Thursday, December 29, 2005
“We ate, and ate, and ate. Five reviewers pick highlights from 12 months of eating and sipping.”
By Tenny Tatusian
The Orange County Register
Speaking as part of a small team of enthusiastic diners, we enjoy finding new restaurants and returning to old favorites. We try to bring you news of restaurants worth your time and money, places worth the hassle of small tables, distant rooms worth seeking out, cooks passionate about serving the food they grew up with.
Our tastes and preferences are as diverse as our backgrounds: Marla Fisher is a single mother who adopted two children, Andrew Horan is a family man living the Irvine dream, while Chantal Lamers, Katherine Nguyen and myself are single women in different parts of the county. The following restaurants served us meals this year we would return to in a heartbeat - if we weren't busy finding new ones to tell you about, that is.
Taleo in Irvine is a beautiful room, with smart service and good presentation, but none of that would matter if the moles weren't so special and the signature dessert, tres leches, so sumptuous. It's Taleo's take on the traditional pan de leche: white cake infused with condensed milk, cream and topped with hand-whipped cream. Wow. 3309 Michelson Drive, Irvine. (949) 553-9002.
Vessia Ristorante in Irvine is special place but not in that big, showy, "special occasion" way. Vessia is casual charm, warm hospitality and reliably tasty servings. 3966 Barranca Parkway, Irvine. (949) 654-1155.
We were wowed by the fresh flavors at Thai Bamboo Bistro in Irvine. From entrees like the "gold bags" to a "new edition" update of old standard pad thai, and appetizers like the Jungle curry and shrimp in mango sauce, the flavors are clean and crisp. 6715 Quail Hill Parkway, Irvine. (949) 509-4771.
Mil Jugos, a warm, tiny, colorful restaurant in downtown Santa Ana serves about 20 fruit juices - the cantaloupe and pear are very good - and wonderful Venezuelan street food - small sandwiches filled with flavorful chicken and beef on home-made corn bread called arepas and stuffed corn pancakes, sweet and luscious and best with ham and cheese or just cheese. 318 W. Fifth St., Santa Ana. (714) 836-4601.
It's not hard to find Chinese, Japanese and Indian restaurants, but finding good ones are more tricky. That's why we took toHaveli in Tustin. The Indian food is bold, fresh, familiar yet uncommon. Masalas so rich and creamy they'll stop you cold in your tracks, smoky tandooris of chicken, quail, lamb, shrimp, ground beef and cubed cheese, kormas that are probably 90 percent fat and worth every gram of clarified butter, stuffed and layered breads (parathas and kulchas) that are a meal unto themselves. 13882 Newport Ave., Tustin. (714) 669-1011.
A restaurant specializing in vegetarian soups, sandwiches and salads? With so many mediocre attempts, we were delighted when stumbling upon Sidney's Café in Fullerton. Here, the food is comforting and created by someone with a serious taste for good food. Grilled portobello mushroom sandwich and a tempeh rubin are just the start. 108 W. Wilshire Ave., Fullerton. (714) 525-5111.
A robust Bolivian restaurant in Santa Ana, Beba's sells one of the most addicting foods you can hold in one had. Be warned, once you start on their $1 saltenas, filled with highly seasoned ground beef, shredded chicken, peas, diced potato and sliced hard-boiled egg encased in a deep golden pastry, you'll be hooked. 630 S. Grand Ave., Santa Ana. (714) 973-4928.
Speaking of delicious food that will fit in one hand, the curried potato pancake at Super Corokke in Costa Mesa is always worth a pop in. The place is so compact and popular that strangers sometimes find themselves eating together. And if curry isn't your thing, try the biting jalapeño and cheese (picoso) and a mashed pumpkin that's nutty and slightly sweet. Mench corokke is a mixture of ground beef and pork, which you can order as a burger that's as delicious as it is bizarre. 675 Paularino St., Costa Mesa. (714) 444-3418.
Sushi is everywhere. But great sushi takes determination. Some wonderful spots excited our palettes this year. Re-emerging after months of hibernation, chef Takashi Abe opened the doors of Bluefin, a glossy little restaurant with a sleek sushi bar behind which he doles out amazing dishes like Japanese red snapper sashimi drizzled with white truffle oil, young yellowtail sushi, salmon roe in cold fish broth and much more. 7952 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Newport Beach. (949) 715-7373
Sushi is only part of the story at the great pub Kappo Sui, serving izakaya, Japanese tapas. Broiled butterfish, deep-fried lotus root, oyster sashimi and cold noodles are other chapters. The best thing to do at here and at Bluefin is to omakase. Put yourself in the chef's hands and let him decide your menu. 20070 Santa Ana Ave., Santa Ana. (714) 429-0141.
Sushi Zen Bistro in Costa Mesa is rumored to be a favorite of celebrities such as Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone and Heather Locklear. And with its low lighting and funky music, it feels more like a lounge than a place for sipping green tea and nibbling on edamame. Sashimi servings are stunningly fresh and generous. 1870 Newport Blvd. (Triangle Square), Costa Mesa. (949) 722-2520.
If you have a favorite sushi spot, Matsu Restaurant in Huntington Beach just might be the place to test your allegiance. The cuts of tuna, yellowtail, salmon and albacore sashimi are generous and melt-in-your-mouth fresh. 18035 Beach Blvd, Huntington Beach. (562) 592-3462.
The menu at Sahara Falafel in an area of Anaheim known as Little Gaza is brief and unsurprising. And that's fine when you serve beguiling shawermas - stacks of chicken or beef sliced from spits - a tart, garlicky bean dish known as foul and excellent falafel. 590 S. Brookhurst St, Anaheim. (714) 491-0400.