Any can't miss eats in Huntington Beach/Fountain Valley/Westminster?

[Filthy Lucre]

Coming to town for a couple of days and will have room for a full day's worth of meals. I'll have a car but don't really enjoy driving. Any options for good eats (preferably inexpensive/ethnic) within the general area?

[Bspicy]

La Fontana in Huntington Beach for northern Italian.

[joshekg]

I really like Noorani Halal in Westminster for pakistani/indian food.

[JAB]

I have to second both Shin Sen Gumi and Tsuruhashi.

[calabasas_trafalgar]

Just slightly north, on Beach at Chapman in Stanton, you'll find Mitsuyoshi. Fabulous Japanese hot food(they have sushi too, but the hot food there is the bomb!)

[Das Ubergeek]

And at the same intersection is Thai Nakorn, the very best Thai restaurant in all SoCal.

[Joani Macaroni]

Das,
Please tell me what we should have ordered at Thai Nakom - we tried the "special combos" last week and weren't really impressed - we weren't quite ready for the boar's head (or whatever it was) yet. . . service was pretty good though, nice people. My husband is not a Thai food lover so it was a feat just to get him to go. . . he had heard good things about Mitsuyoshi though, which is close by.

[Das Ubergeek]

I always order off the specials menu, but I love the crispy catfish with mango salad (this can trip people up -- it's green mango, shredded with various toppings and then fried crispy bits that taste like catfish, not a whole deep-fried fillet or something), the fried fish with mango sauce (this is much more what you'd expect, a fried piece of fish with yellow mango sauce), the wild boar, the clams in chili and basil. Their pad see ew is fantastic, and even the dubious rad na is beefy and delicious.

For dessert, either have mango with sticky rice, or get a coconut custard actually in the coconut (large enough for 2 or 3 to share).

[ns1]

Get the pad thai and and mango with sweet rice. the catfish with mango salad is also good.

Their pad thai is SO GOOD

[aprmayjun]

If you're into ramen, stop by Shin Sen Gumi Hakata Ramen on Brookhurst in F.V. (note that there are two sides to Shin Sen Gumi -- a yakitori side and a ramen side)

I've also recently discovered Kasen in F.V. -- it's a very traditional Japanese restaurant so no tempura, combo plates, etc

-----
Kasen
9039 Garfield Ave, Fountain Valley, CA

[Wonginator]

Great Italian at Mangia Mangia.

John's Philly Grill is next door for great Philly cheese steaks. Philly's Best on Brookhurst is also excellent.

[rob.nolen]

Try Wei's on Magnolia and Warner. Szechwan style cooking from Taiwan, and reasonably priced.

My favorites are their hot and sour soup, twice cooked pork with cabbage, and Szechwan style chicken.

[Jigsaw]

Aloha Grill in Huntington Beach (on Main)
http://www.alohagrill.com/

Their Tuna Salad sandwich is essential.

[cafemonamie]

I hope you'll check out my two favorites:
*Com Tam Tran Quy Cap-
16175 Harbor Blvd, Fountain Valley 92708
corner of Harbor & Edinger Ave (In Smart & Final Parking Lot)
--- authentic cha gio made with rice paper and fantastic Com Tam

*Brodard in Garden Grove/Westminster
http://www.brodard.net/
really good nem nuong

Best of luck,
http://www.holybasil.wordpress.com

[SauceSupreme]

For a little snack, I suggest ducking into Brodard for their nem nuong cuon (grilled pork spring rolls). It's served with a crab peanut sauce.

[kingkong5]

You have to go to Tsuruhashi, it's a japanese BBQ grill at your table restaurant on Brookhurst just north of Garfield, next to Turner's Guns store. Prime and Kobe grade beef and other meats brought to your table, kim chee fried rice and bi bim bap available too. It'll probably run about $25-35 per person, but so worth it!

[I got nothin]

Peruvian Kitchen on Warner in FV
Lucias Tacos y Mulitas on Beach and Warner in HB
Banh Mi Che Cali for (Surprise) banh mi - mulitple locations in Westminster

[Das Ubergeek]

Shinsengumi, on Brookhurst and Ellis; any number of Viet places, all dirt cheap (search for Little Saigon) -- I particularly love Com Tam Thuan Kieu and Vien Dong; Duke's on the HB Pier -- not because of the food, which is OK but nothing special, but because if you're from out of town how often are you going to get to dine and watch the sun set over the Pacific?

[JeetJet]

T K Burger (A great burger and really great buns too)
110 Pacific Coast Highway
Huntington Beach, California 92648
[phone]

Wings N Things Restaurant (Buffalo wings --Mild, Hot, Extra Hot, Beyond Hot , Beef on Weck, Ribs)
18302 Beach Blvd
Huntington Beach, CA 92648
[phone]
Cross Street: Between Ellis Ave and Taylor Dr

Alertos Mexican Food (½ order of Asada or Carnitas Nachos plus...)
17225 Brookhurst Street
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
[phone]
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/69268

Park Bench Café (good Breakfast & lunch plus A Dogs menu)
[phone]
17732 Goldenwest St (located in the park
)Huntington Beach, CA
http://www.parkbenchcafe.com/

Alice's Breakfast in the Park (Must try the cinnamon roll w/ breakfast)
6622 Lakeview, (this place really is on the lake in the park)
Huntington Beach, California
[phone]

[brekkie_fan]

I'm a sucker for Hawaiian food, so I'll recommend Loft off Beach Blvd. in HB. Be ready for a carb overload.

Oh, and the shaking beef at S Vietnamese in W is pretty good too.

[silverlakebodhisattva]

Let's see,

there's a Shinsengumi yakitori in F.V.,

a number of good Vietnamese places, including Au Lac, a vegetarian/vegan place;

a relatively inexpensive sushi bar, Shibucho, highly regarded by some, about 6 miles away in Costa Mesa, and

a gang of Chinese places operated, and mostly patronized by the Vietnamese community, with very similar names (e.g. "Seafood Cove" "Seafood Castle' etc.)

That's more than a day's worth.

[ML8000]

I knew about the Loft in Torrance and Redondo but not HB. Thanks, good to know, close to Mom's.

To add to the list, when I'm down there I go to Super Mex on Brookhurst in FV with my brother. Inexpensive (really inexpensive by NorCal standards), not mind blowing but very good solid Americanized Mexican food. Nice enough to take a family for a casual meal.

[brekkie_fan]

You're welcome. There's also one in Cypress. I can live off their bacon fried rice.