Hoping for Some Good Sandwich Mojo in Huntington Beach - CLOSED

 Mojo's Sandwiches and Blues Bar

16446 Bolsa Chica St.

Huntington Beach, CA 92649

There are certain areas of OC that I've neglected over the years. Mostly because I have lived in South OC for the entirety of the run of this blog, it's been hard to get to the north end of our grand county. Buena Park, Cypress, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, Stanton, and North Huntington Beach have some great places to eat, but most days, it will take me about an hour one way to get to these cities, but I have decided I need to remedy this.  

My buddy Steve lives nearby in Los Alamitos, so it was an excellent time to catch up, talk some hockey, and try a place in an area I have long shunned due to geography. Mojo's Sandwiches and Blues Bar came across my radar a few months ago when a long-time reader suggested I try it. Constantly aware of someone who has taken the time to reach out with a tip, I added it to my list of restaurants to try and waited until the perfect time to try them out. 

Mojo opened in August of last year in the middle of the pandemic. They are located at the intersection of Bolsa Chica and Heil, at the far left of the small shopping center that includes several small shops, including The Hangout Restaurant, Domino's Pizza, and Sea Salt Japanese Eatery. The restaurant layout has half indoor seating and an umbrella patio out front, with a circular bar bridging the two. The inside is decorated smartly with painted yellow walls, large TVs showing sports, and paintings of blues legends adorning the walls. 

The menu here is divided into hot and cold sandwiches and subs. The price point hovers right around the $10 mark per sandwich and only varies by a buck or two in either direction. There's also a trio of salads, snacks, and sides. My friend Steve and I quickly ordered, got a few beverages from the bar, and grabbed one of the prime spots on the patio while waiting for our food. 

Steve and I decided we were going to split three sandwiches on this visit, which would help us get a better grasp of what Mojos was all about, plus I'm always up to eat an extra half sandwich. You don't see muffuletta sandwiches often in OC, so the Mojo's Muffuletta ($13.99) was a must-try for us. This version was made with salami, mortadella, and salami, with sliced provolone, and olive salad, all sandwiched between sliced ciabatta. My first few bites of this were not very inspiring, but this sandwich grew on me, even though I am nowhere near the biggest fan of olives that you will ever meet. The olive salad needed to be balanced with some oil and vinegar to moisten things up, but it was still a solid start to our sandwich odyssey at Mojos. 

Not to ruin the rest of this review, but this Buffalo Chicken Sandwich ($9.99) was our best one on this early afternoon. This sandwich featured buffalo fried chicken, tangy coleslaw, pepper jack cheese, and spicy aioli. You might think this would overwhelm you with heat, but you'd have been wrong. It was a very manageable heat level, providing a big flavor burst in each bite. I really enjoyed the different textures of the crispy coleslaw, tender chicken, and the soft and chewy ciabatta, which held its form wonderfully. Yes, I would have liked more chicken on here. But I'd get this one again for sure. 

Last but not least for us was this Mojo's Reuben ($10.99). With big hunks of corned beef intertwined with Swiss cheese and sauerkraut on rye, this sandwich impressed both of us, but some Russian dressing or even mustard would have made it even better. The corned beef they use was nicely done and was rightfully the star of this sandwich. 

Not that we needed it, but I had to give the Reese's Fried PB and J with Ice Cream ($6.95) a whirl. When this was placed in front of us, I knew we made the right choice in getting it. This was simply a fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich with peanut butter and berry sauce drizzled over it, with two scoops of ice cream. It was sweet, but the savory peanut butter muted the sweetness. While eating this, I used to spoon some ice cream and take alternating bites from the spoon and the quartered sandwich. It was like fair food but elevated and did not cost $14 like it would at the OC Fair.  

Mojos could be the very definition of a hidden gem. I follow many food people, peruse many online restaurant blogs, and read the mainstream media about OC restaurants. This is a sandwich spot that no one has written about until now. Definitely worth a visit if you are in Huntington Beach or the surrounding area. When I return here, I look forward to trying the Pastrami, Philly, Meatball, and Buffalo Chicken we had on this visit. The service was pleasant and cordial, and the price point at Mojo's was very fair. This is another reason Huntington Beach is the sandwich capital of OC. The number of great sandwiches found within its city limits is almost unfair. More of a reason that I need to get to the parts of OC that I have neglected for far too long. 

Out of five Powder Puff Girls (because the main villain in this animated series is Mojo Jojo, not that I've seen this, of course), five being best to zero being worst, Mojo's Sandwiches and Blues Bar gets 3.5 Powder Puff Girls. 

For more information about Mojo's Sandwiches and Blues Bar, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.mojossandwiches.com/

Falling in Love With Cupid’s Hot Dogs? - CLOSED

 Cupid's Hot Dogs

106 North Harbor Blvd. 

Fullerton, CA 92832

Hot dogs need to have their moment in the spotlight. Hot chicken sandwiches, bacon on everything, poke, frozen yogurt, and even kale were a thing for a hot minute a while back. What we need now are more hot dog restaurants in OC. With a few exceptions, restaurants relegate hot dogs to the kid's menu or offer one at the bottom of their regular menu as a throw-in. Hot dogs should be front and center more often. Luckily, the people of North OC now have a new option for hot dogs, and it's called Cupid's. 

If Cupid's Hot Dogs sounds familiar, you must have grown up in the Valley. They have been serving hot dogs up there since 1946 and are now being run by the third generation of the Walsh family. I did not grow up in the Valley but had heard of them when I visited PCH Dogs in Orange. Owner Scott Browning grew up there, and when he moved to OC, he missed their hot dogs so much that it inspired him to open his own place. See, the power of the hot dog is a powerful thing. 

A new family has brought Cupid's to OC, but they have been working with the Walsh family to ensure that the consistency is the same here. The menu is similar to the ones in the Valley, with the difference being that the Fullerton spot offers fries, but they don't sell soft-serve ice cream. In the six months they opened, they have amassed a perfect five-star rating on Yelp, which, along with my love of hot dogs, was enough for me to make a lunch date with my parents recently. 

Plenty of parking was in the back of the storefront, but the entrance is on the Harbor Boulevard side. When I was growing up, this was a baseball card shop, and more recently, it was a jewelry store. The long, narrow space is sparsely decorated with their logo on their white walls. A couple of tables and a four-seat counter face one of the walls. There is not much seating, so avoid mealtimes or plan ahead and order to go, as we saw several people do during our visit. 

The menu is really very simple here. They have five hot dogs to choose from, and the sixth is a build-your-own option. Sides include fries, chili, and chips. For those who care, there's no fountain drink service here, as they only have beverages in bottles. With such a limited menu, we quickly made our selections and took the one unoccupied table to wait for our food. 

Let's start out with the Chili Fries ($4.75). With the exception that Cupid's uses crinkle-cut fries, I thought these resembled Tommy's chili cheese fries. The chili had the same taste and texture but needed more cheese to help balance things. This was layered well, so I was not just left with a bunch of fries at the end. The fries stayed crispy throughout my whole time eating this. 

This Reuben Dog ($5.80) missed the mark for me. The hot dog had an excellent snap to it, but the sauerkraut really overpowered here, so I could not taste the mustard or cheese. This hot dog is misnamed, as a true Reuben has Swiss cheese and Russian dressing, not mustard and cheddar cheese. It was okay, but I'd skip this in favor of the two hot dogs still to come. 

My mom is pretty basic regarding what she likes on her hot dogs, so it was no surprise that she opted for the Make It Your Way Hot Dog ($4.85). With this option, you can choose any toppings that you wish. I don't know if this includes chili or if there are any limitations; the menu is a bit vague. My mom went with mustard and light relish on her hot dog. She loved the all-beef hot dog and the pillowy soft bun, which was spongy and held its shape well. Way better than her beloved Weinerschnitzel hot dogs that she has monthly. 

One of the better, if not the best, chili cheese dogs I have had in OC. Their namesake Cupid Hot Dog ($5.35) comes with plenty of chili, onion, mustard, and shredded cheddar cheese. What made this so good? It starts with the all-beef Vienna hot dog that they use here. Its casing really snaps when bitten into, and you can taste the high quality of the hot dog in every bite. The bun held up nicely to the meaty chili. I wish more onions were involved here or placed on top of the chili to get them more involved in each bite. Still an excellent chili cheese dog. 

Based on my chili cheese dog, I can see why people in the Valley are so passionate about Cupid's. Their menu has limited options, but if you crave a hot dog, this place will satisfy those cravings. Service was straightforward, and the price point for some of you might be higher than what you are used to paying at your local Wienerschnitzel, but these are far superior hot dogs and worth the extra dollar or so. I have doubts, but I'm still hoping this might get the ball rolling so that hot dog spots start popping up so I don't have to drive 45 minutes to visit Cupid's every time my hot dog cravings hit.  

Out of five leftovers (because when Cupid's opened in 1946, it was also the same year that Tupperware was invented, which helped keep leftovers fresher longer), five being best to zero being worst, Cupid's Hot Dogs gets 3.5 leftovers. 

For more information about Cupid's Hot Dogs, head to their website here: https://www.cupidsoc.com/

We Pledge Our Allegiance to the Kabob Republic - CLOSED

 Kabob Republic

1781 Newport Blvd. Suite C

Costa Mesa, CA 92627

I've written about it before, but Katie is obsessed with garlic sauce. She's been looking for one as good as she used to have when she worked in Ontario about ten years ago. We've had some good ones, but nothing compared to the garlic sauce from Alina's Lebanese Cuisine. That is until we ventured into Kabob Republic in Costa Mesa on a recent Saturday evening. 

We had just finished walking the Newport Back Bay Trail and needed nourishment after our three-mile stroll. Kabob Republic has been written up in the OC Register four times by their restaurant critic, Brad A. Johnson. He named it one of the best new restaurants back when they started out in 2017, one of the best 75 places to eat in OC in 2018, hailed their doner kebab as the best available in OC, and lastly listed this restaurant as one of the top 20 spots for cheap eats in OC. You can say he really enjoyed this place. 

We arrived just after 7 p.m. and were met with an empty restaurant, but the phone was going crazy with people calling in orders to go. Ordering is done at the counter, and the food is brought to you. The space is bathed in light colors, with the predominant color being ocean blue, which is very calming. The wooden chairs are not the most comfortable; maybe some padding would help make things a little better. 

The menu at Kabob Republic is divided into appetizers, salads, wraps, bowls, entrees, specialties, and sides. All the greatest hits of Mediterranian cuisine are represented here; falafel, hummus, beef gyro, and chicken shish kabob, among others, are offered. There are also some deeper cuts of Mediterranean cooking that I need to familiarize myself with. Those will have to wait for future visits, as I'm a creature of habit when trying a spot for the first time. Let's see if all the love that Brad Johnson heaped upon this place was warranted. 

For the most part, Katie and I get along famously. Yes, I'm not a big fan of her Starbucks obsession, and sometimes, when I let her pick an appetizer, she whiffs. It happens to everyone, so I chalk it up to experience. That's what happened when she chose these Feta Cheese Rolls ($8.99). These came three to an order and were stuffed with feta and herbs. I'm not a big feta fan, as I only like it in limited amounts. This was too much for me. Katie liked them, though, and would not let them go to waste. 

My strategy when eating out is to get a combination plate to get a feel for a place. At Kabob Republic, that meant the Duet Doner Gyro Kabob ($14.99) would be placed in front of me. With this entree, I chose the beef tri-tip doner shwarma and the lamb gyro. Both were extremely good. The lamb was just a bit better, with its well-spiced and tender curls of deliciousness. The beef was heartier, and both proteins were made even better with the excellent garlic sauce, which I'm happy to report is the best we've had in OC. With this meal, I got to pick two sides, and I went with the spicy hummus and the fries. The fries were okay, but the spicy hummus was as advertised, it was spicy. Most other places just call their hummus spicy, which doesn't deliver. This one had some kick to it, which I appreciated.  

Katie got this Chicken Gyro Bowl ($14.50) to go along with her soon-to-be favorite garlic sauce. This bowl had plenty of chicken, vibrant cabbage, mixed greens, tomatoes, red onion, and a pickle mixture. She loved this, with the well-seasoned chicken, the fresh veggies, and, of course, the garlic sauce. The portion size was more than she bargained for, as she could not finish it in one sitting. No need to worry, as I stepped up and ate the rest. It's the least I could do. 

When we walked out the door after our meal, stomachs full, we both felt that this was one of the better  Mediterranean meals we've had in recent memory. It was made even better with the brief, but our conversation with the owner on our way out was fantastic. He's very proud of the food he serves here, which shows in their execution. The portion sizes were pretty generous, especially when portions are shrinking as prices increase. Our garlic sauce quest has ended, but maybe there's another one out there that's just as good. We will head to Kabob Republic when we are craving Mediterranean food. 

Out of five Peeps (because this horrible Easter candy was introduced in 1953, the same year that Costa Mesa was founded), five being best to zero being worst, Kabob Republic gets 3.5 Peeps. 

For more information about Kabob Republic, head to their website here: https://kabobrepublic.com/