Remember the story from last year about the music teacher accused of possibly giving semen-filled flutes to students in Fountain Valley, the Fullerton, Newport-Mesa and Capistrano Unified school districts as well as elsewhere in Southern California? It was an apparent crime so heinous that the Weekly had dual reports Oct. 2 on our news and […]
Fountain Valley
Did Wrongful Conviction Built on Tainted OC Snitch Fuel Golden State Killer’s Spree?
As she prepared for bed on the final night of her life, 28-year-old Orange County resident Joan Virginia Anderson donned a blue nightgown and put her two kids—an infant girl and a 3-year-old boy—to bed. In the wee hours of that morning—March 8, 1979—Anderson found herself awakened in bed by an intruder while her husband […]
Man Gets Life for Kidnapping, Torturing and Mutilating Local Dispensary Owner
Earlier this year, it took less than two hours for an Orange County jury to find Kyle Shirakawa Handley, 36, guilty in the 2012 kidnapping, torture and sexual mutilation of a local medical marijuana dispensary owner. On Friday, Orange County Superior Court Judge Gregg L. Prickett handed down the maximum penalty of four life sentences […]
OCDA: No Charges for Fountain Valley Cops Who Shot Drunk Driver Charging Them
The scene of a fatal traffic collision in Fountain Valley last year could’ve ended up much more grisly. On Oct. 13, 2017, police officers responded to the intersection of Magnolia and Mint Avenue around 11:35 p.m. They closed off sections of the main street into the morning hours when a black Dodge Dakota barreled at them […]
OC Man Looked for Love in China but Found Misery
Orange County’s Thomas Burton initially thought he’d found true love in China but quickly discovered he’d entangled himself in a nightmare with his bride, Juxia Qin. Qin appeared loving until she landed a Los Angeles International Airport in Jan. 2012 with a conditional entry K-1 visa and after arrival “immediately . . . turned into […]
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 […]
Bao-N-Baguette Is the Latest Bánh Mì Purveyor in Little Saigon to Get it Right
Decades ago, I discovered the foodstuff that has made me return to Little Saigon week after week: the bánh mì sandwich. It is nothing short of a miracle. And I’m not being hyperbolic here. If Philly is known for its iconic cheesesteaks, the bánh mì should be the sandwich that defines our region. Where else […]
OC Grub Guide 4/26-5/2: Not Your Mother’s Holiday
That title wasn’t a jab at anybody. In fact, it’s a heads up. Next week’s Grub Guide is all about Mom. This week’s focuses on some holidays outside of the motherly one. These celebrations are celebrated fast and furious with get-togethers galore. Hendrix Anniversary Specials – Laguna Niguel It began Tuesday, but you’ve got through […]
OC Spring Menu Coverage, Part One
Not too hot, not too cold: Spring is just right in our book. It’s also the time of year when restaurants flaunt seasonal menus. Grab a fork and join us! Montage, Laguna Beach In a recent partnership with nutrition expert and best-selling author Kelly LeVeque, Montage dining outlets the Loft and Mosaic Bar & Grille […]
Eat This Now: Döner Fries at Ikram Bakery & Grill
We could never spill enough ink singing the praises of the Turkish restaurants that flourish in Fountain Valley—more than anywhere else in the county. One definite stop on your tummy’s tour of the city’s de facto “Little Istanbul” is Ikram Bakery & Grill. Known best for its breads—from the yielding pide to the salted twirls […]
Legendary Vietnamese Restaurant Brodard Moves to Fountain Valley
In the ebb and flow of Little Saigon, Brodard was the Rock of Gibraltar. Since Diane Dang and her daughters opened this restaurant in 1996 at the Mall of Fortune—behind a 99-Cent-Only store in an alleyway past the dumpsters—it has arguably become one of the most influential landmarks for Vietnamese cuisine in the county, if […]
OC Grub Guide 2/15-2/21: DTSA, Dessert and Dana Point
We try to find balance this week. From farm fresh produce to lazy eggs and customized treats, there’s a combo that’ll work with your dining habits. And if you have a pooch at home, you’ll definitely want to make the trek to Long Beach together. AVEO Table + Bar Happy Hour Offered from Sunday to […]
Cambalache Does a Great Steak-and-Potatoes Dish, Argentine-Style
Is there anything better than a properly done steak? The answer to that is: Yes, when it’s paired with perfectly crisp potatoes. I had such a meal at the new Cambalache in Fountain Valley. It was utterly transcendent—one of the best steak dinners I’ve had in years. First, there was the steak itself; it wasn’t […]
On the Line: Shawn Cao of Glee Donuts & Burgers
After launching their second location last year, we stopped by Glee Donuts & Burgers at the corner of Ball and Beach in Anaheim. The quality, price and service were so memorable, it made our Top 5 in December. So for a month in which we celebrate love, we present our love for Glee’s delicious […]
Orange County Cop Shops Have Helped ICE for Years: EFF
Long before U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) got a tool to access license plate reader information, the police departments of Orange, Tustin, Anaheim and Fountain Valley were already supplying that data to the federal agency. The revelation comes from an Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) report that included the four Orange County cop shops among […]
Chinese Bride: OC Partner Wanted Rough Sex, Obedience and No Nagging
China’s Juxia “Angel” Qin and Orange County’s Thomas Burton met through Qpid Network’s “Chnlove” website, sent each other emails, chatted on Skype and visited several times before making a monumental 2010 decision. Believing they’d found everlasting love, they married in a state ceremony in her native Wuhan, an historic city on the Yangtze River. “It […]
Federal Judge Poised to Punish Innocent Vietnamese for Somebody Else’s Crime
With more than $700,000 at stake, Vietnam War refugee Hung Ngo this month entered a courtroom inside the Ronald Reagan Federal Courthouse breathing heavily and looking confused. Three corporate lawyers and a Department of Justice attorney faced U.S. District Court Judge James V. Selna while discussing mind-numbing intricacies of a legal quarrel over scrapped plans […]
Little Saigon Ecstasy Heist Left One Woman Dead And A Young Man Complaining About Prison
Three years short of the ability to legally buy booze in March 2010, Fountain Valley's Christopher Dai-Ichi Yu hatched a lamebrain plan involving the party drug ecstasy, ended up with the possibility of spending the next five decades confined to a California prison and has been desperately seeking punishment relief. From Yu's perspective his 2011 […]
Vegan Cuisine's Faux Pho
Vegan Cuisine isn't found by accident. It's in a strip mall that has a Laundromat, a palm reader and an outpost of the infamous $1.99 Restaurant, located in the hinterlands of Fountain Valley on the stretch of Edinger I usually take to get to somewhere else. Since the restaurant isn't on the street-facing part of […]
FOUNTAIN VALLEY
You can tell a lot about a city by its slogan. That Fountain Valley calls itself “A Nice Place to Live” says it didn't try very hard. But locals are well-aware of the treasures that belie this tiny gem. One of the most obvious is Mile Square Park (10401 Warner Ave., 714-962-5541; www.ocparks.com/milesquarepark), a recreational […]
Idiot Wind
You were the old man in the Bob Dylan shirt eating with two women and a child at a Fountain Valley restaurant on a recent Saturday afternoon. I was sitting with my boyfriend across from you, enjoying a turkey burger, chatting and browsing the newspaper. As you guys were wrapping up your meal and getting […]