A Dakota for Arts Crowd to Settle In

One of newest ventures for David Wilhelm, who already operates four Orange County restaurants (Kachina, Bistro 201, Barbacoa and Zuni Grill) is Dakota, expected to make its debut July 4. The restaurant, in the Plaza Tower across from the Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, is intended for the arts crowd. The dining room, which will have a grand piano as its centerpiece, will seat 120, and the patio will accommodate another 50 or so. The menu will be similar to that of Bistro 201, but simpler and lighter, Wilhelm says.

Wilhelm will also operate the as-yet-unnamed new restaurant at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana. That eatery will open in October, coinciding with the grand reopening of the museum. Wilhelm will also move his catering facility there to handle banquets as well.

Wilhelm says he has “tied up the site”--still undisclosed, but somewhere “very close” to John Wayne Airport--for the Orange County version of Roxbury, the L.A. nightclub and restaurant in which he is a partner. A midsummer debut is planned.

Meanwhile, Alec Lester has been hired as the new chef for Bistro 201. Lester worked with Wilhelm as sous chef at one of his earliest restaurants, Pave andlater worked with Joachim Splichal at Patina in L.A. John Sharpe, opening chef at Bistro 201, is now working on special projects, including planning the fare for Dakota.

If you’re a Type-A personality who feels inefficient unless you’re doing several things at once, the new Cafe Auto Spa might be for you. While your car’s being washed, you can read the newspaper and enjoy a light breakfast or lunch with an iced or hot cappuccino or an exotic flavored coffee. The fare at Richard Gall’s car wash and Italian-style cafe in Tustin includes pastries, deli-style sandwiches and fresh orange juice. Coffees and pastries are priced from 50 cents to $2. Deli sandwiches are $2.75. A wash and wax? $6.95. The Spa is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily at 1501 Nisson Road; (714) 544-1331.

New York restaurant critic Mimi Sheraton, in this month’s issue of Conde Nast Traveler, reviews 17 restaurants in Orange County, La Jolla and Palm Springs--areas she says “are beginning to support temptingly original restaurants.” In Orange County, she gives four stars to Gustaf Anders in South Coast Plaza Village, Santa Ana; three to Kachina in Laguna Beach, and two each to Antoine at Le Meridien Hotel and Pascal, both in Newport Beach.

The recent opening of the India Palace marks a homecoming for Bagwan Deol, who for more than four years had an Indian restaurant in the same spot behind the Warehouse in the Saddleback Valley Plaza, El Toro. When Deol left, a Thai restaurant took over. Now Deol is back with his tandoor oven and a wide range of Indian specialties including imam bayildi (sliced eggplant, zucchini, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, fresh garlic and ginger) and “green chicken,” colored with fresh herbs and spices. Dinner entrees range from $4.95 to $11.95; complete dinners from $8.95 to $10.95. The 10-entree buffet lunch (all you can eat) is $4.95. The restaurant is open daily from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch, 5 to 10 p.m. for dinner. The address is 23692-B El Toro Road; (714) 830-2003.

Sandy Scott, who owns Cocamo Cafe in Laguna Beach, has opened Sandy’s Restaurant on Laguna Avenue. It’s open daily from 5 a.m. to 3 a.m. and offers a varied menu that includes breakfasts (from biscuits with country gravy to cholesterol-free egg dishes), fresh daily seafood specials, design-your-own sandwiches and cappuccino. The restaurant, at the site of the former Bennie the Bum’s Diner, seats 28. The most expensive item on the menu is $7.95. The address is 238 Laguna Ave., Laguna Beach; (714) 494-3132.

Traditional family-style Italian dinners are served Sundays from 5 to 10 p.m. at Prego. Although the menu changes weekly, each four-course dinner ($22.50 per person) includes a selection of appetizers, pastas, entrees and desserts. A recent menu included fresh mozzarella and cured ham, potato gnocchi with fontina cheese and large grilled freshwater prawns. Reservations: (714) 553-1333. The address is 18420 Von Karman Ave., Irvine.