Dining in The O.C

We had the opportunity to be in Orange County, just south of Los Angeles, for a day and made the most of our dining and shopping opportunities. We shopped at the ultra-upscale South Coast Plaza and had some excellent Italian Cuisine at Quattro Q4 Caffe, which is located between Emporio Armani and Jimmy Choo. We enjoyed the upbeat atmosphere and the playful classic black and white photos of celebrities eating pasta. The cuisine is Northern Italian with a Californian flair. We loved the Spaghetti Bolognese and the Contadino Salad with Chicken which were both perfect and quite filling for lunch.

Quattro Q4 Caffe Contadino Salad with Chicken

Our dinner that night was at Habana in the Lab Anti-Mall just down the street in Costa Mesa. They feature Cuban Cuisine and fabulous Mojitos! On this warm evening, we sat on the patio and enjoyed the Grilled Ahi and El Puerco Primo which were both excellent and definitely worth going back for.

Habana Grilled Ahi

Before we left for John Wayne Airport the next day, we enjoyed shopping at Fashion Island in Newport Beach then took a quick ride to the Coast. We had an excellent and reasonably priced fresh seafood lunch at The Rusty Pelican which overlooks the yachts in the beautiful harbor. We enjoyed the baked Spinach Stuffed Salmon and the Swordfish which were plated topping mashed potatoes. They were both extremely fresh and perfectly prepared. We look forward to our next trip to SoCal for more exciting dining and shopping!!