When we set out to compile our Cover Story roundup of the hottest restaurants that have opened in the last two years, I didn’t think we’d end up with a very long list. I’m glad I was wrong.
   
Like most industries, the restaurant business has been hit hard by the recession. Some great institutions – newcomers and old favorites alike – have closed their kitchens. Blue Coral in Fashion Island and the Clubhouse at South Coast Plaza are among the most notable.
  
 In my hometown alone, I saw eateries open and close in what seemed like a blink of an eye. I almost cried when I walked up to the door of my favorite restaurant, Izakaya Zero in downtown Huntington Beach, only to find that it was closed. Fortunately, the owners – celebrated restaurateurs Tim and Liza Goodell – didn’t waste too much time replacing it with a new concept, an upscale burger joint called 25 Degrees. And I was thrilled when Ra Sushi opened across from the Huntington Beach Pier – I could once again satisfy my taste for inventive sushi.
   
So I handed our writer, Breanna Moore, a list of about a half-dozen new restaurants to start with – Charlie Palmer, Sol Cocina and A Restaurant were among them. But as our research continued, we discovered that there’s a healthy collection of new restaurants that we can celebrate. And I’m talking about some fabulous places: Canaletto Ristorante, Marché Moderne and all of those wonderful Asian dining options at the new Diamond Jamboree center.
   
I’m sure we missed more than a few. So if you have a new favorite that’s not on this list, let me know about it! I’ll be sure to feature it in an upcoming issue.
   
Till then, you can use this Cover Story as your new-restaurant grazing guide.

– Tina Borgatta
tborgatta@churmmedia.com