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With so many “battle of the chefs” shows on TV these days, it’s not surprising that Orange County chefs would wage their own culinary battles for viewers. OC Chef Life has launched a monthly “Battle of the Chefs” contest held at the Fifth Rooftop Restaurant and Bar in Anaheim,...

Something Peachy at Oak Grill August is National Peach Month, and Oak Grill restaurant at The Island Hotel is celebrating all month during lunch and dinner with a special peach cocktail and specialty dessert. The Southern Delight cocktail has Bulleit rye, muddled peaches, peach...

Last week we talked about the chef demos and offered an overview of the inaugural Pacific Wine and Food Classic that takes place at Newport Dunes Aug.19-20. Over one weekend, patrons can taste wines from 50 vintners and enjoy bites from 50 restaurants from throughout Orange...

Catherine may hail from St. Helena in Napa Valley, but Christopher has her weaned off the big Napa cabs and hooked on even bigger Paso Robles Zinfandels. Actually, Paso has more than 200 wineries making all sorts of wines, from familiar varietals like chardonnay and cabs to...

Which restaurant has the best brunch in Orange County? Who makes the best cocktails? What is your favorite entrée in Orange County? Now is your chance to vote on those and other categories in the annual Golden Foodie Awards. Established several years ago by the OC Restaurant...

We’re preparing our palates for the inaugural Pacific Wine and Food Classic that takes place at Newport Dunes Aug.19-20. This food, wine and cocktail festival features more than 100 food and libation stations, all inspired by summer. In addition to all the food and wine (and...

Between Pageant of the Masters, Laguna Playhouse, myriad arts festivals and Laguna Art Museum, there’s plenty to see and do this month. We’ve already experienced Pageant of the Masters, which we agreed is one of the best we’ve seen (and we go every year). “I loved how this year’s...

Seems like everyone these days is trying to build a better burger—or at least something that’s different from the norm. Umami Burger at The Camp in Costa Mesa recently unveiled a burger that’s impossible to describe—but that’s a good thing, since it’s called the Impossible...

After eating our way through the OC Fair several times this summer, Catherine realized it was time to say no to bacon and yes to healthy dining. She has launched into a multi-week diet (a tough thing for a dining writer to do) with dietary restrictions that require serious menu...

Five-pound barbecued pig leg. Bacon-wrapped Brussels sprouts. Fried peanut butter meatballs.  Krispy Kreme ice cream chicken sandwich. Fried octopus on a stick. Yes, the OC Fair has returned, and with it another batch of outrageous culinary concoctions guaranteed to dazzle your...

Where do you go to celebrate a half birthday? Andrea Restaurant at Pelican Hill Resort, of course. Catherine’s birthday was December 26, but she was sick and then out of town, so we never got to enjoy her traditional birthday dinner. Instead of skipping it altogether, Catherine...

It’s not often that a high-profile restaurant such as Five Crowns introduces a new chef and launches a new menu at the same time, but that’s what happened last month when we were invited to meet new Executive Chef Anthony Endy and sample some of his summer menu creations. Chef...

With the warm weather finally here, it’s time for some al fresco dining, and we can’t think of a better spot than Lighthouse Bayview Café at Marina Park on Balboa Peninsula. We’ve been enjoying the Lighthouse Café’s cuisine since they opened more than a year ago, and it’s nice to...

We don’t often dine at the same restaurant on back-to-back nights, but that’s exactly what Christopher did at Bayside last week. On Thursday, June 15, Bayside held a Macallan scotch dinner featuring four courses paired with different vintages and styles of Macallan scotch. The...

      With so many terrific restaurants in the greater Newport Beach area, we don’t often venture far from home for our dining excursions, but sometimes it’s nice to leave your comfort zone and visit restaurants across the county line. We were invited to dine at Chianina...

Chef and restaurateur Rich Mead is somewhat of a legend in the local culinary world. His Newport Beach restaurants Sage and Sage on the Coast were popular spots where Mead introduced customers to his sustainable, farm-centric menus. After closing his restaurants several years...

It’s always exciting when a new restaurant opens in Newport Beach. It’s doubly exciting when the debut is at Lido Marina Village, which has come roaring back to life with a marvelously curated mix of boutiques and restaurants (including Nobu and Zinque). It’s triply exciting when...

Summer is here and the weather is warm along the coast–time to cool off with authentic Italian gelato from The Resort at Pelican Hill. Pelican Hill’s Caffé always has 10 flavors of gelato and sorbet on hand, with other special flavors served at their restaurants for dessert...

Truffle That Hopdoddy Burger We finally made it to Burnt Crumb at Pacific City in Huntington Beach this week to try their famous spaghetti grilled cheese sandwich (served with a side of marinara sauce for dipping), and it was indeed a decadent delight. However, we just learned of...

No matter if you spell it doughnut or donut, this popular fried confection is being celebrated on Friday, June 2 on National Doughnut Day. Not simply an excuse to eat more donuts, National Doughnut Day was created by The Salvation Army in 1938 to honor their members who served...