Orange County, CA?

[Matt_T]

I'm going to be visiting a friend in the OC this weekend and wonder what the culinary highlights might be? Restaurants, with emphasis on uniqueness, or value?

What about shopping opportunities for home cooks? I here there are lots of fashion stores in the OC, and wondering if there are also places to shop for a Sabatier blade or a Falk saute?

[nibor]

There is a wide diversity of food in Orange County (we do not call it "the OC") - what do you have in mind?

[rjwong]

Matt,

Check out this Orange County thread. Also do a search under "Orange County", "Costa Mesa", "Anaheim", or "Newport Beach."

Hopefully, two eGers, Swicks & SiseFromm, can give you the scoop on the culinary scene behind the "Orange Curtain," as well as others in Orange County (aka Mickey Mouse Land) ...

Marche Moderne is one restaurant I want to try. It's located at South Coast Plaza, the huge shopping center.

[Carolyn Tillie]

(we do not call it "the OC")

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Having been born and raised in Tustin, I must concur - that phrase is a recent TV phenom and nothing else and grates on ones nerves like "Frisco" does to San Franciscans.

That said, you are close to the land of plenty when it comes to Indian food; Artesia - Pioneer Boulevard to be specific. For haute cuisine, you have Pinot Provence and the other places mentioned. Shopping-wise, South Coast Plaza is too big for words and I prefer the smaller, more intimate Fashion Island for outdoor shopping, although South Coast Plaza has better restaurants attached to it.

[Swicks]

Ditto to those who have talked about the ridiculousness of the ever popular term "The OC".

As far as dining goes, a lot really depends on what types of places you are looking to go to, and also some bearing on where in Orange County you will actually be. Can you give us a bit more insight as to your location and desires restaurant-wise?

As rjwong said, Marche Moderne is very excellent, in my opinion probably the best restaurant in Orange County right now, especially given reports that Stonehill Tavern has gone downhill. I would say it falls in the fine dining category (for southern california) meaning it isn't formal like a similar restaurant would be in say New York City.

Great Mexican food abounds in Orange County, in every conceivable location, most very inexpensive and of the "hole in the wall" variety.

Second the opinions on South Coast Plaza, a huge mall with every high end store you could want. Marche Moderne is also located here, near Nordstroms and Tiffany's. There is also a Willams Sonoma for cooking supplys and equipment.

In Newport Beach there is Fashion Island, another high end mall for shopping. Nearby on the NB Corona del Mar border is a Sur La Table another high end cooking supply store. Next door is Bristol Farms a high end super market with a great cafe.

[andiesenji]

The best store for kitchen gadgets, cookware and other goodies for the foodophile is, according to radio food show hosts, magazine and newspaper writers and many others, is

Cookin' Stuff in Torrance.

Their motto is, "If we don't have it, you don't need it!

While it is not in Orange County, it is quite close, particularly if you are going to be in Costa Mesa.

see red star on map. and zoom out to see how it relates to the rest of the South Coast area.

I make a pilgrimage to the store at least twice a year. and for me it is a long drive.

[HVRobinson]

Orange County is also home to one of the largest Vietnamese populations outside of the nation. Little Saigon is a destination all by itself. If you crave the cuisine... it is a place to go... and you'll have a hard time going wrong. My favorite place? I don't remember. But after most of a bottle of brandy... it was a fun evening. At least that's what all my friends told me....

hvr

[Matt_T]

Thanks for the tips! And sorry about the offensive language,

Indian, Vietnamese, and March Moderne....sounds like enough variety to make a very interesting weekend! My wife has already informed me that we'll be spending Sunday at South Coast Plaza so will try to arrange MM for that evening. Hope there's a sports bar there too, ideally located between Chanel and Ferragamo....

[Swicks]

Thanks for the tips!  And sorry about the offensive language,

Indian, Vietnamese, and March Moderne....sounds like enough variety to make a very interesting weekend!  My wife has already informed me that we'll be spending Sunday at South Coast Plaza so will try to arrange MM for that evening.  Hope there's a sports bar there too, ideally located between Chanel and Ferragamo....

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Sounds like you have some good options avaliable. As far as a sports bar goes, you have two or three options, your best bet is National Sports Grill at 101 sandpointe in Santa Ana, its about 3 or 4 minutes away from South Coast Plaza. Also in the Metro Point shopping center across the street from SCP you have a Karl Strauss brewery that has tvs in the bar area. As a third option there is a restaurant at the mall proper called the Clubhouse which i believe has a few tvs in the bar area as well.

[savvysearch]

You might try the Macy's Home Store. It across the bridge in the smaller mall.

For Indian, I like Natraj Cuisine of India in Fullerton

For Vietnamese sandwiches: Banh mi Che Cali on Brookhurst.

For Mexican: Taco Mesa in Costa Mesa.

By the way, Marche Moderne offers a prix fixe lunch for $20.