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Toast Kitchen + Bakery, has opened in the old Golden Truffle spot in Costa Mesa. It’s owned by Ed Lee, one of Wahoo’s Fish Taco’s founders who has tapped John Park, former pastry chef at Father’s Office, to be its executive chef. The menu features brunch items such as hot chicken paired with malasadas, garlic shrimp and grits, and green eggs and ham. 1767 Newport Blvd, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
Also opened next to Toast is Fill, a joint featuring made-to-order malasadas and small-batch ice cream. The malasadas can be filled with such flavors as haupia, strawberry jam, and malted chocolate. 1767 Newport Blvd, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
Mrs. Bean has opened inside MainPlace Mall in Santa Ana. It serves jianbing, the Chinese stuffed crepe that’s a popular street food as well as an array of hand-pulled noodle dishes. 2800 N Main St, Ste 1048, Santa Ana, CA 92705
Sol Agave, the San Juan Capistrano Mexican restaurant that began as a food truck, has opened its second restaurant inside Kaleidoscope in Mission Viejo. It adds a taqueria section with handmade tortillas to the menu. 27741 Crown Valley Pkwy, Unit 329, Mission Viejo, CA 92691
The Bowery, which opened earlier this year in Fullerton in the space that used to be Commonwealth Lounge, has announced that it’s finished its soft opening phase. The final menu has pizza, wings, pizza fries and 33 beers on tap. 112 E. Commonwealth Ave., Fullerton, CA 92832
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.