria is Brea’s Beer Hotspot
Bruschetta, flatbreads and pasta—three words you don’t often see next to Perennial Artisan Ales Abraxas, Hill Farmstead La Vermontoise or Jester King’s Grim Harvest. But that’s not the case at Brea’s Alza Osteria, where you could spend more time trying to figure out what to drink than what to eat. “I’ll just take the Hacerse […]
Disneyland’s Endless Summer of Tiki Continues On With New Tiki Restaurant News
The “Summer of Tiki” is shaping up to be a fall and winter of tiki here in Orange County as Disney Parks announced Wednesday their plans to revamp the Tangaroa Terrace at the Disneyland Hotel. The South Seas themed fast-casual restaurant has served as an afterthought next door to Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar–the Disneyland Resort’s […]
OC Grub Guide – Staying Cool: San Pedro Edition
As much as we love Orange County, sometimes even we need a change in scenery. So when we were encouraged to discover San Pedro recently, we went into it with an open mind. San Pedro (PEA-dro, if you’re in the know) has always been that city past Long Beach, on the other side of the […]
Pizza Upgrade: Three Updated Takes On a Classic
We love pizza. What we no longer love is the speedy/DIY type of pizza that is everywhere. It has a place in our busy lifestyle, yet we crave those pies that take time to perfect (And for once, we’re not talking deep dish). To settle those cravings, we ate a trio of round-ish dishes to […]