Costa Mesa area dining

[Sweet Willie]

I'll be in Costa Mesa in a month for training. A full week.

I did a search and came up the restaurant Troquet.

Troquet (believe it or not) is inside the giant South Coast Plaza shopping center in Costa Mesa. More bistro-like but very well-done foods.

Any other suggestions in the Costa Mesa area?

We prefer ethnic (but no Italian), sushi, CA "inspired" cuisine would be fine.

Also any place that is uniquely California. Down and dirty or haughty doesn’t matter.

[Louisa Chu]

I love Costa Mesa - one of the best malls in the world. Troquet's very good - transplanted a little French resto into a soCal mall. My favourite place down there's Back Pocket - the casual annex to Gustaf Anders - Swedish, modern, but warm - with a wood-fired oven. And there's Darya has a location next door too - one of the best Persian places in town. And there's a Sam Woo BBQ - Chinese, really good rice/noodle plates - try the beef tendon and turnip for incredible flavour - if you're not afraid of fat.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Head towards the beach (Newport); The Golden Truffle [ (949) 645-9858

1767 NEWPORT BLVD,COSTA MESA,CA,92627] is exceptional and quintessential California would be the Crab Cooker [2200 Newport Blvd. Newport Beach, CA 92663. Phone 949-673-0100] been eating there for 30+ years.

Troquet does excellent foie gras, BTW.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Oooops - the message that was here was meant to go into a another thread...

Edited December 9, 2003 by Carolyn Tillie (log)

[jschyun]

Can you only do places near the mall?

--edit

Another place that's within walking distance of the mall is that Indian restaurant Royal Khyber. They do a great, if expensive (I think it was $15) Sunday brunch buffet that is one of my favorites. I also like having dinner there, but it's more of an upscale Indian dining experience.

I second the Back Pocket.

--end edit

Costa Mesa has a lot of little funky ass places but they're closer to the beach than the mall and you would need a car.

If you have one:

Irvine, Korean, soondubu: Gaju Soft Tofu restaurant in Irvine has the best soft tofu around, I think. The original restaurant is in Garden Grove, but when they opened the new one, they took all the good people with them.

Irvine, Chinese, dim sum: China Garden in Irvine is the only decent dim sum in all of OC. I think the dan tat (egg custard tarts) are among the best, and when I say that, I include San Fran dim sum restaurants in the comparison.

Costa Mesa, Japanese, sushi: I Love Sushi, on Harbor Blvd, is the only decent sushi place in Costa Mesa, that I have tried, but it's a couple miles from the South Coast Plaza mall. I was surprised by how good it was because it looks like a craphole to me. It's not as good as some of the L.A. places (I'm thinking Hirozen Gourmet) but it's good for Orange County.

Tustin, Japanese, sushi: Wasabi. This sushi place is hella expensive (2 people usually $70 for me) and it's in a tiny strip mall, small portions, but it's probably the best sushi in Orange County. I do think it's excessively expensive, and it's omakase which I believe translates to "Screw you, you'll eat what I say you'll eat".

There is no really good Thai place in OC. You have to go to L.A. Friends took me to a place in Dana Point, and it was good, but not good enough to drive to Dana Point.

Westminster, Vietnamese, sandwiches: Lee's Sandwiches is like a beacon in the night for hungry nightcrawlers. Open 24/7 from the to-go window. There's a place that has better bread according to my Viet friend called "Chegali" (she pronounced it "Chay-gah-lee") but Lee's is pretty damn good.

Westminster, Vietnamese, pho: Pho 79 has good pho, but my favorite is one my coworker took us to. It was called Pho Thanh Long. They give you the sawtooth herb and everything. But there's been a bunch of new places opening, according to said friend, and I haven't had a chance to try them, so there may be better ones.

Irvine, American, burgers: Fatburger is a SoCal institution. I was too young for this, but my best friend remembers a time when Fatburgers had the grease spooned back over the patties while they cooked, before they were arrested by the nutrition police.

Newport Beach, French, desserts/cheese/Frenchy stuff: Pascal's Epicerie. Pascal's is good too, or so I hear, but I can never get past the epicerie where I usually load up on the miniature pastries. If you get the raspberry tarts, make sure yours has fresh sugar on them. If the sugar has melted, it is stale. I don't like the Pascal's Cafe in South Coast Plaza. Everything is tired there. They also have an excellent assortment of cheeses.

I don't like the Crab Cooker. But maybe it's because I usually get the manhattan clam chowder or fish, instead of crab. I can get crab cooked for me at 99Ranch, so what's the point of paying the Crab Cooker to do it for me?

That's all I can think of right now.

Edited December 9, 2003 by jschyun (log)

[Maison Rustique]

Please let us know if you have a car. I'm working on a list. Also if you'd like to get together while here, I'll do my best to work out a time!

And I highly second the Golden Truffle--one of my favorites! I'll get back to you with more after you let us know about transportation. Oh! And where in Costa Mesa will you be located--makes a difference if you don't have a car.

Edited to fix typo

Edited December 9, 2003 by Maison Rustique (log)

[Maison Rustique]

Here is a listing of OC restaurants (searchable) from Cox.net. This is my cable company, so I don't know if it's member-only or not. If you can't access it let me know. In this restaurant listing you will find info about these restaurants:

Memphis--very funky--casual--near So. Coast Plaza

Gypsy Den--funky but healthy--casual--near So. Coast Plaza

Scott's Seafood--traditional seafood--near So. Coast Plaza

In Newport Beach:

Pescadou--was a fabulous French place, but I understand it recently changed hands, so don't really know

Golden Truffle--don't miss it!!

La Cave--traditional steaks/seafood--late night music

And if you can get to Laguna Beach:

Cafe Zoolu--just a fun local place with terrific food--tiny

I'm still thinking!

Edited December 10, 2003 by Maison Rustique (log)

[hollywood]

Taco Mesa. Good stuff.

[tejon]

Oh, yes - Taco Mesa!!! Yum.

[Sweet Willie]

Please let us know if you have a car. I'm working on a list. Also if you'd like to get together while here, I'll do my best to work out a time!

yes, I will have a car.

I would love to get together, however my dinner time will be dictated by corporate.

If I find out we are cut free for dinner, I will make sure to contact you.

[bottomlesspit]

SUSHI

Also off the Bristol strip is Ango Tei. VERY GOOD sushi (way better than I love sushi, IMHO, and closer to the So. Co. Plaza area), hole in the wall, always packed. Check to make sure you don't go on the day they're closed (which I think is Tuesday, but not sure.)

Bristol and Paularino - by the Japanese market (Mitsuwa?)

Ango Tei

675 Paularino (at Baker), 5.

Costa Mesa, California

Next to a large Asian market.

Voice: +1 (714) 557-2696.

I also second jschyun's Sushi Wasabi (Tustin) vote. The omakase is exceptional, melt-in-your-mouth, fresh fish and definitely worth the trip if you are a true lover of all things sushi.

Happy eats!

[jschyun]

bottomlesspit is right. Ango Tei is much better than I Love Sushi. Thanks! Also, I finally found Mitsuwa, after hearing about it for 5 years.

By the way, I had a typo. If you want to go to Wasabi sushi, in Tustin, it's $100 per 2 pple, not $70. My bad.

--edit I usually go here when I can't get to L.A. for extremely fresh sushi. However, I've been here a lot and he (the guy behind the counter) generally does the same things, every time. I guess this is more of an issue with regulars. For very well made, classic sushi, in OC, this is the place.

Also, the guy will ask you what you don't like (tuna, mackerel), or requests, and after you tell him, he will proceed to ignore whatever it is you said. At least he did that to me the last couple of times I have gone. Maybe it's my Engrish.

--end edit

Edited December 15, 2003 by jschyun (log)

[Sweet Willie]

my training has been pushed back to the last full week of Feb.

I'll post if I am cut free from the group during the evenings, because I would love to go to dinner with some CA eG'ers.

[Beachfan]

I think Gustaf Anders is not too far (by LA standards) from Costa Mesa. It's in Santa Ana. Great Scandanavian food. Think gravlax and herring.

[alanamoana]

since people have mentioned troquet, i would recommend aubergine for a high end dinner. it is owned by the same chef couple (Tim and Liza Goodall). Tim was named best new chef by food and wine a few years back. i had my first "fine" dining experience there and it was great. don't know how it is now, but they are trying to build an empire...we'll see how that turns out.

it sounds cheezy, but if you like/love good bread, you should go to an il fornaio. there's one in irvine. they have great bread!

also, in irvine for fine dining, anyone know how bistango is doing lately? they have a web-site. i used to eat there because on sundays they had a 50% discount on food for restaurant workers! that was a bargain, for sure.

bistango site

have fun in the sun! i sort of miss soCal...somtimes...

oh yes, i third or fourth taco mesa! that place really brings back some memories...burrito al pastor, WET.

[Beachfan]

I've heard great things about Aubergine.

[SiseFromm]

Really, I could go on and on about Costa Mesa for a long time. I'm a long-time resident and have really tried a lot. I'm a little frightened that I Love Sushi was even mentioned in this thread, lest the poor guy accidentally go there. Please stay away like the plague.

My recommendations woud have more to do with what kind of food adventure you're interested in having rather than what my favorite spots are. Aubergine, Golden Truffle, Troquet, etc. are all good restaurants, but only if you're looking for an expensive French/California dining experience. And of the three, Golden Truffle is really in a pretty lame spot just off Newport Blvd. at 17th Street/Superior. It's in a strip mall. At least spring for Aubergine on the Peninsula in Newport Beach on 21st Street.

Crab Cooker is a fun place and certainly a Newport Beach institution. It does a good job of capturing the beach lifestyle, the history of the area, and good/clean seafood served simply. Don't expect fancy though. It's strictly paper plates and plastic cups. Nothing like a draft beer in a cup. Taco Mesa is also good, though for a more rustic and adventurous visit to Costa Mesa's vast Mexican food offerings, try Jugo de Acapulco on 19th Street just a block from Taco Mesa in the Smart & Final lot. Or head down Bristol to El Gallo Giro in Santa Ana across from Mater Dei highschool for arguably one of the area's best Mexican food joints.

Tell me a little about what you're looking/hoping for and I'll throw in a few well-deserved recommendations.

R. Jason Coulston

[SiseFromm]

I was thinking more about it and figured I'd post a follow-up here.

On Bristol Avenue in Costa Mesa between Bear and Baker you'll find The Camp on one side of the street and The Lab on the other.

The camp houses Native Foods, an eye-opening and surprisingly good all-vegan cafe. Steps from Native Foods is Village Bakery. Old-world style breads and high prices are both easy to find. Next to that is Tim Goodell's The Lodge. Try the all-day braised Pot Roast, or if you're lucky, the Veal Pot Roast Special. Make sure to get a side of something, because they're all good. The Lodge is tucked away in a mid-century modernist's dream come true and the bartender is a whiz. Dine late and stay for one of the area's hippest after hours with DJs spinning house and hip-hop.

If you walk across the street to The Lab, you'll find Memphis, Gypsy Den, and Habana. I used to live in Memphis, Tennessee, and, well, you won't find true Memphis spirit at Memphis Cafe. You will find good meatloaf and catfish. You will find cute waitstaff. You will find a small dining room that feels good. Gypsy Den is a lunch cafe where "vegetarians eat with their meat-eating friends" or some such catchy phrase they use. It's good. Part hippie + modern, part vegetarian + waldorf chicken salad. Try the Adobe stew, if you can get a table on the weekday during lunch. Habana is almost a landmark there now, having been in business serving Cuban food for the good part of 11 years if I had to guess. Make sure to try the mojito, and whatever you do, don't miss the Bocaditos or the Puerco Primo. You can catch live Flamenco on certain nights, so call ahead for scheduling. Think dark. Think lots of candles. Think Cuban meets Costa Mesa. Think about getting there early because it's always busy on the weekends.

If you leave either The Lab or The Camp, or you drive past them all together, make a right on Newport Blvd/55 Fwy South. You can either jump on the freeway at that point or stay to the right and drive along Newport Blvd. Either will dump you off at the end of the 55 Freeway into what I believe is the heart of Costa Mesa. Newport Boulevard between 19th Street and 17th Street. You can tuck into any number of eateries along the way, as long as you avoid the Yard House. They don't clean their lines and you end up getting a crappy pint of Boddington's. The menu is standard trendy bar fare. Could be good, but poorly executed and not worth the wait. Pass 17th Street and keep heading toward Newport Beach from Newport Blvd. Stay to the right and take the exit for PCH South. Turn left and you'll hit restaurant row. The PCH restaurants on the West side of PCH have harbor views. The ones on the East are still good bets, but without the swanky view. You'll see Chart House, Jack Shrimp, Joe's Crab Shack, Josh Slokum's (owned by Dennis Rodman), and several others. None on this strip are absolute knockouts, but they do offer a definitive Newport Beach dining experience and are good for considering if you're doing any business while on the trip. It's too bad that both Bistro 201 and Aysia 101 are both closed, because they offered the best thing along that strip. John Sharpe's West Coast Restaurant empire is truly gone.

For nightlife, sneak into La Cave on 17th Street and Irvine Avenue. Venture down the stairs or on the elevator into, literally, the cave. No windows. No need for them. If dinner is still being served expect to smell prime beef and possibly a lobster tail or two. Skip dinner though and go for the night scene. They pour the stiffest drink as voted by OC Weekly, but they don't charge $9 for their martinis like you'll find at Gulfstream (formerly Cowboy Seafood), Bayside, or one of the other various trendy restaurants in Newport Beach. Saturday nights means jazz with the Todd Oliver Quartet playing standards from Davis and Coltrane. There's no cover so throw a $5 in there at least please, they deserve it. You'll see.

For breakfast there is Plum's and Haute Cakes, both on 17th Street. Plum's was started by a couple of artsy Oregon refugees so you'll see such Pacific Northwest signature ingredients such as hazelnuts and, of course, salmon. Haute Cakes serves up goat cheese and asparagus scrambles, chorizo benedict on corn cakes, homemade granola and yogurt, knock-out coffee and pastries, and a look at the underbelly of Newport Beach's suburban rich. It's a comedy show and worth the admission. The food rocks too. It's too bad you don't have time to take a drive South to San Juan Capistrano to Ramos House Cafe, Orange County's best breakfast hands-down. Their bloody mary has a king crab leg and asparagus for crying out loud, and don't get me started on the beignets.

R. Jason Coulston

[Sweet Willie]

Going next week, thanks for the replies!

[jschyun]

I'm actually starting to like Ango Tei better than Wasabi. Wasabi serves very small pieces and you're at the mercy of the sushi man. Also, I can never get bluefin toro there for some reason, whereas I had some excellent bluefin toro at Ango Tei yesterday.

However, Ango Tei seems to be a magnet for disgusting old white men in heat. Ugh. Unfortunately, you will get these coming after you, if you are a single female at the bar. Yesterday was awful. I got the hard sell by a 48 year old guy who told me he is divorced, will never marry again, and is currently not into white women because they are too much trouble. He said he only goes out with Asian women now, because they know their role. He proceeded to try and find out everything he could about me, where I lived, how much money I made, and gave me his business card in case I was ever interested in going out with him. Gross!

I told him that he shouldn't date Korean women. They're too much trouble.

Another old white man took his place after he left, but he was actually a normal person and did not harass me. As an experiment I started a conversation about the restaurant with him and he was perfectly normal, only commenting on his favorite dishes and how he's gone there for 20 years. A nice antidote to bachelor #1.

[SG-]

Not popular amongst LA gulleters but you have to try Sushi Shibucho, cheap and excellent. See review from the "other" site. Warning though it is a hardcore sushi bar, very traditional!

Sushi Shibucho

590 West 19th St.

Costa Mesa

949-642-2677

http://www.chowhound.com/california/boards...ages/40281.html

[Sweet Willie]

One night I ate at Ferdussi “Taste of Persia” in Santa Ana, but only a couple blocks from my Costa Mesa hotel.

Started out with the appetizer of Stuffed Eggplant: beef, garlic, onion, herbs & tomato sauce. Very rich and very good with the flat house bread (kindof like pita).

Entrée was a special of lamb loin chops w/spices and grilled vegetables, served with Adas Polo: basmati rice mixed with dates, raisins and lentils. Quite delicious as well.

Ferdussi “Taste of Persia”

3605 S. Bristol Street @ Mac Arthur

Santa Ana, CA

714.545.9096

http://www.ferdussi.com

[toni guy]

It's too bad you don't have time to take a drive South to San Juan Capistrano to Ramos House Cafe, Orange County's best breakfast hands-down. Their bloody mary has a king crab leg and asparagus for crying out loud, and don't get me started on the beignets.

I went here on Sunday afternoon. It is definately a great place for breakfast/brunch.

Seating was outside on the patio of an old cottage like house built in 1881 right on the

railroad tracks in Los Rios Historic District, the "oldest neighborhood in California." The place made me want to site down and

enjoy myself.

And the food made me want to stay forever. I started with Basil Cured Salmon with Toast Points.

Thin strips of cured salmon bathed in a sweet, creamy herb sauce topped with

crispy toast points and fresh, chopped herbs from the garden growing next to the dining

area. The salmon was rich and soft; the toast were points crunchy and baked with an array of seeds; the basil was spicy and aromatic. I really enjoyed this dish as I love simple, herbed

seafood dishes.

For the main, I ordered Duck and Sweet Potato Hash, Collard Green Sauce with Wild Mushroom Scrambled Eggs. Two patties of duck hash topped with julienned curls of sweet potatoes

surrounded by the scrambled eggs. The duck hash, so flavorful and moist, reminded me of Thanksgiving(?). The mound of fried, crunchy sweet potatoes contrasted the soft hash nicely.

Containing sundried tomatoes as well as mushrooms, the scrambled egg was a nice rendition

of a simple, yet delicious classic. The collard green sauce lost itself in all

of the other flavors, although I did find some cooked greens in the hash along with pine nuts and

small cloves of roasted garlic. Another dish, another success.

A scone served with cinnamon spiced apple sauce accomponied the main course.

I liked the bread and compote very much even if it seemed a little out of place with

the duck, but it was brunch after all.

My date sipped on a pomegranate mimosa served in a rustic jar with a straw. The drink tasted

yummy, if not a little sweet. I drank a 'normal' mimosa, made with fresh orange juice.

The chef lives in the little house and opens the cafe from Tue-Sun 8:30 - 3 PM.

A very good breakfast/brunch and worth the little drive. Highly recommended for anyone

interested in a cozy spot for good food in the morning; the food was fresh and tastey and the

atmosphere made me want to relax under that huge tree all day.

Ramos House Cafe

31752 Los Rios St

San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675

Phone 949-443-1342

[tsquare]

yum yum

since people have mentioned troquet, i would recommend aubergine for a high end dinner.  it is owned by the same chef couple (Tim and Liza Goodall).  Tim was named best new chef by food and wine a few years back.  i had my first "fine" dining experience there and it was great.  don't know how it is now, but they are trying to build an empire...we'll see how that turns out.

←

I have been told that aubergine has changed hands. But had lunch at troquet today and it was great - roasted Jidori chicken (I was told it is a special type of bird, like "kobe beef", it googles up as free-range) with a balsamic mustard thyme reduction, served with haricot vert. Also, the chocolate souffle cake (very runny center) with prune armanac ice cream. The cake was lovely, but a bowl of the ice cream would have made very happy.

I was also informed that the Goodalls opened Red Pearl Kitchen in Huntington Beach. I'm not sure that is true, but the menu looks good:

yum

edit: tis true:

Domaine

Edited October 15, 2005 by tsquare (log)

[Carolyn Tillie]

I was also informed that the Goodalls opened Red Pearl Kitchen in Huntington Beach. I'm not sure that is true, but the menu looks good:

yum

←

I actually ate at the Red Pearl on my last drive down there -- very nice, cute Oriental interior that reminded me of Madame Wong's of the 1930s. The food was decent enough, but I found it overpriced for what you got. Actually, it is extremely typical of the QPR ratio of the neighborhood (a lot of money for not a lot of food that is just "okay). I doubt I will go again.