Chef Craig Strong, formerly of Studio at The Montage, has opened his own restaurant called Ocean At Main in Laguna Beach. Main courses include “Pressed Organic Chicken” and a “Grilled Pork Secreto”. 222 Ocean Ave, Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Oliboli, the donut shop by Brooke Desprez and family, has opened in Tustin. Desprez previously helped found Costa Mesa’s Sidecar Donuts. 135 W 1st St, Tustin, CA 92780
Jimboy’s Tacos, the chain that bills itself as “The Original American Taco” with locations in Anaheim, Huntington Beach, and Brea, has opened its newest location in Irvine. 5643 Alton Pkwy, Irvine, CA 92618
Midori Matcha Cafe, which began in LA’s Little Tokyo, has expanded to Costa Mesa at SoCo. It specializes in everything matcha, including macarons, drinks, and soft serve. 3313 Hyland Ave, A7, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
A new Vietnamese noodle joint called Hai Ky Mi Gia has opened in Santa Ana. Specialities include egg noodle soup and hu tieu nam vang. Pho and bun are also offered. 4504 W 1st St, Santa Ana, CA 92703
Before becoming an award-winning restaurant critic for OC Weekly in 2007, Edwin Goei went by the alias “elmomonster” on his blog Monster Munching, in which he once wrote a whole review in haiku.