3 Michelin Star dishes you should try on the Paseo menu at Downtown Disney

• May 1, 2024

Chef Carlos Gaytan keeps three dishes on the menu at his new Paseo restaurant in Downtown Disney that hark back to a decade ago when his Chicago restaurant Mexique was honored with a Michelin Star.

A trio of Gaytan’s new restaurant concepts held a grand opening ceremony on Wednesday, May 1 at Downtown Disney. The new Paseo restaurant, Centrico courtyard bar and Tiendita grab-and-go stand take over spaces formerly occupied by Catal restaurant, Uva bar and Sprinkles cupcake bakery.

The grand opening ceremony for the new Paseo restaurant, Centrico courtyard bar and Tiendita grab-and-go stand at Downtown Disney. (Photo by Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Gaytan’s signature style combines Mexican flavors with a French haute cuisine culinary style.

While a few dishes have stayed on Gaytan’s menus for a decade, he prefers to move forward rather than look backward.

“Evolution is very important,” Gaytan said during an interview after the grand opening ceremony. “It’s good to stay with some dishes that are really good, but I believe people are more excited when you create new items and new dishes. They come back more often.”

ALSO SEE: 5 best things I ate at Disneyland’s Pixar Fest

Gaytan had a big year in 2013 when his Mexique restaurant was awarded a Michelin Star, he became the first Mexican-born chef to earn the coveted honor and he joined Bravo’s “Top Chef” reality competition show as a contestant.

“Getting a Michelin Star is when you start cooking for real and loving what you do,” Gaytan said.

Mexique closed in 2018 and Gaytan went on a yearlong journey in Mexico to rediscover his culinary origins, reconnect with his homeland and understand his heritage.

Since then, the dishwasher turned celebrity chef has opened Tzuco in Chicago, the AAA Five Diamond-certified Ha in Cancun, Mexico, and now the trio of new eateries next to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.

ALSO SEE: Disneyland fight involving stroller-pushing mom leads to ejection

Paseo at Downtown Disney draws upon three Michelin Star-winning recipes from a decade ago when Gaytan was at Mexique.

1) Mejillones – Prince Edward Island mussels, saffron beurre blanc, dried chorizo, pickled jalapeno and sourdough bread – $26

Gaytan’s PEI mussels are one of those fan favorite dishes that have traveled from Mexique to Tzuco to Paseo.

2) Pulpo Enamorado – Roasted octopus, tuna aioli, salsa macha and pickled vegetables – $24

The star of the show with the roasted octopus dish is the dried chipotle chile salsa.

“The salsa matcha is something that people have to try,” Gaytan said. “It’s really delicious.”

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3) Carne Asada – 12-ounce certified Angus beef New York steak, hoja santa, quesillo doblada, goat cheese, fondue, oven-roasted tomatoes and fingerling potatoes – $54

The Carne Asada has been a staple on Gaytan’s menus for a long time — but he has changed the steak preparation for Paseo.

“I used to do dry aged ribeye. Now here it’s New York,” Gaytan said. “The sauce is really good.”

​ Orange County Register 

After months of delays and decades of waiting, fluffy sand is being delivered in San Clemente

• May 1, 2024

Beachgoers who visit the San Clemente Pier area this summer should see some extra towel space on the sand.

While the grains are a bit darker in color – sediment pulled from the bottom of the ocean off Surfside Beach about 30 miles away – the soft sand is a welcome sight for the coastal city grappling with severe erosion that has shrunk its beaches in recent years.

The US Army Corps of Engineers-led sand replenishment project got underway again late last week after months of snags. including more rocks and cobble being initially dredged up than expected, causing the endeavor to be halted until a new source identified. It had taken decades of permitting and funding delays to even get the project approved.

“We’re delighted to have them back and working again in San Clemente, the restart is a very good cause for celebration,” said Leslea Meyerhoff, San Clemente’s coastal administrator. “The sediment quality looks great.”

Beachgoers and pier walkers this week stopped to take in the sight of a pipe spewing fresh sand onto the beach and tractors moving the grains around.

Beverly Thompson, a Whittier resident who regularly vacations in San Clemente, said she’s noticed the sand space shrink in recent years, with more rocks dotting the beach than before.

But she can’t help but wonder, she said, if the sand being piped in and spread out will actually stay.

“I’m wondering if Mother Nature is going to take it back to the ocean,” she said, looking out at the newly built up beach. “I don’t know – is it going to work, or is it going to be a temporary fix?”

Thompson happened to be standing near an expert on the issue, UC Irvine Civil Engineering Professor Brett Sanders, who researches the region’s sand erosion trends and troubles.

“It will spread out across the coast,” explained Sanders, whose team has measured the coastline and studies wave action that moves sediment. “There will be times it gets pulled offshore. When there’s milder waves, it tends to push it back on shore. It will get dispersed around.”

Looking out at the beach, Sanders explained the complex puzzle that has caused the region to see a dwindling sand supply.

Typically, sand naturally comes down rivers and channels, but those have been concreted so that supply was cut off, he said. Inland development has also kept sediment upstream in place. Drought conditions in recent years has stopped sand that would naturally be washed downstream with storm water from being pushed to the coast and big swells in recent years have pulled sand away from the shore, he said.

There has been some good news: the past two wet winters have brought sand downstream to help add some beach, but there still needs to be more effort to manage and add sand supply to the system, he said.

Beaches are important not just for the region’s recreation and tourism, but as a critical buffer between infrastructure such as the rail line, he said.

“We need to do a better job of actively managing the coast. We can’t just neglect the coast for 20 or 30 years and expect it to maintain itself, because we’ve cut off the main supply to the coast,” Sanders said. “We’ve armored the bluffs, we’ve built up the rivers and we don’t get the same supply of sand to the coast that nature would have provided in the past. There’s a role for us to maintain the beaches more actively.”

As for the darker color of the delivered sand, the new sand will mix in with existing sand and even out in color. It’s a bit courser than the native material, which means it should stick around longer, Meyerhoff noted.

The project is one of several ways the city is hoping to bolster its beaches. It recently joined SANDAG – the San Diego Association of Governments – to collaborate on efforts to bring sand into the region. It is also in the process of obtaining its permitting for opportunistic sand so it can expand beaches in areas not within the Army Corps project when material becomes available.

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National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration Science Program Manager Trevor Meckley also showed up in San Clemente on a recent day to survey the work being done to replenish the beach.

“It’s definitely one of the solutions in places like this that is clearly a heavily used beach. There’s no other option other than to put new sand there,” he said. “It sounds like Army Corps has made a commitment to doing this for a while.”

What’s still unknown is how much more the project will ultimately cost both the Army Corps and the city due to delays and having to find a new sand source; estimates have put the total price tag at about $23.5 million, far greater than the original $16 million. The project is funded 65% by the federal government and 35% by the city and grants it has secured.

“We are determining how we can lessen the financial impact to the city. An example of financing plans has been sent to the city for its consideration,” said Army Corps Chief of Public Affairs Dena O’Dell.

While the project is again underway, only 92,000 cubic yards of the planned 251,000 cubic yards of sand anticipated for the project will be put in place during the 25 days remaining in the current window allowed for the work to be done, O’Dell said.

The first phase will finish before Memorial Day, which as long as the dredger returns by fall to finish, has an upside, officials said.

“It avoids the highest peak use of summer when people just want to be on the beach and enjoy, and not worry about sand placement activities conflicting with summer recreation,” Meyerhoff said.

The replenishment is expected to be repeated every five years, for the next 50 years, though each round will need to secure federal funding.

U.S. Rep. Mike Levin, who represents southern Orange County and northern San Diego County, was glad the project was once again underway, he said.

“After some delays, I’m glad to see the sand replenishment project back on track and on its way to completion. This took many partnerships that are working toward a wider, quality beach for all residents and visitors to enjoy,” he said in a statement. “Ultimately, this project, made possible by funding I secured, will restore our beaches and protect critical infrastructure like the LOSSAN Rail Corridor long into the future. I look forward to seeing our new, wider beaches in the months ahead.”

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​ Orange County Register 

Pacers spoil Russell Westbrook’s return as Clippers’ home struggles continue

• March 26, 2024

LOS ANGELES — There has been a lot of talk lately about the Clippers’ identity. Are they winners, the team that reeled off a 26-5 run earlier this season and briefly sat atop the Western Conference standings?

Or are they no better than a .500 team, having gone 7-7 during the month of March?

Coach Tyronn Lue had a harsher description of what his team has become – soft.

“That could be our identity, if you want to call it that,” Lue said after watching the Clippers put up a fight in the first three quarters then succumb to the Indiana Pacers, 133-116, on Monday night, their fifth consecutive loss on their home court.

“We have to be tougher mentally and physically,” Lue continued. “We did have an identity when we were 26-5. We had a great identity, but you can’t pick and choose when you want to lead, you can’t pick and choose when you want to have an identity. You have to do things the right way.”

The Clippers – who got 26 points each from All-Stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in the loss – don’t seem to know what they want to be. They were close to securing home-court advantage during the playoffs, but now at 44-27, they have slipped to fifth behind the New Orleans Pelicans, who own the head-to-head tiebreaker.

“I think we’re all trying to figure out what the (heck) is going on,” point guard James Harden said.

Like Lue, Harden was at a loss to explain why the Clippers seem so lost this late in the season after a celebrated run through December and January that featured winning streaks of nine and five games.

“If we could pinpoint it, put our finger on it, we would go out and do it,” Harden said. “It’s a combination of things.”

Harden said regaining their identity as a team that can grind out victories and pile up wins is important, especially heading into the postseason.

“When you have an identity as a team, you have something to rely on, something to fall back on,” he said.

The Clippers showed a defensive effort against the Pacers that had been missing in recent weeks. But not even the return of Russell Westbrook could produce a victory once Indiana got rolling.

The Pacers topped their season average of 12.31 points behind the scoring of Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner and Tyrese Haliburton as they shot 58.1% from the field and 60.7% from 3-point range. Siakam led Indiana with 31 points and four rebounds, while Turner added 24 points and seven rebounds and Haliburton had 21 points and nine assists.

Lue had hoped Westbrook’s return would provide a needed spark for his team, which has won once in its past 10 games against teams with winning records.

Westbrook checked into his first game in more than three weeks at the 5:24 mark of the first quarter, giving the Clippers the energy off the bench they had missed in his absence. He had six points in the first half.

Westbrook had been sidelined since he broke his left hand on March 1 and had surgery three days later. He had been averaging 11.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 58 games.

He finished with 14 points and seven assists in 18 minutes against the Pacers.

“I think having that pace and having that energy on the floor is definitely infectious and we need that pop,” Lue said. “… having that pop, we could definitely use that.”

The Westbrook effect only went so far. The Pacers, behind Haliburton’s long-range shooting, quickly quieted the Clippers in the first half, erasing a one-time eight-point lead to hold a 65-62 advantage at halftime.

George got the Clippers moving early, leading them to a brief lead in the first quarter. He had 13 points in the opening half.

The Pacers stretched their lead to 10 points, 78-68, in the third quarter on a 3-pointer by Jarace Walker at the 8:24 mark and it looked as though the Pacers were poised to break open the game, but the Clippers hung in and pulled to within 86-83 with 2:58 left.

After a tight third quarter, the Pacers slowly pushed their lead to 16 before settling for a 17-point victory, avenging a 151-127 Clippers victory in December on the strength of Harden’s 35 points, 27 of them coming off nine 3-pointers. This time, Harden was a non-factor, finishing with 11 points and seven assists.

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Clippers guard Norman Powell had 22 points off the bench. Center Ivica Zubac pulled down 11 rebounds to go along with nine points.

The Pacers – playing on the second night of a back-to-back set – shot 8 for 15 from 3-point range in the second half, while holding the Clippers to 1 for 9 from behind the arc in the final two quarters.

“I think collectively we just got to come together during tough times,” Westbrook said. “Adversity, to me, is a real measure of who you are as a man and to who you are as a team. And I think now is a perfect time for us to be able to pull together, use what we know how to win games and use ourselves to help each other out to close games and win games.”

Lue pointed to consistent effort as a solution.

“The only way we’re gonna get out of it is playing hard for 48 minutes, doing things right every single night, every single possession,” Lue said. “Not two out of five, not two out of six. Every time, just do the right thing, and you’ll be able to get out of this rut.”

​ Orange County Register 

Anze Kopitar leads Kings past Canucks for 4th straight win

• March 26, 2024

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Kings have found some late-season momentum.

Anze Kopitar had a goal and an assist to help the Kings beat the Vancouver Canucks, 3-2, on Monday night for their fourth straight win.

Blake Lizotte and Kevin Fiala also scored for the Kings, and Cam Talbot finished with 21 saves.

“It got a little hairy there at the end, there’s no question,” Kings interim coach Jim Hiller said. “A couple of saves by (Talbot) and guys blocked some shots, got it done. It’s a good team. We’re proud to beat them.”

Brock Boeser and Sam Lafferty had goals for Vancouver, which had its three-game win streak snapped. Casey DeSmith had 16 saves.

“They’re a great team. We know what to expect and pretty much every game from here on out is going to be like that,” Lafferty said. “So I think we’re gearing up, we’re trending in the right direction. It just wasn’t our night.”

The Canucks had a chance to become the first team to clinch a playoff berth. However, they remained one point ahead of Colorado and Dallas for the top spot in the Western Conference standings.

Trailing 3-1, the Canucks pulled DeSmith in favor of an extra skater with just over 4½ minutes remaining. The move paid off when Boeser’s shot from the top of the right faceoff circle hit Kopitar’s skate and deflected in past Talbot, pulling Vancouver within one with 2:54 left.

Boeser leads Vancouver with 37 goals on the season.

Canucks coach Rick Tocchet called a 30-second timeout with less than a minute to go. With DeSmith once again out of the net, Vancouver pressed for the tying goal. The Canucks got a prime opportunity when Kings defenseman Drew Doughty was sent to the box for tripping with 21 seconds to go, but they couldn’t bury a final shot during the stretch of 6-on-4 play.

“There’s going to be a lot of hard games here coming down and I think this is good prep for us,” Canucks forward J.T. Miller said. “And we’ve got to find a way to win games like that, not give up the late one in the second or whatever happened. I mean, they’re all tight against L.A. That’s just going to be how it is this time of year.”

The Kings took a 3-1 advantage late in the second, scoring twice in less than two minutes.

Lizotte put the Kings ahead 2-1 with 3:31 to go on a delayed penalty after Vancouver’s Carson Soucy was clocked for tripping. With six skaters on the ice, Lizotte fired a one timer that hit Canucks defenseman Ian Cole at the side of the net before pinging off Soucy’s skates on the way in past DeSmith.

Kopitar got his 40th assist of the season on the play and has multiple points in four straight games, with four goals and five assists across the stretch.

Kopitar scored his 24th of the season with 1:40 to go in the period as DeSmith got a piece of the veteran forward’s long blast but couldn’t hang on to the puck, which fell to the crease. Kopitar came around the back of the net and tapped it in to give the Kings a two-goal cushion.

The Kings went 0 for 2 on the power play while the Canucks were 0 for 1.

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A bad Canucks line change created an odd-man advantage for the Kings midway through the opening period. With the home side down a player, Pierre-Luc Dubois sent a pass in the slot to Fiala, who fired a shot in past a diving DeSmith to give the Kings a 1-0 lead 7:01 into the game. It was Fiala’s 24th goal of the season.

Vancouver’s third line ground out a tying goal with 7:10 left in the first. Lafferty fought off Alex Laferriere along the boards, then muscled his way to the front of the net and popped a silky wrist shot in to tie it.

Canucks center Elias Lindholm sat out with an undisclosed injury. Tocchet said the Swedish forward is “day to day.” Defenseman Ian Cole returned to Vancouver’s lineup after missing two games for what Tocchet previously called “maintenance.”

UP NEXT

The Kings play at Edmonton on Thursday at 6 p.m. PT in the second stop of a four-game trip.

​ Orange County Register 

Orange Coast College women’s basketball leans on ‘unmatched’ chemistry to defend state title

• March 26, 2024

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Orange County crowned four CIF-SS champions in basketball in the winter but the success on the court didn’t stop there.

Orange Coast College’s women’s team captured its second consecutive state title earlier this month to join the list of champions.

With contributions from several county products, the Pirates defeated Glendale 71-60 at Mt. SAC on March 17 to finish the season 30-3.

“It’s pretty unbelievable,” said Orange Coast College coach Sammy Doucette, who played at Woodbridge and Vanguard. “(Winning a second title) was the goal the second we won the first one. I’m very proud of (our team) for making it happen.”

Guard Ashari Cassell (Orange Lutheran), a Cal State LA commit, scored a team-high 19 points and guard Bridgette McIntyre (Huntington Beach/St. Anthony) added 18 to lead Pirates.

McIntyre sank five of the Orange Coast’s 10 3-pointers en route to being selected tournament MVP.

Orange Coast College featured starting forward Myia Collins (Cypress) and reserve guard Emmeline Law (Irvine). Collins had 20 points and eight rebounds in an 88-66 win against Mt. SAC in the SoCal regional finals.

The Pirates also started Alyssa Dreessen (ML King) and Jordan Arreola (ML King) in the state final, and received key play off the bench from Sabrina Lopez (Etiwanda).

“Our culture is unmatched,” Doucette said, “and culture doesn’t graduate.”

Orange County’s CIF-SS champions were JSerra and Canyon in girls, and Marina and La Habra in boys.

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​ Orange County Register 

Baltimore bridge collapses after ship strikes it, sending vehicles into water

• March 26, 2024

A major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below. Rescuers were searching for at least seven people in the water.

The vessel appears to have hit one of the supports of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing the roadway to break apart in several places and plunge into the water, according to a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. The ship caught fire and appeared to sink.

The bridge, which opened in 1977, spans the Patapsco River, a vital artery that along with the Port of Baltimore is a hub for shipping on the East Coast. It is named for the writer of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

“This is a dire emergency,” Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, told The Associated Press. “Our focus right now is trying to rescue and recover these people.”

He added that some cargo appeared to be dangling from the bridge.

Emergency responders were searching for at least seven people believed to be in the water, Cartwright said, though he said it’s too early to know how many people were affected. He called the collapse a “developing mass casualty event.”

He said agencies received 911 calls around 1:30 a.m. reporting that a ship leaving Baltimore had struck a column on the bridge. Several vehicles were on the bridge at the time, including one the size of a tractor-trailer truck.

Mayor Brandon M. Scott and Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. posted that emergency personnel were responding and rescue efforts were underway.

“All lanes closed both directions for incident on I-695 Key Bridge. Traffic is being detoured,” the Maryland Transportation Authority posted on X.

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County girls athlete of the week: Taylor Shumaker, Esperanza

• March 26, 2024

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The Orange County girls athlete of the week:

Name: Taylor Shumaker

School: Esperanza

Sport: Softball

Year: Senior

Noteworthy: The Florida-bound center fielder hit a home run in a 1-0 win against Canyon and two home runs in a 5-2 loss against El Modena to continue her stellar play in the Crestview League. Shumaker is hitting .667 with an Orange County-leading 13 home runs and has made multiple outstanding catches in the field.

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​ Orange County Register 

Orange County softball offering plenty of storylines for Michelle Carew Classic this week

• March 26, 2024

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The No. 1-ranked softball team in the nation. A pitcher with a perfect game and no-hitter the last two weeks. A defending champion riding an eight-game winning streak into the week.

Those are just a few of the Orange County storylines for the Michelle Carew Classic, the Canyon-hosted tournament that runs Wednesday through Saturday.

There are a plethora of other intriguing plots but county observers could be glued to Pacifica, Orange Lutheran pitcher Brianne Weiss and Los Alamitos.

Pacifica (13-0) enters the week ranked No. 1 in Orange County by The Register, and No. 1 in the nation by MaxPreps.

In early March, the Mariners captured the prestigious Dave Kops Tournament of Champions in Bullhead City, Ariz. for the first time since 2003.

Pacifica last won the Carew Classic in 2013.

Weiss, a Notre Dame signee, pitched a no-hitter with 14 strikeouts in a 7-0 victory against Rosary last week. The week before, she pitched a perfect game with 16 strikeouts in an 8-0 win against Cajon.

On the season, the left-hander carries an 8-1 record with a 0.60 ERA for the No. 2-ranked Lancers (10-2). Weiss has struck out 106 batters in 58 innings.

Los Alamitos (13-3), the defending champion of Carew Classic, takes an eight-game winning streak into the week. The Griffins are ranked third in the county.

“I’m really excited for it,” Los Alamitos third baseman Gabby Terrones said of the tournament. “Last year, we had a good run so we’re just going to keep it going.”

Most the games will be played at Peralta Canyon Park in Anaheim.

Ten of the top-11 ranked schools in the county are part of the 29-team tournament.

One of the best openers Wednesday pits Esperanza, ranked No. 9 in the county, against No. 10 Mission Viejo. The Aztecs defeated the Diablos 7-3 last month.

The event also features Norco, the top-ranked team in the Inland Empire. The Cougars could have Orange Lutheran transfer pitcher Peyton May, who observed the sitout period.

St. Francis of Mountain View (7-0), the runner-up last year to Los Alamitos, is the top team from Northern California.

The quarterfinals start Friday at 3 p.m. with the semifinals to follow Saturday at 1:15 p.m. The championship is scheduled for Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Rain is forecasted for Saturday.

The tournament is named after former Canyon softball player Michelle Carew, daughter of Hall of Fame baseball player Rod Carew. In April of 1996, she died at age 18 of acute non-lymphocytic leukemia after a seven-month fight.

WOODBRIDGE TOURNAMENT UPDATE

The Gold Division championship of the Woodbridge-hosted Dugard Classic is Saturday at 7:15 p.m. at  Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine.

On Monday, Aliso Niguel junior Olivia Kuhnel pitched a three-hitter in 3-0 win against Rosary to help the Wolverines reach the semifinals.

HUNTINGTON BEACH FINDS YOUNG CATCHER

Huntington Beach coach Jeff Forsberg believes he has found an intriguing catching prospect in freshman Emma Johnson.

She was slated to play on the junior varsity but has progressed quickly in filling a sudden need on varsity.

Not only is Johnson catching hard-throwing Zoe Prystajko, she is throwing out several base runners.

Last week against Los Alamitos, she threw out a runner at second, almost got another at third and made a diving tag at home plate.

“That kid has dominated behind the plate for us,” Forsberg said. “She throws kids out. … She hits really well, and she’s getting better.”

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​ Orange County Register