Z'Tejas - South Coast Plaza - Hatch Chile-Fest 2013

Z'Tejas
South Coast Plaza
Costa Mesa
(714) 979-7469
ztejas.com

To celebrate the annual Hatch Chile-Fest in New Mexico, Z'Tejas in South Coast Plaza is having their own version of Chile-Fest with a special, very limited-time menu that features all sorts of dishes with Hatch chiles. The special Chile-Fest menu runs from September 3rd to September 16th, 2013. $1 from each entree sold off of the special menu will benefit the Blind Children's Learning Center. The menu selection includes items from every category from cocktails, to appetizers, to entrees and desserts. I was luck enough to be invited down to sample some of the special chile items.

I started my night off with the Smokin' Margarita ($8.50) cocktail. I am a huge fan of margaritas, and I really love spicy stuff, so I thought this drink would be perfect. The drink is made with Herradura Anejo tequila, DeKuyper Peach, GRand Marnier, fresh lemon juice and what they call a "special kick." Well this "special kick" really was a "KICK!" The drink has a very potent, spicy sting that leaves your lips a little numb.

Next us was the appetizer of Fried Hatch Chiles and Onions ($6.95). Thin strips of Hatch chiles and onions were battered and fried to a crispy, golden-brown. The strings were served with a side of ranch dressing and BBQ sauce. I really enjoyed this dish, but really wished that there were more Hatch chiles. The dish consisted of about 80%-90% onions, and only a few strips of chile here and there.

Next up were the entrees. V ordered the Adobo Steak Relleno ($13.95) and I went for the Herb Chile Glazed Mahi Mahi ($16.95). V's Steak Relleno consisted of roasted Hatch chiles stuffed with seared beef tenderloin, jack cheese and caramelized onions. They were topped with a chipotle corn relish and server with Hatch chile rice and spicy red beans. V and I both agreed that this dish was very good, but we both wished it had more steak, as there were only around four tiny cubes of steak in the entire dish.

The Herb Chile Glazed Mahi Mahi was served with roasted vegetables, spicy red beans, Hatch chile rice and some small corn tortillas, so you could make your own fish tacos. This was also good, but I felt that it could have used more Hatch chiles. The plate was also served with a cool, creamy slaw that V enjoyed very much.

To finish off the night, we had a Hatch Chile Coconut Flan ($5.95). This cool and creamy dessert was absolutely perfect and my favorite dish of the night. The sweet custard flan was spiked with a nice punch of chile pepper that you could feel in the back of your throat. The more I ate of it, the more I liked it. It may sound a little weird to have chile peppers in your dessert, but trust me, it works.

This special menu only lasts for less than two weeks, so get it while you can. This does seem to be an annual even t for Z'Tejas though, so if you miss it this year, make sure to mark your calendar for next time!

Burrissimo - Costa Mesa

Burrissimo 

1534 Adams Ave #D 

Costa Mesa, CA 92626 

714-206-1682

www.burrissimo.com

By Guest Writer: Jeff L.

Their theme is “fresh Italian” and their selection of what you could put on your meal was impressive.  The concept behind Burrissimo is similar to Chipotle.  You basically pick your meat and veggies and they then get wrapped up in an Italian herb tortilla with some angel hair pasta and sauce.  Their selection of toppings is very extensive.

We started with the bread sticks which looked underdone and were. They were served with an interesting honey butter which, when they were consistent were good, but a little too much on the honey side and less on the butter side. The first batch was more of an applesauce consistency with the second batch being what you would expect in regard to creaminess. The bread was very light and fluffy.

We then had the pepperoni rolls which were served with 3 sauces, alfredo, pomodoro and ranch. The alfredo sauce had this orange hue so I had to doubletake, it could use a little on the flavor side but did have a little kick towards the end. Pomodoro was a simple marinara sauce.

The Tuscany sausage potato soup was really good. Seasoned perfectly and it was light yet hearty.

The Burrissimo wrap is an intriguing concept, at first I’m thinking an Italian wrap with angel hair pasta inside would be weird, but it works. I had the meatball inside which was good but by the time you put all the veggies on it the meat to total product ratio seems small. They make their meatballs from scratch which I respect. I had a smidgen of diavolo sauce because it was too hot but combined with the pomodoro sauce made for a zesty combination. 

The Zeppoles were a little on the dry side but combined with the dipping sauces it worked.

Bottom line is that if you want fresh, high quality food for a reasonable price point you should try this place.

Editor's note: Jeff was invited to try Burrissimo as part of a media event.

Burrissimo Costa Mesa - GIVEAWAY!

http://www.burrissimo.com/

Have you guys heard of this new Burrissimo restaurant in Costa Mesa?  They also have a new location coming soon in Brea.  Burrissimo is a fast-casual restaurant that is similar in food-prep style to Chipotle.  The difference though, is that the burritos are made with Italian ingredients!  Burritos come filled with angel hair pasta and a variety of toppings, such as pomodoro sauce, alfredo sauce, roasted garlic, sundried tomatoes and so much more!  Burrissimo has offered to give out PRIZES TO 11 OF MY LUCKY READERS!

Ten lucky winners will win a $10 gift card to Burrissimo

One GRAND PRIZE winner will win a Burrisimo prize pack.  The prize pack must be picked up at Burrissimo, Costa Mesa by June 27, 2013. Prize pack consists of:

• A pair of Costa Mesa 60th Anniversary celebration concert tickets for Friday June 28 at 4:00 PM. For more info, visit the Costa Mesa 60th Anniversary Celebration website http://www.travelcostamesa.com/costa-mesa-60/index.html
• $25 Burrissimo Gift Card
• Burrissimo Logo Cap
• Bottle of BSting Signature Hot Sauce
• An order of free Zepoles (Italian Donuts)

By the way, if you visit the restaurant between 6/24 and 6/30, you will receive a free order of Zeppoles with a minimum $7 purchase!  To enter the contest, please use the rafflecopter form below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sidecar Doughnuts in Costa Mesa - Opening Date April 12, 2013

270 E. 17th St., #18
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
(949) 887-2910
www.sidecardoughnuts.com

The little gourmet doughnut shop that I have been hearing so much buzz about for the past few months, is finally opening it's doors on Friday 4/12/13. Luckily for me, I was invited down to the shop a few days early to try some of their amazing doughnuts.

The doughnut shop is tucked away in a small strip mall off of 17th Street in Costa Mesa. It's kind of in the back, in an area that isn't really visible from the street. There isn't really a sign on the building either, but I'm thinking that maybe it just hasn't been installed yet. I actually drove past the place twice because I couldn't see it. Trust me though, it's there!

Sidecar will have a rotating menu of flavors. They plan to have anywhere from six to ten flavors at any given time, however, Maple Bacon, Birthday Cake and Cinnamon Crumb will likely be constant on the menu. Unfortunately, the flavors I was looking forward to trying the most, guava, passion fruit and rosemary, were not on the menu of opening flavors. They plan to keep the public updated on the current roster of flavors on Facebook (facebook.com/sidecardoughnuts), Twitter (@sidecardoughnts not a typo, leave out the "u") and their website. The flavors I got try try were Huckleberry, Birthday Cake, Malasada, Malasada with Haupia, Raspberry & Cream, Cinnamon Crumb, Meyer Lemon Poundcake, Maple Bacon, Callebaut Chocolate and Toasted Coconut.




Of the 10 flavors I tried, the Toasted Coconut had to be my favorite. A light, fluffy doughnut, covered with a thin layer of glaze was topped with a generous sprinkling of toasted coconut. My second favorite was the Malasada with Haupia filling. A malasada is a Portugese-style doughnut that is often found in Hawaii. Haupia is a coconut milk based custard-like filling.

Sidecar takes great care to make sure that their doughnuts not only have visual appeal, but are made from the finest ingredients. The huckleberries they use for the Huckleberry doughnut are hand-foraged from the wild in the forests of Oregon. This seems a little extreme to me, but it was a mighty tasty doughnut. Because of the high-quality ingredients, prices at Sidecar range from $2-$4 for a single doughnut. This may seem steep when you're used to paying 60 cents to a dollar for a doughnut at your local doughnut shop, but relatively cheap when you consider what some other high-end "gourmet" desserts are going for these days.

I also have to talk about their coffee......oh the coffee..... Sidecar has brought in coffee from Oregon, roasted by Stumptown coffee. I was handed a cup of this coffee when I walked in the door. I casually took a sip, expecting this to be an average cup of Joe. What I experienced though was one of the best cups of coffee I have ever had. I believe the roast I had was the Indonesia Sumatra. The coffee was rich and perfectly balanced. Drip coffee is available by the cup for $3. Coffee beans are also available by the bag to take home, but come at a premium....about $18 for a 12 oz. bag.


Overall, I think that Sidecar doughnuts is a great place to go and get yourself a quick, gourmet treat. With the prices though, it's likely I won't be stopping in every time I get a hankering for doughnuts. I do look forward to returning and trying the guava, passion fruit, rosemary and other unique flavors that they come out with. I know I'll be keeping a close eye on their Twitter feed and Facebook page to see what flavors are coming next!

FYI. Doughnuts are available from 7AM Monday-Friday and 8AM on the weekends, until they run out. They drop new doughnuts into the fryer about every 30 minutes and their last fry is currently at 12:31 PM.

Pitfire Pizza - Costa Mesa

 353 E 17th St.

Costa Mesa, CA 92627

949-313-6333

www.pitfirepizza.com

Please Note: The following is a guest review written by Jeff L.

I attended a media event so take my reviews as such. I was coming from PCH and drove past the restaurant but the parking behind it is very intuitive. This is the first restaurant of theirs in OC and the 6th location overall having been in LA for years. Costa Mesa makes sense for a restaurant like this with its simple, laid back atmosphere yet subtle attention to details. For example, the column you see when ordering was made out of mahogany from a boat deck, the bulbs on the wall to your left as you walk in spell Pitfire in braille, and the seats are made from VW beetle car seats. The place is very approachable and I liked the open counter seating encouraging you to sit next to the kitchen in a community type arrangement. The counter made me think of a diner meets European café setting.

The drink menu was limited but focused to make anyone happy. They have all your major wines but all hand picked trying to get from California if they could. I had one of the signature cocktails called Crystal Cove which was quite refreshing and the rosemary stick made for an interesting touch – you could smell the fresh rosemary though drinking it could be challenging because the rosemary kept wanting to go in my nose – I somehow managed though. I had a sample of the beer which was very refreshing yet bold in flavor. They have from 5-10 beers on tap. In addition to regular sangria they also offered a pear apple version. The boomboom red wine was excellent and highly recommended by management. It reminded me of a daily drinkable Italian table wine that just was what it was. For pricing of $7 to $12 a glass it was perfect with the pizza.

The chicken meatballs were uneventful but the sauce brought them to life. On to pizza, I tried several and all were excellent. The crust was thin akin to a southern Italy but not crispy on the bottom. The topping to crust ratio was just right. The edge of the pizza crust was quite crispy though giving it a good combination. I am not a pumpkin person usually but pumpkin squash pizza was quite lovely, very subtle yet flavorful with the brown butter and fontina cheese rounding it out nicely. The Burrata pie was excellent with the arugula a nice touch. One pizza had me intrigued because it was pear but had a spicy kick, turns out they put a few red chili flakes on it. On to my favorite, the sausage party was divine and seeing all that meat on it had me anticipating a more saltier version but the balsamic drizzle kept it at bay and really brought out the flavor. The final pizza was the Tuscan off-menu with thinly sliced potatoes of all things but it worked.

Chicken Meatballs

Pumpkin Pizza

Burrata Pizza

Sausage Party Pizza

Tuscan Pizza with Potatoes

They make almost if not all of their own food and even have their own bread room. In the spirit of community they have a nice private dining room behind the kitchen and even installed the first oven they ever used from 15 years ago. Overall it has high quality food made by people that are passionate about what they do. The three themes of food, design and community are abundant throughout the entire experience and I will definitely be back with a high recommendation.

Blackie's Originals - Pork Chips

www.blackiesoriginals.com

I happened to be walking through the Farmers Market at the Kaiser in Irvine (Wednesdays) when I spotted a booth offering what they call Crispy Pork Jerky. I tried a sample and discovered that is was not much like jerky, but much more like a crispy meat chip. Fantastic! The company is only 5 months old and currently sells their product at this Farmers Market plus the Huntington Beach Farmers Market and the OC Swap Meet at the Fairgrounds over the weekend. The crispy pork chips are now available in Original and Spiked Pepper. The flavor is a little like a sweet teriyaki glaze on lightly smoked, crispy bacon. New flavors will be coming soon. I hope he comes out with a flavor soon that focuses more on the salty instead of the sweet. These are still a great little snack though. The chips are baked, all-natural and 97% fat-free. Bags are currently $6 each or 2 for $10.

Taco Asylum - Costa Mesa

Taco Asylum
2937 S. Bristol St, B102
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
phone 714.922.6010
www.tacoasylum.com

Are you crazy about tacos? If so, the newly opened Taco Asylum in The CAMP in Costa Mesa may be just the place for you. Taco Asylum was opened by the trio behind Haven Gastropub in Orange. The restaurant specializes in unique gourmet tacos that include ingredients such as grilled baby octopus and confit beef heart. They also have a selection of small craft beers in both cans and on tap. Non-beer drinkers can enjoy a variety of all-natural sodas including sarsaparilla.

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to attend a special preview event a couple of days before the official grand opening. I was able to try most of the tacos. The tacos I got to sample were:

Grilled octopus – flour tortilla, kalamata olives, oregano, feta, tomatoes $5

Pork belly – flour tortilla, carrots, daikon, onions, cilantro $5

Short rib – flour tortilla, pickled red onion, salsa verde, cotija cheese, cilantro $5

Curried paneer (Indian Cheese) – naan tortilla, raita, tomato chutney $5

Lamb – flour tortilla, olive tapenade, ratatouille, mâché $6

Corazon – flour tortilla, confit beef heart, pickled turnips and peppers, harissa $5

and Wild mushroom – herbed tortilla, mushrooms, garbanzo puree, parsley salad, fried chickpeas $5(FORGOT TO TAKE A PICTURE)

All of the tacos come prepared on fresh handmade tortillas. My favorite taco of the night was probably the curried paneer taco. The naan tortilla went perfectly with the authentic Indian flavor of the curried paneer. The wild mushroom taco was also very good. The fried chickpeas added a nice crunch that complemented the tender, meaty mushrooms. The Corazon taco was my first experience eating beef heart. It was surprisingly tender and tasty.

Unfortunately I had to leave before they sampled the ghost chili pork (flour tortilla, chili threads, pork cracklins $5) and duck (flour tortilla, camembert, dijon crème fraîche $6) tacos. I heard that these turned out to be two of the favorites for the night.

I'm sure you must be thinking that these tacos are extremely expensive. Well you're right. When you see and taste the high quality ingredients though, you understand why they demand a higher price than your average taco stand. For a better value, you can get a flight of 8 mini tacos for $18. If you're still scoffing at the idea of paying $5 for a single taco, just think of it as a chance to try some gourmet treats that happen to come served in an edible wrapper.

Overall, I think this is a place that people should try at least once. It's nice to go here to sample these tasty gourmet delights, but due to the high price tag, I don't think it will be making my list of "usuals." I also found it surprising that their menu states "changes and substitutions politely declined." I can understand not allowing certain substitutions, but I think if a restaurant is going to serve $5 tacos from behind a counter, they should be a little more willing to let the customer alter the taco to their liking. It's kind of shocking that you can customize your 49¢ taco at Del Taco, but not your $5-$6 taco from Taco Asylum....

DG Burger (Damn Good)

3333 Bristol St
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 361-4264

I was invited down to the media tasting of Charlie Palmer's newest restaurant today. DG Burger is a small, fast casual restaurant that occupies the private dining room of Charlie Palmer restaurant by day. The usual hours of DG Burger are 11:30 AM-4:00 PM. At night, the room is transformed back into a private dining venue for Charlie Palmer. If there are no events booked in the room though, they may choose to randomly keep DG Burger open for dinner as well.

When you enter the small DG Burger space that seats 40, you will order your food at a front counter. You will then be given a number and directed to the dining room. You place your number on the table and wait for your food to be delivered. You have the option of getting your food to go as well.

Chef Charlie Palmer spoke to us about how it took him months to perfect his burger. He worked closely with a local bakery to produce a bun that he was happy with. He then tried several blends of ground beef until he found a blend of ground chuck, shortrib and hangar steak that he was happy with.


The menu at DG Burger is small, with the burger obviously being the main item. The burger comes simply dressed with cabbage, tomato, red onion and "DG Sauce" for $7.95. Additional toppings of fried egg, bacon, aged cheddar and avocado are available for $2 each. Get all four and you're looking at a $16 burger. The burger is served on a buttered and toasted Potato Bun.

I was pretty surprised when I wasn't impressed by the burger. While the meat was juicy and cooked to a perfect medium rare, it seemed to lack a little flavor. The patty itself was pretty average. It might be because Chef Charlie Palmer hyped it up so much, but I expected this burger to be magical. Instead I feel it fell a little flat. I'm sure the burger is a lot better with bacon and cheese, but again, this makes the burger much more expensive. The burger was also pretty small.

The fries here are not really anything special by themselves. DG Burger offers four different dipping sauces for the fries. You get your choice of Curry Ketchup, Bacon Mayo, Roasted Garlic Sour Cream or Chipotle Aioli. My favorite was the roasted garlic sour cream. I want to carry around a container of this with me so I can have it whenever I get french fries somewhere.

Other items on the menu include Citrus Glazed Skewers (beef, chicken, veggie $7.95), Sausage Sandwich ($6.75), Fries ($5), Salads ($5) and Milkshakes (strawberry or malted chocolate $5). Soft drink, beer and wine are also available.

Leatherby's Cafe Rouge

Rene and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall
615 Town Center Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

714-429-7640

www.patinagroup.com

I was recently invited down to a media dinner at Leatherby's Cafe Rouge to sample the culinary creations from their fairly new executive chef, Ross Pangilinan. Leatherby's seems to be a restaurant that a lot of people in Orange County have never heard of. This is a shame, because the food here is top notch. Leatherby's is located on the first floor of the Rene and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. The restaurant is frequented by patrons of the Orange County Performing Arts Center and SCR. Therefore, if you dine there after the nightly shows begin, you will most likely be dining in an almost empty restaurant.

(Please excuse the graininess of the photos. The lighting in the restaurant is dim and I was not using a flash.)

We had a preset menu for the media dinner. The meal started with an amuse bouche sent out by the chef. It was a small cube of compressed watermelon topped with a balsamic vinegar sphere and pop rocks. It was very tasty and very fun to eat with the pop rocks exploding in your mouth.

Our first course was a Fresh Seafood Quartet. The quartet contained octopus, lobster, ahi tuna tartar in a cone and smoked hamachi. Each item on the plate was absolutely delicious. The octopus was the most tender piece of octopus I have ever had. I think my favorite had to be the lobster though, with the tuna cone coming in a close second.

The second course was house made fettuccine with roasted mushrooms and white wine parmesan sauce. The dish was topped with a generous serving of truffle shavings. I enjoyed this dish so much that I waved down the waiter and asked him if there was any way I could get an order of this to take home. I was more than happy to pay any amount for this dish. Sadly, when I got home and opened the container, there were no shaved truffles on top. The truffles are what made this dish truly special. I think the truffle shavings on top may have been special for this media dinner because the online menu for the restaurant only lists "truffle essence" in the description.

For our main course, we had the choice of three dishes, all of which are available on their daily menu. Our three choices were:

Black Striped Bass (Market Fish of the Day, normally market price)
Israeli couscous paella, mussels, shrimp, chorizo, saffron.

Duo of Beef Shortribs (normally $28)
Braised and grilled, raclette potatoes, yellow and green bean salad, mushroom red wine sauce.

Maple Leaf Farms Duck Breast (normally $29)
Mushroom risotto, caramelized blackberries, Szechuan pepper, cider jus.

All of the dishes sounded fantastic, but I finally decided on the short ribs. The grilled short rib was served on top of the raclette potatoes, which were basically pureed potatoes with a little cheese in them. The braised short rib was served with the yellow and green bean salad on top. Both versions were absolutely delicious. If I had to pick a favorite though, it would have to be the braised. It's just so hard to go wrong with braised short ribs. It was tender, full of flavor and scrumptious.

After dinner, we were presented with an assortment of desserts to share. Pictured are a trio of chocolate desserts, panna cotta, cheesecake and bread pudding. They also served an assortment of gelatos and sorbets. All of the desserts were presented nicely, but were pretty average. The only thing that stood out was the watermelon and black pepper sorbet. Everyone at the table had fun trying to figure out what flavor the watermelon was paired with.

Chocolate Trio

Cheesecake

Panna Cotta

Bread Pudding
Overall, I think that Leatherby's is a fantastic choice if you are looking for a delicious, upscale meal in Orange County. You're not going to get huge portions here, but the food you do get will be amazing. Everyone should treat themselves to this place at least once.