Celebrating Cinco de Mayo at Tacos Ensenada

Tacos Ensenada

24601 Raymond Way, Suite 1

Lake Forest, CA 92630

Okay, I know that this blog has been all about Mexican food lately. I am even almost tired of Mexican food, at least for the next few days. But it is Cinco de Mayo and I really felt obligated to go out and have more Mexican food. So, I put Katie in charge of finding a place we have never been, and it had to be close to home, since we were not going to be able to get out until eight. Lets see what she came up with.

She chose Tacos Ensenada. Tacos Ensenada is located in the Bell Towers Shopping Center off of El Toro. This area has so many little places to eat, that it would take months for you try them all. Lets see if this is one worth finding.

After placing your order at the counter, you are brought the basket of chips above and can choose your salsa at the salsa bar in the middle of the restaurant. The salsa bar has at least six different salsa's, chopped onions and cilantro and spiced carrots. This is one of the salsa's that we picked. It was good and spicy. Really one of the best salsa's that I have had in a long while. The chips were good also.

Here is Katie's colorful plate. She went with a Combination Plate of a Chicken Taco and a Cheese Enchilada. This was also served with beans and rice. The taco was pretty good sized and had lots of chicken. The cheese enchilada had a good red sauce on it and was filled with plenty of cheese. I liked the taste of all the things on her plate. The beans were obviously home made, and tasted really good. The rice was good, but not fantastic. Also the price was right for this big plate, under $8. In fact, all of their combos are under $8, and they have 25 to choose from.

Here are two pictures of my plate. I went with the Chili Verde Combo. This was not as saucy as other chili verde's I have had. This tasted good though, I think having less sauce really made the meat stand out more. It was cooked well and had a great flavor. I also definitely took advantage of the three different bottles of hot sauce that they had on their tables. The tortillas were okay.

Okay, so just in case I did not have enough food, I also ordered a Carnitas Burrito. This double wrapped burrito was filled with rice, beans and very tender carnitas. I will next time get this served wet, because it was a little dry with the double wrapped tortilla. I made this less dry with the use of the hot sauce and salsa. Very good burrito though.

I have eaten a lot of Mexican food in the last few weeks, and this is one of my favorites for a fast/casual Mexican food. Everything tasted fresh and was prepared while you wait. I also thought that the prices here were pretty good, and the variety was as good as anyplace around.

One more side note, I went here the next morning and picked up their Breakfast Burrito. I did not have my camera, but trust me it was big, and included eggs, bacon, ham, chorizo and potato. A very hearty meal, and it went well with the salsa. I am still looking for my best breakfast burrito, so if you know of one I should try, leave me a comment.

So out of five bottles of wine, (because Ensenada is the wine capital of Mexico), five being best to zero being worst, Tacos Ensenada gets three bottles of wine.

For more information on Tacos Ensenada, click here: http://www.tacosensenada.com/home

Jazzy Night Out at the Jazz Kitchen?

Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen

1590 Disneyland Dr.

Anaheim, CA 92802

It was Katie's birthday and she really wanted to go to Disneyland. So, what is a boyfriend to do, but take her there. Now the question becomes, where to eat? Not looking forward to just a burger and a churro, we headed to Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney.

I had never been here before. The restaurant is a two story replica of French Quarter architecture. The restaurant is big, so there is no trouble getting a seat at 6 o'clock on a Sunday evening. In fact when we are seated, we are the only ones in the room, (although it does fill up quickly after about ten minutes).

The bottom floor dining room where we are seated is brightly colored, and has umbrellas on the ceiling.  The jazz band starts halfway through our meal. I thought it was going to be too loud, but I could still hear Katie across the table. Okay, so let's see what we got to eat, and find out if this place is going to make me want to throw some beads.

We started our, "Big Easy", meal with the Barbecue Gulf Shrimp appetizer. This is shrimp served with a New Orleans barbeque sauce. I liked the sauce a lot, it had a nice mild flavor. Wish I would have gotten more bread to sop up the extra sauce with. The shrimp were cooked well, but you only get six, for this $11 dollar appetizer. Not worth the two dollars a shrimp price.

Next up is Katie's salad, the French Quarter Salad. Mixed greens, candied pecans, cherry tomatoes, and ranch on the side, make up this basic salad. Katie liked this, I thought it was just an average salad that you could get at your local Coco's.

Here is my soup of the day. Not sure what they called this soup, but it was tomato based, and had bay shrimp and pieces of chicken in it. The soup was also spiced nicely. It had a little kick to it, but I could have handled more heat.

Now on to the entrees. This is the Pasta Jambalaya. Gulf shrimp, sausage, chicken, Creole seasonings served over spinach fettuccine. Katie really liked this dish. I thought it was mediocre. There was only a tiny bit of spice with this plate. When I think of jambalaya I always think heat, but this left me wanting more spice. I also am not such a big fan of jambalaya served over pasta, I like it over rice much better. This was a good size plate though.

My main course was the Pecan Crusted Catfish. This fish was pan roasted, with lemon-thyme beurre blanc. I really liked the buttery sauce and I got a big piece of fish. The catfish tasted mellow, and was cooked well. The three gulf shrimp that accompanied this were really good when dipped in the sauce. The dirty rice that came with this also tasted good. A very decent dish.

Here is Katie's birthday dessert. She got the Profiteroles. These profiteroles are basically cream puffs minus the cream in the middle, and instead of the cream they have ice cream sandwiched between the puff pastry. I thought that the puff pastry was over cooked. It was almost impossible to cut with a fork. The ice cream tasted good though.

For my dessert, I had the New Orleans Bread Pudding.  This bread pudding had raisins and a housemade creme anglaise. I really liked the creme, it complimented the bread pudding well. The bread pudding was pretty moist and had a good cinnamon flavor.

When I left the Jazz kitchen, I was not so sold on it. But as I was writing this review, I came around. The food was all pretty good, not great. Eating here has made me want to find a real great Cajun place, so if you know of any, leave me a comment. As for the Jazz Kitchen, I felt that I expected more flavor. I wanted more spice. I know they probably leave it bland, for the masses, but I wish they would tried to stand out. The service was really good, and I liked the Jazz band that was playing also.

So out of five strings of beads, five being best, to zero being worst, Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen gets 2.5 strings of beads.

For more information on Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen, click here: http://www.rbjazzkitchen.com/index.php

Cooking Up a Storm at La Cocina de Ricardo

La Cocina de Ricardo

23532 El Toro Rd. #11

Lake Forest, CA 92630

My friend CJ told me I must try this place, and always loving tips from my friends, Katie and I headed out to give this Mexican restaurant a try. La Cocina de Ricardo is located in the back of a strip mall, right next to the new Arbor shopping center on El Toro Road. This small eatery has three other locations; one each  in San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, and Mountain View.

From the second we entered this brightly colored restaurant, we felt very welcomed. The menu offers quite a bit to choose from, so lets see what we decided on.

Here is the Mexican Pizza appetizer. This is a crispy flour tortilla, with refried beans, cheese, beef, tomatoes, guacamole, sour cream and cilantro. This had a very nice flavor to it, and the beef really tasted great. The flavors were a little too mellow for me, so I added some hot sauce that was on the table. Everything tasted really fresh.

Katie ordered her standard plate from any Mexican restaurant, the Two Item Combo plate. She always chooses a chicken taco and a chicken tamale. Usually the chicken tamales that she orders are very dry, but not this one. This tamale is made fresh in house and was very moist, but not too moist. The chicken was plentiful in it as well. I also enjoyed the taco as well. The tortilla was crisp and it was a solid taco. She opted for a salad instead of rice. She said it was your basic salad, but it tasted fresh.

My standard plate to order in a Mexican restaurant is a carnitas plate, so I ordered the Carnitas Los Gordos. This is listed under their family specials and can be ordered in a half size, single serving size or made for two. The pork was good, very tender and not too oily. The meat had a real nice smokiness to it. The beans were obviously homemade, and tasted great. The rice was okay, I am never really too impressed by rice wherever we go. La Cocina de Ricardo does not really seem to use a lot of seasoning in their food, I guess that is what the hot sauce is for on the table. They do say that on request that most items can be made spicy, I will try this on my next visit.

For dessert we ordered the traditional Flan. This was a good flan. Katie really liked it. I thought it could have been creamier, but it was still good. I really liked the caramel sauce and the way that this and all the plates were presented at Ricardo's.

I would definitely recommend this place to anyone that is looking for a great Mexican meal in a real homey place. From the second we walked in, Mario and the rest of the employees seemed really glad that we were here. They talk a lot about their family, and when you are in their restaurant, they make you feel like you are one of their own. Thanks for the tip CJ!

Out of five sinks, (because what is more important in a kitchen than a working sink?), five being best to zero being worst, La Cocina de Ricardo gets 3 sinks.

If you would like to find out more about La Cocina de Ricardo, click here: http://www.lacocinadericardo.com/index.html

Dry Docked at the Jolly Roger CLOSED

Jolly Roger

34661 Golden Lantern

Dana Point, CA 92629

Looking for somewhere different to try, Katie and I decided on giving the Jolly Roger a shot. The last Jolly Roger I had been to was on Balboa Island, and that one is long gone. In fact, there are only two left, one in Oceanside and this one in Dana Point.

On this Sunday night we could have our pick of any table in the place. They were not very busy, so we opted to sit upstairs. The view was great, here is a picture from our table.

Lets hope the view is not the best thing about this place. Onto the food you land lovers! That is my pirate talk.

For an appetizer, we chose the Crab and Artichoke Dip. The menu said this was snow crab and artichoke hearts blended with cream cheese. The first picture shows the oil slick that was very much evident in this dip. The crab was un-noticeable, and the artichoke hearts were non-existent. The second picture shows the trouble we had dipping our chips in this dip. The cheese was very stringy, and made it impossible for us to dip our chips without  creating a big ribbon of cheese with each dip. I am not even sure this was cream cheese in this dish, it really tasted like mozzarella, but I could be wrong about that. Not a very good start to our meal.

This bright colored plate was Katie's Shrimp Scampi. This was a daily special and not on the regular menu. After tasting this, it should stay off of the menu. The shrimp had no taste, even when I drenched it in the garlic and butter. One of the worst shrimp scampi's that I have ever had. The rice and vegetables were average.

So for my plate I went with a Pirate Combo, featuring Prime Rib and Coconut Shrimp. First, the prime rib had fat all through the cut. I was really fighting this meat with my knife. The meat itself was good, but all the fat really made this plate more of a challenge to eat.

The coconut shrimp was heavily battered, and you could not taste the shrimp. Eaten without the orange marmalade sauce, these shrimp were dry. The rest of the plate was nothing to write home about either. The mashed potatoes were dry as well, and the vegetables were just okay.

The service at the Jolly Roger left a lot to be desired also. Our ill fated crab and artichoke dip sat finished in the middle of our table throughout our meal. The waiter himself was pleasant, but not enough to make us want to go back. I would describe the food here as, bad wedding reception food. Everything was bland and very dry.

So out of five skull and cross bones, (because that is what is on the Jolly Roger flag, not because the food is poison!), five being best to zero being worst, the Jolly Roger gets 1 skull and cross bones.

If you would like to visit the Jolly Roger web site, click here: http://www.jollyrogerrestaurants.com/

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