A busy, busy March for the local restaurant scene this past month. We saw the long-awaited Chapter One: The Modern Local debut on St. Patrick's Day in Santa Ana. This week, we witnessed the popular Laguna Beach sushi bar O Fine Japanese Cuisine open its second restaurant in Irvine. The month was also the month all Harry & David stores became extinct.
The rest of the list after the jump.
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RESTAURANTS/VENUES OPENED IN MARCH:
AVIA's Rooftop 360°, Long Beach
Chapter One: The Modern Local, Santa Ana
Lynda Sandwich, Westminster
Milo's Cafe, Lake Forest
Nothing Bundt Cake, Costa Mesa
O Fine Japanese Cuisine, Irvine
Pablo's Cantina, Tustin
The Red Pot, Garden Grove
Tapas & Beer, Rancho Santa Margarita
Yoky's, Santa Ana
RESTAURANTS/VENUES CLOSED IN MARCH:
Four Seasons Hot Pot, Garden Grove
Harry & David, Brea, Irvine, Costa Mesa
Li's Chinese, Huntington Beach (shuttered in December 2010)
ReTreat, Costa Mesa (shuttered in December 2010)
Spires, Orange
Victory Bakery, Anaheim
Before becoming an award-winning restaurant critic for OC Weekly in 2007, Edwin Goei went by the alias “elmomonster” on his blog Monster Munching, in which he once wrote a whole review in haiku.