Options in Seal Beach are limited, but a good choice for seafood is Walt's Wharf, 201 Main St. (tel. 562/598-4433), a bustling, polished restaurant featuring market-fresh selections either plain or with Pacific Rim accents.
The Ramos House Café -- If you're anywhere near San Juan Capistrano, you have to stop for breakfast or lunch at the Ramos House Café, a petite restaurant within an adorable little old house in the historic Los Rios district of San Juan Capistrano. Chef John Humphreys's swoon-inducing menu changes daily and everything -- from his roast turkey hash scramble with apple cider gravy to his corn and buttermilk crab cakes and southern fried chicken salad -- is made from scratch (even the ice cream is turned by hand). And if that's not the best Soju Bloody Mary you'll ever have, send me a better recipe. The cafe is located at 31752 Los Rios St. -- the oldest remaining residential street in California -- near the train depot and is open for breakfast and lunch Tuesday through Sunday from 8:30am to 3pm (tel. 949/443-1342; www.ramoshouse.com).
