Beef

Misc.: Food served until 1 a.m. Credit cards accepted. It's misty and cool outside with the salty smell of the sea in the air that reminds you of Ireland. What better way to observe an early St. Patrick's Day than by dropping in for the home-style Irish cooking of Gallagher's Pub and Grill on Walnut Avenue in Huntington Beach. Here's food that warms you from the inside. Owned by brothers Ciaran and Eugene Gallagher, this dream of a pub -- with its dark, red-paneled walls and bar -- is much like the one their parents had in Derry, Ireland.

Home style Mexican food like Don Ramon's is especially appealing when the California winter nips at your bones. It warms you from the inside out. There's no better beginning than a big platter of nacho estilo, $6.35. The mound of crisp thin chips is generously layered with beans, cheddar and mozzarella cheese, topped with a scoop of guacamole and sour cream -- with jalapenos on request if you really want to feel a little heat. The quesadilla supreme, $7.95, offered as a specialty, is not the usual cheese and meat filled tortilla you'd expect.

Chamber to host April mixer The Glendale Chamber of Commerce will hold its April mixer at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Professional Business Bank, 250 N. Orange St., Glendale. The event will feature networking, refreshments, prizes and a chance to meet the city's newest business members. Parking will be available on the street or with validation at the Orange Street garage. For more information, call (818) 240-7870. New Chinese restaurant opens Wok Talk, a new Chinese and sushi roll restaurant, has opened at 932 E. Colorado St. between Adams Street and Glendale Avenue.

The Newport-Mesa Unified School District offers menu choices each day at elementary schools. Students may choose a vegetarian entree. The selection varies and may either be a salad, sandwich or hot entree. Here's what's being served this week: TODAY: Munchable lunch salad with fruit yogurt or pepperoni hot pocket, crisp green salad with ranch, Tree Top flat fruit, choice of milk. WEDNESDAY: Munchable lunch salad or two mini cheeseburgers, lettuce and pickles, fresh pear, choice of milk.

Doug Tabbert You are greeted by a five-foot tall statue of a Thai woman in a prayerful pose as you enter the narrow New York-style restaurant. In fact, there are dolls and small photographs of Thai community life, as well as miniature wooden carvings of dragons and elephants. There is even a table offering wares and clothing from the Asian nation for a modest price. All these nonedible omens foretold of an authentic, palate-pleasing lunch. I chose pot stickers for an appetizer ($3.95)

Coach's Mediterranean cuisine has moved across Main Street in Huntington Beach to a newer, bigger spot, now called Sunset Mediterranean Grill, with sidewalk umbrella tables, a patio, a big deep interior with a 15-stool bar and the best Turkish-Greek-Mediterranean food in town. On a lovely fall day in Huntington Beach you feel as if you are on a terrace in Athens, surrounded by the aroma of lemon and garlic. Don't be timid, plunge right into this exotic food and order the Sunset Special Feast for Two ($29.

Do you know pho? With Little Saigon just across the 405 Freeway, you must have seen it on a thousand signs. Perhaps, you haven’t checked it out because you are unfamiliar with Vietnamese food. Let us introduce you to a sample of dishes in this cuisine, served at what may be the only Vietnamese restaurant actually in Huntington Beach, Mitasie 3.   Pho Pho is a large bowl of broth filled with rice noodles and your choice of beef, chicken or shrimp.

"Last night, my boyfriend Louie and I dined on a succulent mélange of sautéed ground beef with a touch of beef liver. Bite-sized pieces of steamed sweet and white potatoes added heartiness, while finely chopped green beans, carrots and peas provided a touch of color and finely chopped apples a delicate sweetness. I am afraid I will never be able to go back to kibble and bits again. My tail just never stopped wagging. " - Darcy Harrow * The above is a sworn testimonial from a satisfied customer of Just Food for Dogs.