OC Restaurant Week: Our Top Picks

With six days left to navigate through Orange County’s favorite week for dining out, we’ve mapped out our top choices for a dining itinerary from OC Restaurant Week’s prix-fixe lunches and dinners. You can choose from 100 top restaurants who are offering amazing three course lunch and dinners through Saturday.
 

Top 5 Lunches

1. Avanti Café in Costa Mesa is offering a great $10 lunch. You can build your own pizza made with organic whole grain focaccia style crust with 4 house made toppings (choose from 28 toppings). The lunch comes with a natural gourmet soda, Portola coffee, or organic and fair trade tea, and an Avanti cookie. (Avanti’s snickerdoodles are the best we’ve ever tasted.) Also choose from vegan chocolate chip pecan, peanut butter, and vegetarian chocolate truffle, or a tangy O2’s fruit and nut oatmeal cookie. Avanti Café is at 259 E. 17th St. in Costa Mesa. 949.548.2224. Avanti’s lunch and dinner menu can be found here.

2. AnQi by Crustacean at Bloomingdale’s South Coast Plaza is offering a $20 lunch. Start with a surf & turf roll with wagyu, beef, spicy tuna, delta asparagus, and chili aioli; and a shrimp Caesar wrap with grilled romaine, garlic croutons and pecorino romano. For the second course, select one of three large plates: soy glazed salmon salad with savoy cabbage and mango tiato dressing; or An's famous garlic noodles with beef; or half turmeric roasted cornish game hen with wild arugula, caramelized sweet potato, and pistachio. The dessert choices include lychee panna cotta with raspberry-rosewater coulis and thai basil jelly or jasmine sorbet. 3333 Bristol St. in Costa Mesa. 714.557-5679.

3. At Canyon Restaurant in Anaheim, Executive Chef Richard Mead is offering a $15 lunch that includes a chopped salad, and parmesan and panko crusted fried green tomato; and your choice of grilled Italian sausage and linguini; ahi burger and  housemade chips; grilled hoisin glazed chicken salad. Dessert choices lemon tart sweet vanilla cream, blueberry compote; and chocolate truffle cake; and warm chocolate bread pudding. It’s at 5775 E. Santa Ana Canyon in Anaheim Hills. 714.283.1062.

4. House of Big Fish and Ice Cold Beer in Laguna Beach is offering a fresh seafood $10 lunch. Choose one starter, a cup of chowder, Caesar or garden salad; and a daily catch entrée, grilled mahi mahi sandwich, or sirloin burger, fish taco platter, or kalua pork plate lunch. 540 South Coast Highway #200 Laguna Beach. 949.715.4500.

5. At Lucca Café in Irvine, Chef Cathy Pavlos is offering an amazing $15 lunch. The first course choose from Lucca’s signature minestrone soup or Romaine hearts, herbed croutons, shaved parmesan, market grape tomatoes, and Caesar dressing. Second course choices include grilled all natural chicken breast on top of wild baby arugula salad; or natural pulled pork shoulder sandwich, blackened rib eye steak wrap; pappardelle egg noodles with Mediterranean chicken sausage; or veggie lasagna. For dessert choose from lemon square with fresh berries and homemade whipped cream; dark chocolate and banana cake with Nutella and hazelnut filling; or a duo of mini cannolis with mascarpone and chocolate chip filling. 6507 Quail Hill Parkway in Irvine. 949.725.1773.

Pictured above: Lucca Café cakes

 

Top 5 Dinners

1. Chef Ryan Adams at 370 Common Kitchen and Drinks in Laguna Beach is offering a delicious $30 dinner. Main course choices include black cod with lentils, chorizo, leeks, parsley and red onion; prime steak salad with greens, pistachio, pear, blue mustard and sherry vinaigrette; or parmesan risotto with parsnip, watercress, black pepper; or pork schnitzel with roasted apple/brown butter, spaetzle and arugula salad. The entire menu can be found here. 370 Glenneyre St. in Laguna Beach. 949.494.8686.

2. At Sol Cocina in Newport Beach, order a $30 dinner that starts with a choice of watermelon gazpacho or small spinach and arugula salad with blue cheese and walnuts. The main course choices include chicken enmoladas, or coconut-crusted seasonal wild fish with spicy mango sauce, or garlic and pepper marinated skirt steak, or a street taco combo served with borracho black beans and spinach garlic rice. For dessert enjoy obleas with thin buttery cookies sandwiched with dulce de  leche, dipped in semi-sweet Callebaut chocolate and toasted almonds. 251 Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach. 949.675.9800.

3. At the Winery Restaurant and Wine Bar at The District in Tustin, Chef Yvon Goetz is preparing a three course dinner for $40. To start, choose the Winery house salad, a soup du jour, or a Colorado buffalo carpaccio. For the main course, choose a USDA prime cajun flatiron steak with black truffle mashed potatoes, bordelaise sauce; or grilled Alaskan king salmon with organic quinoa tabouleh, grilled asparagus, vine ripe tomato, basil and lemon oil sauce vierge; or Zinfandel braised angus beef shortrib with prosciutto wrapped asparagus, with carrot infused pearl couscous. For dessert choose from dessert strawberry-chocolate crepes served with Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream; or Tahitian vanilla bean crème brulee with a chocolate fleur de sel cookie; or a selection of ice cream and sorbet. 2647 Park Avenue at The District in Tustin. 714.258.7600.

4. At Zimzala in Huntington Beach, Chef Roy Hendrickson is preparing a delicious dinner for $30. The first course choose from a grilled baby romaine and frisée salad; or fresh fig flatbread  with laura chenel goat cheese, pistachio, apple and sage balsamic  arugula, or sweet, spicy and crispy calamari with black grapes, celery and arugula with chile-lime dipping sauce. For the second course choose an Irish organic salmon with tarragon-scented pearl couscous, baby heirloom tomato sambal; or black salt crusted skirt steak with yukon potato purée, French beans mushroom supreme and petite onions; or a parsnip tagliatelle pasta with sage and brown butter, golden chanterelles, camembert,  thyme espuma and crisp parsnip. For dessert choose from two scoops of house-made ice cream; or vanilla crème brulee with fresh raspberries and pistachio biscotti; or a German chocolate waffle with caramel sauce and almond coffee ice cream. 500 Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach. 714.960.5050.

5. At Pizzeria Ortica in Costa Mesa, Chef Justin Miller is preparing a $30 dinner. For the first course, choose between a tricolore salad, or a chopped salad.  For the second course, choose between local cod with shaved fennel, blood orange, shallots, Fresno chili, fennel pollen and white wine; or braised short rib, celery root puree, crispy cavolo nero; or potato gnocci canolo, or chocolate tart, vanilla gelato and candied orange peel. 650 Anton Blvd. Suite J in Costa Mesa. 714.445.4900.