Orange Coast Magazine - Best New Restaurants

Best new

restaurants This year’s robust crop of new places is our most impressive yet, revealing a dining landscape of inspiring resilience. We’re booking tables in a frenzy of gratitude. Join us!

by GRETCHEN KURZ p h o t o g r a p h s b y E M I LY J . D A V I S

78 O R A N G E C O A S T • April 2022

SEE 608 DAHLIA PAGE 85

best new restaurants

Butcher’s House Brasserie B

utcher’s House wasn’t even a gleam in Jeoff rey Offer’s eye when COVID-19 arrived. He was too busy running the kitchens of Moulin to contemplate much else until restaurants closed in March 2020. Suddenly idle, this butcher’s son could crystallize a plan to go solo, and his dream brasserie was born in the final rainy days of December 2021.

Previously inhabited by Pueblo, the kitchen’s new heart is a Santa Mariastyle grill that seasons half the menu’s dishes with notes of almond and citrus wood smoke. Dry-aged steaks and chops are center stage, supported by burgers, salads, and sides. Dazzling house specialties are versatile small plates, including a potent Toulouse sausage—house-made with large-grind pork in a snappy casing. Rustic pork pâté and spicy lamb Merguez sausage are also from scratch. Duck confit is pitch perfect. Offer is a native son of Toulouse, and these dishes reveal much pride and affection for his French homeland.

Bone-in ribeye aged 30 days is a deluxe splurge for two, but smaller cuts appeal on their own merits. Dubbed “le faux filet,” the 12-ounce New York is robust next to the demure 8-ounce filet mignon, and skirt steak is a flavor showoff. Six signature sauces add some adventure or not—Béarnaise is most popular, tartare is most interesting. Beef isn’t mandatory thanks to a hefty Kurobuta pork chop, fisted half-chicken, and a handsome eight-bone lamb rack. Large, simply dressed salads feature lardons, sliced steak, and even prosciutto on gem lettuce kissed by the grill. Melted Comté cheese toasts cap the fire-roasted tomato soup. Dry-aged lunch burgers are massive, stacked with thick bacon or cheese. Chocolate mousse with caramel pearls is better than it has to be. Croque madame is the queen of the weekend brunch menu, and there’s a mighty fine breakfast burger—this one with Emmental cheese, bacon, and a sunny side egg.

The shotgun floor plan’s 30-seat banquette with brass-edged tables keeps things snug; a chill courtyard patio seats 35. Freshly expanded, the bar has some prime seats with a kitchen view and polished service plus a genial bartender. Expect future refinements at this rookie shop—there’s buzz about adding new dishes and upgrading to a full liquor license.

Butcher’s House is an unexpected gift of the pandemic. How fitting that it’s our Restaurant of the Year.

3321 Hyland Ave., Costa Mesa, 714-714-0662 80 O R A N G E C O A S T • April 2022

restaurant of the

year

April 2022 • O R A N G E C O A S T 81

best new restaurants

Bosscat Kitchen & Libations I

nstant crowds signaled that diners in Old Towne Orange were all-in for this ingenious retool of an iconic corner liquor shop. Already popular in the airport zone, Bosscat has a scalable formula— appealing eats, clever bar program, and a welcoming setting just the right shade of cool. Executive chef Peter Petro cooks Southern comfort fare with a twist. Expect shareables ideal for the busy happy hour—piping hot pulled pork-fi lled hush puppies, seared soy-glazed ahi lettuce wraps, or cheesy chicken dip with homemade potato chips. Mason jars of house-pickled vegetables are a crisp counterpoint to the rich noshes. There’s a fi ne

82 O R A N G E C O A S T • April 2022

7-ounce custom-grind burger with Black Forest bacon that’s perfect with craggy fries dipped in chow-chow ketchup. Those fries also flatter an inspired shaved roasted pork chop sandwich with barbecue cabbage slaw. Gulf shrimp and Gouda-laced grits reappear at brunch alongside short rib chilaquiles and Fruity Pebbles French toast. Upbeat servers and the 48-seat patio welcome refugees from a lively bar blaring ’80s hits. Craft cocktails and fl ights exploit a fierce whiskey collection, and there’s a 14-person Whiskey Room for private parties and tasting menus.

118 W. Chapman Ave., Orange 714-716-1599

Bouillon P

aris native and serial restaurateur Laurent Vrigand fashioned Bouillon after Paris’ Bouillon Chartier (est. 1896), where he often dined with his grandfather in the 1980s. Bouillon is his personal homage to that formula beloved by the generations of working class—one all-day menu of traditional fare at painless prices, no substitutions, no reservations, and snappy service in a bright space. Once home to Juliette and Pascal Olhats’ kitchen of legend, the 60-seat venue sports a new zinc bar and fetching accoutrements Vrigand imports from Paris.

The menu is a nostalgic primer of those French dishes first

introduced to us by Julia Child—oven-hot escargot fuming garlic, a mythic salade frisée aux lardons, ambrosial French onion soup, just for starters. Entrees exude extra-strength comfort: coq au vin, duck confit l’orange, and longsimmered beef bourguignon ladled over al dente pappardelle. Tian Provençal—ratatouille gone fancy—is the year’s best side dish. Plus slices of fresh baguette from Moulin bakery next door. The canny list of French wines at beyond-fair prices is another sleeper find here. And those fabulous profiteroles are your meal’s sweet au revoir.

1000 Bristol St. N, Newport Beach 949-418-9545

April 2022 • O R A N G E C O A S T 83

best new restaurants

Value Plays We Can’t Resist

As prices rise, fast-casual dining looks more intriguing than ever. These players elevate the category with their diligent sourcing and consistent artistry in the kitchen.

FORK AND KNIFE Costa Mesa

NOSH HOUSE Tustin

BURNT CRUMBS Irvine and Huntington Beach

With A Restaurant in his rearview mirror, chef Jonathan Blackford is soaring solo with lavish sandwiches, creative salads, and ravishing takehome meals out of this handy storefront.

A rare, newish kosher cafe has noteworthy sandwiches on rye and pretzel breads, shawarma, and falafel platters, even burgers. Closed Saturdays.

First celebrated for spaghetti grilled cheese, then soufflé pancakes, these trendsetting cafes know we’ll fall for gargantuan breakfast burritos and avocado toasts with their own cult following.

From Tokyo to Manhatt an and now in the shadow of the mission, Keizo Shimamoto’s epic ramen quest is a thrill to behold in eight signature bowls of revelatory broths and noodles.

MARIO’S BUTCHER SHOP Newport Beach Top-shelf butchery meets superior sandwichery at Mario Llamas’ welcoming spot for site-crafted pastrami, corned beef, and burgers on artisan breads. Fresh sides and an appealing patio add to the allure.

84 O R A N G E C O A S T • April 2022

O SEA Orange It’s the standout Old Towne choice for creative fare with a wild seafood bent in a lovely setting. Think customizable salads, bowls, and burritos plus inventive shareables with worldly twists. Hip local beers and clever wine selection.

GEORGIA’S Anaheim This family-operated Packing House gem is determined to feed us like family, delighting folks with O.C.’s best soul food—authentic cornbread, signature jambalaya, smothered pork chops, and sweet potato pie.

ADYA Anaheim Packing House staple by chef-owner Shachi Mehra serves elevated Indian street foods such as pana puri, keema naan, and mango lassi. Vegans adore the vegetable curry.

SAIGON BEACH Newport Beach and Laguna Beach It’s beloved for the “legally addictive” 420 Chicken Green Rice served under grilled pork, jackfruit, or solo. Crazy Rich Bao sliders go down easy; house limeades are sunshine on ice.

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF FORK AND KNIFE

RAMEN SHACK San Juan Capistrano

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF FORK AND KNIFE

608 Dahlia I

t has been a flourishing year for chef-owner Jessica Roy and her jewel of a cafe inside iconic Sherman Library and Gardens. After taking over the kitchen from her mentor, Pascal Olhats, last summer, Roy guided the alfresco venue through a growth spurt that included a refreshed name, new menu, and intense demand for every one of the 25 patio tables. Smack dab in the heart of this treasured garden, the vibrant setting dazzles with vivid flowers and stunning plantings.

Salads entice with impeccably fresh greens, herbs, and seasonal flavors in dreamy combinations such as medjool dates, spiced pecans with Brie, and local figs. Vegetari-

an tacos bulging with tempura’d sweet potato, melting cheese, avocado, and rainbow slaw are pretty to see and splendid to eat—this could well be her signature dish.

Slender bucatini in brown butter sauce, wild mushrooms, and truffle whipped cream will haunt your appetite for weeks. Don’t visit without ordering a batch of buttermilk, chive, and Gruyère biscuits—they rightly have top billing on the menu. Also new, a crop of exuberant wine-based cocktails that salute seasons with just-clipped herbs and edible flowers straight from the garden. The sprightly Bright Blooming Magave is our favorite.

2647 E. Coast Highway, Corona del Mar 949-220-7229 April 2022 • O R A N G E C O A S T 85

best new restaurants

Paradise Dynasty L

ast September, long lines snaking out the door of Bloomingdale’s South Coast Plaza signaled the arrival of Paradise Dynasty—and revealed that our appetite for luxury dumplings has yet to peak.

Despite the popularity of neighbor Din Tai Fung, there’s enough dumpling adoration to share with this Singapore export founded by restaurant superstar Edwin Chua.

Sleek and straightforward, the dining room surrounds a glass kitchen showcasing nimble dumpling artists. Try the signature rainbow sampler—eight juicy dumplings with color-coordinated wrappers. Tiny cheat sheets guide you through jade green for luffa gourd, black for black truffle, and so on. Venture beyond dumplings into appetizers, dim 86 O R A N G E C O A S T • April 2022

sum, la mian, fried noodles, rice dishes—all have their intriguing options. Sichuan crispy chicken is admirably fiery. Two standout dim sum dishes: the warm radish-filled pastry with countless fragile layers; and the tidy stack of cool, crisp lettuce rolls that taste like the color green.

Don’t skip soups starring the spellbinding pork bone broth, intense, nuanced, and rightly acclaimed. Though Kurobuta pork is exalted, chicken is a sleeper pick, particularly the XLB or chicken dumplings in chile vinaigrette. For dessert, griddle-hot pumpkin pastries are the healthiest donuts in Costa Mesa. Warm black sesame balls are one-bite treats that go down like peanut butter mochi.

3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa 714-617-4630

Roxy’z A

fter 35 years in the game, Zov Karamardian’s now-familiar name is synonymous with delectable. Yet her newest venture bears another name—Roxy’z. After going dark for months, Zov’s Anaheim location resurfaced as a breezy watering hole named for her mother, the reputed family renegade. Large prints of historic Anaheim places, moments, and Mickey Mouse surround the sun-splashed interior.

There’s even one of a smiling Roxy in 1958. A hip list of scratch cocktails and rotating taps of local brews anchor the reimagined corner bar in this increasingly urbanized zone. Front-loaded with shareable appetizers, the menu supports impromptu gatherings and drop-in dining. Pe-

tite tostadas recall zesty shrimp-avocado ceviche. Onion strings ride beside sweet-spicy baby back ribs that easily release their sticky meat. Under meaty slabs of Duroc pork belly lives velvety hummus dotted with harissa and pliant pita for scooping. Pizzas are the menu’s superpower. It’s a new category for team Zov, and all five— including the Meatza Pizza—are marvelous. There’s a wicked burger: superb ground chuck, charbroiled, and simply adorned with superior cheddar on toasted brioche. Roxy’z offers a worthy happy hour, weekdays from 3 to 6 p.m. It’s slated to expand for baseball season, when it gets underway.

1801 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim 714-280-9687 April 2022 • O R A N G E C O A S T 87

best new restaurants

Bordering On Obsession Our endless love for Mexican fare propels a giant wave of new arrivals.

PUESTO Anaheim, Huntington Beach

TASTE CANTINA Huntington Beach

Two new eye-popping venues for canny booze creations, tantalizing tacos

O.C. mainstay Chris Tzorin debuts an all-Mexican lineup of pork belly poppers, stacked enchiladas, and bougie tacos.

CARMELITA’S TAQUERIA Dana Point Over-the-counter tacos in made-while-you-watch blue corn tortillas

AMORCITO Costa Mesa Michelin-noted chef Thomas Ortega’s take on fast fare featuring improbable taco salad, quesabirria tacos

QUE VIDA TACOS Huntington Beach Slick dine-in locals’ spot serving craft y margs, Sonora street dogs, and dreamy churro milkshakes

TACOS MADRE Costa Mesa Jaunty, student-friendly joint for birria pizza, tacos with vegan and keto options

THREE ROOTS MEXICAN COCINA Santa Ana Jazzy platings of terrific chile verde, stacked ahi tostadas, unexpected ex-Olive Garden venue

LA LUCHA MEXICAN KITCHEN Santa Ana

BIRRIERIA GUADALAJARA Costa Mesa

Neighborhood family’s luchador-themed storefront with peak tortas, tacos, weekend sopas, and guisadas

Revelatory birria appears in tacos and ramen. Don’t-miss the Titanic torta ahogada.

TACOS EL JEFE Stanton

CASA DEL SOL Tustin Live mariachi music by top local and touring bands, festive old-school platters, good for groups

BALVINA’S Laguna Hills Longtime Break of Dawn cook Alex Cuellar launches a menu of Puebla comfort classics— mole poblano, pozole verde, pipian rojo.

88 O R A N G E C O A S T • April 2022

Local family serves tiny plain tacos bulging with juicy meats.

Generous condiment bar, super Tuesday deals.

BUENOS MIGOS Stanton Rodeo 39 stop for hot chipotle chicken or birria street tacos, nachos, and ube horchata

LAS SALSAS TAQUERIA Orange By-the-dozen taco packs start at $18. Great salsa.

Poppy & Seed P

oppy & Seed’s chef-owner Michael Reed is a quick-change artist. He constantly fine-tunes his menu to express the seasons in his of-themoment cooking. Think sourdough tartines with seasonal fruits and cheeses, lamb meatballs with sauces that switch up every few weeks, and fresh pastas that shift from delicate to robust, weather depending. Vegetable dishes often shine. Right now is prime time for ramps, strawberries, and English peas, though don’t dawdle or you’ll miss the roasted beets and ripe berries married with basil, yogurt, and pistachio. Proteins shine as brightly as the produce. The changing array can include pork ribs, duck, beef, and select seafood. Wagyu

hangar steak from Texas’ esteemed Rosewood Ranch is a frequent guest star. Reed and his wife, Kwini, also own Poppy + Rose, a popular daytime cafe in DTLA, so of course weekend brunch at Poppy & Seed is solid and reliably buzzy. The menu isn’t as dynamic as the one at dinner, but fans can’t say no to the standout fried chicken thighs, delicate biscuits, and sweet Nutella waffles. With four full seasons now under its belt, the Packing Houseadjacent restaurant is settled. Reservations are simplified via Open Table. The kitchen is leaning into tasting menus, cheese boards, and cocktails concocted with an astonishing selection of site-grown herbs.

350 S. Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim 714-603-7130

April 2022 • O R A N G E C O A S T 89

best new restaurants

Little Sister L

ittle Sister is done thinking small. In the beginning, we fell hard for Tin Vuong’s LSXO (Little Sister Extraordinary), his teensy Huntington Beach speakeasy born in 2016. Acclaim followed and a big Little Sister was born at the Irvine Spectrum last May. The stylized Vietnamese bistro menu has grown to oblige Spectrum foot traffic, most notably with lunch-only eats— deluxe takes on bánh mì sandwiches and chao rice porridges. Everything else is served all day, scores of dishes eff usively presented with vibrant herbs, colorful rices, and proteins redolent with fresh char. Spirit-forward cocktails stand up to assertive openers such as floppy dumplings

90 O R A N G E C O A S T • April 2022

plump with pork, shrimp, and crab—or Vuong’s crunchyjuicy papaya salad with grilled prawns and ruby red shards of salty “Viet beef jerky.” Also in the salad lane, limesoaked raw beef and crispy shallots with a heap of rau ram, basil, and mint. Zesty to its core, it readily outshines the routine beef tartare. The pork chop with homespun chicken fat rice and fried egg is the plate you crave late at night, and again days later. Succulent fillets of flash-fried sea bass are rich enough to take on scalding scallion oil, zingy ginger, red chile, and crushed peanuts. For dessert, the rustic pecan-date tart delivers gut-level joy.

896 Spectrum Center Drive, Irvine 949-800-8798

Caló C

aló Kitchen + Tequila could easily pass for a chic Baja beach cantina. Laguna Niguel locals beam tequila-fueled smiles across the massive marble bar while the confident servers ferry Mexican classics throughout the space. Caló knows well the dishes we can’t resist because its creators are the group behind Carmelita’s Kitchen in Rancho Santa Margarita. You’ll find nothing new amid scores of starters and specialties, which include one-, two-, and three-item combination plates. Innovation isn’t the point, so execution is everything. A whopping mound of vibrant, immaculate shrimp ceviche disappears pronto on hefty chips. Hand-formed

gorditas are fat with garlicky potato and longaniza.

Deliciously retro crispy beef tacos seem like diet food compared to the mighty short rib enchiladas with their thick tortillas. Baked crab and shrimp enchiladas are rich with sour cream. Portions are generous and all the better to soak up well-poured margaritas you know and love— serrano chile, fresh blackberry, and crisp cucumber. It’s an in-your-face fabulous setting, drenched in natural light by day, lit by modernistic chandeliers at night. Service is tiptop. The intention is clear: This place is out to make you a regular.

28141 Crown Valley Parkway, Laguna Niguel 949-409-7380 April 2022 • O R A N G E C O A S T 91

best new restaurants

The pandemic wiped out many happy hours. But we still have lots of favorites that are more than worth the trip.

$5

Price of secretrecipe mai tais with a view at Sunsets Bar & Grill in Capistrano Beach (4 to 7 p.m. weekdays)

$6

Cost of draft or bottled beer at Hendrix in Laguna Niguel, which has eight on tap nightly (4 to 6 p.m. daily)

92 O R A N G E C O A S T • April 2022

7

Number of discounted gluten-free tacos and snacks at plant-based Gracias Madre in Newport Beach (2 to 6 p.m. weekdays, except Taco Tuesday)

17

Number of small plates and pizzas discounted at Brü Grill in Lake Forest (2 to 6 p.m. weekdays, 3 to 6 p.m. weekends)

52

Number of weekly specialty cocktails invented by Newport Beach’s Bello bartender Lorenzo Ricchi per year (4 to 6:30 p.m.

Sunday through Wednesday)

740

Calories in the $12 wine-plusflatbread deal at Seasons 52 in Costa Mesa (3 to 6 p.m.

Monday through Thursday)

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF BELLO BY SANDRO NARDONE

Happy Hours by the Numbers

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF BELLO BY SANDRO NARDONE

Bottega Angelina L

aguna Niguel’s chic late arrival came close to not making our list as it was spanking new, and reservations weren’t functioning in those early weeks.

Waiting for the door to unlock was the only gambit that worked. Once inside, it was clear the team behind Pizzeria Angelina spared nothing to transform the former Savannah Chop House into a stunner. Ceilings soar to striking heights. Endless windows bring forward the 180-degree coastal view. And there’s a vast patio scattered with umbrella tables. Tiny tables hugging the ocean blue banquette are cramped. But they’re bookended by the

fire-breathing pizza oven counter, and the grand freestanding marble bar, each with more comfortable seating.

Concise and still adjusting, the menus tempt with lunch sandwiches, house-made pastas, and roasted meats. All the Angelina pizzas are here, and we know them well by now. Sophisticated cocktails and fresh pastas supply some thrills from the menu’s first draft. The bourbon Lupollo with strawberry lambic foam is novel. House gnocchi with pato negra ragù is luxurious and priced that way.

Sizzling grilled lamb chops make a lovely spring entree.

32441 Golden Lantern, Laguna Niguel 949-542-8220 April 2022 • O R A N G E C O A S T 93