dinner - tuesday or thursday?

first taster's choice of 2011!

since we'll be doing a food truck meet this time, we'll be voting on DAY, not a restaurant.

thursday, january 20th, 7pm

chuck wagon stop - various

amf carter lanes - 1501 s lemon st, fullerton 92832

tuesday, january 25th, 7pm
dindin-a-gogo (menu should be updated within a few days)- various
11081 winners circle, los alamitos 90720
(across from the race track and costco)

bring cash, dress warm, and please comment wit your name and day you voted for, so i know to bring you a chair. no correct comment, no chair!!

neveria la flor de mexico

The small storefront, small selection of seating, and direct western exposure did little to detract from the delicious treasures held within this store. I especially appreciated being able to watch as the owner (I think it was the owner) concocted his magical creations behind the corner in plain view of customers and tasters alike. He was also available to offer up a multitude of suggestions based on the desires of my taste buds.

I ended up with one scoop of their rocky road, which was really delicious with its large chocolate chips and rich chocolate. The others in my party decided on the mangonida (a truly unique taste experience mixing sour, spicy, and sweet on a stick, dipping sauce included), dulce de leche (a light, refreshing flavor), and guanavana (a delightful fruity experience). Spurred on by the multitude of unique fruit paletas (popsicles in spanish) available, I also ended up getting a prickly pear paleta which has a beautiful, light popsicle with pear undertones. However, I wanted to try them all, there were seriously dozens of different kinds of fresh, homemade popsicles just waiting for me to eat them.

Overall, a very fun and worthwhile trip that is easy on the pockets (one scoop was just over $2 as were paletas) with plenty of parking and very friendly service from the owner. Your taste buds and tummy will thank you.

(review courtesy of ting s)

afternoon delight - saturday, sept 4th, 3pm

little bit different this time, since frostbites and neveria are totally close enough that we can do both if we have the time! but please vote on your favorite anyway. :)

frostbites crepes and frozen delights - frozen custard, italian ice, crepes

9111 valley view st, ste 103, cypress 90630

suggested: vanilla custard, sorbet cream

neveria la flor de mexico - ice cream, fro-yo, mexican desserts

7151 katella ave, stanton 90680

suggested: angel's kiss, paleta, dulce de leche

joe's italian ice - ice cream, italian ice

12302 harbor blvd, garden grove 92840

suggested: bada bing cherry italian ice, joe latti

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)

brunch - saturday, november 28th, 10.30am

original pancake house - homemade breakfast (german/scandinavian background)
1418 e lincoln ave, anaheim 92805
suggested: apple pancake, dutch baby, corned beef hash

break of dawn - semi-gourmet breakfast (vietnemese fusion)

24351 avenida de la carlota, laguna hills 92653
suggested: creme brulee french toast, poached eggs

costa mesa omelette parlor - full menu (mid-west american)
179 e 17th street ste a, costa mesa 92627
suggested: omelets (ehringer's irish answer, south coast finest)

senor big ed

Senor Ed is a happy combination of both Puerto Rican and Mexican food. Looks like most patrons come here for to-go entrees, but there's a spacious dining room to the left of the entrance.

Our server was friendly and gracious about making recommendations. We tried bistec encebollado (stir-fried flank steak and onions), pollo en fricase (chicken fricasee-stewed), carne gulsada (stewed beef Puerto Rican-style), and canoa de platano maduro (open yellow plantain filled with ground beef, topped with melted cheese).

Most of the dishes came with heaps of rice and deep fried plantains, both yellow and green. The yellow ones were sweet, the green ones had the texture of dry hash browns and required some ketchup. ;)

Even though we expected the pollo en fricase to be the star of the show, parts of it ended up being dry. The bistec was decent steak, especially with onions. The stewed beef was tasty and the sauce made the rice easier to down. My favorite dish was the plantain with beef and cheese, although it leaves you feeling heavy with no room for the rice.

I thought their horchata was especially yummy, or maybe I was just really thirsty. They even have fun sodas like sparkling apple juice. An overall good experience if you're into meat and rice dishes. A pretty solid restaurant for a fairly competitive area for Mexican food!

3.5/5 stars

(review courtesy of annie)

dinner - wednesday, october 21st, 6.30pm

eating on the cheap, and in your own backyard!

senor big ed - puerto rican
5490 lincoln ave, cypress 90630
suggested: mofongo, pollo en fricase

steam city grill - american fast food
16480 norwalk blvd, cerritos 90703
suggested: steamies" (steamed hot dogs) for 69 cents each, gyros

yves' bistro

Tucked in amongst other randomite stores on the far east side of Anaheim, you will find Yve's Bistro. The seating is cute, and at dusk, they open up their patio doors so that the crisp air rolls in. It's a nice touch.

The bread brought to the table was really bad, I felt like I could have found a more appetizing loaf at Ralph's, and luckily it wasn't indicative of the food they serve there. For appetizers, the Stuffed Mushrooms and Tuscan Palm Sandwiches were tasty enough, though the smaller-than-palm size left a person wanting. The mushrooms themselves could have used more seasoning, but the stuffing was delicious. The Endive salad was also delicious, however this time quantity was an issue as the entire salad only included four pieces of endive.

On to entrees. The Linguini Puttanesca was not too bad, tho bordered on being too sour. Perhaps more toppings could have balanced that issue out. The Spicy Chicken Pasta was decent, but came off a little too oily, besides the fact that the bacon, which was included on the menu, was curiously lacking in the actual dish. The Mushroom Ravioli was very tasty, itself, but the sauce was very oily for a Mushroom Ravioli, and it seemed as though the missing bacon from the Spicy Chicken Pasta somehow found itself in the Ravioli. All entrees were in decent sized portions except for the ravioli which is usually smaller, no matter where you go.

Grand finale--the souffle. The souffle was beautiful and good. We ordered the Chocolate Raspberry Souffle and were satisfied with the tastiness of the entire thing. The sauce was quite tasty, but the entire thing could have used more ice cream. I have to say, I have had much better souffles.

Overall, it was a decent meal, but nothing that would really call me back another day to drive out that far for a meal. It should also be noted that we waited a long time for our food, our waiter almost forgot to bring grated cheese, and the service wasn't spectacular.

3 1/2 (of five) stars

(review courtesy of ting)

dinner - monday, july 13th, 7pm

oaxaca mio - mexican

1169 e 10th st, long beach 90813
"best oaxacan food i've had outside of oaxaca" (yelp reviewer)

suggested: mole (four types!)

yves' bistro - french / italian
5753-a east santa ana canyon rd, anaheim 92807

"the best part about this restaurant ~ Dessert~ Not just any kind of dessert, but 6 different kinds of Souffles!!" (yelp reviewer)

suggested: endive salad, stuffed mushrooms, souffles (seven types!)

at last cafe

the only bad thing about at last cafe is the parking. it's really bad there. ..no joke. it's mainly residential parking, but it's all taken up, for blocks around!

everything about the restaurant, tho, is great. it's very small (an absolute max of 20 diners), has style, super good food, and is cheap! portions were fair, not very much, so if you have a large appetite you will need to order an appetizer or dessert as well. the mac and cheese had really good flavor and the chef added bread crumbs for texture (mixed reviews on that). their "famed" brick chicken smelled amazing and was very tasty. the pot roast, meat loaf, and steak all perfectly cooked, excellent! the crème brûlée, on the other hand, was not good, way too burnt.

suggestions: call in for reservations and get there early to find parking. can definitely be a casual date restaurant, I think most ladies would find it charming. :)

dinner - tuesday, june 16th, 6.30pm

at last cafe - american
204 orange ave, long beach 90802
"comfort food with a gourmet twist -- at pleasant prices" (yelp reviewer)
suggested: brick chicken, mac n' cheese
note: byob, no corkage fee
(possible menu)

nick's deli - deli
223 main st, seal beach 90740
"do you still qualify as a 'deli' if all you're known for are [sic] your stellar breakfast burrito?" (yelp reviewer)
suggested: chorizo breakfast burrito, mild sauce
note: cash only, probably no seating

shenandoah at the arbor

first run was a success! poll worked well (5 to 1) and six of seven invited showed up. now onto weightier matters...

shenandoah is cutesy. sit inside if you're over 55 and boring as hell, or outside if you want a rather lovely view. the patio has lots of foliage, a little stream thing, and pretty lights.

the food wasn't bad. they start you off with apple fitters, which reminded us of donut holes. they would've been better if there were more apple bits inside, but they were warm and sweet. our group got steak, duck, beef brisket, and meat loaf. steak and duck were average. you could tell the duck was done a bit earlier than the rest so it had been sitting there. beef brisket wasn't as juicy as i'm used to, but had good flavor. and the meat loaf was quite good.

i got a iced tea with mint syrup that you can add yourself. i liked it. others said the syrup reminded them of toothpaste. for dessert we got the butterfinger creme brulee. while not bad, you should probably stick to the regular version. it's too sweet, and the butterfinger is only on the bottom.

it was a bit pricier than i was expecting (i got the suggestion out of the orange coast cheap eats issue), but reasonable.

possible return. but probably only on a date. ...with a girl.

dinner - thursday may 28th. around 7pm

(i can't get the links to work. hover over "link" for link)

lazy dog cafe - italian
16310 beach blvd, westminister 92683
"the massive menu at this big friendly cafe from the minds behind mimi's has plenty of tricks..."
suggested: trio of hummus, walnut-pesto, and sundried tomato. jerk seasoned bahama chicken breast w/ fruit, beans and rice.

shenandoah at the arbor - southern
10631 los alamitos blvd, los alamitos 90720
as cute and as homey as your grandma's kitchen. "southern charmer is just plain cozy"
suggested: apple fritters. granny's fried chicken. german butter cake.


both made orangecoast magazine cheap eats issue. quotes taken from there as well.

interact!

1. please vote only if you plan on going to this meal.

2. please send restaurant suggestions! i will find places through various magazines and websites, but if you've been dying to go somewhere, let us go with you!

3. okay, so i know my banner is pretty bad. but it's the best i could do! if you think you can do better (and i'm sure you can) send over a banner and i'll post it up. it should be 650 x 145.


a few things to note:
1. please comment with your name since blogger doesn't track who voted. this way i can make reservations and arrange carpool.

2. if a restaurant gets 0 votes, it won't be on the list again unless someone requests it.