After months of construction, the new is putting on its final touches, and diners will be able to try it next month. However, also in this week's L.N. Biz Briefs, there wasn't such good news for two local eateries that were recently closed down due to potential health risks.
Pei Wei
Pei Wei Asian Diner will open on Sept. 10 and , will open sometime in December at Plaza De La Paz, according to Horowitz Management's Gerry Flanigan. Both businesses have taken up space in what was once the a family-owned restaurant that closed its doors in 2011. The building was split into two spaces, and will now accommodate the Asian Diner and the vegetarian eatery.
In other restaurant news, is hoping to open on Aug. 28, according to owner Paul Braunschweiler. It's been a long process but he is looking forward to serving the Laguna Niguel community with fresh fare, he says. He is no stranger to opening a restaurant, as he once owned a place in Costa Mesa and another in Omaha.
Closed Up
And for other news that isn't quite as delicious.
nd were closed Friday in the Center at Rancho Niguel, by health inspectors after a complaint of a sewage backup was confirmed. Inspectors found sewage backing up in the front counter floor sinks onto the floor of the pizzeria, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency.
Customers were eating inside and outside NY's Upper Crust at the time of the backup, according to the OCHCA. The restaurant was required to close, clear the backed-up sewage lines and clean the area with chlorine bleach. Plumbers said the whole center on Greenfield Drive was experiencing the backup while two clean-out caps overflowed into the planters behind the building.
The sandwich shop Submarina was also closed. Both restaurants were allowed to re-open the following day.
And in Dana Point, the Del Taco at 34289 Pacific Coast Hwy., was briefly closed after county health inspectors found a sewer backing up in the restaurant's parking lot last month.
Responding to a consumer complaint, Orange County Health Care Agency inspectors found sewage coming out of a man-hole cover while the Del Taco was in operation on July 17.
The restaurant was required to repair and maintain its plumbing in order to reopen later that day. In March, OCHCA observed four minor health violations, including: Salsa sitting at an unsafe temperature An improperly stored ice bucket Trash on the ground around the trash dumpster.
--Patch editor Peter Schelden contributed to this report
