Bistro

Alicia Robinson When that rumble in your belly means you want to wash down a piece of roasted gazelle with a glass of fine wine, there's a place in Newport Beach that can meet your culinary needs. One of the city's best-kept dining secrets, the husband-and-wife team that runs Bistro le Crillon is swimming against the tide of chain restaurant meals most Americans have grown accustomed to. "We don't do, here, corporate food," co-owner Diego Ostroski said.

Greer Wylder Troquet, a sophisticated French bistro with multiple personalities, is rather hidden away from shoppers on the third floor of South Coast Plaza. It's casual, warm, upscale and chic. With its mall location, it caters to shoppers who come in dressed in just about any attire imaginable, even shorts. Jacket and tie not required. There's also the business-lunch crowd, who want premium foods in a hurry. Quick lunches can work by taking advantage of valet parking and the elevator.

The new Sunday brunch at French 75 Bistro in Fashion Island now offers diners “free-flowing” champagne and a special, three-course prix-fixed menu that includes an appetizer, entree and dessert. Heirloom tomatoes and French onion soup are a few of the appetizers diners can choose from, while entrees include the more traditional breakfast fare of creme brulee French toast with bacon or ham. Dessert items include Belgian chocolate souffle or chocolate and hazelnut-filled crepes.

The wait was 10 months, and I am happy to say that the remodeling of the Back Bay Bistro was definitely worth the wait. The transformation was part of the 50th anniversary of the Newport Dunes resort. The old Back Bay Café was a quaint place to have lunch or dinner during the spring and summer months, but wasn’t really considered a place that had to be visited. What is now called the Back Bay Bistro challenges that mindset. The restaurant could rival many of the upscale hot spots in the area.

In the heart of Newport Beach is Fashion Island, offering unique shopping and dining in a beautiful open-air atmosphere. Often referred to as the town center of Newport Beach, Fashion Island is the ultimate outdoor coastal shopping destination with an ocean view and nearly 200 stores. You?ll find Orange County?s only Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale?s, as well as numerous exclusive boutiques such as American Rag Cie, Juicy Couture, Kate Spade, Original Penguin, Charriol, Martin + Osa, and many others.

Bistro 201 opened at the very peak of the highflying '80s. Real estate was king, and affluent developers were stumbling over each other on the way to the BMW dealer and boatyards. Up-and-coming restaurateur David Wilhelm, still relishing the success of his first effort, Laguna Beach's Kachina, opened Bistro 201 in the heart of the Irvine financial district, close to other trendy newcomers Bistango and Prego Ristorante. The restaurant was an instant success.

On Sunday, the Maddie James Foundation will celebrate the naming of the Maddie James Seaside Learning Center at Dana Point's Ocean Institute. The event will be catered by Newport Coast's Zov's Bistro. Maddie James, 5, died in March after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor only a couple months prior. A camper at the Ocean Institute, her parents, Kajsa James and Collie James, made it their mission to raise $1 million to name the new addition to the institute after their daughter, it being one of her favorite places . In less than three months, they raised the ambitious amount.

When I think of Champagne French Bakery Cafe, I wonder why more of them aren’t around. It has the perfect recipe for a mega-chain: The food is basic but has a hook; it is inexpensive and seems to appeal to the masses. Three of them are in the Newport-Mesa area and five in Orange County, but really there could be three times that amount. Why there are two at South Coast Plaza is a mystery to me, but I figured I could ponder that right after I decided what pastry I was going to take home after dinner.

The new Sunday brunch at French 75 Bistro in Fashion Island now offers diners “free-flowing” champagne and a special, three-course prix-fixed menu that includes an appetizer, entree and dessert. Heirloom tomatoes and French onion soup are a few of the appetizers diners can choose from, while entrees include the more traditional breakfast fare of creme brulee French toast with bacon or ham. Dessert items include Belgian chocolate souffle or chocolate and hazelnut-filled crepes.

The Chinese food that is usually served in restaurants is filled with enough Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) to harm a horse. Even if a place doesn't use MSG, most of the entrees coming out of the kitchen are so laden with fat and calories that the meal has no redeeming value whatsoever. Ho Sum Bistro changed that years ago. It combined Chinese food with the philosophy of Californians and their healthy lifestyle to come up with what they call "Califoriental Cuisine." I call it unbelievably delicious.

In the heart of Newport Beach is Fashion Island, offering unique shopping and dining in a beautiful open-air atmosphere. Often referred to as the town center of Newport Beach, Fashion Island is the ultimate outdoor coastal shopping destination with an ocean view and nearly 200 stores. You?ll find Orange County?s only Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale?s, as well as numerous exclusive boutiques such as American Rag Cie, Juicy Couture, Kate Spade, Original Penguin, Charriol, Martin + Osa, and many others.

Greer Wylder In 1987, Robert Mah, then a professor at UCLA, opened Ho Sum Bistro in Newport Beach. A man who'd had a heart attack at a young age, he desired a restaurant that took healthy eating and good taste seriously. The restaurant served Chinese foods limited in saturated and trans fats, concentrating on lower fat proteins (no red meat), and fresh vegetables. Portions focused on moderation and balance. Ed O'Neill, 44, bought the restaurant from Mah in 1990 and has maintained the heart-healthy concept for the last 15 years.