Dishes

Spring, it's my favorite season: daylight savings time, warm weather, dining al fresco. And the more time I spend outside, the less time I spend in the kitchen. But that darn family of mine, they still want to eat. Which means I am always looking for an easy meal to satisfy the tribe. Oh yeah, I'm still using the crock-pot, but sometimes I don't get organized enough to pull that off. The best back up? Pasta. Pasta has a lot going for it. You can buy it, forget you have it, keep it in the pantry for a long time and then let it bail you out when you have nothing else to fix for dinner.

The few times I had been to the Quiet Woman prior to a recent lunch, I thought I was going to be crushed by all the people packed in there. After a night of sushi and sake, my friend and I thought it would be smart to get a nightcap at the Corona del Mar hot spot. We learned that ownership spent about $100,000 on renovations, and it was money well spent. The dining room is lighter and brighter, helped by rich tones on the walls, some etched glass dividing the rows of booths and stained glass replaced with clear panes.

Once a week one of the Pilot photographers gets to shoot culinary delights. We visit various eateries and restaurants in Orange County that are reviewed in the Daily Pilot's "The Gossiping Gourmet" column. It's a challenge to photograph the details of the various types of dishes we shoot. Sometimes the chef is looking right over your shoulder while you work. We try to make it clear what a piece of art some of these dishes are. The design of the dish dictates how the photo will be shot.

Greer Wylder What is the bete noire at Shanghai Pine Gardens? Food trends and updated interiors. At this Chinese restaurant, Balboa Island locals feel at home. They never taste fussy fusion food, hold vibrating beepers when tables are ready or see the latest color combinations and hip window treatments. For more than 30 years, Shanghai Pine Gardens carved out its niche by serving good Mandarin-style Chinese food at reasonable prices. Only a few changes have happened since the parents of Wing Lam, Ed Lee and Mingo Lee (brothers and owners of Wahoo's Fish Taco)

Can't get away to that terrific trattoria or fabulous foreign bistro? Do the next best thing with multicultural culinary adventures in your own kitchen, launched by cookbooks from Newport libraries. If you're tempted by "a repertoire of simple, delicious and feisty" dishes, check out the flavors of Jamie Oliver, England's newest culinary wonder boy, in "The Naked Chef." Along with 120 recipes based on the BBC television cooking show host's philosophy of stripping down recipes to basics, there are mouthwatering photographs of traditional English favorites and international comfort foods in this hip approach to healthy home cooking.

If a great cookbook can provide an edge in the kitchen, home chefs may be able to turn out some superlative cuisine with help from new offerings at Newport Beach Public Libraries. The best includes "The Zuni Cafe Cookbook," named Kitchen Aid Cookbook of the Year by the James Beard Foundation. Along with 250 recipes for dishes that have been pleasing San Francisco diners for 24 years, there's colorful lore about ingredients and the art of cooking in Judy Rodgers' masterful work.

Danette Goulet IN THE CLASSROOM is a weekly feature in which Daily Pilot education writer Danette Goulet visits a campus within the Newport-Mesa Unified School District and writes about her experience. Too many cooks in the kitchen? Not in this particular case, as Newport Harbor High School culinary arts students prepared a feast for one of the school's annual events, Evening of the Arts. Wednesday's performance program will be catered by students eager to show off their newly acquired talents.

Pinot Provence in Costa Mesa will host “Summer in Provence” from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursdays until Aug. 28. “It’s a really fun event that we’re doing throughout the summer,” Assistant General Manager Lauren Guillow said. “People are able to get a taste of typical Provence summer dishes.” The weekly event features a four-course meal with wine and dessert. The seating is more conducive to a family atmosphere, with a long, rectangular table housing diners on the restaurant’s patio.

Kathy Mader Nick's Pizza Ristorante Italiano on Harbor Boulevard, once labeled a "hidden gem," is hidden no more. The new location in plain view right next to the new Home Depot and TJ Maxx makes Nick's everyone's treasure, even to those who couldn't find it before. I am really excited about the new Nick's for several reasons: One is the homemade pasta, two is the chicken Leonardo, and three is the newest menu arriving in about two weeks, which will include more grilled fish and meats.

At Royal Thai Cuisine, you'll be treated like a king or queen, no matter who you are. Owner and chef Sam Tila has cooked for members of the royal family of Thailand, and he's eager to please us regular customers. Tila is an energetic and busy restaurateur and chef. A lunch or dinner at Royal Thai in Newport Beach is an affordable, authentic and satisfying experience. Some of the exotic ingredients that go into its delicate dishes include green papaya, ripe mangoes, coconut milk, lemon grass, Thai basil and aromatic galangal root (Thai ginger)

Corn dogs. It was the only type of cuisine that our mother, former Gossiping Gourmet columnist Elle Harrow, could not cook. We were about 7 and 14 years old, respectively, and every morning, she would ask us what we'd want for dinner that evening. "Corn dogs," we said. Always game for a culinary challenge, she took on the task of making corn dogs from scratch with the same amount of relish that she devoted to her own "adult" meals, whether stir fries inspired by her visits to New York's Chinatown, green tomatillo enchiladas gleaned from trips south of the border, or dishes from Julia Child's French cookbooks.

Orange County Restaurant Week is celebrating its fifth delicious year with prix fixe menus from every corner of the county. Between Sunday and March 2, about 100 restaurants will feature specially priced menus. Lunch will be $10, $15 or $20. Dinner will be $20, $30 or $40. Most of the menus are three courses, and a few include a glass of wine, beer or other beverage with your meal. They range in style from Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour Restaurants in Brea and Mission Viejo to Pinot Provence in Costa Mesa.

Our two favorite new restaurants of the year are Three Seventy Common in Laguna Beach and Juliette Kitchen & Bar in Newport Beach. There were few fine dining establishments that opened in 2012; perhaps it's the economy or perhaps it's the trend toward small plates and more casual dining. Either way, it allowed us to taste a larger variety of dishes. Here are our front-runners, in no particular order of preference. Green Rice Kebab : Koobideh are ground chicken meatballs, stacked on skewers.

One of the reasons I enjoy a happy and fulfilling life is because of the people in it. They are a people who fear God, lead by example and strive, in their own way, for a better world. And last week, I was reminded once more how lucky I am when a few of them gathered for a Ramadan iftar/dinner at my home. My mom, Shadia, who is an excellent cook (I say this with total objectivity), prepared our food, and among her creations was one of Egypt's most popular dishes: kushary.

One retail center, two business partners and three restaurants opening - all within about four months. It would sound like a crazy plan to most, but for restaurateurs Noah Blom and Leonard Chan, it was opportunity calling. The three restaurants - a waffle sandwich and brew house, oyster bar, and a cocktail and classic American dishes eatery - are moving into the SouthCoast Collection shopping center on Hyland Avenue in Costa Mesa. "This is more about the center, and more about a collective effort of trying to create a culinary center in Orange County," Blom said.

One of America's most celebrated restaurateurs and chefs, Charlie Palmer , this week fronted a gathering of culinary critics in a private dining room of his Costa Mesa establishment at South Coast Plaza. Palmer, joining his local master of the kitchen, Chef Seakyeong Kim , welcomed to the table some 20 local celebs, including Newport's own Jamie Gwen and longtime O.C. dining authority Fifi Chao , of the Orange County Business Journal. The Wednesday afternoon confab marked the publication of South Coast Plaza's spring issue of Taste magazine, featuring the "au courant" voice on local dining.

Pizzeria Mozza, a Los Angeles eatery popular with the foodie set, plans to open a new location at 800 W. Coast Hwy. in Newport Beach, according to the restaurant's Facebook page . "This 3,500-square-foot restaurant will be the second in Southern California by 'Iron Chef' Mario Batali's Batali-Bastianich empire," according to the announcement. "This high-end pizzeria incorporates a pizza bar, wine bar, to-go service, a patio and private dining room. " There will also be a large open dining room, a large bar and an "exhibition" kitchen that allows diners to watch food preparation.

Once a week one of the Pilot photographers gets to shoot culinary delights. We visit various eateries and restaurants in Orange County that are reviewed in the Daily Pilot's "The Gossiping Gourmet" column. It's a challenge to photograph the details of the various types of dishes we shoot. Sometimes the chef is looking right over your shoulder while you work. We try to make it clear what a piece of art some of these dishes are. The design of the dish dictates how the photo will be shot.

COSTA MESA — At least 300 less-fortunate people got to taste food and dessert on Wednesday served by four trendy food trucks participating in the upcoming OC Foodie Fest in Anaheim. Taco Dawg, Dos Chinos, Morsels Baking Co. and Tropical Shave Ice rolled into Someone Cares Soup Kitchen on 19th Street to serve hot lunches. Honest Tea served the beverages. "This was created with the desire by the food trucks to go out to the community and feed the people," said Shannon Santos, the soup kitchen's executive director.

NEWPORT BEACH — It was Ladies Night, and Billie Jean King and Lindsay Davenport were in the house. But the Newport Beach Breakers' lead man was still in charge. Lester Cook came up huge in the final set, beating St. Louis' Andrei Pavel, 5-0, in the final set as the Breakers came back for a huge 16-14 World Team Tennis win Thursday at The Tennis Club Newport Beach. Cook came into the set ranked third in the league in men's singles, while Pavel was last – 11th out of 11 regular players in the league.