Mangi Con Amore looks, feels and sounds as though it's an imposter. A checkercloth-style Italian restaurant in Laguna Niguel. Owner Stella Jahandin has a husky voice straight out of a wedding scene in a Fellini film. Dino and other Italian-American crooners play on the stereo. Ravioli, paninis and subs are on the menu. Wine and […]
Laguna Niguel
![[UPDATED with OCSD comments:] Are Deputies Covering Up The Laguna Hills Murder of a 25-Year-Old U.S. Army Veteran?](https://www.ocweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/6451627_001-348x180.jpg)
[UPDATED with OCSD comments:] Are Deputies Covering Up The Laguna Hills Murder of a 25-Year-Old U.S. Army Veteran?
[Update at end] ORIGINAL POST, JULY 11, 9:00 A.M.: The mother of a 25-year-old U.S. Army veteran found dead at an affluent Laguna Hills neighborhood playground on Jan. 6 claims her son was murdered and Orange County Sheriff's Department (OCSD) investigators didn't just wrongly rule the case a suicide but covered up a killing. An […]
Fountain Valley Gas Station Owners Indicted For Small Business Administration Loan Scam
An alleged scheme to steal a $1.45 million U.S. Small Business Administration loan tied to a Fountain Valley gas station and car wash has resulted in a federal grand jury indicting four individuals. According to court records at the Ronald Reagan Federal Courthouse in Santa Ana, the 22-count criminal indictment names Donald Keith Goff, Melanie […]
Dana Point Harbor Marijuana Smuggler Sentenced in Federal Court
On July 9, 2011, David Rex Wilterding and his son Justin arrived in Dana Point Harbor on a 23-foot boat from Mexico and won unwanted attention by acting suspiciously. Two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the area noticed the men loitering near a boat ramp, confronted them and searched the boat. ] […]
The Gromble Make a Loud Buzz
Taking their name from the Nickelodeon teen show Aaahhh!!! Real Monsters, the Gromble have reached a local-favorite status with their infectious brand of quirky indie-pop. Their meld of Pixies, Pavement and Weezer influences garnered the Laguna Niguel natives an OC Music Awards nomination last year—as well as a deal with the 37 Records label. With […]
Nicole Vaughn Goes Big
Nicole Vaughn has the kind of stage presence that transcends the roar of late-night bar chatter. Her voice—mighty and sincere at the same time—quiets down the buzz in local venues and surprises audience members into listening intently. The petite blonde is in her early twenties and recently added a full band to her act; it […]
![[UPDATE: Photos!] Asses Will Be On Display At Annual Amtrak Mooning Event Tomorrow in Laguna Niguel](https://www.ocweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/6459306_mooning_of_the_amtrak_150_thumb_150x150.jpg)
[UPDATE: Photos!] Asses Will Be On Display At Annual Amtrak Mooning Event Tomorrow in Laguna Niguel
UPDATE, JULY 10, 11:57 P.M.: Amtrak Mooning 2011 photos right here! ORIGINAL POST, JULY 8, 1:31 P.M.: All aboard for Laguna Niguel's annual ass flash. People from around the world will line up parallel to the Amtrak rail lines on Camino Capistrano Road Saturday to moon the passing trains. The OC Register's Kyle Daly […]
Amtrak Mooning
What better way to enjoy a nice sunny day than to drop trou and expose one’s rear to a slowly passing train? Absurd? Sure. Fun? Definitely. Like most events in which clothing ends up around ankles, alcohol flows freely at the annual mooning of Amtrak trains—though it’s not a requirement to moon, of course. What […]
Orange Blossom Special Are In Bloom
Laguna Niguel brothers Anton (guitar/vocals) and Alan Hoetker (bass/vocals) of Orange Blossom Special have two chores to take care of during their current respite from the road: record their first full-length record, and find a permanent lead guitarist and drummer to take back on tour with them. In the meantime, the group plan to rock […]
![[UPDATED: PETA Gives Posthumous Award] Moments After Saving a Dog From Traffic, Woman Struck and Killed by Motorist](https://www.ocweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/6474316_mara_steves.png)
[UPDATED: PETA Gives Posthumous Award] Moments After Saving a Dog From Traffic, Woman Struck and Killed by Motorist
UPDATE, FEB. 17, 10 A.M.: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) announced today that it will posthumously award Steves with its Compassionate Action Award for rescuing the dog. “Mara died as she was helping another individual in trouble,” said PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk in a statement issued by PETA. “The death of […]
Tastes of Greece Gives 'Em Hellenic
Two reviews of Laguna Niguel restaurants in one issue? Hey, the last time I reviewed one of the bland 'burb's eateries was in 2004, so we might as well catch up. And while Edwin thinks Bistro Anju is good-great, I dare say Tastes of Greece is downright spectacular. If restaurants could transform into inanimate objects, […]
Power Balance: Popular, Overpriced Hologram Wristbands Are a Fraud, Company Admits
You may have seen the colorful rubber wristbands around. They're about as trendy with celebs and athletes as flannel and plaid are with hipsters. Lamar Odom of the Los Angeles Lakers. Mark Sanchez of the New York Jets. David Beckham of fashion and futbol. Skateboarding wunderkind Ryan Sheckler. Music magnate P. Diddy. Teemu Selanne of […]
Huitlacoche at the Ritz-Freakin'-Carlton?
The views are exhilarating: That much you should already know about Raya, the new restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel. To get a more expansive vantage point of the Pacific Ocean, you’d have to be on a cruise ship. The wide windows are as tall as masts. Off in the distance, you see the glassy […]
Rock Bottom's Rhymes for the Everyman
Specializing in sharp-tongued delivery, wry humor and a healthy dose of skepticism, South County hip-hop trio Rock Bottom thrive on cultivating the image of the “Everyman” in their rhymes. Whether you’re broke, sussing out answers to life’s deepest questions or just getting wasted with your friends, these guys have a track for you. San Clemente/Laguna […]
This Hole-in-the-Wall Life
A million-dollar balloon. The imminent closing of Wild Rivers. Crony-loving, no-bid-contract-granting City Council members. Irvine isn't exactly endearing itself to the rest of Orange County these days. But there's one thing that can redeem the land of Agran: New York's Upper Crust Pizza. This mini-chain (other locations stand in Foothill Ranch, Laguna Niguel and Long […]
Moonnites
Who would have guessed that quiet, conservative Orange County has housed an annual mooning tradition for nearly the past three decades? And all in Laguna Niguel! Every July at Mugs Away Saloon, people of all ages come out to show off their nice- (and sometimes not-so-nice-) looking asses to the passengers on the Amtrak and […]
This Hole-in-the-Wall Life
RIBS ON THE RUN has everything working against it. It's the only West Coast outpost of a barbecue chain in New York, a city with no real 'cue tradition. It's in Laguna Hills, a city best known for not being Laguna Beach or Laguna Niguel. The service here is slow, many of the workers speak […]
The Few, the Wide Open Spaces
If John McKinney wishes that the nature of Orange County were otherwise—that what passes for wilderness here had not been reduced to exaggerated cracks in the pavement—he doesn't let on. Much. In the face of rampant development, his tone in Orange County: A Day Hiker's Guide is determinedly positive about the joys of traipsing the all-too-beaten […]
New Reviews
we recommend FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS See “Print the Legend” (Countywide) LITTLE CHILDREN See “In the Playroom” (Edwards University, Irvine; Mann Rancho Niguel, Laguna Niguel) THE PRESTIGE See “Welcome to the Grand Illusion” (Countywide) SLEEPING DOGS LIE See “Dog Fancy” (Edwards University, Irvine) also showing FLICKA It takes a pristine gift for mediocrity to […]
Grub Guide
Visit the rest of Orange County's best damn dining guide at ocweekly.com/food, where it says “Where to Eat Now” on the right side of the screen. If there are any bugs with it, e-mail Gustavo at garellano@ocweekly.com with your complaints! DINNER FOR TWO: ¢ . . . . . . . . . . . […]
Diary of a Mad County
Wednesday, April 26 The Fullerton School District and the American Civil Liberties Union reach an agreement that allows students to borrow school laptops instead of requiring their families to buy the computers. Many parents thought the requirement, an effort to integrate technology into the students' lives, was too much to ask from public school families, […]
