"oc" news and stories

Sawagani crabs are usually served flash fried, but at two sushi restaurants in Orange County, CA, a few diners started a tradition where, after having a few drinks, they would reach into a jar of live crabs and eat them raw as their friends cheered them on.

Aside from the immediate gross "Fear Factor"-ness of eating something while it's still alive, eight diners felt the repercussions six to 10 weeks later. The live crabs were carrying a parasite that migrates from the intestines to the lungs. The resulting disease is the lung fluke infection, which manifests itself as coughing, diarrhea, breathing problems, abdominal pain, fever and hives. If the infection is left untreated, "it can turn into a very serious lung infection or, in fact, impact the brain," according to Deanne Thompson from Orange County Health Care Agency.

We love potato chips, no doubt, but why have we relegated them to those bags we buy from the grocery store? A potato chip, like a French fry, is a potato-y work of art, and a few restaurants in southern California are giving the chip some respect by bringing them to the table.

• 3-Thirty-3 Waterfront, 333 Bayside Drive, Newport Beach, CA (949) 673-8464, www.3thirty3nb.com
• Café Lafayette, 330-F Main Street, (562) 598-9566
• Jerry's Wood-Fired Dogs, 2276 E. 17th St., Santa Ana, (714) 245-0200 and 1360 S. Beach Blvd., Suite C, La Habra (562) 697-4644, www.jerrysdogs.com
• Lawry's Carvery, 3333 Bristol St., Suite 2601, Costa Mesa, (714) 434-7788, www.lawrysonline.com
• Park Ave., 11200 Beach Blvd., Stanton, (714) 901-4400, www.parkavedining.com .

These places are all in Orange County, so I'll throw a little props to LA. I love the purple potato chips on the bar at Violet in Santa Monica.

In the kitchen, burrata is the silkier, creamier cousin of the mozzarella family. Make the twist on French Pot-au-feu that is served at Lou's in Hollywood, called Lou's Chicken in the Pot. The cookbook to look at is Daniel Young's Bistros, Brasseries, and Wine Bars of Paris. Maybe you can find something to make with blood oranges.

Maraschino liqueur is a clear, slightly biting drink that's fine to sip, but works wonders as a secret ingredient in cocktails, which you can learn to shake just right with a few tips. And since it's the Golden Age of the Cocktail, now you can visit a museum.

The Wine of the Week is 2004 Albarino Pedralonga from Spanish Basque country. It's "crisp and minerally" and pairs well with shellfish, peel 'n' eat shrimp, seafood paella, light summer dishes. At $19 a bottle, it pairs well with my bank account, too.

Out on the dining scene, it's all about Korean pig at Honey Pig. SIV visits Michael Mina's Stonehill Tavern in Dana Point (which we've blogged about before) and gives it three stars (***)!

[photo: Los Angeles Times]

How late am I to this party? But I forgive myself because I don't live in the Bay Area anymore (It's been 10 years! Sarah, you've got to let go!)

Michael Mina, San Francicso chef and restaurateur has opened a restaurant in southern California, Stonehill Tavern at the St. Regis Resort, Monarch Beach in Dana Point. The restaurant is designed by Tony Chi as a modern American tavern. As such, chef Mina's menus are catered toward southern California coastal living with modern Americna cuisine, with a slight bent toward seafood. Uh, yes, I'll start with the toro sashimi with osetra caviar and sudachi lime; then as my entree, I'd like the suckling pig with root vegetables, wild arugula, and truffle sauce. This time I don't think I'd mind the caviar or the truffles.

Michael Mina owns a restaurant that bears his name in San Francisco, Arcadia in San Jose, and has three restaurants in Las Vegas. Ah, but I will never forget him at Aqua (Yes, it's been that long).