Review: Gem is the most impressive non-Vietnamese restaurant to open in Fountain Valley, ever

Photo by Edwin Goei It could be argued that other than AnQi—which lies beyond Little Saigon’s boundaries and thus doesn’t survive on what the community thinks of it—few upscale Vietnamese restaurants get very far in the enclave. Until, that is,...

New restaurants don’t just open overnight. Most involve years of planning and months of consternation. Delays are inevitable. Permits take forever. So when the doors finally open it’s always a massive relief. But if you had told any prospective...

The woman seated next to me at the counter at ROL in Huntington Beach is trying to take a picture of her salmon roll, but she can’t find an angle that makes her happy. She tilts her camera’s phone in various directions, searching for the perfect...

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...

End-of-year lists like this one are never easy. In terms of legitimate “best new restaurants,” 2019 year gave us an embarrassment of riches. It probably would have been easier to compile a list of the 25 best newcomers, but I’ve never been a fan...

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