Where to eat in Orange County

[ChrisN]

I'll be in Anaheim from tomorrow through the weekend but will have a car. I'm looking for some restaurant recommendations. We'll probably get to LA once or twice, but generally need to stay close.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Chris Amirault]

Eager to see the results in this topic as I'm headed to Anaheim in November. When I was last there I really enjoyed Thai Nakorn and LaPalma Pie Shop. Click here for a post about the former.

[ChrisN]

Thai Nakorn sounds good--I'll look for it.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Shin Sen Gumi in Gardena is the best Yakitori in the state (I live in San Francisco and this is my go-to restaurant whenever I head south).

Edited January 6, 2010 by Carolyn Tillie (log)

[ChrisN]

Just got bad from Thai Nakorn--definitely worth the trip. Everyone enjoyed the meal. The BBQ beef, chicken satay, and pad thai were particular favorites.

I don't know if we can get to Gardena, but the Yakitori place sounds good.

Thanks.

[Chris Amirault]

Are there any "ethnic" enclaves in Orange County worth navigating?

[nibor]

Are there any "ethnic" enclaves in Orange County worth navigating?

The "Little Saigon" area in Westminster/Garden Grove is huge, famous and interesting as well as being the home of good food. You can read about its origins on Wikipedia, and here, a history/food blog that has a links to posts about restaurants at the end. I haven't been over there in a while, so can't point to particular places myself. The shopping and just the scene are pretty incredible. Edited January 9, 2010 by nibor (log)

[Maison Rustique]

Are there any "ethnic" enclaves in Orange County worth navigating?

Also lots to eat and experience in Artesia (border of LA & OC) AKA Little India.

[Chris Amirault]

Thanks for these; they're on my google map. Any more to add?

[Honkman]

Marche Modern (Costa Mesa) has very good French inspired food on the same quality level as the better places in LA. Pizzeria Ortica has very good Neapolitan style pizza. Kean Coffee (Newport Beach) (former owner of Diedrich Coffee) is the best place for serious coffee.

[FrogPrincesse]

I second Marche Moderne in Costa Mesa. I’ve been there about a half dozen times and every meal has been impeccable. Last time I had an outstanding foie gras terrine.

On a more casual side, we enjoy the fish tacos Sharky’s. Yes, it’s a chain, but the food is great and it’s perfect for a quick meal.

[andiesenji]

If you want some excellent Mexican food, I recommend Blue Agave Southwestern Grill in Yorba Linda.

I've had many meals there and never been disappointed.

I posted about it here.

and included some photos. The portions are very generous and I can guarantee you probably won't have room for dessert - I never have.

Here's a link to the MENU

[Chris Amirault]

Completely blown away by Cambodia Town and, especially, Little Saigon. But, first, Anaheim options.

Went back to Thai Nakorn and had a great meal again. I had the best Chiang Mai sausage I've had outside of my kitchen or Chiang Mai itself, and the pad thai was very good. The three dishes that I thought were outstanding were the nam sod pork salad, the yum yai shrimp salad, and "Tom Kroung Nai Voi" soup, which we ordered because of the seeming reference to kroeung, Khmer curry paste, in the title. It was a rich, meaty broth with pork (neck and shoulder?), big chunks of tripe, and more. There's no description of it on the menu, but it was worth the risk. If you like offal, you'll love it.

Also went to Thuyen Vien Vegetarian Restaurant, which was also excellent. I'm no fan of vegetarian food generally speaking, and I don't go for the faux meat tofu dishes, but the array of savory dishes we had at lunch proved that the kitchen was adept. The canh chua was outstanding, with a lot of mushrooms providing a meaty foil to the other ingredients. We also scooped up two dishes with rice chips: the umami-laden seaweed xao lan w tofu & mushrooms and rice chips and the goi mit, the best jackfruit salad I've ever had.

I could eat at those two restaurants and never go hungry.

[hzrt8w]

If you like Vietnamese style snacks and in the area of Little Saigon... I had the best Vietnamese style beef jerkies at:

Van's Bakery

14346 Brookhurst Street, Garden Grove, CA

(714) 839-1666

The one with lemongrass flavor is one of the best.

And across the side street (north) is:

My Nguyen Restaurant

14282 Brookhurst St # 9, Garden Grove, CA

(714) 839-5541

Very good Vietnamese food. Sugar cane shrimp and BBQ pork banh hoi are among some of the best.

Edited November 9, 2010 by hzrt8w (log)

[Chris Amirault]

I devoted about two hours to the Little Saigon shopping center at Magnolia & Bolsa (the one with the ABC supermarket). Had a good broken rice plate at Com Tam Thuan Kieu restaurant there, and then loaded up on goodies. If I had access to the vegetables, greens, and fruits available in that shopping plaza I'd be in heaven.

[Priscilla]

Chris, ABC is my favorite LS supermarket! I love that whole center as well.