January isn't generally the kindest months for those in the restaurant
business. But a few of the restaurant closures that we saw
these past 31 days was still a big surprise.
Valhalla Table, the sausage sandwich shop by the Karnaga sisters of Layer Cake Bakery, closed up shop at The Camp after their lease ran out. Two old guards of French cuisine in
Orange County finally faltered. Though Tradition won't close until
after Valentine's Day, Pascal Olhats announced he's surrendering his Newport Beach spot to
another French restaurateur after nearly a quarter century of service. And this past Saturday, La Vie en Rose in
Brea also served its last meal. It had been in business 27 years.
But the month also saw good. Lauded LA-County spots Ramen Yamadaya and Class 302 opened stores here recently. See the full list of “open and shut cases” below.
]
RESTAURANT/VENUES OPENED IN JANUARY
Class 302, Irvine
Cheese Shop @ the mix, Costa Mesa
Da Luau, Foothill Ranch
Ramen Yamadaya, Costa Mesa
Valerio's Bake Shop, Anaheim
Manila Sunrise, Anaheim
The Nite Owl, Fullerton
RESTAURANT/VENUES CLOSED IN JANUARY
Saigon Basil, Irvine
Valhalla Table, Costa Mesa
Taleo Mexican Fusion, Irvine
Tradition by Pascal, Newport Beach
Fatburger, Irvine
Infusion, Ladera Ranch
La Vie en Rose, Brea
Scottie's Smokehouse, Orange
Marmalade Cafe, Tustin
Nana Jean's, Tustin
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.