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As most of you know, I grew up in Orange County (as much as I hate to admit that). Since I’ve spent a few days there this past week I thought I would do a one-time segment on places to eat, and not to eat in coastal Orange County. In addition to the normal, ‘The Good, The Bad, The Ugly,’ I am also going to include a section called ‘One Hit Wonders’ because there are some restaurants that have one singular dish that is the best of its kind but the rest of their menu is better forgotten about altogether. This list is going to be a bit more extensive because I will not be writing a follow up on Orange County. You can tell I have an innate love for Mexican food by this list, so if you share that sentiment you will enjoy this, I promise! Two restaurants that are actually worth a special drive from LA just to eat there are Taco Mesa and Thanh. Also these restaurants cover a wide variety of price ranges, which I will mention in each restaurants blurb. So if any of you are planning on spending any time in Orange County please take my suggestions to heart!

The Good:

Taco Mesa (multiple locations throughout OC)- THIS IS THE BEST MEXICAN FOOD EVER (in LA, SD, or OC, at least in my opinion)!!! The location in Costa Mesa near the 55 Freeway and 19^th St is the first location and has the most consistently excellent food. This place has the best chicken enchiladas I have ever had. Also, anything that has Blackened Chicken (Taco, Burrito, or Torta) is to die for. They also offer different specials every day- any special with shrimp is usually quite good. The Al Pastor tacos are also the best I’ve had- besides really flavorful grilled pork, it also has fresh grilled pineapple pieces that give a bright burst of flavor. I usually spend around $10 for myself (I usually get 2 chicken enchiladas a la cart, an al pastor taco, and drink). This restaurant has a very untraditional salsa bar (no pico de gallo here guys!), which includes those spicy pickled carrots, onions, and cauliflower that are amazing. I guarantee you will go through two cups of them before you get your food. However the chips here are pretty lousy, and the guacamole goes without comment. There is also a more upscale version of this restaurant called Taco Rosa that you actually sit down and get waited on, but why pay more for the same food?

http://www.tacomesa.net/

Baja FISH (multiple locations throughout OC)- Please do not confuse this wonderful establishment with Baja Fresh, because there is no comparison whatsoever. When I speak of honest, simple foods, this place is a prime example. Very minimal ingredients produce flavorful and memorable food. I highly suggest the Carne Asada (Burrito, Taco, or Plate). Tacos and burritos usually consist of meat, pico de gallo, very good guacamole, lettuce, and cheese- unless they are seafood, which uses cabbage instead of lettuce and some special sauce. Also very good tortilla chips, thin and crisp. No meal here is going to cost you more than $10.

http://www.bajafishtacos.net/

Tha`nh located on Culver and Deerfield in Irvine. Most Vietnamese places look really dirty and questionable, but not this one. It is very clean and very modern looking. I’ve actually never gotten pho here because their salads, banh hoi (lettuce wraps) and bun (dry vermicelli noodle) dishes are so good, I just can’t bring myself to try something else. I don’t know what they add to their fish sauce-based dressing that goes over the vermicelli, but it’s better than any other I have had. What is also so amazing about this place is that you can sit down in a nice restaurant with good service for a little less than $10 a person. Apparently there is also one in Westminster, off of Bolsa, but I have never been there.

Nello Cucina located on the ground level of Crystal Court (across the bridge from South Coast Plaza). This is a downscaled version of Antenllo’s created by the same chef. Antenello’s is a well-established and expensive Italian restaurant only a few blocks away. Somehow though, I prefer Nello’s. I am an exceptionally hard critic of Italian food, seeing as my family used to own an Italian restaurant and my Grandpa is actually from Italy. But this is the closest to how I feel Italian food should be served. The pasta is all hand made on site, perfectly al dente and never tough. I highly suggest the Chicken Cacciatore, the Penne Arrabbiata, and the Raviolini with Meat Sauce. The chicken cacciatore you have to ask for special, as it is no longer on the menu. Excellent red sauces, and being a southern Italian, it is alllll about the sauce. For dinner, its about $15 person but is also open for lunch, and slightly cheaper.

Genkai in Dana Point off of PCH. This sushi place is filled with regulars whenever you go. Expect the person next to you to be chatting with the sushi chefs like they’re old friends. But always make sure to sit at the bar, somehow its just not as good when you sit at a table. This is more Americanized than what I usually go for, but the fish is good. The Crunch Roll is probably the best I’ve had. They are also very um, creative in their presentations- in a kind of homely way. For example when you get a spider roll, the chef arranges it to look like a spider with the sauce to look like a web, cute and homely. Great place to go with friends though, about $20 per person.

Izakaya Wasa in the Irvine Spectrum. If you are at the spectrum, please eat here over any other Japanese place there, because the rest of them are horrible. This by no means is a traditional sushi restaurant, yet isn’t really fusion either, more accurately it is modern Japanese cuisine. Some favorites of mine are the takowasa (octopus marinated in wasabi sauce), the halibut with ginger citrus, and the hummingbird (a tempura shishito pepper stuffed with spicy tuna). The fish is fresh and prepared with care. About $25 per person.

Javier’s Cantina in the Irvine Spectrum, not the one in Newport Beach. This place has a very ‘cabana-like’ feel, with gourmet Mexican food. The ceviche here is pretty good, they have 3 different kinds of which I prefer the ceviche de pulpo (this one has octopus instead of just shrimp). However the dish I fell in love with here is the Lomo Azteca. This is a baked pork loin with a spicy chipotle cream sauce. All the ingredients used here are fresh and well combined, to compliment each other and not over or under spice. This place also has some kick-ass margaritas and mojitos, but is altogether slightly over-priced at about $25 per person. ­­ On a side note though, the interior design of this place is really cool.

Ti Amo Ristorante located off of PCH in Laguna Beach. This is a very cute romantic lil’ Italian place. I will always love this restaurant because of the Petto d’Anatra con Cigliege Allagro, aka the duck. This is some of the best duck I’ve ever had. A nice crisp and sweet skin, served with sweet and slightly tart cranberry vinaigrette. Many other entrees are tasty as well, but the duck is by far my favorite. Desserts are also quite good here. This is probably going to be about $30 a plate for dinner, more with wine and dessert.

The Winery Restaurant located in Tustin at Jamboree and Barranca. This restaurant has a high-end ambiance. And everything I’ve gotten here is quite good; it is a very American fusion of French and Italian. I suggest the Grilled Portobello Mushroom Salad, the Seared Ahi appetizer, the Jumbo Scallop and Shrimp Entrée, the Duck Entrée, or their New York Strip Steak or Veal Porterhouse. About $35 person.

5’ (Yes, it is called Five Feet and no, I don’t know why) located on Glenneyre in Laguna Beach. This is a kind of contemporary and artsy, Chinese and French fusion. It is well known for its whole catfish, which I also highly suggest. The catfish is lightly breaded and deep fried whole. It is very artfully served, garnish with two sauces (one spicy and one sweet) with cilantro and green onions. Honestly best catfish made in a non-Creole fashion. The chef’s menu pretty much changes everyday. The potsticker appetizer is excellent along with the Lamb entrée. This establishment will probably cost you about $40 per person for dinner, but worth every last penny.

The Bad:

Peking Dragon in Dana Point. Lets just call it whitey food + MSG. Bad service, bad food, can you get any worse?

Fred’s Mexican Cantina near Ocean Ranch. Everyone goes here to get drinks, and let’s say would have to be nearing blackout to think the food is decent.

El Ranchito (multiple locations) everything here is deep-fried to a golden greasy brown and full of cheese.

Beachfire in San Clemente off of Del Mar St. Tasteless and pricey.

Tommy Bahama’s in Newport Coast. Simply does not taste good, and REALLY pricey.

The Ugly:

Pedro’s Tacos (the one in south San Clemente, near T St, the other are badddd)- This is under The Ugly because after you’ve been surfing for a couple of hours there is just no better fix, what so ever. And every local will tell you the same, not that they know good food anyway. My personal favorite in the combo burrito. A burrito goes for about $4. The rolled tacos are also pretty good.

Saddleback Lanes (on Marguerite Parkway in Mission Viejo)- Yes, I just mentioned a bowling alley. This place deserves this spot on my list because in the midst of stinky bowling shoes and waxy hands there is the best curly fries to exist. Spicy and crispy on the outside, flakey potato goodness on the inside. And they certainly aren’t shy about serving size.

One Hit Wonders:

Z’Tejas in South Coast Plaza. Everything here is crap. EXCEPT for the Grilled Shrimp and Guacamole Tostada Bites ($10). Somehow there is an amazing burst of flavor in each bite, slightly spicy and sweet, a burst of cilantro and lime. Wonderful. The cornbread isn’t a total lost either. Honestly this appetizer is so good, it’s worth not completely writing off the whole restaurant.

Gulfstream off Avocado Ave in Newport Beach. For a seafood restaurant, you would never expect the one thing that makes this restaurant worthwhile is a fried chicken sandwich, but it is. Best fried chicken sandwich I’ve ever had. The chicken breast is lightly breaded and fried to a golden and crisp, then thinly sliced. The sauce for this sandwich is a tangy BBQ mustard. This entrée is around $15. The rest of the menu is very bland and taste like really low end seafood, yet is all very expensive (expect about $30 per person).

Sabatino’s off of Shipyard Way in Lido Peninsula. This place is known for its sausage for good reason: they’re awesome. Not exactly traditional, as its primarily pork and goat cheese, but excellent none the less. What is so amazing about this sausage is that it overcomes sausage’s greatest criticism; it is not greasy at all. The meat used in the sausage is very low in fat and the use of goat cheese prevents the greasiness that most other sausages have. Besides preventing the greasiness, the goat cheese makes this sausage very rich and makes a near caramelization when it is cooked properly. If you plan on cooking Italian sausage I suggest going into the restaurant and picking up a ring of sausage (either spicy Italian or sweet Italian). One ring, I believe is about a 4 lb coil and runs about $30, but you can get however many pounds you like and is priced accordingly. I usually buy the whole coil section it off into links and put what I’m not immediately using in the freezer. It’s definitely worth the price. Also the owner has posted how best to cook these unique sausages online, http://www.sabatinosausagecompany.com/recipes.htm I’ve completely written off the restaurants menu because the pasta is tough and the sauces are bland at best. So just buy the freakin’ sausage.