Griffin Eats OC

New KFC Fiery Grilled Wings

noreply@blogger.com (Griffin) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:31:00 +0000

www.kfc.com
After seeing the commercials all the time for KFC's Fiery Grilled Wings, I finally decided I had to try them. I went down to KFC the other day for lunch. An order of 5 grilled wings was $3.99. I wasn't sure that 5 little wings would be enough for lunch so I also ordered their special 6 piece chicken (drums and thighs)for $5.00.

I got home and popped open the box. Inside were 5 small darkly colored wings. I picked one up and took a bite. The flavor was pretty good and the wings were actually a little spicier than their regular hot wings. I still didn't find them to be that spicy though. For someone that doesn't like a huge amount of spice, these would probably be perfect. Since these wings are grilled instead of fried, I thought they wouldn't be that good, but I actually liked these wings more than I thought I was going to.

The only problem I have with these wings are the price. I find it hard to pay $3.99 for 5 tiny wings when I can get 6 full pieces of fried chicken for $5.00. I would get these again, but only if they cut the price in half.

Nutritional Info for one (1) grilled wing:

Calories 70
Calories from fat 35
Fat Grams 4
Saturated Fat Grams 1
Sodium 200mg

Lazy Dog Cafe in Irvine Opens Tonight 3/4/2010

noreply@blogger.com (Griffin) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:26:00 +0000

13290 Jamboree Rd
Irvine CA 92602
Ph. (714) 731-9700

Alternate OC locations:
1623 West Katella Ave.
Orange CA 92867
Ph. (714) 769-7020

16310 Beach Blvd
Westminster CA 92683
Ph. (714) 500-1140

www.lazydogcafe.com

CLICK HERE TO SEE MY OTHER REVIEWS OF LAZY DOG CAFE

The new Lazy Dog Cafe in the Irvine Marketplace will open at 5:00 PM tonight. They are taking over the spot that has been vacated by the failed restaurants French 75, Wilhelm's Chophouse and Martin Yan's restaurant that I can not recall the name of. Lazy Dog Cafe already operates restaurants in both Westminster and Orange. You can also find locations outside Orange County in Torrance, Valencia, Thousand Oaks and coming soon, in Temecula.

The Lazy Dog Cafe is a full service casual dining restaurant that was started by the founder of the Mimi's Cafe chain. It is often described as a cheaper version of Claim Jumper. The restaurant serves a large variety of comfort food, pizza, sandwiches, burgers, seafood, pasta and even Chinese food.

I was lucky enough to be invited down to a Pre-Grand Opening party this past Tuesday. The restaurant was generous enough to let me bring three guests. V, T and IG accompanied me to the party.

Here is an overview of what we ordered.

Boston Tea Party Fishbowl ($16.95*)

Hand Muddled Citrus Margarita

Trio of Hummus Dips ($7.95)

Wok-Fired Calamari ($9.95)

Angry Achiote Rocky Mountain Wings ($9.25)

Small Chicken Tortilla Soup ($3.75)

Small Caesar Salad ($5.95)

Bleu Cheese New York ($23.95)

BBQ Baby Back Pork Ribs ($17.95)

Garlic-Butter Glazed Flatiron Steak ($17.45)

Fig and Prosciutto Pizza ($11.95)

Cinnamon and Sugar Pizza ($4.95)

Sweet Tooth Sundae ($2.95)

With the exception of a few tough ribs (some were tough, some were not) everything was really good. V really likes Keri's Mediterranean veggie pizza from this restaurant and used to think it was the best pizza she had ever had. She now thinks that the Fig and Prosciutto pizza is better. The Tortilla Soup is an item that Lazy Dog is known for. They do an incredible job with it. The Cinnamon Sugar pizza is a perfect dessert to share when you are dining with a group.

The portions here are generous and the prices are very reasonable. I have always enjoyed going to Lazy Dog Cafe in the past, but hated driving to Orange or Westminster. Now that they are open in Irvine, I can see myself going there any time I want a quick, casual, delicious meal. The service here is also top notch. Whenever I have dined at a Lazy Dog, the service has rivaled some of the finest restaurants I have been to. I highly recommend The Lazy Dog Cafe to anyone looking for a delicious upscale dining experience, without the upscale price.

*Prices are for reference only. My meal was comped.

Orange County Restaurant Week Is Here Again!

noreply@blogger.com (Griffin) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 22:18:00 +0000

It's time for the twice yearly, Orange County Restaurant Week. From February 28th-March 6th, restaurants all over Orange County will be offering special price fixed meals for both lunch at dinner. In addition, every diner that eats at a participating restaurant during restaurant week will receive a "Golden Foodies" card that will get you special dining discounts, and they never expire! The selection of restaurants this time looks amazing. Tell me, where are you thinking of going? (Click on restaurant names below to see the special OC Restaurant Week menus.)

118 Degrees - Costa Mesa
230 Forest Avenue - Laguna Beach
25 Degrees - Huntington Beach
320 Main - Seal Beach
50 Forks - Santa Ana
6ix Park Grill - Irvine
7 Seas Fish House - Garden Grove
Ambrosia - Santa Ana
Anaheim White House - Anaheim
Andrei's Conscious Cuisine - Irvine
Anqi - Costa Mesa
Antonello Ristorante – Santa Ana
Auld Dubliner - Tustin
Auld Irisher - Orange
Bayside - Newport Beach
Belacan Grill - Tustin
Bistango - Irvine
Bluewater Grill - Tustin / Newport Beach
Brasserie Pascal - Newport Beach
Cafe Jardin - Corona Del Mar
Catal - Anaheim
Cedar Creek - Brea
Cedar Creek - Laguna Niguel
Cedar Creek - San Juan Capistrano
Cha Cha's - Brea
Chaparosa - Laguna Niguel / Tustin
Chart House - Dana Point / Newport Beach
Commonwealth Lounge & Grill - Fullerton
Crystal Jade - Irvine
Daily Grill - Irvine
Don the Beachcomber - Huntington Beach
Duke's - Huntington Beach
French 75 - Laguna Beach
Geisha House - Santa Ana
Harborside Restaurant - Newport Beach
Haven Gastropub - Orange
Hush - Laguna Beach
JT Schmid's Restaurant and Brewery - Anaheim / Tustin
Kimera's - Irvine
King's Fish House - Laguna Hills/Huntington Beach/Orange
K'ya Bistro Bar - Laguna Beach
K'ya Street Fare - Anaheim
Leatherby’s Café Rouge - Costa Mesa
LUCCA - Irvine
Lulu’s Crêperie Café - Laguna Hills
Lumberyard - Laguna Beach
Manhattan Steak & Seafood - Orange
Marios by the Sea - Dana Point
Marmalade Cafe - Tustin
Marrakesh - Costa Mesa
Matador Cantina - Fullerton
McCormick & Schmick’s Grille - Anaheim
McCormick & Schmick’s – Irvine
McCormick & Schmick’s - Santa Ana
Medieval Times - Buena Park
Mozambique - Laguna Beach
Mr. Stox - Anaheim
Naples Ristorante - Anaheim
Nello Cucina - Costa Mesa
Newport Landing - Newport Beach
Newport Rib Company - Ladera/Costa Mesa
Nirvana Grille - Laguna Beach
Nirvana Grille - Mission Viejo
O'Neill's at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club - Mission Viejo
Opah - Aliso Viejo / Irvine
Orange Hill Restaurant - Orange
Orange County Mining Co. - Orange
Palm Terrace Restaurant - Newport Beach
Phan 55 - Irvine/Fullerton
Pinot Provence - Costa Mesa
Pizzeria Ortica - Costa Mesa
Port - Corona Del Mar
Prego Ristorante - Irvine
Primecut Cafe - Orange
Quattro Caffe – Costa Mesa
Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen - Anaheim
RA Sushi Bar Restaurant - Huntington Beach / Tustin
Restaurant 162' - Dana Point
Ritz Restaurant and Garden, The – Newport Beach
Riviera at Fireside - Westminister
Royal Hawaiian - Laguna Beach
Royal Khyber – Santa Ana
Rusty Pelican - Newport Beach
Ruth's Chris Steak House - Anaheim
Ruth's Chris Steak House - Irvine
Sage - Newport Beach
Sage on the Coast - Newport Beach
Salerno Italian Restaurant - Laguna Beach
Savannah Chop House - Laguna Niguel
Scott's Seafood - Costa Mesa
Signature Kitchen - Costa Mesa
SOL Cocina - Newport Beach
Sorrento Grille - Laguna Beach
Spark Woodfire Grill - Huntington Beach
SteerCrazy International BBQ – Capistrano Beach
Stonehill Tavern - St. Regis Resort – Monarch Beach
Summit House - Fullerton
Sundried Tomato - Laguna Beach / San Juan Capistrano / San Clemente
Tabu Grill - Laguna Beach
Tangata - Santa Ana
TAPS Fish House and Brewery - Brea
The Californian - Huntington Beach
The Cellar - Fullerton
The Crow Bar and Kitchen - Corona Del Mar
The Loft - Laguna Beach
The Melting Pot – Brea / Irvine / San Clemente
The Rooftop Lounge - Laguna Beach
The Winery Restaurant & Wine Bar - Tustin
Tommy Bahama's Island Grille - Newport Beach
Tortilla Jo's - Anaheim
Tradition by Pascal - Newport Beach
Watermarc - Laguna Beach
Wildfish Seafood Grille - Newport Beach
Wolfgang Puck Bistro – Costa Mesa
Zimzala - Huntington Beach
Zov's Bistro - Tustin
Zov's Cafe & Bar - Irvine
Zov's Cafe & Bar - Newport Coast

Do Not Go To Johnnie's New York Pizzeria In Irvine!

noreply@blogger.com (Griffin) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 21:32:00 +0000

3939 Portola Parkway
Irvine, CA 92602

714-505-3355

www.johnniesnypizza.com

If you must go to Johnnie's though, I suggest you get takeout. The food is good, but I had horrible service there last night. I went down to Johnnie's for dinner with a party of eight. After we were seated, the waiter informed us that we were there during happy hour so all appetizers were half off and wine and beer were a dollar off. We weren't initially planning on getting appetizers, but since they were on special we decided to get an order of calamari and an order of bruschetta. We also ordered two bottles of wine.

A while later the waiter returned to take our order. We all ordered our entrees. V ordered the gnocchi with the blue cheese parmesan cream sauce.

After about 45 minutes to an hour, the waiter started bringing our entrees out. He brought out everyone's entree except for V's. About 5-10 minutes after he brought all the other entrees out he came back and said to V, "I just found out that we don't have any gnocchi." Then he just stared at her. After a few moments I broke the silence and said, "Why didn't you let us know earlier?" He said that he had just found out. Again, silence. "Well.....can she order something else?" I said. "I guess so" he replied. "Can we see the menu again?" I replied. "Oh yeah" he said and left to go get a menu.

We were all in shock that the waiter had waited 5-10 minutes after delivering the entrees to tell V that the item she ordered was unavailable. The waiter returned with the menu and told V that he would comp whatever entree she wanted. V looked over the menu and ordered a carne asada pizza. The waiter came back a few minutes later to tell us, "The kitchen says it's going to take a long time."

V sat and patiently waited while the rest of us ate our entrees. She picked on the bread basket and ate some of C's pizza. The waiter came by again after we had all finished eating and said to V, "Should I just pack up your pizza to go, since you guys are all ready to leave?" V just said, "That's fine...."

The waiter came back with V's pizza and our check. We handed him a 15% off coupon that we had. A few moments later the waiter came back and said "I can't take your 15% off coupon. You ordered appetizers and since they are half off for happy hour, we can't take your coupon." I asked to speak with the manager. The manager came by our table and repeated, "You can't use this coupon because you ordered happy hour specials." I told the manager that we had only ordered appetizers because the waiter had told us they were half off when we sat down. We had no idea that ordering them would invalidate our coupon. The manager then snapped back, "I already gave you a free carne asada pizza!" I told him that that was because of a completely different issue. He responded, "Fine, I'll give you 15% off your bill but I am going to charge you full price for your appetizers." I told him that was fine and that we would just not return to the restaurant again. "Whatever," he muttered and walked away.

The food at Johnnie's is actually very good. I'm very disappointed with the service here though. D&C had been to this restaurant previously and also had problems with receiving the correct order and the kitchen being out of items that they ordered. If this restaurant had better service and made sure that their kitchen was stocked with the items on their menu, I would be highly recommending this place. Since this is not the case though, I think you are better off visiting one of the hundreds of other Italian restaurants in the area.

Domino's New Pizza Recipe - Does it Deliver?

noreply@blogger.com (Griffin) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 18:00:00 +0000

In case you haven't heard yet, Domino's pizza is making a risky business move to celebrate their 50th year in business. Domino's decided to completely scrap their old pizza recipe and release a new and improved pizza recipe in all of their stores. They apparently did a lot of focus groups and found that people thought that their old pizza tasted like cardboard. Therefore, they spent millions coming up with a new pizza recipe. They have changed every component, the crust, the cheese, and the sauce. They documented the whole thing and launched a website to promote the event (pizzaturnaround.com).

I have never been a big fan of Domino's. Whenever I get quick takeout pizza, I usually opt for Pizza Hut. I decided to try Domino's tonight though to see if their new and improved pizza was really as good as they say it is.

I logged on to their website and saw that they were selling their new pizzas for $5.99 each when you purchase at least two medium, two-topping pizzas. The website let's you build your own virtual pizza on the screen while you order it. The first thing I noticed was that there was a lot more variety than Pizza Hut. First of all, you could pick between three different sauces; classic tomato, white sauce or barbecue sauce. To make a fair comparison, I decided to order my pizza close to my standard pizza at Pizza Hut. This means I got pepperoni and extra tomato sauce. Domino's offers regular size pepperoni and jumbo pepperoni. I had them add both since I usually get double pepperoni at Pizza Hut. V decided to get a slightly different pizza than her usual. At Pizza Hut V gets ham and jalapeno pizza. Since Domino's offered white sauce and a larger variety of toppings, she decided to get white sauce, prosciutto and feta cheese.

I arrived at Domino's 15 minutes later to pick up my pizza. I opened the boxes to check the accuracy of my order. I opened V's pizza and saw what looked like a plain cheese pizza. I told the cashier that my order was incorrect. I told him the the prosciutto was missing. He showed me my order on his computer and it did not say anything about prosciutto. He called the manager over and the manager informed me that she had never heard of prosciutto as a topping. She kept telling me that maybe I was seeing things because she didn't think they even had that topping on their website. I kept insisting that I wasn't seeing things. I pulled out my iPhone and showed her the Domino's website with prosciutto listed as a topping. She apologized but said she still didn't have the topping. I asked her to remake the pizza with ham instead of the prosciutto which she agreed to. I was annoyed to say the least. How can a large corporate website let me order something that their stores know nothing about? It especially annoys me that this topping mysteriously disappeared from my order when it was transmitted to the store. It is as if they knew that the store didn't have the topping but they let me order it anyway and then just took it off before sending my order to the store.

After my second pizza was made, I headed home to try the pizzas. The pizzas smelled fantastic on the car ride home. I opened the pizza boxes at home and saw two nice looking pizzas.

(Ham, feta cheese and white sauce)

(Jumbo pepperoni, regular pepperoni, extra tomato sauce)

One of the new features of Domino's pizza is a garlic butter crust. It was very tasty and I even heard V use the word "gourmet" when she was eating it. It was nice and crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. This was nothing like their old cardboard crust.

Overall the pizzas were very tasty. The sauce was nice and tangy, slightly sweet and had the tiniest kick to it from crushed red pepper. The crust was nice and slightly buttery and the cheese is now a blend of mozzarella and provolone. V really enjoyed her pizza. She was very happy with the fact that Domino's has white sauce since she doesn't really like tomato sauce. I thought that the pizza was as good or a little better than Pizza Hut. It was also a lot better than a lot of pizzas that I have gotten in full service sit-down restaurants. I will most likely be getting this pizza again in the future, especially if they keep the $5.99 price tag. They just really need to work on making sure their website is accurate.....

Citrus Cafe - Tustin

noreply@blogger.com (Griffin) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:22:00 +0000

1481 Edinger Ave.
Tustin, CA 92780
714-258-2404

www.citruscafe.com

Did I stumble across one of the best dinner deals in Orange County? I think I just may have. I went down to the Citrus Cafe last Friday night with a party of 5. I hadn't been to Citrus Cafe in years but was reminded of them because of their presence on Restaurant.com (See right hand column for latest promo code).

As I entered the restaurant, there was a sign on the wall to my right with the nightly dinner specials. It appears that their specials never change and they are available every night. The dinner specials give you a choice of Fish & Chips, Sirloin Steak, Garlic Chicken, Roasted Pork Loin and I think one other thing that I can't remember. The dinners come with your choice of soup or salad and ice cream for dessert. The cost, $12.00.

I looked over the regular menu and saw that most of their entrees were $12-$16. If you wanted soup or salad, it was an extra $2.75. Ice cream was $5.00. This made the dinner special sound like an excellent deal that I couldn't pass up. Apparently almost everyone else felt this way too because 4 out of 5 of us ordered one of these specials.

I decided to order the sirloin steak with chicken tortilla soup. R and V both ordered the pork loin with a salad and S opted for the garlic chicken with a salad as well. J decided to get a nightly special that wasn't on the "$12 board," Pecan Trout ($15.00).

Since the price of these dinner specials is pretty low, I fully expected to receive small portions of so-so food. Boy was I wrong. My soup and the salads arrived. Instead of a small cup of soup, a big bowl was placed in front of me. Instead of a small dinner salad of iceberg lettuce, V, S and R received a plate of mixed greens that was big enough to be a dinner salad if you added some chicken or something to the top of it. The chicken tortilla soup was very good. It was thick with the flavor of smoky chiles and topped with cheese and crunchy tortilla strips.

When the dinners arrived, I again expected to receive a tiny steak. I was surprised to see a big fat steak on my plate with roasted potatoes and mixed vegetables. The steak was surprisingly tender and tasty. The potatoes and vegetables were pretty good as well. The portion was so large, especially after eating that bowl of soup, that I only ate half of my meal.

The pork loin that V and R ordered was sliced into small medallions and was served on a bed of mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. V and R were both surprised and how tender, juicy and flavorful the pork was. V expected it to be a little dry, like pork roast often is, but it wasn't at all. V absolutely loved her dish and has already talked about returning to get it again.

S's garlic chicken was also served with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. She liked the garlic chicken, but would have liked it more if it was dark meat. She thought it was pretty juicy for white meat though. She also thought that her vegetables were perfectly done.

J thought that her pecan trout was ok, but wasn't a huge fan of it. She thought that it was a little dry and said that she couldn't taste the pecans at all. She enjoyed her vegetables but thought it was a little odd that the meal was served with sweet potato fries, especially because she doesn't like sweet potato fries very much. V really enjoyed her sweet potato fries though.

For dessert we had a choice of vanilla ice cream or mango sorbet. We all decided to go for the ice cream. We had the choice of chocolate syrup and I had mine with. We were served a generous portion of ice cream that was the perfect end to a yummy meal.

Overall, I really enjoyed my meal at Citrus Cafe. Everyone else I was with seemed to enjoy their food as well. I will definitely be returning soon to get their dinner special again. I sure hope they keep it as a permanent part of their menu.

Genghis Khan Mongolian BBQ and Authentic Chinese Cuisine- Lake Forest

noreply@blogger.com (Griffin) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 04:47:00 +0000

23615 El Toro Road
Suite P
Lake Forest, CA 92630
949-951-8296

Hidden in the back of a strip mall off El Toro Road, next to Office Depot, is one of my absolute favorite places to eat. Genghis Khan Mongolian BBQ. This particular restaurant is in no way related to any other Genghis Khan that you may have seen in a mall or someplace else. The restaurant is a small family run business and serves both Mongolian BBQ and Chinese food. I have tried their Chinese food before and it's pretty good, but the reason I return again and again is the Mongolian BBQ.

I usually go to Genghis Khan for lunch and get the "All-You-Can-Eat" special ($10.95 during lunch). The meal comes with soup or salad and all you can eat bbq, rice and pocket bread. For those of you that are unfamiliar with Mongolian BBQ, it is basically a stir fried dish of meat and vegetables. The unique thing though, is that you get to customize your dish any way you like it.

When you order the Mongolian BBQ, you will be asked for your meat selection. You have the choice of Beef, Pork, Turkey or Lamb. You are able get one meat or a combination of any of the meats. I usually choose a combination of turkey, pork and beef. The waiter will then bring you a bowl with your meat selections in the form of thinly sliced, frozen meat. If you're mean like me, you can bring new people to this restaurant and then tell them to dig in when the frozen meat is delivered. I've gotten a lot of horrified looks from people when I do this...it's hilarious....but I digress....

(Frozen Meat)
Take your bowl of meat up to the buffet of raw vegetables, spices and sauces and customize it however you'd like. My standard is LOTS of cliantro, a little bit of celery and onion and a few slices of fresh tomato. I then top it off with three ladles of "spicy" sauce (not really spicy, just a soy based stir fry sauce) and a generous sprinkling of garlic powder. Hand your bowl to the cook behind the giant circular grill and watch in awe as the chef quickly turns your bowl of raw ingredients into a delicious bowl of Mongolian BBQ.

(The finished product)
When you get back to your table, there will be some rice and a basket of piping hot, freshly baked pocket bread. While V loves Mongolian BBQ, what she really goes for is the pocket bread. I've tried to bribe the owner into giving me the recipe, but he won't. The way that many people eat their Mongolian BBQ is by ripping off the top of a pocket bread and then stuffing the pocket full of meaty goodness from their bowl. This is how I eat it and it is fantastic. If you've ordered the "all you can eat", you can ask for bowl after bowl of meat and go through the process over and over again. My record is 3 1/2 bowls. Think you can beat me?

Genghis Khan is the place to go when you want to have a big lunch, but don't want to spend a lot of money. All you can eat meat for $10.95? You can't beat that!

It's Time For Orange County Restaurant Week Again!

noreply@blogger.com (Griffin) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 04:06:00 +0000

Orange County restaurant week will be here again from September 13th through September 19th. Participating restaurants will have special "Prix-Fixe" menus priced at $10, $15 or $20 at lunch and $20, $30 or $40 at dinner. Below is a list of participating restaurants. Click on the name of the restaurant to see the menus that each restaurant is offering. I think I might use restaurant week as an excuse to try Geisha House and 50 Forks. Leave a comment and let me know which restaurants you are the most excited about!

118 Degrees - Costa Mesa

21 Oceanfront - Newport Beach

230 Forest Avenue - Laguna Beach

25 Degrees - Huntington Beach

50 Forks - Santa Ana

6ix Park Grill - Irvine

7 Seas Fish House - Garden Grove

Ambrosia - Santa Ana

Anaheim White House - Anaheim

Andrei's Conscious Cuisine - Irvine

Antonello Ristorante – Santa Ana

Bayside - Newport Beach

Bistango - Irvine

Bistro West - Tustin

Bluewater Grill - Tustin / Newport Beach

Brasserie Pascal - Newport Beach

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. - Anaheim

Canyon Lodge Restaurant – Laguna Beach

Catal - Anaheim

Cedar Creek - Brea

Cedar Creek - Laguna Niguel

Cedar Creek - San Juan Capistrano

Chaparosa - Laguna Niguel / Tustin

Chart House - Dana Point / Newport Beach

Commonwealth Lounge & Grill - Fullerton

Daily Grill - Irvine / Newport Beach

Duke's - Huntington Beach

El Callejon - Laguna Beach

First Cabin at The Balboa Bay Club & Resort, The - Newport Beach

Flight Bistro - Huntington Beach

French 75 - Laguna Beach

Geisha House - Santa Ana

Hush - Laguna Beach

JT Schmid's Restaurant and Brewery - Anaheim / Tustin

Kimera - Irvine

King's Fish House - Huntington Beach / Laguna Hills / Orange

K'ya Restaurant and Bar - Anaheim

K'ya Bistro Bar - Laguna Beach

Leatherby’s Café Rouge - Costa Mesa

Lucca Cafe - Irvine

Luggatti's Italian Grill - Huntington Beach

Lulu’s Crêperie Café - Laguna Hills

Lumberyard - Laguna Beach

Marmalade Cafe - Tustin

McCormick & Schmick’s Grille - Anaheim

McCormick & Schmick’s – Irvine

McCormick & Schmick’s - Santa Ana

Mozambique - Laguna Beach

Mr. Stox - Anaheim

Naples Ristorante - Anaheim

Nello Cucina - Costa Mesa

Nirvana Grille - Laguna Beach

Nirvana Grille - Mission Viejo

Old Vine Cafe - Costa Mesa

O'Neill's at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club - Mission Viejo

Opah - Aliso Viejo / Irvine

Orange Hill Restaurant - Orange

Orange County Mining Co. - Orange

Palm Terrace Restaurant - Newport Beach

Pinot Provence - Costa Mesa

Pizzeria Ortica - Costa Mesa

Port Restaurant and Bar - Corona Del Mar

Prego Ristorante - Irvine

Primecut Cafe - Orange

Quattro Caffe – Costa Mesa

Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen - Anaheim

RA Sushi Bar Restaurant - Huntington Beach / Tustin

Restaurant 162' - Dana Point

Ritz Restaurant and Garden, The – Newport Beach

Royal Hawaiian - Laguna Beach

Royal Khyber – Santa Ana

Rusty Pelican - Newport Beach

Ruth's Chris Steak House - Anaheim

Ruth's Chris Steak House - Irvine

Sage - Newport Beach

Sage on the Coast - Newport Beach

Salt Creek Grille - Dana Point

Sam and Harry's - Newport Beach

Savannah at the Beach - Huntington Beach

Savannah Chop House - Laguna Niguel

Scott's Seafood - Costa Mesa

Signature Kitchen - Costa Mesa

Sorrento Grille - Laguna Beach

Spark Woodfire Grill - Huntington Beach

SteerCrazy International BBQ – Capistrano Beach

Stonehill Tavern - St. Regis Resort – Monarch Beach

Summit House - Fullerton

Sundried Tomato - Laguna Beach / San Juan Capistrano / San Clemente

Tabu Grill - Laguna Beach

Tangata - Santa Ana

TAPS Fishhouse and Brewery - Brea

Terra Nova - Costa Mesa

The Californian - Huntington Beach

The Clubhouse - Costa Mesa

The Crow Bar - Corona Del Mar

The Melting Pot – Brea / Irvine / San Clemente

The Winery Restaurant & Wine Bar - Tustin

Tommy Bahama's Island Grille - Newport Beach

Tortilla Jo's - Anaheim

Tradition by Pascal - Newport Beach

Watermarc - Laguna Beach

Wildfish Seafood Grille - Newport Beach

Wolfgang Puck Bistro – Costa Mesa

Xanh Bistro - Fountain Valley

Zimzala - Huntington Beach

Zov's Bistro - Tustin

Zov's Cafe & Bar - Irvine

Zov's Cafe & Bar - Newport Coast

Beach Pit BBQ-Anaheim Stadium (Angels Stadium)

noreply@blogger.com (Griffin) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 01:12:00 +0000

I attended a mid-day Angels game with JN at Anaheim stadium today. When we entered the park, JN told me that there was a Beach Pit BBQ stand in the park. I have always wanted to try the Beach Pit BBQ in Tustin, but have still not made it down there. Therefore, I thought that having lunch from this booth would be a great idea.

The Beach Pit BBQ booth lays out a sampling of all their dishes instead of having a menu. They offer a variety of hot dogs, barbecue chicken, ribs, brisket sandwiches and pulled pork sandwiches.

JN decided to get the Pulled Pork Sandwich ($9.95) and I decided to get the BBQ brisket sandwich ($9.95). The cashier took two soft bread rolls and filled them with meat from two large pans on the grill behind her. There was a jug of BBQ sauce on the condiment table next to the stand. I squirted some of it on to my sandwich and grabbed a little packet of diced onions.

(Front-BBQ Brisket Sandwich; Back-Pulled Pork Sandwich)
I took a bite of my sandwich and was not really impressed. The sandwich was really dry and didn't taste that great. I think I should have gotten more BBQ sauce. The more of the sandwich I ate, the drier it seemed. By the end of the sandwich, I was choking on the meat and was having to take big gulps of water with every bite. I'm not saying that I would never get this again, but if I did, I think I would drench it in BBQ sauce. As far as places to eat at the park go, I think you might be better off going to one of the other stands. I have a feeling I would have enjoyed a $5.50 Western Bacon Cheeseburger from the Carl's Jr. stand more than I enjoyed this sandwich.

Daddy Cakes, Daddy Cakes, Come In A Can. Whip Up Some Pancakes, As Fast As You Can!

noreply@blogger.com (Griffin) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 05:25:00 +0000

I wanted to let you all know about a great local company that makes pancake mixes. They recently sent me a sample pack to try some of their products and I was impressed by the quality and variety of flavors. A great thing about the mix is that it is easy to make! To make the standard batter, all you have to do is add water. Below is some info if you'd like to try them out!

DADDY CAKES® AT-A-GLANCE

Product Description: Daddy Cakes® are a line of pancake mixes made with quality ingredients
like real fruit, whole grains, organic flour and a lot of fun! There are nine
flavors of pancake mixes, all of which are vegetarian/vegan, and three of
which are 100% organic.

Varieties: * Sensuous Strawberry Sensations Pancake - Waffle Mix; Retail: $13.50
* Witty Whole Wheat Pancake - Waffle Mix; Retail: $13.50 (Organic)
* Vivacious Vanilla Pancake - Waffle Mix; Retail: $7.99 (Organic)
* Bountiful Buckwheat Buttermilk Pancake - Waffle Mix;
Retail: $7.99 (Organic)
* Sinful Cinnamon Pancake - Waffle Mix; Retail: $7.99
* Blueberry Bonanza Blast Pancake - Waffle Mix; Retail: $13.50
* Better Batter Buttermilk Pancake - Waffle Mix; Retail: $13.50
* Glamorous Gingerbread Pancake - Waffle Mix; Retail: $7.99
* Criminal Chocolate Chip Pancake - Waffle Mix; Retail: $7.99

Availability: Online at www.DaddyCakesBakery.com and www.Amazon.com

Southern California: Whole Foods Market (Tustin, Beverly Center and Santa
Monica), Sprouts Farmers Markets (all locations in California), Mother's Markets
& Kitchen (all locations), Farm to Market (San Juan Capistrano), Hershey's Market
(Balboa Island), Promelis Market (Costa Mesa and Newport Beach), Pacific Ranch
Market (Orange), and Irvine Ranch Market (Newport Beach), Olive’s Gourmet
Grocer (both Long Beach locations) and Savor the Flavor (Sierra Madre).

Northern California: United Markets (Bay-area locations), Tops Super Foods (all
locations) and The Butter Paddle (Saratoga)
Colorado: The Panhandler (Telluride), Golden Door Spa (Telluride), Ray’s Good
Stuff (Montrose), Culinary Corner (Grand Junction), Village Market (Telluride),
Mountain Village Market (Telluride), Aemono Catering (Telluride) and
TellurideGiftBasket.com

Oklahoma: La Donna’s Fancy Food (Tulsa

Oregon: Riley’s Market (Bend)

Texas: Central Market (all locations)

Utah: The Market (Park City) and Food For Thought (Park City)

Co-Founders &
Creative Chefs: Brothers Dan Byers and Levi Silva

Website: DaddyCakesBakery.com
Daddy Cakes Facebook Page
Daddy Cakes Twitter Page

Corporate Office: 517 Superior Avenue, Newport Beach, CA 92663

Phone: Toll Free 800-315-1928; Direct 949-309-2669
AT-A-GLANCE

Who has the biggest pizza in Orange County?

noreply@blogger.com (Griffin) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:47:00 +0000

I was down in Balboa the other day when I came across "New York Style Pizza." I remembered this little pizza shop, from when I was a little kid, as having the largest slices of pizza I had ever seen. The slices didn't look as big as I remembered, but they were still pretty big. The slices came from their extra large 28 inch pizza. I was going to buy one to take to the bonfire that I was on my way to, but they only took cash and the pie was $35. I didn't have the cash on me so I decided to move on.

As I walked away, I wondered to myself, "Was that the biggest pizza in OC?" I'm pretty sure I have seen 24 inch and 22 inch pizzas at other pizza parlors, but I think this is the first time I can remember seeing a 28 inch.

So my question to all of you out there is; what is the biggest pizza you have seen in OC and where did it come from? I'm talking about round pizzas too, not those big rectangle ones. Also, if you bought the giant pizza, how was it? Let me know!

Ajisen Ramen - Irvine-Diamond Jamboree

noreply@blogger.com (Griffin) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:20:00 +0000

2700 Alton Pkwy
Irvine, CA 92606
(949) 833-3288

www.ajisen.ca

I went down to Ajisen Ramen the other day because V had a craving for some really good ramen. Ajisen Ramen is a fairly new restaurant in the Diamond Jamboree center in Irvine. We headed down to the restaurant as a party of 5. The parking lot was so packed that it was crazy. There was no wait however, at Ajisen.

We were seated quickly at a nice comfortable table. We looked over the menu and tried to decide what to order. We were happy that most of the items on the menu had pictures so we could easily tell what looked good to us.

Since this was a Ramen house, I figured I'd order what they are known for. I decided to order the Ajisen Ramen ($7.50). I'm also a big fan of Japanese fried rice, so I ordered the Spicy Pork Fried Rice as well ($8.95). V ordered the Spicy Pork Ramen ($8.95), R and S both ordered the BBQ Pork Ramen ($8.50) and J ordered the Premium Pork Ramen ($9.75). S and V also decided to split an order of Gyoza (aka Japanese potstickers $5.50)

Our food arrived after a pretty short wait. I looked into the bowl of white murky broth and licked my lips in anticipation. I took a sip of the broth and I was immediately disappointed. Instead of steaming hot, the sip of broth was lukewarm. The flavor was pretty good. It was salty, but not too salty and had a nice pork flavor to it. It seemed to be a little extra oily though. The noodles didn't taste like anything special to me, but they didn't disappoint me as much as they disappointed V.

(Ajisen Ramen)

V's Spicy Pork Ramen looked like my basic Ajisen ramen with the addition of some ground pork that was flavored with spices. V stirred up her ramen to distribute the flavor and took a bite. She declared that the ramen wasn't very spicy and that the noodles were not ramen noodles. She said that she felt like she was eating Italian spaghetti noodles in ramen broth. She thought that the broth was ok but tasted overly fishy. She said she would not return to this restaurant due to the noodles.

(Spicy Pork Ramen)

R and S both seemed to enjoy their BBQ pork ramen. S was disappointed in the pork though and felt that it was too fatty. She thought that the noodles tasted fine and said that she'd be willing to eat there again.

(BBQ Pork Ramen)
J's opinion of the ramen here was very different than everyone else. J ordered the Premium Pork Ramen. It came with thin slices of leaner pork on top. J really enjoyed her ramen. She loved the noodles, the broth and everything else about it. She later declared that she liked Ajisen ramen better than Santoka and Khoryu. That's a pretty bold statement...

(Premium Pork Ramen)
After they brought out the ramen, they brought out my Spicy Pork Fried rice. I thought I had ordered a side dish, but apparently I ordered an entire meal. They brought the fried rice out with a bowl of miso soup and a bowl of pickled cucumbers. They put all the plates in front of me and I felt like such a pig. The fried rice was pretty bland. It barely had any flavor at all. The way they made the rice spicy was by dousing it with spicy sesame oil. This didn't make it any better. The rice was basically a bland, oily, greasy mound of bleh.

S and V thought that the gyoza here was just average. They both felt that there was nothing special about it.

Overall, I would classify Ajisen as a decent ramen place. The broth is pretty good but a little oily. I'd also like it if they served it a little bit hotter. If you're looking for a bowl of ramen in Irvine, Ajisen would probably be a pretty good place to go, if not your best option in the city. Granted I have not tried every restaurant that serves ramen in Irvine though. I have heard good things about Takaraya from Chubby Panda, so I will have to try them out soon. V also still believes that her ramen at Ajisen was quite possibly the worst ramen she has ever had. As I sit here writing this review, V is still ranting in the background. "There's something magical about the noodles in ramen! This place just threw spaghetti in there! They might as well toss some fettucini in there as well!"

My free breakfast at Marmalade Cafe

noreply@blogger.com (Griffin) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:45:00 +0000

2667 Park Ave
Tustin, CA 92782
Tel: (714) 566-0100
Fax: (714) 566-0102

www.marmaladecafe.com

Also located in Santa Barbara, El Segundo, Rolling Hills Estates, Santa Monica, Malibu, Los Angeles, Calabasas, Sherman Oaks and Westlake Village.

Fresh off the high of my free breakfast at Mimi's Cafe, I received a coupon good for a buy one, get one free breakfast at Marmalade Cafe. Woo Hoo! I just love free breakfast. V and I decided to head down there to cash in our coupon. Marmalade Cafe is a fairly new restaurant in the The District at Tustin Legacy. It is in a stand-alone building near The Winery Restaurant. We walked in and were greeted by a friendly host that sat us at a nearby table. The interior of the restaurant is very nice and has a cozy feel.

We looked over them menu and were happy to see a lot of items that sounded very good to us. When the waiter came by to take our order, I asked him if the Corned Beef Hash ($8.50) or the Eggs Benedict($10.95) were more popular. He told me that the hash was more popular, so that is what I ordered. V decided to get the Cross Creek Breakfast ($8.95) with Blueberry Pancakes ($1.00 extra).

It didn't take long for our breakfast to arrive and it looked fantastic. My Corned Beef Hash came with 3 eggs, toast and breakfast potatoes. The dish was then covered in hollandaise sauce. I asked for an English muffin and soft poached eggs so it was almost like Eggs Benedict, with corned beef hash instead of ham. The hash was pretty good. It tasted very light, and not greasy at all. It basically tasted just like ground up, lean corned beef, potatoes, onions and green bell peppers.

V's Cross Creek breakfast came with 2 eggs, 2 pancakes and her choice of breakfast meat. She decided on ham. The pancakes that came with her breakfast were quite big, much bigger than I'm used to seeing at a restaurant. (The pancakes were actually bigger than they appear in the picture.) The pancakes were filled with plenty of blueberries. V also liked that the pancakes came with extra fresh blueberries on top. She liked the ham that came with her meal but commented that it tasted really lean, so it was a little dry.

Overall it seems that Marmalade Cafe serves hearty portions of great tasting food that isn't overly greasy or fattening. I also think that the prices are very reasonable for what you get. I definitely look forward to visiting Marmalade Cafe again.

My free breakfast at Mimi's Cafe - Irvine

noreply@blogger.com (Griffin) — Thu, 28 May 2009 18:06:00 +0000

4030 Barranca Parkway
Irvine, CA 92604
949-559-8840

140 Restaurants in 20 states (Owned by Bob Evans)

www.mimiscafe.com

Mimi's is currently offering a free breakfast if you sign up for their free E-club. (Click here to get your coupon. I'm not sure how long this offer will last.) I signed up for the E-club, printed out my coupon and headed down there for breakfast today. I can't remember the last time I had breakfast at Mimi's Cafe. After today though, I think I'll keep Mimi's on my list of approved breakfast places.

I looked over the menu and tried to decide what to order. I noticed that most of the breakfasts here came with fresh squeezed orange or grapefruit juice. I thought this was a very nice touch since most restaurants charge $3-$4 a glass for fresh squeezed orange juice. The prices on the menu also seemed very reasonable. The most expensive item on their breakfast menu is $12.99 for a 10-oz flat iron steak with eggs, potatoes, a muffin and fresh squeezed juice. Every other meal is less than $10 with many meals for only $5.99. I asked the waitress if the corned beef hash ($8.49) or the eggs benedict ($8.99) were more popular. She said the hash was, so that is what I ordered.

My corned beef hash meal was served with 2 eggs, breakfast potatoes, juice and my choice of toast or muffin. They had many muffins to choose from. I chose the coffee cake muffin. My food came out a few minutes later. It looked and smelled really good. The hash had a lot of fresh herbs in it. It was pretty good, but not the best corned beef hash I have ever had. I wish it would have been grilled up crispier. I would consider ordering it again though. The breakfast potatoes were nice and crispy and my eggs were poached perfectly. I was surprised with the large amount of food I got. I actually filled up on the hash, eggs and potatoes so I never got to try my muffin. I brought it home and will have to try it later.

Overall, I was really impressed with the value, selection and service at Mimi's Cafe. Sign up for their E-Club and get your free breakfast coupon while you can. So many of the things on their breakfast menu looked good. If you order something different for your free meal, let me know how it was.

Anepalco's Cafe - Orange

noreply@blogger.com (Griffin) — Wed, 20 May 2009 01:58:00 +0000

415 S. Main Street
Orange, CA 92868
714-771-2333

www.anepalcoscafe.com

I read some good things about Anepalco's Cafe in Orange, so I decided to go down there for lunch one day to check it out. Anepalco's cafe is supposed to be a simple place that specializes in French and Mexican food. The restaurant is near CHOC and St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, so most of the people in the restaurant were wearing scrubs. The parking lot is tiny, so be prepared to park off-site somewhere if there are no spots up front.

I walked into Anepalco's with R. The restaurant is very small and only has about 6-8 tables. There is a large menu board on the back wall behind the cash register. We looked over the menu and saw a wide selection of crepes, sandwiches and Mexican food. I looked around the restaurant and saw that some of the sandwiches were gigantic. I wasn't that hungry so I decided to order the Enchilada Trio ($7.49). I ordered my trio with one chicken and two cochinita pibil enchiladas (marinated pork). R decided to get a Dejeuner crepe ($6.99).

We placed our order and found an empty table. It was about a 10-15 minute wait before out food arrived. The food arrived at our table and it looked wonderful. The presentation was better than expected for an inexpensive meal.

My enchilada trio wasn't very good. I was surprised that I actually liked the chicken enchilada better than the pork. Neither was very good though. The dish lacked any kind of flavor.

I also thought that the enchiladas came with plenty of red enchilada sauce. When I looked closer though, I realized that the enchiladas were just swimming in a pool of bright orange grease. I ended up leaving this place with a pretty bad stomach ache.

(The bright orange pool of grease)
R's crepe contained ham, bacon, egg and swiss cheese. It was then covered with Béarnaise sauce. R said his crepe was pretty bad. He described it as flavorless and really, really dry. He seemed to be struggling to eat it.

We were both really disappointed with our food. We were surprised since others had written good things about this place. I'm not sure if I would ever return to Anepalco's again. If I do, I will probably try one of their big sandwiches. They looked pretty good. I just hope they taste as good as they look, because the food we tried didn't.

Quick announcement

noreply@blogger.com (Griffin) — Wed, 20 May 2009 01:50:00 +0000

I would like to apologize for the lack of posts recently. I have been working hard on launching my new career. In launching my new career, I have also launched a new website. GriffinSellsOC.com I am now a practicing real estate agent with First Team Real Estate in Irvine. I would love to help all of you out there buy or sell some real estate. I think the market has found it's bottom so now it is time to buy, buy, buy!!! If you're thinking of buying a new home, I'd like to offer you a free buyer's consultation. If you're looking to sell your home, I'd love the opportunity to show you how I can sell your house faster and for more money. If you owe more than your house is worth, I would be happy to review your options with you. One option may be to do a short sale that costs you nothing!

OK....plug over.....let's get back to the reviews!

Oh, by the way. If you see any of my open signs out there, make sure to stop in and say hi!

Free Chicken! Free Chicken!

noreply@blogger.com (Griffin) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 15:54:00 +0000

Two places are giving away free chicken this week with no purchase necessary! The first is KFC. KFC is giving away one free piece of the new Kentucky Grilled Chicken to everyone that comes to their restaurant on Monday April 27th. Valid 4/27/09 only, limit one free piece per person. Free piece selection is at manager's discretion and may vary by location.

On Tuesday April 28th, El Pollo Loco is having an amazing deal! They are offering a free 2-piece meal with tortillas and salsa to everyone that comes in to their restaurant. Here are the official rules of this offer.

Official Rules

The Taste the Fire® Offer (“offer”) consists of one flame-grilled leg and one flame-grilled thigh, two tortillas (choice of flour or corn) and fresh salsa.
Offer is available upon request only.
Valid only at participating locations.
No coupon necessary.
Limit one offer on April 28, 2009 until 8:00 p.m. per customer.
Must be present to receive. Sides, drinks and breast substitutions are extra.
Available for walk-in orders only (dine-in or carry-out). Not available for delivery or drive-thru. While supplies last.

So make sure to head down to KFC and El Pollo Loco to get your free chicken! Then come back here and let me know what you thought of it. Happy eating OC!

Strike - Tustin

noreply@blogger.com (Griffin) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:13:00 +0000

The District at Tustin Legacy
(Jamboree Road & Barranca Parkway)
2405 Park Avenue
Tustin, CA 92782
Tel: (714) 258-BOWL (2695)
www.strikeoc.com

I was recently in the Tustin District with J and S running some errands around lunchtime. We were looking at the directory trying to find something to eat. After some discussion, we decided to eat at Strike. Strike is a bowling alley that has a rock and bowl environment all the time. There is a dining room and bar inside as well as an arcade. There are waitresses that will serve you in the dining room or directly at the bowling lanes. We weren't there to bowl, we were jut there to eat. We found a nice table in the mostly empty dining room.

We looked over the menu and found your average american fare. I decided to order the Bacon Cheeseburger ($9.45) medium rare. J ordered the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich ($9.25) and S ordered the Chicken Strips Appetizer ($9.25).

We waited about 20 minutes for our food. We were one of only three tables occupied in the dining room, but there were many people ordering food in the bowling lanes. Our food arrived and I cut into by burger. I was shocked! It was actually cooked medium rare, just like I ordered it. It is very uncommon for me to actually receive my burger the way I order it in a restaurant. More often than not I will receive a well done burger no matter how I order it. I was very pleased to find some pink in my burger. The burger itself was pretty good. It was a tad bland but much better than many other restaurant burgers. I would definitely order this again.

J liked her buffalo chicken sandwich pretty well and thought that it was pretty spicy. Her sandwich had two fried chicken breasts, covered in hot sauce and melted cheese. It was also served with fries and bleu cheese dressing.

S said that her chicken strips were nothing special. She said they reminded her of chicken strips from McDonalds. She felt that they were a little overpriced for what she got. I would have to agree. She got 4 chicken strips, with one of them being smaller than the other 3. $9.25 seems like a lot to pay for this. If they are going to charge this much, they should give you more chicken strips or at least some fries or something. I think $5.99 seems like a more appropriate price for this.

Overall Strike seems like a great place to get a casual meal. You can eat there while bowling or just when you want a casual meal. The environment is fun even if you're not bowling. It's kind of like eating at Dave and Busters. I will definitely come back and eat here sometime again. I may even do some bowling next time....

Tax Day 2009 Specials

noreply@blogger.com (Griffin) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 05:22:00 +0000

**As always, participation may vary by location. Please double check with your preferred location to make sure they are participating**

A lot of local restaurants and national chains are having tax relief specials this year. Here are some of the deals that I have heard about. All of these deals are valid Wednesday April 15th, 2009 only unless otherwise stated.

Chick-fil-A
Visit a participating restaurant April 15 and hang onto your receipt. The “Tax Relief Day Special” lets you return before April 30 to receive the same order for free.

Cinnabon
Stop by Cinnabon from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. April 15 for free cinnamon-roll bites (regularly $2.49 for four).

Maggie Moo’s Ice Cream and Treatery

On April 15, get one free scoop of ice cream.

McCormick & Schmick’s
On April 15, the chain offers a $10.40 menu of entrees. (Entrees regularly range from $16 to $33.) Each diner also receives a $10.40 “tax relief” gift certificate for a future meal.

PF Chang ’s China Bistro
Dine at one of P.F. Chang's 130-plus restaurant locations across the country on April 15, and save 15% on the total bill.

T.G.I. Friday’s
On April 15, diners receive a $5 gift card when they spend $15 to $25. They earn a $10 card for a purchase of more than $25.

Noonerz Sandwiches inside Javatini's at Lake Forest and Moulton

www.noonerz.com

Employed Individuals receive 1.50 Off your order if you walk in or call in your order
(949.351.4000)
2.00 Off your Noonerz order if you text (949.351.4000) OR Email your order
(ORDERNOONERZ@GMAIL.COM)

INDIVIDUALS UNEMPLOYED THIS APRIL 15, 2009 (MUST BRING IN COPY OF
UNEMPLOYMENT CHECK OR STUB)
ABSOLUTELY FREE NUTELLA (CHOCOLATE) AND BANANA SANDWICH!

Print a copy of this Noonerz offer and bring in to restaurant to redeem.

First Annual Orange County Happy Hour Week

noreply@blogger.com (Griffin) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:04:00 +0000

www.happyhourweek.com

April 12th marks the beginning of the first annual Orange County Happy Hour Week. During this week you will be able to visit some of your favorite restaurants for some fantastic happy hour specials. The best part about this is that most restaurants will be offering these fantastic happy hour special all day long for the entire week! No more rushing to try and get your order in before happy hour ends! I say we all just take the week off and try to hit up as many happy hours as we can all week. Who's with me?

Here are some of the participating restaurants and the menus that they are offering. More may be added soon.

If the restaurant name is clickable, you can view their special happy hour menu.

***Many of the restaurants are offering their happy hour specials all day, some only have extended hours though. Please check the page for the restaurant you are going to before going down to the restaurant.***

118 Degrees - Costa Mesa

21 Oceanfront - Newport Beach

Ambrosia - Santa Ana

Avilas El Ranchito - Newport Beach

Bistro West - Tustin

Bluewater Grill - Tustin and Newport

Brix Wine Bar - Sunset Beach

Chaparosa Grill - Laguna Niguel/Tustin

Citrus Fresh Grill - Aliso Viejo

Commonwealth Lounge - Fullerton

Daily Grill - Irvine

French 75 - Newport Beach

HUSH - Laguna Beach

JT Schmid's Restaurant & Brewery - Anaheim/Tustin

Karl Strauss - Costa Mesa

Kimera - Irvine

K'ya Bistro - Laguna Beach

Leatherby's - Costa Mesa

Lucca - Irvine

Mozambique - Laguna Beach

O’Neill’s Bar and Grill - Mission Viejo

Orange County Mining Company - Orange

Pinot Provence - Costa Mesa

Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen - Anaheim

Royal Hawaiian - Laguna Beach

Ruth's Chris Steak House - Irvine

Sage - Newport Beach

Sage on the Coast - Newport Beach

Savannah at the Beach - Huntington Beach

Simply Fondue - San Juan Capistrano

Sorrento Grille - Laguna Beach

Stonehill Tavern - Dana Point

Summit House - Fullerton

Sundried Tomoto - San Clemente

Sundried Tomato - San Juan Capistrano

TAPS Fish House and Brewery - Brea

Terra Nova - Costa Mesa

The Clubhouse - Costa Mesa

The Loft Bistro at Montage - Laguna Beach

The Melting Pot - San Clemente/Irvine/Brea

The Ranch Sports Grill - Ladera Ranch

The Red Chair Lounge - Huntington Beach

The Rooftop Lounge - Laguna Beach

The Winery Restaurant and Wine Bar - Tustin

Tommy Bahama's Island Grille - Newport Beach

Zov's Bistro - Tustin

Zov's Neighborhood Cafe's - Irvine/Newport Beach

Empanada's Place

noreply@blogger.com (Griffin) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 01:04:00 +0000

3011 Harbor Blvd
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 825-0100

I was out running errands in Costa Mesa the other day and decided to stop for lunch at Empanada's Place. Either they put an apostrophe somewhere it doesn't belong, or this place belongs to someone named Empanada.

Empanadas are pretty much the only thing on the menu here. There are about 20 different varieties, half of them vegetarian. The empanadas are $2.99 each or $29.99 for a dozen. They also offer "cocktail size" empanadas for $19.99 a dozen, but they must all be the same flavor.

Since neither J nor I had been here before, we decided to order small to try them out. J ordered a classic Criolla empanada. This is the most typical type of Argentine empanada with ground beef, raisins, hard boiled egg and green onions inside. J thought that the empanada was ok, but lacked flavor.

I decided to order a Spicy Cheesy Beef and a Arabe empanada. The empanadas here are deep fried instead of baked like they are at Empanada Man in Lake Forest. This makes them a lot tastier, but a lot more fattening as well. The outer crust was hot, crispy and a little flaky. The filling inside the Spicy Cheesy Beef empanada was also a little bland. It was in no way spicy. I asked if they had any hot sauce and they brought me out a small cup of a watery sauce that resembled watered down Tabasco. It wasn't great, but it did improve the empanada. The Arabe empanada (the triangle shaped one) was filled with ground beef, onions and tomatoes and was seasoned with lemon juice. The flavor in this empanada was much stronger and I enjoyed the tangy beef mixture a lot more.

Overall the emapanadas here are pretty good, but a little bland. I also thought they were a little pricey ($2.99 each). Two of these empanadas were definitely not enough to fill me up at lunch. I'd probably have to order at least 3 or 4 to fill me up. I do however think that these empanadas are a little tastier than Empanada Man because they are fried instead of baked. If I were craving an Argentine emapnada, I would probably choose Empanada's Place unless I was on a diet.

California Fish Grill - Foothill Ranch, Irvine

noreply@blogger.com (Griffin) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 23:43:00 +0000

41 Auto Center Drive, Suite 113
Foothill Ranch, CA 92610
Phone: 949-470-9600
Fax: 949-470-9610

3988 Barranca Parkway #B
Irvine, California 92606
Phone: 949-654-3838
Fax: 949-654-3858

Also located in Anaheim, Cypress and Gardena

www.californiafishgrill.com

Whenever I am in the mood for seafood, but don't feel like shelling out a ton of money, I head down to the California Fish Grill. I usually dine at the Irvine location, but I most recently met a buddy and his friend for lunch at the Foothill Ranch location. The California Fish Grill is a fast, casual dine-in restaurant where you order at the counter and then wait at your table for your food to be delivered.

I have dined at the California Fish Grill more than a dozen times. I have never been disappointed with my food. I have tried a few things on the menu, but my favorite is the Cajun Seared Ahi Tuna. For a measley $9.49, you are served a gigantic slab of ahi tuna that has been seared perfectly and served rare. It comes standard with Cajun butter, but they can also serve it with garlic butter upon request. I like it with both. The dish is also served with rice and coleslaw. I'm not a big fan of coleslaw, but their rice is divine. Perfectly cooked, fluffy and tasty every time. It is the perfect complement to the fish.

My buddy ordered the Fried Catfish ($7.99). He had ordered this before and liked it both this time and last. He received two very large pieces of catfish that were perfectly fried to a golden brown. It was served with french fries and coleslaw which he also liked.

My buddy's friend ordered the Fried Fish Plate ($7.45). This is the meal that is closest to fish and chips. He received three large pieces of fried fish, fries and coleslaw. He enjoyed his meal a lot and was impressed with the amount of food he got for $7.45.

My wife was not with us but she has dined at the California Fish Grill many times. I believe that the Mahi Mahi fish tacos ($2.49 each) are one of her favorite menu items at any restaurant. She raves about how good they are every time she has them. I have never actually tried them myself though because I am so in love with the Cajun Seared Ahi.

If you are looking to get some great seafood, but don't want to pay the overinflated prices of many restaurants, then look no further. California Fish Grill is the real deal.

Burger King - Burger Shots and Angry Whopper - I ate at Burger King, so you don't have to!

noreply@blogger.com (Griffin) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 21:46:00 +0000

www.bk.com

I have been seeing these commercials for Burger Shots and Angry Whoppers all over for a while now. Advertising works on me, so I decided I had to have them. As I drove over to my local Burger King, I wondered to myself, "Why don't I go to Burger King more often?" In fact, I couldn't even remember the last time I went to a Burger King.

I walked into Burger King around 12:30 PM on a Monday. I was the only person inside. I looked at the menu board and saw posters advertising both the Burger Shots for $1.39 and the Angry Whopper. I ordered one 2-pack of Burger Shots ($1.39) and an Angry Whopper ($3.99). She asked if I wanted cheese on my Burger Shots and I said yes. I decided to order a side dish as well and saw that two orders of $1.00 value onion rings was cheaper than buying one small order, so I ordered two of the value size. I handed the cashier my credit card and she rang up my order. She handed me my receipt and I was kind of shocked at how high it was. $9.03 for lunch from Burger King and I didn't even order a drink! One of the reasons for the high price was that they had charged me 50 cents extra for EACH Burger Shot for the cheese. This brought the price of my "2-pack" to $2.39. I thought about it for a second and realized that Burger King just conned me into paying $2.39 for two teeny tiny burgers when I could have gotten a double cheeseburger for $1.00. Stupid commercials.....always hypnotizing me into thinking I need whatever they are advertising...... My wife calls me a sucker.......I guess she's right. (Shhhhh don't tell her!)

I unwrapped my Burger Shots and saw that they were even smaller than I thought they would be. The burger patties for the Burger Shots was actually a single patty that was sort of "figure 8" shaped. You had to break the buns and the patties apart to separate the two burgers. There was a smidgen of cheese and a little bit of ketchup, mustard and a pickle on each bun. They weren't bad. They were just basically mini versions of a standard cheeseburger from Burger King. The only difference is that you pay three times the price for less than half the amount of food. What a deal!

The Angry Whopper was a burger with "Angry Sauce," "Angry Onion Strings," jalapenos and pepperjack cheese. The burger was pretty bland and not spicy AT ALL. The jalapenos they put inside actually just tasted like pickles. The supposed spicy "Angry Sauce" tasted more like a sweet barbecue sauce. I didn't even want to eat the whole burger because it made me so angry. Maybe that's why they call it the Angry Whopper!

I've always loved the onion rings at Burger King. I know they must be mostly artificial because they are all the same tiny shape. They must be made with some kind of pressed, formed onion mixture. I never really cared though because they were always so tasty. This time was different though. They had almost no flavor at all. Maybe all the flavor came from the trans fat that they used to be fried in.

As I threw away the remainder of my meal I said to myself, "Oh yeah......That's why I hardly ever go to Burger King...."

I know you guys always like when I include the nutritional info for new fast food restaurant items, so here you go.

Burger Shots WITHOUT CHEESE-
Calories 220
Fat Grams 11
Saturated Fat Grams 4.5
Trans Fat Grams 0.5

Angry Whopper
Calories 880
Fat Grams 55
Saturated Fat Grams 18
Trans Fat Grams 2

Da Bianca Trattoria - Orange

noreply@blogger.com (Griffin) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 22:24:00 +0000

7448 E. Chapman Ave
Orange, CA

714-289-1508

www.dabianca.com

Following up on a tip I received from a couple of readers, Mr. and Mrs. W, I headed down to a little trattoria the other night named Da Bianca. I knew that the restaurant was in the same parking lot as Pacific Ranch Market off of Chapman near Jamboree. What I didn't know was how hard it was to find. I drove around the parking lot and looked at all the storefronts. I drove back and forth in front of the market. I looked at the signboard out on the street. I found no trace of an Italian restaurant in this parking lot. Frustrated, I pulled out my iPhone, told it to locate me and then tell me where the nearest Italian restaurant was. Da Bianca popped right up on the screen. I called the number and someone answered the phone, "Da Bianca!" I asked where they were located and they gave me the intersection that I was currently at. I asked if they were in the same parking lot as Pacific Ranch Market. They told me they were right next to the market. I thanked them and hung up confused. I drove through the parking lot again and didn't see the restaurant. I then noticed that you could drive to the side and kind of behind the market. There it was. If I hadn't known this restaurant was there, I never would have found it. I have been in this parking lot many times and have never seen this restaurant. I'm glad I took the time to track it down though.

We entered the restaurant as a party of 5 around 6:30 PM on a Sunday night. The restaurant is pretty small with about a dozen tables. Half the tables were empty though, so we were seated immediately. The waiter brought over some menus and then propped up a white board with hand written nightly specials at the end of our table. A few minutes later he brought us a basket of fresh, warm garlic bread. It was very tasty and much nicer than just getting plain bread.

I decided to order one of the specials, the Lasagna Verde Al Forno ($15.95). V ordered the Spaghetti Pomodoro ($13.95), R ordered the Tortellini Alla Boscaiola ($13.95), S ordered the Farfalle Genovese ($14.95) and J decided to get the Cioppino ($21.95).

The food took a little longer to come out than at some other restaurants. This is probably a good thing though. This probably means that they are making everything fresh to order instead of just ladling pre-made sauce on to already cooked pasta, like I'm sure some high volume restaurants do. When the food finally came out, it was worth the wait.

My Lasagna Verde Al Forno was sheets of green (probably spinach) pasta layered with bolognese and bechamel sauce. The bolognese was a nice meaty sauce with mushroooms in it. The bechamel sauce was rich, yummy and much better than the ricotta cheese you find in a lot of lasagnas. I enjoyed this dish very much.

V's Spaghetti Pomodoro was made with spaghetti, fresh tomatoes and basil. V liked it a lot. I stole a bite of it and was amazed at how fresh the tomatoes tasted. It was fantastic.

J's Cioppino was made with mussels, clams, shrimp, fish and calamari in a slight spicy tomato broth. J thought that the Cioppino was very good. I tried some of it and thought that the broth could be a little spicier. Since J doesn't like a lot of spice though, she was happy with it the way it was. I also found the seafood to be a little chewy, but overall I thought it was a pretty good bowl of Cioppino.

S ordered her Farfalle Genovese with alfredo sauce instead of the pesto sauce it was supposed to some with. The farfalle was tossed with chicken breast and sun dried tomatoes. S really liked her dish as well.

R's Tortellini Alla Boscaiola was cheese filled pasta with ham, mushrooms and peas that was topped with a cream sauce. R enjoyed his meal. I stole a bite from R's plate as well and found it to be pretty tasty.

Overall, everyone was happy with their food. It's pretty rare these days for a party of 5 to go to a restaurant they haven't been to before, and all completely enjoy their meal. I was surprised that I also liked all the food I tried off of other people's plates. Good Italian food is very hard to find in Orange County. Da Bianca is definitely one of the good ones. My only problem with Da Bianca is the price. I felt that $15.95 was a little high to pay for a slice of lasagna. I might have felt better paying that if the meal had at least come with a side salad or something. In the end though, I decided it was worth it. I would much rather eat this yummy slice of $16 lasagna instead of two crappy slices of $8 lasagna. If Da Bianca had lower prices though, I'd probably start going there a lot more often. Thank you to Mr. and Mrs. W for the wonderful recommendation.

1st Annual Orange County Restaurant Week

noreply@blogger.com (Griffin) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 14:00:00 +0000

http://www.orangecountyrestaurantweek.com/

Today marks the launch of the 1st annual Orange County Restaurant Week. 77 Orange County restaurants are participating and are offering price fixed menus for lunch and dinner. Meal prices are $10, $20, $30 or $40 depending on the restaurant. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions. (Posted on the Orange County Restaurant Week Website.)

What is Orange County Restaurant Week?
Orange County Restaurant Week will give ALL local food aficionados an opportunity to enjoy special prix fixe menus from many participating restaurants throughout Orange County. Orange County Restaurant Week was created with the intention of spotlighting Orange County as a premier dining destination. Orange County has amazing restaurants and eateries from corner to corner now it's time to unite all OC food lovers and restaurants.

What cities are participating?
All of them! Orange County Restaurant Week is modeled after other major metro areas. Just like San Diego Restaurant Week, ours is a countywide event. We don't want you to miss a single delicious meal in ANY city.

When is it?
Orange County Restaurant Week is coming in February 2009. The event will run from Feb 22nd-Feb 28th 2009. Happy Hour Week is coming in April and Kid's Restaurant Week is in June. Families in OC can kick off their summer with awesome family friendly dining

Will the menus vary?
Yes! Orange County Restaurant Week was designed with abundance and diversity in mind. We want you to search many options during restaurant week so you can have a fabulous week of dining out.

Do I need tickets?
No tickets or passes are required for Orange County Restaurant Week. Diners simply dine out at as many participating restaurants as they like.

What Restaurants are participating in Restaurant Week?

CLICK ON THE RESTAURANT NAME BELOW TO SEE THE SPECIAL MENU FOR EACH RESTAURANT.

118 Degrees
230 Forest Avenue
50 Forks
Ambrosia
Antonello Ristorante
Balboa Bay Club
Bayside
Bistango
Bistro West
Bluewater Grill
Cantina Lounge
Catal
Chaparosa Grill
Chart House
Citrus Fresh Grill
Daily Grill
Duke's
Hush
il Farro Cafe Trattoria
JT Schmid's
Kimera
Leatherby's Cafe Rouge
Lucca Cafe
Manhattan Supper Club
McCormick & Schmicks Grille- Anaheim
McCormick & Schmicks - Santa Ana
McCormick & Schmicks - Irvine
Mozambique
Naples Ristorante
Nello Cucina
O'Neill's at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club
Opah
Orange County Mining Co.
Orange Hill Restaurant
Pinot Provence
Pizzeria Ortica
Port
Quattro Cafe
RA Sushi
Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen
Restaurant 162'
Rockin' Baja Coastal Cantina
Royal Hawaiian
Royal Khyber
Roy's Hawaiian - Anaheim
Roy's Hawaiian - Newport Beach
Ruth's Chris Steak House - Anaheim
Ruth's Chris Steak House - Irvine
Savannah at the Beach
Savannah Chop House
Scott's Seafood
Shades
Simply Fondue
Skosh Monahans
Sorrento
South Coast Winery
Spark Woodfire Grill
Stone Hill Tavern
Sundried Tomato
Tabu
Tangata
TAPS Fishhouse
Terra Nova
The Californian
The Clubhouse
The Crow Bar and Kitchen
The Loft at Montage Laguna Beach
The First Cabin at The Balboa Bay Club & Resort
The Melting Pot
The Ritz Restaurant and Garden
The Winery Restaurant & Wine Bar
Tortilla Jo's
Wildfish Seafood Grille
Wolfgang Puck Bistro at Macy's
Zov's - Tustin
Zov's - Irvine
Zov's - Newport Coast