Exotic Eats in OC

Discover Irvine’s Heritage Square shopping center and you will find a mecca of international bakeries, restaurants and specialty shops for Middle Eastern foods and Asian delicacies without ever leaving the comforts of Orange County. Whether you want to experience family style Persian dining at the Caspian Restaurant, or buy award-winning Persian pastries at Assal Pastry, find prime meats for shabu shabu and Korean BBQ at Han’s Market, or simply shop at Daiso, a Japanese version of a 99 Cents Only store, with feel good hot pink walls and most items costing $1.50, you can make an afternoon of it.A few of our favorite excursions are Caspian’s popular lunch buffets  (to sample savory Persian dishes ) and dinner with lively entertainment (belly dancers too).

At Caspian, go for the savory kabobs, eggplant borani (fried eggplant, mixed with sautéed onion, garlic and yogurt) ghormeh sabzi (chopped and sautéed parsley, cilantro, leeks; cooked with kidney beans, herbs and stew beef served with fluffy basmati rice; and adas polo with marinated baked chicken, served with basmati rice, mixed with lentils, raisins, fresh dates and saffron. For dessert, we recomend bastani, a vanilla based ice cream with saffron, pistachio and rose water. It’s divine.

14100 Culver Drive in Irvine. 949.651.8454 

Next door to Caspian, you’ll find Super Irvine, one of the smaller Middle Eastern grocery stores in Irvine, but nevertheless, a great place to find reasonably priced produce, fresh herbs, nuts, cheeses, a deli, and butcher, hard-to-find Middle Eastern, Indian Indian, and Pakistani ingredients, as wells as fresh hot sangak (Persian sourdough flatbread topped with sesame seeds); and staples like shampoos, tea sets, and rice cookers and more.

14120 Culver Drive in  Irvine. 949.552.8844.

There’s also a well-edited Mitsuwa Marketplace (smaller than the Costa Mesa store), a Japanese supermarket with a food court, ready-to-go bento boxes, sushi, Japanese pickled side dishes; mochi, exotic ice cream flavors and other sweets (savory curry doughnuts); ramen noodles; pineapple or red bean buns; fresh produce, meats and seafood. And Mitsuwa’s a great place to find snacks: crunchy Pocky, wasabi peas, shrimp chips; Asian beers and sake.

14230 Culver Drive in Irvine. 949.559.6633.

 

Joy to OC

Understated chic and Southern California lifestyle defines Joie (pronounced juh-wa, and meaning “joy” in French) and its first West Coast boutique just opened at Fashion Island.  Joie is the go to line for women looking for internationally inspired casual apparel made for comfort out of luxurious fabrics. Choose from silk georgette sheer blouses, silk shorts with slant pockets, novelty sweaters, long sleeve linen tunics, silk maxi dresses, and leather motorcycle jackets.

The boutique carries all of Joie’s modern and vintage influenced collections including Joie, Joie Soft (luxuriously soft tees, tanks, cardigans and dresses) Joie A La Plage (signature beach items for vacations and travels), Joie Shoes and Joie Handbags.

Open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

At Fashion Island, adjacent to Atrium Lawn, in Newport Beach. 949.759.0472.
 

Fab Bags

Nice to see an Orange County based handbags designer creating fab looks in vivid colors and rich textures for fall. The new Jessica Grant handbags designed by Suzan Paek feature classic and unique frames in exotic crocodile and ostrich skins from Colombia and South Africa adorned with minimal hardware. Timeless chic, meticulous attention to detail and function are all elements of a Jessica Grant handbag.

Consider them luxurious pieces of wearable art. Young Hollywood’s trendsetters are Jessica Grant bags out and a about and on red carpets such as Sharni Vinson, Janina Gavankar, Carrie Keagan Katrina Law, Katie Cleary, Eloise Mumford and Alexandra Chando.  You can find Jessica Grant key chains and handbags at specialty boutiques including Mi Place in Newport Beach and Laguna Niguel, and online at [url=http://www.jessicagranthandbags.com]http://www.jessicagranthandbags.com[/url]. The fall season’s must-haves include: the Kate, Rebecca, Kai, Cynthia, Sara, Catherine, Sookee and the Gretchen.

Prices range from $200 to $4,500. Mi Place is at Corona del Mar Plaza at 916 Avocado Ave. in Newport Beach. (949) 219-9919. Mi Place is at 28121 Crown Valley