Seeing Is Believing at the Blind Pig

 The Blind Pig Kitchen and Bar

31431 Santa Margarita Parkway

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688

Our six-month exile in Rancho Santa Margarita was coming to an end soon. We lived out here because our former lease was up, and the place we would be living was being renovated, and we wouldn't be ready to move in for half a year. One of the most affordable places we could find butted up against O'Neill Regional Park, but it seemed so far away from everything. 

If we wanted to avoid the toll roads, it would take us an extra twenty minutes to get anywhere. I planned my days by making only one trip to and from home. We eventually just caved in and used the toll road to reach places. Since we were in such a remote place, we decided to explore the dining options in our temporary city. RSM/Foothill Ranch is not known as a culinary mecca by any means, but some hidden gems can be found if you look hard enough, like The Blind Pig. 

The Blind Pig is near the lake in the Mercado Del Lago shopping plaza, also home to Carmelita's, KD's Donuts, Il Sole Italian, and the Trough, a sister restaurant of The Blind Pig. They have delicious breakfast burritos and sandwiches that are worth visiting for. The Blind Pig has been here since 2013. It's credited with elevating the dining scene in RSM at a time when there were too many chain restaurants and mediocre fast-casual spots dotting the dining landscape within its city limits. 

It was a slow burn with many of the locals. They didn't quite get the New American menu or the craft cocktails they were slinging behind the bar. They now have a four-star rating on Yelp with nearly a thousand reviews. They have also opened another outpost of The Blind Pig in Yorba Linda, another tough city to crack, but this October, they will celebrate their 5th year in business there, so it appears that people have taken to them there as well.  

We arrived at half past six on a Saturday evening without a reservation. The restaurant was half full, and we were seated immediately near the back of the darkened dining room. The dinner menu lists over ten starters and about the same number of entrees. Prices for main dishes start at $16 and go up to $65 for the twenty-ounce ribeye. I could put away over a pound of meat, but the $65 price helped me pump the brakes on that idea. Let's see what we actually did partake in this evening. 

Neither of us was in the mood for a salad, so we split the Crab Cakes ($16). The online menu for this item claims that it comes with a radish serrano tartar sauce and baby arugula, which, obviously, this starter did not have. The online menu describes this as including a cilantro lime slaw and a creole avocado aioli. This is closer to what it was, but the sauce resembled a deep mustard look and taste. The slaw on top was a nice compliment to the very well-done crab cake underneath. There was not a lot of filler used, the crab was fresh and flavorful, and the breading used to bind everything together was light. It's one of the better crab cakes we have had 20 miles inland. 

Again, this Short Rib Ragu ($24) is not listed on either their online menu or any of the menus pictured on Yelp, so maybe it was a special this evening. This plate featured pappardelle as the pasta, with a nice and meaty short rib ragu underneath plenty of parmesan and several basil leaves. Katie loved this dish and finished it rather quickly. She claimed it was just as good as those she had in Italian restaurants and was even better than some of those Italian joints. She would not hesitate to get this again if it appeared on their regular menu or as a special. 

When I walked into the Blind Pig, I was inclined to get one of their two burgers, but I called an audible and selected the Pastrami Dip Sandwich ($22). Some pickles, Swiss cheese, garlic aioli, and some onions joined the pastrami between the bread. The dipping sauce they chose for this was Carolina gold sauce, a mustard/vinegar sauce the people in that part of the country use instead of traditional barbecue sauce. I was unsure how I would like this, but it worked for me, and I'm not the biggest fan of mustard. It was muted just enough and predictably went well with the pastrami. The bread-to-meat ratio was off, as this sandwich needed more pastrami. The bread was soft yet held together nicely. The hand-cut fries that came with this were fantastic. They had a great crunch, and I alternated dipping these between their delicious garlic aioli and ketchup. If you don't get a meal with fries, consider ordering these fries off the starter portion of the menu. 

We wrapped up our evening with the Skillet Cookie ($13). Its base was a chocolate chip and sea salt cookie topped with a scoop of lavender and honey ice cream. I believe the ice cream was vanilla, but honey was poured over it, and lavender was sprinkled on top. This was good, but did not knock my socks off. The cookie base was good, with just the right amount of salt added. This lost me with the overpowering lavender and honey, which got in the way of the cookie and ice cream. It's not my favorite cookie skillet of all time. 

The Blind Pig is definitely one of the restaurants we miss now that we live in our new place. It's also one of the few restaurants we'd be willing to drive back to RSM for. I'd like to try one of their burgers or short rib tacos on future visits. They also change their menu quite often, so there might be something else that I want to try. What we had on this visit was delicious, and the service we experienced was cordial and efficient. Also, watch for the $10 coupon they send out through the mail to save a little extra money here. In the six months we lived in RSM, we got one every two weeks or so. Any savings help these days. 

Out of five speakeasys (because the term blind pig was another name for a speakeasy during the prohibition years), five being best to zero being worst, The Blind Pug gets 3 speakeasys. 

For more information about The Blind Pig, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.theblindpigoc.com/

Tis the Season for Thai Food

Season Thai

30486 Avenida de las Banderas

Rancho Santa Margartia, Ca 92688

Thai food is always something that I enjoy, but don't have nearly enough.  A quick check of the type of cuisines I have reviewed on this blog reveals that I have only reviewed seven Thai restaurants out of the 938 different restaurants that I have reviewed. That's pretty unacceptable, and I will try to rectify that right now, and in the future with a review of Season Thai in Rancho Santa Margarita. 

I was taking my good friend and self-proclaimed Thai food expert, David out for his birthday. He mentioned that he'd like me to try this spot. It's located a little off the beaten track, on the corner of Alma Aldea and Banderas, in a little strip of shops that include a Subway, dentist's office, cleaners, and a now-departed IHOP, where I had a forgettable breakfast once or twice when Katie lived nearby. 

Season Thai has been in operation for over four years now and replaced another Thai restaurant at this same location. They have a very respectable four and a half star rating on Yelp, but with only 200 plus reviews. Most people rave about their crying tiger, pad Thai, and curries. No entree is going to cost you more than $20, and most hover around the $15 mark, which is kind of rare these days. David is definitely worth $20, but $22 might be pushing it, so this was the perfect spot to treat him to a belated birthday dinner. Let's see if this spot will get us excited for more Thai food in the future. 

We started off the birthday dinner with some Chicken Satay ($11.95). This was seriously the biggest version of this starter that I have ever had. Plenty of chicken on each skewer, but unfortunately it was just okay. The chicken needed a bit more seasoning and was a tad over-grilled. I was hoping that the provided peanut sauce that accompanied this was going to help things out, but it was off a bit as well. Not awful, but we have both had better. 

We had asked for chicken eggrolls, but were given, and charged for, Vegetable Egg Rolls ($8.95) instead. Probably just a misunderstanding, so not really that big of a deal. These five eggrolls came out scalding hot, fresh from the fryer. After letting them cool a bit, we could tell that they were kind of bland, as most vegetable eggrolls tend to be. They were filled with glass noodles, cabbage, and a few carrots. The sweet and sour sauce helped these out, but after my first one, I realized I'd let David have the rest to take home to his mom. 

This is where Season Thai shined brightly. I've had Crying Tiger ($19.95) at other Thai restaurants, but have never really been too impressed with this very popular dish, but this one was the best I have had so far. The prime-cut beef was very tender, and the marinade they use here kept my attention throughout the meal. I would have liked a little tinge of sweetness to the marinade, but it was still really good. This came with a rather large salad which I ate sparingly because I was not really a fan of the way too sour dressing that this was served with. 

The birthday boy picked Thai BBQ Chicken ($14.95) as his meal this evening. I'm not the biggest fan of chicken, but this was nicely marinated, tender, and came with a Thai chili sauce which was pretty good for dipping. This came out to our table scalding hot as well, and we needed to wait a few minutes before digging in. This was something that I'd normally not order but was a very pleasant surprise. 

Things started out slow for us at Season Thai, but the entrees that we encountered here more than made up for the lackluster starters that we got. If I were to come back, I'd have a hard time straying from the crying tiger, but I'd be tempted to try their soups and maybe their pad Thai. The service was very warm and welcoming. I thought the price point was a good deal based on the serving size of our two entrees. This visit has got me excited to try more Thai spots around OC, so if you have any that you love, please don't hesitate to reach out. 

Out of five cinnamon rolls, (because the most used spice in Thai cooking is cinnamon, and the largest cinnamon roll ever made was over 1,100 pounds, which probably used quite a lot of cinnamon), five being best to zero being worst, Season Thai gets 3 cinnamon rolls.  

For more information about Season Thai, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.seasonthairsm.com/

Real Deal Italian Comes to Rancho Santa Margarita

Cibo Italiano

29941 Aventura Suite 1

Rqncho Santa Margarita, CA 92688

I used to have a policy that I'd wait a year before reviewing any new restaurant. My main reason for this was because I had heard the misleading stat that 90 percent of all new restaurants closed within the first year of being in business, and I did not want a blog full of restaurants that you'd never get the chance to try because they had all been shuttered. This stat is, of course, false, because who would take a chance on something when you only have a ten percent chance of success. Okay, besides the millions of people that play the lottery.

The real percentage of restaurants closing in the first year is only 17%, the same as new insurance agencies and brokerages. This has to be good news for the owner of the latest restaurant we visited, which had only been open for a week when we walked through the door. We were out this way picking up the mail for Katie's vacationing parents and decided that we'd give the new Italian place in town a try, Cibo Italiano.

Cibo, which means food in Italian, is run by Chef Gisella Kaplan. She's been in the catering game for a long while, and also had a stint working at the Honda Center, in the food and beverage department with the excellent Chef Jojo Doyle. Chef Gisella was born in Italy and her cuisine explores the many regions of Italy, not just focusing on one part of her beloved homeland. She has some big plans for her place, envisioning it as part Italian deli and bakery, gourmet Italian grocer, and of course cafe. She's also offering a take and bake option, which on the night we were here was lasagna, but I see now on their Facebook page that Cibo is offering a good looking Beef Braciole, which you rarely see on menus in OC.

Speaking of the menu, the early menu at Cibo Italiano featured lunch and dinner items. Lunch was available from 11 to 2 pm, and dinner service begins at 5. I'm not sure if they close in between the two, or if you can order off the lunch menu at dinner, or vice versa, but I'm sure that will all be sorted out as this restaurant grows and matures. The lunch menu has a good number of salad options, along with six sandwich choices. The dinner menu features a quartet of appetizers, pasta and risotto dishes, and the more substantial chicken, meat and fish entrees.

Ordering is done at the counter, and then the food is brought out to you at one of the ten or so tables that dot the comfortable and well-lit dining area. Let's take a look at what we had on this, one of the first weeks of Cibo Italiano being in business.

Everything is made from scratch here at Cibo, and that includes their bread, which we got to try two pieces of. The bread was very fresh, had a good hard crust around it, and was soft and pliable on the inside. According to their Facebook page, Cibo is now offering their baked bread for sale, and it comes out of the oven fresh at 4 pm.

A Side Salad came with my upcoming entree. This came nicely plated with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded carrots, red onion, and mixed greens. Very nicely plated and fresh produce, but there was barely any dressing on this. It was as if they added the dressing with an eye dropper. I should have gotten more dressing, but our entrees came out rather quickly after our salads, and the salad got pushed to the side when our entrees arrived.

Katie was really torn between either the carbonara and what she eventually got, this Homemade Pappardelle Pasta with a Bolognese Ragu ($16.95). I really enjoyed the couple of bites that Katie allowed me to have of this. The ragu is made with grass-fed ground beef and organic pork and takes hours to make. The pasta is fresh and the combination of both the pasta and ragu made this plate a winner. Katie called this heavenly, and would not hesitate to get it again.

Unlike Katie, I had no doubt what I was going to have for dinner on this evening. The  Porchetta Wrapped in Pancetta ($18.95) would be sat in front of me on my initial visit to Cibo Italiano. This plate came with three slices of porchetta, some asparagus, baby red potatoes, and what I believed to be a fig sauce spooned over the porchetta. On the whole, this dish was very tasty, but there were some bites of the porchetta that was a little dry and the temperature of the meal itself was lukewarm at best. Even with these minor issues, I'd still get this entree again.

Cibo Italiano is, of course, going to go through some growing pains, as they had only been open for such a short time when we visited, but I believe there's enough promise at this restaurant/Italian grocer to warrant future visits. The food here is authentically Italian, and freshly made, which is something that is very rare in these parts. I can't help shake the feeling that Chef Gisella might be a little too ambitious with her restaurant starting out, as she's making fresh bread, grab and go dinners, serving both lunch and dinner at the restaurant, baking Italian cookies and desserts, as well as stocking Italian groceries. It made me tired just typing all of that. With all that being said, it will be interesting to see how this restaurant evolves in the near future, and if she'll find people that will help her with the workload she's created for herself. I think it's going to be a delicious ride. 

Out of five laptops, (because in Australia there is a mini-chain of coffee shops with the same name as this restaurant, and most people use their laptops in coffee shops), five being best to zero being worst, Cibo Italiano gets 3 laptops. 

For more information about Cibo Italiano, head to their website here: https://www.ciboital.com/

You Might Want to Skip the Parkway - CLOSED

The Parkway American Grill

22411 Antonio Parkway

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688

Rancho Santa Margarita always has an isolated feel to me. It kind of feels like it's cut off from the rest of the world. It sits out there at the base of the Cleveland National Forest, with only the toll road used for a quick exit back to the real world. I lived here for five years and during that time I was always looking for places and things to do in RSM so I did not have to battle the traffic and many signals on Alica Parkway. I never really found that one hangout spot that I felt comfortable in before I moved closer to civilization. 

My in-laws, after being longtime residents of Laguna Niguel, sold their big house and got a more manageable condo on the golf course at Tijera Creek Golf Club. Perfect for the two of them, but now they are trying to do what I did when I lived out this way, find some places nearby to eat, so they don't have to leave the peace and serenity of RSM.

One place that they have eaten at frequently is The Parkway American Grill, which was not here when I lived here 15 years ago, of course not much was out here that long ago. I'm not entirely sure, but I think this used to be where Ruby's was situated when they had a location in RSM. Parkway has been host to my in-laws a handful of times now in the last month, and after I got to check out their new abode, they wanted to introduce me to what they hope will be their go-to restaurant in their new city.

Much like my in-laws, Parkway American Grill is new to this area. Opened for only seven months now, this restaurant comes to us from Steve and Laura Michalopoulos, Boston transplants who lamented the fact that there were no upscale-casual dining experiences in the area that made families feel welcomed. They decided to change that and open a place where pre-packaged foods would be replaced by scratch-made ingredients in a family-friendly environment. With all the raving that my mother-in-law has done about this place, I was definitely intrigued to give this restaurant a try.

We arrived at Parkway on a recent Thursday evening around 6pm. They have a nice patio out front, which was not in use this evening due to the Holy Jim brush fire going on, so we grabbed a table for four near the front door. There was a guitar player in the far corner of the restaurant, near the long bar, which stretches the length of the back wall. The dining room felt pretty spacious, with maybe 20 or so standard tables and high tops.

The dinner menu features American favorites, with plenty of appetizers,  grinders, burgers, salads, entrees, and pizzas to choose from. Most items hover around the $15 mark, with only a few entrees breaking the $20 barrier. After some inner debate going on inside my brain, I finally made my dinner selection, and here's how everything worked out for us on this evening.

Deep-fried food is not just something you can get at the OC Fair every summer, restaurants are now starting to fry everything from corn on the cob to Oreos. At Parkway they have Fired Avocado ($12) on their starter menu. Not sure why they call it fired avocado, rather than fried, but that's what they call it so we'll stick with that. Avocado spears are breaded and fried and then served with chipotle aioli and ranch dressing. These were fine, but the breading was kind of bland and did not have the big crunch I was hoping for. I thought this would have been better with a crunchy exterior and the creamy heated avocado inside. Did not happen with these, but when they were dipped in the provided sauces they were much better. 

One thing I have learned about my father-in-law in the nine years I have known him is that he's a big fan of soups. He gets a bowl almost every time he goes out to eat, and he held true on this early evening by getting the Clam Chowder ($6). Knowing that the owners of this restaurant hail from Boston, I had great hopes for this. After my one bite of this, I should not have gotten my hopes up. The chowder was kind of bland, did not really have any clams in it, and was made up of mostly cubed potatoes. It definitely needed the pepper that the waiter ground on top of it.

Loaded Potato Skins ($10 were the last of the starters to come before our entrees hit the table. These come three to an order at Parkway and are topped with Guinness braised pork belly, a white cheese blend, creme fraiche, and chives. The potato was fried nicely, but they did something here that I thought I would never experience during the run of this blog. They made pork belly taste dull. If the menu had not said that pork belly was on these, and I was blindfolded, I never would have known that one of my favorite ingredients was included here. These are definitely misnamed, like the fired avocado, because these were not even close to being loaded, as they only had a few cubes of pork and a dusting of cheese on them. Disappointing. 

I was hoping things would turn around for me here when I ordered this Steak Bomb ($12.50) off of their grinder area of the menu. Again, this sandwich should have been called a dud instead of a bomb because it put me to sleep. The menu made this sandwich sound like it was going to be like a Philly cheesesteak, but with lettuce and tomato. Shaved ribeye, provolone cheese, grilled onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms have never tasted so dull. They really skimped on the cheese (were they running out or something?), and this only had a couple of mushrooms included. I made the underseasoned meat a little better by asking for a side of ranch dressing but ended up only eating half of this, which is definitely a sign that I did not enjoy this flavorless sandwich. This came with a side of chips, which might have been made here, as they were almost as bad as the sandwich. Some were burnt while others were limp, with no crunch to them. Maybe pay an upcharge to get fries next time.

Katie has been here a couple of times with her parents and has gotten the chicken alfredo on all of her previous visits. She changed it up this trip by trying the CBA Pizza ($13.95). CBA stands for chicken, broccoli, and alfredo sauce, and is joined on the pizza by some garlic, mozzarella, and parmesan. Finally, something had some flavor to it. The crust was very crisp and thin, while the toppings reminded me of a casserole my mom used to make. Maybe the pizzas are the thing to get here. 

Dennis was not overly full from his chowder, so he got this Cobb Salad ($14) as well. This salad included chicken, bacon, hard-boiled egg, bleu cheese, tomatoes, and a house vinaigrette. Looking from across the table I thought this was a pretty puny-sized salad for the price, but no disappointment from Dennis about this salad. He finished this salad rather quickly and has gotten this frequently on his previous visits.

I was not really feeling like dessert after my rather lackluster sandwich, but we decided to give it a try. They must be in the middle of switching their dessert menu, as we were given a handwritten list with three options crossed out. We settled on this Tiramisu ($7). I'm not usually a big fan of this Italian dessert, but this was the best thing I had here all night. It was well made, not overly soggy, and did not overpower with a coffee flavor. This should make the cut on their upcoming dessert menu.

I left Parkway very disappointed with almost everything I experienced this evening and was left wondering why my inlaws like this place, and why people on Yelp have given this restaurant a four-star rating with over 150 reviews. Maybe I caught them on an off night, or maybe I ended up getting the wrong things. The burgers do look good in the pictures I have seen online and might be the way I go if I come back here. Service was very spotty on this evening and our food often came out without dressings, sauces, and sides. Maybe all the love for this restaurant is because they have a captive audience of residents who don't want to drive a half hour out of town to a better restaurant.

Out of five picnic tables, (because the longest parkway in the US is the Blue Ridge Parkway, which spans two states, and has many picnic tables alongside it), five being best to zero being worst, The  Parkway American Grill gets 1.5 picnic tables.

For more information about The Parkway American Grill, head to their website here: http://www.parkwayamericangrill.com/

No Misery on This Visit to Mizuiro - CLOSED

Mizuiro

22431 Antonio Parkway B-110

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688

I have a funny relationship with sushi. I like it well enough, but I never really crave it. I've had really expensive, high-quality sushi, but it is kind of wasted on me. I appreciate it, but when I'm forking out a bunch of money and going to need to stop off at a drive-thru on the way home, it kind of defeats the purpose of spending all that money. That's why when the sushi cravings hit Katie I always try to find an all you can eat sushi restaurant.

I love AYCE sushi restaurants. I always leave way too full, I'm a big fan of what a lot of you might call the non-traditional fried rolls, and it's a fixed price going in, so I know how much it's going to be when the check comes. Sure you are not getting the highest quality seafood, but in my experience, I have not really run across what I would deem an awful AYCE experience. I definitely have my favorite place, but our good friends Tom and Daniele wanted us to try a place they had been once before, so we all headed to Mizuiro in Rancho Santa Margarita.

Mizuiro is located on the corner of Antonio and La Promesa in the same shopping center as the Pavillions, Del Taco, and one of our favorite sandwich spots, Board and Brew. They have been open for coming up on three years in December as an AYCE place. From what I can gather this location used to be Mizu, which is still under the same restaurant group. They have a location in Tustin and started out in San Jose, where they have amassed over 2,000 Yelp reviews and attained a four-star rating since opening in 2009.

The switch to an AYCE format seems to have helped Mizuiro. We arrived at a very busy restaurant at 7:30 on a recent Friday evening. The inside of the restaurant is a little hipper than our usual sushi spot. The large dining room is spacious, with a tinge of blue hanging about due to the overhead lighting. A little on the loud side, but as the dinner crowd filed out, it became a lot easier to hold a conversation, although with Daniele in our party I preferred to tune out.

All four of us opted for the all you can eat option, which is priced at $27.50 for dinner, and $15.50 for lunch. At lunchtime, they have a slightly smaller selection, but it also includes a soft drink with all the sushi you may want. The AYCE menu features appetizers,  nigiri sushi, baked rolls, tempura rolls, fresh rolls, traditional and hand rolls. There are also five special items where you are limited to having one per person, these include sea urchin, jumbo scallop, salmon egg, halibut, and snow crab. Very hungry by this point, we made our numerous selections on our order sheet, and let the sushi parade commence.

These are just some of the many appetizers that we tried on this evening. The favorites for myself were the Chicken Katsu, the Spicy Sesame Chicken, which really resembled an orange chicken and was not spicy at all, and the Calamari Tempura. Not pictured, but I was not too impressed with the Popcorn Scallops, which were dry and definitely over fried. For non-sushi fans, I'd say you could still have a good meal here at Mizuiro by just selecting from their appetizers.

Again, these are just some of the things that we ate this evening. As the night went on a sushi coma washed over me, so I forgot to snap pictures of everything we ate. The nigiri sushi was all fresh and tasted great. Pretty impressed with the quality at Mizuiro. I always favor the tempura and specialty rolls, which are a lot heavier than the traditional sushi. I really enjoyed the selection here, but at a certain point in the gluttony, the rolls all started to taste the same.

Based on this one trip to Mizuiro, they have replaced our usual go-to spot for all you can eat sushi. Sure it's a little bit of trek getting out to Rancho Santa Margarita, but this is the best of the AYCE sushi spots we have been to so far in South OC. Unlike a lot of the Yelpers, we had no issues with the service here. They were pretty quick taking our orders, clearing plates, and refilling drinks. We even stayed a little past closing time, and they never really made us feel rushed. Our friend Daniele who we credit with finding this place for us claims that Mizuiro is 70 to 80 times better than the other place we used to go. While her math is definitely off, it is better, and with all that, we consumed it's a great value. Definitely, a sushi restaurant that's right up my alley.

Out of five paint cans, (because if you go into a paint store in Japan and ask for mizuiro, it translates as light blue), five being best to zero being worst, Mizuiro gets 3 paint cans.

For more information about Mizuiro, head to their website here: http://www.mizuirosushi.com/

Football Frenzy #11 at Daily's Sports Grill

Daily's Sports Grill

29881 Aventura

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688

I know I have been pretty lax on finding the best sports bars to watch football on Sunday mornings for you. This year has been another bummer for my beloved Jacksonville Jaguars. They have won only one game all year going into this late November tilt with the hated Tennessee Titans. It has been hard to get up and go watch the many fumbles and interceptions ruin a great Sunday off of work. We were at Katie's apartment, and of course, they were not showing our game on TV at home, so we decided to make the mile trip over to a sports bar I have been to before, but haven't blogged about, Daily's Sports Grill.

Daily's is kind of an iconic sports bar in these parts. They opened their doors seven years before the city of Rancho Santa Margarita was even incorporated. To say that the bar scene in RSM is limited, would be an understatement. Sure some of the restaurants in this city have bars, but those are not bars that people go to hang out in. According to a quick search of bars in the city, besides a couple of wine bars, RSM has one other stand-alone bar, (Tapas and Beer). I have not been to that bar, but when I lived in this inland city, I visited Daily's from time to time during my five-year residency here.

Daily's is located well off of the main street of Santa Margarita Parkway, in the back of the same plaza that houses a KFC and the post office of this fine city. From the outside, this sports bar does not look so big, but once inside, it really is a pretty spacious place. The front area is dominated by a long bar and booths, the cavernous back room has plenty of high top tables and some smaller booths. Of course, a wide array of sports memorabilia is plastered to every wall you glance at.

We got to Daily's ten minutes before kickoff. We had no problem getting a table. It always seems that as the season moves along, the bars get a little more empty as teams drop off the playoff chase. There was a group of boisterous Steeler's fans near one of the TVs, but Daily's also caters to families as well. When we sat down we were surrounded by two families that had children ranging in age from seven to newborn. The waitress made sure that we sat at a table where we could see the game of our choosing, which was very nice of her. Now we just had to sit back, hope for the best with our team, and have some breakfast. This is how it came out for us.

Katie had the French Toast and Eggs ($6.95) for breakfast. Okay, not the most picturesque bacon and egg picture, but Katie felt these over hard eggs and bacon were pretty standard. What really woke up her taste buds was the French toast. Daily's french toast comes with sliced strawberries and bananas, then topped with a thin caramel sauce. Katie liked this different take on French toast and felt that this version was a little less sweet than if she would have had this with maple syrup. She claims she would get this again.

I saw that they had this Montana Skillet ($7.95) on the menu, and it said it was made for someone with a lineman's appetite, so of course, I had to get it. I love skillet breakfasts because you get all of the breakfast food rolled into one plate. This skillet came with two scrambled eggs, bell peppers, onions, and choice of breakfast meat, (I went with bacon), all topped with cheddar cheese. The menu said that this was going to have hash browns in it also, but the plate came out with baby red potatoes on the side. The potatoes were cooked fine, but I did miss the crunchiness of the hash browns. To be honest I thought this was going to be a little bigger. I had no problem polishing off this breakfast. The eggs were a little too diced up, and there was not enough bacon in this. The gravy served with this was very thin, so I used this sparingly. I did enjoy that the sourdough came with more than enough butter for the two slices that was served with this.

In case you have forgotten our criteria for judging places to watch football on Sundays, we base it on ambiance, service, and food. Daily's definitely had the first two criteria met. Our server, Jules was very nice, kept great tabs on us, and really seemed to know almost everyone in this bar. Both Katie and I felt really comfortable here as well. Sometimes local bars can seem a little cliquey, but that was not the case at Daily's. Everyone was really nice, and even asked how we became Jaguar's fans. The area that Daily's needs to improve on if it wants to ascend to the ultimate football hangout spot, is its food. There was nothing too wrong with it, but it was nothing that made us clamor for more. The only thing the food really had going for it was that it was very reasonably priced. Looking through their menu, they only have one item that is above the ten dollar mark, and none above ten dollars for breakfast. They did have drink specials during football as well. I took advantage of their $4 Screwdriver special, which came in handy when Katie and I had to toast to the Jaguars second win of the season on this afternoon. Unfortunately, this would be the Jags last win of the season, and they would finish 2-14, but there is always next year.

Out of five newspapers, (because a daily could also refer to that thing that you used to have delivered to your house to get the news of the day), five being best to zero being worst,  Daily's Sports Grill gets 2.5 newspapers.

For more information on Daily's Sports Grill, check them out here: http://www.dailyssportsgrill.org/

Welcome to the Neighborhood Bruxie! CLOSED

Bruxie

22205 El Passeo, Suite A

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688

When we heard Bruxie was coming to town we could hardly believe it. Both Katie and I felt that we had hit the food lottery. She moved to this inland city early this year, and to say that the dining scene was a little thin would be an understatement. Of course it is not all dour in RSM when it is time to eat. Pizza E Vino, Tutto Fresco, and Cinnamon Productions lead the way when it comes to some above average eats in  this master planned city. Now you can add Bruxie to that list.

We have made two trips to this third location of Bruxie. Both times there have been lines, but the lines do move pretty fast. It is a good sign that people in South OC have found out about this restaurant, and have kept supporting it. For those of you that do not know what all the buzz is about Bruxie, they basically offer hand held waffle sandwiches, that are either sweet or savory. Just like their web site says, imagine a  panini, but instead of bread you have a light, crisp waffle.

This idea started way back in 1999, when owner Dean was in Belgium, and noticed all the street vendors selling made to order waffles. He came back to the US, and started working on his own waffle recipe. By 2006 he had mastered his waffle recipe and was selling them to hotels and cruise lines. In 2009, Executive Chef Kelly Mullarney came on board to help broaden the waffle into something that was not just for breakfast, but for other meals as well. The hopes were that these lunch and dinner items would help launch a multi-unit full service restaurant. I am sure it is no surprise to you, since they now have three locations, that yes, they were successful in opening a multi-unit restaurant. Let's check out the food at this newest RSM location to see if it is on par with the other Bruxie locations.

On our first trip to Bruxie, Katie ordered the Albacore Tuna Melt ($7.95). This tuna melt came with cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomato. I am not much of a tuna fan, but Katie thought this tuna melt was great. She really has a hard time getting anything else here. She really enjoys the fresh tuna, and also appreciates the produce being fresh.

So when I have come to Bruxie, it is hard for me to pass up on their daily specials. They rotate them pretty frequently, so if one is not available on the day you are here, it will most likely come around again soon enough. I could not resist their Patty Melt ($7.95). This one-third Angus patty was served with Gruyere cheese, caramelized onions, toasted caraway seeds, and a secret sauce. Delicious was one way to describe this burger. As good as it looks in these pictures, it tasted even better in person. The meat was cooked to a perfect medium, the caramelized onions and secret sauce added some sweetness, and the Gruyere was a very nice subtle choice here. The waffle really held together well, and had a nice crunch to it. I did not detect the caraway seeds, but it did not matter. This burger was finished too quick. I even contemplated getting another one, but dessert was next on trip number one to Bruxie.

Desserts are not to be missed at Bruxie. This visit we had one of my favorite sweet items on the menu, the Nutella and Bananas ($5.95). This not only had bananas and Nutella, but it also had a sweet cream that kind of held it all together. Very solid dessert, and this, like my patty melt, disappeared quickly. I really enjoyed the simplicity of this dessert.

Trip number two to the RSM Bruxie location was with my friend, and food nemesis, Richard, and his much better half, Lindsay. We started this time with Bruxie's version of Irish Nachos ($6.95). Fittingly, they serve waffle fries at Bruxie, and this nacho version comes with a homemade cheese sauce, crumbled bacon, sour cream and chives. I am not usually a big fan of cheese sauces, but this one is nice and mellow. The fries were crisp, and the bacon added some nice saltiness. More than enough for two people to share.

Okay, this could be the worst picture of a pretty good sandwich. Richard selected the Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Waffle ($6.95). Bruxie's version of the chicken and waffle comes with a chili honey and cole slaw. Richard had no complaints about this sandwich, and ate in record time. This is the kind of sandwich that proves that some items that do not seem like they belong together, actually can work out quite nicely. Kind of like jerk face Richard and the lovely Lindsay.

The Turkey Club ($8.95) was Lindsay's choice for dinner. At Bruxie they use Boar's Head turkey, along with bacon, Gruyere cheese, tomato, lettuce, avocado, and pesto aioli to make up their version of a club sandwich. Lindsay liked the fresh produce used here, and was happy that the pesto aioli was light, and did not detract from the other elements of the sandwich.

Again I was too distracted by Bruxie's daily specials to order anything off of their regular menu. This visits culprit was the Carolina Pulled Pork Bruxie ($8.95). This was made up of shredded pork, cider slaw, cheddar cheese, and their own BBQ sauce. This was another winner. The pork was pretty tender, and really had a nice meaty flavor. The cider slaw worked well to balance out the sweetness of the BBQ sauce, while adding a little texture to the sandwich. The only drawback I see with this sandwich was that there could have been more meat, but other than that I really enjoyed it.

Since we were two couples, that meant that we could get two desserts. The first was ours, the S'Mores ($5.95). They use Belgian chocolate, graham cracker and toasted marshmallow to create their version of the campfire treat. I have had this dessert numerous times and have never been able to detect the graham cracker in this. Regardless though, it is still a very tasty treat. The marshmallow is house made here, and the chocolate is very rich. I also enjoy the crispness of the waffle.

Richard and Lindsay opted to go for the Lemon Cream and Berries ($6.50) for dessert. This straightforward sounding Bruxie had a very tart lemon cream to go along with the strawberries and boysenberries. I am not too big a fan of fresh fruit, nor lemon, so this one was not for me. Everyone else seemed to like this one though.

I am happy to report that the new Bruxie is just the same as the other two locations. I have really enjoyed everything that I have ordered here. The ingredients are fresh, and the waffles are an interesting vessel to carry them. The waffles are good, but still allow the contents of the sandwich to be the star of the show. My one minor complaint would be that the sandwiches could be stuffed more. Not that you are going to get cheated or anything, but I am a big eater, so I could easily eat more than one of these sandwiches. Ordering is done at a counter, and brought to your table. The operation runs very smoothly, and the employees here are all very nice. After leaving here we are still very happy that Bruxie moved into the neighborhood.

Out of five paintbrushes, (because the country of Belgium has produced a great many painters, and Bruxie was inspired by this Low Country), five being best to zero being worst, Bruxie gets 3.5 paintbrushes.

For more information about Bruxie, click here: http://bruxie.com/