My work here is done. This week’s column is my last. 

This has been the job of a lifetime, and it has come to an end. 

Ten years ago, out of the blue, my phone rang. It was an editor at the Orange County Register. We’d never met. I was living in L.A., writing about restaurants and travel.   

“Come talk to us,” she said. “We’re looking for a restaurant critic.” 

“Is this a desk job?” I asked. “Because if it is, I’m not interested.”

The next thing I knew, I was driving around Orange County daily looking for something to eat. And I’ve been doing that almost every day since. 

I made it my mission to help readers of this publication discover new restaurants. Of course I also understood the importance of managing expectations when dining out, so I promised my editors I would never pull any punches. I drove more than 90,000 miles in this pursuit. I hope you found something to eat.

I’ve enjoyed some truly wonderful meals. I was going to come up with a list of favorites, but I couldn’t fathom where to begin. There were so many. Too many. I’ll be forever grateful for having the chance to discover and tell you about the whopping Delmonico steak at The Ranch. And the peerless tom yum with freshwater prawns at Thai Avenue. And the bean and chorizo tacos at Taco María, a restaurant that didn’t even serve tacos when I first reviewed it. And the perfect little slice of shima aji at Hana re. And the delicious nem lui at Little Sister. And the first time I ever tried dizi at Hen House Grill. And the perfect pepperoni pizza at Loosie’s. And the truly special cut-to-order T-bone steaks at Francisco’s Meat Company. And the poblano chile burger at Jugos Acapulco. And the huge plate of hand-cut french fries at Galley Cafe. And the elegant lobster salad at Marche Moderne (and I hope they restart brunch soon). And the spicy langoustines at El Coyotito … I’m barely scratching the surface. I could reminisce for days. 

Putting together my annual 75 Best Places to Eat has been an incredible honor. I hope it has been useful. Likewise: The 50 Best Places to Eat Tacos, the best and worst food at Angels Stadium and my guides to the best ramen, bakeries, donuts, coffee and more, plus far too many restaurant reviews to count. I gained nine pounds. 

I wrote about OC’s meaningless health department ratings. I wrote about the elusiveness of grace, and I wrote about barf sinks. I wrote about corn dogs in good times and delivery during a pandemic. 

I got to write about pozole in Zihuatanejo and street food in San Miguel de Allende. I got to tell you about the most extravagant Chinese food in Las Vegas and the incredible breads and wines of Basilicata.

This is not an easy job to relinquish. I haven’t regretted a minute of it. But I need to move on. I plan to do things I haven’t had time to enjoy in years. I plan to cook at home more. (I just bought a new wok, and my pad kra pow is getting really good.) I plan to become a regular diner at a handful of my favorite restaurants where I can now eat the same damn meal over and over again if I want to.

I’m not retiring, just refocusing my passions. I’ll still be local, but I’ll be traveling more. First up: New York, followed by Bangkok, Luang Prabang, Singapore and Tokyo. If you want to join me on this next adventure, follow along on social media (@bradajohnson on Instagram and Twitter; Johnson.Brad.A on Facebook) where I’ll be sharing updates and postcards along the way. 

Thanks for the memories. 

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