By Irvine City News staff

​Two Left Forks is old-school dining done well

By Irvine City News staff

A rule of criticism I read years ago seems simple, but in practice can be hard to follow: evaluate a book, film, restaurant or work of art on what it is, and not what you hoped it would be. If you can’t, at least make your biases clear, so that someone who likes what you don’t like can evaluate if your “thumbs down” makes it a likely “thumbs up” for them.
​
In the case of Two Left Forks in Quail Hill, I will come clean: we were hoping that empty space where Jade Kitchen used to be would be taken by a cool, foodie-forward gastropub with a happening bar. There would be a creative list of somewhat affordable small plates along with interesting entrees that would reveal the chef’s forward-thinking flare and understanding of cool culinary trends. Maybe it would be the first brick and mortar location of a popular food truck, or the first OC location of a popular San Diego or L.A. concept.

The interior would be chic, industrial and modern. The crowd would include hipsters, cool kids from Blizzard, chic couples from Shady Canyon and “worth-the-drive” foodies making the trek to the quiet corner of Irvine from around the county because the buzz about the food was so strong.

Two Left Forks is few of those things, and that’s perfectly fine. No doubt many Irvine diners will revel in the fact that this new restaurant does a contemporary take on old-school dining so well.

The first old-school clue is the art on the wall: a lovely painting of a young woman waiting at the bar with a glass of wine, that sort of thing. They’re a bit reminiscent of the art that used to hang at The Ritz Restaurant, the original one in Newport Center.

The second is the food, which includes many old-school favorites that one could have found on many 1990s-era menus: Artichoke dip. Caesar Salad. Rack of Lamb. Crab Stack. Chilean Sea Bass. There are a few notes of multicultural fusion mixed in: tataki, chimichurri, and such. It’s not cheap, but not outrageous for full service done well. Shared plate appetizers range from $10-$15, with entrees $15 to $30.

This isn’t challenging fare; no culinary ground is being broken. We don’t expect it to be an Instagram darling among the millennials.

Again, revealing our bias: we like to be challenged. We wish Irvine had a great gastropub, and that the Quail Hill Shopping Center had one. But those with tastes like ours have Diamond Jamboree, and the several new, cool spots that have debuted in recent months and years at Los Olivos, Heritage Plaza, the Spectrum and University Center. We should be, if not satisfied, then thankful at the evolving Irvine culinary scene.

The food is fresh, nicely presented, business lunch or date-night fare. It’s fine dining comfort food, without the side of irony so often served at those gastropubs mentioned above. And it’s all presented with friendly professionalism by a clean-cut crew of young adults, without a hipster beard or ostentatious tattoo among them (that we noticed, at least).

Two Left Forks is good news for those who take to message boards like NextDoor to complain as traditional “American” restaurants have closed in recent years, replaced by hot spots like Meizhou Dongpo, EMC Seafood and Kang Ho-Dong Baekjeong. Don’t get us wrong, Two Left Forks is certainly not a Marie Callender’s or Denny’s, as far as prices and menu choices go, thankfully. Think of it as more like the Elephant Bar, but for a new era.

By Irvine City News staff

There’s this thing some restaurant critics do to impress readers with their expertise in the type of cuisine being reviewed. They’ll name drop famous chefs and restaurants where they’ve tried similar cuisine, casually mention their extensive travels to the culinary nation of origin, or mention how their own cultural heritage includes a childhood familiarity with the food.

Well, we’re going to ’fess up. We are far from expert when it comes to authentic Chinese cuisine. We’re fans of Capital Seafood at the Spectrum and love Din Tai Fung at South Coast Plaza, and aren’t ashamed to admit affection for P.F. Chang’s. But we’ll freely admit to being intimidated by the scene at what many say is Irvine’s best, most authentic Chinese restaurant, Chong Qing Mei Wei Szechuan. On our few visits there we’ve felt out of place and a bit unwelcome, finding little patience shown to those still new to the nuances of the menu, and without a word of the language beyond hello.

And you know, we’re okay with that. We love living in a city so diverse that there are experiences that come easily only to those who speak the language or are from the culture involved, or those who take the time to learn enough to show respect for it.

Which brings us to Irvine’s newest, grandest and most beautiful Chinese restaurant, Meizhou Dongpo, at Culver Plaza. Oh, let’s not quibble. This is one of the most well-appointed and lovely restaurants of any kind in the city.

If you, like us, have wondered where all the young and wealthy Chinese émigrés paying millions in cash for Irvine houses hang out, wonder no longer.

On our several visits to the Irvine Meizhou Dongpo (it’s one of 120 locations across China, as well as L.A. and Las Vegas), we’ve seen more luxury brands worn by guests at the restaurant than any place this side of Chanel or Dior at South Coast Plaza. This may be the best-dressed crowd in all of Irvine, and it’s also a place that clearly welcomes families, as we’ve seen large groups happily enjoying the many choices on the large menu.

We’ll leave opinions about the authenticity of that menu to those more expert, but we can speak to its accessibility. Every dish listed has a photograph, and its name listed in English as well as Chinese. We found the same accessibility in the service. The servers and their managers have been attentive, fast, friendly, and fully fluent in English, as well as Mandarin, Cantonese, Shanghainese and other dialects, or so our Chinese-proficient friends inform us.

All the dishes we’ve tried have been delicious, from the simplest noodle, vegetable and dumpling dishes to the signature roast duck. Watching chefs prepare the duck behind the glass of the stunning display kitchen is not to be missed. The vegetable sides like pea sprouts and string beans have been a hit with vegetarians and meat eaters alike. We’re in love with the simple avocado with roasted chili appetizer dish: it’s instantly one of our favorite ways to eat avocado, and we’re sort of addicted to it. We haven’t been terribly adventurous with the menu, though we did share the Royal Hot Pot, which our dinner partner ordered on the spicy side. Once our mouths went totally numb, we enjoyed the endorphin-inducing experience.
​
Meizhou Dongpo is on the pricey side, but one can also order a few sides and appetizers to share so as to experience the fine dining restaurant at a comparative bargain, and be richer for the experience.
 
15363 Culver Dr., 949.433.5686

By Irvine City News staff

Yes, we cringed when we first heard the name that the Whole Foods folks had assigned to the gastropub within the new upscale grocery store at Los Olivos Marketplace when it opened a little over a year ago.
The IRV? Really?

We know it’s meant to be shorthand for our fine city, or perhaps the store’s Irvine Blvd. address, but it sounds like how an old guy named Irving would refer to himself in the third person. “Believe me, sonny, The Irv broke a few hearts in his day.”

When the Fashion Island Whole Foods debuted back in 2012, it included a cool craft beer and food spot called Back Bay Tavern—now that’s a decent name. It was the first such restaurant-in-a-Whole Foods we tried. Now, pretty much all of them have the dine-in, full service restaurant option. But while we’re stuck with the name The Irv, Tustin’s relatively new Whole Foods restaurant is fittingly called The Hangar (the store at the Irvine-adjacent center The District also includes a Mendocino Farms option), downtown L.A.’s is the Eight Bar, and even Laguna Niguel gets a cool-sounding spot called the Rock-It Bar.
​
I guess the name doesn’t really matter; we’ve never heard anyone refer to the place as The Irv. It’s always just “let’s meet at the bar at Whole Foods.”

What a great meeting place it is. Until Irvine gets one of its own, Whole Foods serves as they city’s hipster-ific dining hall scene, with numerous culinary options available.

There’s a fairly large bar area with sports on TV, along with high table with stools and regular tables on the other side of a divider with the restaurants signature bicycle wheel symbol.

Craft beer lovers enjoy the selection from 24 taps featuring the best of local, regional and national brewers. The bartenders are friendly and knowledgeable, and can make a fine tasting artisan cocktail, too—including several that feature produce, muddled and juiced and mixed with often-organic liquor choices.

Those eating in can order from a server, sit at the bar and order from the bartender, or order at the end of the bar fast-casual style and then find a seat and wait for the dishes to be delivered.

And most of them are as good as any hearty and healthy gastropub fare in the area. There are small plates, salads, flatbreads, sushi rolls, nightly specials, a $5 kids menu and main dish entrees.

Healthy eaters can select from some 16 vegetarian items on the menu, including cauliflower nachos, plant bowls with blackened tofu, quinoa and cucumber (you can add meat and fish if you’d like), a nice no-meat burger called The Beast and vegetarian rolls, like the moderately spicy Firecracker Roll.

But it’s not just a green scene. The Pub Burger is a moderately sized and juicy bit of deliciousness, made all the better with the bacon jam it’s served with. It’s $12 most days, but on Thursdays you can get it (or the vegan option) paired with a draft beer for only $13.

On Taco Tuesday, the meat-lovers go-to option is the Taco Share Plate, a nice serving of smoked green chile pork shoulder (or jack fruit for veggies), tortillas, guacamole and a pitcher of Mexican beer, all for $15.
The place is pretty packed for Happy Hour from 4-6 p.m., with $6 select glasses of wine and $5 beer and a small selection of small plates, including that green chile pulled pork.

The entire bar area fills up at weekday lunch, with both real diners who order something from the menu or the bar, and tip accordingly, as well as far too many uncouth, grab-and-go interlopers who seemingly lack even the most rudimentary knowledge of basic bar etiquette.

Let me illustrate my irritation with an example. I have no problem pulling up a bar stool and ordering lunch for one, despite what my copy of “Never Eat Alone: and Other Secrets of Success” says.

While over in the Spectrum area recently, I popped into Whole Foods, found a comfortable spot at the bar, and ordered a burger and a beer. What can I say—it was Friday. I arrived early, so the bar and adjacent restaurant area was empty.

Soon I began to notice patrons bringing in their purchases from the huge variety of to-go options in the store. There are tables inside and outside where those folks can sit, but it does get busy so I have no problem with them taking up space in the restaurant. Or sitting at the bar, for that matter—as long as they order something from the person tending that special space, and tip for the service. Which many of them don’t, I’m sorry to report.

I asked the bar keeper about it, and he admitted that it’s an issue, but that since he works for Whole Foods and the folks are spending money with his employer, there’s not much he can say about the grab-and-go customers taking up seats in the bar. Though they did have to draw the line at people bringing in food from other restaurants in the center, trying to sit at the bar and ordering nothing.

As the restaurant began to fill up, I slid over a couple of stools to make space. Eventually a nondescript fellow sat down next to me at the bar and began unwrapping a sad little salad. He looked at my burger and now second beer, smirked and mumbled something superior to himself. I let it pass.

Then he asked the bartender for an ice water, and was directed toward the self-serve water source at the other end of the bar. “Or you can get it for me,” the customer said, sotto voce, as the bartender walked away.

Which is when I let loose, just a little, on the fellow, explaining the fundamentals of proper bar behavior, including the economics of our service economy and the lost opportunity costs of him taking up a revenue-producing space at the bartender’s place of business.

He quivered a bit, the way quivery folks do when caught in bad behavior. “Thanks for ruining my lunch,” he said, as he packed up and moved to a more appropriate seating area.
As for me, I finished my beer, left a big tip, and ordered an Uber to take me to my next Irvine adventure.
 
wholefoodsmarket.com/service/irv

By Irvine City News staff

 
How much should a taco cost? An Irvine diner’s instant reaction to that question may go a long way to determine whether they’ll become a fan of Puesto, the cool new Mexico City-style restaurant and bar in the Los Olivos Marketplace shopping center.

At Puesto, the answer to the question is $5 a piece for tacos that come three to an order. Unless you order one of the five specialty tacos, that is. Those are more. Baja fish is a buck more per taco, filet mignon, grilled striped bass and tamarindo shrimp are all $2 more per taco, while the Maine lobster taco comes at a premium of $3.50.

The tacos that cost $5 are chicken al pastor, chicken verde, mushroom, zucchini and cactus, and the taco of the month. In February, the monthly special was a tasty chipotle pork tinga, featuring braised pork shoulder, chorizo, potato, chipotle, avocado, cilantro, queso fresco and chicharrón.

Most of our other favorites also come from the $5 list, which is convenient, including the chicken al pastor and the zucchini and cactus. We’ve found that we prefer the Puesto tacos that include a little signature touch: a circle of crunchy cheese from the grill that’s added between the tortilla and the filling.
​
We first saw Puesto chefs add the bit of crispy cheese goodness to a taco last summer during the opening celebration of the Los Olivos center. Despite the restaurant still being months from opening, Puesto provided free tacos to a long line of attendees. We were impressed with the tacos, and that the Puesto team attended so far in advance.

That attention to detail and customer service is one of our favorite things about Puesto, so far. They’ve trained their staff well. Other Puesto pluses we’re willing to pay extra for are salsas made from scratch using local ingredients, they use sustainable meats and seafood, and the tortillas are made fresh in-house using organic, non-GMO, blue corn masa sourced from SoCal purveyors Kernel of Truth Organics.

Things we don’t love include the lack of a kid’s menu. They’ll do a cheese quesadilla, or order a plate each of the rice and black beans at $4 each, along with an order of plantains. It’s enough to feed a couple of younger kids, and a good choice if they’re picky. We’re also getting used to what’s a surprisingly limited menu. We’ve been three or four times, and have tried most of what’s on it.

Oh sure, there’s more than tacos. The menu includes three kinds of mariscos, a $25 carnitas plate and other plates to share, and four kinds of guacamole (we like the one with parmigiana reggiano, somewhat surprisingly), to name a few. But not a whole lot more.

Which is part of the point…we get it. This isn’t a traditional Mexican restaurant with menus that run page after page. And it’s not a fast-casual taco joint, either.

It seems like a majority of our reviews in Irvine City News have been of fast casual restaurants, because that’s the trend in Irvine, and elsewhere. But Puesto is a full-service restaurant with an excellent bar. The Margaritas consistently make “best” lists in San Diego, both from critics we admire and in reader’s choice selections. The bar offers 16 beers on tap, Mezcal flights and a nice selection of wine from Baja’s Guadalupe Valley. And Puesto’s El Rey Del Patio with cucumber, tomatillo, charred chiles and lime will taste mighty fine on a summer afternoon. In fact, we predict al fresco gatherings at Puesto will be one of the hottest tickets in town this summer, or once the rain finally stops.

But let’s get back to the initial question. Are the tacos at Puesto, priced from $5 to $8.50 a piece, worth it?

One of OC’s esteemed local food writers used to instantly mock any new restaurant that offered “street tacos” that cost more than a few bucks. Tacos, like pho, bahn mi sandwiches and other cuisine, should be inexpensive by nature, he used to write. Recently, though, he wrote that “perversely enough, the more expensive the taco nowadays, the more likely it’s worth the price.”

That’s definitely true of places such as Taco Mario, where a taco dish from James Beard-nominated chef Carlos Salgado can cost $17 or more, and is worth every penny.

We were also convinced by a recent story by SoCal chef Diep Tran we read online at npr.org. Her piece criticized “cheap eats” lists and other stories extolling inexpensive, often immigrant-produced restaurant fare.
“Immigrant food is often expected to be cheap, because, implicitly, the labor that produces it is expected to be cheap, because that labor has historically been cheap,” she says. She goes on to argue that our focus on cheap food is part of “a broader restaurant culture that devalues labor and ignores the consequences of that devaluation…. Restaurants where workers are paid fairly and the food respected? That’s the true treasure.”

So the bottom line is we’ll gladly pay $5 for our favorites on Puesto’s list of gourmet tacos, and we’ll splurge for the more expensive ones from time to time. We’ll also frequent its happy hour and taco Tuesday gatherings, where those same $5 tacos are $3.50 and $2.50, respectively. Hey, we’ve got to save a few bucks for more of those amazing Puesto Perfect Margaritas.
 
eatpuesto.com

By Irvine City News staff

One thing the ongoing culinary revolution in comfort food has taught is that good chefs can improve on almost any dish, no matter how humble. A corollary to this rule is that if there’s a dish you think you hate, give it another try when seen on a top chef’s menu. Brussels sprouts, for a trendy example. Or sandwiches.

Everyone can make sandwiches, and most of us have been dining on some variation of the staple since we were very young (though we’re glad our memories of bologna and mayonnaise and Wonder bread have faded). Some of us even fancy ourselves as chefs de sandwich, wowing our friends and families with fresh takes on torta, Panini, Monte Cristo, bahn mi, grilled cheese, vada pav and even peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
​
Chefs have taken on the sandwich with gusto in recent years, and Irvine diners are lucky to have some new and newish spots to enjoy sandwich-makers at the top of their culinary game.

S’wich Bistro is a tiny and tasty hideout that serves as a de facto breakfast, lunch and break room for Blizzard’s gaming group. Open only for a month or two, the cool spot is only open weekdays from 8AM to 4PM, which is unfortunate for those of us who don’t live work within the immediate area. But if you do, or have the freedom to take some time for a fantastic take on the art of sandwich making, it’s a must visit.

The co-owners and co-chefs have big deal dining gigs in their pasts, including OC luxury resorts and high-end seafood spots on the Central Coast. They are friendly and accommodating, and just all around cool. Pretty much everything on the menu (which are pieces of butcher paper pinned to the walls) is under $10, except for one “loaded” hamburger, which goes for $10.95. The chips and fries are homemade, the breakfast burrito is up for best in the city, and the homemade soup is magnificent (don’t miss the clam chowder—it’s addictingly delicious).

But it’s the simple sandwiches at S’wich that we go back for. The chefs aren’t remaking the sandwich world with wild, new variations. They take basics like BLT, Tuna, Chicken Club, Roast Beef, Pastrami and Grilled Cheese and give them an artisan, farm-to-table, locally sourced, homemade upgrade. Slightly more exotic choices like Turkey Pesto and Korean BBQ are equally excellent. And anything with their signature glazed bacon is a must. Vegetarians will love their take on a veggie burger, too, as well as a nice selection of salads we’ve yet to try.

We look forward to the success of S’wich, which hopefully will lead quickly to evening and weekend hours. Or, if the location off of Laguna Cyn. Rd. and Alton is too challenging for that, then we’d love to see a quick second location open up. Also, a small selection of craft beer and wine would be welcome. But those are mere quibbles. We look forward to a long run for the young restaurateurs of S’wich.

Burnt Crumbs has those easy advantages over S’wich in the gourmet sandwich game: it’s open at Los Olivos every day from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and it has beer. From the same folks that brought Irvine the cool Burntzilla slider and dogs stand, Burnt Crumbs has a select and changing list of gourmet sandwiches that are off-the-charts delicious. Select meaning limited, as they only offer seven or so sandwiches at a time, but that’s enough when it includes a crispy pork sandwich with green chile and pork cracklings, or some of the best pastrami we’ve had in South O.C. And if you haven’t had a spaghetti grilled cheese sandwich before (does it even exist elsewhere?) put it on your bucket list for this weekend.

The avocado toast is also a thing of beauty, as are the hand cut chips and fries. They go quite well with a craft beer, if you’re dining in—though if you have younger kids, the tall bar-like seating at all but one table is an issue.

The Mendocino Farms at University Town Center opened in 2015, and is a favorite with UCI staffers and students, as well as parents who can let their kids play a bit (there’s a designated area for that) while enjoying a mini date night. If that location isn’t convenient, there’s a new one inside the Whole Foods at the Irvine-adjacent The District center in Tustin.

While Mendocino Farms is a growing chain with 14 restaurants in LA and OC, it doesn’t really feel like it. The servers and cashiers are super friendly, offering free samples of deli salads and more.

The hipster-goes-to-the-farm interior design is somehow aesthetically inspired and approachable/comfortable at the same time. The sandwiches are decidedly artisan, with chef-driven, farm-to-table ingredients. The Kurobuta pork belly banh mi, Peruvian steak sandwich and Steak BLT are all standouts. We love that the menu-makers aren’t afraid of spice, including “A Sandwich Study in Heat,” one of our favorite menu items that can be made hotter by request. And currently the Chef’s Pick sandwich is Torta de Pollo Con Caldo, a Mexican-French Dip hybrid piece of deliciousness that should not be missed.
 
Irvinesandwiches.com
Burntcrumbs.com
Mendocinofarms.com

By Irvine City News staff

Dining choices can create a conundrum for busy Irvine families and hard-working professionals. We want to eat a healthy diet featuring plants and grains and clean, locally sourced protein, whether we’re cooking at home or eating out. But when time is of the essence, everyone’s tired at the end of the day and we’re trying to please a variety of palates, it’s tempting to retreat to the tried, true and quick.

Luckily, there’s a fantastic new fast-casual choice to add to Irvine’s restaurant repertoire. Cava Grill is like a Mediterranean Chipotle, but with exponentially more combinations available to build your own delicious and potentially healthy meal.

The aesthetically pleasing, simple and expansive space debuted at The Crossroads Center a few weeks ago in the exterior pad that includes Creamistry. It’s a simple process: guests first choose between a bowl or a large pita upon which to create a meal. Add grains and/or greens, a choice of protein, and a variety of flavorful dips, spreads and dressings.
​
Sounds simple, but by peeking at what other patrons order, it’s clear that the variety is almost endless. Most seem to choose the bowl over the pita, the better to go crazy with the combinations. I start with some greens from the fresh salad bins right behind the first station in the familiar assembly line-style queue. There isn’t just one single salad mix, but rather a choice of a few, including organic arugula, spinach, romaine, mesclun and something called super greens, which on my visits was a mix of shredded and chopped kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cabbage. There’s also a map on the wall, with a list of local farmers and purveyors from which the chain purchases produce, meats and such.

On my first visit, I went with super greens and a bit of brown rice from the grains list, which also includes black lentils and saffron basmati rice. I did a half-and-half combo of proteins (a server clued us in to this option), mixing chicken with roasted seasonal vegetables. Then I threw in a rainbow of toppings, including tomato and onion, carrots, cauliflower quinoa tabbouleh and a crunchy slaw of some sort.

Some go minimalist: a grain, a protein and a topping. I saw one that was just the delicious grilled chicken, brown rice and pickled onions. A bit beige for our taste, but (wait for it…) it is Irvine.

It’s easy to go Paleo at Cava Grill, loading up with clean protein and produce, or to create a healthy, plant-based bowl.

The MyFitnessPal app on my phone says that a super greens salad and chicken bowl topped with cucumber-tomato, pickled onion, mint and Greek vinaigrette dressing is 414 calories with 20 grams of protein.

But one can also easily overdue it (thankfully) and end up with a high-calorie dish that could feed a hungry person for a couple of meals. A big pita packed with spicy lamb meatballs, topped with jalapeno feta cheese and Greek vinaigrette, for example. Some find the meatballs dry, but I appreciate the seared spice that adds crunch to my bowl.

Perhaps my second favorite thing about Cava Grill is the wide variety of bold flavors available. At too many fast casual concepts one has to beg for a bit of spice, and it often comes bottled with brand names like Tabasco or Cholula. Here, there’s three ways, as a dip and two varieties of dressing, Sriracha Greek yogurt and the spicy meatballs, plus that crazy feta.

My first favorite thing? The servers. They seem to genuinely enjoy their jobs. That might be because they’re treated well by the owners and investors, including starting pay of $13 an hour after an increase this past summer, plus health insurance.

A Greek-American trio of culinary entrepreneurs Ike Grigoropoulos, Ted Xenohristos, and Chef Dimitri Moshovitis started Cava Grill in Washington, D.C. AOL co-founder and venture capitalist Steve Case made a major investment, along with others, allowing the chain to engage in its current rapid expansion.

In a statement the owners said that the wage increase will benefit 1,000 workers now, and many more later as the chain expands: “Though there are many different state and local conversations about increasing the minimum wage to varying degrees in the future, we wanted to better support our team members across the board now,” they said.

I say Irvine will welcome this tasty new addition to our multicultural culinary scene.
 
Cavagrill.com
3972 Barranca Pkwy.

By Irvine City News staff

One of our pet peeves about the always-evolving Irvine dining scene is when pessimists and scolds take to the blogs, comment boards and social media platforms to complain when a chain restaurant closes and is replaced by something more contemporary. Yes, we understand it’s hard when an old favorite goes. But we think folks doth protest too much when they go out of their way to bemoan the loss of restaurants devoted to what they describe as “American” cuisine.

What is American food, anyway? Perhaps it’s the pizza and hamburgers that are connected to the cuisine of Italian and German immigrants of another era—Irvine has had dozens of new restaurants offering those exotic dishes debut in recent years. Or could it be pho, nem nuong and banh mi prepared by second- and third-generation American chefs of Vietnamese heritage, whose families first came here in the 1970s and ’80s.

Or is it the wide variety of Chinese cuisine that’s been served at California restaurants since the Gold Rush era? That’s before California was a state, and before anyone named Irvine bought his first acre of Rancho land hereabouts. Today, seven Irvine restaurants made Register food critic Brad Johnson’s list of the best Chinese restaurants in Orange County, so we’re certainly continuing the pre-American culinary tradition.

To go on would be to belabor the point that we are a nation of immigrants, and the broth in the melting pot that is America is well spiced with wide variety of what once were considered exotic ethnic foods.

All that being said, those who love a wide variety of cuisine have reason to celebrate the opening of The Stand, which its owners and marketers describe as “offering American classics redefined.” The restaurant debuted recently at Oak Creek Shopping Center, where Baja Fresh used to be. The fast casual chain with several locations in L.A. offers a contemporary take on a diner-like menu. There’s a wide variety of choices, including sandwiches (spicy beef short rib and cilantro lime chicken are standouts), 11 burgers, eight hot dogs and sausages, 20 draft beers, salads, and more. And each item is also customizable, with 20 toppings that can be added to burgers and hot dogs.

Favorite burger choices so far include El Capitan, which is topped with braised short rib, pickled peppers, guacamole and chimichurri, and the Westside Veggie. The latter has the best veggie patty in town, featuring a moist yet crisp brown rice base loaded with vegetables one can actually taste. We prefer it without the garlic mushrooms it comes loaded with, though.

Happily, The Stand has a good and cheap kids menu (five items @ $4.75 each), two big TVs for sports lovers, an open kitchen and a nice patio. Plus, the shopping center’s adjacent common area has been remodeled, with nicer seating than before.
​
Irvine families will love this place, though for the xenophobic among us, beware: the menu does offer foreign-sounding choices that include bratwurst, guacamole, chimichurri, ciabatta, siracha, aioli, parmesan and porchetta, not to mention something really scary called “kale.”

By Irvine City News staff

We know we’re not supposed to park at University Center across from UCI before attending a show at Barclay Theatre, summer Shakespeare at the New Swan Theater, or an event at one of the Student Center meeting rooms. The landlord has warning signs all around the center, with 45-minute and 2-hour parking spots to drive the limited parking point home. Plus, one whole side of the lot is reserved for the office tower.

It’s almost enough to make a local feel unwelcome. But we’re not going to park twice, and we love grabbing a before- or after-show bite at the center, which has evolved tremendously as a dining destination in recent years. Some might remember when Chinatown was a go-to choice for Asian cuisine there, and Steelhead Brewery was a big deal (bonus points if you remember the name of the nightclub that once raged at what was then called The Marketplace).

With the recent opening of Adya, a fast-casual spot offering a contemporary take on authentic Indian street food, the temptation to dine and then dash across the Ray Watson Pedestrian Bridge is even greater.

The original Adya is one of our favorite spots at the Anaheim Packing House, a super cool food hall housed in a converted citrus packing facility built circa 1919. The architecture and aesthetics at the second Adya can’t really compete with the first, but the culinary experience can.

Chef Shachi Mehra, who co-owns the restaurant with Sandeep Basrur, was the opening chef at Tamarind of London, an upscale Indian restaurant in Newport Coast that never quite lived up to the hype of its Michelin-star origin that was so strongly touted during its PR campaigns.

But Mehra, who left Tamarind within a year or so of its opening, always had her fans, and her reputation has soared with Adya. The new location is a hit with UCI students and professors, Irvine’s significant Indian population, as well as the financial whizzes at PIMCO, who are known to order lunches to be delivered to their shiny Newport Center skyscraper several times a week.

The chaat, curry and puri at Irvine’s Adya are all made with fresh and sustainable meat and produce, which is apparent upon a first taste. The chicken dishes, especially those cooked in the Tandoori ovens, are moist and flavorful. For those looking to grab something on the go, we suggest the delicious kaathi rolls, classic street food from Kolkata, which are basically Indian wraps.

Though they’re not nearly as neat eating as the Kaathi rolls, our go-to choice at Adya are still the pavs, which the menu smartly describes as Bombay-style sloppy joes. Like pretty much all of the choices on the menu, there are veg and non-veg options. But we prefer to be “baaaad,” and always order the lamb keema pav, which features a spicy, Masala-like ground meat mix on a delicious brioche bun.

The drinks at the Irvine location are limited to a delicious mango lassi, traditional Masala Chai and a variety of artisan sodas, but sadly there is no beer or wine, as at the Anaheim location.
​
Now about that parking problem: we think Irvine Co. should build a parking structure for the office tower, with the first floors restricted to tenants, with the top floors open to center visitors. Charge whatever the market will bear (but more than the UCI structures to discourage students from taking all the spaces), with the first two hours free with validation from a store at the center, and three hours for those who do dinner and a movie… or a show across the street! Hey, the center wouldn’t exist without UCI, so how about kindly adjusting the antagonistic attitude?

By Irvine City News staff

 
Irvine has plenty of great places to have lunch. Whether it’s a business deal-sealing meal at Bistango, Prego, or Il Fornaio, or a kid-friendly play date at Ruby’s, Urban Seoul 2.0, or First Class Pizza, there’s a lot to choose from. Breakfast, on the other hand… well, not so much.

Whether it’s a quick and convenient coffee meeting at 7 a.m., a boozy Sunday Fun Day gathering, or a celebratory family get together on one of the big breakfast holidays, Irvine lags behind. Most of us, admit it, meet at our nearest Starbucks during the week, and head to the coast on the weekend.

For a few years, the best breakfast-for-business spot was Café Panini, which was part of the Ten Sushi/Tentation complex near the airport. It fulfilled our “musts” for an a.m. meeting spot: it opened early enough, was reasonably sedate and had a variety of dishes one could easily eat several times per week. Plus, being near the freeway, the airport, IBC and Newport Beach made it a great place to meet people coming from, or to, various offices. But Bosscat Kitchen is where it once was, and they only do Sunday brunch.

Many of us have resorted to working and meeting at Starbucks, or if we’re going healthy, grabbing a juice or smoothie at Juice it Up, Avocado Cafe, and other convenient spots.

But Irvine has been upping its a.m. game recently. Stacks Pancake House is a hit, though the lines and fast-casual ordering take it out of the running for business meetings, in our opinion, and no alcohol limits its fun factor on weekends. Eats Kitchen at Hotel Irvine is business friendly, near the 405 and IBC, and free valet makes it convenient, though it’s currently short a head chef. And FLOE Lounge at Irvine Marriott is the most aesthetically pleasing place to have a breakfast meeting in Irvine, though the hotel prices are steep for everyday dining.

It’s hard to find a breakfast place that has it all, but a strong contender is Snooze, an A.M. Eatery, that opened recently at the Marketplace on Jamboree. First, yes we realize it’s technically on the Tustin side of the boulevard. But when it comes to breakfast, we’re willing to break through the Irvine boundary by a few hundred yards.

The place is packed on weekends, which supports our thesis that the area suffers from a breakfast destination deficiency. It’s something we’re sure the major landlord is aware of, but experts tell us the rents make it difficult for morning and lunch-only operations to succeed.

We love the cool, Googie architecture-inspired interior of the place. It has a hipster-friendly vintage feel, with big, round booths and an ample bar. That’s not just for the boozers: some of us still like to dine solo in the morning, with enough room to spread out our Irvine City News newspaper. Or “like” something on our smart phone.

Snooze is known for its Benedicts and pancakes, with numerous flavors of each and the option to get flights and half-order duos if you can’t decide. There’s a long list of mimosas and Bloody Mary varieties, and the kid’s menu is fairly priced: both priorities for parents, at least on the weekends. Plus, there are five or six Mexican breakfast options on the menu, which is a must for many of us recovering from a long week, or a long night.

While we saw a few tables full of suits on a Tuesday morning at 7:30, Snooze is probably a bit too far from the office action and the food a tad too fresh (the order-to-eating time is a bit long, though that may be opening-month jitters) to make the go-to list for Irvine’s airport or Spectrum-area business community.
​
But for cool creatives, those who want a break from their 5-freeway commute, and those who can take the time to enjoy a longish morning meal, you can’t lose with Snooze.