Back in OC

i am back in orange county, ca...thank goodness! plenty more reviews to come!

A Diamond in the Rough

if you haven't figured out already, i am not really a fan of the food in myrtle beach. BUT i dined at my favorite restaurant there last night called Collector's Cafe. the restaurant includes an art gallery featuring artwork from local and regional artists. the surprising decor takes you away from the "redneck riviera" and makes you feel more like you are in an urban oasis. we were seated promptly at our reservation time. the wine list is extensive...we had a wonderful bottle of pinot noir that was priced at $44. there are a lot of wines in the $40-60 range and they also have a good selection of wines $100+. we started with the artichoke ravioli appetizer ($13.95). it was truly a surprise. i thought it would be good but it was outstanding. the ravioli was handmade, filled with an artichoke puree, and topped with lump crab meat and a saffron cream sauce. for my entree, i ordered two more apps. i started with the cuban black bean cakes ($11.95), which were served with fresh guacamole and sour cream. very good bean cakes but not nearly as memorable as the ravioli. i also had the yellowfin tuna, grilled rare, and served over oriental couscous salad ($11.95). this was another wonderful dish...the tuna was sliced and the flavors were organically asian. we also ordered the filet entree ($29.95). although i didn't eat the filet, my accomplice said it was one of the better he remembers. it was served with a caramelized mushroom brandy cream sauce which was addictive...i could have literally has a bowl of the sauce with bread and have been content! it was served with a side of sun dried tomato mashed potatoes, which were better than average. overall, this is the best restaurant in Horry county (no not whorry, o-ree...what a horrible county).

A wonderful brunch in Charleston, SC- Tristan

i love to get away to charleston for a weekend when i am in the south. the best city on the east coast in my opinion. i ate brunch at a wonderful restaurant called tristan in the market. i started off with a bellini-$6 which is a pretty good deal in my opinion. then the bread basket arrived. it was full of the best mini scones i have ever had- not too sweet or dry. i opted for the lunch menu and ordered the pressed forest panini ($10)- with wild mushrooms, goat cheese, and essence of mushroom for dipping. the flavors were excellent- my only complaint was the bread was almost too toasty and hard. but overall an excellent sandwich. we also had the duck panini ($11) with blueberry honey, swiss, and macadamia nuts on sour dough. i know i don't eat too much meat but i tried this sandwich and it was outstanding. the duck was tender and the flavors were a perfect match. and both sandwiched were served with a organic salad of mixed greens, cranberries, and blue cheese- what a great compliment. i highly recommend this restaurant. i have been here several times for dinner but lunch/brunch is also outstanding. the live piano music is also a wonderful touch. 4 1/2 stars for tristan

Dinner in Myrtle Beach- Pretty Good For a Change

Well, i must admit i have found a decent asian restaurant in myrtle beach, sc. it's called e noodle and company and is in north myrtle beach on hwy 17 s. it is a mish mash of chinese, thai, and japanese, and it is all pretty decent. keep in mind, we are in myrtle beach so don't expect nobu, but this place is good. i started with the seaweed salad ($4.50), which was pretty standard with a little kick. we also had the vegetarian egg roll ($2.10) which was one of the best i ever had. just crispy enough and not greasy thank God! for dinner i had 2 orders ($6 each) of fresh shrimp spring rolls with an eggplant dipping sauce that were great. they actually are not on the menu, but if you ask nicely, they will make them for you! we also ordered bangkok shrimp ($13) which was in a curry sauce. very good, not the best curry, but still addictively spicy. all in all, a good meal and very inexpensive. they also have a decent wine list with most glasses costing $5. you can't beat this meal in myrtle beach.

I Am Heading South Ya'll

Yep, this weekend you will get blogs from the lowcountry. Hopefully there will be some good finds!

I LOVE EVOS!

i have this favorite fast food restaurant...it is the In and Out Burger for health freaks like myself (i pretty much stick to fish and organic foods). It's called Evos. i found them when i lived in tampa, where they were founded. they now have 3 spots in tampa, a sarasota location, and now one in good old henderson, nv. i was so excited that i made a detour there on my way in and out of vegas. they have everything from veggie burgers, to thai crispy trout wraps, to free range steak burgers. their airfries (baked not fried lovers!) are outstanding and don't forget to try an organic espresso shake. and for the love of food, please someone open one up in OC, where i know it would take off like pinkberry. check them out at http://www.evos.com/ and to the owners of evos, please look into the haven for health- southern california!

Mesa Grill Las Vegas

last week i had the opportunity to go to Sin City for a couple nights and i chose to eat at a restaurant in Caesar's called Mesa Grill. owned by Food Channel famer Bobby Flay, i had my hopes high and they were not disappointed. i started off with the tiger shrimp and roasted garlic tamale ($16) which was the best tamale i ever had. The shrimp were cooked to perfection and the flavors of the tamale came together in perfect harmony. we also had the blue corn pancake with barbeque duck ($15). i skipped the duck but the flavors of the pancake were unique and my foodie accomplice said the duck was tender and mild. for my entree i ordered the wild striped bass, which was served with a roasted sweet corn pepper sauce and a sundried tomato pesto. once again, a very unique blend that was perfect. the bass was also salt and peppered and cooked perfectly to have a crispy finsh. i must say, i was pretty impressed with bobby flay's restaurant. was it the best place i ever dined at? i can't say that...the restaurant is awfully loud (but hey, its vegas what do you expect) but the experience, service, and food were outstanding.

Me- the Coastal Foodie

i grew up in the deep South, where good food was hard to come by (unless you consider tube steak a delicacy) and grocery stores stocked only white bread and pork rinds. i was a from a wonderful northern family that traveled often. my parents made us try EVERYTHING and i began to develop an affinity for things other than fried chicken. not that all Southern food is bad, as a matter of fact, we only lived 2 hours from Charleston, SC, which happens to have some of the best food on the East Coast. but i quickly learned that i loved food and wouldn't easily find it where i lived. so, as i became an adult, i moved from Atlanta to Tampa and then found home right here in Orange County, CA. But to this day I travel back and for from coast to coast and make it a point to try new restaurants and food everywhere i go. Now, i will warn you...i am a fishatarian...meaning i rarely (meaning once a year at Easter when my grandmother makes her italian wedding soup) eat any meat other than fish. i also love vegetarian dishes too. but in spite of this (which hopefully only some of you will find to be discouraging), i dine at some pretty great places and hopefully help you find great food on both coasts too!