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EXECUTIVE DINING
AT A GLANCE
LE JARDIN. FRENCH-ASIAN BISTRO
Address: 17431 Brookhurst St., Fountain Valley
Phone: (714) 593-8511
Prices: Lunch entries $5 to $8; dinner entries $7 to $24
PLUMS CAFE DELIGHTS
Address: 369 E. 17th St., Costa Mesa
Phone: (949) 722-7586
Prices: Breakfast and lunch items range from $6.25 to $13.50
Most of us are still trying to dig out of the overeating guilt syndrome from the holidays. We might be dining at home a little more in the near future, but my bet's on all of us still ending up in restaurants several nights a week. We do need an alternative to heavy, overburdened food, though. I can't think of a nicer welcome to 2002 than the interesting meals at Le Jardin and Plums, a pair of owner-operated restaurants where the food is really interesting.
The smallish, charming Le Jardin in Fountain Valley takes a step back into the simple glamour of old Saigon in the days before political agendas took their toll. This French-Asian cafe may be in a mini strip mall only two blocks from the San Diego (405) Freeway, but it is nevertheless an oasis of bamboo garden and dining room embellished with large bouquets of fresh flowers and white-napped tables. The friendliness of an open kitchen commands the back wall and evergracious service backs up the good food. You will soon discover that it quickly gives a feeling of being a home away from home.
This may be the classic case of someone following his heart. Owner Dong Nguyen, you see, is an architect and avid cook. He kept...