Is It Worth the Drive Downtown to Doug's? - CLOSED

Doug's Downtown Grill

12900 Main St.

Garden Grove, CA 92840

Looking for something new to do, my girlfriend and I went to the Gem Theater to watch "A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum." We got there about an hour early, so we decided to try one of the local dining options within walking distance. We decided on Doug's Downtown Grill.

This rainy Friday night, Doug's was pretty slow, so we got right in and were greeted by a cheerful waitress. We alerted her that we were going to the play, so we would be in a hurry. She reacted like she had heard this before, which was no big deal. Doug's is a casual bar/restaurant in which you immediately feel comfortable.

This is the salad that came with the meal that I ordered. Nothing too spectacular here, but it had crisp lettuce, and the blue cheese dressing was adequate.

Here are two pictures of my meal: the grilled marinated tri-tip. This dish came with julienne vegetables and a choice of sides. I chose the twice-baked potato. The meat was cooked just like I like it, medium rare. The marinade was subtle and added a nice flavor to the meat. The twice-baked potato was good, and the vegetables were just okay. I felt that this was a good value at $13.

Here is Katie's grilled ham and cheese stack, served with sweet potato fries. There was too much bread for this sandwich. Instead of a Kaiser roll, two pieces of toast would have been more appropriate. Also, two slices of ham and Swiss cheese should never be called a stack. She loved sweet potato fries. I thought they were good for sweet potato fries, but I usually do not like them, so I will go by her judgment on those.

So, how to size up Doug's? I thought it was a cool little joint, and if I went to more plays or was in the area, I would give them another shot. The service was excellent, and it is a place you can really feel comfortable in. Also, it was good value for the money.

Out of five parking meters (get it?, because we are downtown), five being best and zero being worst, I would give Doug's 2.5 parking meters.

If you would like more information on Doug's Downtown Grill, check them out here: http://www.dougsdowntowngrill.com/index.html

Lofty Expectaions at the Loft

The Loft at the Montage

30801 S. Coast Highway

Laguna Beach, Ca. 92651

The girl in the picture above is my girlfriend's sister, Emily. Emily was turning twenty-one, and their family had a tradition of going to the Montage and having brunch for birthdays. Fortunately, I was off that Sunday and could tag along with them. I had never been to the Montage or any really high-end resort before, so I had no idea what to expect.

The service was phenomenal as we pulled into the driveway and valeted my car. Every person we came into contact with, from the valet to the wait staff, was there to ensure that our every need was met. I had never seen anything like it. The hotel's decor was contemporary and beautiful, like a model home, with everything in its perfect place. I had the feeling that this is how the other half lives.

The Loft is the Montage's version of a coffee shop. They serve a little bit of everything. We sat at 11, so we could choose from their breakfast or lunch menus.  After perusing the menus, this is what everyone got.

This is the banana bread on the house, compliments of the chef. It was a little dry and did not have much banana flavor. Not really a big hit with our table.

This is the Build your own Benedict with lobster. It had a good flavor, but the lobster was a little rubbery. They did not skimp on the lobster. There were big hunks on the plate.

Above is the house-made ricotta stuffed crepes with blueberries and lemon. This was probably one of the best-presented plates that arrived at our table. The taste, however, left a lot to be desired for me. I could not taste the ricotta and never got a hint of lemon. The crepes did have a good texture, but something was missing.

Now we go from one of the best-plated dishes to one of the worst. This is the Build an Omelet. They have twelve items that you could add to it, duck confit, prime rib, and rotisserie chicken.  The birthday girl decided on plain old ham and cheese omelet. Also served with a patty of potatoes, but when you are paying 22 dollars for this plate, couldn't they have added some garnishment to make the dish look less sterile. Not too many raves coming from our birthday girl on this one.

Next, we have the two eggs in any style. These eggs were cooked perfectly, but the hash brown patty was slightly overdone. Just needed a little something extra on the plate to liven it up.

Here is the Club Sandwich. Smoked turkey breast and heirloom tomatoes with Garlic aioli. I did not get a chance to try this, but Sara said, "It was pretty good!"

This is the Rotisserie Pulled Pork sandwich, with fries substituting for green papaya coleslaw. The sandwich had a lot of sauce, so it was difficult to taste the meat. The bun was great, though, very soft.

Lastly, my choice for brunch was Chef Black's Bistro Burger. When I saw this twenty-five-dollar burger, I knew I had to try it. The burger comes with black truffle butter, escarole and garlic, and midnight moon cheese. The first bite of this burger hit my mouth with many flavors, and it mellowed from there. It was cooked perfectly, maybe a little salty at first but still a decent burger. The fries were good, and the pickle slaw was just average, just rough cuts of pickles.

So my thoughts on the Loft? Have I had better brunches? Yes, I have. Do I feel that it is worth the money for what you get? No, you can get better and more food at half the price at most restaurants in the OC, but you are really paying for this place's killer view and atmosphere, along with the excellent service. So for a special occasion, where you want to feel pampered like Paris Hilton at a day spa, this could be the place for you. Just try to forget how much the meal is costing you.

So out of five silver spoons, five being best to zero, the Loft receives 3 silver spoons.

For more information about the Loft, here is their website: https://www.montagehotels.com/lagunabeach/dining/loft/

Steak Out in Downtown Fullerton!

Stubrik's

118 E. Commonwealth

Fullerton, Ca. 92832

Downtown Fullerton has a lot of great places to hangout. I really enjoy Heroes, Angelo and Vinci's, and Slidebar, just to name a few. So when we were going to meet friends there, the only problem was deciding where we wanted to go. My friend Chris decided on Stubrik's, and so that is where we all headed.

Stubrik's was opened by two friends, Stub and Rik. They had both worked in the restaurant business for years in the resort areas of southern California and Colorado. They both wanted to open a place that they would feel comfortable in. A place that was nice, but was not too stuffy, a place you could get good food, at a decent value, so let's see how it all worked out for them.

Stubrik's is a dark place, with big comfy booths, and wood all over the place. It is the kind of place that everyone could feel comfortable in. You do not have to worry about how you are dressed, because it is so dark, no one can see you. The atmosphere is one of a place that you would find in a hunting lodge in the mountains, just a little bit louder. Service has always been good here, no complaints tonight either.

Here is my salad. Sorry about the picture, it was so dark in there I could not get a good shot. This is the salad that is included with every steak order. I especially liked the sunflower seeds. The blue cheese dressing was good as well, not too runny.

This is my 16oz top sirloin steak, stuffed with dried blue cheese and covered with Burgundy blue cheese sauce. The steak was cooked perfectly and had a great rich flavor. The vegetables were okay, and the potatoes were supposed to be garlic, but you could not taste the garlic, even without the brown gravy.

Another hit was this Bananas Foster. This not only would get Curious George excited but nearly everyone at our table. The rum and caramel sauce was sweet and complimented the bananas and ice cream excellently. They also, as you can see from the picture, did not skimp on the ice cream. I always hate when you order a dessert like this and they give you a small tablespoon of ice cream, this was not the case here. Plenty to go around.

So Stub and Rik, I would say mission accomplished in what you set out to do. You both set up a place where everyone feels comfortable, and you can have a good dinner at a reasonable price. My 16oz steak costs 24 dollars, but that also includes soup or salad and potatoes and veggies, a steal in this day in age where a lot of places are going ala carte on everything.

On a scale of zero to five steak knives, five being best, Stubrik's gets a solid 3.5 steak knives.

For more information on Stubrik's, check them out here: https://www.stubriks.com/

Is it Worth Getting Up For the Break of Dawn? - CLOSED

Break of Dawn

24351 Avenida De La Carlota #N-6

Laguna Hills, CA 92653

My friend ML is one of the few customers I like at work. She is always friendly, never bugs, and makes a fantastic trail mix, which I always look forward to every December. So when I told her about my blog and that I would review restaurants, she suggested I try Break of Dawn. I had never heard of it but was eager to try it after she and fellow Yelpers glowed about the place.

Break of Dawn is an easy-to-miss breakfast/lunch place tucked behind Trader Joe's in Laguna Hills. It is owned by a former Ritz-Carlton chef who had to alter his career path after a medical mishap with his son. He opened this place so he could be close to his son and still do the work that he loves.

I had a rare Saturday off and was tired of turkey after Thanksgiving, so we decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to try this place. The restaurant is very colorful and has a really homey feel to it. We decided to sit outside in the crisp morning air. The waiter was very attentive and ready to fulfill our needs.

I decided on the pre-fixe menu, which consists of three courses. This is the first: Butternut Squash Bisque. The bisque was smooth and creamy, a very nice way to start my meal. Accompanying the bisque were these crispy meat rolls. They were good and really tasty when you dipped them in the bisque.

Here is my entree, the Sausage and Rice. The plate featured two fried eggs, a scoop of rice, green papaya-sesame salad, and Portuguese-Hawaiian sausage. The sausage was the real winner here. It had a very nice flavor and complimented the plate nicely. The salad was good but tasted better when it was mixed with the eggs.

Here is the real star of the show on this day, though. This dish is so good that it deserves two pictures on this blog. This is the French toast of Willie Wonka himself: Creme Brulee French Toast. Dusted with powdered sugar and chocolate sauce, this dessert for breakfast will keep you coming back for more to this eatery. Rich but oh so satisfying, we could not devour this plate quick enough.

Here is the final of my three courses: the Chocolate Crème Brulee. This was a mild yet pleasing way to end my meal. The chocolate was not too overpowering, and the texture was silky smooth, with a crisp top.

So, we will be back at Break of Dawn. As we were sitting there, we saw many more things we wanted to try. The omelets looked amazing, and the Chilaquiles-Ranchero sounds like it could be a hit as well. This place is not your typical breakfast joint, but sometimes, you want to step out of the shadows and into the sun. 

So on a scale of 5 rays of the sun to zero rays of the sun, 5 being best, Break of Dawn receives 4 rays of the sun!

Break of Dawn does not have a website, but you can check out their Yelp page here: https://www.yelp.com/biz/break-of-dawn-laguna-hills-2

Wood we like the Lumberyard? Get it?

Lumberyard

384 Forest Ave.

Laguna Beach, CA

So Katie was watching her cousin's dog in Laguna this past weekend. I never really am in this area, so after a quick search on Yelp, we came up with the Lumberyard. It is in the old Cedar Creek location. The story goes that this location was also the home of Laguna Beach Lumber Company for 62 years, hence the name of this establishment.

As we step inside the atmosphere is one of an up-scale dinner club. This Friday night they have a smooth latin/jazz sound that integrates itself into the feel of the place. The place is large, and busy, but we get right in on this Friday night at 7.

The menu is not huge, but has plenty of classic faire to choose from. Anyone can find something to pick from on the menu, whatever is your mood, from steaks, pastas, classic foods, burgers and sandwiches. So now on to the food...

These are the Lumberyard Planks, fried zucchini served with a killer lemon aioli sauce. Fried neatly without being greasy, there were so many on the plate, this could have served four people easily.  The sauce was great and was not too over-powering. Good value at nine dollars.

I was going back and forth on what to order between the Lumberyard Burger or the meatloaf wrapped in bacon, this trip I decided on the burger. The burger was cooked perfectly, with lots of bleu cheese, onions and mushrooms. Good stuff! The egg bun topped the burger off nicely. The fries were cooked well, and had a great crunch to them.

Katie got the prime rib french dip. Lots of meat piled on this sandwich, but she did say there was a lot of pieces with fat on them. The meat was good, but the sour cream horseradish needed a little less sour cream and more horseradish, it was kind of bland tasting, also some cheese on this sandwich would have been good. Once again the french roll that they used on this sandwich was great.

Now time for dessert. I went with the Hog Heaven pie. Cookie crust, chocolate ganache and peanut butter mousse. This was really rich, and had a cheesecake consistency to it. Not too bad, but nothing to go hog wild about.

All in all I felt this place was pretty good. It is the kind of joint you would go for special occasions. Prices were a little steep, but sometimes you need to splurge. So out of five axes, the Lumberyard receives 3.5 axes.

For more information on the Lumberyard, check them out here: http://www.lblumberyard.com/

Checking In On the Yard House...

Yard House Irvine

Irvine Spectrum

So it has been about two years since I have been to the Irvine location of the Yard House. Whenever I am at the Spectrum I usually opt for Cheesecake Factory, PF Changs, or Champs. So many great choices that Yard House kind of gets lost in the shuffle. When I was younger the sleek look and loud music of Yard House would have attracted me every time. Oh, the curse of getting old!

Yard House has 26 locations in 10 states. Each restaurant has between 100 to 250 beers on tap. So of course the bar is the main focus of the place, but we are here to sample their food, which deserves some billing also. The menu has great variety and is not your typical bar food. Prices range between 10 dollars to 30 dollars for steak and shrimp.

 

This was Katie's Mixed Greens salad. At $6.45 it was enough for both of us to share. I really liked the salad, the balsamic vinaigrette dressing was great and this was a nice way to start off our meal.

Okay here is my Blue Crab Cake Hoagie. This sandwich has some of my favorite food items all in one place. Bacon, swiss cheese, avocado, a very good spicy aioli sauce, and of course crab. The strong flavors of this sandwich all mesh together quite well to form a truly great sandwich. The fries are okay but are no match for the over-powering goodness of the sandwich. Job well done on this pick.

Next up was Katie's pick. After a long, hard decision she decided on the Mac + Cheese. This was not your typical blue box mac and cheese. This mac and cheese included big chunks of chicken, chopped bacon, mushrooms, and two kinds of cheeses. And if that does not sound rich enough for you, they also include white truffle oil. Katie had a hard time finishing it, so of course, I had to help her out. I found the dish rich and creamy. It was a really good scene. Katie also liked it.

So if we learned anything about the Yard House it should be that they are just not a bar, they actually have really good food and should not be overlooked when you are at the Spectrum. You just have to be in the mood for loud rock music and dark lighting.

If you would like to get more information about the Yard House, check them out at http://www.yardhouse.com/

Sunday Fun Day at Garf's!

Garf's Sports Lounge

3046 Bristol St.

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

So my friends and I have had no luck trying to watch football on Sunday mornings. A lot of places think that just because they have lots of TVs, that people will put up with lousy service or sub-par food. So heading to Garf's in Costa Mesa, I was not expecting much, but that was about to change.

Garf's is a rundown sports lounge that has seen better days. but they know how to treat their customers. Before the morning games start, the manager is at our table asking what games we want where. This is super cool and does not happen in very many places. The waitress, Melanie was on top of our drink orders and was also over at our table every time we had a new edition to our party. So now on to the food...

 

Katie started with the breakfast burrito with bacon. She really liked the burrito and it really filled her up. The potatoes had cheese and onions on them and tasted great according to her. I would have liked a little more flavor, but I have really been on a Tapitio kick lately.

Next, was Clay's Denver omelet. He really liked the omelet and thought that the eggs were done perfectly. The omelet had a lot of ham and bell pepper on it. He liked the potatoes but was not in awe of them. His potatoes did not have as much cheese on them as Katie's. They probably know that this guy is trouble, so they wanted to give him a hard time.

Next was Chris's chef salad. From the picture, you can see that they went really heavy on the ham and the cheese, but trust me there is salad under there somewhere. Chris did not really comment too much on the salad, but it looked appetizing from across the table. At $9.50, it looks like he got his money worth.

Next up was my patty melt with swiss cheese. Really tasty burger, a little greasy, but not too much. The fries were actually crisp, unlike a lot of places steak fries. A half-pound patty melt and fries for $8.25, is a great deal, plus you get to watch your football team win, in a relaxed atmosphere. Garf's really did make our Sunday a fun day! So three cheers to Garf's Good times!

For more information on Garf's, check out their web site at https://www.garfsbar.com/

A night out at Woody's Diner

Woody's Diner

24321 Avenida De La Carlota

Laguna Hills, CA

So on a recent visit to Lonestar Steakhouse, my girlfriend and I looked across the parking lot and saw Woody's Diner occupying the spot that had once been Islands. I, of course, was ready to give it a try, but considering that we just both had prime rib dinners at Lonestar, we decided we would wait a few days.

Fast forward to this past Thursday night, and we found ourselves out at Woody's. The place was deserted, at seven o'clock. We were met by a very cheery hostess, who sat us promptly. Our waiter got our drinks to us quickly and then we decided what to have. The menu is typical diner fare with a lot of variety. They serve breakfast all day long, but we both opted for dinner.

I started with this side salad. Pretty mediocre, nothing to write home about. I thought the 4.75 price tag was a little over the top for some iceberg lettuce, cucumbers, and three cherry tomatoes, something I could have had at home for about two dollars.

 

Here is Katie's meal. She had the BBQ chicken wrap. She liked it and thought that it had a lot of chicken. I took a bite of it and thought that it was bland tasting, but wraps are not really my favorite thing. I thought they could have used a little more BBQ ranch sauce on it, it was kind of dry to me.

Now on to my meal. I had the Bacon cheeseburger, ( I know big surprise for those of you that know me, I always love trying bacon burgers.) Anyways, when the burger got to the table it hit me, why do places always place the bacon strips in a cross? When you order a bacon burger you really want to taste the bacon in every bite, so this is how it should come out of the kitchen.....

Now that is a little better. The bacon on this burger was a little fatty, which I do not mind, but I know that some of you do. The patty was juicy, but the third-pound burger left me wanting more. You can add an extra patty for $1.50, but that makes this burger top out at a whopping $10.45! Too much for this burger.

So as we left Woddy's I felt it was an okay place, not anything too great. I hear they have better breakfasts, so we will probably give them another shot when we are in a breakfast mood.

Here is the website if you would like to check them out. The Laguna Hills location is not listed though. http://woodysdiners.com/