ausfrench's Profile
Lunch near or at Gare de Lyon
You could also try L'Europeen which is a big brasserie right outside the station. It's totally a classic - less expensive than le Train Bleu.
Evaluation of Engagement trip to Paris
Agree - Place de Vosges. I dreamt about a proposal there...
Marche Moderne: Best French in OC? Oui? :-)
Marche Moderne rocks. Sometimes the service is a little slow, but that's rare, and HELLO, anyone been to France lately? You are not meant to scarf down your food in 5 seconds. Comparing it to La Vie en Rose is just sad....
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Marche Moderne
3333 Bristol St 3001, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
La Vie
2547 San Gabriel Blvd, Rosemead, CA 91770
Jerry's wood-fired dogs!
I LOVE Jerry's dogs. Get a craving for one almost every week. Especially with the grilled onions, peppers and cheese. Can't beat it.
OC Brunch on a Saturday (late Mothers'Day)
I like the food at Break of Dawn and the service is nice, BUT they seem to have a terrible problem that they cannot get the whole table's food out at once - even a table for 2 or 4. I have been there many times and it always happens. As long as you're not in a hurry, or don't mind eating in shifts, its a nice place to go.
OC Brunch on a Saturday (late Mothers'Day)
I think Saturday is the problem - most 'brunches' tend to be Sundays. Anyway. One of my favorite places is Nicks at Laguna Beach. They do a great breakfast/lunch on a Saturday and you can book on the patio. I think the calamari is maybe the best I've ever had. It's on PCH right by Main Beach. The great thing about the location is that you can wander around the galleries or by the beach before/after it makes for a nice occasion.
Otherwise I love Marche Moderne at South Coast Plaza for lunch on a Saturday - again book to sit on the patio and you will feel a million miles away from a shopping mall, but with the added bonus that you can shop afterwards! They have a fixed price lunch that is excellent value.
Hope that helps.
Casual French Bistro - Orange County?
You will be happy at any of these 3 restaurants. Know the following:
Marche Moderne - chic and upscale for dinner, more casual at lunch. Never disappointing.
Pescadou - authentic, mid-range casual, nice service
Brussels - good food, much more casual pub style but authentic food.
Pascal is still on my list to try but judging by the leek tart they sell at the epicerie I would try it in a heartbeat.
I love Brussels Bistro, Laguna Beach
Great place for moules frites! I would have liked a bit more cream in the sauce, but Mr Ausfrench thought they were perfect. Certainly the fries were the best I've had in the US, and they come with a delicious real homemade mayonnaise.
The are open most nights for dinner and weekends for lunch from 12pm.
I love Brussels Bistro, Laguna Beach
Mr Ausfrench and the 2 petits Ausfrenches went for lunch today at Brussels Bistro. We've been meaning to go for ages and finally did it on a whim after spending the morning on the beach.
We both had too much Duvel and Leffe. So good.
To eat, we shared;
2 enormous bread baskets
hamburger
saussice de Lyon with potatoes (this was the real deal with pistaschos...)
mussels in a cream sauce.
We ate almost everything. It was so good to have something authentically European in a pub-type atmosphere. Very relaxed. The service was good, very friendly.
Totally recommend it for a weekend lunch.
Gluten-free Bakeries, Restaurants in Orange County
Try Avanti vegetarian cafe in Costa Mesa on 17th. Also, Wholefoods, Mothers Market and Sprouts have a lot of choices.
almond meal/flour in los angeles?
Sprouts has it. It's expensive - 10 dollars a bag - but they always have it in every store.
But its the real deal, unlike the TJs stuff which has the skin of the almond left on it.
Merguez sausage?
If you're ever in OC, go to Mattern Deli on Chapman in Orange. They have the best I've ever had outside of France. They aren't called Mergeuz though - but you will recognise them.
Special occasion vegetarian in O.C.?
Anyone else got a recommendation? I have a similar dinner coming up this week. I seemed to remember hearing about a place in Costa Mesa, but now can't find it.
Diamond Jamboree Asian Mall-Irvine
I don't think you're missing out on much. Better off driving to Cream Pan on El Camino Real, Tustin for bakery and Cafe Blanc in Costa Mesa for patisserie. I thought the stuff at 85c was just ok....
REVIEW: Zon Baguettes, Tustin
Thanks for the review - never tried Banh Mi, but this is right by my house so will give it a try!
Lucca Cafe Irvine - Opinions
I think it's a good, credible lunch place with nice salads, sandwiches and soups, but I've never gotten too excited about the dinner options.
What's up with Nancy Silverton restaurant in South Coast Plaza? Any good?
I went there today to try it. The service at the register was a little long and chaotic apparently due to the fact that one of their refrigerators broke down over night and so some of the food was spoiled. For that reason they were unable to make certain menu items.
I tried the BBQ burger which was really excellent actually. Surprisingly so. Service from order to table was under 10 minutes. I will definitely go back to try other things and recommend it to others who are shopping in the Home section of the plaza. Sure beats CPK or Rubys!
Ultimate OC Restaurants, 2008
>$25
Marche Moderne
Le Pescadou
Pascal
Black Sheep Bistro
In n Out
The Counter
Tulsa Rib Company
Tropika
XIV or Marche Moderne?
Marche Moderne definitely. Sit outside on the patio in a cabana. Lovely!!
A Restaurant is open (former Arches in Newport Beach)
The ONLY decent thing about 'A' is the delicious lychee martinis.
Best Breakfast Buffet in OC
Anyone else tried brunch at the Five Crowns? It's my husband's birthday this Sunday and I was considering it. We will have our two kids with us though.
Stews: Who serves 'em?
If you're ever in Orange County, try Black Sheep Bistro in Tustin. Open only for dinner. Delicious.
REVIEW: Cafe Contigo, Anaheim
I was more than excited when I saw this thread and realised it is located just around the corner from where my daughter does ballet. So off we went this morning and had a fabulous latte and one of those guava cheese pastries. The service was so friendly! Next week we'll be back for lunch to try those sandwiches.
If you live/work/happen to be in the vicinity, give it a try. It's located on Anaheim and Broadway, tucked beside a car wash and Quinzos.
OC Restaurants with killer wine lists
I think the Black Sheep Bistro on El Camino Real in Tustin has an EXCELLENT wine list. It's a Spanish-French restaurant with a great selection of European wines.
A Restaurant is open (former Arches in Newport Beach)
I wanted to like this place. Really I did. Based on the reviews here I took my team from work here for a farewell dinner. I knew about the 'valet girls' so that was fine. When we walked in, there were 5, yes 5, girls at the desk to seat us. They sat us in the bar (we had dinner reservations). I thought it was weird but we had a drink. The bar was getting louder and louder so we asked to move to the main dining room. They obliged immediately - not sure why we were there in the first place.
The Food: We shared all the salads on the menu - the best one was the iceberg with blue cheese and bacon. The others were just ok. I had the pasta entree. It was ok. Nothing special. My colleague had the tuna that looked kind of dry. It was served with fries and nothing else. No suggestion from the waiter to add a side or something. Halibut was good according to my colleague. We shared desserts. Again, all ok nothing special. The banana cream pie was the stand-out.
Then the waiter really annoyed me by bringing the check before asking if we wanted coffees or anything else. Come on its not Dennys! Our coffees were comped.
By the time we left the bar was unbearable noise-wise (glad we moved) - the 5 girls who had greeted us were circling chatting to the fat old men in the bar. NOW I know what purpose the serve.
Anyway - overall it was a disappointing experience. Give me Bayside, Marche Moderne, or Leatherby's Cafe Rouge any time!
upscale Orange County brunch/lunch that won't cost a million bucks?
We went to Cannons in Dana Point and I thought it was pretty good as far as buffets go. Spectacular view makes the food taste better in any case....
Laguna Beach Help Please - Restaurants & Mexican
I like Sapphire Laguna, Brussels Bistro and Splashes at the Surf and Sand. No idea on mexican as I think Javier's moved.
