Panini Kabob Grill
27741 Crown Valley Parkway #212
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
I have passed the Kaleidoscope in Mission Viejo nearly 2,500 times, give or take a few in the last four years. I guess I should explain, we live a block away from this often maligned shopping and entertainment complex. When we first moved to this part of town the only reason to come to the Kaleidoscope was for the movie theater and Island's. About two years ago now the tide started to turn, and there are more reasons than ever to visit this center.
It was around this time that the Union Market opened here, after some lengthy delays, and that has spearheaded the revival at the corner of Crown Valley and the 5 Freeway. After that, the hits just kept on coming. Tapas Flavors of Spain, Portola Coffee Roasters, and one of my favorite Mexican restaurants, Sol Agave have set up shop here. The management team of this shopping center has also seemed to be committed to their guest's positive experience by keeping the escalators running and adding more dining options to fill the vanishing empty storefronts.
Panini Kabob Grill did not occupy one of those empty storefronts, they took over what used to be the loading dock of the Kaleidoscope, which is easily seen from the cars driving south on Crown Valley Parkway. This high visibility spot has worked out well for Panini Kabob Grill, as everytime we pass by, we see a full patio of people enjoying fresh and delicious Mediterranian cuisine. We were recently invited to experience what we have seen so many others enjoying as we drive by.
Panini Kabob Grill, or as the cool kids call it, PKG used to be formerly called Panini Cafe. The name change seemed to be needed as just like me, I thought this was just a panini restaurant. I had no idea until about a year ago, after my first visit that this is more of a Mediterranian spot. Yes, they still have paninis, but they are also so much more.
After that first visit, I became a fan of this mini-chain, which now boasts 13 restaurants in LA and Orange counties, with a newly announced expansion plan to bring their brand to the people of the Inland Empire and San Diego area in the coming months. Katie and I feel extremely lucky to have a PKG within walking distance from where we live. We grabbed our friends and fellow food bloggers, Tom from Tom's Foodie Blog and the wildly popular Daniele from Dani's Decadent Deals for dinner to experience this Mission Viejo location for the first time.
The restaurant was packed on this particular Thursday evening at 6pm. After an initial wait of ten minutes, we were seated on the busy patio, which was a great choice on this quickly cooling early evening. The traffic noise from busy Crown Valley was not as bad as I was expecting, which was a shame because I was hoping it would drown out Daniele a bit. The menu here includes plenty of appetizers, soups and salad, paninis and sandwiches, and of course, Mediterranean entrees. I've also been told that they have excellent breakfast seven days a week, which we will try on my next Sunday off. For now, let's see how everything worked out for us on this visit.
If you don't start your meal with this Appetizer Combo Platter ($12.95) you are doing yourself and the rest of your tablemates a great disservice. It's the perfect size for a party of four, which we were, and included falafel, caprese, tzatziki, and a trio of hummus, which included garbanzo, black bean, and edamame hummus. The plate was rounded out with plenty of pita bread which was very useful for dipping. I was very partial to all of the hummus varieties and the very well made tzatziki sauce. All were freshly made and provided wonderful flavors. I'm pretty critical of falafel, as I find a lot of them to be too overcooked and hard in the middle. Not the case at PKG. These little balls of garbanzo beans were light on the inside and made even better when dipped into the tzatziki sauce. I left the caprese for the others, as I'm not really a big tomato fan. They all seemed to like it well enough.
Entrees were up next, and let's start with Tom and Daniele's selection on this evening the Lamb Shish Kabob ($19.95). It's not like them to get the same thing, but it limits you my dear reader from having to read too much of my awful writing. Thanks, Tom and Daniele. Tom ordered this dish the way it is listed on the menu, while Daniele always has a lot of questions for the servers, and then makes modifications to what she ends up eating. In this case, she subbed out the rice for roasted veggies. The happy couple really enjoyed the lamb, which like all the proteins here are one hundred percent vegetarian fed and antibiotic and hormone free. The lamb was tender, with a great flavor to it, and excellent when dipped in the tzatziki sauce. The entrees here come with your choice of salad, and they both got the Mediterranean Greek salad which they both loved.
I'm a creature of habit when it comes to eating at PKG, as I always steer towards this Flat Iron Steak Shish Kabob ($15.95). I like that they actually ask you how you want your steak, which is a very nice touch. I, of course, got mine medium rare, which they did perfectly. The flat iron is a flavorful cut, which can sometimes be tough, but that was not the case on this evening. I could almost cut it with my fork. Never one to miss a chance to have a Caesar salad, that's the route I went on this evening. I would have liked a bit more dressing on this, but the overabundance of croutons and parmesan cheese made up for it. As always the plate was rounded out with a big mound of basmati rice which went perfectly with the extra tzatziki sauce we asked for. A very well rounded meal that filled me up.
Katie had a big lunch at work, so she did not really feel like a kabob plate, opting instead for this Chicken Wrap ($10.95) for a lighter dinner. This Mediterranian burrito was filled with grilled chicken breast, hummus, tomato, cucumbers, and greens with fresh mint and basil. She loved that the chicken was as prominent as it was and that the hummus moistened this up a bit. She was also a fan of the pasta salad, which is another option you can get if you are not feeling like a salad or soup with your wrap. There are always lots of choices to make when eating at PKG.
Not that we needed it, but the four of us split a Banana Bread Pudding ($7.95). The bread pudding was paired nicely with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. A very sweet ending to our stay at Panini Kabob Grill.
Panini Kabob Grill is definitely a part of what I see as a renaissance for the Kaleidoscope. It is in a weird spot if you park in the structure, so head to the plaza level, and it's on the backside of Burke Williams Spa, facing Crown Valley. If you are in the mood for some solid Mediterranian food in the Mission Viejo area, PKG is a great option that will leave you full and satisfied. We look forward to making many return visits when we are in the mood for some great kababs and wraps.
For more information about Panini Kabob Grill, head to their website here: http://paninikabobgrill.com/
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