Happy Hour/Happy Times at RA Sushi!

RA Sushi

2401 Park Ave.

Tustin, CA. 92782

So, the couple above is my sister and brother-in-law, and they love sushi. I, on the other hand, will eat it, but it is not my favorite thing in the world. They had been to RA Sushi in Corona, and rave about the happy hour. Now, I do love happy hour, so we decided to check it out.

When you walk into RA, it has the feel of a P.F. Changs, but much hipper and fast paced. Decorated in lots of red and black, we made our way to the bar for the happy hour. The bartender, Drew was on top of everything for us on this busy Saturday night. Yes, they do have happy hour Monday through Saturday 3-7. As the night went on, more and more hipsters arrived and were scouting out for prime spots on the patio, or at the bar. So lets get to the food, before they try to snag our seats.

Here is your standard California roll. It was good, and at $3, for eight pieces, it was well worth the price. Pretty decent flavor also, but it was brought to life with the wasabi.

Next we have the spicy sesame chicken wings. These nicely presented wings were not nearly as spicy, as they were sweet. The chicken was a little fatty, and the sauce was okay, but again at $3.50 for six wings, you can not complain too much.

Here are the pineapple cheese wontons, with roasted pineapple dipping sauce. I have to admit that I am not a big fan of cream cheese wontons, so I will not add my two cents here, but everyone else really enjoyed this. And again, this is under four dollars.

Here is one of my favorites of the night, the "RA"ckin Shrimp. The shrimp may not have been huge in size, but they were flavored well, and the creamy ginger teriyaki sauce was an added bonus. Very good dish, and it was a real hit with all of us.

Sorry the picture is so blurry, still trying to figure out my new camera. If you can see through the haze, what we have here is the blue claw crab cakes, served with ginger mayo. The mayo actually made the dish, because the crab cakes alone were a little dry. Still a decent dish, just not great.

Here is another one of my favorites, the Viva Las Vegas Roll. It is crab and cream cheese wrapped in seaweed, then lightly tempura battered, then topped with spicy tuna, more crab, lotus root and eel sauce. A lot of items that create a lot of flavor. These were really tasty and had all of us raving, so we ordered another plate of them.

The lobster spring rolls above, were just okay. The rolls were filled with cream cheese, mango and lobster. I do not recall now, even tasting any lobster, so they totally skimped on that. The mango sauce was pretty good, and helped out with the bland taste of the roll.

This is the Crispy Spicy Tuna. This was another big hit for us. It was big on flavor, and had a great texture. The soy chili sauce again went really well with this.

As for drink specials during happy hour, there were plenty to choose from. A partial list includes, $1 sake, $2 domestic beers, $3 well drinks, and  $4 wines and martinis. Katie got a Sake Sangria that she really enjoyed.

So how would I sum up my time at RA? I think of it as the Fridays of sushi places. Just like Fridays they try to get you in with great prices on happy hour items, and then they hope that you try something off of their regular menu, to get you hooked. Mission accomplished RA, I will be back, but I think only for happy hour, I am not a sushi convert yet.

So, out of five spicy tuna rolls, five being best to zero being worst, I give RA Sushi 3 spicy tuna rolls.

For more locations of RA, and more info about there happy hour check them out here: http://www.rasushi.com/

Happy New Year and Happy Trails to the Clubhouse! - CLOSED

Clubhouse Restaurant

3333 Bristol Street, Suite 2802

 Costa Mesa, CA 92626

I tried to get this up before they closed, but I ran out of time with the holidays and all the running around. When I heard that the Clubhouse was closing, I could not believe it. I had been over the years, and it always had a decent crowd. I managed to make it over there twice in the last two weeks. Here, for nostalgia's sake, is what I had to eat.

This is the Flaming Spinach & Artichoke Dip. It is very cheesy and lit on fire tableside. It has a very good taste, but the artichoke is a little too light. But it is a great way to start the meal.

Here is our second appetizer, the Firecracker Jumbo Lump Crab Cake. The presentation on this was good, as was all the food at the Clubhouse. This crab cake is served with Sriracha mayonnaise and a tropical fruit relish. The accompaniments went very nicely with the crab cake. The crab cake alone had a mild taste but was enhanced with the fruit and mayo. A little pricey at $16, but it was half-price during our happy hour visit.

This is Katie's colorful Clubhouse Garbage Salad. This salad seemed to have a little bit of everything in it, including chicken, eggs, cheddar cheese, Roma tomatoes, artichoke hearts, green onion, bacon, green and black olives, and balsamic vinaigrette. If I had my choice, I would have asked for blue cheese or ranch as a dressing, but she liked this salad and had enough to take to work the next day.

Blackened Chicken and Shrimp Jambalaya was my choice. I was a little disappointed with this item, though. The chicken was in big hunks; it would have been better if it had been shredded. Also, they were really skimpy on the sausage and shrimp. I counted three shrimp on the entire $21 dish. Lastly, there was no liquid in this dish—nothing to mop up with bread. It's not a good scene.

Next, we have one of the house favorites, the Meatloaf and Mashed Potato Sundae. Their killer meatloaf is served over a scoop of mashed potatoes, with another scoop placed on top and doused in a brown gravy. It's a very well-presented dish and also tasty. When they first opened, they used to serve it in a sundae schooner.

Here, we have the Tilapia in a lemon-caper sauce, with a substitution of red-skin mashed potatoes for the rice pilaf. The tilapia was cooked just right, a little flaky without being dry. The potatoes had a good texture, but the spinach was overdone. This was a very sturdy dish.

Here is the Bacon Ranch Chicken Wrap. Once again, wraps are not my thing, so I may not be the person to judge, but this was lacking in ranch and chicken. It was a lot of lettuce and tomato. No complaints from the person who ordered this, though, so it could just be me. Damn health nuts!

Lastly, here is why I kept returning to the Clubhouse, the Shaved Prime Rib Dip. Always a winner with me, this $18 sandwich was prepared well and always had a great flavor. On this trip, though, they could have used more horseradish sauce, but the meat tasted great, and the bread was excellent. This was easily one of my top five sandwiches in the OC; I will miss you, old girl!

So now the Clubhouse can ride off into the sunset. It has been a great ten years, and many good times have been had. Hopefully, the two new places that will be occupying the space will continue the great tradition of service that the Clubhouse provided. The people at the Clubhouse were always very pleased to have you and showed it every time you walked through their door. Once again, you will be missed.

So, out of five golf clubs, five being the best and zero being the worst, I give the Clubhouse 3.5 golf clubs.

For more information about the Clubhouse, and if you are ever in the Chicago area, they still operate a restaurant there, check them out here: http://www.theclubhouse.com/

Is It Worth the Drive Downtown to Doug's? - CLOSED

Doug's Downtown Grill

12900 Main St.

Garden Grove, CA 92840

Looking for something new to do, my girlfriend and I went to the Gem Theater to watch "A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum." We got there about an hour early, so we decided to try one of the local dining options within walking distance. We decided on Doug's Downtown Grill.

This rainy Friday night, Doug's was pretty slow, so we got right in and were greeted by a cheerful waitress. We alerted her that we were going to the play, so we would be in a hurry. She reacted like she had heard this before, which was no big deal. Doug's is a casual bar/restaurant in which you immediately feel comfortable.

This is the salad that came with the meal that I ordered. Nothing too spectacular here, but it had crisp lettuce, and the blue cheese dressing was adequate.

Here are two pictures of my meal: the grilled marinated tri-tip. This dish came with julienne vegetables and a choice of sides. I chose the twice-baked potato. The meat was cooked just like I like it, medium rare. The marinade was subtle and added a nice flavor to the meat. The twice-baked potato was good, and the vegetables were just okay. I felt that this was a good value at $13.

Here is Katie's grilled ham and cheese stack, served with sweet potato fries. There was too much bread for this sandwich. Instead of a Kaiser roll, two pieces of toast would have been more appropriate. Also, two slices of ham and Swiss cheese should never be called a stack. She loved sweet potato fries. I thought they were good for sweet potato fries, but I usually do not like them, so I will go by her judgment on those.

So, how to size up Doug's? I thought it was a cool little joint, and if I went to more plays or was in the area, I would give them another shot. The service was excellent, and it is a place you can really feel comfortable in. Also, it was good value for the money.

Out of five parking meters (get it?, because we are downtown), five being best and zero being worst, I would give Doug's 2.5 parking meters.

If you would like more information on Doug's Downtown Grill, check them out here: http://www.dougsdowntowngrill.com/index.html

Lofty Expectaions at the Loft

The Loft at the Montage

30801 S. Coast Highway

Laguna Beach, Ca. 92651

The girl in the picture above is my girlfriend's sister, Emily. Emily was turning twenty-one, and their family had a tradition of going to the Montage and having brunch for birthdays. Fortunately, I was off that Sunday and could tag along with them. I had never been to the Montage or any really high-end resort before, so I had no idea what to expect.

The service was phenomenal as we pulled into the driveway and valeted my car. Every person we came into contact with, from the valet to the wait staff, was there to ensure that our every need was met. I had never seen anything like it. The hotel's decor was contemporary and beautiful, like a model home, with everything in its perfect place. I had the feeling that this is how the other half lives.

The Loft is the Montage's version of a coffee shop. They serve a little bit of everything. We sat at 11, so we could choose from their breakfast or lunch menus.  After perusing the menus, this is what everyone got.

This is the banana bread on the house, compliments of the chef. It was a little dry and did not have much banana flavor. Not really a big hit with our table.

This is the Build your own Benedict with lobster. It had a good flavor, but the lobster was a little rubbery. They did not skimp on the lobster. There were big hunks on the plate.

Above is the house-made ricotta stuffed crepes with blueberries and lemon. This was probably one of the best-presented plates that arrived at our table. The taste, however, left a lot to be desired for me. I could not taste the ricotta and never got a hint of lemon. The crepes did have a good texture, but something was missing.

Now we go from one of the best-plated dishes to one of the worst. This is the Build an Omelet. They have twelve items that you could add to it, duck confit, prime rib, and rotisserie chicken.  The birthday girl decided on plain old ham and cheese omelet. Also served with a patty of potatoes, but when you are paying 22 dollars for this plate, couldn't they have added some garnishment to make the dish look less sterile. Not too many raves coming from our birthday girl on this one.

Next, we have the two eggs in any style. These eggs were cooked perfectly, but the hash brown patty was slightly overdone. Just needed a little something extra on the plate to liven it up.

Here is the Club Sandwich. Smoked turkey breast and heirloom tomatoes with Garlic aioli. I did not get a chance to try this, but Sara said, "It was pretty good!"

This is the Rotisserie Pulled Pork sandwich, with fries substituting for green papaya coleslaw. The sandwich had a lot of sauce, so it was difficult to taste the meat. The bun was great, though, very soft.

Lastly, my choice for brunch was Chef Black's Bistro Burger. When I saw this twenty-five-dollar burger, I knew I had to try it. The burger comes with black truffle butter, escarole and garlic, and midnight moon cheese. The first bite of this burger hit my mouth with many flavors, and it mellowed from there. It was cooked perfectly, maybe a little salty at first but still a decent burger. The fries were good, and the pickle slaw was just average, just rough cuts of pickles.

So my thoughts on the Loft? Have I had better brunches? Yes, I have. Do I feel that it is worth the money for what you get? No, you can get better and more food at half the price at most restaurants in the OC, but you are really paying for this place's killer view and atmosphere, along with the excellent service. So for a special occasion, where you want to feel pampered like Paris Hilton at a day spa, this could be the place for you. Just try to forget how much the meal is costing you.

So out of five silver spoons, five being best to zero, the Loft receives 3 silver spoons.

For more information about the Loft, here is their website: https://www.montagehotels.com/lagunabeach/dining/loft/

Steak Out in Downtown Fullerton!

Stubrik's

118 E. Commonwealth

Fullerton, Ca. 92832

Downtown Fullerton has a lot of great places to hangout. I really enjoy Heroes, Angelo and Vinci's, and Slidebar, just to name a few. So when we were going to meet friends there, the only problem was deciding where we wanted to go. My friend Chris decided on Stubrik's, and so that is where we all headed.

Stubrik's was opened by two friends, Stub and Rik. They had both worked in the restaurant business for years in the resort areas of southern California and Colorado. They both wanted to open a place that they would feel comfortable in. A place that was nice, but was not too stuffy, a place you could get good food, at a decent value, so let's see how it all worked out for them.

Stubrik's is a dark place, with big comfy booths, and wood all over the place. It is the kind of place that everyone could feel comfortable in. You do not have to worry about how you are dressed, because it is so dark, no one can see you. The atmosphere is one of a place that you would find in a hunting lodge in the mountains, just a little bit louder. Service has always been good here, no complaints tonight either.

Here is my salad. Sorry about the picture, it was so dark in there I could not get a good shot. This is the salad that is included with every steak order. I especially liked the sunflower seeds. The blue cheese dressing was good as well, not too runny.

This is my 16oz top sirloin steak, stuffed with dried blue cheese and covered with Burgundy blue cheese sauce. The steak was cooked perfectly and had a great rich flavor. The vegetables were okay, and the potatoes were supposed to be garlic, but you could not taste the garlic, even without the brown gravy.

Another hit was this Bananas Foster. This not only would get Curious George excited but nearly everyone at our table. The rum and caramel sauce was sweet and complimented the bananas and ice cream excellently. They also, as you can see from the picture, did not skimp on the ice cream. I always hate when you order a dessert like this and they give you a small tablespoon of ice cream, this was not the case here. Plenty to go around.

So Stub and Rik, I would say mission accomplished in what you set out to do. You both set up a place where everyone feels comfortable, and you can have a good dinner at a reasonable price. My 16oz steak costs 24 dollars, but that also includes soup or salad and potatoes and veggies, a steal in this day in age where a lot of places are going ala carte on everything.

On a scale of zero to five steak knives, five being best, Stubrik's gets a solid 3.5 steak knives.

For more information on Stubrik's, check them out here: https://www.stubriks.com/

Is it Worth Getting Up For the Break of Dawn? - CLOSED

Break of Dawn

24351 Avenida De La Carlota #N-6

Laguna Hills, CA 92653

My friend ML is one of the few customers I like at work. She is always friendly, never bugs, and makes a fantastic trail mix, which I always look forward to every December. So when I told her about my blog and that I would review restaurants, she suggested I try Break of Dawn. I had never heard of it but was eager to try it after she and fellow Yelpers glowed about the place.

Break of Dawn is an easy-to-miss breakfast/lunch place tucked behind Trader Joe's in Laguna Hills. It is owned by a former Ritz-Carlton chef who had to alter his career path after a medical mishap with his son. He opened this place so he could be close to his son and still do the work that he loves.

I had a rare Saturday off and was tired of turkey after Thanksgiving, so we decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to try this place. The restaurant is very colorful and has a really homey feel to it. We decided to sit outside in the crisp morning air. The waiter was very attentive and ready to fulfill our needs.

I decided on the pre-fixe menu, which consists of three courses. This is the first: Butternut Squash Bisque. The bisque was smooth and creamy, a very nice way to start my meal. Accompanying the bisque were these crispy meat rolls. They were good and really tasty when you dipped them in the bisque.

Here is my entree, the Sausage and Rice. The plate featured two fried eggs, a scoop of rice, green papaya-sesame salad, and Portuguese-Hawaiian sausage. The sausage was the real winner here. It had a very nice flavor and complimented the plate nicely. The salad was good but tasted better when it was mixed with the eggs.

Here is the real star of the show on this day, though. This dish is so good that it deserves two pictures on this blog. This is the French toast of Willie Wonka himself: Creme Brulee French Toast. Dusted with powdered sugar and chocolate sauce, this dessert for breakfast will keep you coming back for more to this eatery. Rich but oh so satisfying, we could not devour this plate quick enough.

Here is the final of my three courses: the Chocolate Crème Brulee. This was a mild yet pleasing way to end my meal. The chocolate was not too overpowering, and the texture was silky smooth, with a crisp top.

So, we will be back at Break of Dawn. As we were sitting there, we saw many more things we wanted to try. The omelets looked amazing, and the Chilaquiles-Ranchero sounds like it could be a hit as well. This place is not your typical breakfast joint, but sometimes, you want to step out of the shadows and into the sun. 

So on a scale of 5 rays of the sun to zero rays of the sun, 5 being best, Break of Dawn receives 4 rays of the sun!

Break of Dawn does not have a website, but you can check out their Yelp page here: https://www.yelp.com/biz/break-of-dawn-laguna-hills-2

Wood we like the Lumberyard? Get it?

Lumberyard

384 Forest Ave.

Laguna Beach, CA

So Katie was watching her cousin's dog in Laguna this past weekend. I never really am in this area, so after a quick search on Yelp, we came up with the Lumberyard. It is in the old Cedar Creek location. The story goes that this location was also the home of Laguna Beach Lumber Company for 62 years, hence the name of this establishment.

As we step inside the atmosphere is one of an up-scale dinner club. This Friday night they have a smooth latin/jazz sound that integrates itself into the feel of the place. The place is large, and busy, but we get right in on this Friday night at 7.

The menu is not huge, but has plenty of classic faire to choose from. Anyone can find something to pick from on the menu, whatever is your mood, from steaks, pastas, classic foods, burgers and sandwiches. So now on to the food...

These are the Lumberyard Planks, fried zucchini served with a killer lemon aioli sauce. Fried neatly without being greasy, there were so many on the plate, this could have served four people easily.  The sauce was great and was not too over-powering. Good value at nine dollars.

I was going back and forth on what to order between the Lumberyard Burger or the meatloaf wrapped in bacon, this trip I decided on the burger. The burger was cooked perfectly, with lots of bleu cheese, onions and mushrooms. Good stuff! The egg bun topped the burger off nicely. The fries were cooked well, and had a great crunch to them.

Katie got the prime rib french dip. Lots of meat piled on this sandwich, but she did say there was a lot of pieces with fat on them. The meat was good, but the sour cream horseradish needed a little less sour cream and more horseradish, it was kind of bland tasting, also some cheese on this sandwich would have been good. Once again the french roll that they used on this sandwich was great.

Now time for dessert. I went with the Hog Heaven pie. Cookie crust, chocolate ganache and peanut butter mousse. This was really rich, and had a cheesecake consistency to it. Not too bad, but nothing to go hog wild about.

All in all I felt this place was pretty good. It is the kind of joint you would go for special occasions. Prices were a little steep, but sometimes you need to splurge. So out of five axes, the Lumberyard receives 3.5 axes.

For more information on the Lumberyard, check them out here: http://www.lblumberyard.com/