CeFiore - Newport Beach

Orange County residents who've been waiting for pricey tart frozen yogurt with fresh fruit toppings served in trendy cafe-like settings need wait no more. No, sorry, you're not getting a Pinkberry yet. But CeFiore, owned by sushi buffet chain Todai, is opening in Newport Beach on Saturday, April 28. If you haven't had Pinkberry, you'll probably be quite pleased with this slightly tarty non-fat frozen yogurt with a selection of fresh fruit, nuts, and cereal toppings. And if you have had Pinkberry, well, this is pretty darn close to flavor, and a whole lot closer in distance. For a general idea, you can read my review of the Little Tokyo CeFiore . CeFiore 3305 Newport Blvd. #8 Newport Beach, CA 92663 949-566-0048

Thai Nakorn Re-opening in Stanton

Thai Nakorn is re-opening in Stanton this Wednesday, April 18. Here's all the new location info because I'm sure many of you will want to come out and celebrate! Thai Nakorn 11951 Beach Blvd. Stanton, CA 90680 714-799-2013 Mondays through Thursdays 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fridays through Sundays 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. The Orange County Register has a little more about the update here and here. Thai Nakorn burned to the ground three months ago. Owner Wanida Sreewarom planned to rebuild, but the Garden Grove site would take too long. Thai Nakorn has been a beloved Orange County restaurant for 20 years specializing in the Isaan (Northern Thai) style of cooking with its pungent flavors of garlic, lime, and ground rice. Fans of the restaurant offered to help rebuild, with one fan offering to pay for a whole new restaurant. So go check out the new location and see why Thai Nakorn has garnered so much love.

Da Nang Com Tam Tran Quy Cap - Westminster (Little Saigon)

Nestled inside the far right corner of the Bolsa Mini Mall, obscured behind two big yellow umbrellas, and overshadowed by the bright lights of the nail salon next door, it can be easy to overlook Da Nang Com Tam Tran Quy Cap. The restaurant is an awkward L-shaped configuration, with the small entrance at the tail end of the L and is easily missed unless someone gives you exact directions. The interior is bare bones basic with about a dozen utilitarian tables and chairs. But then Tran Quy Cap doesn't need any fancy embellishments, it has stayed in business for years by offering arguably the best com tam (Vietnamese broken rice) plates in town. Com tam is traditionally peasant fare, utilizing leftover broken bits of rice that were formed during the harvest or processing. The rice is cooked slightly drier than normal, and takes on a couscous-like consistency. Or you can opt for banh hoi (Vietnamese steamed vermicelli sheets). The menu is essentially variations of grilled meats to accompany your rice. Served with a side of Vietnamese herbs and pickled vegetables. Your order comes with a small bowl of the obligatory nuoc cham (Vietnamese dipping sauce) and broth. The broth may be sipped as a light soup, or spooned over the rice if you think it's too dry. Our order of cha gio (Vietnamese egg rolls) came first with a side of Vietnamese greens - lettuce, cilantro, mint, and pickled carrots and daikon. The egg rolls are crisp, filled with pork and shrimp. You can eat these plain, or wrap them in herbs and lettuce and dip them into the nuoc cham. One order was about $5 or so if I remember correctly. Our order of banh beo, nine small discs of rice flour with minced shrimp, fried shallots and crouton bits, was only OK. The banh beo weren't pipping hot, so the rice flour consistency wasn't as smooth as I'd like. One order $4.95. But I was really here for the com tam platter. Most plates fall within the $4.95 to $5.95 price range. I super-sized and shared, so this platter was $7.95. Tran Quy Cap is known for their marinades and the grilled pork chop took center stage, with grilled shrimp, egg omelet, shredded pork skin, and the house specialty - tom hau ky (Vietnamese shrimp paste deep-fried in a bean curd wrapper). While some other com tam restaurants might offer this, the shrimp is not nearly as thick, the wrapper not nearly as crispy, flaky. If you don't see the combination of grilled meats that you'd like, you can simply request particular ones be added to your plate. But then if the juicy details in this photograph haven't convinced you of Da Nang Com Tam Tran Quy Cap's deliciousness, then I don't know what will. Da Nang Com Tam Tran Quy Cap 9607 Bolsa Ave. Westminster, CA 92683 714-839-3173 Closed Thursdays

Thai Nakorn Update

Thai Nakorn fans can now rejoice. The owners will rebuild, but don't know where or when yet. The Orange County Register has a brief update on the situation here. Earlier this month, Orange County's Thai Nakorn burned to the ground. The cause of the fire still hasn't been determined yet. Thai Nakorn was much loved and many of us mourned the loss. Owner Wanida Sreewarom said some of her regular customers offered money to help rebuild, with one fan offering to pay for a whole new restaurant. Now that's love. Rebuilding on the same location will take more than three months though, so Sreewarom is scouting out other possible places.

Thai Nakorn Burned Down

Thai Nakorn, at 12532 Garden Grove Blvd. in Garden Grove, burned down around 2 a.m. Monday morning. About 40 firefighters worked to put out the blaze but it was a total loss. No cause has been determined. Read the Orange County Register's brief article here. Thai Nakorn has been an around for 20 years and is regarded by many as Orange County's best Thai restaurant. Thai Nakorn specialized in the Isaan (Northern Thai) style of cooking with its pungent flavors of garlic, lime, and ground rice. I've never encountered a dish I didn't like. I was introduced to Thai Nakorn when it expanded to its current location in Garden Grove about three years ago. The Register had done a pretty complimentary review with one glaring problem. The reviewer thought the number of stars after each dish indicated what the restaurant rated their own dishes. I was appalled. Apparently the spiciness quotient didn't give the reviewer a clue either. And this line made it through an editor and copyeditor to eventually come out in print. And that's why we need food bloggers. Thai Nakorn's loss will be mourned. I hope they can rebuild. Read Elmo of Monster Munching's review here. For now, it'll have to serve as a tribute until Thai Nakorn can either relocate or reopen.

Thach Che Hien Khanh - Westminster (Little Saigon)

Che, this Vietnamese gelatinous, tapioca-filled, coconut milk dessert is rather hard to describe for the uninitiated. Is it a dessert pudding? Dessert soup? It can be eaten warm or iced. It serves as dessert or a light snack. No matter what you call it or when you eat it, Thach Che Hien Khanh is the place to go in Little Saigon for the best and largest selection of che. Thach Che Hien Khanh started as a small cafeteria-line style eatery (it's too small to really call it a restaurant) at 9784 Westminster Avenue in a tiny strip mall with only a few other shops. The lines used to go out the door and the cars overfilled the parking lot. Back then, two people were needed -- one person to fight through the hordes to grab some che, a second person to wait in the car because there was no parking available. Thankfully, Thach Che Hien Khanh opened another location inside the Today Plaza on Bolsa Avenue in the heart of Little Saigon. This location, in the same strip mall as the always popular Quan Hy Vietnamese Restaurant and Banh Cuon Tay Ho 4, is convenient as a quick stop after eating at either of the two restaurants. But again, it's just a little eatery. There are no tables or chairs. Or menus for that matter. Grab drinks or flan or yogurt from the refrigerators first if you want them. Then line up and point to what you want. All their che offerings are on large metal trays behind glass. The milky che are variations of taro, banana, plantains, corn, with coconut milk and tapioca pearls with a sprinkling of sesame seeds and crushed peanuts on top. Che sam bo luong is a "healthier" offering with seaweed, lotus seeds, and dates. Che troi nuoc, small dough balls in ginger syrup, with or without mung bean filling. Che ba mau, three color che, usually features red bean, green doughy strips, and white bean or mung bean. Che Thai features lychees and jackfruit. Sticky rice with lap xuong (Chinese sausage). Sticky rice with corn. On this particular afternoon, I opted for xoi nep than (charcoal rice), black sticky rice with mung bean and coconut shavings. Coconut milk is served on the side. The sticky rice is studded with large slices of lap xuong and shredded chicken and scallions. The banana che (starting from the far left) featured bananas, mashed taro, along with tapioca pearls, tapioca strips, coconut, and a light dusting of sesame seeds and crushed peanuts on top. The plantain che held their shape better than regular bananas. And corn che is mixed with sticky rice, coconut milk is served on the side. Each item is $1.75. I've never been charged more than that for anything, but, just in case, I hesitate to say everything is that price. Che should be eaten right away for freshness. Or refrigerated for later. And in the quirky hodgepodge of cultures and cuisines that we call Southern California. The kitchen workers are Latino and Spanish music can often be heard from the back, while Vietnamese workers are in front. And adapting to the Taiwanese craze for boba that's gone mainstream, you can also add that to your che too. Just ask. Same goes for ice. Otherwise, che is served at room temperature. Thach Che Hien Khanh 9639 Bolsa Ave., #A Westminster, CA 92683 714-839-8143