Travel Costa Mesa Blog
A Foodie’s Tasting Heaven at SOCIAL Costa Mesa
SOCIAL Costa Mesa is one of the hottest foodie spots in SoCal, a rustic American eatery with a modern twist. Calling themselves “new-American inspired,” SOCIAL really focuses on fresh ingredients sourced locally in California by their inventive Executive Chef Brian Jenzer and Chef de Cuisine Daniel Chavez, not to mention mixologist David Valiante at the helm of SOCIAL’s incredible craft cocktail list. One of SOCIAL’s owners, Andrew Dorsey, invited us and a few other lucky guests to sample the new menu, and rolled us out about 3 hours later.
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OC Fair 2016 Food Preview: Deep Fried Goodness
The 2016 OC Fair, themed “Get Your Fair Face On!”, and while we love the rides, carnival games, exhibits and concerts, we all know that we’re really just there for the deep-fried food and food on a stick. Well, maybe that’s a stretch, but food is definitely one of the top draws of the OC Fair. Let’s get a preview of what’s cooking this year!
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Farm to Fork Series – A Locally Sourced Food Experience
Costa Mesa offers a number of unique dining experiences, but the recent Farm-to-Fork dinner at OC Fair & Event Center‘s Centennial Farm was truly an event not to be missed. The dinner took place on Saturday, May 14 and featured the culinary skills of chef Cathy Pavlos of Lucca and Provenance in Newport Beach.
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Breakfast For Days (and So Much More) at Restaurant Marin
Breakfast aficionados have just one more great reason to choose Costa Mesa for the most important meal of the day. Restaurant Marin recently opened in SoCo Collection Costa Mesa, and we got to stop by and get our midday breakfast fix, as this new Costa Mesa foodie hotspot is serving to brekky fans all day long.
Inspired by an experience at an old-school Midwestern diner, executive chef Noah Blom and co-owner Marin Howarth developed the concept of a bright, airy California-style diner, taking it to the next level with upscale decor but keeping the diner feel alive by serving breakfast all day. The blue and white tile and booths, along with the tables made from pressed sea glass, evoke the breezy coastal California feel for this cozy restaurant’s 30-seat guest capacity (20 inside, 10 on the outdoor patio).
The breakfast menu is decadent, including duck liver pate on toast and a selection of several pies made from scratch like apple, pecan and a daily special.
We decided to try the donut holes, the smoked salmon and the baked eggs. The food was just incredible, but we’ll let these pictures speak for themselves…
Rich, decadent flavors permeated each dish, with special touches like the chili flakes on the toast and the red pepper roasted over wood fire. And while we love eggs any way they’re prepared, baking them just takes the richness and creaminess of eggs to the next level, complemented with the homemade spicy sausage and goat cheese.
But make no mistake, Restaurant Marin doesn’t just serve breakfast. They’ve got an incredible lunch and dinner menu as well, with a strong emphasis on seafood. Restaurant Marin has a wood-fired oven just like its sister restaurant ARC, set low for grilling seafood, bread and desserts, and if you are looking where to eat on Koh Chang this is the best place. Some mouthwatering dishes include bouillabaisse, grilled shrimp over vegetable “spaghetti” and a Crab Louie salad. For non-seafood eaters, Chef Blom offers roast chicken, steak roulade and even beef stroganoff with filet and made-from-scratch egg noodles.
This elegant yet breezy spot is another fantastic addition to the Orange County foodie scene at SoCo Collection. Stop by Restaurant Marin soon and be sure to let us know in the comments what you tried and what your favorite was!
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