Restaurateurs Bring Awards Home to O.C.

Orange County restaurants fared well when the Southern California Restaurant Writers organization handed out its 1998-99 Awards of Merit.

The writers’ group, which presented Awards of Merit to more than 700 restaurants from Santa Barbara to the Mexican border, based its evaluations on food quality, level of service, ambience and appropriate beverages.

Joachim Splichal, who owns Pinot Provence in Costa Mesa and seven other restaurants in the greater Los Angeles area, was named restaurateur of the year. More “of the year” awards went locally to David Libby of The White House in Anaheim, chef; Sean Lewis of The Cellar in Fullerton, maitre d’, and Steve Ebol of Antonello Ristorante in Santa Ana, sommelier.

Anaheim/Orange County Visitor and Convention Bureau officials say that restaurants play an important role in the local tourism industry. In 1998, 29% of the $5.7 billion spent by visitors to the county was for meals and beverages.

“Visitors to our region are very fortunate to have a diverse array of world-class dining experiences to choose from,” said Charles Ahlers, president of the bureau. “This food is a major asset when marketing our destination to business and leisure travelers.”