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Avanti Café is a vegetarian restaurant located on 17th and Westminster Street in Costa Mesa. It can be easy to miss as there are not many large signs that draw attention to this small eatery. My first impression walking in is the appearance isn’t what I would expect of a “café.”

The tables were primarily located inside and it felt more as if I were in a small Mom & Pop style deli with shelves of different food items ready to purchase, a case of prepared food that you can choose to either take home or eat there as well as many shelves of tea. Read More

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Debbie and I went to Pizzeria Ortica last Friday evening around 7.  It is located on Anton Boulevard across the street from South Coast Plaza.  The lighting is dim with every table lit by tea light candled.  There are four different seating areas: outdoors, at the tables indoors, the bar and the enclosed patio.  When we first walked in, a hostess immediately greeted us.  She asked if we had placed a reservation and we had not, so she asked if we would be interested in sitting at the bar or outside.  The indoor seating area was designated for reservations.  The restaurant was a little noisy indoors from others talking over dinner and it was a little chilly outside, so Debbie and I opted for the enclosed patio. Read More

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Weekend brunch at Z’Tejas allows you to drink in the scene without the weekday rush.

Maybe it’s the location at South Coast Plaza, but I love lunching on the patio of Z’Tejas almost as much as I love the food and margaritas.  The sun hits just the right spot out there in the afternoon.  And if you’re a people-watcher, the patio gives you prime positioning.

But you know how lunches go, especially during the week: You’re in, you eat, you’re out, and you’re back at work in an hour.  It all goes too fast. Read More

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Girls’ mini-weekend in Costa Mesa and we headed to Mesa Restaurant just a few minutes from our hotel and a short walk to several interesting bars.  Mesa is owned by the same investment group that owns Firefly in Studio City, not suprising considering the minimalist nature of both their websites.  Neither website is a good place to go when looking for information about the chefs, how long they’ve been open, the architecture and design, etc.  The website does not even offer the cocktail menu or the wine list.  Le sigh.  I must make phone calls.  And this review?  Again with the iPhone.  I brought both my cameras for the weekend, but left them both in the hotel room. Read More

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“I have to give up trying to find a Cuban restaurant in California, maybe even outside of New Jersey and South Florida. Quixotic would be the word that applies most accurately to my search. That said, my quest generally turns up pleasant enough benefits that more than make up. This time at Habana in Costa Mesa, California, with a menu that advertised the cuisine as Cuban, the big prize was the discovery of a patio on which one can enjoy a great cigar with a great dark rum.”

Check out the Cigar Aficionado website for a blog about Costa Mesa’s Habana Restaurant!

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