You can take the foodies out of the kitchen, but ...

RESTAURATEURS Liza and Tim Goodell fell in love with food and then each other, and the happy union has meant many a memorable meal for SoCal diners. At restaurants such as Dakota and 25 Degrees in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Red Pearl Kitchen (Hollywood, Huntington Beach and San Diego) and the late, lamented Aubergine in Newport Beach, the couple have managed to keep all their plates in the air. Their new project: the reopening of O.C. landmark the Arches later this year.

“We love cooking and entertaining, and this business kind of puts it all together,” said Liza, who lives with Tim and their kids Madeline, 11, and Oscar, 8, in Newport. “We enjoy the idea of creating something together, and we’ve gotten quite good at it. It’s part of our relationship.”

What’s cookin’?

A perfect Friday would be going out to dinner with my husband and the kids to Anjin in Costa Mesa. It’s a Japanese steakhouse where you cook your own steak over a gas grill, and the meat is absolutely top-notch. The clientele is almost totally Asian, and it’s always crowded. The kids love it because they totally take over dinner. They don’t even look at the menu anymore; they know what they want and they know how to cook. It gives Tim and me a chance to rehash the day. We order meat, peppers and onions, and they have two kinds of kimchi and this great rice dish that’s not very attractive but it’s delicious. On the way home, we’d probably stop by Baskin-Robbins for ice cream.

A tasting menu

On Saturday we’d get up early and go to breakfast at Haute Cakes, which is right around the corner from our house. Really great, healthy breakfasts, and it’s a who’s who of Newport Beach there eating. You spend 20 minutes eating and an hour talking. Most of the seating is outside on the patio; people bring their dogs, everything’s laid back and casual. There are so few places really to eat outside, and with the weather here, that’s just crazy.

After breakfast, Madeline and I would go to the Nail Lounge in Costa Mesa and get the works: manicure, pedicure, everything. It’s totally cool, hip and immaculately clean. Tim and Oscar would go to an Angels game -- it’s good to separate the kids once in a while -- and since this is an ideal weekend, the team would win.

After that, we’d drop the kids off at Grandma’s and go down to the St. Regis Resort in Monarch Beach and squeeze in some major spa time. We’d go to Stonehill Tavern to dinner right there at the St. Regis. I like the tasting menu, that’s the way to go, and we let them choose the wine too.

Vegetable shopping

On Sunday morning we would drive south to Chino Ranch in Rancho Santa Fe and buy a ton of sweet corn, which is just starting to trickle in. And we’d get vegetables, herbs and strawberries, and half the fun of it is the beautiful drive.

We might stop on the way back to Roger’s Gardens in Corona del Mar, because we love to garden, and Tim has a green thumb. Then we’d go home and invite friends over and grill burgers, eat corn on the cob and drink some wine.

Pretty good weekend, huh?