Previewing Anepalcos New Dinner Items

Anepalcos Cafe

3737 W. Chapman Ave.

Orange, CA 92868

I have written it before on this blog, and I still stand by it. Breakfast is the hardest meal for a restaurant to make memorable. Most breakfasts contain the same old items. So when you find a breakfast that you still think about, months, if not years later, you know that you have been to a good restaurant. That is why I was so excited to try Anepalcos, a restaurant that is known for their legendary Mexican breakfasts with a French twist, for dinner.

Anepalcos started out serving just breakfast and lunch at their original Main Street location. When they opened this new location, which is attached to the Ayers Hotel, they started serving dinners. It is hard to believe that they have already been open for a year now and that we have not made it in for dinner until now. A lot of the numerous OC food blogs that I read are always crowing about how great the dinners are here. Our experience for breakfast/lunch was great and can be seen here.

We were recently invited by Anepalcos Owner and Executive Chef, Daniel Godinez and one of the best food bloggers, not just in OC, but anywhere, Anita Lau, from Diary of a Mad Hungry Woman to come to try out some new dishes that will be appearing on the Anepalcos dinner menu. This very intimate dinner was also attended by Terri Williams of Great Taste Magazine, Priscilla Mayfield of OC Food Nation, and Anita's son, Seb, or as I like to call him, the Human Garbage Disposal, because that kid can eat.

We arrived at Anepalcos on a Thursday night just before seven. I have always observed that restaurants in hotels never seem very crowded, but that was not the case at Anepalcos. The dining room here was bustling with much activity. The dining area is definitely dominated by the color brown, with the darker walls, trim, and the dark wood tables which are handcrafted in Mexico. After the drive up here from Irvine in rush hour traffic, I was definitely ready for some food. Danny must have known I was hungry because the plates started coming out of the kitchen at a furious pace. Let's check out some of the new menu items at Anepalcos.

Chef Danny really started things off with a bang. The Pambazo Ahi Crudo is listed under the small plates portion of the menu, but the taste was anything but small. He starts by soaking the ciabatta in a Guajillo marinade, then tops it with ahi tuna, avocado puree, cilantro, red radish, Serrano chili, and chili oil. Even with all of these big flavor enhancements, the tuna was still the star of the show. It was very fresh and tasted great. The chili was not overpowering but played along nicely with the tuna. I had expected the bread to be a little soggy, but it still held its crunch. A great way to open this tasting session, and it really got our whole table excited.

The Ancas De Rana did not garner the same excitement from Katie. She is no fan of frogs legs. I have only had frog legs maybe a dozen times, and I can say that these were the best-prepared ones I have ever had. They did not taste swampy like the others I have consumed. The frog legs were served with a black chili, baby carrot puree, a maple glaze, and sprinkled with some pepita dust, then placed on a corn cake. The corn cake was a little on the heavy side and seemed a little out of place to me. The frog leg had an ample amount of meat and was very well executed.

The last of the new small plates was the Tacos Orientales. This Asian inspired taco came with one of my all-time favorite foods, pork belly. The pork belly at Anepalcos was very crispy, and I could not get enough of it. Joining the pork belly in this unconventional taco was a chili de Arbol salsa and micro cilantro. The tortilla here was thicker than a normal tortilla. I'm not sure what kind it was, but it kept the contents all in one piece. A definite must order on my next visit here.

I was pretty excited to see this Al Adobo come out next, because not only did it feature a very finely cooked coulette steak, but it also came with a mini chilaquiles on the side. The chilaquiles at Anepalcos is, of course, a classic, but the steak was not to be outshined either. It was very tender, and the adobo sauce, along with the chimichurri sauce, really kept my taste buds intrigued with these two great sauces. A very satisfying plate.

This colorful plate really highlighted Chef Danny's playful plating technique. Just looking at this Surf and Turf plate made me feel really happy. Not only was this plate pleasing to the eyes, but it was also delicious as well. This surf and turf plate was made up of scallops and pork belly, both of which were done to perfection. The dish was all brought together by a nice black potato and truffle puree and an almond salsa. Very complex flavors all working together to create a memorable meal.

You can never have too much steak, and Anepalcos proved that with their version of the Hangar Steak. The steak was matched up nicely with a green potato puree, Enoki mushrooms, a maple glaze, and a black chili sauce. The steak was a little overcooked for my taste, but the sauces helped to hide this fact a bit. The purees and sauce here at Anepalcos are a very big factor in the success of this restaurant. All of them really compliment the dishes they come with.

Proving that you can not do wrong by ordering a seafood dish at Anepalcos, the Red Snapper hit our table next. This fish was flaky and light, with a very nice cauliflower and corn sauce, pink cauliflower, and sauteed corn. This was probably the most mellow of the plates we had on this night. It was a nice change of pace and was Katie's favorite. This is a great choice for people that want a lighter meal.

This would be my first time having nopales ever. I know, I should have had them sooner, but never have. This Mixiote Lamb came with nopales and slow roasted potatoes. The red sauce was, of course, fantastic, but the lamb here was a little overdone. I could imagine eating this dish on a colder night when a hearty meal is called for.

The last of our entrees was this interesting Chile Negro. Arroz Verde, red radish, and micro cilantro join an ancho chile filled with sirloin beef. This dish was pretty good, but not like any chile relleno I have ever had. It was not as heavy and did not have that big pop of flavor that I have been accustomed to with other chile rellenos.

Not new on the menu, but I was happy that we got to try the desserts at Anepalcos. Since this is a French-inspired Mexican restaurant, it is no surprise that they have crepes on the menu. These were way better than the crepes you could get when I was a kid at the Magic Pan, (if you remember that restaurant, you are old just like me). I'm not a big fruit fan, but this strawberry crepe was pretty tasty. The crepe that really caught my attention was the Chocolate Crepe. I was dining with other people and was expected to share, but I had a hard time not hoarding this one all to myself. The crepe portion of this was well made, and of course, you can almost never go wrong with chocolate. The last dessert we had was another Anepalcos classic dessert, the Passion Fruit Panna Cotta. With my dislike for fruit desserts, I was not sure I was going to enjoy this, but the texture was spot on, and the flavor was not overly sweet. Very refreshing, and a great end to the meal.

With all of these new additions to the Anepalcos menu, along with their already fantastic remaining favorites, it will not be too long before we return for dinner. This night could not have gone better. Great dinner guests, great food, all in a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere. What really sets Anepalcos apart is their uniqueness. I have not been exposed to Mexican food with a French twist before. It really makes it even more special to come here knowing that this is not the kind of food that you can just get anywhere. Chef Godinez really knows what he is doing in the kitchen, and it shows when the food hits the table. These new menu items are now being offered at Anepalcos. Thanks again to Anita and Chef Daniel for the wonderful evening.

To find out more about Anepalcos Cafe, click here: http://www.anepalco.com/home-1.html

Mexican/French Food? Yes Please!

Anepalco's Cafe

3737 W. Chapman Ave.

Orange, CA 92868

Nothing gets me out of bed quicker than a good Mexican breakfast. Breakfast burritos, huevos rancheros, and chilaquiles. I love them all, and will even go without sleep for them, and I love to sleep! When we finally made plans to make it up to Anepalco's Cafe, I was up and ready almost before sunrise, that's how excited I was.

Anepalco's Cafe is not your typical Mexican breakfast place. Sure they have the usual Mexican breakfast staples, but they are a little different. Anepalco's is a fusion restaurant of Mexican and French food. I have not come across too many of these types of restaurants, so I was excited to see what they had in store for us.

This is the second location of Anepalco's. Their first location is also located in Orange, on Main Street. That location is only open for breakfast and lunch. This new location that we went to is open for brunch and dinner. It is located conveniently right at the corner of Chapman and State College, adjoining the Ayres Hotel. They have been in this location for two months now.

We got to the restaurant right at 11am. We were one of three tables at 11, but during our visit, the place was filling up, and there was plenty of people out on the patio in the front of the restaurant when we left. Inside the restaurant, there are about thirty or so tables. The decor is nice and understated. Dominated by dark woods and browns. By this point I was hungry, so let's see if the food lives up to its billing.

This colorful plate was Katie's selection for brunch, the Huevos Divorciados ($9.70). Hope this selection was not a secret sign about our relationship. Anyways, this plate had a little bit of everything included. Tortillas, ham, eggs, bacon, red onion, avocado, cotija cheese, sour cream, and cilantro, along with two sauces, red and green. When I pressed Katie as to which sauce she liked better, she could not choose. She did say that these sauces worked well together though. She was also impressed with the way the eggs were cooked here. She did mention that this did have temperature issues, but not enough that she would have sent it back.

This is probably the menu item that has put Anepalco's on the map, so it definitely deserves two pictures. The Anepalco's Chilaquiles ($8.60) was going to be what I was going to order, but my Mom beat me to the punch. This is not like any chilaquiles I have ever had. All of the basic ingredients are here, tortilla chips, eggs, red sauce, cotija cheese, sour cream, avocado mousse, and pico de gallo, but they are presented in a way that makes this a most unusual chilaquiles. I did get to have half of this, thanks, Mom! I thought the red sauce was not as overpowering as it can be in some other versions of this dish. I like a runny egg a little more than scrambled, but this egg was light and cooked perfectly. This was not served hot, but maybe lukewarm, it could have been hotter. What really stood out for me on this was the avocado mousse. Wow! Very light, and one of the best ways I have ever had an avocado. If this had been my plate, I would have asked for a side of this mousse and eaten it with a spoon. It was that good. I can see why this is Anepalco's signature item.

My Dad also went the breakfast route with this Green Eggs Benedictos ($9.70). This twist on an eggs benedict included the usual poached eggs, but then it took a left turn with spinach, tomato, and pesto sauce, served on sliced ciabatta bread. My Dad thought this was very good, pleasant flavor, and light tasting. The only minor qualm he had with this was that the crust of the ciabatta was a little too crunchy, but he would not hesitate to get this again. This was served with some very good roasted potatoes.

Since everyone else was getting breakfast foods, I decided that I would get something off of the lunch area of the menu. The Carnitas Sandwich ($9.80) had my name written all over it. Shredded pork, chicharron, avocado, mixed greens, radish, chipotle ranch, and cilantro piled on ciabatta bread. This sandwich was a little more subtle than I thought it would be. None of the contents of the sandwich really stood out for me, besides the pork. The carnitas was juicy and flavored simply. I would have liked the chicharron or the chipotle ranch to be more prominent, but this was not the case. What did capture my attention here was the Cream of Parsley soup that was served alongside this sandwich. I was not expecting much from a soup that is made from a garnish, but this made me rethink that little sprig that my Uncle used to eat when we went out to dinner with him. The soup was creamy, full of muted flavor, and went down nice and easy. If this is one of their daily soups on a day you are eating here, do yourself a favor and order it.

I am thrilled to report that this place made me happy to get out of bed on a Sunday morning. The food really lived up to the hype that I had read online. I was not so excited by my carnitas sandwich, but everything else I tried was right on point. As you can see, prices were not even close to being bad at Anepalco's. The food presentation is also worth noting here. They really go out of their way to make the food look as appealing as it is delicious. We had great service on the morning of our visit. The food did take a little longer to get out, but that is probably just because we were one of the first tables of the day. Be advised that this location of Anepalco's opens for brunch from 11 to 2pm, then closes until dinner is served from 5:30 till 9. After this brunch, we are really looking forward to trying their dinner menu in the near future.

Out of five stethoscopes, (because this location of Anepalco's is located across the street from UCI Medical Center, and I am sure that many doctors eat here), five being best to zero being worst, Anepalco's Cafe gets 3.5 stethoscopes.

For more information on Anepalco's Cafe, click here: http://www.anepalco.com/home-1.html