Everybody's Talking (But Few Are Listening) About the Mexican Seafood at Mariscos Puerto Esperanza

Secretary of AquacultureEverybody’s talking about Mariscos Puerto Esperanza (but few are listening) As a longtime member of the Chowhound message boards, I can recognize when there is genuine excitement over a subject. First, a lone poster will gush on a discovery they’ve made. If the lead was legit, more people will follow up, reaffirming with …

The Curious Case of 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'

Old Man PittThe curious case of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is certainly curious—a modest F. Scott Fitzgerald story, about a man born in the twilight of life and gradually regressing toward dawn, that has been adapted into a 2-ton, Oscar-season white elephant. Directed by David Fincher from …

Deaths of OC MMA Fighter, Wife, Suspected to be Murder-Suicide

The LA Times, industry publications the Wrestling Observer and Sherdog and plenty of other sources report that autopsy results are leading authorities to believe that the deaths of an Orange County professional mixed martial arts fighter and his wife were exactly what they appeared to be when news broke yesterday: a murder-suicide. Justin Levens, 28, …

Supervisor Janet Nguyen's Ties To Vermin Happy Restaurants

Something seemed fishy yesterday when the County Board of Supervisors voted to reject health department and grand jury recommendations for more user-friendly signs displayed in restaurant windows to warn the public of potential health safety violations (the board had already rejected the supremely helpful A-B-C grading system visible in the window of every eatery in …

In Garden Grove, Thien An's Meat-Heavy Meals Are More Like Belly-Busting Endurance Contests

Baked On CatfishThien An’s meat-heavy meals are more like belly-busting endurance contests Thien An might be one of the most expensive Vietnamese restaurants in OC. But when a typical Little Saigon dive has $3 phos and $2 bánh mìs, “expensive” is a relative term. Actually, the prices at Thien An are on par with a …

The See N Sprout Project

If your shiny new camera has permanently replaced your dust-collecting old digital  point-and-shoots, consider donating them to a  good cause while simultaneously supporting the arts. Founded by Stacie Krajchir, along with tsunami orphans from Thailand, the See and Sprout Project is an international creative collective that brings cameras to Third World regions, puts on children's …

The Sisters of Mercy and the Birthday Massacre Represent Two Sides of the Goth Coin

Fearful SymmetryThe Sisters of Mercy and The Birthday Massacre represent two sides of the Goth coin Any genre or style that lasts for any length of time eventually has practitioners who play out an identity crisis—should they continue in familiar territory, or figure out something new? And what do the younger artists following in the …