Gretchen Kurz

Finney’s at the White House both honors and updates the iconic PCH tavern where brothers Greg and Brad Finefrock once partied.

Yes, it’s only nine miles on Laguna Canyon Road from the original Osteria, but for us inlanders, skipping that irksome drive is reason to cheer the arrival of Oliver’s Trattoria in Irvine’s Quail Hill center.

I scrolled through months of Instagram posts of sun-burnished blondes and grinning bartenders sliding candy-colored cocktails across the bar before I could nab a table at Palmilla Cocina y Tequila last summer.

Rare Society sees a future in doubling down on grandeur, vying to be the luxury default for steak dining in downtown San Clemente.

South Coast Plaza presented O.C. diners with a dazzling holiday gift last November—Caló Kitchen + Tequila.

What a relief to see the vacant-for- years Irvine address that was momentarily Davio’s reanimate last fall as Benny and Mary’s. Yet another concept from Toast Restaurant Group, the red-hot creatives behind Julep, this is its most upscale effort to date.

Explore exquisite pan-Asian fare at Starfish, Newport Beach. Daily fresh dumplings, hand-cut noodles, and decadent lobster rolls await.

Inside Webb’s Grainworks, the Multi-Concept Eatery Redefining Dining in Suburban SoCal.

New Mexican spot at South Coast Plaza dazzles.

Discover Rare Society, San Clemente’s opulent steakhouse serving lavish steaks, exquisite cocktails, and decadent desserts.