You know how we said that Pieology has plans to rapidly expand yesterday? Well, so does Spin Pizza, a similiar concept that's already big in Kansas City and has franchise dreams of its own. And it starts in OC--Orange, to be exact, its inaugural store in California.

More »

Photo by John Gilhooley

As Anne Marie said in her blog post of a few months ago, Irvine's Layer Cake Bakery was planning a second store in Downtown Fullerton. Well, the day has come: Ehrline Karnaga's ode to butter, sugar, and flour has now opened Layer Cake Part 2 at 101 N Harbor Blvd.

More »

Remember two weeks ago, when I mentioned that we were just a bar or two short of a real honest-to-God bar crawl in downtown Santa Ana, one that only requires taxis at the start and end?

Well, chalk up another craft cocktail bar and restaurant: Little Sparrow Café will be opening in what was formerly the Santa Ana Café, a dusty luncheonette on the corner of 3rd and Main. (The new tenancy was originally going to be called Floral Park, but after careful reflection, they changed the name to something better. Are you listening over there at the maybe-it's-supposed-to-be-ironic Volstead?)

More »

Anne Marie Panoringan

Brekkie Pie

Partner Jai Snowdon (and his Aussie accent), business partner Ryan Lopiccolo and savory chef Samantha Boxer spent last week going full steam ahead to make their May 1 opening date. However, Murphy's Law attacked them from all angles, and they rejoiced in a "soft opening" last Thursday. As of today, they are selling their wares from 9 a.m. until they sell out, ramping up production each day to get into the swing of things.

We stopped by a week ago to spend some face time with the team as they prepped for a Newport Beach Film Festival after party. The wording on their menu board wouldn't adhere, and the glass partitions weren't the correct size, but they were happy to brew us a Flat White, an Australian espresso drink (like a latte with no foam) and talk shop.

More »

http://tootsieicecream.com

Cute name? Check. Awesome location? Familiar flavors of rocky road and vanilla? Check. Check. Offerings of waffle ice cream sandwiches, and faloodeh, Persian shaved ice? Yep.

More »

Muldoon's will serve food...

There's been no shortage on controversy over the new Newport Beach Civic Center and Park. Critics have called the $130-million-plus project near Fashion Island extravagant.

Now the finished product is having its grand opening tomorrow with a ribbon-cutting and free food samples from about 20 Newport Beach restaurants (check out the full list of restaurants here), followed by open house tours of the new council chambers, city office building, 16-acre park with its more than a mile of trails, and a 17,000-square-foot expansion of the central library.

Could it be a panacea for the lack of a Taste of Newport this year? Maybe...

More »

I've lost track of how many iterations of pho joint has occupied the space at 3013 Harbor Blvd. in Costa Mesa. A few years ago I ate at one called Pho 99, which at the time was part of a larger chain.

That restaurant has since become a blip in the timeline, replaced by another pho restaurant. But what replaced it (which I believe was called Pho Company) has now itself been replaced by yet another Vietnamese restaurant. The latest is called Mama Hong's.

More »

Tavern on The Coast, a new Dana Point restaurant that replaces the shuttered Bella Napoli at 34212 PCH, opened last weekend. The chef, one Bryan Podgorski, was previously the Chef de Cuisine for Thomas Keller's Bouchon at the Venetian in Las Vegas. His wife, Pamela Dickinson, was the GM of Bouchon Bakery, will run the front of the house. Podgorski held the position for nine years before coming back to OC.

More »

From Saddle Ranch's Facebook page

By Edwin Goei:

As we mentioned here two years ago, Triangle Square, which is now known as just "The Triangle" is getting its own Saddle Ranch Chop House, whom you might have seen last in front of Universal Studios. The restaurant, with its roster of steaks and a mechanical bull, opened this past weekend.
More »

If Pizza & Chicken Love Letter wins the prize for the most fanciful pizzeria name, the new Vegan Pizza would win for the most no-nonsense. Vegan Pizza serves, you guessed it, vegan pizzas. It just opened in Garden Grove and claims to be the first vegan pizzeria in Orange County. As far as I know, that's an accurate statement. Though Native Foods and other vegetarian eateries offer vegan pizzas (some of them actually great), Vegan Pizza is certainly is the first pizzeria I've heard of to be named as such and that specializes in it.

More »