Photo by Jack GouldJim Righeimer
Teacher-bashin', labor-bustin' OC politico, real-estate guy, and Lord of Darkness. Righeimer was afraid we were going to use this as an opportunity to make fun of him. We wouldn't do that —we think Riggy's a swell guy. It's just that, you know, he's Satan. But did we mention that, aside from that, we really like Jim Righeimer? BREAKFAST: Coco's and Las Brisas (tie). “Here's a secret about Las Brisas not many people know about: during the week, breakfast is $8.25. I get there before 9 a.m., and there's a full omelet bar where they make them to order, French toast, everything, and it's all on a white linen tablecloth while you get to look at the ocean. At Coco's, I like the California omelet.” LUNCH: “Island's for hamburgers. They have good portions of food, and the staff is really well-trained and friendly.” DINNER: “There's an Indian restaurant right on Brookhurst in Fountain Valley called Punjab. They've got great tandoori barbecue and a very pleasant, down-home atmosphere. It's a family-run kind of place.” coco's bakery N restaurant Locations everywhere / las brisas restaurant 361 Cliff Dr. Laguna Beach (949) 497-5434 / island's Also located everywhere / punjab cuisine of india 18687 Brookhurst Fountain Valley (714)963-6777 [RS]
Josh Ferguson
Clerk, 21st Century Comics. Though he's not heavy into comics, Ferguson says working at 21st Century has led him to a deeper appreciation of the form. He's into The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, a comic that expands on the exploits of the Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Captain Nemo. “They're just good stories—really well-written. I'll read anything if it's really well-written,” says Ferguson, who previously worked at a bookstore and attends Fullerton College. The store has provided further evidence that life imitates art. “When I first saw the movie Mallrats by [Clerks director] Kevin Smith, it didn't really mean much to me. Now that I've worked here, it's brought it home. When you work here, you really do hear people say things like, 'No way, dude. Superman would never marry Lois Lane! He'd go for Wonder Woman!' It's funny. It's bizarre, but it's funny.” BREAKFAST: Ferguson likes Denny's mainly because “it's the only thing open at 2 a.m., and that's usually when I'm getting breakfast. I hate how Orange County falls asleep after 11 p.m. It's like my only options are Denny's, doughnut shops and all-night grocery stores. Well, I'm not going to be cooking at 2 a.m.” LUNCH: He likes going to Giovanni's Pizza. “It's probably the best Italian food around. They have a grinder that's amazing. It's really great food at decent prices.” DINNER: Rutabegorz, as much for the atmosphere as for the stuffed mushrooms, which is his favorite thing on the menu. “I pretty much like any place that has nice people to talk to. You know, you can actually engage in an intelligent conversation with a waitress. That's nice.” Denny's is located at every third freeway offramp / Giovanni's Pizza 922 Williamson Ave. Fullerton (714) 526-5561 / Rutabegorz 211 N. Pomona Fullerton (714) 738-9339 [SL]
Frank Delgadillo
Founder of Ambiguous Industries, Delgadillo was a pre-law student at Chapman University when he decided it would be fun to start a clothing line. “A few of my friends were in the industry, and they barely had any knowledge and were making a lot of money. I thought, 'I could do that.'” And he has. Starting Ambiguous in 1995 from his Chapman dorm room, the company now has a 5,500-square-foot space in Irvine, 15 employees, clothing in stores coast to coast and enormous street cred. And if he had to do it again, “I wouldn't,” he says. “If someone had told me going in how hard, how competitive this is, how much it takes to keep a business going, I don't think I would. It only looks easy.” For breakfast, he likes Cappy's in Newport Beach, where he usually has the bacon and eggs. “It's basic, but it's definitely a place to go if you're hungry because they give you a really good-sized portion. It's a really youthful place, very beachy. A lot of people either getting ready to go surfing or coming from surfing. It's the kind of place where you can check out where style is going.” For lunch, he likes the world-famous Felix Continental Café. “I like everything about it:the arroz con pollo, the music, the waiters, what the waiters wear—the atmosphere is a real throwback. You know, it's right by Chapman, but I didn't go there until after I left school. My mom made me go.” For DINNER, “I love Tiamo in Laguna Beach. I love the atmosphere—it's the kind of place where you take your family or your girlfriend. You know, sometimes I miss breakfast or lunch because I'm so busy during the day, but I'm big on dinner. It's the time I can kind of collect my thoughts. I love to have the seafood there, and their risotto is really good.” Cappy's Café 5930 Pacific Coast Hwy. Newport Beach (949) 646-4202 / Felix Continental Café 36 Plaza Square Orange (714) 633-5842 / Tiamo's 31727 Pacific Coast Hwy. Laguna Beach (949) 499-5350 [SL]
[
Mike Mchugh
Recording engineer at the Distillery, drummer for Neil Armstrong Band. Fan of cheap-ass food. BREAKFAST: Burger House. “The food is great, and the service is wonderful. I always get the cheese-omelet meal that comes with toast. The place reminds me of Kansas, of this diner out in the middle of Colby, Kansas.” LUNCH: “For sure, the Globe. I always get the turkey and sauerkraut on rye. It's fine German cuisine. The headcheese is superb.” Have you actually had the headcheese? “As far as you know, yes. I also like the Gypsy Den because it has nice breasts.” Chicken breast?“No, tuna breast.” Tuna breast? “Aaaah . . .” DINNER: “Thai Spice. Man, I love that place. I really like the chicken-vegetable-tofu plate. They also have very large cups.” And what can you do with these large cups? “You can put Thai tea or Thai coffee in them.” Like how big are we talking?“We're talking probably 32 ounces.” Burger House 799 W. 17th St. Costa Mesa (949) 646-9301 / Globe Delicatessen 1928 Harbor Blvd. Costa Mesa (949) 642-3784 / the Gypsy Den Café N Reading Room 2930 Bristol Costa Mesa (714) 549-7012 / Thai Spice 615 W. 19th St. Costa Mesa (949) 548-4333 [AMR]
Rick Bassman
Founder, Ultimate Pro Wrestling. Two years ago, Bassman, a former club promoter, decided to get in on the gravy train that is professional wrestling. He now heads a burgeoning wrestling conglomerate that operates under the name Ultimate Industries. Bassman's companies not only put on shows throughout Southern California and on the Internet, but his Ultimate University has also become one of the preeminent wrestling schools, having placed a dozen in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and five in the World Championship Wrestling in just the past year. “The whole thing has just really taken off,” says Bassman, who loves what he's doing and never stops doing it. So when he's eating, it's often with wrestlers. “I never try to keep up with them,” he says. “Most of the time, I'm dieting, and a lot of those guys are ordering two meals at a time.” For breakfast, the San Clemente resident likes the Beach Garden Café. “It's the ultimate beach hangout. It sits on a bluff right over the beach, and it's the kind of place you go to see everybody. It's always jumping on the weekends. Everything there is good. Especially the blueberry pancakes. The people are real nice, and the service is outstanding. I just love going there. A real nice place just to be.” For lunch, he likes Jerry's Deli. For dinner, he's partial to Habana. “Everything there is good. I really dig the atmosphere. It has the best atmosphere and the best food. I really like to hang out at the bar. I love the bartenders. They're just cool, and they fit really well with the whole vibe of the place.” Beach Garden Café 6181⁄2 Avenida Victoria San Clemente (949) 498-8145 / Jerry's Famous Deli 3210 Park Center Dr. Costa Mesa (714) 662-3354 / Habana 2930 Bristol Costa Mesa (714) 556-0176 [SL]
Jeff Walker
Barbecue motherfucker. Jeff Walker is a saucy boy. He'll say so, right out loud. The creamy-skinned 25-year-old (it must have taken him forever to grow that goatee!) gets to work by 3:50 a.m. to deliver juice for Odwalla. Once home, he mixes up a few cases of honey mustard (you won't believe the honey mustard) and goes to cook people's meat for them. Every weekend, he goes places like bug shows or kids' birthday parties to grill ribs and chicken and sell sauce. His girlfriend of one year dumped him because he is driven. BREAKFAST: “Me.” LUNCH: “Me.” DINNER: “Me.”
Jeff Walker: You want breakfast? I can cook eggs on the barbecue. I can cook anything on the barbecue. I am a barbecue motherfucker. My family's from Fresno; it's our recipe. We used to win every barbecue contest ever. I'm gonna have T-shirts made for the girls that say 'Saucy Girl.' I'll give you one. I had to change the name from Walker's Barbecue Sauce because I did a Net search, and there's already a Hot Sauce Walker. So now it's BBQMF: Barbecue Mother Fucker! OC Weekly: Can you make a barbecue-sauce martini? Jeff Walker: No.
Contact Walker at bb***@ho*****.com or (562) 434-4647. Only $6 for a 16-ounce bottle! [RS]
Paula Spas
Singer for the Angoras, vegetarian. BREAKFAST: “The stuffed French toast at Side Street Café is the most decadent, luscious breakfast in the world! The French part of the toast is almost like a little crepe surrounding cinnamon bread. That would be enough, but then you discover the cream cheese and the fresh berry filling on the inside. Whooowee! Get there early because there's always a line to get in on the weekends.” LUNCH: “The small café just to the side of Il Fornaio sells the yummiest sandwiches. They bake their bread daily, and if you call ahead, Eva will make my favorite sandwich for you, which is the eggplant with sun-dried tomato and ricotta cheese. They have a tiny patio for viewing the comings and goings of local business folk and the nearby health-club patrons. The staff is superfriendly.” DINNER: “The first date with my fiance, Spencer, was at El Matador. It's our favorite restaurant. We always sit in the booths along the walls; they look like little private rooms. I always have the No. 3 combo, a cheese enchilada and a chile relleno. That and a margarita (or two), and I'm set.” Side Street Café 1799 Newport Blvd. Costa Mesa (949) 650-1986 / Il Fornaio Panetteria 18051 Von Karman Ave. Irvine (949) 261-2202 / El Matador 1768 Newport Blvd. Costa Mesa (949) 645-0324 [AMR]
Jon
Photo by Jeanne Rice
[
Jon Halperin
Chain Reaction booking agent, owner of Vegas Records, A&R for MEG Records. “If there's one thing I like in this world, it's food.” BREAKFAST: “Cappy's Café in Newport Beach. I love the chicken-and-cheese omelets. The waitresses are cute, and I never feel like I have enough tattoos when I go in there. All the guys are fully sleeved. I feel tattoo-deprived.” Have you gotten any tattoos because of Cappy's? “No, I can't actually say I have. Breakfast means a lot to me, but it doesn't mean that much.” LUNCH: “The Peking Garden. It's all-you-can-eat for $5.50, including drink. Whenever anyone's here from out of town, we always go there. They have Christmas plates. Take the Christmas plates because they're bigger. If you're not very hungry, you take a normal plate, but if you go there, you have to be hungry. You don't go there to nosh; you go there to eat like it's your last meal.” DINNER: “Sid's is awesome. First off, get a reservation. You have to give them your driver's license when you make it. There's no sign outside the restaurant, and they won't give you salt and pepper. You can get a steak for 10 bucks and a meat loaf for $6. It's dark and dank. It's a great date place.” Their snotty attitude doesn't bother you? “Absolutely not. What they lack in attitude they make up for in food and character. It's Orange County's best secret restaurant. Hey, you forgot about the late-night, after-the-concert, after-the-band-is-done place.” Late-Night-After-the-Concert-Place: “Harbor House. The chocolate-banana shake. Oh, man, it's so good. When you go to Harbor House at 2 in the morning, you're not sacrificing anything; it's packed. Cheese fries and a chocolate shake, and I'm in heaven. And, yes, food is the way to my heart.” Cappy's Café 5930 W. Coast Hwy. Newport Beach (949) 646-4202 / Peking Garden Restaurant 1549 E. Katella Ave. Orange (714) 744-1268 / Sid's doesn't list its address, but that's okay because it got shut down! Guess that means no salt for anyone, ever! / The Harbor House Cafe 16341 Pacific Coast Hwy. Sunset Beach (562) 592-5404 [AMR]
Mike Young
Managing editor, Times Orange County. Young may be the only person at the Times OC willing to sit down with the Weekly. We hope editor Lennie LaGuire won't hold that against him. The avuncular Young isn't just liked and respected throughout the local publishing world, but he also plays in a band! BREAKFAST: “The Raft in Newport Beach. It has a wonderful atmosphere: it's on a porch, near Lido. It's family-owned; they don't even take credit cards or anything. My favorite is a pasta-based quiche—wait, I've got the info right here because my wife just wrote a review on it—called frittata al macchrone. Because the place is really small, everyone knows everybody else. It looks like someone's house.” LUNCH: “Diva in Costa Mesa, near the Performing Arts Center. It's perfect for a business lunch because it's very quiet and elegant. It's California cuisine, so you get lots of shrimp swimming in mashed potatoes and things like that.” DINNER: “Aysia 101 in Newport Beach. It's pan-Asian, so it's the equivalent of going to three or four different kinds of Asian restaurants. The pad Thai is good, and the sushi bar is really wild.” THE RAFT CAFE 2816 Lafayette Ave. Newport Beach (949)673-0739 / DIVA RESTAURANT 600 Anton Blvd. Costa Mesa (714)754-0600 / AYSIA 101 2901 W. Coast Hwy. Newport Beach (949) 722-4128 [RS]
[
Sylvia Volcan
Co-owner of Misfit No. 9, the quirky underground (literally) gallery in the Santa Ana Artists Village. “I wanted to give people a creative space,” she says, “and give them different ways of presenting the art. To me, go eclectic. Every day is different.” BREAKFAST: “I flunk out on this one,” she says, admitting that, as a rule, she doesn't eat breakfast. After some prodding, though, she confessed to a fondness for coffee, biscotti and bagels on the Dana Point Marina. Even more than the coffee, which she insists is excellent, she loves sitting outside and watching the boats in the harbor. She also, after some reflection, adds the breakfast tacos at Morey's Café in Santa Ana—right next door to her gallery. “They're delicious, but not too spicy.” LUNCH: “One would be Zov's in Tustin,” she says. Although she loves spicy food, she has a fondness for the Armenian/Mediterranean restaurant's chicken kebab with eggplant. “The chicken's extremely juicy.” Another of the artist's favorites is the Plein Air Café at the Orange County Museum of Art, where, after a morning of art viewing, she settles in with a plate of Brie cheese, mango and pablano. DINNER: “The Riviera in Westminster,” she says, without a moment's hesitation. “They make an amazing dish with flambéed peppercorn beef. It's wonderful with cognac. It's kind of an upscale place; you have to dress to go there. They also serve the best margaritas I've ever had. They use all the real ingredients, including the small green limes, instead of the big yellow ones most places use.” Morey's Deli N Cafe Santora Arts Complex 209 W. Second St. Santa Ana (714) 834-0688 / Zov's Bistro 17440 E. 17th St. Tustin (714) 838-8855 / Riviera at the Fireside 13950 Springdale Westminster (714) 897-0477 [VDI]
Carole Luther
Tanka-writing poet from Laguna Hills. Luther made her biggest mark on Orange County poetry with FarStarFire Press, a high-class small press that's published a vast majority of Orange County's heavy-hitting poets, including Derrick Brown, Jaimes Palacio and this writer. In honor of her poetic style, we've reduced her responses to our questions to haiku. BREAKFAST: Laguna Village: “Open-air seating/Exquisite view of beach, cliffs./Eggs, muffin and fruit.” LUNCH: Senor Lico's: “Patio with brook/Authentic Mexican food/Grilled shrimp with the works.” DINNER: Kitayama: “Classic Japanese/Tatami rooms face gardens/Loves Yakatori.” Laguna Village 577 S. Pacific Coast Hwy. Laguna Beach (949) 494-1956 / Senor Lico's Mexican Restaurant 20722 Rose Canyon Rd. Trabuco Canyon (949) 858-0724 / Kitayama 101 Bayview Newport Beach (949) 725-0777 [VDI]
Diane Parker
Publicist. A hot, tan, toned blonde who walks with a cane, Parker is currently working with a production company on a movie in conjunction with Warner Bros., part of whose profits will benefit the fight against multiple sclerosis. Oh, yeah, which Parker has. BREAKFAST: “Cappy's on PCH in Newport Beach has a huge breakfast selection, it's quick, and it's got a good-looking beach crowd and a relaxed atmosphere. I'm a pretty light breakfast eater, but they have great omelets.” LUNCH: “This was tough. There are so many great places for lunch, but one of my favorites is the Crab Cooker. They have the best Alaskan king crab claws in town. The other would be the Bluewater Grill in Newport. It's not fancy, but it's nice. They've got great seafood, you're on the water, the service is terrific, and it's not too expensive.” DINNER: “The Ritz at Fashion Island has spectacular food; it's very, very fancy, and the service is impeccable. But my first choice is Il Fornaio. Again, there's a superb selection, in this case of Italian dishes from various parts of Italy. They change the menu every month. But it's the service, from the maitre d' to the waitstaff, that makes it really fun. And for the quality of the dining, the prices are very reasonable.” CAPPY'S CAFE 5930 W. Coast Hwy. Newport Beach (949)646-4202 / THE CRAB COOKER 2200 Newport Blvd. Newport Beach (949)673-0100 / BLUEWATER GRILL 630 Lido Park Dr. Newport Beach (949)675-3474 / THE RITZ RESTAURANT 880 Newport Center Dr. Newport Beach (949)720-1800 / IL FORNAIO 18051 Von Karman Ave. Irvine (949) 261-1444 [RS]
Mike Lord
Singer, Dial-7 and OCWeekly's cover boy. Mike Lord is a big, huge hotty. “It's so great you called me about this!” he said. “I love food. I'm like a little chef myself. I call myself 'The Ghetto Gourmet.'” Baby, you're black, but you grew up in Irvine. Still, you're a hotty. BREAKFAST: “The Cottage, Laguna Beach. I get to eat anything I want there. I order the buckwheat pancakes with blueberries on top. It's a very ethnic dish. And I get eggs and cottage fries. It's a really homey place to eat; it's like sitting in someone's grandma's house.” LUNCH: “Bandera in Corona del Mar. They have great steaks and salmon. And they bring out this cornbread—it's the best in OC, other than Memphis. You gotta taste this cornbread.” DINNER: “The White House, Laguna Beach. Man, every dish there is excellent, but they specialize in a seared ahi tuna or a blackened rib-eye steak with three jumbo Cajun shrimp. You go after a long day of work and relax with a Jack and Coke and listen to a really good reggae band or cover band while you're eating and they're setting up for their nightclub later.” THE COTTAGE RESTAURANT 308 N. Coast Hwy. Laguna Beach (949)494-3023 / BANDERA RESTAURANT 3201 E. Coast Hwy. Corona del Mar (949)673-3524 / THE WHITE HOUSE RESTAURANT 340 S. Coast Hwy. Laguna Beach (949)494-8088 [RS]
[
Deke Marcus
Irvine-based band manager who handles such diverse bands as El Paso's Southern rockers the New Texicans and LA's acoustic-alternative cult favorite Alias Means. He began promoting his bands through his brother's website, Virtual Radio (www.vradio.com), in 1994, years before Metallica ever heard about MP3. He's also a sarcastic bastard. BREAKFAST: Laguna Beach's the Stand, which serves exclusively organic and vegetarian food. “Everyone working there seems to be a hippie, high or both,” he jokes. “Maybe that's redundant.” Great smoothies and $4 granola help him start the morning well-fueled. LUNCH: Newport Beach's Carnitas la Villa. “I affectionately refer to it as the 'Pig Village.' The superdeluxe burritos are delicious and gigantic, served with freshly made chips and killer salsa. Located at the beginning of the Newport Peninsula, it's chock-full of beachgoers. This would be the ambiance, if beachgoers provided ambiance.” DINNER: Sid's steakhouse, also in Newport. Western motif, odd paintings and décor (including the quintessential red-and-white tablecloths). “They always ask me for my name and phone number when I walk in,” says Marcus, “so they make me feel important even though they haven't called me yet. Great cheap steaks (when they haven't run out of food), with mashed potatoes and what we believe are candied carrots. The filet mignon wrapped in bacon ($14 for 8 ounces) is terrific with a side of cheese garlic bread. It tastes great even with the 27 health-code violations Sid's received lately. I don't know—it may be closed now.” It is. The Stand natural food restaurant 238 Thalia Laguna Beach (949) 494-8101 / Carnitas La Villa 3417 Newport Blvd. Newport Beach (949) 723-4432 / Sid's . . . well, that doesn't matter now, does it? [VDI]
Paul Suntup
South African-born poet currently serving his second year on the Laguna Beach Poetry Slam Team. Writes a hell of a lot about food. His most famous poem, “Teardrop in Snow,” reflects the barrenness of suburban living through his nearly empty refrigerator. BREAKFAST: “Muffins. For me, breakfast is all about muffins. Forget about fried eggs, bacon, pancakes and hash browns for a moment. My favorite is the lemon poppyseed muffin from Einstein Brothers Bagels. For best results, have a hot cup of coffee or tea. Take a bite, chew no more than three times, and then sip from the hot beverage. Swirl. Swallow. Yummy.” LUNCH: “Depends on what I'm in the mood for. For a quick (and absolutely delicious) meal, I go to Niki's Tandoori Express on Bristol in Santa Ana. By far the best 'fast' food I've ever had. My favorite dish is the chicken tikka with yogurt. Don't forget the naan bread. The atmosphere is actually pleasant enough to want to sit down and eat. Something else that impresses me about Niki's is that I only have to say 'for here' or 'to go' once. They listen, which is so rare at many restaurants.” DINNER: “Many favorites here. The Maharaja Palace in Orange is the best Indian food I've had. . . . A great place to grab low-priced, really good food is Taco Loco in Laguna Beach, where my favorite is the tofu mushroom burger. It tastes nothing like it sounds. For those times when you crave really messy food, this is the dish to have. I have never been able to eat the entire burger without half of it tumbling out from between the buns. Lastly, I wanted to mention my favorite dessert dish: the strawberry pie from Claim Jumper.” Einstein Brothers Bagels 17675 Harvard Ave. Irvine (949) 756-8903 / Nikki's Tandoori Express 3705 S. Bristol Santa Ana (714) 850-0595 / Maharaja Cuisine of India 421 N. Tustin Orange (714) 633-7252 / Taco Loco 640 S. Pacific Coast Hwy. Laguna Beach (949) 497-1635 / Claim Jumper all over the place [VDI]
Ed Royce
Rare Republican. It might be said that Representative Ed Royce's (R-Fullerton) tastes run toward the hand that feeds him: the 39th District congressman made his name in politics with his crusade against government waste, particularly the practice of giving millions of tax dollars to monolithic corporations, like McDonald's. Even though we've taken exception with him on some issues—deregulating the banking industry, for one—we've always appreciated his willingness to go after the hypocrisy of his own party. He spends nearly every weekend in his district and, evidently, patronizes its businesses. BREAKFAST: “Polly's Pies, in Fullerton,” he says, without a trace of doubt. “You can't get your cherry pie just anywhere. It's excellent food, and the staff is personable.” He's also fond of the bottomless orange juice, but really, “you want to start with the cherry pie.” LUNCH: The congressman admits that this one's due in part to convenience—it's downstairs from his Fullerton office—but Heroes has great food. “It's like the Cheers of Fullerton,” he says. “The burgers are the best in town, and you get so many curly fries that they fall off your plate. There's photos and memorabilia on the wall, and it's a great, friendly local crowd.” DINNER: Again, Royce is decisive. “Café El Cholo in La Habra. It serves authentic Mexican food, and it's locally owned and operated. Get the combo plate, with the wonderfully hot salsa—chile relleno, taco, enchilada and tamale. Try it out—you'll love it. It's an institution in North Orange County.” Polly's Pies 136 N. Raymond Ave. Fullerton (714) 526-7741 / Heroes 305 N. Harbor Blvd. Fullerton (714) 738-4356 / Café El Cholo 840 E. Whittier Blvd. La Habra (714) 525-1320 [VDI]
[
Bret Lubin
Owner of alternative clothing and record store Rack 'N Ruin. Guitarist for the Rookies. Lover of eggs. BREAKFAST: “The Coyote Grill in Laguna Beach. I get the Philly Eggs—eggs and Philadelphia cream cheese all smushed together scrambled-style. They give you tortillas and salsa and a special kind of spicy hash browns and black beans. They have Coke in the 8-ounce bottles. There's patio seating with an ocean view where you can sit next to Nicole Brown's sister; I've seen her there a bunch of times. And they have good mimosas that are a good hangover cure.” LUNCH: “The soup at Dexter's is ridiculously good. It changes your definition of the word 'soup.' When I first had it, I felt like I was in the Soup Nazi episode of Seinfeld. I couldn't believe how much I was freaking out over a bowl of soup. Soup was always just, like, soup—liquefied food —but this is so good. I had the chicken noodle, but just calling it 'chicken noodle' doesn't do it justice. It's so much more. It's the best lunch I've ever had, just a tuna sandwich and chicken noodle soup.” DINNER: “I want to say French 75, but I've never actually eaten there. I just like the décor. It's deco, like 1920s French deco. You feel like you're in a Paris cafe. I go there and have drinks at the bar. I really like Honda Ya Japanese Cuisine in Tustin. You don't have to use them, but they have the rooms where you sit on your ass and eat real sushi Japanese-style.” Did you do that? “No, I sat in a regular booth; I didn't do the ass-seating. The ass-seating is for parties of five or more.” Would you have wanted to do the ass-seating? “Would I have? Yeah!” The Coyote Grill 31621 Coast Hwy. Laguna Beach (949) 499-4033 / Dexter's of Capistrano 27134 Paseo Espada San Juan Capistrano (949) 488-8012 / French 75 1464 S. Coast Hwy. Laguna Beach (949) 494-8444 / Honda Ya Japanese Restaurant 556 El Camino Real Tustin (714) 832-0081 [AMR]
Mitchell Townsend
Guitarist, the Killingtons. BREAKFAST: “My old favorite breakfast spot was right down the street, walking distance from my house. Unfortunately, that place got to the point where I felt more like I was at a Cro-Mags show than a restaurant. Watching the 'I'm Punker Than You' contest ended up killing my appetite, so Plums took over the throne. It's tucked back in the corner of a small, incognito shopping center on 17th Street in Costa Mesa. The menu is insane and completely unique, and you don't have to worry about getting bitten by some jock's pit bull while you eat.” LUNCH: “I don't think I need to explain my fascination with Wahoo's Fish Taco. Anyone who has ever been there knows. The one in Costa Mesa on Placentia Avenue is the shit. Wahoo's is probably half the reason I stay in California.” DINNER: “A tie between Mario's and Haus of Pizza. Both of these places rule, and eating at either of them pretty much renders you useless for the rest of the evening. As soon as your ass hits your chair at Mario's, there's a pile of chips in front of you, and the guy never stops bringing them until you feel like you are going to die. Their food is great, and their mango margaritas are even better. I have been physically addicted to Haus of Pizza since I moved out here 12 years ago. Pizza is my favorite food, and with the exception of getting it by the slice on the street in New York City, Haus of Pizza is the best I have ever had. It was through stuffing our fat faces at Haus of Pizza that my friend Jon Weir and I were made aware of the term 'crapulous,' which means gross, unnatural discomfort due to overeating. Both Mario's and Haus of Pizza will put you in a severely crapulous state, for sure. You will crawl home and ask yourself why you did it.” Plums Café 369 E. 17th St. Costa Mesa (949) 722-7586 / Wahoo's Fish Taco 1862 Placentia Ave. Costa Mesa (949) 631-3433 / Mario's Restaurant 18603 Main St. Huntington Beach (714) 842-5811 / Haus of Pizza 1500 Adams Ave. Costa Mesa (714) 751-8777. [JR]
