Taquiero Taco Patio - Irvine

4517 Campus Drive

Irvine, CA 92612

949-333-1671

www.taquierotaco.com

What is going on here?  Am I actually writing an article for this first time in 5 years?  What could possess me to do such a thing?  I'll tell you what......TACOS!  But not just any tacos....AMAZING TACOS!

Taquiero Taco Patio is a brand new restaurant in Irvine across the street from UCI.  They specialize in authentic Tijuana-style tacos.  They also offer burritos, mulitas, quesadillas, nachos and fries.  I know you must be thinking that there is no way that Irvine can have an authentic taqueria that is better than joints in Santa Ana, but it's true.

The restaurant was co-founded by a gentleman named Sean that moved from OC to Mexico and spent the last 10 years there.  He loved the tacos down there and knew that there wasn't anything like it in Orange County. He decided to come back and share the experience with us. All ingredients are fresh, high-quality and the corn they use for the tortillas is non-GMO.

Meat selections include carne asada, pollo pastor, pollo asado, cochinita pibil, veggies and the much sought after al pastor fresh off a spinning rotisserie spit.

They also hand make all of their corn tortillas in house.  No premade masa here.  They soak corn in the back and mash it up with just a little salt.  The tortillas are then hand-pressed and griddled fresh when you order your taco.  Tacos automatically come with your choice of meat, salsa, cilantro, onion and guacamole.

(Two tacos with "cheese tortillas")

Tacos will run you $3.50 and burritos are $9.75.  These things are packed full of meat and deliciousness.  Two tacos will be a feast.  Carne asada/al pastor nachos or fries are $10 and mulitas (Tijuana-style quesadilla) are $6.75 with your choice of meat. 

The tacos here are delicious by themselves, but get even better when you visit their salsa bar.  Here you will find 7 or 8 different salsas, fresh limes, perfectly pickled onions, jalapenos and more.  My favorite is this green, kinda creamy salsa with a little kick.  

When you have stuffed yourself full of taco deliciousness, make sure to stop at the complimentary Mexican candy case on the way out.  Here you can grab yourself a few Mexican delights to top off your meal.  Let's hope that people don't abuse this and cause the owners to stop offering this totally awesome amenity.  

Agora Churrascaria - Irvine

Agora's Passion Fruit Caipirinha

Agora Churrascaria
1830 Main Street
Irvine, CA 92614

949-222-9910
www.agoranow.com

Agora Churrascaria is a restaurant that I am sure many of you have heard of. It is known as Orange County's best Brazilian Steakhouse aka Churrascaria. Large skewers of fire-roasted meats are paraded around the restaurant and sliced directly onto your plate. It's a veritable all-you-can-eat meat-apalooza. Since every article written about this place is focused on the meat....the juicy, tender, succulent, flavorful, scrumptious meat....I have decided to talk a little bit about something different. The salad bar.

The salad bar at Agora Churrascaria is included in every meal. The idea is that you are supposed to go up to the salad bar to get yourself a salad or some side dishes before you gorge yourself on meat. Often times though, I see many people skip the salad bar altogether and just pig out on meat. Now, while this may seem like a good way to get your money's worth, you're really missing out on some of the best stuff that Agora has to offer.

Here are a few pictures of the salad bar.






The salad bar is filled with some of the most delicious, fresh produce you have ever seen. Red, ripe juicy tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and thick stalks of asparagus are laid out in a meticulous fashion. You will also find a nice selection of cured meats, like salami and prosciutto spread out near a giant platter of crumbled parmesan cheese. Large peeled shrimp are served chilled with cocktail sauce. One side of the salad bar is made of pre-made salads like pasta salad and potato salad and are among some of the best you will ever have.



In addition to the chilled salad bar, there is also a hot food bar that includes several different side dishes that would often be seen as a meal by themselves. On the hot food bar you will find selections such as black bean stew (fejioada), clams with olive oil and white wine, chicken stroganoff, garlic rice, salmon, mussels, sautéed collard greens and mashed potatoes.

So, while I would still highly encourage anyone to visit Agora when they want to pig out on meat, I urge you to give the salad bar a try. You will find some delightful treats that will nicely complement your meat feast. Perhaps you can even use some of the selections from the cold bar to cool yourself down after the meat sweats start...

Current prices as of August 2012:
Adult Lunch: $25
Adult Dinner: $43
Hot Bar and Salad Bar Only: $21 lunch/$31 dinner
Children age 6-10 are half price

Tasti-D-Lite Tustin - My latest obsession

Tasti-D-Lite
13662 Newport Ave, Suite C
Tustin, CA 92780
714-838-8100

www.tastidlite.com
Do you ever wish that there was a tasty frozen treat that had less fat and calories than most frozen yogurt? Do you get tired of picking from whatever 8-10 flavors are on tap at your local soft-serve place? You must be thinking to yourself, "There has to be a better way!" Well now there is! Tasti-D-Lite in Tustin is here for all of your low calorie, all-natural, frozen treat cravings!

Ok....enough with the infomercial spiel. Seriously though, this place is pretty awesome. When you enter the store, they tell you that their product is not frozen yogurt because there are no live, active cultures. They also can't call it ice cream because it has less than the required 10% butterfat to officially be called "ice cream." So they just call themselves a tasty frozen treat. Tasti-D-Lite has around 70 calories and 1.5 grams of fat per serving. The ingredients are all-natural. They have 8 flavors on tap that rotate on a daily basis. Here is the best part though, if you don't see a flavor you like on tap, you can choose from their menu of over 100+ flavors that they can mix up for you on the spot.

Tasti-D-Lite has a very extensive flavor list from Acai to Tropicolada to Rice Pudding and Cinnamon Crunch. The most amazing part is that all of the flavors I have tried taste almost exactly like the item they are trying to mimic. My favorite flavor so far is rice pudding. It actually tastes like homemade rice pudding that has somehow been pureed and frozen. I add a little extra cinnamon to mine and it is just as satisfying as eating a big ol' bowl of rice pudding.

So far this Tustin location is the only location in California. There are many Tasti-D-Lites on the east coast. Hopefully this Tasti-D-Lite is just the first of many to come to OC.
The Custom Flavor Mixing Station Toppings

The Cocoa Lounge is back! - Palm Terrace Restaurant, Island Hotel Newport Beach

The Cocoa Lounge, inside
The Palm Terrace Restaurant, inside
The Island Hotel
690 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660
Toll Free: 866-554-4620
Phone: 949-759-0808
www.islandhotel.com

The time has come for the 4th annual Cocoa lounge at the Palm Terrace restaurant in The Island Hotel in Newport Beach. For those of you not familiar with it, the Island Hotel hosts a pop-up chocolate lounge, once a year in February. The lounge is open in the evenings only and offers all-you-can-eat chocolate indulgences. Due to the huge surge in popularity, reservations are highly recommended. There is also a pricing adjustment this year. Admission to the Cocoa Lounge is $24 per person. If you dine in the restaurant beforehand and order an entree, your admission to the lounge is only $12. For last year's full coverage of the event, including many pictures, please visit http://www.griffineatsoc.com/2011/02/cocoa-lounge-at-palm-terrace-in-island.html

The lounge is open Tuesday thru Saturday from 6:00 PM-10:00 PM, Feb 3-March 3.

Below is a sample of the chocolate delights that await you, however the menu is subject to change.

Cocoa Lounge Menu – February 2012

Whole Cakes

· Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake

· Espresso Mousse Chocolate Cake

· White Chocolate Red Velvet Cheesecake

· Chocolate Bread Pudding with Bourbon Cream

Mini Pastries

· Chocolate Pudding Cake with White Chocolate Mousse, Raspberry Glaze

· Milk Chocolate Mousse Timbales

· Cream Cheese Peanut Butter Brownies

· Orange White Chocolate Pistachio Cake

· Financier S’mores (pictured below)

· Gianduja Chocolate Pot de Crème

· Dark Chocolate Éclairs filled with Almond Cream (pictured below)

· Dark Chocolate Cheesecake (Pyramids)

· Fresh Fruit Tarts

Candies

· Peanut Caramels

· Chocolate Lollipops

· Port Truffles

· Chocolate Hazelnut Clusters

Lucca Cafe Brunch - Irvine

Lucca Cafe, Irvine
6507 Quail Hill Parkway
Irvine, CA 92603

(949)725-1773

www.luccacafe.net

One of the things I really enjoy in life is going to a nice brunch on Sunday. I try to go almost every Sunday. This past Sunday I decided to try the brunch at Lucca Cafe in the Quail Hill area of Irvine. Brunch at Lucca is served on both Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 AM - 2:00 PM.

I dined at Lucca with a party of five. We decided to start our meal with a couple of their "famous" Cinnamon Rolls ($2.50 each). The cinnamon rolls are made with sweet danish dough and are filled with their sugar cinnamon "shmear." The cinnamon rolls were very good. They were warm, buttery, flaky and filled with lots of gooey cinnamon goodness. Two cinnamon rolls was plenty for the five of us to share.

For our entrees, I decided to order Lucca's "Sunday Sauce" ($13.95). T ordered the Eggs In Purgatory ($9.95), IG ordered the Italian Porchetta sandwich ($12.95) and V and R decided to share the Pain Perdu ($8.95) and a French style rolled omelet ($11.95).


(side salad served with meal)
Lucca's Sunday sauce is a menu item that is only available during lunch and brunch. It is not on the menu during dinner. Even though it is called "Sunday Sauce," it is available seven days a week. The name comes from Chef Cathy Pavlos' grandmother who used to make this sauce every Sunday. The sauce is similar to a bolognese sauce and it is served with a meatball and a couple slices of Italian sausage. The sauce is usually served over penne pasta, but I requested that mine be made with whole wheat pasta. This pasta sauce is definitely one of the best pasta sauces I have ever had. It was bursting with tomato flavor and had a great tangy kick. I started getting full when I was halfway through the bowl, but I couldn't stop eating until every bit was gone. I will be returning to Lucca to get this dish many times. I was also happy to hear that the sauce is available for sale by the quart for $13.95. I think I may buy a quart later and just eat it with a spoon.

T enjoyed his Eggs in Purgatory. The dish was comprised of two eggs that were simmered in a slightly spicy tomato sauce. The eggs were served over breakfast potatoes and topped with cheese and avocado. He wasn't raving about this dish, but he thought it was pretty good.

IG's Italian Porchetta Sandwich was made on a toasted Telera roll. The sandwich contained lean pork loin, provolone cheese, arugula, caramelized onions and a sundried tomato aioli. IG declared this to be the best sandwich she had ever eaten in her entire life!


V and R both enjoyed their omelet and pain perdu very much. The fillings they picked for their omelet were goat cheese, avocado and ham. The pain perdu, aka french toast, was made with challah bread and was served with orange creme fraiche and maple syrup.

Overall, I was very impressed with the brunch at Lucca. I'm a little disappointed that the Sunday Sauce isn't on the dinner menu. I guess this just means that I'll be coming here mostly for brunch or lunch. I also wish they had some sort of champagne/mimosa/bloody mary special during brunch. This is definitely near the top of my list of favorite Sunday brunch spots now.

Seabirds Truck

(Photo courtesy of seabirdstruck.com)
Seabirds Truck
http://www.seabirdstruck.com
www.twitter.com/SeabirdsTruck
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Seabirds-Truck/88618734995

The Seabirds Truck was always one of those trucks that I saw at the Food Truck Meetups but never tried. I would wander over and look at their menu and think, "It sounds good, but I need meat!" As most of you know, the Seabirds Truck serves vegan food. That is, no meat and no animal products at all. Sounds like rabbit food, right? WRONG!

After watching Seabirds on Season 2 of The Great Food Truck Race, I decided two things. One, I like the girls from Seabirds WAY MORE than I liked the cocky guys from The Lime Truck, and two, I had to try their food. I finally made it down to the Wednesday lunch Food Truck Meetup in the Irvine Teller lot and made my way over to the Seabirds truck. On this particular day, they were serving two different kinds of tacos, jackfruit and fried avocado ($7 for two). I decided to order one of each. They also had a dirty rice with spicy kale and chickpea "sausage" on their menu. The full order was $8, but they were able to do a half order for $4.

(Avocado taco on the left, Jackfruit taco on the right)
The jackfruit taco was made with jackfruit that was cooked "Al Pastor" style. For those of you that don't know, jackfruit is a large tropical fruit that when cooked before it is fully ripe, has the same texture of meat and a very mild flavor so you can season it to taste very similar to meat. This taco was topped with a pineapple salsa. The taco was fantastic. The jackfruit had the same texture as shredded pork and the sweet pineapple salsa complemented the spices in the "al pastor." I thought to myself, "How can they top this taco?" Then I took a bite of the fried avocado taco and was immediately transported to heaven. The avocado taco had a large slice of beer battered avocado that was deep fried until it was crispy on the outside and warm and creamy in the middle. It was topped with a creamy jalapeno-cilantro sauce and a red cabbage slaw. This might be the best taco I have ver had. All of the flavors in the taco harmonized one another and I couldn't get enough. Sadly, I only ordered one. I will most definitely be going back to get more and more of these.

I moved on the dirty rice with spicy kale. Wow! The dirty rice had a really spicy kick! I love spicy food and I was surprised at how spicy this dish was. A lot of my friends and family that don't do well with spicy would not be able to eat this dish though. I loved it. The rice had a great creole flavor and the spicy kale kicked in a lot of extra flavor.

After my dining experience at Seabirds, I am eager to go back and get more. I will for sure be ordering many fried avocado tacos. I will also be willing to try anything that they serve since I was so impressed with everything I tried. If this is what vegan food is like, maybe I don't need all that meat..... (Don't tell the carnivore in me that I said that...)

Kappa Ramen - Anaheim

Kappa Ramen
3024 W Ball Road,
Anaheim, CA 92804
(714) 828-2210
www.kapparamen.com

The winter coats are coming out and the heaters are being cranked up. People are busting out their scarves and opting for the hot lattes instead of the frappucinos. Yup, that's right, it's that time of year where it drops down into the freezing 60's here in the OC. This also means that it is the perfect time for a steaming hot bowl of perfectly made ramen. Luckily for me, I got just that opportunity recently when I was invited down to the newly opened Kappa Ramen by the PR rep. I battled traffic for over an hour to get to the restaurant, but in the end, it was totally worth it.

Kappa Ramen is in the back corner of a tiny strip mall off Beach and Ball in Anaheim. It's the kind of parking lot where you double check your car doors to make sure they are securely locked. When you enter the restaurant though, you are greeted by a friendly, very brightly lit interior. I was happy that the restaurant was so brightly lit because I knew my pictures would come out so much better. Therefore, I will be posting a few extra pictures to this review.

I decided to start my meal with an order of Gyoza Potstickers ($6 for 8 or $3.45 for 4) and the Chashu appetizer ($4.50). For the main course I ordered the Kyoto Ramen ($7.45) and the fried rice ($6.95 full/$3.95 half). V decided to get the Kappa Signature Ramen ($9.95).


The gyoza is available "potsticker" style as pictured or deep fried if you prefer. The gyoza was very good and cooked just right. The exterior was crispy, but not too greasy and the interior was a nice mix of pork and vegetables.


The chashu was very tender and full of flavor. We both enjoyed this a lot. It seemed to have more flavor than chashu at most ramen places.


The fried rice was the only disappointing part of the meal. The rice was very bland. It could have benefited from a lot more soy sauce and maybe some sesame oil or something. It really almost tasted like plain rice with a few vegetables thrown in. V also didn't care for the fried rice.


The Kyoto Ramen was a basic tonkotsu ramen. This is not to be confused with "tonkatsu" ramen. Tonkatsu is a breaded pork cutlet and tonkotsu means pork bones. This broth is made fresh daily by simmering chicken and pork bones for a very long time to create a milky tan broth that is bursting with pork flavor. The tonkotsu broth at Kappa Ramen is one of the best I have ever had. I think it had more flavor than some of the most popular ramen shops in Orange County including Santouka Ramen and Daikokuya Ramen. I loved this broth. The ramen was served with half of a marinated hard-boiled egg, green onions and pickled ginger.


The Kappa Signature Ramen started with the same tonkotsu broth and added organic kimchee, avocado, bean sprouts and corn. It also had the hard-boiled egg, green onions and pickled ginger. V really liked how they cut the wavy pattern into the egg. V really enjoyed her ramen as well. She thought that it was nice and spicy and had a great flavor.

Throughout the entire meal there was a small sign on the table advertising potato croquettes for only $1. After my ramen I decided I had to try one.

The potato croquette was lightly flavored with curry and contained some corn and I think carrot. I can't really remember right now. I do however remember that the croquette was very good and a fantastic deal at only $1. I highly recommend that you get one of these to complement your meal.

Overall I was extremely happy with my meal. Even though the restaurant is a bit of a drive for me from Irvine, I can definitely see myself returning. In fact, this might be my new favorite ramen shop. Now if only they could do something to improve their fried rice, they'd be perfect.

Roy's Fall Menu

Roy's - Newport Beach
453 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660
(949) 640-7697

Roy's - Anaheim
321 West Katella Avenue
Anaheim, CA 92802
(714) 776-7697

I was recently invited down to Roy's to sample their new fall prix fixe menu. Roy's has always been one of my favorite restaurants so I was eager to try out the new menu items. For a limited time you are able to order an appetizer, entree and dessert from the following selections for $35.95.

APPETIZERS:


Blackened Rock Shrimp & Red Bean Soup
Portuguese Sausage, Shishito


“Elaine’s” Kabocha Squash Salad
Cinnamon Spiced Pepitas, Cranberry Vinaigrette


Wagyu “Meat Loaf Shumai”
Smoked Shiitake Pan Sauce

The blackened rock shrimp & red bean soup was interesting. It tasted sort of like a spicy chili with shrimp in it. It was pretty good, but not something I would have thought Roy's would serve. Elaine's Kabocha Squash Salad sort of tasted like roasted pumpkin topped with greens and bleu cheese. The clear winner with everyone though was the Wagyu "Meatloaf Shumai." The unique flavor of a Chinese shumai dumpling was brought to life in this delicious twist on an American classic. Everyone at the table seemed to agree that this was the best of the three appetizers.


ENTREES:


Artichoke & Goat Cheese Crusted Salmon
Sundried Tomato Sauce


Cilantro Grilled Tiger Shrimp
Stewed Curried Lentils & Fall Vegetables


Parmesan & Dijon Crusted Chicken
Bacon, Pepper Gravy


Tender Braised Beef Short Ribs (available year-round)
Creamy Mashed Potatoes Natural Braising Sauce


I am not usually a big fan of salmon, but this salmon dish was one of the best I have tasted. The mildly flavored salmon went well with the artichoke and goat cheese crust. I was really looking forward to the Cilantro Grilled Tiger Shrimp. It was good, but failed to "wow" me like I thought it would. It could have used more cilantro flavor. I felt that the Parmesan & Dijon Crusted Chicken had way too much dijon mustard. It was overpowering to me. Other people at the table loved the bold flavor of the mustard and thought it was perfect. The Braised Short Ribs are a classic item on the Roy's menu. Tender and flavorful, they are always an excellent choice.

DESSERTS:


Pumpkin & Ginger Cheese Cake
Pumpkin Anglaise


Roy’s Melting Hot Chocolate Soufflé (available year-round)
Flourless Chocolate Cake with a Molten Hot Center served à la Mode

The Pumpkin and Ginger Cheesecake was very good. The cheesecake was lightly flavored with pumpkin and ginger so that it complemented the cheesecake but didn't overpower it. The Hot Chocolate Souffle, another Roy's classic, was warm and gooey chocolate heaven.

I apologize for the lack of quality pictures. The lighting in the restaurant was a little dim. If you'd like to see higher quality pictures, head over to Dan's site, Eat In OC, to see his article on the event. He was sitting right next to me...