Domino's New Pizza Recipe - Does it Deliver?

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-BLACKLISTED

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

www.citruscafe.com

RESTAURANT ADDED TO BLACKLIST FOR FAILURE TO HONOR THEIR OWN RESTAURANT.COM CERTIFICATES!

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

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!

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)

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!

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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....