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.
