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 […]
Eat This Now
Eat This and Drink This Now: TRADE Food Hall’s Bites and Booze
For whatever reason, I often get called “boss” when dining. There are certain places where I expect to hear it, such as a recent family gathering at a Chili’s in the Inland Empire, but not in Irvine. So hearing, “Hey, boss” as I walked into TRADE Food Hall’s Center Hub made me take note. “Hey, […]
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 […]
Eat and Drink This Now! 320 Main’s Tiki Throwdown
We’re probably years away from robotic bartenders, but if any place could pull it off, it would probably be a tiki bar. Imagine thatched roofs, tiki mugs and a team of Westworld-like Don the Beachcomber robots blending tropical juices and rums, stopping periodically to oil up the joints of a Trader Sam’s Kelly Merrell animatronic […]
Eat This and Drink This Now! The Ranch’s Tomato Splendor
I often refer to my daughter as my little Pygmalion—sometimes for the classic George Bernard Shaw play reference, but as her escargot shot from her tongs and hit my cocktail during dinner, the term took on a totally new meaning. You see, the movie Pretty Woman with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere is a modernized […]
Eat and Drink This Now: Water Grill’s Raw Bar and a Pimm’s Cup Riff
When a restaurant has multiple bars to choose from, it can be a game of being that awkward teenager trying to find the cool table to sit at. At Water Grill, across from South Coast Plaza, my choice of bar neighbors consists of various cellphone-blabbing businessmen, a current-age stunt-double cast of Sex and the City, […]
Eat This and Drink This Now: Juliette Kitchen + Bar
I have a theory: If a restaurant serves a quality steak tartare, odds are its burger will be life-changing in some way. To test this theory, I’m at one of Newport Beach’s hidden gems, Juliette Kitchen + Bar, admiring the cozy wine-barrel-staved bar with my angsty 11-year-old daughter, hoping there is something that catches her […]
Eat This and Drink This Now! Farmhouse at Roger’s Gardens’ New Summer Menu
I have a crazy theory regarding seasons in SoCal: Various fruits and vegetables ripen according to ladies’ fashion. Wait, hear me out! When women wear boots and sweaters, you’re likely to find chard, beets and hardy herbs at the local farmers’ market. As boots are shed in the warmer months, berries, currants and passionfruits […]
Eat This and Drink This Now: Bizen Beer Bar and Okayama Kobo Bakery & Cafe
“Sir, would you like a freshly baked pretzel?” Jolted from my reading, I asked, “Huh? Are these free?” “Yes, sir, we bake them next door and bring them over fresh for our beer bar.” Slightly confused, I pinched myself. “Sure, I’ll take one,” I said, ripping off the outer edge and shoving the hot, salty […]
Eat This and Drink This Now: Bourbon Steak’s Martini Cart
Most articles about the martini start off with some tired James Bond/Don Draper reference, but here in Orange County, the real star is no doubt Lucille Bluth from the-rescued-by-Netflix Arrested Development. If the narcissistic matriarch were to experience Bourbon Steak’s tableside martini cart, she would undoubtedly roll her eyes, making some snide joke that she […]
Eat and Drink This Now! Cucina Enoteca’s All New Cocktail Menu
A good bartender is like the most trusted hair stylists: They have similar aprons, and sometimes that boost of confidence you get with a great drink can be matched with getting a spiffy haircut. When you find the right bar/hair person, it’s sort of a match made for life. And if they leave their job, […]
Eat and Drink This Now: El Mercado’s New Summer Cocktails
“Is a Negroni without Campari really a Negroni?” I think to myself, sitting patiently at El Mercado’s bar on the east side of downtown Santa Ana. Head barman, Cesar Cerrudo, hand-saws a clear ice chunk like some sort of handyman, plops it in my glass, then swizzles Chartreuse, smoky mezcal, and Americano Aperitivo together, clipping […]
Eat This Now: Cookies & Dream at Drill’d Ice Cream
There’s the old quip that “sex is like pizza; even when it’s bad it’s still pretty good.” And the same can be said for ice cream. Whether you’re down for a little somethin’ quick and easy at the corner Thrifty’s or down for a three way between you and Ben and Jerry, ice cream is […]
ETN: Chicken “Tom Kha Gai” from Journeyman’s Food & Drink
Committing to a prix-fixe menu is a slippery slope. On the one hand, you’re getting a value by agreeing to a set number of courses at an agreed upon price. On the flip side, you’re also putting your trust in a condensed number of dishes to choose from— many times, you’re at the whim of […]
Eat This Now: Popcorn Shrimp Tacos at Memphis Soul Cafe
Ever since executive chef Diego Velasco began cooking food at Costa Mesa’s Memphis Soul Cafe, I’ve been eating one of his most tastiest creations—the popcorn shrimp tacos—at the rate of about one or two times per week. I have always been a fan of Baja-style shrimp tacos, but Diego’s ingenious twist on the classic Mexican […]
ETN: Cold Noodle Salad at Fleenor’s On 4th
Since Judy Fleenor (of Crave Restaurant) opened Fleenor’s On 4th in Santa Ana, it has quickly become a local favorite for lunch and dinner thanks to chef Linh Nguyen (formerly of the Crosby and Foodbeast). Among his array of tasty entrées is a refreshing cold noodle salad, featuring springy mung bean noodles tossed with mixed […]
Eat This Now: Don Churro Con Nieve at Don Churros
A steady crowd of people quickly line up along the red-velour ropes in front of Don Churros from 5:30 to 10 p.m. every Thursday through Sunday. Nestled by a parking lot near George’s Best Burgers in Anaheim, the family-owned business delights dessert-lovers with 47-year-old churro recipes from Jalisco, Mexico. And even though the food truck […]
Eat This Now: Hippie Sliders at TAPS Brea
We’ve come across a lot of chalky, flavorless, soggy, poor excuses for veggie burgers that leave us yearning for a steamed ham. That was until we tried the Hippie Sliders at TAPS Fish House & Brewery. This slider does everything right. Packed with quinoa, carrots, mushrooms and zucchini, the patties get topped with shredded iceberg […]
Eat This Now: River Street Reuben at Tower 48
The newly opened Tower 48 is serving up modern deli fare with a twist. The Newport Beach eatery from Andrew Dorsey (SOCIAL Costa Mesa) and Dan Biello (Chronic Tacos co-founder) offers a variety of delectable sides like loaded tower fries (thick cut fries served with bacon jam, melted American cheese, pickled red Fresno chiles, green […]
Eat This Now: Jidori Chicken Wings at Angel Stadium
With the 2018 MLB season well under way, the Angels have stepped up to the plate with some powerful hitters. Shohei Ohtani, the 23-year-old Japanese star who can both pitch and hit, started strong with three home runs in his first three games as a hitter and victories in his first two as a starter. […]
Eat This Now: Trio Thursday at Brunos Italian Kitchen
You come to Brunos Italian Kitchen for two things: well-executed Italian fare (all the pasta is made in-house) and the lounge. The downtown Brea eatery offers daily specials and hosts happy hour every night—ideal for getting your evening started or a post-theater bite. But what you want to head here for is Trio Thursday. The […]
