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.