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Dave Lieberman

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We'd been drinking cocktails at the bar after dinner at Laguna Beach's Broadway restaurant, and I thought I was being a smart-ass, challenging one of OC's best bartenders to make a drink with a relatively rare ingredient that doesn't mix well.
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Zambrano: Ready to taco you up--even on his birthday!

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Usually, I don't give a shit about my birthday for reasons no one ever seems to want to understand. But last year, after the accolades heralding my 846th year on this planet, I realized I shared February 3 with a far-more important person: Gabriel Zambrano of Soho Taco. More >>

Kevin Lara / OC Weekly

St. Roy Chef's Pub... a worthy stop.

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If there's any list of these "Best Of Best Of Best Of" items that's likely to engender bitter debate, it's this one. Burgers inspire more debate than any other food we write about, mostly because everyone in Orange County, even those with wooden palates, know what makes a good burger. Some people think the new upscale burgers are ripoffs; some people think fast food is evil.

We had to limit this to ten, which means some worthy contenders got left off--so let's give them love in the comment section!
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Edwin Goei

​Some may remember that before it sold $2 sushi on moving belts, Kula's previous incarnation was as a high-priced, made-to-order sushi bar in Century City. When it failed to catch on after about one year, the restaurant made the move to the then still unproven Diamond Jamboree in Irvine. It was here that it found its niche in the conveyor belt-sushi trade.More >>

This is a picture of a generic salad from none of the places mentioned in this article

​A few years ago, I wrote about the advent of Freshii, a Chipotle-style salad chain that was supposed to invade our county by the dozens and give us a reason to eat our vegetables. The Canadian chain had plans to open over 30 stores here within 5 years. There's also been news that similar competitors called Saladworks and Tossed would join them.

So far, Freshii's grand ambitions has produced only one store at The Bluffs which debuted sometime last summer. If you're judging by the number of stores actually open, Saladworks would seem to be the one winning the salad arms race. It opened its second store in Costa Mesa last December. The first one, in Orange, had been open for a few months before that. But that's better than Tossed, which has yet to make its appearance in OC.

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Flickr user jakrapong

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Photo by Johannes Dewald

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Our time with Carmina comes to a close as she shares a family recipe. While the pasta choice is left up to you, we're thinking spaghetti, a la Lady and the Tramp. If you're not salivating by now, perhaps you need to read part two. All we're gonna say is: more cheese, please! (like in those potent pepperoni pinwheels).

Creamy Pesto Pasta with Parmesan and Grilled Chicken

Serves 4
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David Lieberman

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Hung inconspicuously on the wall leading to the bathroom, it's easy to miss the series of plaques honoring the members of the Quarter Club amongst the rust-colored lamps and chaotic din that defines the Anthill Pub on the UC Irvine campus. But often, someone will stand there, blocking the path to the restrooms, with a quiet smile on their face, their fingers tracing the outline of a name, whether theirs, a friend's or a stranger's. They'll contemplate the person's accomplishment, debating whether they could achieve it. They might attempt, and though they may persevere like many others before them, they will most likely fail.More >>

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Mark your calendar, folks, for the next KCRW Good Food-OC Weekly happy hour to invade our fair county: March 13 starting at 7 p.m., at Memphis at the Santora in downtown SanTana!
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