Mexican Fast Food Chain Naugles Continues Comeback With Busy New Location

It looks as though Naugles really is coming back after all. The once-prominent Southern California Mexican food chain was left for dead decades ago after being acquired by Del Taco, with all of their locations either converted over or closed in the span of a few short years. An Orange County-based food blogger gained the rights to the name, branding, and original recipes back in 2015, and has gone about trying to expand the company ever since. Next up is a new standalone location in the small city of Stanton, California, just south of Buena Park and north of Westminster, which opened to the public last weekend. So far, lines have been long and spirits high, and owner Christian Ziebarth promises more locations in the future.

— The Park in Echo Park is closing in March, reports the Eastsider. A closure notice was emailed to fans of the restaurant days ago, and it reportedly included the poem Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost.

— The Glendale Galleria is building a new “open-air food court,” reports the Glendale News-Press, saying that the upcoming feature will offer food trucks and shipping container micro-restaurants. Expect an opening in November.

— Silver Lake camper build and rental company Texino has opened a new grab and go coffee cart on its property at 3021 Rowena Avenue, called Accomplice Coffee.

— Red Herring in Downtown is now doing lunch daily from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

— Hatchet Hall’s seasonal dinner series Hemings & Hercules returns every Thursday night in February. The big, literally historic dinners start at 7 p.m. each week in the big family-style private dining room.

— Orange County Register food critic Brad A. Johnson breaks down why he still takes his own photos when dining out, if even just for reference. It’s simple, really: Sometimes what the restaurant presents to the paper’s photographers is different than what the anonymous diner actually receives when eating out.

— Today is free chili day at Philippe’s in Chinatown, at least for the first 500 folks in line starting at 10:30 a.m.