The chef at Populaire and Verdant has moved from O.C. restaurants to catering and back again. Now he’s bringing his talent to two new places in Costa Mesa.
Photograph courtesy of Jeffrey S. Rovner
For nearly a year now, we’ve been thinking more about takeout food than we used to. Local restaurant owners have been thinking a LOT more about it, and many have taken a deep dive into things such as take-away containers, microwave settings, and menu shifts.
At Fork and Knife in Costa Mesa, the plan was always to provide gourmet to-go meals. But co-owner Jonathan Blackford discovered there were some surprises. “Everyone in the country is using the same to-go containers, and they are so expensive. We’re spending about twice what I budgeted for to-go containers,” he says. And it’s not just the price, but availability issues are also a challenge. “This is going to sound ridiculous, but I bought a new truck just so we could have extra space for the containers. It’s not like I can buy one case and the next week buy another. They might be out, so I have to buy five cases and then store it.”
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Is there anything hotter than a culinary power couple? Orange County has a bunch, but to mark Valentine’s Day, we decided to ask three about their romance and what it’s like when your work partner is also your home partner.
We talked with Amelia and Florent Marneau,
who own Marche, the award-winning French restaurant in Newport Coast, Brian and Robin Christenson, who own
Blinking Owl, the distillery/kitchen in Santa Ana, and Candace and Allan Tea, who founded Hello Kitty Cafe and their new Cali Dumpling Delivery in Irvine.
Candace and Allan Tea,
Cali Dumpling Delivery
Q: Relationship status?
Photograph courtesy of Blinking Owl
From Blinking Owl’s holiday pop-up market to El Mercado Modern Cuisine’s new family-style takeout portions, here is our weekly guide to the latest in O.C.’s dining scene.
Blinking Owl Distillery
Santa Ana
At the distillery’s “Holiday To Go-Go” pop-up market, shop from local artisans including Dough & Arrow, 61 Hundred Bread, Small Batch Doughnuts, Uprising OC, and Tan’s Dumplings. You can also pick up Blinking Owl’s to-go cocktails, holiday gift packs, and hand sanitizer. blinkingowldistillery.com/
El Mercado Modern Cuisine
Santa Ana
You can now order family-style portions of the restaurant’s signature entrees including the chicken enchiladas, tacos ahogados, and carnitas to-go. You can even try the udon noodle soup with masa dumplings featured in our December issue. clover.com/online-ordering/el-mercado-modern-cuisine-santa-ana