Year-Old Fullerton Hofbrau Is a Natural Place to Hop Till You Drop

The Fullerton Hofbrau, which opened a year ago with a pilot brewery, recently celebrated the grand opening of its own micro-brewery. Founders Russell Brent and Gunther Buerk, together with brew master Andreas Starkmann, now offer all natural beers brewed on the premises according to Bavarian purity laws--meaning only hops, malt, water and yeast are used. From a repertoire of nine or 10 different brews, they feature three to five at a time, rotating selections every two weeks or so. Current new releases include natural dark lager, Earl’s ale, and Weizen beer--a light, unfiltered summertime brew, served with lemon. They’re each priced at $1.75 for a 10-ounce glass, $7.50 for a 60-ounce pitcher. And from 4 to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, you pay $1 for the 10-ouncer and $3.25 for a 34-ounce pitcher. American-German cuisine compliments the beers. The restaurant/micro-brewery is at 323 N. State College Blvd., Fullerton. (714) 870-7400.

For those nights when you’d like to cocoon or those days you’re too busy to go out for lunch, the Daily Grill in Newport’s Fashion Island will now deliver to you. You may order anything on the menu and it will arrive via uniformed driver for a delivery charge of $2.50. The delivery area includes these ZIP codes: 92625, 92626 (east of Newport, South Coast Plaza area south of Sunflower), 92627 (east of Newport), 92660, 92661, 92662, 92663 and parts of 92714 and 92715. For further information, call: (714) 644-2223.

First it was called Emperor’s Fortune, then Fortune. Now that South Coast Plaza Village restaurant with the cool, modern Chinese decor has settled in as the Shanghai Inn. The new owner, Julie Wei, also owns the award-winning Plum Tree Inn in Los Angeles, as well as a seafood company. Manager Charles Lin formerly worked at the Mandarin Gourmet in Costa Mesa and Plum Tree Inn in Chinatown. Chef Chin served as chief executive chef at the Plum Tree Inn for seven years. Lunch prices range from $6 to $10, dinners from $8 to $20. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner daily. Reservations: (714) 754-4344.

El Torito Grill, with locations in Newport Beach, Costa Mesa and Beverly Hills, recently had a debut for its new menu, the first major revision in the its five-year history. Peter Serantoni, the Grill’s executive chef, created the new Southwestern dishes, which include a crab cake appetizer served in tomatillo butter sauce and a fresh roasted chili relleno battered in crushed almonds. New mesquite-grilled seafood entrees range from an oversized brochette of swordfish, prawns, sea bass and vegetables served with chipotle cream and jalapeno-cilantro sauces to giant prawns grilled with a spicy orange chiote sauce. The Grill’s signature items remain: guacamole made tableside, tamalitos, blue corn duck taquitos, carnitas served in a banana leaf. Entrees average $8 to $10. Orange County El Torito Grill locations: 951 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, (714) 640-2875, and 633 Anton Blvd., Costa Mesa, (714) 662-2672.