Steakhouses in Rancho Santa Margarita

At Mozambique Restaurant, spice savants infuse artfully arranged platters with the exotic zest of South African cuisine, hatching a diverse menu of grilled steaks, seafood, and specialty platters. Sealed in by the flickering caress of a hardwood grill, savory juices seek shelter inside a 9-ounce center-cut filet mignon ($34), and pearled couscous cradles fresh cuts of wild salmon cloaked in a saffron wine sauce ($22). Transport tongues to foreign shores with a starter plate of shelled peri-peri prawns ($12) before diving fork-first into the piquant tides of seafood curry, which arrives stacked with shrimp, lobster, and scallops ($27). Set the mood for a first date or send a message to rival grapes by ordering from a cavalcade of aged wines, which includes white, red, and full-bodied selections.

Perched atop the hills of its namesake, Orange County Mining Co. pairs an eight-part champagne brunch with 19th-century nostalgia, as wagon wheels and cacti impart a rugged prickle to the restaurant's cozy atmosphere. The brunch offerings warm diners with carved prime rib and ham, cheese blintz, and other toasty tastes, before cooling palates with iced shrimp, snow crab legs, and lox. Ravenous miners can pile culinary ore into made-to-order omelettes, pancakes, and waffles, or gather steam with tamales and menudo at executive chef Horacio Barragan's Mexican station. To cap off appetites, baked delicacies and other sweets are either devoured or skewered for a dunk in the chocolate fountain.

Once a repair shop and storage facility for local fishing fleets, for the past 40-plus years Woody’s Wharf has flourished as a casual eatery serving prominent patrons such as Mickey Mantle and John Wayne. The waterfront locale fosters fresh seafood dishes such as crab cakes and swordfish, pleasing the palate of former owner Chuck Norris, who bench-pressed unsuspecting fishing boats amid sparkling views of Newport Bay’s harbor. For their popular weekend brunch, Woody’s chefs whip up classic egg dishes such as omelets and breakfast burritos, which waiters can ferry to a dockside outdoor patio for easier plate-sharing with mooching mermen.

The seasoned chefs at Tsunami Sushi augment their tableside cooking techniques with dazzling dramatics, including knife twirling and spatula slinging, as they slice, dice, and sizzle morsels of chicken, steak, and fish atop traditional Japanese teppanyaki-style grills. Sushi gurus also prepare fresh sushi and sashimi rolls as an alternative or supplement to cooked offerings. The full bar offers a lengthy list of liquid meal enhancers, including wine, imported beers, and sake. Valet parking grants patrons a reprieve from finding a space or learning the ancient art of sedan levitation.