vino & cucina

The skinny: If you have aren’t that hungry, have a lot of time on your hands, and would like to enjoy a long peaceful meal in a small family restaurant atmosphere, give it a try. Pizzas are likely to be a better bet than the pastas, not to say the pastas were bad, just the pizzas were better.

Review:

Off the bat, I’m just going to say that it took them nearly an hour to cook the food. The first basket of bread they give you is free, but take note that you’ll be charged for all baskets thereafter.

The Menu:

A first glance at the menu and you’ll immediately realize that the food is very heavy on carbs---definitely not your Macaroni Grill or Olive Garden with selections of meat or fish dishes (odd note: there were no meatballs of any kind on the menu either.) Most of the menu consists of pasta, pasta, and more pasta. There’s a whole page devoted to just pastas and then anther devoted to seafood pastas, so you get my point. And if you’re big on wine your Italian food, there’s a whole page dedicated to that too (but not being a wine taster myself I can’t comment on the selection.)

The Pasta:

Gnocci was good, but not very noteworthy. Farfelle Sara was merely okay too. It says on the menu that the Spaghetti Francesca is “to die for.” I’d say that that’d be a most meaningless death. The sauce was good, not diehard by any means. But the spaghetti was woefully undercooked, very doughy and pretty hard. The only lasagna you’ll find on the menu is in the appetizer section, and it was the shortest stack of lasagna I’d ever seen---tasted fairly good though. The portions are all pretty good sized and fair enough for the prices.

The Pizza:

Wednesday is pizza night (and there’s an entire menu for just pizzas which comes from their mini pizza parlor run by the same family next door) so we ordered two pizzas. All their pizzas are 14inches, thin crust, and cut into 8 slices. First pizza on the menu “Vino & Cucina” was a smash hit. Everyone loved it---perfect blend of meats, cheeses, and a light tomato sauce. We also ordered a vegetarian pizza # 21 “ Villa Borghese,” which was relatively good though not spectacular. The zucchini was good but the artichokes were strangely bland (as far as artichokes go.)

The Service:

I’m a little torn on what to say about the service. When the owner or waiters are there to serve you, they’re all very nice and helpful, but don’t expect too much initiative and they might not notice you immediately when you raise your hand. On the bright side they didn’t charge us the mandatory large-party tip either.

Bottom Line: So there you have it. The food was mediocre to good. The prices were fair. The portions were standard. The cooking was slow. The service left a bit to be desired. And it skates by with three stars.

(review courtesy of greta l)

dinner - wednesday, august 4th, 6:30pm

i actually really just want to go to nused bookstore, but i'm throwing dinner in as well since we haven't had one of these in a while. :)

vino & cuchina - italian
4501 e carson st, ste 105, long beach 90808
suggested: spaghetti della nonna

tiny thai - thai
4152 norse way, long beach 90808
suggested: sticky rice

btw, please vote for your dinner choice as well as if you want to go to the bookstore with me beforehand.

pizza and chicken love letter

This place has a really cute and cozy Asian country interior/theme going on. We got there around 6:30...it wasn't that crowded on a Wednesday night, so we were seated promptly. Didn't quite know what to get, but the waitress was super helpful in suggesting what to try. There were four of us and we ended up getting a family combo w/ bulgogi pizza, and the spicy garlic chicken. Also added a royal sweet potato pizza to everything since we were afraid that wouldn't be enough food. Turns out, it was plenty.

The pizzas were a decent size, crust was chewy and crunchy at the right places for me...they aren't stingy with their toppings, which was really good as well. Was disappointed by the bulgogi pizza though - it was good, just couldn't really taste the bulgogi at all. Ended up tasting just like a regular supreme pizza. The royal sweet potato pizza on the other hand was pure love for me. If you're a fan of sweet potatoes/yams, this is the pizza for you. Salty, slightly sweet, completely filling. We got the version where the crust was stuffed with sweet potatoes as well, which was awesome since I normally need sauce or something else to finish the crust part of a pizza.

The spicy garlic chicken was also really good. Battered and fried, mildly spicy with a bit of a kick, garlic-ky, and sweet. Crispy but juicy on the inside. I could've done with a little less batter, but it was still pretty damn good. Came with small side of cubed and pickled white radish - supposedly to counter the spicy-ness, but I just ate them straight up cuz they were sour and crunchy. For drinks, since we ordered the family combo, we got an entire liter of soda. Got our bang for the buck for sure. The total ended up being around $15? a person - not too bad considering how full we were by the end.

All in all, not the heathiest or most unique meal in the world, but when you want some tasty pizza along with something sweet and crunchy (chicken) along with a cozy atmosphere, this is a great place to go. Just don't expect too much out of the bulgogi pizza.

4/5 stars

(review courtesy of louise s)

dinner - wednesday, march 17th, 6.30pm

pizza and chicken love letter - korean (fusion)
12238 artesia blvd, artesia 90701
suggested: bulgogi pizza, sweet potato gold pizza

po folk restaurant - southern
7701 beach blvd, buena park 90621
suggested: kunty (chicken) fried steak, hush puppies

roy's restaurant

Roy’s is a self-proclaimed Hawaiian fusion restaurant. Hawaii, itself a melting pot of pacific island culture and food, was nicely represented in both their dishes and decor. While wholly irrelevant, the choice of location was to honor my arduous, but temporary, return to the west coast.

The establishment was pleasant, though there was more Hawaii in the food than in the restaurant. Not at all a negative, unless you were planning on going there to feel immersed. And if that’s what you are going there for, you’re going to the wrong place. Volume was just fine, but the restaurant was fairly empty while we were there. I hesitate to judge too harshly based on that, since the holidays should be considered unique conditions. Otherwise, the dim lighting and comfortably spaced place settings were fine.

As one would expect, there are several seafood choices. But there is your standard fare as well (of various farm creatures) for those of you with stomachs or palates unsuited for the former. In terms of the “fusion,” dishes generally fell into two categories: Hawaiian ingredients used to flavor food of other cultures or other cultural preparations of Hawaiian products. The Hawaiian taste didn’t feel forced on you, though in the end, our food choices didn’t differ enough to give us all a more thorough assessment of their menu.

Three of us went with their Fall Pre Fixe menu. A decently priced ($35) appetizer, entrée, and dessert meal. Our fourth’s choice was a sushi roll that had the emphatic support of our waiter. All together, the group shared Thai Shumai Meatballs, Kobe Beef Carpaccio, Braised Beef Short Ribs, a “Pulehu” Sirloin, and the Lakanilau Roll. The meatballs came served on sugar cane sticks and from far away looked like frog’s legs. It had a nice tangy and subtly spicy flavor. The Kobe beef was divine, coming served with sliced pears, arugula, and a dab of horseradish sauce. The texture of the short ribs was wonderful, easily pulled apart by the fork alone. The sauce it was served with was too strong, but somehow I finished it anyway. The sirloin ended up being a bit of a miss. The outside was seared a bit too much and the flavor seemed weak. I had wondered if the sauce from my own short ribs affected how the sirloin tasted, but no one seemed to enjoy it that much. My personal favorite of the evening was the sushi roll (Seared Kobe Beef wrapped around Snow Crab, Tempura Asparagus and Avocado). It was as delicious as it sounds.

For dessert, the pumpkin mousse was a subtle sweet, fluffy and light, like pumpkin pie squeezed out of a whipped cream can. And then there was the wonderfully executed chocolate soufflé. The chocolate was smooth and rich. Not being a sweets guy, it tended to be a bit heavy on its own, but eaten with the ice cream that came on the side made it perfect. And should any more evidence is needed, one of our party members completely cleaned off the plates (of all three people who picked the soufflé), stopping just short of picking them up and licking them.

What I was most happy with was the service. It wasn’t flawless, but it was remarkably pleasant. All members of the staff were so cheerful and polite. Even the designated water guy, who is typically as mute as his water is bland, was courteous and vocal about being helpful. And on top of that, our appetizer choices started off as “running a little behind”, which, apparently, warranted a free gift of their delicious Crunchy Golden Lobster Potstickers to tide us over until they arrived.

All in all, Roy’s is a good choice for delicious food with a slightly different flavor, even better service, and an environment that is easy to enjoy your evening in. Don’t expect to spend any less than $15 for a full meal, though.

5/5 for service.
4/5 for food.
4/5 for environment.

(review courtesy of robert t)

dinner - tuesday, december 22th, 7.30 or 8pm

we might be having a guest from santa monica, so the time won't be set until we decide on the restaurant.

roy's restaurant - hawaiian fusion (8pm?)
321 west katella ave, anaheim 92802
suggested: beef short ribs, chocolate souffle, pineapple upside-down cake

president thai cafe - thai (7.30pm?)
9340 whittier blvd, pico rivera 90660
suggested: green tea ice cream, pad see ew

the original pancake house

Typically, I’m not looking to eat much food two days after Thanksgiving. In fact, the thought of plowing through another gorging meal sounded like a dangerous venture for my already overinflated spare tire. But as soon as we pulled up to the Original Pancake House in Anaheim (1418 East Lincoln Avenue), those thoughts quickly melted away.

If you’re in a rush this isn’t the place to go, but the line is always out the door for a reason. Our table of eight was seated rather quickly given the crowd and there are plenty of places to sit around while waiting.

The menu offers a wide selection that would please even the most distinguished of breakfast connoisseurs. The restaurant specializes in pancakes, as the name implies, but they also have some omelets and waffles for those that aren’t feeling the pancakes.

The service was quick. Given how crowded the restaurant was I fully expected to wait a bit for the food, but the operation seems well run. In no time at all we had hot plates of Swedish, potato, pecan, and blueberry pancakes sitting in front of us.

I got the Swedish pancakes, which are essentially crepes with nothing wrapped inside of them. It came with a side of exotic imported berries. I quickly dumped them on top of the hotcakes with the two basted eggs that I ordered separately. Two popped yolks and a gallon of syrup later, I was in heavenly bliss.

I also tried the pecan, potato, and blueberry pancakes, which were all delicious. I thought the pecan pancakes were the real stand out of the crowd, however. There was also a “Dutch Baby”— an oven baked pancake that comes with lots of lemon – and a very impressive omelet ordered. I didn’t get a chance to partake in those impressive masterpieces, but they looked great and those that did eat them looked very pleased.

All of this great food sat amongst the interior of the building, which is full of hideous wood paneling and orange benches, what a perfect setting for a Saturday morning breakfast.

In sum, you shouldn’t go to the OG Pancake House if you are in a hurry, but the food truly is worth any wait. And, you can get a party of eight out the door for under a hundred bucks, which is an impressive feat these days (even for breakfast).

4.5/5 Stars…

(review courtesy of kevin e)