AlexNoir

I can't tell you too much about the dish as it was my wife's. She did mention that it was actually her least favorite dish. The cod was actually mixed in with the rice and according to her, it was quite bland. I was able to try a bite of the Shirako and remember it being very non-descript. Almost like it could have been fried *anything*. She recalled that the interior was runny and had a lot of veins and was not all that appealing. On the contract, I felt my Cobia was delicious. Of the two fish dishes, it seems as if the Cod wins on design and the Cobia on execution. I don't know where I got "milk" from - maybe it was the accent??

It's taken me a little while, but I'm finally getting around to posting my pictures for the meal I had at The French Laundry on 2/7/08. I could go on and on about the meal, but I'll let the pictures do the talking... Gougeres and Salmon Cornets "OYSTERS AND PEARLS" "Sabayon" of Pearl Tapioca with Island Creek Oysters and White Sturgeon Caviar MOULARD DUCK "FOIE GRAS EN TERRINE" Baby Beets, Fuyu Persimmon Relish, Cutting Celery and 100 Year-Aged Balsamic Vinegar FILET OF COBIA "CONFIT A LA MINUTE" Glazed Sunchokes, Garden Broccolini, Marcona Almonds and Sour Cherry-Nicoise Olive Puree STEAMED "MADARA" COD Crispy "Shirako", Akita Komachi Rice, Roasted Cabbage and Young Ginger "Aigre-Doux" SWEET BUTTER-POACHED MAINE LOBSTER TAIL Purple-Top Turnips, Thumbelina Carrots, Pea Shoots and "Sauce Paloise" WOLFE RANCH WHITE QUAIL Green Apples, Hobbs Shore Bacon, Toasted Pecans, Watercress and Blis Maple Syrup ELYSIAN FIELDS FARM "SELLE D'AGNEU ROTIE ENTIERE" Sweet Onion "Bhaji", Cauliflower "Fleurettes," Sultana Raisins, Arrowleaf Spinach and Whipped Andante Dairy Yogurt "APPENZELLER" Belgian Endive "Remoulade," Parsley Shoots and Caraway Seed "Pain Perdu" DIANE ST. CLAIRE BUTTERMILK SHERBET with Honey-Glazed Cranberries and Spiced Streusel VALRHONA CHOCOLATE "DOBOS" Chestnut Butter, Candied Chestnuts and Brown Bread Ice Cream MAUI PINEAPPLE "PAVLOVA" Coconut-Pineapple Curd and "Pate de Fruits Exotiques" "MIGNARDISES" Meyer Lemon Pot De Creme and Creme Brulee For those keeping score at home, here's the wine that was drunk: Glass of Schramsberg "Blanc de Blancs" 2004 California (with the Oysters and Pearls" Glass of Yves Cuilleron Roussilliere 2006 Rhone (with the Foie Gras) 1/2 Bottle of Weinbach "Schlossberg" Riesling 2005 Alsace (with the Fish and Lobster) 1/2 Bottle of Usseglio Pere Et Fils Chateauneuf du Pape 2005 Rhone (with the Quail and Lamb) Glass of Dow's 20 yr Tawny Port (with/after Dessert) I don't feel I can really say anything that hasn't been said a million times over about The French Laundry. I will say that my expectations were fully met, but not exceeded - the meal was solid, service was perfect and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Best single course served was the Oysters and Pearls (best single component of any dish was the Oysters). The foie gras was what you would expect from foie gras served at The French Laundry - delicious. The Cobia and Quail were surprisingly the next best courses after the Oysters. My wife had the Cod and to her surprise she discovered that the "Shirako" (or "milk" as the waiter called it) was actually the sperm sack of the fish. That component of her dish definitely seemed to be the best, even if it was a little "gooey" (her words not mine). The Lobster and Lamb were good, but honestly not as good as I expected. The cheese course and the dessert were my least favorites of the night, but still really good all things considered.

Thanks for the report, Bekki! I was just downloading the photos from my camera from my trip last week (I dined at TFL on Thursday night). I noticed that they had "jamon iberco" on one of the dishes in the vegetable tasting menu and I was wondering if you had any clarity on what that component of the dish actually was?

When we went the 3-course lunch deal had a starter (salad), your choice of one of two entrees (steak or scallops) and a dessert. The only "choice" was in the entree. I think they've been offering it for some time as I've seen it on previous trips.

Thanks for the post, johnnypd. It's always nice to hear what folks from out of town think of our local restaurants. My wife and I stopped by Marche Moderne for lunch the other day and had the lunch "tasting menu". This was my first time trying out MM's lunch menu and it was pretty solid. It started off with a nice salad of hearts of palm, cucumber and some mache with a very nice vinaigrette. My only complaint is that I would have liked more of the vinaigrette and that the salad seemed a little out of place on that chilly winter day (chilly for Southern California, I should say). I had the steak (I think it was hanger) with horseradish creme fraiche, fingerlings, bacon, mushrooms and shallots. Nothing ground breaking, but delicious. My wife had the scallops with lemon infused risotto and some kind of lemon cream sauce. Pretty good but again, felt like more of a Spring/Summer dish. The desert was a chocolate mousse, elephant ear pastry and some ice cream. As always the dessert was very good. All of this for $20 is a steal.

This is from a small dinner party I had last week... Tartare of Kona Kampachi with Radishes and Wasabi Cream Sauce Sweet Corn Soup with Avocado Creme Fraiche and Cilantro - from Suzanne Goin's "Sunday Suppers at Lucques" Butter Poached Spiny Lobster with Sunchoke Puree, Roasted Beets, Chanterelle Mushrooms and Lobester Jus Braised Short Ribs with Potato Puree, Root Vegetables and Braised Cippoline Onion - I forgot to take a photo of this one. Luckily one of my guests did and sent it to me. Meyer Lemon Sorbet "Le Kit Kat" from Michel Richard's "Happy in the Kitchen"

A Kate Bush cover? Very nice. I may have to try that IPOD idea, if only to subject everyone in the place to my odd musical tastes. I would pay money to see the place clear as Black Dice hits the speakers. I agree it's a cool idea, though. This place sounds great by the way. I checked out their website and the prices seem VERY resonable.

Thanks as always for the report, Jason. It's nice to hear how things are going over at MM even if I was just there only a few weeks ago. One of the things I love about Marche Moderne is the consistent turn over of their menu. With the exception of Florent's love for cheeks, it seems like they make an effort to not only keep things seasonal, but also rotate the proteins quite a bit. I'm curious about the foie and spot prawn app - it sounds similar to the foie/kampachi main that they were serving back in Summer. It's unfortunate to hear about the issues with your meal. My greatest complaint from our last meal was the slowdown in service after our dessert. I also received my amuse right upon sitting, but I guess I didn't really mind. I think for a place like Marche Moderne the "small" issues you mentioned are definitely pretty big issues (esp. the stemware being corroded). Clean plates, stemware and flatware seem to go unnoticed and taken for granted, however when those things are not clean it can cause your experience to suffer.

Great report, Jason! Our annual trip to Napa/Sonoma is looming so your post got me excited. My wife and I both love Terra and Bouchon, so it's good to hear that you had good meals there. I'm with you on Bouchon. I don't doubt that aspects of the restaurant might have suffered, but I've never experienced that. I've been meaning to try Redd for some time and it's now a must-do. Thanks for the report on the wineries, as well. I assume most, if not all, the wineries were by appointment only, no? I'll definitely have to check out a few of them.

Funny you should say that, Russell. I was actually torn between a seghesio zin and the waiters reccomendation of the cab franc, so he let me taste the two and the I picked the cab franc. It just didn't work with the dish. None the less, I definitely recommend you come down and try MM - you won't be sorry! The first time I went the portion sizes for both my wifes and my meal were perfect. It was only on this last visit that the portion size was too much. Anyways, I guess too much is better than not enough, right? If you like pork, swicks, you will love the choucroute. It was a dish where pork was truly the star...pork with pork on top of pork with a side of pork.

My wife and I enjoyed another great meal at Marche Moderne this past weekend. Here's a quick recap of what we had: Amuse - Shrimp Ceviche: A nice little starter, nothing special. It was the same ceviche I've had a million times before. App #1 - Foie Gras Torchon with Pineapple: Very simple and straight forward presentation. A beautiful piece of foie gras (extremely generous portion for $18) with a ultra thin slices of pineapple and a small baguette. Nothing crazy going on here, but sometimes less is more. In the case of this foie dish (which we washed down with a small glass of Sauternes), less was definitely more. App #2 - Charcuterie: We had the duck terrine, duck salumi and chorizo. The salumi and chorizo were really just OK. Nothing to write home about. However, that duck terrine was as great as I remember it. Uhhh...I'm drooling just thinking about it. The terrine must be popular as MM has made it possible to order JUST the duck terrine as an appetizer. That's my move next time as the salumi and chorizo were just filler. We had a Gruner Veltliner with this one. Main #1 - Braised Short Rib (same description as earlier post): This was my dish and while it was a really good short rib, it was sadly nothing special. The gnochhi were good but did not fit with the rich and beefy short ribs. The mushrooms were lost and barely eaten. The bacon (as it always is) was welcome and delicious. My biggest complaint was the sheer volume of food associated with this dish. There was basically a small dutch oven full of short ribs. I guess it's a testament to how good the short ribs were to say that I couldn't stop stuffing my face. I had this with a Cab Franc that the waiter recommended that unfortunately did not work (it doesn't help that I hate Cab Franc). Main #2 - Pork Choucroute with Sauerkraut pressure cooked in Riesling: My wife ordered this manly dish and as with the short rib, the portion was enormous. If memory serves me right, there was Cheek, Sausage, Ribs, Belly and ham hocks all braised till meltingly tender. My wife definitely loved this dish. The cheek, belly and ribs were a hit. The sausage barely touched and the hocks suffering from her being too full to get to. The broth (her all-time favorite component in any kind of food) was "good". She had Riesling with the dish. Dessert - Chocolate cake with banana ice cream and whipped cream (I'm going by memory here). Even though we were both blindingly full, we remembered how good the desserts were and decided to share this. This was a decent dessert, but nothing like the peach gateau I had on my first visit. Overall, I'm still absolutely stoked about Marche Moderne and for the time being it remains my favorite restaurant in Orange County. Aside from the portion size issue, our meal was great. It's so refreshing to see a restaurant using the "odd bits" of animals so favoringly (Chef Marneau seems to have a thing for cheeks - they even have a course called "Cheek du Jour"). The wine list still seems a little weak, but with a majority of the wines offered available by the glass, it's hard to complain. I did notice quite a few folks taking advantage of that nice $10 corkage fee. All in all another great meal.

Great report, Bueno! I just realized that Bin serves every course on the same shaped plates...hmmm, interesting.

If I had to guess, I'd say those mentioned in your post are going to see 1 *. I'm not sure any will move into the 2 * range and I think Marche, eligible maybe for a single *, was probably off the radar until the next publication. I would be really surprised to see any 2 * restaurants in Orange County, but who knows? ← I agree, Jason. I've never been to Studio, but from what I've heard it seems to at least have the "environment" of a two-star restaurant. I can't speak to anything else. I can easily see Stonehill getting one star but not two. Does anyone think any of the other players in OC will be considered for a star (Pinot Provence comes to mind - even though it sounds like the quality has declined recently)? I think Marche Moderne is probably too new for a star, but seeing as bistro style restaurants up in Napa (Bistro Jeanty and Bouchon), I don't think it's crazy to assume MM could get one in the next publication. As for LA, I haven't been to enough restaurants to judge, but I would say that Providence might be the only 2 star candidate. I've heard Sona is horribly inconsistent which has kept me away, but who knows? I'm curious if our resident LA restaurant expert, rjwong sees any other 2-star candidates in the area...

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed your meal at Providence. Do you mind if I ask what was different from my meal to yours? Did you have the same dessert, and if so, what did you think?

That looks awesome, Jason (insert drool here). Talk about decadence!

This all looks awesome, David. I especially like the sinful act of adding bacon to mashed potatoes (although you could pretty much add bacon to anything, right?). Salad looks nice and crisp as well.

You guys are awesome! Everyone has some great food going on here. I've been taking photos of my food for the past few months, so I guess it's time to post something: This was last Saturday's dinner consisting of Pan-Roasted Chicken Breast with Gnocchi, Cremini Mushrooms, Kabocha Squash and Pan Jus.

Thanks for the compliments, Swicks and SiseFromm! I'm pretty sure the price was $16 or $17 a pound. It cost me just over $40 for the two lobsters, so all in all not a bad deal. With the local catches (lobster, prawn, crab, etc.) it's hard to remember that Pearson's has a good selection of fish that they fly in as well. I've picked up a few things from them here and there (white sea bass and yellowfin tuna) and they were of good to very good quality.

Last week marked the start of Spiny Lobster season over at Pearson's Port, so Saturday morning I found myself driving home with a couple of ornery Spiny Lobsters I picked up. Here's a photo recap of my day with the Lobbies... In a bag, fearing for their lives: After being steeped for 4 minutes and removed from the water: Most of the meat is in the tail / lower head section of the lobster, I removed and split in half (as you can see the meat on the right was "cooked" whereas the meat on the left was simply steeped in boiling water just long enough to pull away from the shell): For dinner I butter poached the lobster (it was insanely tender juicy), made a potato puree, beet and potato chips and sauteed cremini mushrooms with a roasted tomato sauce. I wasn't happy with the presentation (shouldn't the lobster be the focal point? uhhh...), but the meal, especially the lobster was awesome. Pearson's Port is an amazing place and with Lobster Season running till March (or was it May), it's going to be hard to keep me away. For anyone in the area who hasn't checked this place out - I highly recommend it.

Nice report, Swicks! I haven't been back to MM since my first visit, but I'm going to have to head back soon. Like you, this is also my favorite restaurant in OC. Not overly pretentious yet exciting enough to make me want to come back to try all the dishes on the menu. I like how Chef Marneau takes traditional ingredients (for the most part) and traditional preparations and still magages to make the food seem fresh and current (notice how I didn't use the word "modern"). I'm also in agreement on the portion sizes. I felt that they were perfect. I left the restaurant full and satisfied not sick and engorged or hungry.

I'll chime in here to share my experience with the new Whole Foods in Tustin/Irvine last Saturday. Parking is a nightmare, crowds are at a retarded level and the store is *too* big. You heard me, TOO BIG. I wish they would have simply bagged the idea of having "restaurants" within the store. Their "wine bar" was a joke. That being said, I'll undoubtedly find my way back in the near future to pick up certain ingredients that I might have difficulty finding elsewhere. As mentioned previously, the charcuterie and cheese areas will no doubt be diminished in due time. I would actually prefer if WF never left the "quaint" spot on Irvine Blvd. I could go about my business without having to fight with folks over sherry vinegar. The verdict is still out on the butcher section. I purchased some decent dry aged rib eye steaks that were very nice. Outside of a little bit of lamb, veal and chicken feet, there was nothing *going on*. I would also probably stay away from the Fish section since sisefromm has introduced me to Pearson's Port. It'll be interesting to see how long it takes for the crowds to die down and what changes they will make. Hopefully the horrendous "ethnic" eating spots will be out of the picture, but I think that might just be wishful thinking.

Last Saturday the wife and I went to Providence to celebrate our five year anniversary. I know what you’re saying... “Did this guy really take pictures of his anniversary dinner?”. You bet your sweet corn I did. We decided to go for the 9-course "Full Tasting" menu with wine pairings. The restaurant offers an a la carte menu a 5 and 9 course tasting menu and an 18 course (someone correct me on this if I'm wrong) "Chef's Menu". I was surprised to see when I looked around the place that only one other table was getting any kind of tasting menu (although my powers of perception might have been off that night). Anyways - less talk more rock. First Amuse Bouche: "Gin and Tonic" The Gin and Tonic was served as a little Jelly. To me this was awesome as I love a good gin and tonic, but was a little strong for my wife. She called this a "Classy Jello Shot". Second Amuse Bouche: "Mojito" Sticking with the cocktail as Amuse theme was this little Sodium Alganate encapsulated mojito. The "glob" as I will call it, had a semi firm outer layer holding the completely viscous insides. I let the glob roll and slide around in my mouth for a while before I finally crushed it letting all the minty mojito goodness drip down my gullet. I thought this was interesting even though the liquid was pretty syrupy and a little rich. Third Amuse Bouche: Watermelon, Green Olive and Wasabi. This was watermelon juice with some watermelon parisienne balls, half a green olive and wasabi. I don't know what else to say other than it was interesting and our green olives got stuck in the bottom of the "shot glass" and didn't want to come out. First Course: "Japanese Kanpachi Tartare - hearts of palm, red radish, wasabi creme fraiche" "Cserszegi Fuszeres, Craftsman 2006" It can be hard to impress with such an overdone dish as tartare, but when you have a fish that is as insanely fresh and tasty as this Kanpachi, it's probably best to keep it as far away from an open flame as possible. The Kanpachi was accented with hearts of palm (both pickled as well as being used as the "ring" to hold the kanpachi), radish, chives and a wasabi creme fraiche. I had never heard of this particular grape varietal before (I thought Hungary pretty much kept to Tokaji - I know, I know leave me alone), but I am searching it out now. It reminded me of a more aromatic, slightly less acidic Sauvingon Blanc. The pairing was perfect. Second Course: "Maine Lobster - yellow beets in two forms, american caviar, tarragon" "Chateauneuf du Pape, Dom. St. Benoit 2005" This was one of the highlights of the entire meal. The lobster while not meltingly tender was DE-FREAKING-LICIOUS. I asked the server how they prepared the lobster and he informed me that they first cooked it in a lobster stock, then finished it by poaching in butter. The initial cooking in stock really made a difference. The beets were almost undetectable, but were present in a very thin raw and geleed disk form. The caviar added a very nice salty/briny quality to the rich lobster. The tarragon was fried and out of place, but good none the less. The Ch. du Pape was a singing pair with the lobster. So far, so good (great). Third Course: "Bobby's Block Island Sea Scallops - tutti frutti farms sweet peas, vadouvan, pea shoots, salsify, bacon" "Riesling Kabinett, Max Grunhauser 2006" Yes. Yes, this was the best course of the entire meal. It was unbelievably tasty, interesting, and fun all at the same time. Of course bacon and scallops are great together. However, the bacon was NOT gratuitous and played more of a staring role with the peas and salsify. The pea shoots were on the plate as a wonderfully sweet puree. The most interesting - not to mention the reason this dish was "THE BEST" - was the vadouvan, which was presented in the form of a foam. Vadouvan as it was explained to us by our server is a Curry that comes from the South of France. Yes, there was that usual curry flavor, but there was also more of an acidic backing to the curry that made it pair with the scallop like PB&J. The Riesling was as you might guess delicious and paired *perfectly* (I know this is getting redundant). Fourth Course: "Wild Japanese Medai - tongues of fire beans, artichoke, bell peppers, olive oil" "Bourgogne, Leroy 1997" Even though the aforementioned scallop was the "best" course of the night, the medai is the most haunting. Almost a week later I am still contemplating the amazing flavors of this dish that I realize now I didn't fully *get* at the time. This was my first experience with Japanese Medai and I have no other frame of reference in which to compare it. It is a white, slightly oily fish. The chef barely cooked this leaving the natural flavor of this beatiful fish intact. The accompaniments to the fish were of equal greatness. The beans, while not something I would have initially thought of as a great complement to the fish, added a nice protein-rich addition to the dish. The julienned bell peppers and cucumbers that garnished the fish were very aromatic and refreshing. The "olive oil" was incorporated into the broth at the base of the dish (instead of a heavy and over-powering sauce). Both my wife and I were trying every method to suck up every last drop of this "broth". This dish was light and deft without comprimising flavor. The Chardonnay worked well. It was not too oaky and did not over power this delicate dish. Fifth Course: "Wild King Salmon (Columbia River) - slow roasted, burdock root, shimeji mushrooms, sake" "Schiava, St. Magdalener 2005" Unfortunately, this was the only lull in the entire meal. Don't ask me to give you one specific reason why this dish didn't kick my ass as it clearly should have. The salmon was prepared perfectly - fully cooked, even though it seemed almost rare. I would even go as far as to say that this was the best salmon I've ever had. That said, I wasn't blown away. The burdock, mushrooms, sauce and sake foam were all good, but not great and did not stand out to me. Now it's time to discuss that crazy thing crawling on my wife's plate. Yes, don't let your eyes deceive you - that is a "salmon chip" (although her's was more like salmon popcorn). No doubt the chip was tasty and held all the delicious qualities one looks for in a "chip" (salmony fishiness, crispity crunchiness and let's not forget - fish skin). All kidding aside, the chip was good, interesting and a fun conversation piece. It added a *CRUNCH* to a dish containing an otherwise meltingly tender piece of fish. The wine was good on it's own but didn't seem to pair particularly well with the salmon. Sixth Course: "Medallion of Veal - medium rare, endive, morel mushrooms, asparagus" "Nebbiolo, Martin & Weyrich 2002" After five courses of seafood I was ready for some friggin' meat and this dish did not disappoint. The veal was beyond tender and, like every protein served, perfectly cooked. The morels were a perfect foil to go with the luscious veal. The asparagus was a but under-cooked for my taste and I really could have gone without them. That red thing you see in the photo is some sort of roasted/confit tomato contraption. I enjoyed the depth of flavor on this component, although I thought that when eaten with the veal, it over-powered the subtle flavor of the meat. Again the morels and the veal were the stars of this dish. The Nebbiolo from CA Central Coast was a lovely pairing. Seventh Course: "Market Cheeses" "Montefalco Rosso, Arnaldo Caprai 2003" My knowledge of cheese can fit inside a "Sandwich" sized plastic baggy. That's not to say I know "a little" bit about cheese - that would be a complement. That being said, when our server rolled out the cheese cart and asked what type of cheese we like, my response was "I don't know anything about cheese" (ie "HELP ME"). Our server was kind enough to oblige and hooked a brother up. The only thing I can comment on in light of my extreme cheese ignorance is that the hard cheese from Spain in the upper right hand corner of the photo was good. REALLY GOOD. I almost attacked my wife with my fork over it. The vino was good and went well with some of the milder cheeses. Eight Course: "Kalamansi - mango, cardamon" Not so much of a course as much as a "Pre-Dessert". This was identical to the mojito amuse, except the Kalamansi (a tangerine like citrus from the Philippines) took the place of the mojito. It was kind of hard to tell where the Kalamansi started and the mango stopped as the liquid was, much like the mojito amuse, very syrupy and heavy. Once I let the flavors dissipate my palate felt much more refreshed and not quite as assaulted. Ninth Course: "Blackberries - avocado puree, corn tortilla ice cream" "Late Harvest Syrah, Jaffurs 2005" This was certainly an interesting dessert. While I love a good ol' fashioned sweet-tooth dessert, nothing makes me happier when the savory aspect of a dessert can meld with the sweet. Let me preface this by saying that every component of this dish had some kind of sweetness to it (even the avocado). The crushed corn tortilla chips were a little hard/stale but added a much appreciated crunch. The corn tortilla ice cream is simply AMAZING. I've been toying around with a corn infused ice cream and this was like a dream come true. The blackberry gelee and the raw blackberries seemed a little out of place. I know what they were trying to do to add a tart component to the dish, but I felt like the blackberries were more of an afterthought. The wine was OK, but did not add anything to the dessert. I might have preferred a late harvest viognier or riesling instead. Petit Fours: Red Currant Jelly, Weird Sweet Savory and *Spicy* Caramel and Chocolate Cookie At this point, I ordered some coffee (which was fantastic) and le check. The meal was just under four bills. I was a little worried about how I would fare after eight glasses of wine, but I was honestly OK (I wish I could say the same for my wife who was properly blitzed at about the 7th course mark). The fact that the meal was spaced out over 3 hours certainly helped. A side note on the wines: It was an additional $45 for the wine service (eight of the nine courses). This works out to $5.63 a glass. Almost all the wines retail for under $25 a bottle. The fact that 6 out of 8 pairings were good, I would say that this is an awesome value. While you're not getting an experience like Bin 8945 with more of an "experimental" pairing experience, the wine service was totally solid. I’m not going to pretend to know where Providence ranks in the “Best restaurant in LA” argument because I simply haven’t been to enough restaurants in LA. I will say without any reservations that Providence was the most exciting and inspiring meal I have ever had. Furthermore, I have to say that the set up of the tasting menu was so well established, paced and presented that not at one moment did I feel full or rushed. The idea of only having one course out of nine containing any kind of meat really made the entire meal seem light and fluid. I can't say when but some how, some way, I WILL BE going back to Providence for that Chef's Menu.

I have had mixed luck with the meat at Whole Foods. They have a store in Tustin off of Irvine Blvd and Newport Ave. Their meat has been OK (they at least have veal, lamb, oxtails and other interesting cuts), whereas their seafood has been outright nasty. I remember getting some scallops about a year ago that looked like they got into a fight with a cheese grater. The existing Whole Foods store is closing soon and the new one is going to be opening up later this month. I believe it will be on the corner of Barranca and Jamboree. One of the employees claimed that the new store will be "3 times the size of the old one" and that the butcher/seafood section should be "much better". Just out of curiosity, why would you boycott Whole Foods?

I went to Pearson's Port this past Friday and sadly they were out of the prawns (they were supposedly going out the next morning). Instead I picked up a few rock crabs (I think they were about $5 a pound). I made a rich broth from the shells which was used in a crab risotto on Saturday and tried my hand at the Corn Crab Cakes from Michel Richard's cookbook on Sunday. The crab was sweet and succulent - everything you could want from good crab. The folks at Pearson's are very friendly and helpful. It seems like they do bring in quite a bit but even what they bring in is much fresher than what you would get elsewhere. Also in case any has difficulty finding Pearson's, their address is 100 E. PCH in Newport. They mentioned that the Spiny Lobster season starts in October. Freakin' Sweet!