Living Large at Fat Fish Sushi?

 Fat Fish Sushi

20761 Lake Forest Dr. 

Lake Forest, CA 92630

I have a complicated relationship with sushi. I like it, but I don't really seek it out. I've had some really expensive sushi, and while I appreciate it, I don't like it enough to justify paying a lot for it. An all-you-can-eat sushi option is a better option for me. I know some AYCE sushi places can be a little dicey, with inferior seafood, but I have not had any issues with subpar fish. My favorite AYCE sushi place is Sushi Damu in Tustin, but maybe Fat Fish Sushi would replace it. Read on to see. 

My aunt Hiroko picked this place for her birthday dinner. Like me, she picks restaurants with high Yelp ratings. I think most people head to Yelp to post negative reviews, so if a place has a good rating, it must be above average. Fat Fish Sushi has a 4.1-star rating, with close to 400 reviews posted. This is a small sample size, but it is enough for my Japanese aunt to think this spot might be a good choice for her to celebrate her birthday. 

One of the reasons Fat Fish might have only 300+ reviews is that this restaurant seems somewhat isolated. It's not close to any major freeways; it's in a small strip mall where the big draw seems to be a tire store to its left and a liquor store to its right, and this is an area that I feel is not going to draw a lot of people to. 

Fat Fish has been around since 2017 and is small, with room for 20 people at a time. Reservations for larger parties are a must. The AYCE menu is not the biggest we've seen, but there's enough diversity on it to satisfy most people. As with all AYCE sushi places, there are some rules you must abide by. There's a two-hour limit; everyone in your party must get the AYCE option; no to-go items are available, and items not eaten will be charged at the price listed on the menu. These are all standard rules we've seen in other places. Now that you know the ground rules, let's check out the food.

I will not bore you all by explaining everything we ate this evening. The $37 price for the AYCE option was fair, and I felt I got my money's worth when I walked out the door. I'm not a sushi expert, but the fish here was fresh and presented well. I liked the variety of their menu, and even my uncle, who is not really into sushi, had enough to choose from. The service was okay. We did not order some things that came out for us, but we ate them anyway. I also wish they had left a menu on the table so we knew what each item was on the order sheet for the AYCE. 

Ultimately, Fat Fish will not replace Sushi Damu, my current king of AYCE sushi restaurants in OC. Still, it was slightly above average and worth visiting if you live in the area or want sushi nearby. 

Out of five ocean sunfish (the actual fattest fish in the world, the heaviest of which was 5,100 pounds, which I imagine could be used in quite a lot of sushi rolls), five being best to zero being worst, Fat Fish Sushi gets 3 ocean sunfish. 

Fat Fish Sushi does not have a website that I could find online, so find out more about them by checking out their Yelp page by clicking here: https://www.yelp.com/biz/fat-fish-sushi-lake-forest-2 

Clocking in at the Craft Burger Company

 Craft Burger Co. 

1450 North Kramer Blvd. 

Placentia, CA 92870

I miss the days when burgers were king. When I started this blog fifteen years ago, burgers were all the rage, and new burger spots were opening everywhere. Around ten years ago, the restaurant landscape shifted from burgers to chicken sandwiches. My top three burger spots in OC from back then have all closed; Burger Parlor, G Burger, and Fuddrucker's. I'll post my top three as of today at the end of this review. Will Craft Burger Company be on that list? Read on to find out. 

Craft Burger opened its doors in December 2022 in the location that used to be home to Meat Up BBQ and Sue Ann's Kitchen before that. I have reviewed and liked both of them on this blog, which you can find by scrolling down and clicking on them if you feel nostalgic. They have not really changed too much in the way of decor since Meat Up left, but it did appear to me that they lightened things up a bit, but that might be because we sat near the window instead of sitting in the side room to the left of the drink station. 

We arrived here with my parents at 4 for an early Sunday dinner. They came before us and were directed to a table. I was surprised that this was not an order at the counter but a full-service restaurant. The menu is divided into salads, loaded tots and fries, sides, and, of course, burgers. The burgers range between $13 to $18, while the loaded fries and tots are about the same price. They have happy hour every day of the week from 3 to 6pm and all day on Monday and Tuesday. Happy hour is $2 off selected apps and $2 off beer, wine, and champagne. The four of us had looked at the menu before we arrived, so we quickly made our selections with our friendly server. 

The Onion Rings ($5.50 Happy Hour Price) got mixed reviews online, but we found them quite enjoyable. The batter on these rings was light yet crispy and did not pull away from the onion underneath, which is a big thing for me. These came with a trio of sauces; ranch, teriyaki, and sriracha aioli. I liked the ranch and sriracha aioli the best and used both in alternating bites. The teriyaki was OK, but it was too sweet for me. The picture on the menu shows these served with the sauce on top of them, and I was relieved that these came without the sauce so we could add just the right amount for our individual tastes. 

Even though we had ordered two starters, Katie pushed us to order these Chicken Potstickers ($7 for happy hour). These six potstickers came with the same sriracha aioli and teriyaki that came out with the onion rings. These were OK, but they did not rock my world. They were fried nicely, but the chicken inside was underwhelming. I'm not the biggest fan of potstickers and can never really remember being excited by any I've ever eaten. 

Now you can see why we did not need the potstickers. The Craft Burger Loaded Tots and Fries ($13) were more than enough for the four of us. We got fries and tots, an excellent option for the indecisive like us. They were topped with green onions, bacon, grilled onions, house burger spread, crispy onions, and jack cheese, a better version of the awful animal fries people rave about from In-N-Out. Unlike those fries, these were really good and crispy, even with all the toppings piled on top of them; it was the same for the tots. I enjoyed the different textures and the amount of toppings they included on this rather large tray. It was way too much for us with the other two starters we got, but I made a valiant effort to finish the tray. 

My parents decided to split the Regular Cheeseburger ($12), and the good people at Craft Burger Co. were kind enough to split it in half for them and bring it out like a burger kabob. The regular cheeseburger comes typically with American cheese, tomato, lettuce, pickles, burger sauce, and onions, all on a brioche bun. My parents opted for no lettuce but kept the rest of the burger intact. They seemed to really like this burger. The cheese was melted nicely to the burger patty, which was juicy and went well with the pickles and tomato. I would have asked for extra burger sauce if this was my burger, but my parents felt it was perfect for them. 

Even though this restaurant is called Craft Burger Co., Katie veered towards this Southwest Crispy Chicken Sandwich ($13.50). At first glance, it reminded me of the bacon Swiss chicken sandwich from Carl's Jr., but with better ingredients. Between the glossy brioche bun is a substantial crispy chicken patty, swiss cheese, ranch dressing, pickles, lettuce, and two strips of bacon criss-crossed. Katie enjoyed this chicken sandwich until the bun fell apart halfway through. She feels they might have added too much ranch dressing, which was unnecessary because the chicken, swiss cheese, and bacon were all delicious.  

I had a tough time picking which burger I was going to have. Craft Burger Co. has an interesting-sounding PB and J burger, a garlic burger, and another one that includes mac and cheese. Ultimately, I went more basic with the Cali Burger ($16). This is listed on their menu as the house special, which helped me decide to pick this burger. Lending to its enormous size was a plethora of toppings. Two strips of bacon, American cheese, avocado, fried egg, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and plenty of burger spread were piled on here. I loved that the fried egg featured a runny yolk, but with the abundance of the burger spread and avocado, this burger was really messy to eat. The bun slid all over the place, and by the end, I ate it with a fork. The burger patty was good, and the rest of the toppings and condiments were top-notch. 

I really liked Craft Burger Co. The burgers were good, the sides were excellent, and most of all, this restaurant brought me back to a time when burgers were way more popular than they are now, and these restaurants were opening everywhere. I look forward to returning to try another one of their burgers soon. Unfortunately, they fall short of making my top three burgers in OC right now, but not by much. Hammer Burger gets my number one spot, The Cut takes second, and Pour Company in Fullerton gets the bronze medal in my Burger Olympics. I'm hoping that burgers will make a return to prominence soon. 

Out of five ketchup slides (because the town of Seymour, Wisconsin, is home to the Hamburger Hall of Fame, which has a festival annually, and one of the main attractions is a ketchup slip and slide), five being best to zero being worst, Craft Burger Co. gets 3 ketchup slides. 

For more information about Craft Burger Co., head to their website by clicking here: https://craftburgercompany.com/

Something to Crow About, Rooster and Rice Comes to OC

 

Rooster and Rice 

15354 Alton Parkway

Irvine, CA 92618

The email arrived, and I almost deleted it. I saw the name Rooster and Rice and thought I could not write about another chicken sandwich. Then I paused because it said rooster instead of chicken, and I thought that was strange. Who's cooking up roosters in 2024? Just when I thought this chicken phenomenon couldn't get any more crazy. Luckily, I read a few lines down the page and realized it was just a restaurant named Rooster and Rice, and they were expanding to Southern California and wanted me to see what they were all about. 

After more research, I discovered they are a famous Bay Area chain specializing in Thai-style poached chicken. Of course, I needed to dive deeper because I still needed to figure out what Thai-style poached chicken was. I learned it's a street food sold throughout Thailand known as Khao Mun Gai or Hainanese chicken rice. It's poached, served with seasoned rice, and has a chili sauce over the pale white chicken. 

This signature dish must have resonated with the people of Northern California, as Rooster and Rice now have ten locations, and this Irvine location is their first foray into Southern California. Not bad for a restaurant concept that has only been around for 9 years. It was started by two guys who wanted to showcase Asian cuisine simply, healthily, and cleanly. The business began to take off, and in 2019, the guys partnered with Aroi Hospitality Group, which is pushing for nationwide expansion. 

Back in November, we were invited to try Rooster and Rice out. They opened just across the freeway from the always jam-packed Irvine Spectrum, at the corner of Alton and Tecnology Drive, in a small shopping center that also houses a 7-Eleven, Bruegger's Bagels, and a Friar Tux. They are open Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. We were here for their grand opening event, packed with people getting their first taste of this unique chicken spot.  

The menu here is not going to bowl you over with its diversity. Rooster and Rice offers four versions of the poached chicken dish that made them successful, the original with breast and thigh meat and jasmine rice, the macro has only breast meat and brown rice, the vegetarian substitutes tofu for the chicken, and a version called the riceless, which, you guessed it, forgoes the rice in favor of vegetables. These all include khao mun gai sauce, chili, ginger, and garlic-based sauce and served with a side of chicken broth. There's also a cutlet, a few specials, Thai fried chicken legs, popcorn chicken, and fried chicken skins. We were given their top 3 selling items to try. They might have seen the overwhelmed look on our faces and decided to throw us a lifeline. 

We were given the Original Poached Chicken Plate ($14.95), the Cutlet ($14.95), and the Larb Popcorn Chicken ($13.95). There's no seating in the restaurant, but there are some tables in front of Rooster and Rice and a large patio with plenty of tables in front of Bruegger's Bagels. We found a table, unwrapped our well-packaged food, and prepared to feast. Let's take a closer look at each plate.  

Up first was the Original ($14.95), which is thigh and breast meat. When we opened this one, seeing the pale chicken in the tray was a little shocking. I tried a piece of the chicken before adding the house sauce, and it was fine on its own but made even better after I added the sauce. The sauce's chili, ginger, and garlic woke this dish up. The chicken was tender and juicy enough, but the sauce was the star of this plate for me. I'll definitely ask for an extra sauce the next time I have this. I did not love the rice, as I thought it lacked flavor. I added some sauce to it, which made it much better. This also came with chicken broth, which I found odd as I was unsure what to do with it. I took a few spoonfuls of it but decided it served no purpose and forgot about it as I ate the rest of my meal. 

Much more in my wheelhouse, the Cutlet ($14.95) was delicious. The chicken thigh is coated in panko and gently fried. Some pieces of the breading pulled away from the chicken too easily, but this was a delicious plate and reminded me of a delightful katsu I had a few years ago. It was not overly greasy and paired nicely with the Thai sriracha and an exciting creamy lime sauce, which resembled ranch in looks but had a different flavor profile. I alternated between the two sauces, which made this even more enjoyable. This came with another container of chicken broth and some pickled veggies. I picked at the vegetables but ignored the chicken broth again. 

I've always considered popcorn chicken more of a snack than a meal, but when I had the Larb Popcorn Chicken ($13.95) at Rooster and Rice, I might have to reassess my position on that matter. The thigh meat was coated in a crunchy breading, which was way better than what you can get at your local KFC. It lacked the greasiness I expected, and the thigh meat was tender and juicy. I primarily used the creamy lime sauce for this, and next time, I'll get an extra sauce, as there was more chicken than sauce, but I'm also known to use more sauce than the average person. 

I'm glad I tried Rooster and Rice, even though I've already reached my chicken threshold for the year, and we're only in April. This was not just another hot chicken sandwich place or wing spot. It's different and worth exploring. I'll give the poached chicken another try or try it somewhere else to have something to compare this one to. I'd be surprised if I have a better cutlet for the rest of this year, and the popcorn chicken could become addictive. Thanks to everyone at Rooster and Rice for the opportunity to try this Northern California favorite. Welcome to OC. 

For more information about Rooster and Rice, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.roosterandrice.com/

** We were provided this meal for free in exchange for an honest review of their service/food. No other compensation was received.

You’re Too Late, Stagecoach Has Already Left - CLOSED

 Stagecoach Country Roadhouse

763 South Main Street Suite 200 A

Orange, CA 92868

This has happened infrequently, but it has happened before during the run of this blog. I eat in a restaurant, write my review, and find out that the restaurant has closed for good. The few times this has happened, I had an inkling that things were amiss. That's how I felt when we left Stagecoach Country Roadhouse a few months ago. 

Stagecoach might have done some research before opening here. This location appears to be cursed. Stagecoach would be the third restaurant to inhabit this space in just six years. I tried to find what was here before 2018, but it was a Burgerim from 2018 to 2021, and then switched to Jaybird's Chicken from '21 to '23. Stagecoach took over in September of last year and closed its doors for good the first of this month, six months later. 

I decided to write this review anyway because I paid for the meal, and it may shed some light on what went wrong here. We came here before a Ducks game on a Sunday afternoon just before 4pm. The restaurant seemed cavernous with its high ceilings, exposed beams, and lack of customers. Even though the football games were in their final quarter, the large bar area in the restaurant's center had only two customers watching the nice TVs hanging from above. We were the only other patrons in the restaurant. 

We were greeted by our cordial server, who seemed relieved to have something to do. He presented us with their one-page menu, broken up into starters, salads, burgers, sandwiches, specialties, sides, and desserts. Entree prices ranged from $14 to $43 for the ribeye steak. We didn't take too long to select what we ate because we had a game to catch.  

Since I was a kid, I've been a fan of potato skins. My favorites of all time were the ones from Claim Jumper, with Black Angus coming in a close second. These from Stagecoach Country Roadhouse would not make my top 50 potato skins. These were not very good. The menu describes these Potato Skins ($9.75) as including bacon, cheddar cheese, sour cream, and scallions. What I got was some cheddar cheese sauce that drowned out what might have been bacon, with a thin sour cream floating on top of the pool of cheese sauce. The potato skin was fried well when bitten but could not contain all this liquid. Why even include the ranch dressing? With all the liquid here, I could almost eat these with a straw. I managed to eat one of these and left the other two for Katie, who also thought these were not too great. 

Katie selected the Pulled Pork Sandwich ($13.95 plus a $2 upcharge for the Heavenly Mac N' Cheese) as her early evening meal. This pork sandwich had a lot going on. The pork came with a bourbon barbecue sauce, and they also added cabbage-apple slaw and fried pickles. This sandwich seemed off to Katie. With everything going on here, she could not get a good handle on whether the pulled pork was good. The barbecue sauce was really distracting. The heavenly mac and cheese was anything but holy. Again, with the overabundance of cheese sauce, the macaroni-to-cheese ratio was way off. This ate more like a soup than mac and cheese. A truckload of breadcrumbs could not have saved this. 

As is my custom, I prefer combo meals when eating in restaurants, as they give me a better chance to try more than one thing. At Stagecoach, that meant that I had the Loaded Gun Board ($29.95), which included baby back ribs, pulled pork, andouille sausage, and a slice of cornbread. Everything came with their overpowering barbecue sauce, which seemed to hide their subpar meats. The best of the bunch was the sausage, which had a good flavor, but I'm sure they did not make it here. It also did not have the barbecue sauce, which was a plus. The ribs were second best, with plenty of meat but not flavorful. The pork was drenched in BBQ sauce and left in very big pieces. It wasn't very tender and was unenjoyable to eat. The cornbread was passable but unmemorable. 

I feel bad writing this review. It's like kicking them when they're down. Besides the lackluster food here, Stagecoach might have expanded way too fast. They opened in Sedona, Arizona, in 2021 and then opened this place and another location in Riverside within a month. It's tough opening one restaurant, let alone two, so that might also have contributed to the downfall of this place. The Riverside spot is still operating, and they have a respectable 4-star rating on Yelp. Over the past few years, I've experienced some excellent barbecue spots in OC, and this would not be included in that group. 

Out of five bank robbers (because when I think of stagecoaches, I always think about the bank robbers that would rob the stagecoach at Knott's Berry Farm), five being best to zero being worst, Stagecoach Country Roadhouse gets 1.5 bank robbers. 

For more information about Stagecoach Country Roadhouse, head to their website by clicking here: https://stagecoachroadhouse.com/

The OC Weekly Has Brought Me to Taqueria El Zamorano in 2024

 Taqueria El Zamorano

925 West Warner Ave. 

Santa Ana, Ca 92707

I miss the OC Weekly. From the time I started this blog until now, that free paper I'd pick up outside my local liquor store would give me plenty of tips about where I should be eating. OC Weekly had the best collection of food writers ever assembled in OC. While my other favorite source for OC restaurant news, Orange Coast Magazine, highlights more mainstream/well-known restaurants, the OC Weekly usually showcased out-of-the-way, hole-in-the-wall spots. These restaurants are ones I would never have heard about and placed on my restaurant wishlist, like Taqueria El Zamorano. 

My friend from work, George, is a big fan of this place. He's been coming to Taqueria El Zamorano for years and wanted to be here to share my first visit. El Zamorano opened its doors in 1997 and gained great praise from the people of Santa Ana for their tacos and burritos until a fire closed them down in 2005. They rose from the ashes (pun intended) in 2014 and are now one of the top-rated taquerias in Santa Ana. They opened another location in Costa Mesa six years ago, and a few years later, it was converted into a vegan taqueria. 

This original El Zamorano is near the corner of Warner and Flower Street in a blink, and you'll miss it spot.  The white building resembles someone's house, and it's set slightly back from the street, which adds to the aloofness of this restaurant. There are only five spaces in the cramped parking lot, so snagging one of the spots during lunchtime could get tricky. Be advised that they are only open from 8 til 4 pm and are closed on Mondays, so eating here for dinner is not an option. 

The menu starts with some breakfast items I have heard good things about. Then there are tacos, tortas, burritos, combo plates, quesadillas, and some starters. They have some nice video screens above their register that show their menu, but they have tape over most prices with the correct prices written on the tape. Most prices hover around the $10 mark, while tacos go between $3.50 and $3.99. We ordered rather quickly, and since we were the only ones here, we had the pick of any table we wanted while we waited for our food to arrive, which took less than five minutes. 

A few reviews ago, I mentioned my friend George and how he is the most basic eater I've known. No cilantro, onions, pico, or salsa on tacos. He's been coming to El Zamorano since childhood and still eats like one. Kidding, George, kind of. When we visited here together, he got the Asada Torta ($10.99). Typically, the tortas come with mayo, tomato, lettuce, onion, avocado, salsa, and beans. His torta came without onion, avocado, and salsa. He likes that they grill the telera roll to give it a little crunch, and the cubed asada had some excellent grill marks. I'd like to get a torta the next time I'm here, but I'd get the carnitas and ask for extra beans. He probably got the fries as a side item, as there was no mention of a side coming with this.  

Yes, six tacos might seem excessive, but I wanted to try as many of the meats as possible, and I was unsure of when the next time I would be here. It was a thing of beauty the way they fanned the tacos around the plate. From the one o'clock position on the plate, I tried the Birria ($3.50), Asada ($3.50), Carnitas ($3.50), Chorizo ($3.50), Pastor ($3.50), and Tripas ($3.99). There was not a bad one in the bunch. If I had to pick, my top three were the pastor, tripas, and carnitas. These meats shined, were flavorful, and went well with the provided onions, cilantro, and salsa. The tortillas are remarkable here. They were really soft, but they held the contents of the tacos admirably. They seemed handmade, but I wonder if they make them here. Taste like it, though. 

I ordered a Carnitas Burrito ($9.99) for dinner later. The burritos at El Zamorano come with beans, rice, cilantro, onion, and, of course, a choice of meat. I should have taken a picture of the burrito before I cut into it, but you'll have to trust me that it was approximately eight or nine inches long and had a good amount of girth. Unfortunately, there were some issues with it. Too much rice was included, pushing the carnitas and beans to the side. It's a decent burrito, but I expected more from this. 

The tacos at Taqueria El Zamorano are enough to get me to come back. They were some of the best I've had in a long time. I just wish this restaurant was more convenient. It is only open until 4 pm, closed on Sundays, and, as of recently, I learned they have switched to being cash only. It will take some planning, but I'll return here soon to try their breakfast burritos, chilaquiles, shrimp tacos, and hard-shelled potato tacos. I'm glad I had the foresight to write down this place that was recommended to me by the good folks at the OC Weekly all those years ago. My hope is fading that they will come back, but at least I still have some of their restaurant suggestions on my list to explore. 

Out of five cans of soup (because the city of Santa Ana was founded in 1869, the same year as the Campbell Soup Company came into existence, and they sell 440 million cans of soup a year), five being best to zero being worst, Taqueria El Zamorano gets 3 cans of soup.  

Taqueria El Zamorano does not have a website, but click here for their Yelp page: https://www.yelp.com/biz/taqueria-el-zamorano-santa-ana