RHollister wrote: > >Will be in Anaheim for convention in early November. Any suggestions for >superb dining in the area? Used to be a place called the Hobbit in Orange >that was excellent but required reservations far in advance. Is it still >there? Before heading east for my MBA, I spent two years working (and dining) in Orange County. Although I am unfamiliar with the Hobbit, I have learned from experience that Anaheim is a tough place to find a really noteworthy meal. The city's economy revolves around tourists and conventioneers, and pitifully few restaurants in town dare to offer them anything they couldn't find at home. A better bet is to take a 20-minute drive south on the 55 to the South Coast area. There, you can generally expect a superb meal at any of the following places: 1. Pascal (Newport Beach) 2. Gustaf Anders (South Coast Village) 3. The Golden Truffle (Costa Mesa) 4. Kachina (Laguna Beach) 5. Diva (South Coast Metro) 6. Five Feet (Laguna Beach) This list is by no means all-inclusive; I'm sure there are some other fine places which I've neglected. (Suggestions, anyone?) Under no circumstances should you let someone talk you into a putatively "superb" meal at any of the following: 1. The Crab Cooker (not necessarily *bad*, but why this place continues to top the polls in O.C. "business dining" is a mystery to me) 2. Anything on PCH in Newport Beach (expensive disappointments) 3. Hotel restaurants in general (the Ritz-Carlton excepted) If you're looking for dining experiences which aren't exactly superb, but certainly, well, memorable, consider: 1. The noodle joints in Little Saigon, Westminster (The "best" one seems to change weekly. Ask around.) 2. The Stuft Surfer, Newport Beach (Breakfast right smack on the beach. RollerBlades de rigeur.) 3. El Gallo Giro, Santa Ana (Kinda like the Carnegie Deli, only Mexican. Don't ask what's in some of the fillings. Open 24 hours, but be careful after dark.) 4. The sushi bar at Metropolis (Irvine), Thursday or Sunday nights, 9ish.
Anaheim, CA
Req: Anaheim - Great Place
Doug D. wrote: > >A better bet is to take a 20-minute drive south on the 55 to the South >Coast area. There, you can generally expect a superb meal at any of the >following places: > >1. Pascal (Newport Beach) >2. Gustaf Anders (South Coast Village) >3. The Golden Truffle (Costa Mesa) >4. Kachina (Laguna Beach) >5. Diva (South Coast Metro) >6. Five Feet (Laguna Beach) I ate at Five Feet Two in Laguna earlier this year and it was fantastic, I would highly recommend it. I also ate at Kachina, and it was good, and Diva, which I ate at twice and enjoyed much more the first time than the 2nd, but it was still good both times. But Five Feet Two was extremely inventive California-Chinese food. -- Bill [email removed]
Bill R. wrote: >Doug D. wrote: >> >>A better bet is to take a 20-minute drive south on the 55 to the South >>Coast area. There, you can generally expect a superb meal at any of the >>following places: >> >>1. Pascal (Newport Beach) >>2. Gustaf Anders (South Coast Village) >>3. The Golden Truffle (Costa Mesa) >>4. Kachina (Laguna Beach) >>5. Diva (South Coast Metro) >>6. Five Feet (Laguna Beach) > >I ate at Five Feet Two in Laguna earlier this year and it was fantastic, I >would highly recommend it. I also ate at Kachina, and it was good, and >Diva, which I ate at twice and enjoyed much more the first time than the >2nd, but it was still good both times. But Five Feet Two was extremely >inventive California-Chinese food. Also related to Kachina and Diva is Bistro 201 in Irvine. If you have to stay in Anaheim, there's Mr. Stox. Mark Zane [email removed]
Mark Z. wrote: > >Also related to Kachina and Diva is Bistro 201 in Irvine. > >If you have to stay in Anaheim, there's Mr. Stox. Right, I think I ate at Bistro 201 one night, too! I have eaten at Mr Stox in the past, and the food is good but the service seemed too.. what's the word.. overbearing to me.. I just didn't feel comfortable. Maybe if I had been there with my wife instead of business associates it would have been different. The Catch, across from the stadium, is also good, although I have only been there for lunch. I'm surprised no one recommended Belilse! I am proud to say that I have been to Anaheim several times and never eaten there. BTW, for lunch, if you are in the area of the Disneyland Hotel, there's a Godfather's Pizza right down the block (in the direction of the Hilton/Marriott) which has a great lunch buffet for $3.99. Unfortunately, I was eating such large dinners at these fancy places, that after the first day I decided to stop pigging out at lunch, too. Oh, at Five Feet Too, I had the salmon two (or is it three?) ways. It was absolutely fantastic! -- Bill [email removed]