Food & Drink in Huntington Beach

Husband and wife team Ray and Heather Breitwieser opened Raymond’s California Bistro after many years spent in the restaurant biz, stocking up on experience at long-standing, popular restaurants such as The Rusty Pelican and The Yard House. They decided to open shop for themselves to serve hearty and wholesome California and Italian dishes that feature fresh seafood and crisp veggies in a space with, as they put it, an “at-home” feel. Their menu includes pasta dishes such as linguini with clams, grilled rib eye entrees, and Californian salads with poached pears and freshly panned nuggets of gold.

The creativity of Issara's Thai’s chefs is best expressed in their sauces. Cucumber-relish and peanut-plum blends imbue fried tofu and rotisserie chicken with vibrant, unexpected flavors. The restaurant's decor creates striking juxtapositions of its own, contrasting white brick with red banquettes. Patrons may bring their own wine in return for a corkage fee or a promise to help the head chef move into her new apartment next weekend.

Brunch, lunch, and dinner are served seven days a week at Bodhi Tree Vegetarian Cafe, where the menu offers numerous healthy ways to break bread sans MSG, cholesterol, and non-vegetarian ingredients. Ignore the allure of seductive chickens with an appetizer of eggless egg rolls (four for $4.95; eight for $8.95), sip curry noodle soup ($7.95), or savor sizzling black pepper steak ($11.95). All entrees are vegan, which means that diners can lock their lips on crispy “chicken” sandwiches ($6.95) or slurp pho ($7.95) without worrying about them not being vegan.

Robeks uses the freshest ingredients to craft made-to-order drinks and eats that will make you feel guilt-free about grabbing a quick bite. Join the berry party with berry smoothies such as the Banzai Blueberry, Strawnana Berry, and Cranberry Quest, all of which pulverize fruit together with non-fat yogurt and sodium-free ice ($3.45 junior, $4.45 regular, $5.45 large). For more pulchritudinous pulverized pulp, energize your day with power smoothies, including the Cardio Cooler (with a base of passion fruit and mango juice), which blend juices, sherbets, soy and whey protein, and vitamin boosters ($5.45 regular, $6.45 large) into an elixir that that will revitalize even the most workout-withered body. Bites include protein-packed Kim & Scott's Gourmet Pretzels such as pizza or spinach feta ($2.45 each), and the hair-raising goodness of Lenny & Larry's power muffins or cookies with flavors such as banana, chocolate chip, pumpkin, and more ($1.99 each).

The Orange County Register's blog Food Frenzy recently paid a visit to the Farmer's Harvest Market. Yelpers give the market an average rating of 4.5 stars and more than 1,700 Facebookers follow it.

With 40 years of sandwich-making expertise, Togo's gives party planners an extensive catering menu from which to choose their spread. Sandwich trays ($45 regular size, feeds 10), the Endless Combinations platter ($65, feeds up to eight with 16 half sandwiches of four different varieties, plus a regular salad), and a 3- to 8-foot Party Footer (feeds up to 32 people; prices vary depending on sandwich type and size) will supply sustenance for Valentine's Day group gatherers, enthusiastic Presidents' Day celebrators, and supporters of early-February professional American football championships.