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

Adding Renata to the List of Great Restaurants in Downtown Orange?

 Renata's Cafe Italiano

227 East Chapman Avenue 

Orange, CA 92866

Downtown Orange is the hottest spot for restaurants in OC right now. In the last year or so, a bunch of popular restaurants from other parts of the county have opened up here: Bosscat Kitchen, Finney's Crafthouse, Pandor Bakery, Urth Caffe, and Snooze, an A.M. Eatery, to name a few. These join the old stalwarts like Haven Craft Kitchen, Citrus City Grill, Smoqued BBQ, and my favorite, Gabbi's Mexican Kitchen. With so many great spots in a condensed area, it's easy to overlook a couple restaurants like the one we would be eating at tonight, Renata's Cafe Italiano. 

Okay, full disclosure. Renata's has been around for nearly 30 years, and I had just heard of it when I went through Yelp trying to find a place to eat with my parents. My bad, but in my defense, I rarely visit this part of the plaza district. There are a couple of government buildings, like the city hall, library, parks and rec offices, and a couple of tea rooms, but that's mostly it around here. Not anywhere I would ever really seek out. So, I was hoping Renata's would be a hidden gem. 

As I mentioned, they have been here for 30 years and have a three-and-a-half star rating on Yelp and over 300 reviews. Their menu is divided into starters, soups, salads, specialties of the house, pasta dishes, ravioli, and more substantial meals featuring steak and seafood offerings. Most entrees hover around the $20 price point, with the most expensive item on the menu being the filet mignon at $25. That's pretty reasonable at this point in time. 

We had no reservation when we showed up on a Friday evening at 6, but only a few people were eating here, and we got seated on their patio immediately. The patio was incredibly dark, warm, and stuffy, as the ceiling fans did little to make it cooler. This is something to note as we enter the warmer part of the year in the upcoming months. Our server greeted us promptly, and we ordered in quick succession. Here's how the evening went for us at Renata's. 

Instead of starting with one of the dozen starters that Renatas lists on their menu, we selected the Garlic Bread ($4.95) to start off with. The six pieces of bread came with plenty of garlic and butter and warmed just enough from under the broiler. This is not a knock on them because I love it, but this reminded me of the Lawry's garlic spread my mom put on French bread while we were growing up. I'm sure they used fresh garlic and added some herbs, but this made me sentimental for simpler times of my youth. 

Salads are not included with meals here, but a House Salad can be added for $1.99, while a Caesar Salad can be added for $3.99 with any entree. Again, this is very reasonable. The house salad comes with mixed greens, shredded carrots and red cabbage, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, croutons, and a choice of dressing. Katie selected the balsamic vinaigrette and was pleased with her choice. She liked the freshness of the salad but admitted this was a pretty basic salad. 

I can not resist a Caesar, and this one was satisfying. The dressing was liberally applied to each piece of romaine, so it was a balanced salad. I also enjoyed that they added a decent amount of parmesan cheese to the top of this salad. A few more croutons than the four I was given and a tad less tanginess to the Caesar dressing would have made this even better. 

It's definitely not the most picturesque dish ever, but my dad was pleased with this Cannelloni di Carne ($15.95). The rolled pasta was filled with meat and topped with a bit of cheese, then baked in a white creamy sauce. My dad is not very forthcoming with letting me try his food, so I'm unsure what meat was included here and if the sauce was alfredo or another white sauce. He finished this plate rather quickly, which has not happened lately. Even with his diminished appetite, he sang this cannelloni's prices to me the next day in an email. 

This colorful plate came to our table and was sat in front of Katie. She was impressed with this Tortellini alla Panna ($16.95). The tri-colored tortellini pasta was nicely cooked, and the mushroom cream sauce was a nice compliment. She liked the lightness, as she thought the sauce would be heavier than it actually was. She'd get this again. 

I am a big fan of saltimbocca and decided to try it here at Renata's. The Chicken Saltimbocca alla Romana was layered with prosciutto, sage, cheese, and a marsala wine sauce.  I was less than thrilled with this. The chicken was not tender, the cheese and prosciutto did not stand out, and the marsala sauce was too thin and watery. The veggies were bland, and this dish's best part was the spaghetti marinara side. I went home disappointed. 

It's no mystery what my mom is having in an Italian restaurant when Arrabbiata ($14.95) is on the menu. It's weird to me that she is not a fan of other spicy foods, except for Arrabbiata. This version at Renata's was indeed spicy. She got to choose the kind of pasta she wanted with this, and she went with capellini, which allowed the sauce to cling to it well. It was a big enough serving that my mom took home half of it for my dad's lunch the next day.  

Okay, everyone except myself really liked what they had at Renata's. Maybe I got the wrong thing, or I've had some excellent Italian food recently, clouding my judgment about this place. I just wasn't impressed with Renata's. Looking back over the notes I took after this evening, I was even harsher about my experience than I am writing this review a few months later. Since everyone else enjoyed their meals, I decided to scale back my disdain for this restaurant. It's okay Italian food, the prices are very reasonable, and the service was adequate. It's not a glowing review, and I'm sure you will not be surprised that Renata's will not make it onto my list of great restaurants in Downtown Orange. 

Out of five Swatch watches (because this famous watch brand from the 80s is still around and all of their watch batteries are made by another Swiss company named Renata), five being best to zero being worst, Renata's Cafe Italiano gets 2.5 Swatch watches. 

For more information about Renata's Cafe Italiano, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.renatascafe.com/ 

Porking Out at Carnitas Uruapan

Carnitas Uruapan

2106 West 5th Street 

Santa Ana, CA 92703

I always like it when we get new people at work. One reason is that I have been there for almost 36 years now, and any chance to change things is welcome at this point. Another reason is that there's a chance that this new person will become a friend, and we can bond over food. That happened when George showed up to replace our outgoing meat manager. We instantly connected with food; even better, he wanted to share one of his favorite places with me, Carnitas Uruapan in Santa Ana. 

George and I met here at 9 a.m. on a Thursday. He likes to get here early to beat the rush, which is fine with me. It's situated in a mixed residential and industrial area west of Downtown. They have a small parking lot, which fills up quickly during peak meal times. I avoided it and parked on the street in front of the small, red and white painted restaurant. 

Since the pandemic four years ago, there's been no seating inside the restaurant. They use the empty space now to snake the line. We were early enough to be able to walk right up to the case above. The guy behind the counter was slicing and dicing the pork and separating it into sections. He also packages it, and another lady makes the tacos, burritos, tortas, and combo plates. You then move to the register, where you get your drinks, pay, and pick up your food. Your last stop is the salsa bar, which should be ignored. Some delicious salsa here, maybe even the best I've had in years. They offer green, orange, and red salsa. The orange was spicy but oh-so-good.  Unfortunately, I was so excited to eat I failed to take a picture of the salsas, so you'll just have to take my word for it. 

The menu here features lamb, goat, and different kinds of beef, but most people focus on what they are known for, the carnitas. Most restaurants only list carnitas on their menus, and they make it using only pork shoulder. Carnitas Uruapan uses the whole pig to make their carnitas; different types are available. They have maciza, which is just white meat; there's also surtida, which is a mixture of all parts of the pig, and then you also can have pork rib meat and chicharon, which is deep-fried pork skin. The menu is not in English, so it's best to view their menu online and note what you want to order before showing up and slowing down the line. That's what I did, and the ordering process went smoothly. We grabbed our food and headed to the covered patio at the back of their parking lot. 

One thing I learned about George on this particular outing is that he is one of the most vanilla eaters I have ever encountered. He likes everything as plain as you can get it. At Carnitas Uruapan, he'd get the Tacos Maciza ($2.90 for each taco) without cilantro, onion, or salsa. If he's feeling a bit wild, he might squeeze some lime on them, which he did not do while I was with him. He even picked out some more fatty pieces, which I was happy to take off his hands. He's always eaten this way since he was a kid. Some people grow out of it, but some, like George, don't. No judgment; he knows what he likes. It's best to move on.   

Okay, here are the first two of my four tacos: the Costilla Taco ($3.75) and the Birria de Chivo Taco ($3.25). Both were excellent. The Costilla taco is made of rib meat, which is flavorful and rich. I don't know what they flavor it with, but with the cilantro and onion added, this was a winning taco, and I wished I had ordered an extra one. The birria at Carnitas Uruapan is not the Americanized version, which utilizes beef, but instead, it opts for the more traditional meat from a goat. Sometimes goat meat can be gamey and tough, but this was delicious. If you didn't know this was goat, you'd assume it was beef due to its seasoning and tenderness. I used the salsa sparingly with these two tacos because these tacos did not really need it. You don't see these unique tacos at your neighborhood taqueria often, but I'll be looking for them from now on. 

I ordered the same Maciza Taco ($2.90) that George had, but I had them dress it with onions and cilantro. I took my first bite with no salsa, which was boring. The white meat was bland and somewhat dry. The taco was saved when I added the delicious orange salsa to it, which woke this taco up. The Taco Surtido is a mixture of all parts of the pig and has a tremendous amount of textural variation, which I found pleasing. If you are squeamish and inspect everything on your fork, you might want to stay with the white meat carnitas taco. I liked the pieces of fat and skin mingling with some white meat. It was a little greasier than the maciza, which added to the flavor profile. I liked it so much that I got it in the combo meal below. 

As you can see in this picture, they do use all parts of the pig. This Surtida Combo Meal ($10.25) was jam-packed into the container. I ate this over a two-day period. It came with some very good corn tortillas, beans, and rice. The beans and rice were good but overshadowed by the pork, which made for excellent tacos. I'd also suggest the costilla (rib meat) as another great option for a combo meal. 

Carnitas Uruapan is truly an authentic Mexican spot, serving carnitas as I assume that they do in Michoachan. I'm ashamed to admit that this was my first time having truly authentic carnitas. Most restaurants in OC do not make them using the whole pig, which I understand is only for some, including my friend George, who introduced me to this spot. There's room for both styles of carnitas, and I will continue eating both. Since this was my first time having authentic carnitas, I have nothing else to compare these to, but if you know of a place that you feel has superior carnitas, let me know where I should go next. 

Out of five avocados (because the city of Uruapan is the center of Mexico's growing region for avocados), five being best to zero being worst, Carnitas Uruapan gets 3.5 avocados. 
 

For more information about Carnitas Uruapan, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.carnitasuruapan.com/