Going Fishing at Boneheads - CLOSED

Boneheads

23704 El Toro RD.

Lake Forest, CA 92630

My friend Richard and I have very opposite tastes when it comes to food. He is a super fan of Chipotle, and I feel they are mediocre. He hates Ruby's and Islands, and I think they make good burgers. And so on. So when he was raving about Boneheads and how good it was, I was a little skeptical. Let's see if Boneheads can be our food peace accord.

Boneheads is a casual fish chain based primarily in Georgia. It has seven stores, and this is the first in California. As Katie and I walked in on Sunday night, the place was buzzing with activity. Let's see if the food is what is making customers flock here.

So when Richard was yapping about Boneheads, he told me that the Piri-Piri sauce was superb. First, a little background on Piri-Piri sauce. The Piri-Piri chili is grown in Mozambique and is a favorite in Eastern African and Portuguese cooking. At Boneheads, they have four types of sauce for your enjoyment: lemon and herb, medium, hot, and extra hot. I tried all of them, and of course, I really liked the extra hot the best. The lemon and herb sauce was also good.

Here is Katie's dish. She went with the three-taco plate. For her tacos, she chose one chicken, one shrimp, and one tilapia taco. For the side item, she chose Sweet Potato Fries. She did not rave about the sweet potato fries, so I assume they were okay. This plate was $8.49.

This is a look at the inside of the chicken taco. This was Katie's favorite. All of the tacos are filled with your choice of fish or chicken, Asian cole slaw, and Boneheads sauce (which was described to us as a French tartar sauce). It's a very good-tasting taco. I used the very hot Piri-Piri sauce on this one.

Here is the inside of the shrimp taco. I liked this one the best. The shrimp were really good tasting, and the lemon herb piri-piri sauce I added really enhanced this taco.

Here is my plate. I picked the Grilled Mahi-Mahi, topped with Black Bean and Corn Salsa. With all of the grilled fish you can choose a topping, choices include, Cucumber Lime & Yogurt, Pineapple Salsa, Sauteed Piri Mushrooms, or the Black Bean & Corn Salsa above. The fish tasted excellent and flavorful, even with the bland corn and bean salsa. This plate also included rice and one side item. I had the Grilled Zucchini Strips. These had grill marks across them and tasted fine, but next time, I will opt for the Asian Cole Slaw, which I hear is excellent and tastes great in the tacos.

So I have to admit that Richard was right about this place. I liked the food and am looking forward to returning and trying other items off their menu. The sauces were good, and the food tasted fresh. This place was also a good value. All items on their menu are under ten dollars (except the Whole Chicken), which is good for a fish place.

Out of five idiots (because that is the dictionary definition of a bonehead), five being best to zero being worst, Boneheads gets three solid idiots.

For information on Boneheads, click here: http://www.eatboneheads.com/

I Have Died and Gone to Cinnamon Roll Heaven!

Paul's Pantry

27409 Bellogente #B

Mission Viejo, CA 92691

After a crazy night out with our families, for my brother in law's fortieth birthday, both Katie and I were looking for somewhere different to eat for breakfast. We wanted somewhere that would help us soak up the alcohol that was probably still in our system. Enter Paul's Pantry. This place has been around a long time. Let's see if this is the cure for our hangover blues.

Paul's is your typical coffee shop. This Sunday morning was busy, but not too crowded. We walked right in and were told to sit wherever we wanted. The menu here is pretty good sized for breakfast. So let's see what we settled on.

This is the Hillbilly Scramble. This dish is made up of scrambled eggs, Polish sausage, avocado, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, and cheese. This was a very filling scramble, and they did not skimp on any of the toppings. The flavors were really good on this one.

Also served with my breakfast were these two pancakes. They were decent and really made me full. If you wanted to skip the pancakes you could choose hash browns and toast instead. But there is another item here that you must try, and here it is.

This is probably the best cinnamon roll I have ever had, and believe me, I have eaten my fair share of cinnamon rolls. This came with Katie's meal that we will talk about in a moment. You can substitute the toast for a cinnamon roll, and that is what she did. That is also what I will do on my future visits to Paul's. The softball-sized cinnamon roll had lots of sugary frosting and was baked just perfectly. A real show stopper for this meal.

Katie got the Popeye Scramble. This scramble is composed of scrambled eggs. spinach, tomatoes, green onions, mushrooms and topped with mozzarella cheese. She really liked this but had a hard time finishing this off. I also really enjoyed the flavor of this dish.

Paul's is a true greasy spoon. None of this food is good for you, but if you feel like treating yourself every once in a while, I see no harm in that. The cinnamon roll alone is worth the trip here. I have heard that the service is spotty here, but we had no complaints about this visit.

Out of five big screens, (yes I know this is not Paul's the king of big screens!), five being best to zero being worst, Paul's Pantry receives three big screens.

For more information about Paul's Pantry, head to their website here: http://www.paulspantrymv.com/?fbclid=IwAR2S8A74urtqjmAGWIZADAxTvU4Ngn6DE143pno5sF7VA9plkvjqXsg7mg0

Dallas Part 1- Woofing It Down at the Angry Dog

The Angry Dog

2726 Commerce St.

Dallas Texas 75226

So Katie and I went on vacation to Dallas for five days in April. Our purpose for the trip was to see the sights, go to a hockey and baseball game, and find and sample the best food that big D has to offer. This is part one of seven in our Dallas series. So sit back, put on your big belt buckle and enjoy this special edition of Eating My Way Through Dallas.

We arrived from Orange county to DFW at 8:00 on a Tuesday night, and before we checked in at the hotel, we stopped at the Angry Dog. The Dog has won many awards that they proudly display on the walls of their restaurant. They have won awards for hamburgers, nachos, and the best hot dog in the city of Dallas. The place is in the Deep Elum district of Dallas, an area that is a little run down, but I think it has a lot of potential and a relaxed vibe. The Angry Dog has a superb staff that mirrors its relaxed atmosphere. Let's see how the food measures up.

We, of course, started with the award-winning nachos. This is the half order; we polished these off without a problem. I thought that the half order was going to be more significant. The nachos were all right. I thought the chips were a little off, they bake their own, but they were just average tasting to me. I liked the cheese and other toppings on the nachos. The jalapenos were barely noticeable on the nachos.

Sorry for the horrible picture of the Angry Dog here. I will blame jet lag. This is a chili cheese dog with onions and mustard. This was split in two for us by our waiter. The all-beef kosher hot dog was excellent. It had a good snap to it when you bit into it. The chili was mediocre, and I was really disappointed that the cheese was just thrown on top of the hot dog and was not even close to being melted. The fries were good, especially when dipped in ranch.

Above is the Angry Dog's Hamburger. This burger came with mayo, mustard, bacon (added for $1.25), cheddar cheese, and grilled onions. Both Katie and thought that this burger was way too greasy. But, of course, it tasted good, and it is easy to see why this place has won an award for "Best Cure For a Hangover in Dallas."

So our first stop in Dallas can probably be summed up as just an average bar with average bar food. They did have many TVs, and some were turned to hockey, so they scored some points there. But not enough to save them from our rating.

Out of five dog houses, five being best to zero being worst, the Angry Dog gets 2.5 dog houses.

If you would like more information on The Angry Dog, check out their website here: http://www.angrydog.com/default.asp

Meeting Five Guys In Dallas

Five Guys Burgers and Fries

13350 Dallas Parkway Suite 975

Dallas, TX 75240

Katie and I went on vacation to Dallas for five days in April. Our purpose for the trip was to see the sights, go to a hockey and baseball game, and of course find and sample the best food that big D has to offer. This is part two of seven in our Dallas series. So sit back, put on your Stetson and enjoy this special edition of Eating My Way Through Dallas.

I had heard of Five Guys before, and knew that they are going to be opening a store in Orange County this summer. Katie an I were at the Galleria Mall in Dallas, and spotted the Five Guys and decided we would get a sneak preview. Here is what we found.

Five Guys is at first glance, your basic fast food restaurant. The menu is pretty standard. They have hamburgers, hot dogs and fries. They do offer peanuts while you wait. They also have stacks of peanut oil all over the restaurant. Not sure if they sell it there, or they are just showing that their fries are fried in peanut oil. Now on to the burger and fries.

First up the fries at Five Guys. They were really great. I know I should turn in my California license for saying this, but these fries are way better than In-N-Out's fries. They were way hot, and tasted great. Not greasy at all. They have two sizes of fries here, large and regular, we got the regular and it easily could feed two to three people.
 

 
This burger really does deserve two pictures and more. I ordered the Bacon Cheeseburger. They also have a Little Bacon Cheeseburger for smaller appetites that features only one patty. The burgers at Five Guys come with your choice of fifteen toppings for free. Most of these are condiments, but they also include mushrooms, onions, jalapeno peppers, and green peppers. I liked the wide choice at Five Guys. I went with relish, mayo and grilled onions. The bun was soft, and the burger itself was moist and juicy, without being overly greasy. The bacon was crisp, and everything together made this one fantastic fast food burger.
 
So now I am super excited to have a Five Guys open in Orange. I hope it is as great as this visit was. Out of five sports cars, because all guys love sports cars, Five Guys gets 3.5 sports cars.
 
To find out more info on Five Guys, check them out here: http://www.fiveguys.com/index.aspx
 

Hanging Out at Baker's Ribs - CLOSED

Baker's Ribs

4844 Greenville Ave.

Dallas, TX 75206

Katie and I went on vacation to Dallas for five days in April. Our purpose was to see the sights, go to a hockey and baseball game, and find and sample the best food that Big D has to offer. This is part three of seven in our Dallas series. So sit back, wear your boots, and enjoy this special edition of Eating My Way Through Dallas.

Baker's was missing from our original list of places to try. We missed going to a taco spot for lunch because we spent too much time at Southfork Ranch. But the night before, when we were at the Angry Dog, we saw another Baker's Ribs place, and it smelled so good that I really wanted to try it. Let's see if the smell matches the food.

Katie and I were going to be eating dinner in a few hours, so we just split this one plate of food. We got the Three Meat Combo plate. Let's go in for a closer look.

 
The first stop is the ribs. These were, of course, the stars of the show. The ribs were cooked perfectly with a little char on the outside, and the meat fell off the bone with just a slight tug. The meat was tender, and the sauce was applied just the right amount. I can not say enough about these ribs, other than I wish I had more. The picture above shows how a rib should look after eating one; the meat should come clean. Wish the places in Orange County could get this right.   
 

 
The second of our two types of meat was Hot Sausage. This sausage was not really hot; it had more of a smoky flavor. It was decent sausage—not the best I have ever had, but okay. It was made better when I added some of the BBQ sauce to it.
 

 
The last of our meat trifecta was the sliced beef. This was also very tender, and you could taste the hickory in the meat. Excellent beef here. Again, I wish I had more of this, or maybe in a sandwich.
 

 
Now, it is on to the sides. This is the potato salad. I am very hard on potato salad, but this is a good one. It really had a nice dill flavor and good consistency. The potatoes were cooked right, and I liked how they dressed them.
 

 
Another hit was the macaroni and cheese. It had a good cheesy flavor and was creamy. Katie and I were fighting over the forkfuls.
 

 
Lastly, we had the fried pecan pie. This was good, but it was made fantastic when we put some soft-serve vanilla ice cream over it. It was a very good end to a great meal.
 
Baker's has six locations in Dallas, one in Houston, and two in Minnesota. I hope they branch out to California soon. This was definitely one of the best barbeque experiences I have ever had.
 
So, out of five little piggies, five being the best and zero being the worst, Baker's Ribs gets four little piggies.
 
For more information on Baker's, look them up here: https://bakersribs.com/
 

Does Guy Fieri Redeem Himself at the Twisted Root?

Twisted Root Burger Company

2615 Commerce St.

Dallas, TX 75226

So Katie and I went on vacation to Dallas for five days in April. Our purpose for the trip was to see the sights, go to a hockey and baseball game, and of course, find and sample the best food that big D has to offer. This is part four of seven in our Dallas series. So sit back, grab a yellow rose and enjoy this special edition of Eating My Way Through Dallas.

The last time that we went to a place where Guy Fieri went, we left very unhappily, (Read the Four Kegs review here: http://eatingmywaythroughoc.blogspot.com/2010/02/four-kegs.html. So it was with great skepticism that we went to the Twisted Root. The Twisted Root story goes like this, three chefs were tired of horrible burger places, so they decided to open up their own place and basically make everything from scratch, even the mustard and ketchup. Let's see if they have succeeded in their mission.

The Twisted Root is located in the Deep Elum district of Dallas, not far from the Angry Dog. Right after we had parked, the electricity went out for about five minutes.  Just when we had started to contemplate leaving it went back on. The restaurant has a great vibe, and all of the staff seems really cool. After ordering you are asked to pull your name out of a hat, and that is how you know when your order is ready. So when they called Tony Romo, we ran to the counter to receive our burgers.

Above is Katie's burger. She went with the Chipotle, Guacamole, and Pepperjack Burger. This burger was as good as it looks in this picture. The two bites that I got were bursting with flavor. The meat, which is a combo of chuck and brisket meats was very juicy, the pepper jack had a mild kick and the guacamole tasted fresh.

Katie also chose the Fried Green Beans above. I am no fan of green beans, but this side item proves that anything can taste good as long as it is fried. The breading on these was just the right amount, and these tasted great with a side of ranch.
 

 
I ate what Guy had here, the Western Burger. This had jalapenos, pepper jack cheese, bacon, and onion straws. This burger was phenomenal. The only complaint I could make was that it was not big enough. I think I could have had three of these! Really a good solid burger. The fries were okay, I should have taken the counter girl's recommendation and gone with the spicy fried pickles.
 

 

 
Above are the homemade ketchup, bbq sauce, and mustard that they have here. All of these were great and had a little twist to them. The mustard had horseradish added, the ketchup had chipotle, and the barbeque sauce was just plain good. Definitely try all of these if you go here.
 
I just wish I had tried the milkshakes here. They are all homemade and looked really good. I guess this gives us a reason to go back. Guy Fieri, you are forgiven for steering me wrong in the past, just don't do it again, okay?
 
Now for the rating, out of five carrots, (my favorite root), five being best to zero being worst, Twisted Root gets four carrots.
 
For some info on Twisted Root, click here: https://www.twistedrootburgerco.com/

Why is Bread Winners Raking in the Dough?

Bread Winners

3301 McKinney Ave.

Dallas, TX 75204

So Katie and I went on vacation to Dallas for five days in April. Our purpose for the trip was to see the sights, go to a hockey and baseball game, and of course, find and sample the best food that big D has to offer. This is part five of seven in our Dallas series. So sit back, cap that oil rig, and enjoy this special edition of Eating My Way Through Dallas.

When I was planning our trip to Dallas, I wanted a good sample of all that Dallas had to offer, and when I had read that Bread Winners was voted best breakfast in Dallas, it made it on our list of places to go. Bread Winners is located in the uptown district of Dallas and looks like it once used to be a house. If not, they have succeeded in making this place feel very homey. Let's see if the food is like homemade.

Above is the complimentary bread plate that came after we placed our order. Now, I not going to knock free food, but I think that this stuff was day old, which is fine because it was free. I think all of this would have tasted great the day before. The blueberry coffee cake was easily the best item on this plate. Lots of blueberries in this and a good sweet flavor.
 

 
Here is Katie's breakfast. She ordered the Nature Cakes, with a side of scrambled eggs. The Nature Cakes were buttermilk pancakes, with homemade granola in them. She really enjoyed these, saying this was the best thing she ate in Texas. I thought they were okay and needed a lot more syrup. They did have a good flavor. It is hard for pancakes to impress me though. Katie only took one bite of her eggs, she was too overwhelmed with the pancakes.
 

 
Here is my Leo's Favorite. This scramble included grilled chicken, ham, onion, tomatoes, hollandaise sauce, and jack cheese. This hearty dish was very good. All of the ingredients worked well together. I was afraid that with so many items the flavor would be over the top, but it was really mellow and tasted great. The only complaint I would have is that the ham was not cut up enough, but that would be it. I could see myself ordering this again.
 
This meal was a very nice start to a very busy day of sightseeing for us. I would agree that this is one of the best breakfast places in Dallas.
 
So out of five oil men, (because oil men are breadwinners and we are in Texas), five being best to zero being worst, Bread Winners gets 3 oil men.
 
For more information on Bread Winners, check them out here: https://www.breadwinnerscafe.com/

Feeling Irie at Jamaica Gates?

Jamaica Gates

1020 W. Arkansas Blvd.

Arlington, TX 76013

So Katie and I went on vacation to Dallas for five days in April. Our purpose for the trip was to see the sights, go to a hockey and baseball game, and of course, find and sample the best food that big D has to offer. This is part six of seven in our Dallas series. So sit out that line dance, and enjoy this special edition of Eating My Way Through Dallas.

When you think of Texas, you obviously think of Jamaican food right? Okay, maybe not, but after watching Diners Drive-Ins and Dives, this had to be added to mine and Katie's list of restaurants to try. We were going to Arlington to watch a Rangers game, so we made a point of stopping by to see if this could be two places in a row that Guy Fieri steered us in the right direction.

Jamaica Gates is in a large shopping center that has seen better days. It looks like this place used to be a fast food place converted into a sit-down restaurant. Jamaica Gates had about ten people eating there when we arrived on a Friday at about one o'clock. The overzealous/odd waiter really steered us towards the lunch buffet. The buffet was $8.92 and seeing as all the entrees were over $12.92, this seemed like a great deal. Let's get on to the food.

Before we hit the buffet, we ordered the Three Item Portland Sampler. This consisted of the following three items.

The first item is the Sticky Citrus Wings. These were really great. The wings had a decent amount of meat on them, but the reason this was so good was the citrus sauce. Really sweet and had an awesome flavor. I could have eaten about twenty of these.

Next was the Fried Plantain. I must admit that I am not that big of a fan of plantains. These were okay, but Katie liked these a lot more than I did. They were mildly sweet.

Lastly, we had the jerk shrimp. I liked this item also. The jerk sauce was good, and the shrimp were cooked right. I could have eaten a lot more of these also.

So this was my plate from the buffet. The highlights were the Gates Curry Chicken. This really had a distinct flavor that was not too over-powering. The only complaint I had about this was the tiny bones that were left in this dish. I had to be careful when eating this. The Rude Boy Jerk Chicken is on the left of the plate. Very good sauce once again and the chicken was not of the highest quality, (the piece I ate had a lot of fat), but it was really tasty. The two side items were just average. The rice was plain tasting, and the cabbage was all right, but both of these really heated up when I added the product below.

This pepper sauce was very good. It really made the rice and cabbage come alive. I will have to see if this is available in my area.

For dessert, we chose the Pineapple Upside Down Cake. This dish really helped put out the fire after having more than my fair share of the pepper sauce. Nice and sweet, this moist cake was very good.

I liked Jamaica Gates. It was nice having something different, something that you do not have every day. I do not think that their food is top of the line, but the sauces really make this place memorable. I also liked that this place is authentic. You can actually picture this meal being served in Kingston or any other city in Jamaica.

So out of five Doctor Birds, (the national bird of Jamaica, see you learn stuff on food blogs!), five being best to zero being worst, Jamaica Gates gets 3 Doctor Birds.

For more information on Jamaica Gates, click here: http://www.jamaicagates.com/