50 Forks Nominated as one of Orange County’s Best Cheap Eats in City’s Best® 2008 Program
Celebrating the best in local dining and nightlife, City's Best® powered by AOL Local (http://www.aol.com/citysbest) has announced the nominees for City's Best 2008 and 50 Forks at The Art Institute of California - Orange County has been nominated in the Best Cheap Eats category. More than 200 businesses were nominated in each of City's Best's 40 major markets across the country. Voting for the 2008 campaign is open through July 10, 2008 and winners will be announced on or after July 22, 2008.
50 Forks is The Art Institute of California-Orange County's student-run restaurant. This California bistro draws inspiration from culinary regions across America. Students demonstrate the skills they've learned through The Art Institute of California-Orange County's culinary arts program and apply their experience in a real-world restaurant environment. The restaurant features comfortable chairs, natural light, a fully-equipped professional exhibition kitchen where guests can view students at work and a 20-foot culinary arts mural painted by local artist Jan Le Doux.
"We designed 50 Forks to be a progressive American-styled restaurant that features the freshest ingredients and friendly and knowledgeable service in a unique environment where great food is the hero," said Culinary Arts Academic Director Chef Daniel Mattos. "Managed and operated by culinary students, 50 Forks allows students to practice the theory and culinary artistry they've learned and honed over the past two years in an exact restaurant experience from back of the house operations in menu creation and food preparation to the front of the house in service staff, managers, bartenders and money handling."
City's Best establishments are nominated based on insights of the City's Best editorial team and user feedback. Consumers' votes and rankings ultimately determine which venues are chosen #1 in their categories leading up to the announcement of the winners in July 2008. Voting is open now at http://www.aol.com/citysbest.
"We're thrilled to kick off City's Best 2008 and to recognize the outstanding restaurants, clubs and other establishments that were nominated," said Chris Spanos, Director, AOL Search Verticals. "For the past nine years, millions of people have cast their votes for the best local venues across the country and we invite everyone to once again make their voices heard by selecting the best of the best in their city."
The annual City's Best program provides an opportunity for local residents to vote for their favorite venues in their hometown, as well as cities they enjoy visiting. The wide range of categories include: Best Weekend Brunch, Best Cheap Eats, Best Chinese Restaurants, Best Romantic Restaurants, Best Steakhouses, Best Mexican Restaurants, Best Outdoor Dining, Best Family-Friendly Restaurants, Best Sports Bars, Best Singles Scene and many more.
For more information about 50 Forks or The Art institute of California - Orange County, contact Veronica Orozco at 714.830.0221 or vorozco@aii.edu.
The Art Institute of California - Orange County is a design, media, fashion and culinary arts school providing bachelor's and associate's degree programs in Advertising, Baking & Pastry, Culinary Arts, Culinary Management, Digital Photography, Fashion Design, Fashion Marketing & Management, Game Art & Design, Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Interior Design, Media Arts & Animation, Visual Effects & Motion Graphics, Visual & Game Programming and Web Design & Interactive Media. Located in the heart of Orange County's South Coast Metro region, The Art Institute is ideally situated in close proximity to Orange County's thriving business community, cultural attractions, shopping, entertainment and its famous beaches. The school is one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), a system of over 40 education institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.
About City's Best
The City's Best campaign is an annual program produced by AOL CityGuide, an online local entertainment guide for people who want to know where to go and what to do in more than 300 cities across the U.S. AOL CityGuide's information offerings focus on restaurants, bars and special events. AOL CityGuide can be found free on the Web at http://cityguide.aol.com. The City's Best campaign is part of the City's Best® service that provides reviews and information on a broad range of dining, entertainment and recreational activities. For press inquiries regarding City's Best, please contact Jaymelina Esmele, AOL, at 703.265.7831 or Jaymelina.Esmele@corp.aol.com.