It Guy, It Mom, It Restaurant
July 13th, 2006, 8:33 am · Post a Comment · posted by Cynthia Furey
Had lunch a few weekends ago with the It Guy and his very It Mom at Opah Restaurant in Aliso Viejo. This sleek restaurant along with its sister place, 230 Forest in Laguna Beach, sit just under my nose and yet I rarely step inside. I suppose it’s because on weekends the place is so busy, its cool bar packed three or four deep, the noise level unbearable, that I forget during its quieter moments the place is an unassuming gem.
The It Guy ordered the Kobe burger ($12), which was thick and juicy. The It Mom had a chicken sandwich with chipotle sauce ($11). They sliced their sandwiches in half and exchanged one half for the other. Me? Foolishly, I spent most of my day eating as I ran errands and by the time we met for lunch, I was too full. (It was me, on that day, parked in a red zone across from UCI shamelessly eating a hot slice of Ray’s pizza just two minutes past 11 a.m.). As I watched the It Mom - a stunning woman - eat, I wanted to share my joy of food. I wanted to show her that I wasn’t afraid of food, that I embraced all foods, that I could go mano a mano with anyone when it came to filling up on well-prepared, well-thought out meals. Alas, the best I could do on that afternoon was lift a few fries - thinly cut, crispy, tossed with salt and some dried thyme - off her plate.
You just wait, It Mom, you just wait.
Opah Restaurant, 26851 Aliso Creek Road, Aliso Viejo. 949-360-8822. And, 22332 El Paseo Town Center, Rancho Santa Margarita. 949-766-9988; 13122 Jamboree Road, Irvine. 714-508-8055.
