The Best Breakfast Burrito in OC That No One’s Talking About

 3rd Place Coffee

26741 Portola Parkway

Foothill Ranch, CA 92610

In case I have not mentioned it before, we moved near the end of last year, our first move in over ten years. It's not a big relocation, although any move can feel like it's across the country, especially when your wife is a pack rat. We migrated from Mission Viejo to Rancho Santa Margarita for a six-month stint. We will then return to what feels like civilization when we move to Laguna Hills. 

I decided to make the most of this change of residence by trying some of the local restaurants and eateries I would not typically have known about. Most people, including myself, are not too keen on the restaurants in this part of OC, but I wanted to dispel that notion by highlighting a few that I found to be worth visiting, starting with 3rd Place Coffee. 

Those of you who know me probably know that I'm one of six people in the country who is not a fan of coffee. I always joke that Katie drinks enough for both of us, and she visits Starbucks twice daily. 3rd Place is not usually a spot I would veer towards, but they also get glowing reviews for their breakfast burritos, so after a hike to nearby Red Rock Canyon, I gave them a try. 

3rd Place opened a year and a half ago in the Foothill Ranch Marketplace, which also features Ralph's Supermarket, Arby's, Avila's El Ranchito, and a Waba Grill at the corner of Portola and Bake Parkways. This is strictly a morning and mid-afternoon business, as they open their doors at 6:30 and close at 3pm, with the lone exception being Wednesdays, when they open back up from 6 to 9pm for an open mike night. 

Their short, concise breakfast menu features seven bagel sandwich options on the six varieties of bagels they offer daily. There's a yogurt parfait and a Hawaiian fruit bowl, but I had my eye on one of their three breakfast burrito options, which range in price between $8.99 to $10.99. I was a little early for lunch but noted their wraps and sandwiches, most notably the Classic TBA, a turkey, avocado, and bacon sandwich on sourdough bread. That would have to wait for next time, as I had a breakfast burrito in my sights. 

As I'm almost always conditioned to do when eating breakfast out, I like to pair my savory item with something sweet. I had heard good things about their cinnamon coffee cake, but they were out. This Blueberry Crumble ($3.50) stood in nicely. They offered to heat it, which allowed the provided butter to melt nicely over the moist cake. The crumble added a little sweetness, and the blueberries were fresh. I saw pictures online where this had an icing drizzle over the top of it, but it was still good even though mine did not have it. I'll have to get up earlier to try the coffee cake. 

At 3rd Place Coffee, they have five kinds of breakfast burritos offered; Bacon, Sausage, Vegetarian, Vegan, and the Brochacho Burrito ($10.99), which provides both sausage and bacon encased in the wrapped flour tortilla. I know, it's a big surprise that I would opt for the one with bacon and sausage. This one also features other things that the other burritos do not, avocado and a delicious ancho chipotle sauce, which gives this burrito a jolt from the usual red or green salsa other breakfast burritos have to make do with.  Add crispy hashbrowns for texture and light and fluffy eggs, and you get one of the better breakfast burritos in OC. My one complaint about this would be that they were a bit light in the amount of breakfast meats they utilized in this burrito. The bacon and sausage were absent in some bites, which was not as noticeable because the eggs, avocado, and hashbrowns helped to pick up the slack. I suggest asking for extra meat next time. 

It's not the most massive breakfast burrito, and it's not going to keep you from eating dinner eight hours later, but it's one you should definitely consider trying if you're on a quest to find all the great breakfast burritos that the OC has to offer. On my first visit here on a Thursday past 10am, it took 25 minutes for my burrito to appear at our table, while my friends' burritos had come out ten minutes prior. Maybe a miscommunication between the kitchen and the front counter staff. They made it up to me without prompting by giving me a gift card for a later visit, which I gladly used the next month with no further issues. 3rd Place Coffee is definitely one of the places I'll miss when our six-month exile in RSM is over, but I'll still find a reason to make it out this way for their breakfast burrito. 

Out of five bronze medals (because that's the medal that someone who finishes behind the leader and second place traditionally receives), 3rd Place Coffee gets 3.5 bronze medals.  

For more information about 3rd Place Coffee, head to their website by clicking here: https://3rdplacecoffee.com/

Cuckoo for Cuca's?

Cuca's Mexican Food

26676 Portola Parkway

Foothill Ranch, CA 92610

It's pretty easy to come up with a reason that most of the restaurant blogs that I used to read religiously are not producing any more new content. One word, Instagram. It's just easier to take a picture, write a short comment about it, and then let the likes roll in. A lot easier than the six hours or so that it takes me to write a single restaurant review. Yes, I'm a slow writer and get distracted rather easily.

Out of all the social media platforms that I use, I agree that Instagram, or The Gram, as the kids call it, is the best. It's the most visual of all media, which helps when you are photographing food. Also, unlike Facebook and Twitter, there's a lot less opinion being floated about, and little to no politics mentioned. A big plus especially in this election year. I've also noticed that people are a lot more polite on IG, and I have even gotten some great tips from many of my followers.

That's the reason we found our way to Cuca's in Foothill Ranch. It was probably a few years back now when one of my followers mentioned that I needed to give this place a try. It just so happened that we were walking around Lake Mission Viejo with our good friends Mazi and Marita, and were looking for somewhere to eat after our 3-mile jaunt. It hit me that we were in the vicinity of Cuca's, so that's where we headed to replenish after our grueling workout.

Cuca's is situated just off Portola Parkway, in the same shopping plaza as Denny's, Outback Steakhouse, and right next door to Planet Fitness. I was surprised to learn that this is part of a seven-unit chain that started in 1989 in the Inland Empire. It's truly a family-run business, as Cuca and her three daughters have opened new restaurants as the years have passed by, including one inside Buffalo Bills in Primm, Nevada.

This Foothill Ranch spot is the only one in OC and is run by her daughter Emerald and her husband Amir, who reside in nearby Rancho Santa Margarita. They opened it seven years ago, and have amassed quite a loyal following. The menu is highlighted by combination plates, burritos, tamales, burgers?, ala carte options, and daily specials, which includes a taco Tuesday special where you can get crispy tacos for $1.75 and soft tacos for just over $2. Unfortunately, we were here on a Thursday, so no taco Tuesday for us. Let's check out what did end up having though.

Long time readers of this blog know that Katie always orders Guacamole ($5.95) when we are in a Mexican restaurant, and that streak continued here at Cuca's. This was a decent version of her favorite dip. The consistency was spot on, but I'd like it to be seasoned a bit more. The chips here are very good. A little thicker than most, with a nice crunch to them. Kind of like the ones at Jalapenos, but without the lard after taste.

Marita was feeling the taco vibe at Cuca's with this trifecta of tacos. She selected two of the Carne Asada ($3.19 each) and a Carnitas Taco ($3.19). The carne asada was dressed with chopped cilantro and cabbage, while the carnitas came topped with pico de gallo and red onion. Both Marita and Mazi, who got the same tacos praised these. They loved the flavors, felt there was enough meat on them, and would get these again, but next time maybe get these as a combo plate so they could have some rice and beans.

Katie started her culinary journey at Cuca's with Taquitos ($5.29). These come three to an order, sprinkled with grated cheese, and a dollop of guacamole on the side. You have a choice of either beef or chicken, and she went with the chicken version. These were fried well but lacked the greasy tinge that I was expecting, which is a good thing. I'd definitely get these but would opt for beef. 

Katie also got one of the Daily Specials ($6.25) which comes with your choice of two items and a small drink. No beans and rice with this one. She selected a Soft Chicken Taco and a Hard Shelled Chicken Taco as her two items. She's pretty much a chicken-aholic if you could not tell from all of the poultry she ordered at Cuca's. Both of these were very solid in her opinion, with the chicken being pretty moist and flavored well. She liked the crunch of the hard taco best. Both could have had a little more chicken included in them, but she was overly happy with her meal. 

Combination plates are my jam, so I can try many different things on one plate. Combo plates give me a better representation of the food that a restaurant serves. At Cuca's, I got this 3 Item Combination Plate ($10.29) which featured a cheese enchilada, two beef taquitos, and a carne asada taco. I really liked everything on this overflowing plate, but if pressed, I'd say the cheese enchilada was the best here. A very good enchilada sauce surrounded the cheesy enchilada nicely. I concur with Mazi and Marita that the carne asada taco was delicious, but I would have liked it even better with some cheese added to it. The taquitos were fried nicely and had a good amount of shredded beef inside them. The refried beans were better than the rice, but I usually feel this is the case at most Mexican restaurants. Overall, a very comforting plate and one that I would totally get again.

All four of us left Cuca's pretty impressed with everything that we had on this evening and eager to come back and try more. One of the better fast-casual Mexican restaurants we have encountered in South OC. The food tasted fresh, not too greasy, and they had a decent variety available. Prices seemed more than fair for the amount of food that you get. Cuca's will definitely help quell your Mexican food cravings if you are in the area. We did note that they were closing up earlier than their posted 9pm time, as we witnessed two customers turned away just after 8, so definitely be aware of that. Seriously glad to get this tip about this place on Instagram, and if you follow me on IG and want us to try a spot, just reach out and we will get around to going there eventually.

Out of five ghost-monsters, (because in Spanish speaking countries a cuca is a female version of the mythical boogeyman), five being best to zero being worst, Cuca's Mexican Food gets 3 solid ghost-monsters.

For more information about Cuca's Mexican Food, head to their website here: https://www.cucas.com/

Hoping That Da Lu'au Will Be Da Bomb - CLOSED

Da Lu'au Hawaiian Grill

41 Auto Center Drive Ste. #101

Foothill Ranch, CA 92610

One food that doesn't get enough love is Hawaiian cuisine. A quick search of Urbanspoon shows that there are only 43 Hawaiian restaurants in OC, and some of those are fusion restaurants that just happen to have a few items from the islands on their menu. Almost every time I have had Hawaiian, I've left the restaurant enjoying my meal. I hoped that would happen when we left Da Lu'au in Foothill Ranch.

Da Lu'au gets a lot of love from the OC Weekly. They named this one of the top 10 spots for breakfast, gave a pretty glowing full review of the food here, and Gustavo wrote them up in his always entertaining "Hole In the Wall"  column last year. Besides all that, I had this place written down in my notes because a blog reader, Missy, had commented that I needed to try this place. Not one to let a tip go un-followed, we headed up to Foothill Ranch on a recent Saturday night.

This Hawaiian restaurant is located in an out-of-the-way shopping center that people would only come to if they made a wrong turn or had a specific reason for coming. The shopping center is home to Jersey Mike's, Cinnamon Productions, and Mustard Cafe, a restaurant we reviewed back in 2011. We were hoping for a more positive experience at Da Lu'au than there.

Da Lu'au had a good flow of business on this Saturday night. There were lots of takeout orders, and half of the fifteen or so tables in the small dining room were filled at least once during our stay. Ordering was a little confusing. There was a register near the front, where we ordered, but everyone else dining here was served by a waitress. After ordering at the counter, we selected a table, got our drinks at the fountain, and waited for our food to arrive.

I didn't know this when I started dating Katie five and a half years ago, but she's a poke fiend. It's almost always assured that she will order poke anytime she sees it on a menu. That was the case at Da Lu'au as well. This Ahi Poke ($8.95) came seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil, and sea salt, then was served on top of mixed greens, sliced avocado, green onion, lettuce, sliced cucumber, and a few tortilla chips scattered about. This was more like an ahi salad than I had imagined getting. The ahi was fresh and seasoned simply to allow the fish's natural flavor to come through. It came with a soy-sesame ginger dressing that was rather boring. The spicier dressing they provided us with was a much better option for me. We wish there was more of the ahi and less of the greens, but it was a good cure for Katie's ahi cravings.

When considering Hawaiian food, Katie selected what many people probably think about a Two Item Combo Plate ($9.95). At Da Lu'au, you can pick two of their fifteen entrees to complete your combo meal. Katie had the BBQ Chicken and the Kalua Pork. The BBQ chicken was the better of these two. It was tender, with a nice char to it. The pork was a little dry and only made better when the sauce was added. This was far from the pork we had at Hapa J's, which was the best kalua pork we have had on this side of the Pacific. She went with White Rice and Potato Macaroni Salad for her two sides. The rice went well with the chicken, but the clear winner was the potato macaroni salad. I'm not a big fan of macaroni salad, but this was excellent. It had equal parts of potato and macaroni, the right amount of moisture, and the flavor was spot on. An excellent side.

When it came time for my order, I decided to recreate the same two-item combo meal the guys from OC Weekly had when they ate here. That meant I would be having the Meat Jun and Mochiko Chicken. Two items were brand new to me and rarely seen on Hawaiian menus on the mainland. The Meat Jun could best be described as a flat slice of rib eye, egg dipped, then grilled. It's like a meat version of French toast. It had a sweetness that went with it, but neither of the sauces that came with this was the right fit for the meat jun. The mochiko is deep-fried chicken thighs with ginger and battered in sweet rice powder. These fried chicken nuggets were a winner. They were not overly greasy, tender chicken and made even better with their hot and spicy sauce. Along with the potato macaroni salad, I opted for the Asian Coleslaw. If you are not a fan of cilantro, forgo this side item. The overpowering cilantro gave this an almost minty quality. Refreshing, but only for some.

We're glad reader Missy and the group over at OC Weekly steered us towards Da Lu'au. It's not the best Hawaiian food we have had, but it's not the worst by a long shot. In fact, it's pretty good for a fast-casual place. Prices were not crazy, with only a few items reaching the double-digit mark. It's maybe not destination dining, but if you're in the area and jonesing for Hawaiian food, this could be the spot for you.

Out of five outrigger canoes (which happen to be the official team sport of Hawaii), five being best to zero being worst, Da Lu'au gets 3 outrigger canoes.

For more information about Da Lu'au Hawaiian Grill, go to their website here: https://daluaulakeforest.wixsite.com/1234

Foothill Ranch is Getting More Urban

Urban Grill and Wine Bar

27412 Portola Parkway

Foothill Ranch, CA 92610

When people usually think of Foothill Ranch, they probably think of the 241 Toll Road, Saddleback Church, or maybe some of the companies that do business here, such as Oakley, Wet Seal, or Emergen-C. When people think of restaurants in Foothill Ranch, they almost always think of fast food and chain restaurants, but there are some other options in this inland OC area. You just have to look a little harder to find them.

One place you have to look for is Urban Grill and Wine Bar, which is located right in between a Wahoo's and a Starbucks. I had heard of this place from a fellow food blogger, Nathan of Papa Kaster Eatin' about a year ago. He had visited during lunch and remarked how much he had loved his burger. That was enough for me to put this place on our list of restaurants to eat at. Sabrina and Anthony were coming our way for dinner, so we decided to meet at Urban Grill on a recent Saturday night.

Urban Grill has been in business for two years now. Opened by David Hall and Jamie Benson, they felt this area needed a quality restaurant and wine bar. They had both worked at one of my favorite spots, Bungalow in Corona Del Mar. They envisioned Urban Grill as an upscale eatery, specializing in classic comfort food. I was pretty excited to see if they could deliver during our visit.

Usually, when I think of wine bars, I think of stuffy and pretentious. That was not the case here. Urban Grill was rocking at 7PM on a recent Saturday. The restaurant was packed, but we got a seat in the loud, but comfortable dining room almost immediately. This restaurant is dark, with a comfortable spacing between tables, so you are not totally on top of each other. Predictably, the menu here is pretty wine-focused. The entire left-hand side of the menu is reserved for all of their wines and limited craft beer selections. The food portion of the menu is broken up into small plates, salads, sandwiches, entrees, and sides. Pretty straightforward, which is a nice change of pace. We were all tired of listening to Sabrina's boring stories, so we were pretty happy when the food started to make its way out for us. Let's see what we thought.

Not the most beautiful of presentations, but this Daily Flatbread ($12) was a huge hit at our table. On the night we were at Urban, this offering included some tri-tip, plenty of red onion, and a spicy red sauce. The spice was definitely present here, while the tri-tip was very tender. I thought the flatbread itself did a fair job of holding everything together, but it was wobbly in the middle parts. Even with this generous serving size, the four of us had no problem polishing this off quickly.

Anthony was intrigued enough by the Daily Soup ($8) offering on this night, to order the Black Bean Tomato Bacon Soup. Afterward, he was pretty pleased with his decision. This bowl of soup came to the table scalding hot, with plenty of black beans in attendance, and a good amount of bacon flavor. He liked the mix of flavors with this, and called this, "a hearty soup".

When I was checking out the menu before coming to Urban Grill, I was pretty excited by their salad selection. I was not only happy with their variety, but I also liked that they offered half sizes of most of their salads at a very reasonable price. Katie took advantage of this by getting the Half House Chopped Salad ($5). This house salad had a kind of Greek feel to it with the inclusion of feta cheese, Kalamata olives, red onions, cucumber, tomatoes, cabbage, lettuce, and a house vinaigrette. Katie predictably called the produce here fresh but was also impressed with the half portion size of this. Also of note was the tangy vinaigrette used here, she felt it brought this salad to life a bit.

There was no Caesar offered at Urban Grill, so I went with my usual second choice when it comes to salads, a wedge. The Urban Wedge ($6) came with all of the usual suspects in a typical wedge salad. It starts with hearts of romaine, plenty of red onion, tomatoes, chopped bacon, blue cheese, and a blue cheese dressing. The only thing that Urban Grill added to this salad to make it their own is candied walnuts, which added a nice sweetness and texture component. I liked their version of a wedge. It had a nice balance to it, and there was plenty of blue cheese included here.

Entrees are up next, and we'll start out with Sabrina's selection, the Grilled Vegetable Pasta Primavera ($13). This had a plethora of veggies included in it. Zucchini, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, and roasted garlic, along with pappardelle pasta, pesto, a Soave wine sauce, and grated Parmesan made up this plate for health-conscious Sabrina. She was very pleased with this big pile of food. She thought the pasta tasted like it was made here, the sauce was excellent, and the artichoke hearts really made this dish pop. She left here happy because it took her only one visit to Urban Grill to find her favorite thing on the menu.

I was torn between what sandwich to try here, so Anthony and I decided to split our sandwiches, so we could try both. The first of our two sandwiches was this Prime Steak Sandwich ($17). This sandwich is made with prime ribeye, provolone, onion strings, and a mushroom skillet sauce, all on a French baguette. This steak was cooked to a wonderful medium rare, with a great meaty flavor, and hints of garlic from somewhere. The cheese added some moisture, but the mushroom sauce was like Wonder Woman's plane, invisible. Extra sauce, or maybe even an au jus, would have gone a long way in making this sandwich even better than it already was. This came with Herbed Matchstick Fries, which were seasoned nicely and had a good crunch to them.

The second of our two sandwiches was this Grilled Tri-Tip Sandwich ($11.50). Joining the tri-tip on the caramelized onion bun were provolone, horseradish cream, and caramelized onions. After having the flatbread with the tri-tip on it, I knew that the meat was going to be good, and it was. It was tender, but just like the other sandwich, this needed more of a sauce. If the menu had not clued me into the horseradish sauce being included here, I would have had no idea that it was on here. We should have gotten some extra on the side. The bun on this one was very sturdy but soft. A good combo to have in the bread game.

Just like Anthony and I got similar items, Katie followed Sabrina's lead by having something that was similar to Sabrina's dinner, the Chicken Artichoke Pasta ($15). On this one, they used the same pappardelle pasta, garlic, tomatoes, spinach, artichoke hearts, pesto, chili flakes, Soave wine sauce, Parmesan, and a touch of cream. Katie was as pleased with her meal, as Sabrina was with hers. She really liked the abundance of fresh veggies used here, and the chicken was tender and moist. When I pressed her about any negatives, she could not think of any.

Usually, when we go out with Sabrina and Anthony we always overindulge, and that was the case on this night as well. We tried two additional side items, because of course we did not have enough food already. The Grilled Asparagus with Pesto and Feta ($8) really wowed everyone at our table. The asparagus was tender and flavorful, but it could have used a little more feta on this. Anthony liked this so much he was trying to hoard it for himself. The Urban Mac and Cheese with Prosciutto ($7) earned a split decision at our table. The girls loved this side item, but both Anthony and I kind of thought it was a little too bland and resembled the Kraft version too closely. The prosciutto helped a little here, but not enough for me to order this again.

By this time of the night, the four of us were all pretty full, but for you dear reader, we ordered dessert anyway. The Urban Ice Cream Sandwich ($7) gets most of the dessert love from the reviews on Yelp, so that's the one we tried. Two oatmeal-based cookies are sandwiched between vanilla ice cream and then drizzled with chocolate and caramel sauce. This dessert was good, but the cookie was a little too hard for us to get our forks through it. It really took a lot of effort, and the ice cream squirted out the sides. I liked the cookie, but I probably would have liked to have had them without all the trouble of trying to break through them with a fork.

Urban Grill and Wine Bar is a welcome addition to the Foothill Ranch neighborhood. Although it was not a perfect meal all around, the food that we did have is a welcome diversion from chain restaurant food that is king around these parts. I look forward to trying their pork chop or maybe one of their steaks on our next trip here. I felt the prices were more than fair for the amount of food that you get. Our server Bill was right on top of things and made some great suggestions throughout the night. Hopefully, this will be the start of these kinds of restaurants in Foothill Ranch.

Out of five outfitters, (because when I hear the word urban, I always think of the Urban Outfitter's store, where everything in there is too hip for me to wear), five being best to zero being worst, Urban Grill and Wine Bar get 3 outfitters.

For more information on Urban Grill and Wine Bar, go to their website here: http://urbangrillandwinebar.com/

Football Frenzy #8 Rudy's Pub and Grill - CLOSED

Rudy's Pub and Grill

26772 Portola Pkwy.

Foothill Ranch, CA 92610

Okay, I admit I have been pretty lax on trying to find the best sports bar to watch football on Sunday mornings. It has been a crazy fall for me, but I think the real reason is that my favorite team the Jaguars, stink. I know that this is not a sports blog, but they get rid of their quarterback four days before the season, they have a coach who makes some questionable decisions, and they do not play their star player nearly enough. Ugh, it makes me not want to watch football, but I am a true fan, so we headed out to a sports bar I have never been to before, Rudy's Pub and Grill.

I guess I should clarify that I have never been to this location of Rudy's. Their other location on the peninsula in Newport Beach used to be my old stomping grounds. My friends and I used to hang out there, even before they added the retractable roof, and got rid of the pool tables. This location opened in 2008, far away from the hustle and bustle of the Newport location, in the quiet suburban spread of Foothill Ranch.

We got to Rudy's just before kickoff, and lucky for us our friend Richard had saved us two seats at a high top table in the back of the restaurant, where our game was playing. The place was packed with spirited fans, that I was surprised to see in this quiet community. They have lots of TV's, but they seemed too high. The place was also very warm inside. After watching my team give up a touchdown in the first five minutes, I was ready to order some food.

Katie will start us off with her breakfast, the Huevos Rancheros. At Rudy's, this traditional Mexican breakfast was served with black beans. Katie called this, "better than expected". She also felt that the black beans gave this dish a smokiness that really stood out. She also ordered a side of hash browns, which looked, and tasted very similar to those served at McDonald's.

To be honest, I have no idea what Richard was thinking when he ordered this Egg Dipped Bagel. Maybe he was not hungry or did not read the description of this right. Anyways, this bland-looking dish was just called okay by our good friend Richard. I had a feeling Richard would get something off of their lunch menu later on.

This colorful dish belonged to me, the Southwest Scramble. This scramble included eggs, cheese, chorizo, potatoes, onions, and chili. With all of these ingredients, you would expect this to burst with flavor, but the opposite was true. This plate was dry, the eggs were unnoticeable, and Tabasco did not help this dish in the least.

As I predicted, Richard, of course, had lunch here. We had smelled the brisket cooking on the back patio all game long, and I was glad when Richard got it, so I could try a bite. The brisket was cooked perfectly to a nice medium rare. The sandwich was good sized and came with guacamole, lettuce, and tomato. It was good, but the meat could have been more tender. The bun was decent and held up to the contents of the sandwich. Not bad, but I am not sure I would order this sandwich the next time I was here.

Rudy's was an okay place to watch football on Sundays. Our criteria are great food, great service, and great atmosphere. The service was the only thing great while we were here. Our waitress kept coming over and asking if she could get us anything else and refilling our glasses on a regular basis. The atmosphere here is just okay. The restaurant is loud, and the fans are a little more on the rambunctious side. The food is really what does this place in. The breakfasts that we had did not satisfy, and the sandwich was average. Just like my team's lackluster performance this Sunday, Rudy's matched it with a lackluster breakfast.

Out of five leprechaun's, (because the movie Rudy was based on a Notre Dame football player, and their mascot is a leprechaun), five being best to zero being worst, Rudy's Pub and Grill gets 2 leprechauns.

For more information on Rudy's Pub and Grill, click here: http://rudyspubandgrill.com/

Will This Place Cut the Mustard?

Mustard Cafe

41 Auto Center Drive

Foothill Ranch, CA 92610

I admit it, I like using coupons to save on food. I mean, I eat out about 150 times a year, so any savings I can get I am all for. To increase my coupon collection I buy the Entertainment Book every year. I know the restaurants in the Entertainment Book are usually not the best, but there are some coupons and offers that I make sure to use every year. Mr. Stox, Five Crowns, and La Cave come to mind. I even use the Entertainment Book to find new restaurants that we have not yet tried. This was how we arrived at Mustard Cafe.

Mustard Cafe is kind of on its own island in Foothill Ranch. It's located in the desolate remains of the Foothill Ranch Auto Center. Separated from the much more popular Foothill Ranch Towne Center by Bake Parkway, I imagine that foot traffic for this shopping area has diminished with the loss of all the car dealerships in the area. Surprisingly, when we arrived there were about ten people that had stumbled upon this restaurant, or maybe they had sought out this place for the food.

Mustard Cafe is a casual sandwich place. Think upscale sandwich shop. The menu features a variety of sandwiches, panini's, soups, and salads. They have also just started serving dinners, which is what Katie took advantage of. There used to be two locations, but the Orange location is no more. Let's see how the food turned out.

I was pretty hungry, and not sure how big my sandwich was going to be, so I started with a Caesar salad. Here the Caesar was kind of plain tasting. The salad definitely needed more dressing, and the asiago was not very flavorful. The salad was not awful, but very average.

I had been thinking about Reuben sandwiches all day at work, so I already knew what I would be getting when I came here. One small problem, they were out of rye bread. The counter lady asked if I would mind having it on another bread, so I went that route. When it came out it was on whole grain bread. I should have gone for a different sandwich. Not only was the bread wrong, but the rest of the sandwich failed to satisfy as well. The corned beef was cut too thin, and they really skimped on the amount of meat, as you can see from the picture. The house-made Reuben sauce was good, but the sauerkraut pushed both the meat and cheese to the side, so I did not notice either. I would not get this again.

Katie did not feel like a sandwich, so she tried one of their new dinner options. The Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo was her choice. She described the Alfredo sauce as, "laid back and light". I would describe it as flavor challenged, but that is just me. The shrimp and pasta were cooked fine, but this dish really did not pop or make us want to order this again. The bread served with this was soggy, with a faint garlic flavor. The one bright spot of the dinner was that it was served with a free glass of wine. Katie went with the white wine, and almost finished the glass. Not a big wine drinker, that girlfriend of mine.

The food here was not awful, but it was not anything we would come back for. They do have a wide variety of sandwiches, so there might be something worth having if you want to explore their menu a little more. A few items I have read say that the Roast Beef and Bleu sandwich is a decent bet. The service was fair, and I felt the value was just okay. My sandwich was $7.95, and Katie's dinner was $13. So, once again the Entertainment Card has led me astray, but at least we did not pay full price.

Out of five-game pieces, (because one of my favorite board games, Clue, features the character Colonel Mustard), five being best to zero being worst, Mustard Cafe gets 2 game pieces.

For more information on Mustard Cafe, click here: http://www.mustardcafeandgrill.com/