Picture Perfect Food at the Sawdust Festival?

Sawdust Arts Festival

935 Laguna Canyon Road

Laguna Beach, CA 92651

When Sara invited us to go to the Sawdust Festival, I was not too excited. I had been when I was a kid, and just remembered my parents taking forever to shop for who knows what. I remember all the sawdust on the ground, and those were my two memories of the famous arts festival of Laguna Beach. After checking the Sawdust web site, I learned that they have food there too, so I decided to make the most of it, and blog about the food at least.

The Sawdust Festival has been around, in its current location since 1968. The non-judged art exhibit has local artist showing off their works, and draws 200,000 people, during its nine week run. I will not even try to pretend that I am artsy in any way, I am sure that these people are talented, but lets get to something that I do know about, the food.

To start off our Sawdust experience is Jimmy's pasta. He got this pasta from Thasos Greek Island Grill. I did not catch the name of it, but it looks like a tortellini pasta with chicken and marinara sauce over it. Jimmy was pretty hard on this pasta dish. He thought that it had too much sauce, and that the chicken was too tough. He also commented that the tomatoes were rough and chewy. Not a good start for our festival experience.

Dennis and Lynn both ordered the Fillet Mignon Tacos, from Mark's Restaurant. As bland as these tacos look in the picture, Dennis and Lynn assure me that they were every bit as bland when eaten. They also were not too impressed by the tenderness of the meat. That makes 0 for 2 now.

Kevin went with more traditional fair food, when he got the Fried Chicken Po-Boy Sandwich, with homemade potato chips, from Sallie's @ the Sawdust. Sallie's specializes in deep fried foods. Think of this as the equivalent of the Heartattack Grill of the Sawdust Festival.  Kevin liked his sandwich, even though he got it plain. He also thought that the chips that came with this were great.

Katie and I decided to split a deep fried trio of foods. This hat trick of artery clogging nourishment started off with the Fried Zucchini above. The six large strips that were served were fried perfectly, and complimented with a good ranch dip. These were served hot, and broke our streak of mediocre food at the Sawdust.  The Shrimp Po-Boy kept the good times coming with a tasty sandwich. The shrimp on this was tasty, and with the addition of tomatoes and pickles, this sandwich almost seemed good for you, (okay, not really, but almost!). The fries were just okay, not anything to get excited over.

Above are the Deep Fried Nutter Butters we had for dessert. These were okay. I thought that they were a little dry, and they would be fantastic with chocolate dipping sauce. They did give you a generous portion of these, you get four cookies, enough to share with our whole table.

Just in case I did not get enough calories for the night, I also sampled a cookie from Espresso On The Go. This cookie was very floury to me. As I ate this cookie, it grew on me, but I would skip this in the future.

The food at the Sawdust Festival was a little under-whelming. It is your standard fair food, but a lot cheaper than the OC fair. You can probably find some decent things to snack on, but Laguna is so blessed with many good restaurants, your best bet would be to snack at the Sawdust Festival, and then head out for dinner.

The Sawdust Festival runs through August 29th. Get more information on the festival here: http://www.sawdustartfestival.org/

Warm Welcome For Five Guys?

Five Guys

1549 E. Katella Ave.

Orange, CA 92867

The wait is finally over!!! After months of waiting, Five Guys has opened in Orange county. I am so excited. I have reviewed Five Guys before on my blog, when we visited Dallas, you can read that review here. This is our very own Five Guys though, so I thought that it deserved its own review. It seems like all of the blogs that I read have already done a Five Guys blog, so I will spare you the In-N-Out versus Five Guys slant, and just focus on the food.

Katie and I made our way to Orange on a Sunday afternoon at about four o'clock. The line was out the door, even at this early dinner hour. The pace behind the counter was maddening, but the line moved swiftly. Like our Dallas visit, they had free peanuts for people to nosh on while they waited. We waited for about ten minutes for our food, and that gave us time to snag a table. Here is what we came up with.

Here are the Cajun Style Regular Fries. This was more than enough fries for two to three people. The cajun spice had a good flavor, not spicy at all. The fries were crisp, and were cooked well.

For a change of pace I got the Bacon Cheese Dog with relish. The butterflied hot dog was grilled fantasically. It had a snap to it, and great flavor. The only thing that could have made this better is if they had chili.

Here is the reason we are all here, the burgers. This is the Cheeseburger. All of their burgers are double patties, unless you order a Little Burger. Five Guys burgers come with any of these toppings; mayo, lettuce, pickles, tomato, grilled onions, ketchup, mustard, relish, jalapeno peppers, green peppers, A-1 sauce, barbeque sauce and hot sauce, (wow, my fingers are cramping just typing this list). Wth this many choices, I am still trying to find my perfect burger, but I will enjoy this task imensley. On this trip I got my burger with grilled onions, relish and mayo. The bun is the first thing that you notice when you bite into the burger, soft, but not fall apart soft. The burger has a great flavor and the condiments really enhance it.

I am glad to see that the quality was just as good as the Five Guys we went to in Dallas. It will be interesting to see how the business is after the novelty wears off. I will definitely be back.There are plans for two more locations to open in the OC before the end of the year, (Huntington Beach and Tustin, at the District). It is nice to know that the hype is definitely worth it.

Out of five basketball teams, (made up of five guys), five being best to zero being worst, Five Guys gets 3.5 basketball teams.

For more information on Five Guys, click here: http://www.fiveguys.com/home.aspx

Get Out the Pom-Poms For Pom Restaurant?

Pom Restaurant

84245 Indio Springs Road

Indio, CA 92203

Here is part two of our mini Indio adventure. At the end of the birthday weekend for Katie's dad, among others, the family gathered one last time for a re-commitment ceremony for Katie's cousin. The ceremony took place at Pom Restaurant, which is in the Fantasy Springs Resort. I had not been too impressed with the food at the resort all weekend. The buffet was not too good, and the catered food that we had for the birthday party was edible, but that is all I remember about it. I was hoping that Pom Restaurant could halt our current streak.

Rachel went for a light lunch. She got the Basket of Asiago Bread, and a bowl of Chicken Tortilla Soup. The soup was a spicy tomato broth, with chicken, sour cream, tiny tortilla strips, and cilantro. I tried a spoonful of this and did not taste any spice, it tasted like tomato soup to me. Rachel thought that the soup was just okay. The bread was good, and had plenty of cheese on it.

Katie, who's been on a real Greek kick lately, ordered up the Greek Style Chicken Pita. Grilled chicken, tomatoes, feta cheese, yogurt-cucumber sauce, all on a grilled pita bread. I did not try this. Katie thought that the chicken was cooked well, and she liked the yogurt sauce. In her opinion the vegetables that came with this were a waste of space.

Kevin opted for the Half Pound Burger. He found this burger to be average. He did not even remember what he had ordered a week later. I thought that the burger looked too well done for my taste, but the buttered bun was a nice touch.

There were some other items on the menu that looked good, but I saw this sandwich and could not get away from it. The Grilled Chicken and Avocado Club is pictured here. Bacon, Swiss cheese, and herb mayo is all piled on sourdough bread. With all of these big flavors, this sandwich could not go wrong. The fries were good, but the serving size was not too big.

Sorry about the poor picture of the BLT above. It was not my food, so I could not grab the food and move it for a better shot. That would have made for an interesting family lunch. Anyways, these two dishes I did not hear a peep about, but I wanted you to see them anyways. Like the other plates, everything kind of just seemed so sterile here.

Pom Restaurant was definitely the best place we ate while we were at Fantasy Springs. But it did not have any competition either. The food is your basic coffee shop food, but spiffed up a little, and in a sleek, sterile environment.

Out of five giant tamales, (because the Tamale Festival held every December in Indio, has had the world's largest tamale at 40 feet long!), five being best to zero being worst, Pom Restaurant gets 2.5 giant tamales.

For more information on Pom Restaurant, click here: http://www.fantasyspringsresort.com/prod/dining/dining.php#pom

A Date Night in Indio

Rincon Norteno

83011 Indio Blvd.

Indio, CA. 92201

It has been a while since we have done a version of this blog away from the cozy confines of the OC. We were headed out to the desert for Dennis's birthday in Indio, so this seemed like the ideal time to shake off our boots and taste what other places have to offer. The birthday weekend was taking place at Fantasy Springs resort in Indio, so we checked Yelp for all the hot spots in Indio, (see I said hot spots, because this is the desert, okay sorry about that). Anyways, Rincon Norteno was the second highest rated restaurant in Indio, right behind In-N-Out. So, always ready to try a new Mexican place, that is where we headed.

Rincon Norteno has been in business since 1964, and at this present location since 1979. The building, like the surrounding area, has looked like its seen better days. Perched awkwardly under a freeway overpass, and on an awkward corner, we arrived to a full restaurant at seven o'clock on a Friday night. A good sign that there is good food ahead, let's see if this come to fruition.

Rincon Norteno is known for their salsa. It is served warm, and has been described as a gravy salsa. We were not sure what to make of this salsa. It had a little spice to it, and after the initial shock of the salsa had worn off, I decided I liked it. The chips were fair.

As an appetizer, we got the Guacamole, and it came with the chips and cheese above. We really liked the guacamole, I would have liked it a little more if it was a little more spicy, but it was good anyways. The chips and cheese were good as well. We polished those off, just as our entrees arrived.

Up first was Katie's combination plate. She went with the Chicken Taco and Cheese Quesadilla. The first thing I noticed when she got this plate was all the cheese. I love cheese, and was looking forward to trying all of this. The chicken taco was good, but was a little light on chicken. The chicken that I did have was not too dry, (which is what I have come to expect from Mexican restaurants). The quesadilla was okay, and not too greasy at all. Katie thought that the quesadilla had too much cheese, if there is such a thing. The beans and rice were good, and definitely made there.

My colorful plate was the Norteno Combination. Almost always on my first visit to a Mexican restaurant, I get a combination plate. It seems like the ideal way to sample as many different items in one meal, without looking like a pig. This combination included a cheese enchilada, carne asada burrito, and a pork tamale. I really liked their red sauce, which can make or break a dish. The burrito was jam packed with meat, which was not overly flavorful, but just enough. The tamale was not dry at all, (I have had that experience in Mexican restaurants as well). Decent combo plate, eating this would make me want to try their other items.

Since we were just passing through, it is hard to know if this was the best restaurant in Indio. I liked it, and if I was in the area again, and wanted some Mexican faire, I would eat here again. The place is not trying to impress people with decor, and to be honest, Katie said the restroom was a little scary, (but they were obviously working on the restrooms when we were there). If you can get past all of this, and just concentrate on the food, you can have a decent meal here, at a fair price.

Out of five dates, (because the Date Festival is held in Indio every February), five being best to zero being worst, Ricon Norteno gets three dates. 

For more information on Rincon Norteno, check them out here: http://www.rinconnorteno.com/

Popping a Cork at Corky's?

Corky's Kitchen and Bakery

27522 Antonio Parkway #P-1

Ladera Ranch, CA 92694

Breakfast for dinner options in south Orange county are extremely limited. You have Denny's, and Harbor House in Dana Point. I am sure there are more but I can not think of any at this moment. Anyway, my point is, there is no place to get pancakes and omelettes past 11:30 anywhere down here. So when I heard about Corky's in Ladera Ranch being open 24 hours, seven days a week, and serving up breakfast all day long, it was a no brainer that we had to check it out.

Corky's has three locations, (the other two are in Rancho Cucamonga and Rialto). The menu here consists of American diner food. They serve breakfast and lunch all day long, and dinner entree's are served from 3 to 10. Corky's web site boasts, "That you will not leave hungry!". On this Wednesday night at eight, I gathered up Katie, Carissa, and Richard to see if this would be a true statement.

First up is Katie's food. She got the Tuna Melt with potato salad. She liked the mustardy potato salad , and liked the tanginess of it. The tuna melt was good, but did not distinguish itself from others that she has had.

Carissa also chose to get a sandwich instead of breakfast. This is the Turkey Melt. Turkey, bacon, American cheese on grilled sourdough was what made up this sandwich. Carissa was less than enthused about this sandwich. She thought that it was just mediocre, and that is hard to believe with bacon being one of the ingredients, but I did not try this, so I will have to go with her opinion.

Now on to the breakfast items. This was Richard's choice, the Steak and Eggs, with biscuits and gravy. These biscuits looked great in the picture and tasted great as well. Their gravy is smooth, with little pieces of sausage in it. The biscuits by themselves could be a bit on the dry side, but with the gravy they were very good. Richard enjoyed the steak, and was surprised how tender it was. The eggs, were of course just your basic eggs.

I see that all of Corky's omelettes are made with five eggs, so that is what I am aiming for, but which one?  I ended up with the Corky's Omelette. This behemoth of an egg dish consisted of bacon, ham, sausage, bell pepper, cheese, and if that is not enough, it is smothered in gravy. This mountain of food was very good, and they did not skimp on the insides of the omelette. There were big hunks of all the breakfast meats under the sun on this one. I had a hard time finishing this, and came within a few bites of doing it. I guess I am not ready for Man V Food yet.

Corky's is also known for their baked goods, as well as their breakfasts. We got a Snickerdoodle and a Chocolate Chip Cookie. They came out warm, and the chocolate chip was very good. I could only eat half of it, because I was still stuffed from my omelette. Carissa was not too impressed by her Snickerdoodle. I did not get a chance to try it.

Richard splurged and got the Banana Cream Pie. Simply put, this pie was awesome. The filing tasted like banana pudding, and even the crust was good on this one. I would definitely get this again.

I really enjoyed the breakfast items here. I liked the desserts here, and I liked the huge servings. Katie thought that this place was okay, and Richard and Carissa? How should I put this? They had stomach issues after the meal. Now it should be noted that Richard liked the food as he was eating, and to be truthful, both he and Carissa have had nervous stomachs in the past. So take that as you will.

Out of five wine bottles, (because you use Corks to plug them), five being best to zero being worst, Corky's gets three wine bottles.

For more information on Corky's, click here: http://www.corkyskitchenandbakery.com/

It's All Greek to Me at Athena Gyro! - CLOSED

Athena Gyro and Grill

24000 Alicia Parkway

Mission Viejo, CA 92691

I love getting recommendations from people on where to go and blog about. This is one of those times. Amanda wrote me to tell me about Athena Gyro, and since it was close we had to put it on the list. I think that we have only had one other Greek restaurant on the blog so far, and wanting to get some diverse posts, we headed out on a Friday night.

According to their web site, Athena Gyro is owned by Mr. Gurel. He has operated restaurants in Greece, England and in the bay area. This is his first stab at a restaurant in Orange county. The restaurant is located right off of Alicia Parkway and Jeronimo. The place is kind of hidden in the middle of the strip mall. Let's see if it is worth finding.

We wanted to try two appetizers, and this was our first, the Humus with Pita Bread. This was not only presented well, but also tasted fresh. Every time I have humus, I wonder why I never pick up any in the store, because it is really good. This humus was chopped a little more roughly than others that I have had, but it worked well.

Our second appetizer was the Keftehakia Souvlaki, ( I know I butchered the name when I ordered this, but the waitress said I was close enough). Beef and lamb grilled in meatball form, served with tzatiziki sauce. This had a great flavor to it. I love lamb, and it is so infrequently that I get to have it, so it always is nice to come back to it.  The sauce paired with the meat was very good, but I did not like the sauce too much when I tasted it alone.

This is the Greek Salad that came with my meal. It is your basic dinner salad with feta cheese added. Like the other items so far, this was really fresh. One of my few complaints of the night would be about this salad. The lettuce was cut in long strips, and was hard to get on the fork. Not sure why they would cut the lettuce this way, but it was awkward in a salad. I am not much on oil based salad dressings, but this one worked here.

So you are in a Greek restaurant and you are not going to get a gyro? Not on my watch! We got the Beef Gyro. This was a very good gyro. It was a little heavy on the lettuce and tomato for me, but I tossed that aside easily enough. The meat was seasoned well, and the sauce was again very good with the meat.

Since this was our first time here, we wanted to sample a little bit of everything, so we could not pass on the Zorba's Combo Mixed Grill. This plate featured lamb and chicken kebab's, gyro slices, Greek meatballs, and chicken gyro slices. This was the Mount Olympus of meat, (see what I did there, Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece, I know I did not have to explain that to you, but I did it for the other people reading this). So anyways, I really liked the lamb kebab the best. The meat was flavored the best, and Katie even liked it, even though she did not know she was eating lamb. You should have seen her face when I told her, it was priceless. The chicken kebab was the only thing that was a little dry. Even the rice was good, I mixed it with the sauce. Very good plate of food, and I recommend it for people who are skeptical about Greek food.

For dessert we got the Baklava. I let Katie pick this dessert. I am usually not too big of a fan of this dessert, but it was made well and was not too overly sweet. You could really taste the honey on this one. There was also no shortage of walnuts on this either. Very good end to a fine meal.

Athena Gyro really impressed us with their freshness of ingredients, and the presentation of the food. The service was good as well, but a little inexperienced. The food prices seemed to be good, the Zorba's feast set you back about $15, (the most expensive thing on the menu), and the gyro was $6.50. The atmosphere was casual and relaxed. As with all Greek people that I know, they are all proud of their heritage, and take pride in showing their culture off to other people. This seems to be the case here also. Thanks again for the tip on this place Amanda.

Out of five olive branches, (the Greek symbol of peace), five being best to zero being worst, Athena Gyro gets 3 solid olive branches.

To view their web site, click here: http://www.athenagyro.net/