Restaurants in The Orange Coast

Options in Seal Beach are limited, but a good choice for seafood is Walt's Wharf, 201 Main St. (tel. 562/598-4433; www.waltswharf.com), 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 in an adorable little old house in San Juan Capistrano's historic Los Rios district. 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've ever had, send me a better recipe. The cafe is 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).

Upscale Mall Dining

Leave it to designer-conscious Orange County to plop some of its best restaurants in super-upscale shopping malls. It turns out al fresco Fashion Island, 401 Newport Center Dr. (tel. 949/721-2000; www.shopfashionisland.com), is more than a playground for the Real Housewives of Orange County -- it's a foodie oasis. Highlights include Brasserie Pascal (tel. 949/263-9400), the more casual but still stylish bistro from acclaimed area chef Pascal Olhats; Rustica (tel. 949/706-8282), a fresh modern Italian temple of gastronomy; and True Food Kitchen (tel. 949/644-2400), a global fusion of healthy goodies. You'll find equally good food at luxury behemoth South Coast Plaza (actually in Costa Mesa), 3333 Bristol St. (tel. 800/782-8888; www.southcoastplaza.com). Both The An Family's Crustacean-offshoot Anqi (tel. 714/557-5679) -- a Vietnamese fusion eatery and gourmet noodle bar -- and Charlie Palmer (tel. 714/352-2525) -- a modern American fine-dining restaurant with an emphasis on wine -- are based in Bloomingdale's alone. Nearby there's also Hamamori (tel. 714/850-0880) for refined Japanese cuisine, and Seasons 52 (tel. 714/437-5252), for festival but casual American fare and nightly piano music.