RESTAURANTS
Slidebar
122
Commonwealth Ave., Fullerton, CA 92832
If you sense a buzz coming from the
direction of downtown Fullerton, it’s probably reverberating from
Slidebar, the city’s answer to Anaheim’s House of Blues. This
indoor/outdoor hotspot -- co-owned by Lit guitarist Jeremy Popoff
along with Sean Francis, owner of Fullerton’s other hipster
hangout, the Continental Room -- is divided into several
interconnecting spaces: the dining room, the bar, the patio (OC’s
biggest) and the concert area. The dining space serves as a spot
where people can sit amidst rare rock memorabilia donated by OC
musicians and order high end grub like the $25 Kobe beef burgers,
gourmet sandwiches, premium steaks, fresh seafood and monster-sized
salads. The kitchen is open for lunch and dinner with a special
late-night menu (there's also an express takeout window), but the
kitchen’s hallmark is its Bloody Mary brunch served every Sunday.
Of course, the most impressive aspect of Slidebar is its bar and
raised stage area where just about anything can happen: the
venue’s owners promise everything from impromptu concerts by
A-list rock bands passing through town to loungey club nights and
celeb-filled parties, many of which are spontaneous after-parties.
Memphis
2920 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Ask any hipster in Orange County for
their top five area restaurants, and nine times out of 10, the
Memphis Cafe is going to be mentioned. The restaurant's minimalist
'60s decor and selection of music are some of the reasons why
Memphis is still so popular, but the main reason for its reputation
is the food: it's simple, inexpensive and good. The menu is full of
modern takes on Southern soul food: gumbo, shellfish jambalaya,
catfish dishes and pulled-pork sandwiches. Memphis Cafe also offers
such basics as spicy hamburgers, filling salads and BLTs. If you can
make its breakfast/brunch hours, you're greeted with a separate menu
with more regional rarities like the catfish omelet, grilled pork
chops with eggs and the Southern eggs benedict. Top it off with the
bar's mimosas and you almost have the ingredients to a perfect
hangover cure.
Detroit
843 19th St., Costa Mesa, CA 92626
When the owners of Memphis Soul Cafe
bought Detroit Bar, they refurnished it with paper lanterns,
Naugahyde couches, candles and incense, brushed-steel trim and a VIP
room that would make the Eameses weep with pride. The walls, which
used to be littered with band stickers, posters and gum, are now
painted in avocado green, burnt orange and deep brown. Although it
seems like Detroit always has a different DJ spinning downbeat
ambient records or funky trip-hop loops, it really caters to just
about every genre of music these days. It's not unusual to see a
reggae act, a hard-core punk trio, a jazz combo and a garage band
all in one week. Dancing is permitted and encouraged, but you'll be
hard pressed to see anyone on the extra-large dance floor before
midnight.
Plush
207 Harbor Blvd., Fullerton, CA 92832
The design of nearly every mom-and-pop
shop, restaurant and bar in downtown Fullerton resembles a Norman
Rockwell painting. Monochrome grays abound. But things changed when
the Plush Design Lab/Cafe opened its doors on the city's main drag.
Like a bright beacon on Harbor Boulevard, this Internet cafe fuses
color and energy into the antiquated town. Its menu offers solid
cafe fare: The sandwiches are light yet filling and the pastries go
well with the bar's wide array of coffees, teas and energy drinks.
The ambience and clientele make Plush stand out from other
establishments. Furnished with tables, chairs and couches designed
by Charles and Ray Eames and Herman Miller, the dining area looks
like a scene from the Kordova Milk Bar in 'A Clockwork Orange.'
Couple this futuristic aesthetic with the bank of high-powered Macs
by the magazine rack, and the inviting orange glow of the walls, and
you can understand why fashionably dressed hipsters-in-the-know
frequent this cafe. Plan to pay 10 cents per minute for online
access, whether you hook up your own laptop or not.
Stonehill
Tavern
1 Monarch Beach Ave., Dana Point, CA 92629
Don’t expect fish and chips or club
sandwiches like you would at most taverns -- this luxurious
restaurant is actually an updated take on the classic east coast
clubhouse one might have stepped into after an afternoon of rowing
or yachting. The menu is streamlined down to appetizers (Maine
lobster, duck, diver scallops), unique entrees (suckling pig, skate
wing shellfish broth and black cod in duck consomme) and the
aforementioned tavern fare that includes blue foot chicken for two,
shellfish stew along with the closest thing to pub grub you’re
going to find here: a $40 Kobe beef hamburger. Of course, one
doesn’t have to order a meal to enjoy the Stonehill Tavern’s
handsome atmosphere -- the space has an intimate bar and lounge as
well as an outdoor terrace, perfect for cocktails and a sample
platter from the chef’s appetizers of the day.
Orange
Hill
6410 Chapman Ave., Orange, CA 92869
A few positive phrases come to mind
when people bring up the Orange Hill: spectacular Sunday brunch,
great view overlooking the entire north county, memorable wedding
receptions. Unfortunately, there are some phrases that aren't so
favorable: forced valet parking, extremely long waits (even with
reservations) and very high prices. But don't let these facts deter
you from one of the best dining experience in Orange County. As far
as the menu is concerned, Orange Hill keeps it very basic: thick
steaks, fresh fish, seasoned poultry and exceptional lamb. You can't
go wrong with anything you order here, the master chefs see to that.
The real reason OC restaurant aficionados keep returning is the
atmosphere: wedding parties, couples celebrating anniversaries and
those newly in love swear by this place. Also be sure to make time
to lounge by one of the outdoor fire pits overlooking the city,
while sharing a good bottle of wine.
Habana
2930 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Everyone knows that Habana is one of
the top restaurants in Orange County, but what most people don't
know is that its cozy little bar has some of the smartest mixers
when the kitchen closes for the night. Although the bar serves
drinks as long as the restaurant's doors are open, the real
nightlife doesn't begin until the hip local workforce comes in for
happy hour. Once the kitchen closes (usually around 10PM), the
nine-to-fivers leave, and the second wave of regulars inhabit the
bar and intimate corners of the lounge. The already dark bar area
gets even darker, with the only real light provided by candles,
giving the lounge a Gothic/Spanish atmosphere. You can't go wrong
with anything off the bar's martini selection, but if you're adverse
to the hard stuff, go with the sangria -- it's probably the most
popular drink on the list.
California
Seafood Grill
3988 Barranca Pkwy., Irvine, CA 92606
Seafood restaurants usually conjure up
images of dated dining rooms filled with salty maritime decor, but
nothing could be farther from the truth at California Fish Grill.
This sleek, postmodern eatery completely redefines the traditional
fish house. The space is filled with minimalist black and chrome
furnishings and light fixtures, open ceilings with aluminum
industrial air vents and a polished concrete floor. It’s a simple
look that compliments an inexpensive, forthright menu full of
seafood staples such as salmon, white roughy, halibut, swordfish,
trout and seared ahi tuna. As you see the chefs prepare your fish
through the kitchen’s large plate glass windows, you are asked if
you want your fish grilled with garlic butter or cajun spices.
Modest sides like potatoes, garden veggies and rice automatically
come with each fish order, which makes it all hard to believe that
with the addition of a beverage, you can still walk away from the
table a mere $10 lighter.
Svelte
440 Heliotrope Ave., Corona Del Mar, CA 92625
There’s no need to be intimidated by
Svelte. Sure, the decor can easily be featured within the pages of
Architectural Digest, the wait staff look like Calvin Klein models
and the clientele is probably in a higher tax bracket than you. But
at its core, Svelte is very modest. The boutique restaurant prides
itself on a very sophisticated American-French fusion menu, but the
dishes are familiar and are commonly found as simpler incarnations
elsewhere. For example, macaroni and cheese is modified with roasted
garlic, herbs and heirloom tomatoes; the filet mignon is
bacon-wrapped with Cognac-peppercorn jus and the hamburger is made
of a Kobe beef patty topped with sweet caramelized onions. In
essence, Svelte just gives the old classics fancy makeovers. The
updated cuisine and the pampering from servers makes the Svelte
visit a special experience.
Eva’s
31732 Coast Hwy., Laguna Beach, CA 92651
While Caribbean-themed restaurants are
common in southern California, few are as authentic as Eva's when it
comes to cuisine or atmosphere. Those familiar with the West Indies
are going to be very familiar with Eva's rustic, almost cluttered
yet colorful ambience (think shabby chic meets a kitschy Jamaican
souvenir shop). The shack-like environment is multiplied by the fact
that Eva's is extremely small -- the indoor dining space holds about
40 people comfortably, while the patio seats about 15. The menu
stays close to its island roots with a predominant Cajun and seafood
offering. The pan-fried Chilean sea bass and grilled jerk chicken
with mango chutney are by far the most popular entrees Eva's serves,
but the younger regulars just enjoy sharing several plates of
appetizers over a round or two of the exotic drinks made with any
one of the house's 30 obscure rums.
