Latest restaurant openings

Enough gloom and doom with restaurant closures.

Let's talk new eats. While a ton of places have called it quits lately, some are opening risky new concepts such as a raw bar in Tustin, while others are sticking to what works, such as Mexican food.

Cafe Rio in Lake Forest
This fast-casual Mexican chain opened over the holidays in a revamped spot at the Hunter Court shopping center in Lake Forest. I have not tried it, but many of my South County readers say they've seen lines out the door for this place.

SideDoor
In late December, Lawry's Restaurants quietly opened a gastropub within Five Crowns. The English-style gastropub, aptly named SideDoor, is Orange County's third gastropub and the second in Corona del Mar.

Raw Bar at Whole Foods
You've got to love Whole Foods for one thing: it always mixes things up by offering unique takeout foods and beverages for a supermarket. And, yes, it is a supermarket!

The latest is the Raw Bar, which will have a grand opening event Friday at the Whole Foods in Tustin. (Note: It's been open for several weeks, but the freebies come Friday.)

http://fastfood.freedomblogging.com/2010/01/07/latest-openings-cafe-rio-a-gastropub-a-raw-bar/47351/

Lazy Dog Cafe coming to the Marketplace in Spring 2010. Hmmm, BJ's and now this right across the parking lot. Can't decide if this is a good or a bad thing. I'll have to see if I can find any neighbors who might want to walk on down here for the opening...

http://www.lazydogcafe.com/

[quote author="ck"]Lazy Dog Cafe coming to the Marketplace in Spring 2010. Hmmm, BJ's and now this right across the parking lot. Can't decide if this is a good or a bad thing. I'll have to see if I can find any neighbors who might want to walk on down here for the opening...

http://www.lazydogcafe.com/

[/quote]

Way ahead of you... watch your mailbox for a "sponsored offer"
for you and the rest of West Irvine.