5 favorite “repeat offenders” of 2014

This year, I’m doing something slightly different from previous years. Instead of my 10 best restaurants of the year, I will be featuring some of my favorites in specific categories. I start with the five best “repeat offenders”, and these are non-Asian restaurants which I will return to over and over again just because I can’t get enough of it.

One of my San Diego favorites is Cafe 21, now in its new location just a few doors down. It is bigger, better and virtually impossible to garner a seat on the weekends. From breakfast, lunch, to innovative dinner items, the menu is eclectic and ever surprising. Chef Leyla is creative both in the kitchen as well as the dining room — she designed the dining room herself. Together with her husband Alex, Cafe 21 has become one of those places my San Diegan friends are now calling their to-go-spot. You can read about my last visit here.

When it comes to Orange County favorites, Anepalco’s is always my suggestion whenever friends ask me where they should go for dinner. Although I did not do a post on them this year, I visit regularly especially when I have out-of-town guests and know the food will always be amazing and consistent. Chef Daniel Godinez is always adding new dishes to the menu and with the addition of the bar this year, you will find some delicious concoctions created by mixologist Cesar Cerrudo. Here is my last post from 2013.

The Ranch Restaurant & Saloon never fails to impress when it comes to service and a menu that’s always consistently good. OC Restaurant Week is a perfect time to try them out if you haven’t already, but make sure you get your reservations in early because they fill up quickly. This restaurant has deserved a mention in my year end round-ups several years running because it simply is one of the best. You can read about our visit during OC Restaurant Week early this year by clicking here.

Another repeat favorite is Pizzeria Ortica in Costa Mesa. No words are needed! Chef Justin Miller turns out some of the best Italian cuisine Orange County has to offer. Here’s a post I wrote from their Valentine’s Day dinner this year.

If you’re looking for breakfast or brunch, Break of Dawn wins hands down and it is also one of those places we return to over and over again. Chef Dee Nguyen’s menu is ever changing, always innovative and creative. Bacon and eggs are served but not in the way you’re accustomed to. You can read my post from this year when the restaurant moved to its new location in the same plaza.