Gem

A fork slips through Lina Georges’ mehshi koussa — zucchini filled with rice and richly spiced ground beef — with the ease of slicing room-temperature butter. Stuffing vegetables is a sacrosanct category of Lebanese cuisine. Cooks heap hollowed...

after all the hand-wringing, here they are, the 10 best new restaurants of 2019.  10. Gem Chef Viet Nguyen (The Vox Kitchen, Sūp Noodle Bar) has opened a sparkly jewel-box of a restaurant across the street from Mile Square Park. Nguyen draws inspiration

. 10836 Warner Ave., Fountain Valley, 714-516-8121, gemdining.com Gem restaurant in Fountain Valley. (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG) 9. Omakase by Gino Chef Gino Choi offers a nightly omakase to no more than 10 people at a time

Gem    Omakase by Gino    Isla Cuban    Anjappar    Maison Cafe & Market    Knife Pleat    Henry's    CdM    Louie's by the Bay    Fable & Spirit   

inventing an all-you-can-eat pho restaurant. It got the group not only a foothold in the business, but also the experience to start Vox. But both were warmups to its most ambitious venture yet: Gem Dining. Photo by Edwin Goei Though still in its soft-opening

phase, Gem Dining is already a game-changer in Little Saigon. As word spreads that it’s the new restaurant by the Vox geniuses, prime-time reservations are impossible to snag if you don’t plan two weeks ahead. And it’s not just the reputation that

The cart rolls up to the edge of my table at Gem in Fountain Valley, bringing with it a swoosh of air tinged with saline. “Can I offer you an oyster?” a young waitress asks, her voice filled with glee.  “Tonight we’re featuring kumamoto and shigoku

cart at Gem in Fountain Valley (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG) Moments later as I’m swallowing an icy oyster, another cart rolls up. “Would you care for tea tonight?” An enthusiastic young waiter performs his best Vanna White

Ini Ristorante is a new Japanese-Italian hybrid from Kei Concepts, the group that operates Vox Kitchen, Gem, Rol, Nep Cafe and others. The name is sort of an inside joke. And you might be pronouncing it wrong. Ini is the follow-up to Gem, which

landed at No. 17 on this year’s 75 Best Places to Eat. It’s an extension not only of the kitchen at Gem but also the design. It’s the other half of a split . . .

These fries are insane. A single order would be more than enough for several people to share, but I’m happy to devour an entire platter on my own at the Galley Cafe, an old pint-sized diner on a sleepy cul-de-sac among the maze of harbor channels...

, Tustin, 657-699-3019, chaakkitchen.com The Empress cocktail at Gem in Fountain Valley is made with infused gin and yuzu. (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG) 4. The Empress at Gem When I order this, the waiter leans in and says, “Just

two words are spelled on the plate in moss-green seaweed dressing. A hunk of gem lettuce smeared with the peppery, garlicky paste used to ferment kimchi and then blanketed with shaved Manchego completes the sentence. This opener makes me want to read

pleasant nuttiness and sweetness to the savory egg custard. It’s all topped off with a heap of kaluga caviar. The delicate egg is paired with crunchy leeks in a truffle vinaigrette, its zest cutting nicely through the custard and briny kaluga gems. The

crunchy chicken skin and the nutty and briny pops of caviar. No cocktails here, but the recommended flute of Louis Roederer Champagne paired well and cut through the delicious fat of the dish. The Baby Gem salad with sliced persimmon, Champagne vinaigrette

team that’s behind Vox, Gem and ROL. The laksa is one of several creative takes on ramen here. The broth is classic Peranakan curry: a rich, creamy coconut broth deeply imbued with chilies and topped with a fistful of crab, several large shrimp and the