Meals Inspired By Our Favorite Local Restaurants

While some of us are confined to home, it’s important to try to support our local restaurants as much as possible. At Orange Coast CJDRF in Costa Mesa, we are committed to helping our community in any way we can. Aside from special financing, discounts, and a home-delivery service, we also want to take this opportunity to highlight some local restaurants and their signature dishes. While we know not everyone can leave their homes to dine in or grab take-out, we thought it would be fun to look at some stay-at-home dining options, so that we can all find a little community in our homes in this time of uncertainty.

So even if you can’t make it out, we thought we’d feature some of the area’s popular dishes that you love and miss and offer alternatives to making these dishes at home. Once all of this passes, won’t it be interesting to see how your version of the dish stacks up to the professional’s version? We will all need to support our local small businesses as much as possible, so this will give us even more incentive once life returns to normal to get out there and see just how skilled these chefs are.

Seasons 52

3333 Bristol St, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

One of our favorite restaurants in the area is Seasons 52. If you are looking for seasonal specialties, this is a great place, as their menu changes with the seasons and features 100 percent fresh produce. Their food is light and full of flavor due to the absence of a fryer in the kitchen; they prefer to oak-fire grill and brick-oven roast.

Favorites include Wild Alaskan Salmon and Sweet Corn in summer, Florida Stone Crabs and California Golden Beets in winter. For lunch, be sure to try pairing their signature flatbread with their delicious soups, such as a lobster bisque, and salads. If not open for dine-in service, they offer a To-Go menu of popular Seasons 52 items and special family-style dinners to enjoy. Please view the menu and call (714) 437-5252 to place your order for curbside pick-up or delivery.

Check out a recipe for something approaching their Southern-Style Shrimp and Grits, if you are feeling adventurous and want to try your hand as a Seasons 52 sous chef. Nothing feeds the soul like some southern cooking. Seasons 52 includes bacon while this recipe does not, so you’ll have to add to taste.

Everything tastes better with bacon, after all.

Il Farro Caffe Trattoria

111 21st Place, Newport Beach, CA 92663

If you’re looking for a taste of Italy, you’ll want to head over to Il Farro Caffe Trattoria. Established in 1993, Il Farro Caffe Trattoria is located in the heart of Newport Beach, California, on the Peninsula by the Newport Pier. Serving authentic Italian cuisine, the restaurant has received rave reviews from both local and nationwide culinary literates of being “one of the best rustic Italian style restaurants that evokes images of summertime at the Italian seaside.” There’s no better way to transport yourself to an exotic locale than to grab take-out from Il Farro Café Trattoria. They are currently open for take-out only from their regular menu. Family style catering and delivery are now available as well.

Italian-born brothers Domenico and Michele Maurici were so inspired by farro that they named their restaurant Caffe il Farro. Their specialty entrées include eight different farro pasta and farro risotto dishes. Farro is an ancient grain that is high in fiber, low in cholesterol, and a good source of vitamins and minerals. It’s also low in gluten. Considered one of the world’s oldest cultivated grains—in fact, the one in which all grains are derived from—its origin is in the Mediterranean and Near East. Now you can find farro in markets such as Safeway and Sprouts. We recommend the Farrotto con Salsiccia, which consists of farro, Italian sausages, fresh tomato, garlic, basil, and Parmesan cheese. The farro is cooked risotto-style. You’ll have to get creative with this recipe if you are unable to make your way to the restaurant for take-out, but here’s an example of a farro dish.

Eat Chow

1802 Newport Blvd, Costa Mesa, CA 92627

If you are looking for elevated comfort food, Eat Chow is a wonderful option. Locations include Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, and Santa Ana. It has been called “California eclectic quasi-fusion comfort cuisine” by Christopher Trela, who adds, “no wonder they named it Eat Chow. Much simpler.” Co-owner Bryan McReynolds describes their food by saying, simply: “We’re all over the place, but if it is something we like, we’ll put it on the menu.” We recommend the Crispy Beef Tacos, with shredded ribeye, pico de gallo, cotija cheese, lettuce, vegetarian black beans, and lime.

Here’s another take on ribeye tacos for all of you aspiring sous chefs.

Taco Maria

3313 Hyland Ave, Suite C21, Costa Mesa, CA, 92929

Taco María’s name comes from the fact that Maria is the proper first name of every mother, sister, tía, and abuelita going back through the generations. Their flavors are the flavors of their lost kitchens: traditions relocated to Southern California’s diversity and combined with the local produce and regional meats and seafood by a chef trained in Michelin-starred kitchens and raised right here in Orange County. They call it Alta California cuisine, or a conversation between our generations.

Chef Carlos Salgado opened Taco María in 2013 to honor his family’s culture by making Mexican-inspired food with a reverence for the past. At the foundation of his food, is an emphasis on real corn, and with his technique and the best ingredients, the result is nothing short of amazing.

There is a Mexican saying that translates to: “Without corn, there is no country.” And Taco Maria truly evokes the cultural importance of corn in Mexican cuisine, as all masa products are processed in house from heirloom varieties of corn grown by small family farms in Mexico. Chef Carlos Salgado’s dedication has paid off as he was named a Food & Wine Best New Chef in 2015, as well as Chef of the Year in the Orange County Register. Since 2016, he has been named a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: West every year. Star Chefs also honored Salgado with their 2017 Rising Star Community Chef award for his commitment to the values and practices that make Taco María a responsible social institution.

One of our favorite dishes is the Wood-Grilled Carne Asada Burrito, which includes Angus skirt steak, bacon, beans, roasted chiles, grilled onions, and queso. Expensive heirloom tortillas can also be ordered by the dozen. While their dining room is temporarily closed for in-house dining, you can still have Taco Maria at home. And if you are unable to make your way to the restaurant, here is a recipe for an amazing carne asada burrito that you can make at home.

Craft Your Own Cuisine

We hope you are able to enjoy some of the wonderful food in our local community, one way or another. Regardless of if you can enjoy it at home or at the restaurant, Costa Mesa is full of inspiring cuisine and talented chefs. It’s important to support our community, and that’s why we like to showcase some of our favorite spots in the area. We are lucky to have so many great options for dining in the Costa Mesa area!