Greer's OC

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The Coffee Lab Opens!

05.27.11

Exciting news for all coffee lovers in Orange County! The Portola Coffee Lab is officially open at the OC Mart Mix in Costa Mesa. Taste premium organic coffee always hand-picked and flawlessly-roasted. Portola takes the coffee experience to a new level, with its “Art of Brewing” process serving coffee from state-of-the-art Slayer espresso machine, Bunn Trifectas, at the Hario Halogen-Heated Syphon Bar, or v60 pour over bar. If all of these terms are new to you, you need to stop by Portola and learn more. We promise you will be hooked.

Open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Sunday.

The OC Mart Mix at SoCo Collection is at 3313 Hyland Avenue in Costa Mesa.

(Photo credit: Anne Watson Photography)

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Dining

STARFISH OPENS IN SOUTH LAGUNA

05.26.11

By Sheryll Alexander

Starfish, which is a new restaurant by Tabu Grill proprietor Nancy Wilhelm, is officially opening the second week in June (call for exact opening date).

Situated directly across from The Montage Resort in the Aliso Creek Shopping Center right on PCH, Starfish features lunch and dinner daily, a takeout menu and a late night bar scene on Friday and Saturday evenings.

The menu has been created around what Wilhelm calls Amer-Asian cuisine. Using Asian ingredients and preparations from Thailand, Vietnam, China, Korea and India, dishes at Starfish are American renditions of classic dishes from these Asian cultures such as summer rolls, pho, udon and soba noodles, Bhutanese rice, wok sauté and sweet-and-sour ribs.

Ready to relax? The horseshoe-shaped Starfish bar prepares refreshing libations flavored with hibiscus, gogi blossoms, lemongrass and passion fruit in mojitos, martinis, sakes, sangrias. Artisan beers and boutique wines are also available.

Wilhelm loves lush seaside décor, so she has enlivened this space with soft turquoise-colored tufted banquettes along with contrasting sunset colors of orange, pink and purple. Asian art deco antiques and objects d’art please the eye.

For more information, visit www.starfishlaguna.com or follow Starfish on Facebook (www.facebook.com/starfishlaguna) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/starfishlaguna).

Starfish, Aliso Creek Shopping Center, 30832 S. Pacific Coast Hwy., Laguna Beach, 949-715-9200.

Sheryll Alexander runs a news media agency based in Costa Mesa, California.

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