Restaurants in Orange

A small flight of stairs leads guests down into a rustically decorated room, which evokes the ambiance of a subterranean wine cellar with its earthen arches, barrel-lined walls, and soft chandelier lighting. Designed by the artisans who created Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean, the dining room appeals to a similarly nostalgic whimsy. However, the cooks slightly modernize the menu's historic European roots by introducing unexpected ingredients.

The chefs elevate simple grilled-cheese sandwiches by slipping in braised short ribs, caramelized shallots, and horseradish cream alongside the gruyere and monterey jack cheeses, and a splash of cognac adds even more richness to the silken lobster bisque. Thai barbecue-glazed tofu and basmati rice also help to distinguish the menu by lending it a distinctly international flare.

Staying true to its name, The Cellar proudly features a 1,400-bottle wine list, which, according to the staff, helped to garner the restaurant Wine Spectator's exclusive Grand Award. The selection includes familiar staples, boutique producers, and rare vintages from virtually every major wine-producing region except the Marianas Trench.

Restaurateur Salvatore S. D'Abbusco was born in Naples, but traveled to the United States at the age of 24 to marry a woman from Philadelphia, with whom he'd fallen in love on a cruise. He wanted to bring the tastes of Italy to his new home and founded Salvatore Cucina Italiana more than 20 years ago.

His chefs toss pasta dishes made from traditional Italian recipes with italian cheeses, shellfish, chicken, and lamb. They handcraft tiramisu and blend, cut, and fold their own dough for manicotti. Sommeliers complement the extensive menu with an array of white and red wines from Tuscany, Sicily, and California, for a greater blend of international flavors than UN potluck parties. Each meal begins as servers lay complimentary bruschetta, in lieu of traditional bread, onto white-clothed tables arranged under ornate gilded lamps and pasta-covered walls.

Skimmer's beguiles skeptical taste buds with fresh ingredients, artisan breads, and piping-hot paninis. All paninis are served on sourdough bread filled with Boar's Head meats, and grilled on a cast-iron panini press without oil or butter. Hot-sauce connoisseurs can try the "Screaming! Buffalo Chicken" panini ($7.99), packed with buffalo chicken, Tabasco mayo, and Skimmer's own hot-wing sauce, so hot and spicy it smokes hummingbirds out of their cocoons. In between panini savorings, munch on Skimmer's crouton fries ($2.99), served with a chipotle dipping sauce. Salad scarfers get their fill with the big city chef salad ($9.25), with bacon, ham, and turkey politely mingling with veggies, which tops the salad menu. Mission Viejo diners can complete meals with milky house-made Italian gelato, whipped up to a thick, delectable state, just like Italy itself.

The eponymous hot wings are Alondra's house specialty, fried and served with ranch or blue-cheese dressing, as well as celery and carrot sticks. Choose two sauces to accompany your platter of poignant poultry; options are ranked on a scale from mild to suicide and include such varietals as lemon-pepper, spicy barbecue, maple syrup, and Thai chili. Sate burgeoning grumbles with a six-piece platter served with fries ($7.25), or go deep and gobble up a 50-wing platter ($25.95) and finally prove to friends that commissioning a T-shirt made of wet wipes was a good idea.

The complexity of Indian spices can be intimidating at first. Curries explode in a huge range of colors, bestowed by ginger, coriander, basil, and peppers. Cardamom pods, cloves, and bean-like tamarind look alien at first glance. Arun Puri, head chef at Royal Khyber, harnesses that intricacy, artfully folding more than 38 different herbs and spices into innovative north Indian dishes with healthy twists.

The chef, who has been lauded by publications including the Daily Pilot, uses cream, butter, and oils sparingly, instead whipping up lighter sauces and tandoori breads fortified with protein powder. As he works, mesquite charcoals blaze within an imported tandoori clay oven, grilling meat, seafood, and poultry dishes at temperatures of up to 450 degrees, hot enough to melt diamonds back into delicious carbon. Out in the dining hall, the dishes pair with fine wines and cocktails among cushy silk pillows and intricate Indian artwork.

JACKshrimp transports Louisiana's distinctive spices and love of seafood to an upscale restaurant perched along the West Coast Highway. For more than 20 years, chefs have been blending crawfish and andouille sausage with al dente pasta or fresh greens. Blackened prime rib and shrimp also share menu space with gluten-free and non-spicy dishes that are perfect for the sensitive noses of pet bloodhounds. Along with colorful frescoes inspired by New Orleans, the restaurant boasts a weekend wine bar and an upper outdoor deck for private parties.