Believe in the meatless meals of Veggie Grill

PHOTO by RICK POON
Veggie Grill has meat on its mind. It’s a topic that makes for awkward thoughts, no doubt, as the restaurant definitely isn’t dreaming about the usual fantasies of flesh. Instead, the place is far more focused on mulling over the finer points of taste and [...]

It’s not by chance that Taco Mesa has swelled into what’s probably the county’s most vaunted chain, adding satellite Mesa locations everywhere from Mission Viejo to Orange and spinning off an even more upscale relative in Taco Rosa. But essential to the restaurant’s Manifest Destiny is that the place has never suffered any sag in [...]

If you’re looking for a rock-solid introduction to the west-of-Haiti wonderfulness of Cuban cuisine, try Downey’s Habana Cafe. The restaurant stocks Cuban standards like ropa vieja (shredded beef and peppers), beef empanadas (stuffed pastries) and papas rellenas (balls of fried potato filled with seasoned ground beef) and makes a perfect way to get acquainted with [...]

Michael’s on Naples storms the island

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES
At first, the servers at Michael’s on Naples seem stuck together, waiting in the back of the place in a single khaki clump. It’s not until the night wears on that the staff is pulled apart, each member running routes with baskets of bread and quartinos of [...]

There’s always plenty to eat around town, but there’s a particularly filling week of food ahead for interested eaters, including these (ongoing) events:
One-Year Anniversary at Tracht’s: Suzanne Tracht’s eponymous spot inside the Renaissance Hotel (reviewed here) is celebrating its anniversary with a special three-courses-for-$30 menu. Among the options is, of course, Chef Tracht’s signature pot [...]

Slowfish comes wrapped in black

PHOTO by RICK POON
Slowfish seems a negative space, one where all the usual sushi-house whites are underexposed into medium grays and endless blacks. The restaurant embraces this, though, as you can’t even see into the place—the windows are blacked out by a limousine-level tinting so dark that you can’t spot a [...]

Peru by way of China at El Rocoto

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES
El Rocoto hits every equatorial trope: The walls glow a golden yellow, packs of tropical fish zip through a cool blue aquarium, the menus even come with a South American street scene sunken into their leather. And inside those bound books are all the Peruvian [...]

Tacos carved to order at El Toro Bravo

PHOTO by RICK POON
There’s a steady pounding pouring out of El Toro Bravo, an uncertain sound like the dull thud of a drum in the distance. You can hear it from the parking lot, but you can’t see it—pull up to the place at any regular hour and [...]

A piece of Hawaii at Back Home in Lahaina

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES
Back Home in Lahaina is touched with the kind of style that seems fit for only the most tropical tourist traps. There are street signs to guide diners between tables and some breezy bars of ukulele floating out into the dining room. But the [...]

Mother’s Market
While other gourmet grocers are spreading out beyond organics (jumping onto and over the “green” trend), Mother’s Market has kept its shelves healthy. The market has always done that, though—the place has long been as much a vitamin and supplement shop as it is a traditional market. So it’s not surprising that all the [...]