Things To Look Forward To

Another Pho Joint To Open In Irvine

By Edwin Goei Tue., Feb. 14 2012 at 5:00 PM
Categories: Things To Look Forward To
anqi_pho.jpg
Edwin Goei
Photo of pho, not necessarily from any of the places mentioned in this article.
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I've actually lost count on how many places there now are in Irvine to have pho. I'll date myself in saying that I remember a time where there was exactly one place that did. Last year saw three pho joints opening almost simultaneously as if it were planned that way.

Now there's another planned for Sand Canyon Plaza, which is, as far as I'm concerned, the boonies of Irvine, where nothing roams but office parks and fast food chains. So, a pho shop, will become a welcome oasis offering noodles in broth in an otherwise teriyaki bowl and chain sushi territory.
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Things To Look Forward To

Bruxie to Open Third Store in Rancho Santa Margarita

By Dave Lieberman Tue., Feb. 14 2012 at 12:00 PM
Categories: Things To Look Forward To
bruxiersm.jpg
Shuji Sakai
The space in question... formerly a crappy burger joint, soon to be improved!
​Oh, Bruxie. First they created a traffic fustercluck in Old Town Orange with the long lines for their waffles; then they gave people a reason to head off of Brea Boulevard when driving through on the way to avoid the 57 freeway. Now they're headed about as far inland as it's possible to go without hitting the Dread 909 951, opening the third Bruxie in Rancho Santa Margarita.

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Things To Look Forward To

Floral Park Cafe, New Bistro, to Open in Downtown Santa Ana

By Gustavo Arellano Mon., Feb. 13 2012 at 10:30 AM
Categories: Things To Look Forward To
Thumbnail image for diner_downtown_santa_ana.jpg
Flickr user Ben Dayhoe
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SO...remember how I wrote about the above space in downtown SanTana, and that the rumor was it was going to be a bistro of sorts? The cat is out of the bag--sort of. The name of the restaurant will be Floral Park Cafe, and all that they'll say right now is that it'll be a "new American bistro."

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Chain Reactions

Is Tortillaz Aspiring to be Chipotle?

By Edwin Goei Mon., Feb. 13 2012 at 8:00 AM
Categories: Chain Reactions, Things To Look Forward To
tortillaz.JPG
http://www.tortillazgrill.com/
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I'm not saying that every Mexican chain like Cafe Rio is trying to copy Chipotle. Even though it says it's not, Taco Bell is doing it. And why wouldn't they? It makes business sense to aspire to the same kind of success that Steve Ells Mexi-chain has achieved. There's nothing wrong with that.

But so far, I've noticed that most of the new Chipotle aspirants seem to come from somewhere out of state. Costa Vida, which is poised to open its first OC store sometime soon in Irvine, next to Strickland's, is also a Utah-based chain like Cafe Rio.

Now Irvine's going to see more entrants in the genre. But this time, it appears they're local. Thatguy542, one of our most prolific tipsters, has noticed that a restaurant called Tortillaz is opening not one but two locations in Irvine. The first to debut will be at 2222 Michelson in Irvine, at the Michelson Marketplace, the same plaza as The Chippy, Franco's Pasta Cucina and Renzo's A Taste of Peru. The second will be at 2646 Dupont Dr., also in Irvine.
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Chain Reactions

Trader Joe's Agrees to Pay More For Tomatoes it Buys from Florida to Help Out Farmworkers

By Gustavo Arellano Thu., Feb. 9 2012 at 3:30 PM
Categories: Chain Reactions, Things To Look Forward To
Thumbnail image for ciw.jpg
CIW and Orange County supporters outside a Trader Joe's last year
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The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) does it again! The group of Florida tomato pickers and their supporters who have wrestled down fast-food titans into paying a penny more per pound of pomodoros over the last decade set its sights last year on Trader Joe's, every hipster's favorite supermarket but one that didn't want to help out Florida farmworkers out of poverty. The CIW pressured them via a letter-writing campaign, protests--and have won.
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Now Open

A Sushi Restaurant And a Beer/Waffle Joint To Open at OC Mart Mix

By Edwin Goei Wed., Feb. 8 2012 at 5:00 PM
Categories: Now Open, Things To Look Forward To
waiiha (Small).jpg
Photo by thatguy542
​I think I've said it before, but I'll say it again: this OC Mart Mix in Costa Mesa is quickly becoming an epicenter of interesting food. A few weeks ago a gourmet cheese shop opened there. Soon it will welcome an ice cream shop and a raw oyster bar. And now, SAFII reader thatguy542 clued me in on a new sushi restaurant that had its soft opening earlier this week (its grand opening is scheduled for February 14th) and, what's more, there's a new waffle joint opening right next door.

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Things To Look Forward To

Downtown Disney to Get an Earl of Sandwich

By Shuji Sakai Tue., Feb. 7 2012 at 2:00 PM
Categories: Dishney, Things To Look Forward To
earlofsandwich.jpg
Disney Parks Blog
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Everyone knows the tale of the sandwich being invented as a way to eat during a card game, but it turns out the descendants of John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, still have skin in that game. Fastforward 250 years, and the 11th Earl of Sandwich and family own a stake in the fast-food chain Earl of Sandwich, which will open a location in Anaheim's Downtown Disney this summer.More >>

Tags:

Disney, Downtown Disney, Earl of Sandwich, Professor Salt
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Things To Look Forward To

OC's Best Bartenders, Together for Next KCRW Good Food-OC Weekly Happy Hour on March 13!

By Gustavo Arellano Tue., Feb. 7 2012 at 12:30 PM
Categories: Things To Look Forward To
Thumbnail image for memphis1.jpg
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UPDATED, FEB. 7, 12:30 p.m.: Now I can reveal the big secret: Not only will March 13 be the usual KCRW/OC Weekly awesome Happy Hour, not only will we be treated to the awesome food and drinks by the crew at Memphis at the Santora, but we're also going to be joined by four of the best bartenders in Orange County -- together just one night to show the world what Orange County bartending is about.

OH, SNAP!!!
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Things To Look Forward To

Presenting This Year's Crop of New Burger Joints: More Umami, Another The Counter, And BurgerFi

By Edwin Goei Mon., Feb. 6 2012 at 8:00 AM
Categories: Things To Look Forward To
burgerandfries (Small).jpg
BurgerFi.com
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We're still living in a burger Renaissance folks. As you may recall, the past few years saw a surge of new burger joints, some came from highfalutin gourmets chefs (think Joseph Mahon's Burger Parlor, Charlie Palmer's DG Burger, and Marcus Samuellson's MarcBurger), some came from the In-N-Out-level chains, (Five Guys and The Habit, to name a few) and others came from categories of their own (G Burger in La Habra, Crow Burger Kitchen in Newport Beach, and the second outlet of Slater's 50/50 in Huntington Beach ).
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Mexi Meals

Happy Birthday to Gabriel Zambrano of Soho Taco!

By Gustavo Arellano Fri., Feb. 3 2012 at 11:00 AM
Categories: Mexi Meals, Things To Look Forward To
Thumbnail image for gabezambrano1.jpg
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 >>
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