On May 4th and 5th, Orange County celebrated its inaugural OC Tastefest, a two-day culinary festival at the OC Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa. General admission prices were $12 advance online purchase or $20 at the door, and additional taste coupons were sold in sheets of 10 for $5. Festival goers were able to sample culinary bites from participating restaurants, listen to live music from a variety of artists, and watch cooking demos at the celebrity chef challenge.

Being an inaugural event, the turnout was decent and not overly crowded, which made for some relatively short lines for food sampling. I love going to tasting festivals because it gives me an opportunity to try out food from some of my favorite participating restaurants and learn of new ones. I did not get to sample all the food there, but some notable ones I checked out are:

For a complete list of participating restaurants and sponsors, check out the OC Tastefest website.

To see more photos from the event, click here.

OC Tastefest
OC Fair & Event Center
88 Fair Drive (map)
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

OC Tastefest 2012 — Orange County Culinary Festival is a post from: my. Traveling Lens

The background voices heard from our table evoked a warm feeling of nostalgia for me. The chattering sounds from a group of Italian diners conversing in their native language – at times gentle, other times loud, but always full of laughter and enjoyment of life – had me yearning for a country that forever has a piece of my heart. I did a year study abroad program in Italy during college, and that is where I was first introduced to good authentic Italian food.

For our third Costa Mesa foodie visit, we decided to try out Nello Cucina to see how good of an Italian restaurant it is. Located in the atrium of Crystal Court at South Coast Plaza, the restaurant has an open dining area, kitchen, and bar. The restaurant’s website states, “Nello Cucina has an outdoor feeling of dining in a piazza in a small town in Italy.” I agree and think the openness provides a welcoming atmosphere for guests to enjoy.

Joining me for lunch were Kim Glen of Travel Costa Mesa and Bobby Navarro of 100Eats100Days, both major foodies in their own right. After a warm welcome and introduction from the staff, we were offered some pretty and tasty drinks. Nello Cucina has an impressive wine list and bar menu, especially perfect for the 3:00 – 7:00 pm weekday happy hour crowd.

Then came the food. Hands down, my favorite dish is the Gnocchi al Piacere, which are homemade potato dumplings with prosciutto cream sauce (as pictured above). Being a vegetarian, I had some with no prosciutto, while Kim and Bobby were happy to have my share of the much revered Italian ham for themselves. I’m not a professional food critic, but I do know good gnocchi when I eat them. These were the perfect little bites that melt in the mouth, light and savory in texture and consistency. I’ve had gnocchi at many other places where they’re not done right with the pasta usually being too firm and chewy. Nello Cucina’s gnocchi dish ranks in the top five best I’ve ever eaten. Below are some other dishes we shared.

(Left) Coffee Martini made with Kahlua, Bailey's, espresso coffee, and chocolate. (Right) The bar at Nello Cucina offers an extensive list of wine and bar menu.

(Left) Blood Frankie Martini made with blood orange, triple sec, vodka, and simple syrup. (Right) Nello's Bellini made with Prosecco, Absolut Peach, blood orange and pineapple juice.

Bruschetta alla Paesana -- toasted homemade bread, fresh tomatoes, garlic, basil, and parmigiano.

Margherita Pizza with mozzarella cheese, fresh tomato sauce, basil, and oregano. Bobby really liked the crust, but we thought it was a little salty overall.

Insalata di Primavera, an arugula salad with grilled zucchini, shiitake mushroom, feta cheese, and lemon vinaigrette. This was another favorite dish, light and refreshing in taste, perfect to offset the heavy carb overload in an Italian meal.

Trittico Adriatico -- thin spaghetti, clams, mussels, shrimp, and spicy tomato sauce. Kim and Bobby loved this dish. The pasta was perfectly cooked al dente and the sauce had the right amount of kick to complement the seafood.

Torta Della Nonna, a beautiful and delicious slice of heaven.

Sicilian Cannoli

Kim and Bobby happily tweeting and facebooking our delicious food at Nello Cucina.

Thankfully, Nello Cucina did meet my expectations of good and authentic Italian food comparable to dishes I’ve had in Italy, especially with the Gnocchi al Piacere. And I must say, hearing the Italian diners in the background chattering away affirms the goodness of this restaurant. Because certainly, the Italians know where the best places to eat Italian, right? Thank you to Franco, Diana, and the friendly servers for a wonderful lunch.

To learn more and join in the conversation, check out Nello Cucina’s Facebook page.

Nello Cucina
3333 Bear Street (map)
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 540-3365

Disclosure: I was an invited guest of Travel Costa Mesa, but all opinions are my own. Join the Travel Costa Mesa Facebook page to learn more about other attractions in this city.

Nello Cucina Italian Restaurant — Costa Mesa, California is a post from: my. Traveling Lens

It’s like being invited to an exclusive club, where all the cool kids are the top chefs of the world. The club is Charlie Palmer at Bloomingdale’s South Coast Plaza, a restaurant owned by celebrated master chef, Charlie Palmer. Fortunately, there is no air of exclusivity or secrecy here as the restaurant regularly has an offering of wine events, special dinners and cooking classes for the gastronomy-inspired guests wanting to learn techniques, tips and recipes from a name brand that has won many culinary praises and accolades throughout the years.

I was lucky enough to be an invited guest of Travel Costa Mesa to experience one of the restaurant’s classes on slow cooking. As a self-proclaimed, ahem, top chef of my own kitchen, there was no doubt that I would turn down an invitation to learn a cooking technique coveted by so many in the culinary world.

Executive Chef Seakyeong Kim

Located in Costa Mesa’s renowned shopping mall, Charlie Palmer is one of the city’s finest dining destinations in Orange County. The restaurant shares a space next to luxury retailer Bloomingdale’s, allowing guests to enjoy a unique shopping and dining experience. This partnership has enabled the restaurant to host classes and events utilizing the cooking demonstration area of Bloomingdale’s basement floor.

After a short ride down the escalator to the basement floor, I see Executive Chef Seakyeong Kim at the kitchen area prepping for the class. The chairs are lined in neat rows facing the kitchen with guests being served a specially selected wine pairing for the evening. As someone who appreciates service-oriented details in life, I was especially impressed with the 15-page color printed packet they provided for the guests, which included information on all the recipes and techniques for the class.

The next two hours were nothing short of a wonderful sensory overload — the sight of colorful and fresh ingredients, the mouth-watering smell of braised garlic kale, the sound of the sizzling short rib on the pan, the thought of can I do all this myself at home, and the feeling that good food makes me happy.

The happiness lingered for another couple of hours after the demonstrations were done and dinner was finally served. That last sensory overload of taste did not disappoint. The menu:

• First Course — East Coast Bass Escabeche
• Second Course — Slow Poached Seafood Salad
  Bay scallops, shrimp, calamari, piquillo peppers, ambrosia apple, watercress, apple cider vinaigrette.
• Main Course — Red Wine Braised Short Rib
  Creamy truffle polenta, braised tuscan kale, sautéed maitake mushrooms, baby turnips.
• Dessert — Passion Fruit Soufflé Tart
  White chocolate cream, blackberry coulis, coconut meringue, champagne granita.

Yes, very happy indeed. While I did not get to personally taste most of these dishes since I’m a vegetarian, my fellow diners reported back with words of praise and complimentary salute to the chef. And Chef Kim was kind to create a couple of beautiful dishes for me to enjoy as well — an heirloom beet salad to start and vegetable pasta for the main course. Not only were they flavorful and unique, but the presentation made them almost too pretty to eat.



A special thank you to General Manager Aaron Murnighan, Chef Kim and their team for providing such an exquisite experience at Charlie Palmer. For updates on future events and classes, click here.

To see more photos and to read about happy hour at Charlie Palmer, click here:

Happy Hour at Charlie Palmer Restaurant — Costa Mesa, California

Disclosure: I was an invited guest of Travel Costa Mesa, but all opinions are my own.

Slow Cooking Food Class at Charlie Palmer, Costa Mesa is a post from: my. Traveling Lens

When modern sleek meets rustic elegance, that’s where the crowd gathers to mingle and have a drink or two. At 4:30 pm on a Wednesday, the bar at Charlie Palmer is already packed with people unwinding for the day.

Upon entering the restaurant, I almost rudely ignore the hostess when she greets me as I become entranced with an impressive wall collection of wine. The flooring of the restaurant is crafted from reclaimed wine barrels and furnished with vintage leather chair coverings, with accents of warm-colored walls and decor. It’s an ambiance I like to call rustic elegance, when old and vintage become new and refined. The minimalistic white glass exterior of the restaurant creates a feeling of modern sleek, perhaps a complementary balance to the interior.

As I walk into the bar area, I see the ever friendly and outgoing Kim chatting away with some guests because well, that is what one does when you’re a regular at the local hot spot, isn’t it? She introduces me to another regular Bobby Navarro, a local foodie who took on the challenge of eating at 100 eateries in 100 consecutive days. And I was also pleased to meet a couple more of Kim’s friends, Nancy and Lewis. Surely, Charlie Palmer is the popular place for the tasteful diners, foodies and hipsters alike.

Kim invited me as a guest of Travel Costa Mesa to experience one of Charlie Palmer’s cooking demonstration events. While waiting for the class to start, we enjoyed some happy hour time and ordered a couple drinks and appetizers to try. (Click here to read the follow-up post on the cooking class.)

(Left) Blood Orange Mojito made with Bacardi rum, lime, blood orange and mint. (Right) A virgin Agua Fresca for me made with clementine juice and cilantro. Not only tasty to drink, but also absolutely gorgeous to look at.

Crispy rock shrimp with yuzu mayo and wasabi tobiko.

Light and crispy three cheese risotto cakes and shishito peppers with saffron aioli.

The entrance to the restaurant with an impressive wall collection of wine.

The Charlie Palmer wine collection.

A lively crowd in the bar lounge area.

An ambiance of rustic elegance in the main dining room.

Disclosure: I was an invited guest of Travel Costa Mesa, but all opinions are my own.

Happy Hour at Charlie Palmer Restaurant — Costa Mesa, California is a post from: my. Traveling Lens

Kim and I wanted to avoid the usual lunch and dinner rush, so we met up at 3:00 pm to enjoy our meal in a quiet setting. The owners and chefs, Mark Cleveland and Tanya Fuqua, were there to greet us. Unwinding from a busy lunch crowd, they took some time to chat with us and share the philosophy behind their culinary creations. All the dishes are handcrafted and prepared from fresh produce and food products. In keeping with their philosophy of serving organic, sustainable, local and flavorful cuisine, they make the extra effort to source their food directly from two different farms in the area.

Chefs Mark and Tanya proudly displaying their culinary creations.


One of the things I enjoy the most when dining out is getting to meet the owners and chefs and learning more about them. It's almost like I feel more appreciative and connected to the food I eat because I know the back story that goes behind the making of it all. Mark and Tanya are two creative professionals who understand that success in a business requires hard work, dedication and passion, all of which are obvious in seeing how they run their restaurant.

With the recent completion of a remodel, the restaurant has a sleek and clean feel. It’s a small space, yet open and intimate at the same time. The tables are custom woodwork made by Tanya’s father, David Fuqua. Art from local artists are displayed on the wall, rotated every few weeks. It’s a place where they’ve put their heart and soul in making it a success, and they invite those who appreciate the same to join them.

After much chatting, Kim and I finally got around to looking at the menu. We decided on their signature one-eyed pizza, a grilled cheese sandwich, stuffed mushrooms and a pear salad. Having been a vegetarian for 15 years, I’ve had my fair share of variation of these dishes from many different restaurants. I can honestly say that each one of these I had here at Avanti Cafe has its own unique and flavorful twist to an otherwise ordinary dish.

The one-eyed pizza is a build your own entrée with the option to choose from 27 different types of toppings. Some of these include BBQ tempeh, tofu, veggie nuggets, pepperoncini, roasted tomatoes, and avocados. The creativity is endless and very tasty in every possible combination. The uniqueness comes with the sunny-side-up egg on top, which adds a nice visual and flavorful depth to the dish.

The grilled cheese is made with arugula and spinach melted with a generous amount of havarti and white cheddar cheese. The blood orange honey dijon spread adds a light sweet tang that hits the palate just the right amount to offset a sometimes heaviness in a cheese dish. But this grilled cheese is far from tasting heavy as butter is not used to grill the outsides of the sandwich. The sandwich is rather simply toasted in the oven until the cheese melts and the bread warms up a bit to a light brown color.

The stacked portobello mushroom is another of Avanti Cafe’s signature dishes. It is stuffed with roasted organic vegetables and garlic spread, topped with a falafel crusted eggplant and served with a side of lime napa and red cabbage slaw. The use of the falafel crust is quite delectable, something I must give a try in my own cooking.

The roasted pear organic mixed green salad is one of the best salads I’ve ever had. The citrus miso dressing gives it a bit of an Asian fusion twist, but what I love the most is the uniqueness that comes from the coffee-soaked candied nuts. This topping adds a flavorful texture that even meat lovers might consider a viable bacon bits substitute.

After hearing about my love of hot and spicy food, Chef Tanya brought out this pickled habanero chili for me to try. What makes it so incredibly good is that it is infused with a grapefruit brine. Yes, it was a bit spicy, but not enough to stop me from asking for a second one.

We ended our meal with this peanut butter and cherry jelly tart. Kim and I especially loved the light and creamy whipped texture of the peanut butter. And the presentation is quite sexy, don’t you think?

Chef Mark working his magic making our one-eyed pizza order in the kitchen.

A drizzle of citrus miso dressing on the pear salad.

After the plates were cleared, I wondered why I had waited this long to give this place a try. The food is fresh, healthy and tasty. Although we fought them, Mark and Tanya were gracious hosts and insisted on gifting us a complimentary meal this time. Thank you so much for the excellent food and attentive service. I look forward to going back soon.

Avanti Cafe
259 E. 17th Street (map)
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
(949) 548-2224


Also, if you're interested in finding things to see and do in Costa Mesa, the city's website has lots of information and resources.