It’s a Rager at Pasta Party in Orange

                         

Pasta Party

124 E Lincoln Ave. 

Orange, CA 92865

As I get older, I enjoy quiet nights at home binge-watching TV series or listening to audiobooks, cooking dinner, and, of course, trying to catch up on my restaurant reviews. However, this restaurant blog would be impossible to maintain without going out, so some nights we forgo the couch and head out with friends and family to catch up and explore a new spot. This particular Friday evening, the restaurant of choice was Pasta Party. 

Just mentioning this restaurant's name instantly brings me joy. Who doesn't love pasta or celebrations? Some individuals might not enjoy either, but they must be rare exceptions. In 2021, Pasta Party took over the old Orange Tree Deli. It's situated at the corner of Glassell and Lincoln, in the same small shopping center that includes Orange Tree Liquor and Jumbo Donuts.  

The man who brought Pasta Party to life is Chef Alexsanodro Orlando. He grew up in restaurants because his father, Antonio, is a well-known chef who primarily worked in notable Italian restaurants. He spent a decade at the famous Valentino in Santa Monica before opening a series of successful Italian establishments. Most recently, he was at Il Gatto Trattoria in La Habra, which took over the old Cat and Custard Cup space, and it’s definitely a restaurant I need to try right away. 

Alright, back to Pasta Party, which can best be described as a build-your-own pasta restaurant. The format is fast-casual: You order at the counter, and your food is brought to your table. Chef Alexsandro uses the same recipes that his family made in Southern Italy. You choose the pasta you want, your preferred sauce, and any add-ons you like, such as meatballs, sausage, chicken, or shrimp. The base price starts at $15.99 and increases depending on your selected options. 

Not in the mood for pasta? What are you even doing here then? Kidding of course. They also have pizza, sandwiches, and salads. Don't want to make a lot of decisions about what kind of pasta you want? They have signature dishes that come as they are listed on the menu. We ordered and found a seat in their oddly shaped, but comfortable dining room, and waited only ten minutes or so for our food to arrive. Let's see if this party was a rager or a snoozefest, like all the parties I threw in high school. 

First up for us was the Chopped Salad ($15.99) and Garlic Bread ($4.99). The salads at Pasta Party are meant to feed 2 people, but we stretched it out a bit to feed four. Who needs a lot of salad when you have plenty of carbs coming, right? The chopped salad consists of salami, mortadella, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, finely chopped iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, and a white balsamic vinaigrette. The salad was fine, and did the trick for us to give ourselves a good base while waiting for our entrees to appear. 

The garlic bread came to the table and my mom assumed wrongly that it was complimentary, and asked for some. After we explained that we paid for it, they still brought some out for her. Outstanding service here. They did not have to do that. The garlic bread was buttery, and the parmesan and garlic flavors came out in bursts. Looks wise, it reminded me of the frozen garlic bread we had as kids, but better. 

The build-your-own pasta starts at $15.99 and goes up depending on your desired add-ons. I got the Penne with Pink Sauce, Sausage, and Meatballs ($25.99). Yes, this was a little pricey for a plate of pasta, but I like my pasta to come with a lot of meat. The pasta was cooked well, not overdone, with a subtle chew. The pink sauce was creamy, and the meats were good, but I assume they are straight from the freezer, as I'm sure they are not making them here. The serving size of this was good, and if I had any willpower, I would have saved some for lunch the next day. 

Katie had the classic Penne Chicken Alfredo ($22.49). Their tomato basil sauce is the only sauce that does not incur an additional charge. Again, the serving size was plentiful, and the Alfredo sauce tasted rich. Katie liked the chicken-to-pasta ratio, and she claims she should have stopped midway through but ended up finishing it, too. I guess we are a perfect pair. 

My brother-in-law did not feel like having pasta, so he ordered the Sausage and Pepper 12-inch Sandwich ($18.99) instead. The sandwich was cut into three four-inch sections, and included bell pepper, onion, giardiniera, provolone, and chopped sausage. The bun was fresh and soft. From my vantage point across the table, they could have filled the sandwich more. I also would have liked the sausage to be left whole so you could get sausage in each bite. There were some pictures online where they leave the sausage whole, instead of chopped, so maybe it's just the chef's whim about how you get your sandwich.  

My mom selected the 12-inch Pepperoni Pizza ($16.69). This was a basic pizza. The pepperoni was sparsely added, but there appeared to be a good amount of cheese to compensate for the absence of pepperoni. This will not win many pizza contests, but if you do not want pasta, at least they have other options. 

My dad loves to try Pastrami Sandwiches ($13.49), but only after he inquires about the thickness of the slices. The thinner the slice, the better for him, so he must have been assured that the pastrami would be to his liking. This pastrami sandwich was dressed simply with Dijon mustard and pickles on the side. He seemed to like it well enough and finished the whole thing, which is rare for him. 

Okay, I liked Pasta Party but was not blown away by it. If you're looking for authentic Italian food, you might want to try another Italian restaurant. I enjoy the concept of building your own pasta dish, but once you add everything you want, it can be pretty pricey. The other items we had this evening were okay, and nothing special. Good food, but I would not classify this as a drive-worthy restaurant. That said, Pasta Party could be a good option if you are in the mood for pasta and are in the area. The staff were delightful, and seemed like they were genuinely happy we were here. They also have lovely backdrops in their dining room that would be perfect for social media types. I'm glad we made it up here to meet my family and leave the house for a change. 

Out of five steamboats (because the city of New Orleans, known for the steamboats on the Mississippi River, also plays host to the world's most enormous bowl of pasta every year before the St. Joseph's Day Parade, weighing 800 pounds of noodles, sauce, and cheese), five being best to zero being worst, Pasta Party gets 3 steamboats. 

For more information about Pasta Party, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.pastapartyusa.com/

Old School Offerings in Orange at the Tartan Room

 Tartan Room Restaurant

2652 North Tustin Street

Orange, CA 92865

I don't want to get too personal here, but recently, I've been making more of an effort to see my parents. Time is racing by at an alarming rate, and I don't want to have regrets later on down the line. When we visit, I ask them about their childhoods, relatives, family traditions, and general thoughts on life. I've learned a lot, and of course, we usually hold these conversations at a restaurant that I have wanted to try. On this particular Wednesday afternoon, that restaurant was the Tartan Room in Orange. 

In a city with many beloved places, the Tartan Room is definitely among them in Orange. People here really love this place. I posted about my visit on Instagram and got many comments from my followers sharing their fandom for this restaurant. It shocked me because this place is indeed hidden, and you really have to look for it to find it. 

The Tartan Room has existed for 65 years, which is eons in the restaurant business. They were initially located near where Main Place Mall stands now, and I am unsure when they moved to their present location in the Nohl Plaza, which is anchored by Vons on the corner of Lincoln and Tustin. Finding them might be easier if you look for Villa Ford, as they are neighbors separated by a fence. 

If you visit here on a sunny afternoon like we did, be prepared that this restaurant is dark and will take a few minutes for your eyes to adjust. As you enter, the bar will be to your right. When we visited, the bartender also played the role of hostess, as she was the one who sat us in the dining room. The booths here are very comfortable and bring to mind the old-school steakhouses you used to be able to find in Las Vegas. 

The Tartan Room serves lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, while dinner starts at 5 p.m. seven days a week. While the dinner menu features hefty entree options, the lunch menu is a little more diverse, with plenty of sandwiches, burgers, and melts available. They offer eight more substantial plates for people like me who like a bigger midday meal with soup or salad and a side item. Only the bigger plates exceed the $20 mark, with the most pricey of them, the shrimp and filet, setting you back $26. Now that our eyes were adjusted to the darkness of the Tartan Room, we made our selections and waited for our food to appear, which did not take too long.  

Online reviews for the Fried Zucchini ($14) were glowing, so I had to try it. Good fried zucchini has become a lost art lately, but the Tartan Room makes a very good one. The breading is not overpowering but flavorful and allows the zucchini to shine. The slight dusting of parmesan is a nice touch, and the provided ranch dressing coats each piece wonderfully. I'm usually partial to round zucchini pieces, but these were uniformly cut and easy to manage. 

Lunch entrees here come with your choice of soup or salad, and as it was a warmer day when we visited, I selected the House Salad. This is a traditional steak house salad with sliced beet, lettuce blend, two red onion rings, and croutons. The blue cheese dressing was challenged in the blue cheese department, but it clung to everything well. The provided fresh ground pepper woke up this salad a bit. 

When most people think of the Tartan Room, Mexican food is probably not front and center in their minds. On Wednesdays during lunch, however, they feature a Mexican plate inspired by their chef's whim. On the Wednesday we were here, the special was a Cheese Enchilada and Hard-Shelled Taco Plate ($15). My mom is a very light eater and really just wanted the cheese enchilada, but we urged her to get the meal as it came and take the taco home for lunch the next day. She finally saw this advantage and immediately boxed up the taco, so I guess I won't be reviewing that, I thought to myself. She enjoyed the rather sizeable cheesy enchilada but left most of the rice and beans untouched. I tried a bite of each and thought they were pretty good, considering this is not a Mexican restaurant.  

If you see a Monte Cristo ($16) on a restaurant menu, that restaurant is geared towards an older clientele, or they want to convey the vibe that they have been around forever. This is not the case with the Tartan Room, which has been around for 65 years. For the younger people who are unaware, the Monte Cristo is a ham and cheese sandwich that is battered and fried, then dusted with powdered sugar and served with strawberry preserves. Think of it as French toast with ham and cheese in the middle. This hefty and rich sandwich instantly calls for a nap after consuming one. My dad has lost weight lately but took this down quickly and allowed me a bite. It was terrific, with a good ham and cheese-to-bread ratio. The onion rings might not look like much, but they had a crunchy outer portion and stayed with the onion inside. If you have been looking for this cult classic sandwich, head to the Tartan Room to get your Monte Cristo fix. 

Prime Rib ($22) was my go-to steak as a kid. I liked to order it when we went out for my birthday or when my aunt was paying for dinner. It made me feel grown and fancy, like JR Ewing on Dallas, eating at the Cattleman's Club while working on a backstabbing deal. Okay, I'm definitely showing my age, but my point is that I've kind of grown out of prime rib since my early days. This one at the Tartan room was cooked to my desired medium rare, but except for the outer edge of this, it lacked any real flavor. Truthfully, though, I can count on one hand all the memorable prime ribs I've had in the last 40 years. The creamed horseradish and au jus helped out a bit to bring this eight-ounce slab of beef to life. I got the Twice Baked Potato for my side item, which was a little on the small side but was fine. 

Like many restaurants in Orange, they get their cakes from Rockwell's Bakery, located in nearby Villa Park. They had three cake options, but I zeroed in on the Carrot Cake ($10). This was a very dense cake with a sturdy cream cheese frosting. It came to the table very cold, making it seem slightly less fresh than if it had been served at room temperature. 

The Tartan Room was a good choice for lunch with my parents. They appreciated the varied selections on the lunch menu and the relatively modest prices. Everything we had here was okay but not mind-blowing. I'd like to revisit again for dinner to get the whole Tartan Room experience—a crooner in the corner belting out some Sinatra, a New York steak, and maybe even a martini. That's the Tartan Room I can envision people flocking to. We experienced very professional service this afternoon and would not hesitate to return for more of the old-time vibes this joint offers. 

Out of five kilts (because most of these knee-length skirts feature a tartan pattern, some representing the wearer's family), five being best to zero being worst, the Tartan Room gets 3 kilts. 

For more information about the Tartan Room, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.thetartanroom.com/

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/

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/ 

Say Cheese! We’re at Los Ayala’s in Orange

 Los Ayala's 

2139 North Tustin Street #1

Orange, CA 92865

We were back from our East Coast trip and needed some Mexican food and to visit with my parents. I wanted them to stay near home, so I looked for a Mexican restaurant in Orange. I only had to scroll for a second on Yelp before finding Los Ayala's. It was the first listing there, and it had an impressive four-and-a-half-star rating with just over 150 reviews. This is impressive for a spot that has been open for two years this month. 

If this address seems familiar to you, you must have eaten here when this used to be Bobby D's. It's in the same shopping plaza with Target, Hickory and Spice BBQ, Flame Broiler, and a Domino's Pizza, right across from Trader Joe's at the corner of Meats and Tustin. I had never eaten here when this was Bobby D's, but people loved that place and expressed apprehension that Ayala's would be as good as its former tenant. 

We arrived at Ayala's at half past 5 on a Saturday evening. The restaurant was probably at seventy percent of capacity. Ordering is done at the counter, and the food is brought to you. The menu here is more varied than expected at a typical fast-casual Mexican restaurant in Southern California. There are one and two-item combination plates, burritos, tacos, starters, salads, and Mexican favorites. They also have a breakfast menu, but it's unclear whether it's available all day. Most items hover around the $16 mark, with only a shrimp platter eclipsing the $30 price point. We made our picks, found a table, and waited for our food to arrive. 

Since this was a fast-casual Mexican spot, I was slightly surprised when they brought these Chips and Salsa. The chips were crisp, and the salsa had a slight bite of heat. It will be manageable if you are averse to heat; it's just a hint of spice on the back end of each bite. The salsa was also very well blended, with little to no chunks. Good to nibble on while waiting for our food to come out. 

I have been on a big nacho kick lately, which continued here at Los Ayala's with these Nachos ($16). A bed of tortilla chips was topped with beans, shredded beef, jalapenos, cheese, salsa ranchera, sour cream, and a dollop of guacamole. These nachos get plus points because they had plenty of toppings and used shredded cheese instead of liquid cheese, and even though this was topped with a good amount of wet toppings, the chips stayed relatively crisp until the last few bites remained. My only two critiques are that they could have gone a little easier on the sour cream, and there could have been more guacamole, as we were fighting over it as soon as this was sat down at our table. An excellent start to our meal, though. 

My mom is a one-trick pony when it comes to eating in Mexican restaurants. She always veers towards a cheese enchilada. There needed to be better communication between my mom and dad when ordering her meal. She wanted a cheese enchilada ala carte, but my well-meaning father got her the Cheese Enchilada Combo Meal ($13) instead. This traditional red sauced enchilada was filled with cheese and then topped with more melted cheese. My mom seemed to like this but felt too much cheese was involved here, which was the point to me. She sparingly ate the refried beans and rice, which I happily took home for dinner the following evening. 

Katie kept the combination vibe going with her selection of this 2-item Combination Plate ($16) featuring a Crispy Chicken Taco and a Cheese Enchilada. Unlike my mom, Katie really enjoyed the cheesiness of the enchilada and would get it again. The crispy taco was indeed crispy, and the chicken inside was seasoned well and not as dry as most she's had. It came dressed simply with pico de Gallo, cheese, and lettuce. The beans and rice rounded out her plate nicely. She left Los Ayala's completely satisfied with this meal. 

I've been on a real losing streak lately regarding carnitas. I have not been impressed with the last dozen places where I have gotten this fried pork dish. I like variety in my carnitas: a little fat, some crispy tips, and tender bites. This Carnitas Plate was better than the last few versions I have had at other restaurants, but they were not good enough to break my carnitas slump. I liked their citrus marinade, but the pork was too lean and lacked any fat. Some of my bites were on the dry side, but that was remedied by adding some refried beans to each forkful. I'm not usually a rice guy, but the Mexican rice here was light and flavorful.  

As I stated earlier, my mom is an easy read regarding her Mexican food choices. My dad is just as easy to peg. He's a Chile Relleno ($13) fiend. At Ayala's, their chile relleno is filled with cheese and then topped with red sauce and even more melted cheese. For my dad, this was too much cheese. What's with my parents? Who have they become? Too much cheese is never something I'd say, but that was my dad's takeaway with his meal. He said all the cheese neutralized the chile, so it was like it wasn't even there. He liked the beans and rice but would probably get something else on his next visit.  

My parents were not impressed with Los Ayala's, but Katie and I liked it. Even though my carnitas were just okay, I enjoyed the nachos, cheese enchilada, beans, and rice. Los Ayala's would be one of our usual spots if we lived in the area. The food came out quickly, the staff were friendly, and the prices were reasonable. For a fast-casual Mexican spot, they are doing a good job, and maybe, over time, people will even forget how much they miss Bobby D's.  

Out of five talking reindeer (because this restaurant is across the street from the recently closed Orange Mall, which had reindeer that would speak to you while you waited to see Santa back in the '70s and '80s), five being best to zero being worst, Los Ayala's gets 3 talking reindeer. 

For more information about Los Ayala's, head to their website by clicking here: https://losayalas.com/

Dinner With Eddie Spaghetti

Da Bianca Trattoria

7448 East Chapman Ave. 

Orange, CA 92869

I've had some powerful male role models in my life. As we are all getting older, I've made it my goal to get together with the people who have shaped me into who I am today. It's hard because most days after work, I just want to be home reading one of the latest best sellers or binge-watching the TV show everyone else at work has been discussing. This particular Friday, Katie and I decided we'd take my lifelong friend Ed out for a long-overdue dinner. 

Ed and his family moved across the street from us when I was 6 years old. He had one son and four daughters; our families became fast friends. Much like my own dad, Ed is very much a family man. He'd take us in his VW van to run errands. We'd go furniture shopping, Mervyn's, and sometimes we'd get him to take us miniature golfing if we begged enough. These were some fantastic times, and even when they moved away six years later, we still stayed in touch, and our families remained close even as the decades passed. I felt that I'd repay him for all the times he drove us around as kids, so we picked him up for dinner and took him to a spot close to where he's living now, Da Bianca Trattoria. 

This place came across my radar a few years ago when legendary OC chef Pascal Olhats named this his favorite Italian restaurant in OC in the Orange Coast magazine. Respecting his opinion, I quickly jotted it down on my restaurant wishlist. Da Bianca has been around since 1981, with their first nine years operating from Irvine. They moved to their current location near Newport Boulevard and Chapman Avenue in 1990. It's a little hard to find, and that might account for them only having 350 reviews on Yelp but possessing an over four-star rating. 

I made reservations on a Friday evening at 7:30, and even though we arrived a half hour early, they still sat us near the back of the restaurant. They must have known that Ed could get quite rambunctious. The dining area is comfortable, but the tables are too close to each other. Starters and salads lead off the menu, and plenty of pasta combinations with meat, chicken, vegetables, and seafood. There are ten entrees, but their customers rave about their nightly specials, which have become quite popular. Most pasta options are around $23, while the seafood options are about $8 more on average. With as much catching up as we had to do, it took a lot of work to concentrate on picking things from the menu, but we eventually made our selections. Let's see how everything turned out for us.  

Everyone who sits down at Da Bianca has some complimentary Garlic Bread to start. This was like a better version of when my mom would apply some Lawry's Garlic Spread over some French bread and place it under the broiler. I believe this was also placed under the broiler, but they use butter and fresh garlic instead of the stuff you can get at your local supermarket. Very good; I only wish they had made another pass through the dining room so I could have had more. 

We've been hooked since we had Arancini ($16.95) at another Italian restaurant. For those who need clarification on arancini, it's a rice ball stuffed, coated in bread crumbs, and deep-fried. Here at Da Bianca, they fill theirs with some meat, cheese, and peas. These were nicely fried with a crunch, while the inside rice was soft and pillowy. The meat was seasoned well inside, but more would have been welcomed. A good representation of Arancini.  

Salads are not included with meals here, but we all got one. Ed and Katie opted for the Insalata Misto ($5.50), which had mixed greens with mushrooms, carrots, tomato, and a house-made Italian dressing. This salad was simple yet satisfying. They mentioned how fresh the produce was and that they liked the dressing. I've got a Caesar Salad ($5.50) fetish, and this one was one of the best I've had in a long while. Again, this was a pretty basic version of my favorite salad, but this was elevated because each piece of romaine included a very liberal amount of their delicious Caesar dressing. It was dressed just as I liked, and I was almost tempted to order another.  

Katie was torn between a few things on the menu but eventually went with the Spaghetti Bolognese ($23.95). This classic Italian dish included pork, beef, and a mushroom sauce. Katie felt this was one of the best versions of this dish she's ever had. The noodles were cooked perfectly, and the meat-to-sauce ratio was on point. She claims she'd get this one hundred times out of a hundred when dining at Da Bianca. 

Ed got sidetracked when ordering, as he wanted to catch up before we ate. He finally went with the Cannelloni alla Romana ($24.95). Good choice. These Italian crepes were filled with chicken, mushroom, and spinach and then topped with cheese, marinara, and bechamel sauces. Ed was gracious enough to let me have some of this, and it was perfect. Even though I'm not the biggest fan of chicken, it did not detract from this. The combination of the bechamel and marinara was fantastic and tied everything together wonderfully. This has inspired me to order cannelloni more frequently. I can only hope it will be just as good as this one. 

I deviated from my usual order in an Italian restaurant, which is lasagna, and picked the Rigatoni al Gorgonzola ($23.95) at Da Bianca. The tube pasta was joined with thinly sliced zucchini, sausage, and a creamy gorgonzola sauce. I loved this unusual mixture of ingredients. The gorgonzola sauce tied everything together well, and the ground sausage was plentiful and flavorful. It's not something I'd typically order, but passing this up on future visits would be hard. 

I've never really been a big fan of Italian desserts. Cannoli's and tiramisu are okay, but I never really crave them. I let Katie pick the dessert this evening, and she went with the Tartufo ($9). The menu describes this as a rich gelato with a cream center and rolled-in caramelized hazelnuts. I never did get to the cream center, as my spoon only hit the gelato, which was okay. It also seemed they had forgotten about the crushed hazelnuts because all I could taste was the overabundance of cocoa powder coating this orb of gelato. 

Even with the less-than-stellar dessert, I left Da Bianca feeling good about our visit. With entrees and everything else we had here as good as it was, it's easy to see why they have been in business for so long. It also makes me wish they were in a more high-traffic area to get the recognition they deserve. It could be for the best that they are hidden a bit, so it's easier for the people in the know to get a table at this little eatery. We experienced warm and friendly service during our visit to this family-run restaurant. Da Bianca was a great place to catch up with my dear friend Ed and show him some appreciation for helping me become the man I am today. 

Out of five hawks (because nearby Santiago Canyon College has the hawk as their mascot), five being best to zero being worst, Da Bianca Trattoria gets 3.5 hawks. 

For more information about Da Bianca Trattoria, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.dabianca.com/