Some of us have parking karma. We've got restaurant karma. We are occasionally privy to establishments in the works–whether that's by formal announcement, coincidence or otherwise.
Recently, we heard about a trio of joints looking to open up shop. And since we are such generous Forkers, it's about time we shared the news. You ready?
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Zov's in Anaheim is was about to open by the stadium any time now . However, a bursting waterpipe has caused them to push back the date to….whenever they can get the carpets dried. Bummer, because we were looking forward to saying hi again to former On the Line subject Louie Francis Jocson. As director of culinary operations, he's definitely moved up from his former position back in the day as her dishwasher.
Slapfish is making a move and coming to the land of UCI. How University Center managed to also nab Tender Greens, Eureka!, Mendo Farms and Stax Cookie Bar is wrong and right all at the same time. But things aren't exactly concrete, we hear. Not 30 minutes after we took the photo, someone was already taking down the Slapfish name. Why? Who knows. At least chowder fries will be that much closer in the (eventual) future!
Then there's the new development in Huntington Beach known as Pacific City. A source approached us with restaurants that may (or may not) be moving in. However, after reading an article that name-dropped two of the places already shared, it's about time we threw out some speculation. First, there's the prospect of an OC branch of Superba. While we did hear founder Paul Hibler was eying space in this area, we could not receive confirmation. Next would be a twist to an established brand. In this case, it's the introduction of Portola Wine (Yes, we're speculating the coffee king to launch a grape concept). As silly as that might sound, just remember that they already own a tea joint. We say “Cheers!” to that prospect.
Our last two names may be the best yet. 800 Degrees Pizza is another possible tenant in the works. This LA-based mini-chain is tearing through Southern California, nabbing space in Santa Monica, LAX and even SLS Las Vegas. With the quick-service pizza trend in full effect, this comes as no surprise. Our final rumor is also our favorite. Already known for their noodles and spring rolls, the Brodard group wants to expand along the coast and focus on these two items. If there is remote truth to this, it would not only be the token Asian spot so far, but too brilliant for words. We're crossing our fingers for this one. And if not, that's exactly why we're calling it speculation.
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A contributing writer for OC Weekly, Anne Marie freelances for multiple online and print publications, and guest judges for culinary competitions. A Bay Area transplant, she graduated with a degree in Hospitality Management from Cal Poly Pomona. Find her on Instagram as brekkiefan.