Well they lasted three years. I’m sorry to see them go. Prior to SweetSpot, it was occupied by another cupcake store, Lorraine’s. I wonder if another cupcake place will take its place!

Scott’s Asian Salsa

10-15 Grape Tomatoes (halved or quartered)
1.5 Tablespoons of finely diced ginger
2 Scallions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon Nuoc Nom (Fish Sauce or Patis)

Just a word of advice. Start with 1/2 a teaspoon of fish sauce. Toss, then taste. Fish Sauce is very strong and can overpower your protein. A little fish sauce goes a LONG way!

Feel free to add whatever you want to the mix like diced mango.  Oh, and as always, fried or grilled anything with this salsa demands fresh steamed rice!

They call themselves the “Ultimate Kabobery“. Fresh ingredients, choice meats and the finest of spices. Each order is cooked to order and you’ll never see kabobs sitting under a heat lamp at Luna Grill. Their restaurants in San Diego have a very clean aesthetic with lots of clean, white area, with splashes of red as the main accent color. Very pleasing to the eye.

The menu features fresh salads, wraps and of course, the kabobs. You’ll find the everyday Med fare like Hummus and Eggplant, but they mix things up and offer items like the Gyros Quesadilla (basically a regular Gyro, just sandwiched between two rounds of pita. On the kabob side, you’ll find favorites like Chicken, Lamb and Sirloin, but you also get a choice of “Flat Cut” chicken which is thinly cut pieces of hormone free chicken tenders on the blade or try a Cornish hen.

Luna Grill currently has 6 locations in the San Diego area and you should see the Lake Forest location open in the next 30-60 days. Based on the construction inside, they haven’t even gotten the walls up yet.

So more on Luna Grill as we get closer to open date.

Have you eaten at Luna Grill in San Diego? How was it?

Luna Grill
23625 El Toro Road
Lake Forest, CA 92630
www.lunagrill.com

Waiiha, a Sushi and Japanese Dining restaurant, has completed their outdoor seating area and has gotten their furniture and lighting inside. The custom counter has been outfitted with sushi refrigeration units and the kitchen looks pretty complete. They have recently posted their proposed hours. They are open for lunch Monday thru Saturday from 11am to 1:30pm. Dinner, however, is only Tuesday thru Saturday from 5pm to 9pm. Waiiha is being opened by the same owners of Jizake Sushi down in Laguna Niguel.

The Iron Press, a restaurant focusing on local beer & waffles, still has a lot of construction going on. Crews have been working into the mid-evenings most nights trying to get the place ready. As of today, I caught of glimpse of a long stretch of beer taps and the glass rinsers are in at the bar. Other than that, the windows are pretty much still papered up and I couldn’t see much.

The Iron Press is the brainchild of Leonard “Lenny” Chan and Jeremy “Jerry” Saenz. I had a discussion recently with Lenny regarding The Iron Press. More about “Jerry” later in the article.

FID: What made you guys come up with the idea of bringing beer and waffles together?

LENNY: In all honesty, I was looking at doing waffles and beer here in Southern California over 5 years ago. Since then, I had the opportunity to open up California Shabu Shabu in Costa Mesa and figured that was a no brainer. I started seeing a trend up in Nor Cal, Portland, and Seattle brewing up, but couldn’t pass up on the shabu deal. Since California Shabu Shabu started doing better, I got the wheels going again on the beer and waffles joint, but soon after that Bruxie opened up which spun me into severe depression (ok, so I was just bummed out for a bit). After that, I figured I better hurry up and get things going ASAP!  In short – I love beer and I love waffles, so why not, yeah?

FID: I see you’re getting custom bar stools done for the bar, anything else going to be custom?

LENNY: A lot of things going in are custom! Jerry, Jaime (a good friend and our general contractor), and I have been bouncing around ideas back and forth for months now. Everything from chairs, to tables, to lamps, to counters. You name it, we have tried to put in our own spin on everything.

FID: For the customer experience, will the customers be able to see the waffles being made as they are ordered?

LENNY: Yessireebobadoo! We wanted to have the experience be as interactive as possible, so you’ll be seeing someone smashing out those waffles right in the front.

BTW, I want to steal the word “Yessireebobadoo” from Lenny! [smile]

As you read, this isn’t Lenny Chan’s first foray into the restaurant world. In 2009, Lenny opened California Shabu Shabu in Costa Mesa and their newest location in Santa Monica opened in November 2011. Based on the design cues of California Shabu Shabu, the interior of The Iron Press is sure to impress. So on the heels of the Santa Monica location moving towards their opening date, they started plans and construction for The Iron Press.

As for Jerry, the “food gene” doesn’t fall far from the tree. Jerry’s family runs and owns Lucky Habanero Salsa. Linda Saenz, “The Salsa Lady” and her family have been selling this award winning salsa since 2005. Made in small batches to ensure quality and freshness, you can find their salsa in specialty markets like Whole Foods, Promelli’s, Mothers Market, Hows, Hi-Time Wine Cellars, Irvine Ranch Market, The Meat House and BevMo. In 2011 and 2012 they have won several categories at the Annual Scovie Awards. This year, their Mango Firecracker Salsa took 1st place in the Fruit Salsa category!

So I have a surprise for you.

Lenny is also working on an Oyster Bar. I found out from a birdie that it will occupy the area formerly known as “The Rotating Kitchen” located in The OC Mart Mix. In that space, they used to have a rotating kitchen come in to prepare meals, sorta like a pop-up restaurant. (Note: I never saw any events in that space) and there is a large concrete topped counter. It is in this space, that Lenny plans to open an Oyster Bar with another partner. So we now have three new restaurants on-site at the South Coast Collection. An oyster bar certainly would do well. According to a Google search, there are only three restaurants listed with Oyster Bars. Note I said “with”. The three locations are Seafood restaurants with an Oyster Bar inside. I’m sure a more detailed search will yield others, but I think Lenny has something here. Can you stand the wait?

So that’s it for this update. More details to come in the coming weeks!

The Iron Press
3321  Hyland Avenue, Suite E
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Waiiha
3321 Hyland Avenue, Suite D
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Not-Yet-Named Oyster Bar
3313 Hyland Avenue (The OC Mart Mix)
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Two new shops are getting ready to open soon: N’ice Cream and The Cheese Shop.

Coming down from Los Angeles will be N’ice Cream’s fifth location. Featuring freshly-made organic gelato and sorbet. Every morning, the iced confectioner prepares their gelato and sorbets for sale that day. Nothing they sell in their stores is ever more than 12 hours old at any point in time during the day.

You can have your “n’ice cream” plain or in a milkshake or smoothie. They also have a wide variety of home-made toppings.

Plans at this time is for a March opening date in The OC Mart Mix. In the meantime you can visit one of their other locations in Santa Monica or Venice. More info on N’ice Cream can be found on their website at: www.ilovenicecream.com or on Twitter at @NiceCreamUSA

N’ice Cream is founded by Laura Nielsen and Christian Toxboe, both from Denmark. They moved to Los Angeles in 2008 and opened their first location in the Abbot Kinney neighborhood of Venice.

Now, in November I reported that a new Cheese Shop was moving into The OC Mart Mix.

Well lots of new progress. A new partition wall is now complete and new refrigeration units as well as the main selling counter are now in place.

The Cheese Shop is scheduled to open their doors on Saturday, January 28.

They will be offering a unique selection of cheeses and charcuterie. In addition they will have grab-and-go sandwiches as well as home goods.

“We are excited to be in the oc mart MiX with its collection of eco-conscience vendors and exclusive design stores.” – Dawn Mednick

The Cheese Shop will be operated by Dawn Mednick and Sherrie Jordan. The shop is a sister store to The Cellar (wine and cheese shop)  in San Clemente which opened in 2008.

The Cheese Shop
3313 Hyland Avenue, Suite C
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
949-284-0558
www.cellarcheeseshop.com
@OCCheeseShop

According to Rainer Fruit, the Junami apple is harvested in the Fall like other apples, but made available in January for flavor and marketability. The Junami has the ability to build flavor while in storage.

The Junami is best described as having a special crisp, fruity character and is a real thirst quencher with its invigorating flavor. It is especially popular with young adults, or those who love delicious, juicy apples. The flavor is slightly perfumed, with a nice balance of a fresh, tangy taste and crispy bite. It’s beautifully round with eye-catching red color.

The Junami, while not new to the world, is fairly new to the U.S. The fruit originates in Switzerland. General grown in Northwestern Europe under the most strictest guidelines. Eastern Washington has similar conditions and that’s how Rainer Fruit came to be the exclusive grower and shipper of the Junami apple here in the U.S.

So how do you get one of these apples? Well, here in the California it seems to only be available in Northern California – in most Safeway stores. Unfortunately, it hasn’t made its way down to Safeway’s sister stores, Vons.

Perhaps in the next few weeks we will see the Junami here in the Southland.

Rainier Fruit Company
Selah, Washington
Facebook: facebook.com/RainierFruit
www.rainierfruit.com

So I left the comfort of my Mission Viejo apartment tonite for some comfort at The OC Mart Mix, Portola Coffee and some food truck fare. A newcomer, to me, is the Tailgate Truck. Only the road only since late November 2011, they have been feeding the OC with easy, simple, cooked food.

They wanted to create an experience of a sports bar, just outside and with wheels. With music playing on speakers, a satellite dish with the game on a flat screen, they have a nice selection of menu items.

Tonight I sampled the Bacon Wrapped Hot Dog (I can’t resist anything bacon…) while enjoying my coffee at Portola Coffee Lab. Cuz, the two go so well together! [smile]

A sesame seed bun, a nice meaty 1/4 pound,  bacon-wrapped dog with mustard, ketchup and mayo. The bacon is crisp and the dog has a good snap to it when bitten into. The dog typically comes with grilled onions and peppers, but I wanted the dog to shine. They also have regular and sweet potato fries that you can add to your order.

I also sampled their chili with cheddar cheese and diced onions. Very meaty. I don’t think there were any beans in it, but if there were, they were the tiniest beans I’ve ever seen! Flavorful and spicy, just the way it should be!

Great on a cold Friday night.

Follow the Tailgate Truck on Twitter: @tailgatetruck and LIKE them on Facebook at Facebook.com/theetailgatetruck (it’s not a typo, two “e”s in the). You can also find them on their website @ www.thetailgatetruck.com

An update to the Urbanspoon app for iOS is available today and it will enable people to share their dining experiences with their friends. The new Dineline feature allows people to track restaurants they visited as well as what meal they had at that eatery. You can also upload photos and share memorable meals.

“Dineline lets people easily record and share their dining history in a visual format, so they can see what restaurants they frequent most or connect with friends over their favorite cuisine. Enhancing Facebook Timeline with Dineline makes dining out a social experience long after the meal has ended.” says Kara Nortman, SVP of Publishing for CityGrid Media (owners of Urbanspoon)

If you don’t already  have Urbanspoon for your iPhone, iPod or iPad, visit http://itunes.apple.com/app/urbanspoon/id284708449?mt=8

In much the same way you can see what your friends are listening to on Spotify in Facebook, Foodily does for food. Foodily curates and shares the food people love. In addition to seeing food, when people favorite anything on Foodily after adding the app, it will addict to their existing Timeline. In addition to food, recipes can also be posted.

“This type of social food discovery between friends hadn’t been possible before – it’s the first recipe newsfeed that curates foods you and your friends love,” Said Andrea Cutright, CEO of Foodily.  “Now those 44 minutes a day people spend thinking about food can be a shared experience where ideas from friends can inspire your next meal.”

Foodily is available on the web, as an app in Facebook and available for iOS in iTunes at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/foodily-recipe-search-sharing/id475603520?mt=8

[NOTE]
San Francisco viewers can catch the show on KQED at 12 noon. For Southern California viewers, the premiere date is different. Joanne’s show will be on KCET, Channel 28, starting on Monday, February 6 at 3:00pm.

Joanne has had three successful runs of previous shows Joanne Weir’s Cooking Class, Weir Cooking in the City and Weir Cooking in Country.

Joanne has a very simple approach to teaching. She doesn’t just teach to you, she teaches with you.

She has over 8 cookbook titles and even more under the Williams-Sonoma brand.

Tune in this Saturday and enjoy! The first episode is called Spain On My Mind

Joanne shares with us her emotional connection to Spain. She begins by preparing Salmorejo, a cold tomato and bread soup she first discovered in Southern Spain, and then works with her student Joan to overcome his fear of cooking lamb by preparing a hearty lamb, white bean, and chorizo stew with a spicy infused olive oil drizzled over the top.

Recipes: Salmorejo and Spanish Lamb Stew.
Student: Joan Boada, Principal Dancer, San Francisco Ballet.

You can find more info on Joanne, her culinary tours, books and DVDs on her website at www.joanneweir.com.

Photo credit: www.joanneweir.com

Tours are offered on Friday and Saturday mornings and you must purchase thickets ahead of time. Tours are a maximum of 12 people, so book early.

So find that hidden food gem in Laguna. You can add a wine and beer tasting to your tour as well! Dress casual and wear comfortable shoes

Adults $55.00
Kids 7-12 $20.00

Flavors of Laguna
949-464-8830
@flavorsoflaguna
www.flavorsoflaguna.com 

My favorite continues to be the Fried Chicken Slider, with its soft bun, chicken and mashed potatoes. A couple of chef specials have included Clam Chowder with Fried Clams, a Fried Bologna Slider that brought me to my childhood and a Chicken Pot Pie! Awesome additions!

Well, Salmon was on sale at the market so I picked up a couple of portions. The cous cows was quick and easy, plus I was having a strange craving for it. The salmon is extremely simple.

Sear your salt and peppered Salmon for 3-5 minutes over medium high heat, not super hot. Once you place it in the pan, don’t touch it. Don’t! Once you see a little crust on the edges, it’s time to flip it over. Once you do, I place it in my oven for about 5 minutes at 275-300 (preheated).

While that is in the over, you can cook the couscous in less than 6 minutes. I had a red and yellow pepper laying around. I cut up a few strips into really small dice (brunoise). Take 1/2 a shallot and do the same. Take 1/2 cup of broth or water and tsp of butter and bring to a boil. Add shallot and peppers, then stir in 1/4 cup of couscous. Stir, then place a lid on it and take it off the heat. Don’t open the cover for at least 5-7 minutes.

Don’t forget about your salmon. remove from oven and let it rest. After the resting period is up for the couscous, open lid and fluff with a fork. Plate your couscous and place your salmon on top!

Well over a year has passed and I have finally made it here! There were only 4 people ahead of me in line and there was plenty of parking in front. I suspect, Chapman is still on Winter Break. I had just had lunch in Orange, so I wanted something light and sweet. I opted for the “Brussels” – a light waffle dusted with either cinnamon or powdered sugar with 100% Maple syrup on the side. I placed my order at the window, asked my name and then sat myself at the eating “bar” to the right of the window with a view of one of Chapman’s buildings.

Less than 5 minutes later, someone called my name and brought over a paper boat with 4 quarter pieces of a waffle and a small container of maple syrup. As the waffles were being handed to me, I could smell a hint of butter hit my nose and I immediately fell in love! The buttery smell intensified as I placed the dish front and center.

To hell with utensils, I picked up a quarter, pulled it apart to find my fingers squeezing the waffle. Light crisp “skin” and a very light and fluffy inside. I dipped my piece into the maple syrup and found my tongue in confusion. I usually associated waffles with dense, thick skinned treat that I grew up with in my kitchen and restaurants. My mouth chewed effortlessly as the sweetness of the syrup melded with the batter of the waffle. Besides the syrup, the waffle itself was not sweet, yet not savory either.

While I was enjoying my Brussels, Montica, who works there, asked me how it was and I gave here a thumbs up as my mouth was filled with another mouthful of joy. By the time I finished, a few minutes had passed and Montica stopped by again and I told here how surprised I was about the texture. I asked if all the wallless had that texture and was told it was with the exception of the Liege, which was slightly thicker. I also asked if it was the same batter for the sandwiches and was told that it was, but that the actually “bread” for the sandwich was thinner for easier eating and handling. They have daily specials that they run everyday based on what is fresh that day. Montica said to check their Facebook page as they update the daily specials. She convinced me that I should come back for a savory sandwich to experience that as well since I enjoyed the Brussels so much. I told her that I might just do that.

So look forward to another review of Bruxië when I have some of their savory items. In addition to the waffles and sandwiches, they also have real authentic Wisconsin Frozen Custard!! Yes, that slightly more golden in color vanilla ice cream that has extra egg yolks in it for richness! Bruxie buys local so they don’t have traditional sodas, but locally crafted drinks.

Check them out if you haven’t and don’t wait a year like I did!

Bruxië
292 North Glassell Street
Orange, CA 92866
714-633-3900
www.bruxie.com

They also have a new location in Brea!

Bruxië
215 W. Birch Street
Brea, CA 92821
714-255-1188

This is another simple off-the-cuff meal… quick, simple and great on a fall/winter night!

I seared the pork chops on both sides for about 3-4 minutes a piece (make sure your chops are at room temperature or the insides won’t cook quick enough)

Meanwhile I took baby potatoes (i like these better than russet) and boil in salted water. Start the potatoes with COLD water, then bring to a boil for a few minutes. A paring knife should be able to pierce the potatoes with ease. Once they are cooked, drain the water and place into a heatproof pan. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and throw in a sprig or two of rosemary or thyme. Place in a 400 degree oven. Toss once in a while and cook until some brownness appears.

After searing the pork chops (we’re not looking to cook them all the way thru) take them out and place under foil. In the same pan, add 1/2 a small onion, sliced fennel and one small garlic clove. Cook down the onions and fennel, then add 1/4 cup of chicken or beef broth. Place the chops back in the pan and place in the oven for about 5-8 minutes, next to the potatoes if you want.

Plate your chops and potatoes and pour the pan sauce over your chops!

I got a little ambitious and wanted to make Macarons.

Note, I said macarons – not macaroons. Macaroons are those delectable delights made with coconut.

I’m referring to Macarons, the fancy French dessert. I think the closest thing we have to it here in America is the whoopee pie, but not really. The macaron is made with two “wafer/cookies” with a filling sandwiched between them. They are about the size of a dollar coin.

The recipe is actually quick simple, its the preparation that can be difficult. In a nutshell, they are made with whipped egg whites, sugar and almonds. I decided to use the recipe from a fellow blogger, Joe Pastry that calls for the following recipe:

3.8 ounces blanched almonds
7 ounces powdered sugar
3.5 ounces egg whites (aged overnight at room temperature)
1.75 ounces granulated sugar

You want to start by measuring the ingredients exactly. Baking is a science, its not like savory cooking where you can just throw in a dash here or dash there. I started off by taking the blanched almonds in my food processor and turning it into something close to the consistency of sand or flour.

Then add the powdered sugar and pulse about 10 times.

Then you want to whip up your ROOM TEMPERATURE/OVERNIGHT egg whites. That’s right, you need to “age” the egg white and make sure they are at room temperature. I was a little scared about doing this, but nothing I have read says it is dangerous. I placed mine in a sealed container and left it on the counter overnight. You’ll want to add the egg whites to a CLEAN bowl of your mixer. Make sure it is clean and dry or your whites might not whip together properly.

Once it gets frothy, you’ll want to add your granulated sugar in gradually. Once you do this the egg whites will transform to a silky-firm texture. You want to be able to pull the whip from the whites and have the tip just droop over slightly. Anything beyond this and you will get something that will be dry.

Pull the bowl off the mixer and with “conviction” as Joe says, throw in your dry ingredients and mix until just mixed. I then divided the mixture into two batches as I wanted to have “red” macaroons as well.

Everything is going well at this point. Really.

It is the next step that caused my disaster. I divided the mixure into two parts and added red food coloring to one batch. I then folded the color in. The color was more light pink, so I added more coloring.

And more…and more. HUGE mistake.

By the time I was done, I could tell the consistency of the “red” batter was decidedly thinner than the white batter. I didn’t have time to whip up another batch. It was time to form the “coins” on the baking sheets and pop them into the ovens. Carefully I “poured” red batter into the piping bag and it was so runny I didn’t have to do much to pipe them on the tray. I knew I was fracked at this point.

I cried a little. I then piped the white mixture and that gave me more confidence. You have to let your “coins” air dry for at least 30 minutes before baking.

Pre-heat your oven to 300 degrees and then place in the oven after they have rested.

After about 12 minutes, you’ll want to check to see if they are done. Gently tap the top and if it is firm, it’s ready.

Surprisingly, the red macarons looked great – but once I pulled them into the light, I could see they weren’t. While they did “rise”, the dome was wafer thin and translucent. The white macarons looked great too. You need to let them rest for another 30 minutes.

After about 30 minutes I decided to try and “de-sheet” my macarons. I think I needed to keep them in for another few more minutes. The pink ones were flat and any pressure on the sides made the “dome” collapse and break. The white ones looked awesome, but since they weren’t completely cooked, they stuck to the non-stick silpat. I think the use of parchment is recommended since you can “peel” them off the parchment. Peeling from the silpat is not so easy. Go parchment for sure!

So why did I post this if it was a failure? Hopefully someone will learn from my mistake and make wonderful macarons. I will try again for sure – and when I do I will repost with success!

It was cold tonight. I headed over to the South Coast Collection for the weekly Food Truck meet that is hosted by the SoCo Farmers Market. Each week they bring three to four trucks for you to enjoy.

This week we had The Viking Truck, Taco Maria, SexyBurger and PogiBoy. Earlier in the day I looked up the menus for the SexyBurger truck and Viking as I have not eaten at their trucks yet. After looking at The Viking, I was intrigued by the notion of “brats”. They had something on their menu called The Berserker – a combination of a bratwurst, swiss cheese, black forest ham and dijon all wrapped up in a bun.

I got tot he truck and was greeted by Luis Flores the owner and founder of the truck. They are fairly new to the OC food truck scene and have been hitting the streets now for about 2 months. I asked him about how he came up with the “Viking” theme and he said it was a combination of his high school mascot “the vikings” and some heritage that may or may not have some Viking blood! :) I ordered the Berserker and Luis also said I needed to try their special bread pudding with maple syrup, walnuts and candied bacon. Candied bacon? Oh yeah!

My order was up in less than 5 minutes and I was asked by the chef if I wanted to two forks or just one. “For the pudding…” he says. I said I only needed one and he kinda gave me a verbal high five for tackling the dessert and berserker on my own!

The Berserker is a nicely cooked bratwrust sausage with a nice snap to the skin as you bite into it. There are pieces of black forest ham on top with a nice drizzle of dijon on top. The bread is soft, but it was not toasted or warm, which I was hoping for. But the lack of warmth on the bun is inconsequential to the taste of the Berserker. I really enjoyed it. What I was craving was just some fries. They do offer something called the Dragon Eggs, which are tater tots in chili that are drizzled in Viking ketchup. I just wanted fries! :) This is a fairly large bratwurst and is a meal in itself.

Next up the Bread Pudding, however, I will need a “pause”…

The bread pudding didn’t look like much in the container – but again, don’t let that distract you from what you will inevitably be putting a smile on your face. The bread pudding was topped with bacon and syrup and the bread pudding part was more “pudding” than bread. My first bite had a piece of bacon on it and was awesome! It was very sweet, I will say that. But you catch a piece of bacon and that small hint of saltiness just melds so nicely with the sweet. I have to say that I actually finished it. It was a bit heavy after I finished it, and I really wanted a glass of milk to complete my meal. I had to settle for a Diet Coke.

Here is a list of their semi-permament menu and they have “specials” along the way.

Thunder Dog
bratwurst, black stout chili, cheddar cheese, sour cream,viking ketchup.B

Berserker
Bratwurst, black forest ham, swiss.

Odin
Smoked polish sausage, bacon, cheddar cheese, sauerkraut, red cabbage

Loki
Spicy kolbasa sausage, red pepper and jalapeños, bacon, cheddar cheese, spicy brown mustard, viking ketchup, sriracha

Nemesis
Bratwurst hand dipped in sweet corn batter

Viking Dog
1/4 pound all beef hotdog hand dipped in sweet corn batter

Dragon Eggs
Crisp tater tots, black stout chili, cheddar cheese, viking ketchup

Check out their Twitter feed for daily stops and try them out! @thevikingtruck

The permanent signage isn’t up, but you will find them with two banners out in front of the restaurant. There is plenty of seating and even outdoor seating with cover from the sun or rain.

The restaurant is still fairly new. According to the OC Weekly there was a previous Mexican restaurant that was in this space and it was purchased by some former Versailles employees (rumor). While it doesn’t say it on the website, it does say the owner has 25 years of experience honing his skills at a well known Cuban restaurant in LA.

When you are seated, you are offered Garlic Bread and was asked if I wanted a beverage. Today I started with an order of Beef and Spinach Empanadas followed by an order of Lechon Asado (tender pork in a mojo sauce with grilled onions, rice, black beans and fried plantains.

My empanadas showed up pretty quickly at the table. With it comes a dipping sauce. The outside of the empanada was crispy and flaky. Light thickness in the dough and simple ingredients. The first bite is flaky and flavorful. The filling is tasty but unremarkable. I guess I was expecting something a bit more with bigger chunks of meat. It was a simple ground beef filling. The second empanada had a spinach filling. I’m not fluent in Cuban cuisine at all. The dipping sauce was some kind of olive oil mixture and tasted like Italian dressing to me.

Minutes later my order of Lechon Asado showed up. Again, not well versed in Cuban food, the word Lechon caught my eyes as it is the same word for a Filipino pork dish. The menu lists Lecohn Asado as tender pork simmered in a mojo sauce with grilled onions. Also on the plate is rice and fried plantains. The plate had a tons of onions on the plate. I was a bit surprised as I was expecting grilled onions on top, but those were more raw and seemed a bit off putting to me. The pork however was very tender. Your first reaction is that it is greasy and oily. The mojo sauce it is simmered in is quite flavorful and seasoned well. It wasn’t oily at all. The accompanying rice has just a bit of stickiness to it and the black beans were made with mini-sized means, almost the size of capers. For a moment I thought they were whole peppercorns in the lechon! The fried plantains were a bit oily on the outside, but I ate all three of them!

There was a selection of beers on tap as well as bottled along with a selection of wines.

Bella has only been open for a few weeks, so let’s see if they can pull the foodies in. The menu isn’t complicated and concise. If anything, their only drawback is the building they are in. The restaurant is “below” street level at this point and signage not on the street side could affect things. That space has had several tenants in the last few years.

I will have to do try some Cuban food so I can appreciate the flavors more. Someone said to try the Garlic Chicken and the Ropa Vieja! :)

Bella Cuba
3930 S.Bristol Avene, # 114
Santa Ana, CA 92704
714-545-5711
www.bellacubarestaurant.com

I was driving down El Toro Road when I noticed the indoor and outdoor lighting was on. After making a quick turn into The Orchard at El Toro and Rockfield, the door was open, but they were hosting a private party. I snapped a few pictures, they are dark.

I grabbed a copy of their menu and I’ll try and make it there tomorrow. From the looks of their menu a few items caught my eye!

Something Cured
Seasonal selection of local artisanal cured meats with house-cured olives, brick oven flatbread and spicy apple chutney

Oskar Blues™ Beer Can Roasted Cornish Game Hen
Served with roasted heirloom potatoes and root vegetables

Frilled Duroc Pork Porterhouse
Cut thick, and served with sweet potatoes and apple pecan chutney

They have a nice selection of locally crafted Brü’s from Cismontane, Taps, Hangar 24 and others.  Add to that a nice list of wines (Crü’s) from local wineries. The prices are reasonable and carry a $10 corkage fee.

The goal of Brü is a Farm-to-Table concept with the menu changing ever so often based on availability of fresh ingredients. They have a manageable sized menu and the price ranged from $7.00 to $15.00 for Starters and Soups, while Sandwiches, Flatbreads, Pastas and entrees range from $11.00 to $22.00.

A review will follow in the next few days. Meanwhile don’t forget to stop by!

Brü Grill & Market
23730 El Toro Road
Lake Forest, CA 92630
949-305-5757
Website: www.brugrill.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BruGrill

Last year I reviewed the Corner Fish Grill in July 2010 and even then I wasn’t sure if they were going to last this long. Users on Yelp and Urbanspoon weren’t kind and I have gone back a few months later after my initial review only to report nothing new.

The restaurant was the first tenant in a brand new shopping center that tried to compete with other Fish grills in the area like Boneheads, California Fish Grill and others.

Corner Fish Grill
26051 La Paz Road
Mission Viejo, CA 92691

Well it’s Friday night and I will be driving around the OC to try various Food Trucks on Fridays. These are fast trips with quick reviews on some of the best gourmet food on wheels!

Tonight we are looking at The Burnt Truck which was in Irvine in a food truck gathering at The Park Apartments at 18000 Spectrum. They were joined by Piaggio on Wheels and The Refresh Truck. The lines were long at The Burnt Truck. This was the favorite of the apartment dwellers at the The Park. This black, matte, not glossy truck had the hearts of slider lovers tonight. Simple menu with a couple of chef surprises along the way.

Tonight I wanted to try the Chef’s Special of Clam Chowder Soup with bacon and fried clams – just my luck the guy in front of me got the last bowl!! I’ll be back Burnt Truck…I LOVE clam chowder! I ordered a Pork Belly Slider (can’t go wrong with pork) and the Meatloaf Slider. Cuz they ran out of soup, they gave me a free PB&J Slider – score!

The slider comes on a very soft bun, just slightly toasted only on the filling side. The pork belly wasn’t even warm but it sure tasted good. There was some “fat” to be expected and it just slides nicely on your tongue. The flavor is good. The Meatloaf slider also brought back memories of a “blue plate special” with a side of crispy onion rings.

Now, I have to tell you the truth. I never was a big fan of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Growing up my parents would buy the Goobers brand, you know the striped jar with stripes of jelly and peanut butter. I used to just scrape the peanut butter stripes to avoid the jelly. I know, call me weird. Well I took a bit into this PB&J and fell in love. The bun is toasted like the other sliders and tasting that tastiness with the peanut butter made me feel like a kid again. There are three banana slices on top.

It was very dark in the park so pictures didn’t come out and I’m not going to try to post them. The picture above is from their website at www.theburnttruck.com

Later that evening I went to Portola Coffee in the OC Mart Mix and the Taco Maria truck was there along with the Flip Truck. They were just closing up but I had to have something from the truck. I just squeezed in my order of one Carnitas Taco and an order of the Flan de Requesón (Flan made with Ricotta cheese) with a Raspberry Sauce. I was watching the chefs on board make my taco and they are very meticulous in their preparation. Now I haven’t seen them when there is a line in front of the truck, but the chef was very careful on placement and the amounts on the tortilla. Two warmed corn tortillas with a good helping of carnitas made with orange and cinnamon topped with an avocado mousse (didn’t feel like guacamole to me, so I’ll cal it a mousse since it was very light) and thin slices of radishes. Now I’m allergic to avocados, which doesn’t make me a fan of anything avocado, but it was already on the carnitas and you can’t scrape off guacamole. To my surprise, this was not an overpowering guacamole and was very mild in taste in comparison to the meat. Here, the main flavor is the carnitas and not overpowered by guacamole.

The real treat this evening was enjoying their Flan de Requesón in a Raspberry Sangria sauce. This was perfection. A nice portion sitting in a small pool of raspberries in a raspberry sangria sauce. This and a cup of siphon-brewed Kenyan coffee at Portola Coffee Lab and I was set for the evening. I wanted more flan! You can find more info about them at www.tacomaria.com