Hallelujah. Orange is now home to a new fine-dining establishment that won’t break the bank.

Prime Cut Cafe opened recently at the Stadium Promenade in Orange. Any local will tell you that this retail center has had its troubles so it’s nice to see a high-caliber eatery set up shop here.

Several eateries have come and gone at the Promenade, including the sudden departure of Carino’s Italian Grill. This is the second Carino’s to close in Orange County. The other Carino’s closed late last year in Lake Forest.

Still, a makeover of the center appears to be generating some buzz at the Promenade. Prime Cut Cafe, which was expected to open in the summer, has been open for more than a week. Also, coming to the Stadium Promenade this year: Bob’s Big Boy. (Read more about Bob’s O.C. comeback here.)

Prime Cut Cafe’s owner, Mo Iqbal, is a restaurant industry veteran who lives in Newport Beach. Iqbal pulled out all the stops for this eatery, which offers gourmet versions of classic American dishes such as prime rib, burgers and roasted chicken.

“We’ve taken comfortable foods and elevated them,” said chef consultant Kelly Mullarney. The Orange County resident — a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York — helped craft Prime Cut’s menu.

Iqbal is also keeping prices accessible, calling the bistro “affordable luxury dining.”

I have to agree. The food is made with top-notch ingredients — yet nothing on the menu costs more than $30. Appetizers and starters are as low as $5 to $8. Many of them can also be ordered as meals. Read more of the menu highlights here at the Register’s New O.C. Restaurants listings.

Nancy Luna is an Orange resident who covers the food and restaurant industry for the Register.  She also writes the Fast Food Maven blog.

Related stories:

• LIST: Out of Business Restaurants in O.C.
• To view a list of restaurants that opened in O.C. in 2008, go here.

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