Eat Chow – Costa Mesa, CA

In LA, you have the luxury Mr. Chow & Euro Chow and now the OC has been granted the comfortable luxury of EAT Chow. It’s a special kind of a Fred Segal knock off, only 45 miles south of LA and attached to the boutique store, The Closet. It’s also quite affordable, unlike the aforementioned Chows.

The Turkey Chili was great, the red cabbage Ruben was delish and the Truffle Fries were incredibly addictive, but the Fried Green Tomatoes stole my heart and made me sad that Buddy had to die on the tracks (If you don’t get that reference,Netflix the movie, get an order for take-out and buy a box of tissue to keep you company). Any-who, I really liked the food and am glad we chose to go there. Plus, waiting 15 minutes for a table works out nicely when you can pick out a new tee shirt before your meal and can save 20% afterwards, by simply showing your receipt.

The two thing that keeps Eat Chow from a whopping 5 stars, are both kind of a big deal to me; Location and Diet Coke in a can… meaning, no free-fills.

If you’re going to open an amazing restaurant in the OC, at least open it in Old Town Orange, Santa Ana, Historic Tustin, or south county. Located in Costa Mesa, you may run the risk of having to sit next to Bro’s and overgrown Newpie chicks who accidentally forgot to leave their college attitude back with the sorority they left 20 years ago. If you go on a Friday night, prep yourself by wearing your people watching glasses, so you can stare unashamedly.