Huarache w shrimp and huitlacoche (Photo by Joshua Sudock, OC Register)

After nearly a dozen trips to Mexico City over the past five years, I’ve come to believe the Mexican capital is one of the world’s most underrated cities for fine dining. The restaurants there keep getting better and more adventurous. Chefs have embraced a bold, modern style of Mexican cuisine that’s nearly impossible to find anywhere else.

One place in Orange County that comes somewhat close is Anepalco’s Cafe on Chapman Avenue in Orange. The restaurant bills its cooking as Mexican-French, but I don’t think that’s the right way to categorize it. I’d call it Mexico City modern.

There’s an item on the menu called shrimp cassoulet. It’s an ill-advised name since the dish bears absolutely no resemblance to cassoulet. Rather, this is a brilliant Mexican slurry of roasted tomatoes and creamed chipotle chilies and a fine chiffonade of guajillos cradling two perfectly poached shrimp…

To read more about Anepalco’s Cafe and view an extensive slide show by photographer Joshua Sudock, check out this week’s OC Register. Note: Subscriptions are required to access the OC Register online. We don’t give it away for free at the newsstand, nor do we give away for free online. Anyone can receive one week of complimentary access, but after that you’ll need to be a subscriber. Alternatively, you can always buy a single day pass — cheaper than a cup of coffee — for 24-hour access. 

I invite you to follow me and join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. (My Instagram feed appears on Facebook.)

RokPrime Steakhouse & Grill (Photos by Cindy Yamanaka, OC Register)

RokPrime is a beautiful steakhouse that opened in October in downtown San Juan Capistrano. The ceiling drips with chandeliers. The décor is a mishmash of chic Paris flea market finds and rustic California farmhouse attitude, with gilded mirrors, big chalkboards, stone floors, intricately detailed antique doors and simple reclaimed wood. Leopard- and cheetah-print fabrics somehow seem elegant, as does the brown butcher paper that’s laid atop white tablecloths. Waiters are dressed in starched white chef’s coats, which throws me off at first. I see a pretty chef in her early 20s approaching the table, and I think, “Wow, the chef is so young!” But then she greets us with “Hi, I’m so-and-so, and I’ll be your server today.” That’s the point at which I suddenly see lots of these young chefs, er, servers, infiltrating the dining room.

Chicharrones-crusted octopus with cotija cheese at 1886 (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)

San Miguel de Allende has always been a great destination for food. This cobblestoned colonial town in the Sierra Madre mountains of central Mexico has long been known for its incredible carnitas vendors and rotisserie chicken shops. I’ve been vacationing here more or less every year for the past 15 years. It was about 10 years ago that the town starting getting more serious about its fine dining. The upscale movement first took hold when California chef Donnie Masterton moved to town and opened The Restaurant in the early ’00s, ushering in a new wave of locavorism that has since catapulted San Miguel leaps and bounds ahead of Oaxaca as Mexico’s most serious farm-to-table destination.  

Masterton’s The Restaurant has fluctuated through amazing highs and lazy lows, but at the moment he seems to be riding another high. Perhaps his seemingly refocused vision has been sharpened by the recent arrival of some of Mexico’s best and brightest chefs, including Mexico City’s Enrique Olvera, who is widely regarded as the most important chef in Mexico. Certainly, the competition now is a heck of a lot tougher than when The Restaurant was the only game in town. Eating in San Miguel has never been more fun. Aside from Mexico City, this is easily the best city in Mexico for food, from street food to fine dining. And when it comes to local farmers and artisan products, San Miguel quashes the DF. Here are my 10 favorite foodie stops in San Miguel right now — some new, some classic, all essential.

Moxi (Photos by Brad A. Johnson)

1. Moxi (Aldama 53)
Mexico City celebrity chef Enrique Olvera (of Pujol) took over the kitchen of Moxi in June. Moxi is the casual yet super-sexy indoor/outdoor restaurant at the Hotel Matilda, a low-key boutique hotel with an incredible art collection. Olvera pushes the limits of modern Mexican cuisine but never crosses the line into fusion or full-molecular.

1886 at Rosewood (Photos by Brad A. Johnson)

2. 1826 Restaurant (Nemezio Diez 11)
When 1826 opened at The Rosewood resort last year, this instantly became the best restaurant in town. There’s been a big shakeup in staff. Old chef out, new chef in. Sommelier out. New GM. The formerly savvy wine service has taken a serious hit (although the cellar still seems to be stocked very, very well). But thankfully the new chef is a force to be reckoned with. Victor Manuel Palma previously served as executive sous chef at Las Ventanas al Paraiso in Los Cabos. His take on Mexican food is fresh and contemporary, using just enough molecular trickery to make you smile but never so much to make you roll your eyes.

3. Patio Tres (Calle Correo 24)
Opened in June, this has quickly become the hottest new bar in town. Everyone who’s anyone in the local restaurant scene can found here on their days off. Tree-covered patio. Beautiful young crowd. Expert mixology. Great Mexican wines.

Taco Corner (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)

4. “Taco Corner”
There are dozens of great taco carts and even a few food trucks located throughout San Miguel. And some of the best vendors can always be found at the corner of Ancha de San Antonio and Nueva, across the street from the bus stop. Known among locals as “taco corner,” there are typically four to five vendors here at any given time (except during the mid-day siesta) selling tacos, gorditas, carnitas, tortas, and, sometimes, tamales into the wee hours.

Mi Vida (Photos by Brad A. Johnson)

5. Mi Vida (Hernandez Macias 97)
If you’re like me, you probably didn’t come to Mexico to eat Italian food. But San Miguel is a multi-culti hodgepodge of expatriates, and one of the best meals in town can be found at this elegant white-on-white restaurant and bakery opened by an Italian expat. The tasting menus are the way to go. Best Italian fish soup in Mexico. Period.

Cumpanio Bakery (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)

6. Cumpanio (Calle Correro 29)
It used to be that the only place in town to by bakery goods was the legendary Blue Door Mexican bakery (around the corner from here), which is still a worthy stop, particularly in the early morning hours. But in the past few years a dozen new bakeries have popped up with visions that extend beyond bolillos and donuts. Of this new breed, Cumpanio is the best. French baguettes. Rustic Italian loaves. Mexican sugar pastries. Cupcakes. Wedding cookies. They’ve got it covered.

El Tomato (Photos by Brad A. Johnson)

7. El Tomato (Mesones 62)
One of the best chefs in town is an Argentinian from Canada. He took over El Tomato a few years ago and turned it from a vegetarian restaurant to an Italian/Argentine steakhouse. When you’re craving a classic steak and a big red Mexican wine, this is the place to go.

8. The Restaurant (Sollano 16)
This was the original fine dining restaurant in San Miguel that changed the culture of locavorism and set the town on a new path. Donnie Masterton is still one of the area’s best chefs. The chic, ultra-urban-hacienda décor is still among the prettiest in Mexico. I’ve dined here many times over the years. Sometimes it feels like the chef doesn’t give a shit and just doesn’t show up. Other times (and currently, I believe), this place will blow your mind.

9. La Ventana (Sollano 11)
This is a coffee bar that roasts its own beans every morning. So if you’re renting a villa within two blocks from here, you can smell the aromas wafting in through your windows at dawn. San Miguel has seen an explosion of great local coffee roasters in recent years, and this one is still my favorite (with beans from Chiapas).

Cemita torta at Tortitlan (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)

10. Tortitlan (Ancha de San Antonio 17)
Tortitlan is a classic, a no-nonsense torta shop that caters to the town’s wealthier teenagers, whose off-road motorbikes you’ll most likely see parked out front. The menu lists more than three dozen tortas, all served on the classic bolillo bun. I generally order the cemitas poblano with beef milanese or the San Miguel with carne asada.

This article originally appeared on Food Republic. I invite you to follow me and join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. (My Instagram feed appears on Facebook.)

Pinot Provence, Costa Mesa (Photos by Eugene Garcia, OC Register)

Empty restaurants are difficult to enjoy.

I’ve dined at Pinot Provence several times over the past couple of months – at lunch, at dinner, on various days of the week. The gorgeous chateau-style, chandeliered dining room has never been more than 15 percent occupied, even on a Friday night at 7.

I feel strangely unsettled when I’m the only person (or one of few) eating in an eerily empty restaurant. I feel as if I’ve come to the wrong place.

On each of my visits here, my dining companions greet me with heartbroken eyes. “Where is everyone?” they ask. I’m halfway inclined to get up and leave if someone else doesn’t hurry through the door. I apologize to my guests for not taking them someplace more exciting. “Oh, doesn’t the lamb cassoulet sound good?” I’ll say. Or, “Hey, I hear they have a new chef. He’s worked at some really good restaurants.” To which my dining companions nod and feign interest as their eyes dart from one empty table to another.

On a beautiful Thursday at noon when the patio should be packed, a friend and I are the only ones seated outside (as best I can tell, there’s one table occupied indoors). We’ve taken the day off with the intent of whiling away the afternoon, a brief staycation in the South of France by way of Bristol and Anton. We see our waiter once every 20 minutes or so, which is fine, since we’re not in a rush. But we do feel alone, like we’re hiding out in a semi-abandoned chateau where most of the servants have long since been let go.

…

The braised beef short ribs are very good, but the competition for short ribs is fierce and these barely rise above the fray. There’s a decent strip steak that arrives slightly overcooked and over-sauced, but not enough to warrant sending it back. It’s served with a double-stuffed baked potato that tastes (at dinner) like it might have been left over from lunch. There’s a decent piece of salmon served over braised greens with a carrot purée. And my risotto arrives congealed, a thick brown clump that has me reaching for a gulp of wine after each bite to help lubricate it on the way down. All of these items make me feel not like I’m in France but like I’m at a wedding banquet.

…

I can remember a time when Pinot Provence felt important. I sense it’s trying to get the mojo back. Like a faded chateau that’s been left to gather dust, there is still so much potential for a rebirth here. But empty restaurants speak volumes, and convincing diners to return to a place they long ago gave up on is always a challenge.

This is obviously merely a synopsis. To read my full review with the star rating, and to view an extensive slide show by photographer Eugene Garcia, check out this week’s OC Register. Note: As of April 1, subscriptions are required to access the OC Register online. We don’t give it away for free at the newsstand, nor do we give away for free online. Anyone can receive one week of complimentary access, but after that you’ll need to be a subscriber. Alternatively, you can always buy a single day pass — cheaper than a cup of coffee — for 24-hour access. 

I invite you to follow me and join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. (My Instagram feed appears on Facebook.)

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Matera, Italy (Photos by Brad A. Johnson)

Matera will move you to tears. And if it doesn’t, there’s something wrong with you. The Sassi of Matera became UNESCO’s first protected “landscape” in Western Europe. Thus the hauntingly beautiful skyline and exterior facades of the Sassi can never be altered. The food here is fantastic. Slow food. Locavore at its best. The bread is considered by many to be the best in Italy. The five most important things to sample here are the bread, the pizza, the grilled lamb (a mixed plate consisting of several different cuts and offal), the dried red chillies and the orrechietti. As for wine, the prized local specialty is a beautiful, powerful, earthy red called aglianico, most of which never leaves Basilicata. Here’s where to eat:

Ristorante Francesca (PHOTOs BY BRAD A. JOHNSON)

1. Ristorante Francesca
This is one of the nicest, most elegant restaurants in town specializing in strictly local Lucanian cuisine (Basilicata was formerly known as Lucania) in a beautifully restored split-level cave on the back side of the Sassi. What to order: Outstanding hand-rolled pasta with dried local red chillies. Mixed grill of lamb.

Il Terrazzino (PHOTOs BY BRAD A. JOHNSON)

2. Il Terrazzino (Vico San Giuseppe, 7)
Nevermind the outrageously gruff old waiters with zero patience for English. The views of the Sassi are astonishing, and the wood-fired pizzas are excellent. What to order: Margherita pizza, local melon and prosciutto.

Pizzeria sant’angostino (PHOTOs BY BRAD A. JOHNSON)

3. Pizzeria Sant’Agostino (Via D’Addozio 6/8)
Possibly the best pizza in town. Located in a multi-level cave on the main street running through the center of the lower Sassi. What to order: Pizza with local red chillies, tomatoes and mozzarella.

Il Cantuccio (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)

4. Il Cantuccio (via delle Beccherie, 33)
This tiny, ultra-cramped trattoria is located on top of the hill in the part of town that was once part of the walled city during the Renaissance. Fantastic local wines. Handmade pastas. There are only 10 tables. Reserve several days in advance. What to order: Orrechiette, the best in town, hands down. Also, braised rabbit.

Baccanti (photo by Brad A. Johnson)

5. Baccanti (via Sant’Angelo 58/61)
This is the town’s most avant-garde restaurant with the biggest, deepest wine cellar (which occupies an entire cave of its own). Expect a few molecular tricks and surprises. You’ll want to get dressed up for this one. What to order: Chef’s tasting menu paired with wines; foie gras with wild raspberry mostarda; salt-crusted branzino.

Sextantio Le Grotte Della CivitA (Photos by Brad a. Johnson)

6. Sextantio Le Grotte Della Civita
The amazing cave hotel by Sextantio doesn’t have a restaurant, per se. But they do have an incredible dining room for hotel guests. Meals are very simple: freshly picked fruit from the hotel’s own garden, wild figs from nearby trees, freshly baked breads from the community ovens, stuff like that. It’s locavore slow food at its simplest. And it’s awesome.

Combination plate, Papa-style, at El Farolito (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, OC Register)

Long live the combination plate. And yellow cheese.

El Farolito opened in Placentia in 1974, but I didn’t get around to discovering it until last month. I love this place. I love that I can build my own combination plate, Junior-style, Mama-style or Papa-style. I love the old-school ground meat tacos with their almost-crisp corn tortillas cooked to that peculiar state of perfection halfway between fried and steamed. I love the simplicity of a great cheese enchilada, beads of orange grease puddling around the edges…

To read this week’s Short Order review and view a slide show by photographer Cindy Yamanaka, check out this week’s OC Register. Note: As of April 1, subscriptions are required to access the OC Register online. We don’t give it away for free at the newsstand, nor do we give away for free online. Anyone can receive one week of complimentary access, but after that you’ll need to be a subscriber. Alternatively, you can always buy a single day pass — cheaper than a cup of coffee — for 24-hour access. 

I invite you to follow me and join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. (My Instagram feed appears on Facebook.)

Sushi Murasaki (Photos by Brad A. Johnson)

“Halibut fin,” the chef says, timidly, handing two small plates across the counter, each sporting a single piece of nigiri sushi. The glistening sliver of halibut clings to an equally proportioned lump of rice. The flesh is vaguely translucent on one end, fading to an opaque white on the other. It’s topped with a single fleck of orange and red relish of some sort. It’s the perfect size for a single, civilized mouthful. It tastes like fresh tears, and with this one bite, I know I’m in for an extraordinary ride.

Next up is sea bass, a pinkish pearl essence of flesh, delicately crosshatched with a dozen meticulous knife marks. It’s topped with a few drops of what I presume might be shishito pepper oil. The idea is that I’m not supposed to dip anything into soy sauce or muck anything up with wasabi. Everything handed to me is meant to be consumed within seconds exactly as it is. Although the tables around the dining room are set with soy sauce, there isn’t a single bottle at the sushi counter. The sea bass has a more pronounced salinity than the halibut. The subtle progression has begun.

A few moments later, we’re watching as the chef douses a couple of pieces of … something, we can’t tell what, with soy sauce and places them into a cast-iron pan and then sets the pan ablaze. The air in front of us gushes with the scent of cotton candy. “I don’t know what he’s making, but we should ask for some of that,” my friend says, reading my mind. But before we can ask, we realize the dish is intended for us. It’s salmon belly. The quick blast of fire has caramelized the fish without fully cooking it, and as I pop it into it my mouth, I bite into a delicate, unexpected crunch of gray sea salt. The chef is watching, smiling, knowing…

This is obviously merely a synopsis. To read my full review and view an extensive slide show by photographer Paul Rodriguez, check out this week’s OC Register. Note: As of April 1, subscriptions are required to access the OC Register online. We don’t give it away for free at the newsstand, nor do we give away for free online. Anyone can receive one week of complimentary access, but after that you’ll need to be a subscriber. Alternatively, you can always buy a single day pass — cheaper than a cup of coffee — for 24-hour access. 

I invite you to follow me and join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. (My Instagram feed appears on Facebook.)

Five Crowns in Corona del Mar (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, OC Register)

“Let’s go out for prime rib,” suggests a friend.

“Where?” I ask.

Chicharrones-stuffed poblano chile at El Mayor (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)

I wish I could eat that again right now! This is a chile relleno stuffed with chicharrones at an excellent rooftop restaurant in Mexico City called El Mayor. 

El Mayor overlooks one of Mexico City’s most important archeological sites, Templo Mayor, an ancient pyramid that was discovered in 1978 in the heart of downtown. The restaurant sits atop a three-story, colonial-era mansion that houses the Porrua Bookstore.  This is also where I discovered my new favorite drink: tequila pepina (tequila with cucumber juice in a glass rimmed with chile salt). It’s also where I discovered an incredible queso fundido, gooey hot cheese that begged to be slathered on corn tortillas and topped with fried parsley. But the best thing on the menu? Hands down, the smoked marlin tacos. Porrua Bookstore, Republica de Argentina 15; +52 (55)  5704-7580 (no website)

I invite you to follow me and join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. (My Instagram feed appears on Facebook.)

The Ramos House Cafe (Photos by Brad A. Johnson)

Time stands still on Los Rios Street. Just around the corner, I hear a rooster crow and a sheep bleat. Seldom does a car drive by.

Visitors of all ages meander down the middle of the road, gawking at California history, admiring the daisies and bougainvillea, pointing at the hummingbirds. Most who loll up and down this street are just killing time. They’ve already put their name on the list at The Ramos House Cafe, and they’re just waiting for their table. Meanwhile, pop! There goes another Champagne cork.