Sizing Up Cisco's CLOSED

Cisco Burger

620 W. Anaheim Street

Long Beach, CA 90813

My Dad had gotten a new job at the Port of Long Beach a few months back, and he wanted to show off his office, show his co-workers what a cool son he has, and also show us one of his favorite places to eat by his work, Cisco Burger.

Cisco Burger is the brainchild of owner Jesse James. If you have not kept up with your subscription to People magazine or US Weekly, he is the former husband of Sandra Bullock, a reality television star, and owner of West Coast Choppers, (a custom motorcycle company). West Coast Choppers used to be next door to Cisco Burger, but now James has packed up and headed to Austin to be closer to his kids. The only thing he has left behind is Cisco Burger, and that is where we headed.

Cisco Burger is named after Jesse's pit bull. They have been open for four years now, and have a very loyal following at lunch time. They are open daily until four, and on Sundays until 2, so do not expect to go here for dinner. Cisco Burger is also very eco-friendly, they derive most of their electricity from solar panels, participate in local recycling programs, and use real plates and silverware for dine-in orders. Let's see how the food looks on those real plates.

Cisco's is more known for their breakfasts and burgers, but my Mom and her friend Sue split the Turkey Sandwich above. They both mentioned that they liked this sandwich, and felt that it was very filling. They do have very tiny appetites. They also liked the turkey on this sandwich, and felt that it tasted very fresh.

Here is what my Dad got, the Cisco Burger with Cheese. He called this, "a four napkin burger". I think that is just because he is a messy eater. The bite that I had was just okay. I did not get the juiciness of the burger that he got. I also was not too big of a fan of the wheat bun. I will trust his judgement on this burger though. The fries here were pretty good. They came out hot, and had a small amount of breading on them that made them extra crunchy.

Jarrod had a breakfast/lunch hybrid, the Breakfast Burger. This quarter pound burger was topped with an egg, hashbrowns, bacon, cheese, and mayo. The bite that I had was pretty good. I would have liked a little more mayonnaise on this, but all together this was a good breakfast burger. Jarrod had two complaints about this, he would have wanted the hashbrowns crispier, and the burger a little more moist.

I was in the mood for breakfast, so the Cisco's Pile was my pick. This mound of food consisted of eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, bell peppers, onion, garlic, mushrooms, and hashbrowns. As with many dishes that have lots of big flavors, this one was not all that it was cracked up to be. It was hearty, but I expected real big flavor with this, and it failed in that respect. This was made much better when I added hot sauce to it, it brought the flavors alive.

Cisco's is a very clean and sleek restaurant. The staff was all pretty cool, and they got the food out to us quick. By the time we left at 12:30, the place was starting to fill up. I am not sure that Cisco's would qualify for destination dining. If I were in the area, or worked in the area, I would pop in from time to to time, but living in the OC, I do not think it was worth the drive. They did have some interesting specials on their board that maybe I would try the next time I went to visit my Dad at his work.

Out of five routers, (because the Cisco Company was one of the first companies to successfully sell routers to the public), five being best to zero being worst, Cisco's gets 2.5 routers.

For more information on Cisco's click here: http://ciscoburger.com/

Birthday Bonanza at Bubba Gump's

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

321 West Katella Ave.

Anaheim, CA 92802

Another blog post, another birthday. This time it is Katie's sister Emily's turn to blow out the candles. Last year we went to the Loft at the Montage for her birthday, and this year we are headed to another of her favorite restaurants, Bubba Gump Shrimp Company.

I have never been to a Bubba Gump restaurant before. They started in Monterey, California in March of 1996. Now in their fourteenth year, they operate 33 restaurants, including such exotic locales as, Malaysia, Japan and the Philippines. Bubba Gump's are usually located in high traffic, tourist areas. Another claim to fame for Bubba Gump's is that they are the only major restaurant chain to be based upon a motion picture, (Forrest Gump, for the two people left on earth that have not seen it).

For Emily's birthday we had a party of twelve, (she is a very popular girl). We arrived at about six on a rainy Sunday night. We had reservations but, I had heard that the wait was running about fifteen to thirty minutes, at this Garden Walk location.  All of us seated, this is what we got to eat.

We ordered the three appetizers above. None of these really impressed any of us. The Onion Rings were pretty pedestrian, and over-priced at $7.99. That worked out to just under eighty cents per onion ring, not worth the price, even if they were gold plated. The Mama Gump's Garlic Bread Basket was next.  Rachel put it best when she said, "The garlic bread had too much butter, and very little garlic". Lastly, we had the so-called Best Ever Popcorn Shrimp. This was heavily breaded, which really took away the shrimp flavor. The sauce served with this helped a little, but not enough.

Above is the All-American Burger and Fries, or as Kevin called it, "the best burger I have ever had!". I did not get to try this burger, but it did look juicy, and the cheese was perfectly melted. If I ever go back I will have to try this to see if it would be my best burger ever.

Here is something that I did try, my choice for dinner, the Shrimp New Orleans. I liked the spicy after taste of this dish, the shrimp however, did not stand out to me. I also would have liked more bread to sop up the sauce that came with this. A pretty average meal. I am also not a big fan of shrimp served with the tails on. I am sure this makes them seem fresher, but it is just a quirk I do not like.

Jimmy went south of the border for his choice of dinner with the Baja Shrimp Tacos. These three shrimp tacos are served with Mayan salsa, avocado tomatillo sauce, and Mexican crema. These condiments could not save this meal from Jimmy's wrath. He called this dish, "un-spectacular, and nothing he could not have made better at home".

The shrimp parade continues with Katie's, "I'm Stuffed!" Shrimp. These shrimp were stuffed with crab stuffing, then baked in garlic butter, and topped with jack cheese. Katie felt that this dish was very rich, and really salty. I tried one of the shrimp, and it was okay, it did not wow me.

Sara's choice for dinner was the, "Of Course We Have Scampi!". Here the shrimp were sauteed with capers in a lemon garlic sauce, and served over linguini. Sara claimed that this dish was very sour, and the lemon really took over the plate. I would just say that this dish matches her personality, sour. I am just kidding Sara, you know you are my favorite!

What we have here is Rachel's pick, the Dumb Luck Coconut Shrimp. Rachel felt that this should have been called the bad luck coconut shrimp. She did not feel very lucky to have picked this. I tried this and felt that the breading that was used on this was dry, and plain tasting. The coconut was not very prominent, and the shrimp was buried under the odd breading.

Marcy, the health nut amongst us, ordered the Pear & Berry Salad. This salad consisted of greens, chicken, strawberries, pears,  glazed pecans, feta cheese, and was served with raspberry vinaigrette salad dressing. Marcy felt that the berries in this were very fresh, and of a high quality. She also mentioned that she liked the dressing.

Katie's Mom, Lynn went with the Shrimp & Veggie Skewers. These large shrimp were surrounded on the skewers by red bell peppers, red onions, squash and zucchini. They were served with jasmine rice and lemon garlic sauce. Lynn was not a fan of this dish. She stated that she was, "very disappointed with this". She felt that this was very bland and lacking in taste.

Our birthday girl went big with her choice for dinner, (actually she split this with her boyfriend). Emily got the Shrimper's Heaven. This had coconut shrimp, chilly shrimp, fried shrimp, tempura shrimp, and fries. Now Emily is not the worlds biggest eater, and she left most of this on her plate. I do not think it is because she didn't like this, but she was probably just excited about turning another year older.

So what were our general thoughts about Bubba Gump's? I thought that the place was trying to hard, the service and food were just about average, the prices were too high for what you got, and the whole atmosphere seemed hokey, even for the tourists.  I also found it odd that they chose to base a restaurant around Forrest Gump. Sure I liked the movie when it came out, but that was many years ago.

It has now become tradition that I include a picture of Emily on her birthday. So here she is showing off some of the bling that she received for her birthday. Happy birthday day Em, I can not wait to see where you pick to go for your birthday next year.

Out of five boxes of chocolates, (yes I took the easy way out here!), five being best to zero being worst, Bubba Gump Shrimp Company gets 1.5 boxes of chocolate.

For more information on Bubba Gump's, click here: http://www.bubbagump.com/

Birthday Palooza at Polly's

Polly's Pies

18132 Imperial Highway

Yorba Linda, CA 92886

It's my Mom's birthday, and where does she want to go? Polly's Pies of course. This should be where I say something about Polly's being for old people, but hey it is her birthday and I will not take the easy shot here. She also had a coupon for a free piece of pie for the entire party, if she came in on her birthday, so with our family that comes out to nine free pieces of pie! A big bargain.

Polly's has been around since 1968. They have fifteen locations. I have always had a special fondness for Polly's. Every Friday night in the early eighties my parents would play tennis with the Booth's, then we would roll on over to Polly's in Orange for dinner, and then cap it off watching J.R. Ewing  wreak havoc on "Dallas". Ahhh, the memories!

Okay now back to the present. After an hour on the freeway from south county I made it to the Yorba Linda location. This Thursday night there was no wait, and for a majority of the night we had our big room all to ourselves. The Polly's menu has not seemed to change for some time now. Let's see what we got off of it.

My beautiful nieces made me promise that I would include their food and pictures on the blog, so here you go girls. The kids meals here are only $3.99. Choices include; a Kid's Pollyburger, Grilled Cheese, Corn Dog, Chicken Fingers, or Macaroni and Cheese. Gracie and Kaylie got the chicken fingers and thought that they were really good. Lillie, trying to be different from her sisters, ordered a corn dog and fruit cup, then was upset because she didn't get fries. Parenthood seems like such a good time!

Here is a quick shot of my salad that came with my dinner. The salad also came with the two dinner rolls above. The rolls are very soft, and are a staple at all of our family holiday dinners. They also make great mini sandwiches with leftover turkey.

My Dad ordered the Grilled Sourdough Burger. He woofed this thing down real quick. I snuck a bite, and it was pretty good. The bread was toasted perfectly, and had a nice crunch to it. The meat was average, but I liked the grilled onions on this.

My Mom has been raving about the tuna at Polly's for as long as I can remember. So it is without much surprise to anyone at our table that she chose to get the Famous Tuna Salad Sandwich. The tuna here is made with chopped eggs, sweet onions, celery, relish, mayo, and Polly's special seasonings. Katie, who also got the tuna, felt that the tuna here is one of the best she has had in any restaurant. I did not get a quote from my Mom, but I am sure she would second that opinion. I did try the tuna, and I thought it was good, there was more to it than your basic tuna, but I am not too much of a tuna kind of guy, so I do not see myself ordering this in my future.

Jarrod, my brother in law, ordered a California Tuna Melt. This was a little twist on the tuna sandwich, with avocado, and cheese added. I did not try this sandwich, but I would have liked to have had the cheese melted, because it is not a melt, unless it is hot, and this was not.

Looking for something a little different, I got the Best Salisbury Steak in the West. Was this really the best? No it was not. I found the meat, and the whole plate, tasted like a giant salt lick. The creamed spinach and mashed potatoes that came with this also failed to impress. It is a safe bet to say I would not get this again.

We did have pie, but my nieces were getting antsy, so we got the free pieces to go. I had the Chocolate Silk, and it was very good. Light and fluffy, with decent whipped cream on it also. My favorite pie at Polly's is the Banberry Pie. Part strawberry pie, part banana pie, and then a very good custard on the bottom of the pie, makes this pie a winner. Sorry I did not get any pictures of the pies.

What to make of the meal at Polly's? You have to know what you are getting into before you get to Polly's. Stick with the staples. Sandwiches, hamburgers and pie are the sure bets here. The breads are all very good, and you can tell that they are freshly baked. Comfort food is the way to go here. Once again, happy birthday Mom!

Out of five grits, (because my favorite Polly is Polly Holliday, who coined the phrase, "Kiss my grits"), five being best to zero being worst, Polly's gets 2.5 grits.

For more information on Polly's Pies, click here: http://www.pollyspies.com/

Picture Perfect at Piccolino?

Piccolino

28731 Los Alisos Blvd. #B3

Mission Viejo, CA 92692

Piccolino seems a little out of place. It is tucked away in a shopping center most people do not even know exists. Right up Los Alisos, almost to the 241 toll road, right next to a Vons grocery store. This is the kind of restaurant that seems like it should be vying for customers dollars in the Newport  area, but has been jettisoned to the foothills of Mission Viejo.

In Italian, Piccolino means small, and this place is not large by any means, so the name fits. Opened in 2007, this restaurant has a very loyal following, and has gotten good reviews. We arrived at seven on a Saturday night, and the place was moderately crowded, with what seemed like middle aged to older families, coming here after leaving Saddleback church. We were seated quickly and after perusing the menu, this is what arrived at our table.

Here is a quick shot of the bread basket that was served to us. The bread was just okay, but the sauce above was interesting. Katie and I both tried to identify it, but were unable to do so. I think it was an avocado/pesto/yogurt blend, but I am still not too sure about it.

For an appetizer, we went with the Focaccia Farcita al Forno. This is just a fancy way of saying cheese bread. This cheese bread was stuffed with fontina and mozzarella cheese, and when I say stuffed, I mean stuffed, as you can see from the bottom picture. I thought this was okay, but was not in love with it. The fontina cheese seemed a little over-powering to me. When the red sauce was added, it did mellow out the cheese a bit. The bread part of this dish was good, but kind of got pushed to the side by the big cheese taste.

Katie's choice for dinner was the Fettucine Panna, Pollo & Piselli. This dish combined the pasta with chicken, peas, and parmesan sauce. We both felt that the chicken was tender, and the pasta was cooked perfectly. You could tell that they took great pride in their pasta's. The sauce was just average, and did not stand out.

I went with a pasta dish as well, the Fusilli Salsiccia & Funghi. This dish featured Italian sausage ragout, onion, mushrooms, tomato sauce, and pecorino. I liked all of these big flavors coming together. The sausage was cooked well, but the big spot light was shining on the pasta. The corkscrew shape held on to the sauce well, and the denseness of the noodle held my interest. A very good dish, but I would have wished for more sausage.

Piccolino is a good restaurant to try if you are in the area, and are looking for good Italian food. Is it destination dining? Probably not. I can not see people coming all the way from Newport Beach to eat here, but it is good enough that maybe some people who live in the Mission Viejo area may not have to drive to Newport, or another area to get their Italian fix. The service was very good the night we were here. The wait staff and bussers were right on top of everything. The atmosphere was business casual, and we felt that the prices were competitive.

Out of five top hats, (because in the 1935 movie Top Hat, Ginger Rogers sang and danced to a song called Piccolino), five being best to zero being worst, Piccolino gets 3 top hats.

For more information on Piccolino, click here: http://www.piccolinomv.com/index.html

Swinging By Side Street Cafe

Side Street Cafe

1799 Newport Blvd. Suite A105

Costa Mesa, CA 92627

It was the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and frankly we were tired of turkey sandwiches. Not being big shoppers, we needed to get out of the house and get our blood flowing. We decided to get up early, eat a good breakfast and walk the Back Bay Trail. So Katie left it up to me where to eat, and I chose Side Street Cafe.

Side Street is located right on Newport Boulavard. It has a homey/local feel to it. You can sense that a lot of the people who eat here are regulars. On busy weekends, I can imagine that you would have to wait for a table, since there are only fifteen tables inside this tiny cafe. This weekend most people were battling it out at the mall, so we got a table as soon as we walked in. Here is what we got.

I started with a Cinnamon Roll. We liked this big and dense roll. The frosting was very good and plentiful. We tore through this very quickly.

Katie had the Sampler. This consisted of one piece of French toast, one pancake, eggs, and potatoes. Katie felt that the French toast was cooked well, but she would opt for the stuffed French toast next time. The pancake was okay, it soaked up a lot of syrup. The eggs and potato were solid according to Katie, and she liked that the potaoes were cooked crispy.

What we have here is the S.O.S. I am not sure how it got it's name, maybe someone got lost in this massive helping of food. This big portion started with biscuit, covered with ground beef and onion, and then topped with gravy. This was also served with potaoes and eggs. I liked the size of this plate for the $9.50 price tag. I did have to add a bunch of Gringo sauce to make this taste like anything. Before I added the sauce, the plate had a mild, almost bland flavor. Not the best gravy I have ever had.

Side Sreet Cafe is fine for breakfast. If you are in the area, it is a nice choice. I liked the laid back feel of the place, but the food that we had did not really standout. Maybe we got the wrong items, but I would still be open to trying other things on their menu. Service was good, and the value for the money was good as well, because of the sizes of the plates.

Out of five parking meters, (because some side streets have meters, and I could not think of anything else), five being best, to zero being worst, Side Street Cafe gets 3 parking meters.

For information on Side Street Cafe, click here: http://sidestreetcafe.tripod.com/index.html