Taking Paws at the Lazy Dog Cafe

Lazy Dog Cafe

13290 Jamboree Road

Irvine, CA 92602

Lazy Dog Cafe has gotten a lot of buzz from the on-line community the last six months. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Lazy Dog is always in the top five most searched restaurants on Urbanspoon, and has been reviewed on numerous Orange County food blogs in the past few months. Not wanting to be left out, my parents and Katie went to sample the Lazy Dog on a Sunday afternoon.

Lazy Dog opened for business in 2003, and was started by the founder of Mimi's Cafe, Thomas Simms, and his son. They have grown to seven locations and have three in Orange County. The vibe here is a cross between Elephant Bar and Claim Jumper. Their menu is a little bit of everything from around the world. Pasta dishes, Asian favorites and traditional American faire dot the extensive menu.  Let's see if the Lazy Dog, is a top dog, (okay I promise I will not throw too many horrible puns out here).

Our first appetizer was the Parmesan Zucchini Fries. These were breaded well and were not too greasy. You could even still taste the zucchini, which is sometimes rare when ordering fried zucchini out. This was also a pretty good sized portion for the $7.45 price tag.

The appetizer above was on the house. When you tell them that you have never been to Lazy Dog before, they give you this Grilled Garlic Flatbread. A very nice touch. I thought that this was just okay. It did not have lots of garlic flavor, and was a little dry, but it was free and that is a dog gone good deal, (sorry I tried to slip that one in there).

My Mom got the Walnut Chicken Salad Sandwich. This is not your normal chicken salad sandwich, it has walnuts, cranberries, red onion and celery, with a curry mayonnaise. Very flavorful and it really tasted fresh. The fries were good and hot also.

The BBQ Beef Sandwich was my Dad's choice for dinner. Beef, caramelized onions, BBQ sauce, and cheddar cheese combined to make this very good sandwich. I normally do not like cheese on barbeque sandwiches, but the cheese did not distract from this. The meat was cooked well and the sauce had a good smoky flavor. Instead of fries Pop went with the Asian Slaw. I thought this was just okay, nothing too special. 

This colorful looking plate belonged to Katie. She got the Sundried Tomato Pesto Pasta. This entree featured chicken breast, mushrooms, broccoli and onions. Very flavorful dish, and my personal favorite of the night. This really had a lot of flavor and really popped when red pepper flakes were added. The chicken in this was one of the most tender I have had in recent times in a restaurant. I was very happy Katie did not finish this, so I could have leftovers for lunch the next day.

Lastly, was my meal. I had the Bacon Wrapped Coulotte Steak. The Coulotte steak is a small boneless steak cut from the sirloin. They wrapped this 8 ounce steak in bacon with a Burgundy wine sauce. Very tasty steak. It was cooked medium rare and they got it right. This was served with mashed potatoes and confetti vegetables. I liked the mashed potatoes, but the confetti vegetables were odd. They were long strands of vegetables, the size of spaghetti noodles. I would have much rather just had regular veggies.

The consensus choice for dessert was the Banana Custard and Cream. This was a very good dessert. Bananas folded into house made custard, served on top of homemade graham crackers, served with chocolate and raspberry sauces. A real bargain here at $3.95. 

Lazy Dog was all that it was cracked up to be. The food was good, prices were reasonable and they have a good variety on their menu. I saw at least three things that I would like to try on future visits.  Our server however had no personality. The management team here made up for our server's lack of friendliness. They all came over and talked to us, and asked how we liked the place. Very good people there.

Out of five flea collars, five being best to zero being worst, Lazy Dog Cafe gets 3.5 flea collars.

For more information on Lazy Dog Cafe, click here: http://www.lazydogcafe.com/

Is Ruby's Still a Gem After 25 Years? - CLOSED

Ruby's Diner

31781 Camino Capistrano

San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675

Like the swallows returning to Capistrano, I always return to Ruby's. Ruby's has been a constant throughout my life. I remember going to the Balboa pier location many times as a kid. My sister also had a brief stint working at the Fullerton Ruby's. This visit was for my girlfriend's brother's birthday. Jimmy chose the San Juan Capistrano Ruby's for his birthday bash, a location I had never been to before. Let's see how we made out.

For the few of you who have never been to Ruby's, here is a little history on the place. Ruby's started with just one location on the Balboa pier, in 1982. The former bait shop was transformed into a classic 1940's diner. Ruby's now boasts over forty locations in six different states. So let's see if the San Juan branch, can maintain Ruby's legacy.

There were ten of us eating, but one couple was running late, not naming names, but they know who they are. So we ordered three appetizers to kill some time and delay our hunger. This is the first of three starters, the Zippity Zucchini. In the picture, these looked great, but they were a tad overcooked, but it did not affect the taste. These were a decent starter.  

These were the surprising Ruby's nachos. I had never seen these on the menu of any Ruby's I had been to before, but they were really good. The tortilla chips were crisp and even stayed that way with all of the toppings on these nachos. These really hit the spot. I guess that these are not available in all of Ruby's locations.

Our last appetizer was the above pictured Sweet Potato Fries. Out of the three starters, these were the least favored. I am no fan of sweet potato fries, so I can not really say if these were good or not. Sweet potato fries are popping up all over the place on menus, so they must be a popular item, I will stick with regular potatoes though. 

This is Katie's Roast Turkey Breast Sandwich. This sandwich, of course, featured turkey, mayo, lettuce and cranberry sauce. It was kind of like Thanksgiving in May. I would have liked a little more mayo on this, but Katie had no complaints.

The birthday boy ordered the Guacamole Burger. Two slices of Swiss cheese on this one. Jimmy liked the juiciness of this burger. I have had this burger before and have really liked it. A burger fit for the birthday tyrant! 

So, of course, I went big, I chose the Ruby Dooby Double Cheeseburger with the addition of bacon. I really wanted to like this burger, and I would have liked it better if I had got what I ordered. I ordered this with cheddar cheese, but it came out with American instead. Not wanting to wait for another burger, I just ate this one. It was good, but not great. The fries that came out with this were just lukewarm.

Emily, the family salad expert, ordered the Chicken Finger Salad. This big salad featured fried chicken pieces, bacon, egg, tomato, cheese, and green onion, all atop a bed of lettuce. Em, the girl with the tiniest appetite, ate a good majority of this, so I assume it was a good scene. She had some leftover that she planned on eating the next day.  

This drab-looking salad belonged to Sara. She got Ruby's Apple, Pecan, and Bleu Cheese Salad. Sara liked this salad and thought that what it lacked for in color, it made up for in flavors. She thought that all the flavors of this salad were big, and melded together well.

Our trip to this Ruby's was more misses than hits. The service for our party of ten was not so good. They were slow on refills of drinks, the food came out cold in some instances, and the food did take a long while to come out. The burgers were good and the nachos were a big surprise. We liked the outside patio of this restaurant, and it was just warm enough to sit out and enjoy it.

So out of five Furbies, (since the birthday boy, Jimmy was born in the nineties, and this was a hot toy in the '90s), five being best, to zero being worst, Ruby's receives 2.5 Furbies.

If you would like more information on Ruby's, check them out here: http://www.rubys.com/

Mr. Stox Still Good After All of These Years? CLOSED

Mr. Stox

1105 E. Katella Ave.

Anaheim, CA 92805

A lot of places seem to change all the time. Restaurants change owners, change locations, change their food, but Mr. Stox has been consistently great for over forty-two years. Even though the area around them has changed dramatically in the last few years, Mr. Stox has been the one restaurant that has stood the test of time. Let's see if it is still this way.

Mr. Stox has been run by the same family for the last 33 years, (The Marshall's). I have been coming here for about ten of those years with my family to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. Mr. Stox is an elegant yet not overly stuffy place, where the service is always impeccable. Hopefully this visit will be the same.

Mr. Stox makes some of the best bread in the county. These are three of the offerings on our night. The sourdough is great, the red bread, (I think it was beet, but not sure), was good as well, but the crowd favorite is the sunflower bread above. Very good texture, and the flavor was amazing. Nice start to our meal.

I ordered the Caesar Salad. Hearts of romaine, homemade croutons, anchovies, and an anchovy vinaigrette. Really a very fresh salad. I even ate the salty anchovy in one bite. This was a very traditional Caesar salad. 

Now on to the main dishes. Katie's Seafood Linguini is pictured above. This dish combined Scampi and Day Boat scallops, tossed with spinach linguini, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and parmesan cheese. Katie really liked this entree. The shrimp had a good flavor, the scallops were cooked perfectly, and all the other ingredients combined to make this one of the best seafood dishes, she has ordered in awhile.

My sister chose the Filet of Beef. Beef Tenderloin, glazed with Roquefort cheese. The side item for this was truffled creamy potatoes. She had no complaints with this at all. The bite I had was very tender, and the truffled potatoes were very rich. The meat paired with a black currant reduction, made this a great dish.

My choice for dinner was the Prime Rib. This big cut was served with creamy mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables. The vegetables were just okay, but the meat was cooked just the way I had ordered it, medium rare. I also loved the creamy horseradish that was served with this. Very light and fluffy. Not a lot of fat on this prime rib either.

Always a crowd pleaser, is the Maryland Crab Cakes. I will go on record here, and say that these are the best crab cakes I have had in the OC. Jumbo lump blue crab is paired with a spicy peanut slaw, which my mom called, "the best slaw I have ever had." These two crab cakes melt in your mouth and make even the most giving person want to hoard them all to themselves. This is also served with asparagus and a Yukon potato.

The last entree for our group was the Lamb. Sliced rack of lamb with a thyme reduction. The lamb here was cooked perfectly. Not too gamey, and had a great smoke flavor. This dish was enhanced with a pesto risotto that rocked when paired with the lamb.

When celebrating anything at Mr. Stox, you are always treated to a Mini Baked Alaska. Cake with chocolate ice cream on top, and then surrounded by meringue. I am not too big of a fan of this, but it is free, and you can not argue with that.

So another fine outing at Mr. Stox. The service, food and atmosphere were top notch, as usual. I would like to see a few more items added to their menu, but what is on there now, is all so excellent.

Out of five dividends, (because when you own stocks, you want to be rewarded with dividends), five being best to zero being worst, Mr. Stox receives 4.5 dividends. Yes, this is my first 4.5 rating.

For more information on Mr. Stox, click here: http://www.mrstox.com/

Around the World in One Meal at Chaparosa Grill - CLOSED

Chaparosa Grill and Spiritz

30271 Golden Lantern

Laguna Niguel, CA 92677

Looking for something different, and not wanting to stray too far from home, Katie and I headed to Chaparosa Grill in Laguna Niguel. I had been to the old location of Chaparosa Grill a long time ago, and remembered liking it, but not enough to remember what I had eaten. On this Tuesday night, there are about five tables occupied in the restaurant, and the bar is little more crowded.

Chef Tony Corke has created a very unusual menu for our area, one that is Caribbean inspired. He is an English trained chef, who has spent a great deal of time in the islands of the Caribbean, and that seems to be where he draws his inspiration. There are other influences here as well, mainly Italian and Asian as well. Let's see if this mish-mash of a menu works well or not.

Sorry, for the blurriness of the picture, here we have the Strawberry Gorgonzola Salad. This was Katie's salad, served with balsamic dressing. Katie liked her salad, but thought that it needed more dressing on it. We both thought they were generous with the amount of cheese and caramelized walnuts that were on this salad.

My salad was the Chaparosa Dinner Salad. This is your basic dinner salad that you will find anywhere. This really needed more blue cheese dressing on it. After I got more dressing, this salad became better.

For an appetizer we went with the Asian Nachos. These composed of wonton chips, cheese, peanuts, Thai-marinated chicken, and a wasabi cream sauce. The top layer of this was good. As we got down to the bottom, the Thai sauce that was marinating the chicken was way too sweet. Also, some extra cheese would have been good on this. The wasabi cream sauce was not prevalent in this.

Katie has not had good luck with scampi lately, and Chaparosa's Shrimp Scampi is no exception. This bland dish was served over angel hair pasta, with capers in a lemon-white wine sauce. Garlic was nowhere found in this offering. Katie liked it, but felt mislead by the scampi claim of this dish. She would have been satisfied more if they would have called this what it was, shrimp served over angel hair pasta. I personally would have liked this a little better if the sauce was a little thicker.

Lastly, was my entree. I went with one of their Caribbean Specialties, the Bahama Beef. This is sautéed filet mignon, with a green onion and sweet chili sauce, served over rice with roasted peanuts. The flavor of this was exactly as I suspected, but the meat was not so good. It was hard to cut, and as tender as a piece of chuck steak. I should have tried one of their spicier dishes, because after the sweet of the Asian Nachos, the sweet of this dish did not sit well with me.

I really wanted to like Chaparosa Grill. I liked that Chef Tony came around and talked to all the tables. The

staff were all very nice and got the food out in a timely, almost too fast manner. The menu is very diverse, maybe too much so. There is a lot going on here. Maybe we just chose the wrong items to try, but that is the risk you run when operating a restaurant, you only get a first chance to make a first impression.

Out of five passports, (because the menu feels like you are eating around the world), five being best to zero being worst, Chaparosa Grill gets 2 passports.

For more information about Chaparosa Grill, click here: http://www.chaparosagrill.com/index.html

Hot Doggin' It at Berkeley Dog - CLOSED

Berkeley Dog

25522 Marguerite Pkwy Ste 101

Mission Viejo, CA 92692

Hot dogs and sausages have been the new food trend lately. There is the new Valhalla Table in Costa Mesa, Portillo's in Buena Park, and now we have Berkeley Dog in Mission Viejo. Berkeley Dog is the sister store to the legendary Top Dog, which has been serving Cal students since 1966. Top Dog started when a young man from New York needed help finding a good dog in northern California. So he took matters into his own hands and came up with Top Dog.

Berkeley Dog is located inside a yogurt shop in Mission Viejo. They have a straightforward menu. You can choose ten different frankfurters and sausages, all priced at $3.75. Their toppings include grilled onions, peppers, and fried eggs. Any of these added to the sausages will cost you fifty cents. They have a large assortment of condiments you may add for free. These include at least three different kinds of mustard, sauerkraut, and diced onions. So, let's look at what they have going on at Berkeley Dog.

First up in our cavalcade of sausages is the Bockwurst above. This sausage is half pork and half veal, with eggs and milk added. This had a very mellow taste, almost too mellow for me. It really did not taste like anything.  This was Katie's favorite out of all the hot dogs we ate. She liked the texture and added sauerkraut and Dijon mustard to this one.

The Smoked Chicken Apple is next. This really had an unusual taste that you would not expect from a sausage. The sweetness from the bits of apple really shocked my taste buds here. I liked this one; it was the second-best out of the five that we sampled.  Katie also liked this one second best, mainly because it is deficient in salt.

This is the Kobe Beef Dog. The menu says it is made from 100 percent premium beef. This dog did have a nice beefy flavor. Katie felt it was too salty, but I liked the taste of this hot dog. 

The classic  Frankfurter was next for us to try. We added grilled onions to this one. I liked this dog better with the onions. Both of us thought that this frankfurter really had a good snap to it, though Katie thought that it was too greasy and lacked the meaty flavor of the Kobe dog. I thought the flavor on this one was okay.

Our last stop on our adventure around Berkeley Dog is the Calabrese. This one was my favorite, made of pork, paprika, chili, and fennel. Katie thought this had way too much fennel, but I liked the spice, and this sausage made me wish I had gotten their Louisiana Hot Link. I added spicy deli mustard to this for an added kick as well.

I have yet to mention the buns at Berkeley Dog. I did not like them, and I thought they took away from the frankfurters and the sausages. The meat-to-bun ratio was all off for me. I would have just been so much happier with store-brand hot dog buns. The buns here are more of a French roll consistency, and I would have rather had softer buns. The star of this show should have been the meat, but it was overshadowed by the less talented bread.

I will probably give Berkeley Dog another shot, mainly because I want to try the Louisiana Hot Link. I will also add grilled onions to the other dogs to fill up the bun.

Out of five hippies (I am sure you get the connection), five being best to zero being worst, Berkeley Dog gets 2.5 hippies.

For more information on Berkeley Dog, click here: http://www.berkeleydogs.com/index.html