Growing up in Los Angeles, I’ve heard my share of stereotypes and caveats about the people behind the Orange Curtain (too conservative, xenophobic, ethnically monochromatic). My experiences tell me otherwise. While dating an Irvinian for a year and a half, I discovered a whole new continent with a multicultural scene that makes for (in these days of skyrocketing gas prices) an enjoyable and affordable day trip down the 405. Here’s the best of what I found. FASHION ISLAND, NEWPORT BEACH, BALBOA ISLAND Two summers ago, restaurateur extraordinaire Paul Fleming opened a new venue, adjacent to his eponymous Fashion Island steakhouse. Expensive and elegantly designed, the moody BLUE CORAL SEAFOOD & SPIRITS (51 Newport Center Dr.) makes for perfect special occasion dining. Delectable, creative fruits de mer include the blue crab cake, the vodka-cured peppered salmon, and Pacific wild swordfish. The tangerine cr’me brulee tastes so good, you won’t want to share! Fresh-faced blonde waitresses make you feel almost as warm, tingly and comfortable as their Mamacita’s Mojito. Almost. Modernist-cool MARIPOSA, Neiman Marcus’s restaurant (601 Newport Center Dr.) may not be big on portions, but it’s huge on atmosphere and quality. Tasty incidentals include strawberry butter. Balboa Island may boast the best chocolate-covered frozen bananas on every corner, but just soaking up the atmosphere on a sunny Sunday while strolling past the cute little Dutch-door houses along the harbor is sweetness enough for me. LAGUNA BEACH AND CRYSTAL COVE Detour off the 405 down the 73 to the end, and that’s where you’ll find a true slice of paradise: Laguna Village. After an afternoon touring the LAGUNA ART MUSEUM (307 Cliff Dr.), where recent exhibits include the art of ’60s rock poster artist Rick Griffin, why not watch the sun set while sipping on a chilled strawberry-blended margarita from the spectacular beachside bar at LAS BRISAS (361 Cliff Dr.) and enjoy high-end Mexican Riviera seafood? Just across North Coast Highway is MADISON SQUARE AND GARDEN CAF’ (320 N. Coast Hwy.), a most unusual lunch destination awaits, cheekily named after owner Jon Madison, that combines tasty American fare with landscape items for sale. Entrees include the ricotta pancakes. Choose from an array of alcohol by the glass or bottle. Be sure to dine al fresco on the whimsically cluttered courtyard. If it’s nightlife you seek, MOSUN’S (680 S. Coast Hwy.), a hip, contemporary sushi house, features excellent Americanized hand rolls and cut rolls”all within a fresh modern setting that looks sleeker than a sea foam-colored Peugeot 504 Cabriolet. Firecracker and Caterpillar rolls with carafes of sake may push expensive after several rounds, but it’s worth it”no one leaves here unsatisfied. On a weekend evening, burn off those dinner calories by hitting Club M upstairs and dancing to ’80s pop and hip-hop into the wee hours. Two years ago, Governor Schwarzenegger officiated Crystal Cove Beach’s protected landmark status. I wouldn’t go so far as do the same for PACIFIC WHEY & BAKING COMPANY at the Crystal Cove Promenade, but this is a nice place to relax if you want an outdoor dining alternative to the beachside Ruby’s Shake Shack. Decent (and decently priced) California entrees, an assortment of coffee and pastries. SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO/DANA POINT If you happen to wander a bit south to Dana Point’s sandy shores, stray a few miles inland to EL MAGUEY EXPRESS (31952 Del Obispo St., San Juan Capistrano) for no-nonsense Mexican almuerzo. The white d’cor Mexican kitsch is as unpretentious as the lovely Latina waitresses who arrive with your tall glass of horchata. Here, I’m a creature of habit, so on a Saturday afternoon, I’ll sip a cool can of Tecate while devouring a wet gordo burrito with ground beef and grilled onions and watching the San Diego-bound Surfliner whiz by on the tracks behind the establishment. It doesn’t get any more California lazy than that! COSTA MESA, FOUNTAIN VALLEY, SANTA ANA On the return up the 73 or 55 to the 405, Costa Mesa offers two of Southern California’s most unique ‘outdoorsy’ malls. Every day is Earth Day at THE CAMP (2937 Bristol St.), where vegetarian haven Native Foods) is the culinary and architectural centerpiece. Replete with evening drum circles and pre-recorded ribbiting frogs, this funky blend of nature and commerce makes for a delightful nighttime stroll. Across Bristol Street stands another promenade with avant garde flourishes: THE L.A.B., a converted factory that is home to the original GYPSY DEN. An excellent place to nurse a coffee on the patio or indoors among the faux oil portraits by Modigliani and Matisse hanging on burgundy walls, as the young baristas play early Nine Inch Nails, Al Green’s greatest hits, and Jurassic 5’s ‘Power by Numbers.’ At the L.A.B.’s rear is the boisterous, punch-drunk HABANA, which re-creates a pre-Castro Cuba cantina experience. Both Gypsy Dens offer comfy, funky thrift-store environs and good grub, but the GYPSY DEN GRAND CENTRAL CAF’ in Santa Ana (125 N. Broadway Ave.) is a great place to lunch after spending time next door at the intimate CAL STATE FULLERTON GRAND CENTRAL ART CENTER, which recently displayed master cartoonist Basil Wolverton’s brilliant pen-and-ink pages and an Andy Warhol photography show. Hey, vegetarians! Authentic Vietnamese cuisine can be had at ‘U LAC in Fountain Valley (16563 Brookhurst St.), where imitation meat compensates and accentuates a taste-bud-tickling feast. ‘u Lac offers a ‘raw menu’ for vegans. Off the ‘cooked menu,’ try the crispy soy ‘fish’ with ginger sauce, soy ‘chicken’ cashew nuts, and a tofu and tomato vermicelli noodle soup with dill that will warm the cockles of your healthy heart! IRVINE There’s definitely more to this upper-middle-class enclave than the cheesy Spectrum. So why not get off the 405 or the 5 at the Jeffrey Road exit and explore a bit? The best and most affordable sushi joint in Southern California is TAIKO (14775 Jeffrey Rd. # K). Unparalleled yellowtail and spicy tuna rolls in a sylvan atmosphere of tables and cozy booths. Order a bottle of Asahi to wash down the straightforward sushi prepared here, and you’re in for one fine meal that will cost you pin money! This local favorite, which also serves savory teriyaki chicken and beef, opens at certain hours, so don’t hit Taiko hungry and expecting speedy seating. Prepare for a minimum 45-minute wait, but afterwards, reward yourself at the adjacent fro-yo palace YOGURTLAND”like a Pinkberry, only self-serve, with more flavors, and you pay by the weight. Also within the Arbor Village complex: A & J RESTAURANT (# D; 949-786-3585), home of yummy beef stew. If you can’t squeeze into Taiko, drive one strip mall south to GEN KAI (15435 Jeffrey Rd.), a quieter sushi den with the tastiest cooked halibut appetizer around. Sushi includes scrumptious Spanish mackerel and freshwater eel. Several strip malls away, discover the best ‘Seoul food’ in the area. KOREA HOUSE B.B.Q. RESTAURANT at Parkview Shopping Center (5305 University Dr.) will serve you myriad little appetizer dishes of pickled veggies to kick off a culinary adventure that includes cooking up Bool Go Gi (thin rib eye slices marinated in sweet garlic sauce) at your plump oversized booth. Only a couple of years old, the expansive WOODBURY TOWN CENTER (6200 – 6460 Irvine Blvd., near Sand Canyon) not only contains several dependable chains, such as Panera, but also NIKO NIKO, solid American-style Japanese seafood delicacies in the Yen Sushi tradition. In the midst of Woodbury’s massive space (occupied by the usual suspects, such as Trader Joe’s and Home Depot), Town Center provides cleverly designed outdoor spaces with seating that includes coffeehouse-style armchairs around a volcanic fountain. At 4143 Campus Dr., within the University Town Center, you’ll find the only CHAKRA INDIAN CUISINE other than the one next door to the Writers Guild Theatre in Beverly Hills. After catching the similar-themed ‘The Darjeeling Limited’ last fall at the multiplex next door, I dropped in and soaked up the sultry, romantically lit atmosphere over a Bombay gin drink. The Kebab Sampler (a meal in itself) comes highly recommended on the strength of the sublime lamb fingers alone. Cubo latte and banana fritters for dessert. The oft-reviewed WHOLESOME CHOICE MARKET (18040 Culver Dr.) offers authentic Persian fare at their International Deli. But do yourself a favor and skip the Knollwood in the Old Town section. The kiddie arcade atmosphere is annoying and, contrary to the sign, this is definitely not home to the world’s best hamburger. For that, I direct you back to Woodbury Town Center for THE COUNTER. My favorite hamburger place in Los Angeles”Santa Monica’s build-it-yourself gourmet burger haven”opened a fine satellite in Irvine last November. Choose from a third-pounder, half-pounder or (if you’re adventurous) the full-pounder burger, top it with sharp provolone or herb goat cheese, grilled pineapple or spicy pepperoncinis, apricot sauce or horseradish mayo, fried onion strings or fried egg. Accompany it with toothsome regular or sweet potato shoestring fries and you’re in business. They also serve vino (See! This burger joint is class-say!). OC-DOKEE! I like to tell my pals that, for a year and a half, I basically dated the city of Irvine, as I got to know and love the general area. So a debt of gratitude to my ex-girlfriend, Solyi, for broadening my horizons by introducing me to many of these places. While our relationship did not go the distance, the memories of my good times discovering the O.C.’s charms will. And you, loyal reader, should drive the distance and create some good times of your own.
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