A Quick Trip to BJ's

BJ's Restaurant and Brewery

24032 El Toro Road

Laguna Hills, CA 92651

My buddy Clay made a surprise visit down to our area, so Katie and I decided we would take him to BJ's. He is usually pretty picky when it come to eating places, and I had remembered him eating here before, so I knew he would be down to head over to BJ's Laguna Hills location.

BJ's has 97 locations throughout the United States. They started in Santa Ana, and wowed people with their deep dish Chicago pizza. In 1997, they started making their own beer in their Brea store. I like BJ's, but I never really think about going there. It  is always crowded every time I go, and this trip was no exception. We got there at 7:30 on a Wednesday, and still had to wait for ten minutes. This is the food we got once we were seated.

To start our meal, we got the Crisp Potato Skins Platter. These potato skins are filled with jack and cheddar cheese, bacon and green onions. Served with an awesome sour cream dip. This is probably one of my top 10 appetizers. I know they are simple, but they are always good. They are not too oily, and always crisp. Usually I am more of a Ranch dressing guy, but these call for sour cream.

Clay got the Sweet Pig Pizza. This personal pizza included ham, pineapple and seasoned tomatoes. Clay liked this pizza, but took the tomatoes off of this. He felt the pizza was just average. They did not really load up on the toppings on this one.

Here is Katie's Spinach and Artichoke Pizza. This of course had those two items, as well as cream cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, and tomatoes. I am not going to lie to you, this is definitely not my type of pizza, and I did not try it. I will defer to her opinion on this pizza. She said that there was too much white sauce on this. She likes their veggie pizzas better.

I have really been craving a good Cuban sandwich lately, and when I saw that BJ's had a Cuban Burger, that is what I summoned. This half pound burger came with ham, swiss cheese, pickles, dijonnaise, and mustard. It had the ingredients of a Cuban sandwich, but did not quench my desire for one. The burger was good, but a little bland tasting. The fries were good with ranch.

For dessert we got the Pizookie Trio. Three mini pizookie's, we chose a Triple Chocolate cookie, Peanut Butter cookie and a Chocolate Chunk cookie, all topped with a scoop of ice cream. The peanut butter was our favorite and the chocolate chunk was close behind. The triple chocolate was just too much for me. For the indecisive, this was the dessert to get.

To be honest this blog entry was very hard to write. I was not inspired by the food on this trip to BJ's. Nothing was really too bad, but nothing really knocked my socks off either. It's funny, I remember liking BJ's a lot more before I started this blog, and before I started going out a lot more. It could have been my choices on this night, or maybe I just wasn't in the mood for it. I will go back in the future, but for now there are way too many places on my list to try.

Out of five raindrops, (from the famous BJ Thomas song), five being best to zero being worst, BJ's receives 2.5 raindrops.

For more information on BJ's, click here: http://www.bjsbrewhouse.com/

A Few Good Men(u) Options at Paul's

Paul's Coffee Shop

16947 Bushard St.

Fountain Valley, CA 92708

I had heard Paul's was going to be on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on July 26th, so I wanted to beat the rush and get up to Fountain Valley to try it before the place got really busy. Katie and I have been to a handful of places that have been featured on DDD, some great, some good, and one bad, (I am talking about you Four Kegs in Vegas!).

Anyways, we got up at nine and took the drive up the 405 freeway on a Sunday morning. Paul's is located in a sleepy little strip mall, across from a Sizzler. This place is really a no-frills diner. They are proud to show off their spirit for the Marines, there are flags everywhere. On the back of their menu is even a history of the Marines. We were immediately sat, and brought over drinks. We had just beat the rush, there was a wait when we left.

The menu is your basic breakfast food. As other blogs and people have told me, the real finds at Paul's are on the specials board, by the front door. On our visit, they had a pot roast and eggs that sounded really good, and about four other specials. This is what Katie and I ordered up.

Katie got the French Toast Combo. This was two eggs, and bacon, with four pieces of French toast. She thought that the eggs and bacon were nothing to write home about, but she really liked the French toast. I tried a bite and thought that they were good also. They seemed light and fluffy.

I got the Hawaiian Loco Moco. And what is that you ask, it is a bed of white rice, topped with a hamburger patty, two eggs, and then gravy poured over it. I liked this hearty dish but did not love it. I would have liked to have had a sausage patty, instead of the burger. It would have made this dish more flavorful. The burger was just too plain here.

The real star of this breakfast place is the Chicken Fried Steak. This was the size of a man's shoe. The steak itself was light and flavorful, and mixed with their perfect gravy, made this dish a winner. I ordered this ala carte, just because I had heard such good things about it, and I was not disappointed. This made the drive up here worth it.

I liked Paul's, and I would come back to try some of their specials, and if I had a craving for a really good chicken fried steak. The service was really good, and you can definitely tell that a good number of their customers are regulars. After the Triple D show airs, this won't be the case though, they will have a new crop of customers. I am just glad I beat the rush.

Out of five Mameluke swords, (the official sword of the Marines since 1826, and because of all the Marine paraphernalia here), Paul's Coffee Shop gets 3 Mameluke swords.

For more information check out their web site here: https://paulscoffeeshopfountainvalley.com/

Does Flamingo's Have a Leg Up?

Flamingo's

25342 McIntyre

Laguna Hills, CA 92653

Mike and Dawn have been campaigning for us to go to Flamingo's ever since I started this blog. I finally ran out of excuses to give them and decided to give their favorite neighborhood Mexican restaurant a shot.

Flamingo's has been around for a long time. They are in the same parking lot as Claim Jumper, and every time I go to CJ's, Flamingo's is always busy. This is usually a good sign, or it can mean that a lot of people have horrible tastes. Katie and I were thinking positive and hoped it was because of their good food. Let's see if this is the case

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Reading the reviews on Yelp, almost every person raved about the chips and salsa. They were good, but not the best ever. They did make sure they were full at all times though. The salsa was nice and had a little spice to it, but it was not outright hot.

This was Dawn's dinner for tonight. She went with the Chicken Chimichanga. She thought that this dish was delicious. I did not get a chance to try it, because she hogged this all to herself, (something that her great husband has had to deal with for a lot of years!),  so we will have to take her word for it. Just from looking at it though, there did not appear to be enough red sauce on it, but she asked for more to remedy that situation.

This colorful plate belonged to Katie. She ordered up the Shrimp Tacos. Katie said, "these were the best shrimp tacos that I have ever had!". I am not ready to crown these the best, but they were good. She got one breaded shrimp taco and one grilled shrimp taco. She liked the grilled one the best, and also liked the cabbage and white sauce that came on these. Katie said that next time she would forget the beans and rice and just get two shrimp tacos ala carte.

The Big Juan with Chile Verde was the burrito that Mike attempted to tackle. The burrito looked a lot better in person. Sorry for the bad pictures, the lighting was too dark where we were sitting. Mike did not finish this, so I did get to try it, unlike his wife's dish, again thanks, Dawn! Anyways, this burrito came with meat, beans, rice, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes, in a tortilla and then topped with more cheese. Mike loved this burrito, I thought it was just a little bit above average. I thought that it could have had more meat, and being named Big Juan, I thought it was going to be huge, but I could have easily put this away quickly.

Another well-presented plate was my selection, Carnitas Jalisco. Pork garnished with onions, cilantro, salsa, and guacamole, served on corn tortillas. I liked the taste of the pork, it was not boring, and not dry at all. These are the equivalent of street tacos. The beans and rice were just average. Overall, a decent plate of food.

For dessert, we shared a Fried Ice Cream. I liked this well enough, but by this time, I was feeling pretty full. Flamingo's version of fried ice cream was pretty standard among Mexican restaurants though.

Mike said that when he entertains clients from the Midwest, and they want Mexican food, he always takes them here. I would say that is a good safe bet. The food is good, but what a lot of people would call, "white-washed Mexican food". I do not want to get into a debate about authentic Mexican food versus Mexican food made for the masses. I think there is room for both kinds of places in the OC. I actually like both kinds of Mexican food, based on what I am craving. 

The service here was pretty good. I thought that the prices were right where you would expect them to be. Katie's shrimp tacos were $10.95, and Mike's Big Juan Burrito was $9. That is about the price you would pay at a sit down Mexican restaurant in South county.  

Out of five lawn ornaments, (because that is what I think of when I think Flamingos), five being best to zero being worst, Flamingo's just gets three lawn ornaments.

Flamingo's does not have a web site but you can find their menu here: http://flamingosmexicangrill.com/

Am I Going to Make The Habit a Habit?

The Habit

23632 El Toro Road #A

Lake Forest, CA 92630

I have been hearing about The Habit for some time now and decided to give them a try. They have three locations in Orange County (the others are in Santa Ana and Fullerton). I love trying new hamburger places. The Habit seems to be in direct competition with In-N-Out. Let's see what burger will come out on top.

First, a little back-story on The Habit. The Habit started in 1969 in Santa Barbara and has now grown to 36 locations in California. The business was started by two brothers committed to a quality burger. They hand cut the lettuce and tomato daily, have their buns custom made by a local bakery, and charbroil their patties over an open flame. Let's see if this trouble is rewarded with a great-tasting burger.

I am not going to lie, this hamburger looked really good, and these pictures did not even do it justice. This is the Double Charburger with bacon added. The burger usually comes with mayo, lettuce, caramelized onions, pickle, and tomato. I got all but the tomato and pickles on this one. If I had to gripe about this burger, I would say the bacon was unnoticeable. The burger had the right amount of mayo, and the meat tasted good. The lettuce did taste fresh, and the cheese was melted to the right texture. Excellent burger.

To complete my meal at the Habit, I got some fries. These fries were also delicious and came out piping hot. I must confess that I am not a big fan of In-N-Out fries, and these are not their fries. These were crisp without being greasy. Also, to top it off, they have ranch dressing, which In-N-Out does not have.

My buddy Richard got a Tri-Tip Sandwich. This comes with mayo, tomato, lettuce, onion, and teriyaki or barbeque sauce. Richard opted for the barbeque sauce on this one. He could not be happier with this sandwich. You can also get this on a French roll or toasted sourdough. Definitely go with the sourdough. I got this same sandwich at the Habit in Santa Ana, and it came out looking like this...

The sandwich tasted good, but it did not fill up the bun. Not sure if this is normal when you get a French roll, but it made me not want to order it again. However, after seeing Richard's sandwich, I would consider giving this sandwich another shot.

Richard also got Onion Rings to go along with his sandwich. These were good also, without any grease. They also come with ranch, which is a lovely touch without even asking for it.

Carissa could not contain her excitement for this Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad. She exclaimed, "this is the best caesar salad I have ever had from a fast food restaurant!". I did not try this, but there was a whole chicken breast on this salad, and the lettuce did seem very fresh. They asked her if she wanted teriyaki sauce on the side of this, which I thought was pretty odd. I have never had a caesar salad with teriyaki. Maybe it is a Santa Barbara thing.

For dessert, I got a Chocolate Malt. I can not remember the last time I ordered a malt, but this one was good. This had just a hint of malt flavor. I think next time, I would just get a shake. The malt really filled me up.

So, what to make of the Habit? I think it is a good burger place, and in case you are with someone not in a burger mood, they have other options as well. The prices are very competitive also. The double cheeseburger goes for under four dollars. The steak sandwich also goes for an unheard-of $5.95, a steal. The service was excellent, and they got the food out quickly, as busy as they were. It was controlled chaos. I think that the Habit will not dent In-N-Out's profits too much because people are very loyal to them, but at least you do not have to know about any secret menus here.

Out of five Katy Perry's (she, like this restaurant, is from Santa Barbara), five being best to zero being worst, The Habit gets 3 solid Katy Perry's.

For more information on The Habit, click here: http://www.habitburger.com/

Running Hot and Cold at Fire + Ice

Fire + Ice Grill and Bar

321 W. Katella Ave. #315

Anaheim, CA 92802

Katie and I went to the Taste of Anaheim awhile back, and  it was hosted at the Garden Walk in Anaheim. One of the few restaurants that was open during the event was Fire + Ice, a different kind of take on Mongolian barbeque. They let attendees from the Taste of Anaheim come into their restaurants and see what they were all about. I thought that was a great idea, which most of the other eating establishments should have embraced. From what I have heard, the stores at the Garden Walk need all the help they can get at this struggling outdoor mall.

Fire + Ice has six locations and only two in California, (the other California branch is in Tahoe). They were founded in 1997. The basic premise of Fire + Ice is that customers walk around and gather raw vegetables, meats and pastas, combine them with sauces, and then hand them off to the cook to finish off the process. Let's take a look at how this all works.

Along the back wall they have suggestions on blackboards for guests to try. None of the three of us used these suggestions however. We all winged it, and went with what sounded good.

This is part of their salad bar. Ryan opted to get some salad before his meal. They had limited salad bar options here. About eight items are offered here for you to put on your salad, all basic items you would expect to see at any other salad bar. The empty salad bowl above is a precursor of things to come.

Here are most of the meat offerings from the night we were there. Shaved steak, rib eye steak, hot dogs, mahi mahi, scallops, hamburgers, tuna, tilapia, mussels, chicken, shrimp and pork chops were in the lineup for us. It was hard to make a choice the first time through, so I went with a hamburger and hot dog, not the most daring choices, but I knew I would make another trip through the line. Ryan chose to get a whole meat parade on his plate, and Katie got a pasta dish to start off.

The next station is what I would call the extras station. These choices included jalapenos, carrots, bacon, onions, garlic, pinto beans, and pineapple. There were more choices but I failed to get pictures of them. Again notice the bowls, and the emptiness of some of them. More on that later.

Okay, so now after getting your sauce that you want on the side, you are ready to turn your creation over to the chef at the twenty-five foot grill table in the middle of the restaurant. The above picture with the hot dog and hamburger was mine, Katie had the pasta dish and Ryan, of course had the meat-topia plate. Here is a look at the cooking process.

The cook provides you with the buns and cheese, and then you take your plate back to your table. The entire cooking process takes between five to ten minutes, and the cook has multiple orders going at the same time.

Here are some of the finished plates. My hot dog tasted good, but I would not waste my time on another one of those again. Katie's  pasta plate was good, and I got something similar to that the next time I went up. The hamburgers were really good and juicy. The steak tasted great, maybe a little plain, but you could adjust that with some seasoning. I liked that they had unlimited bacon, which should be their big selling point.

These were some of the other dishes that we got on our last trip through the line. These both tasted good, but the oil taste really stays with you for awhile. We had gotten here at 8, and they close at 10, but they start closing up shop around 9:30. They had stopped bringing out new food before that, so we only made two trips through the line. I understand that they may not want to waste food, but I was disappointed not being able to go through again.

We chose to share one of their signature drinks, the Scorpion Bowl. This libation featured white and dark rums, gin, brandy and fruit juices. They were a little heavy on the fruit juice, and the taste of this was refreshing, but too fruity for me, Ryan thought the fruitiness was just right.

I have mixed feelings on Fire + Ice. First the negative things about the place. They needed to have another guy or two behind the counter refilling the bowls of food, and sauces. A lot of times we had to wait for things. I also think that they started to wrap things up too early. At least let the people eating here enjoy their unlimited food. The service could have been better, and the operation explained better. We made the mistake of sitting in the bar, and I think if we would of had a regular waitress, it would have gone more smoothly.

Now the good things about Fire + Ice. I really liked the variety of the foods that they have. I have been to one Mongolian restaurant and they did not have this much variety. It also is a plus that they have hot dogs and hamburgers, so you can feel free to bring the kids along. It did taste good, but at the same time it was also greasy. Even though there was only one cook, he did an awesome job of cooking and keeping everything on track. I think this restaurant can make it, if it irons out the kinks, and if the Garden Walk can attract some visitors.

Out of five Hekla's, (Iceland's most active volcano, get it because of the name of this restaurant!), five being best to zero being worst, Fire + Ice gets 2.5 Hekla's.

For more information on Fire + Ice, click here: http://fire-ice.com/index.php?src=