Sweet Life at C'est La Vie?

C'est La Vie

373 South Pacific Coast Highway

Laguna Beach, CA 92651

My parents got me an Entertainment book for Christmas. So now that the holidays have wound down, it is time to put it to good use. Only problem was that it was a Friday night at seven, and a lot of places do not take the Entertainment card on Friday nights. Our choices were very limited. We could drive all the way up to Anaheim, but it would be almost 8:30 by the time we ate dinner, or maybe try the Jolly Roger again, (not going to happen), or we could just forget the book and go where the wind would take us. I was ready to take the last option, when I saw that C'est La Vie accepts the card everyday. So that is where we ended up.

C'est La Vie is located right on PCH, in downtown Laguna. They are on the ocean side, so when the weather is warmer, the spot to be is on their patio for a stunning view. This night though is in the 50's, so we take a seat in the dining room. The restaurant is almost deserted except for us and two other couples. C'est La Vie's menu is Californian French, and this is what we got off of it.

Okay we did not actually get this off the menu, it was given to us. I really just wanted to show you the bread basket. It was nothing spectacular. We were also given a taste of their Bisque de Homard. This lobster bisque was very creamy, and went down real smooth. I remember they gave us this taster the last time we were here. Very rich, but this could have been heated up more.

For a starter we ordered the Jumbo Mushrooms. These were stuffed with lump crab and a garlic herb sauce. These had plenty of crab on them, but the sauce over powered the crab, and pushed it out of the way. If I was blind folded and asked what I was eating, I would not have guessed crab. The mushroom was nicely cooked though.

Katie had the elegant sounding Crevettes a la Crime de Homard for dinner. Translated this means, shrimp scampi with a lobster brandy glace. This was served over linguine, with roasted potatoes on the side. Katie liked the taste of the glace, and also felt that the potatoes were great, but she had an issue with the temperature of the plate. It came out lukewarm.  

I was having issues with the lighting here all night. We had a light right above us that was dimming in and out while we were here, so this is the best shot I got of my meal. I went with the Filet Mignon de Boeuf au Roquefort. The sauce served with this was a Cabernet sauvignon reduction. The steak also came with mashed potatoes and green beans. I ordered this steak medium rare and that is the way it came out. The Roquefort was very strong, and took me by surprise how it over powered the steak. I like blue cheeses, but this was really pungent. I would have liked more of the Cabernet sauce to balance this dish out. The mashed potatoes were okay, they kind of had a lack of heat issue as well. The greens beans were just average.

C'est La Vie is a full on bakery also. According to the waiter this is their best selling dessert. He said there was no name for it, they just call it the Filo Dough filled with Chocolate Mousse.  This was a very rich dessert. The mousse could have been lighter, and the filo dough was hard to break into. In case you did not have enough chocolate on this, they also added a dollop of chocolate ice cream on the side. I liked the presentation, but I might try something else in the future.

Our trip to C'est La Vie was just average this time. The kitchen on this night had issues getting the food out nice and hot. Nothing that we had would make us yearn to go back here. The service was okay, and the value was a little over-priced, $29 for my steak and Katie's scampi was $27. We did get $16 dollars off with the Entertainment card, so it paid for the tip though. They did not punch the card, so we can use it again, but we will only do that if it is a Friday night and we can't use the card anywhere else.

Out of five dominoes, (because that was the name of the second hit from Robbie Nevil's 1986 album. His first hit was... of course C'est La Vie), five being best to zero being worst, C'est La Vie gets 2 dominoes.

For more information on C'est La Vie, click here: http://www.cestlavierestaurant.com/

Deeming Deemer's Worthy?

Deemer's American Grill

27221 La Paz Road, Suite E

Laguna Niguel, CA 92677

New year, and a new burger joint. So I guess that new years resolution will have to wait until 2012. Okay, you know me better than to make a resolution about not eating. That is not going to happen! I do hope that you had a great new years, and I look forward to a great year ahead of eating and sharing some great places with you.

To start off the year we headed to Deemer's, a new hamburger place that just opened up close to my work. Deemer's, according to their web site, says that their purpose is simple, they want to, "grill handcrafted burgers into perfection".  Let's see if they make good on that promise.

Deemer's kind of has a "Counter",  feel to it. Minimal decor is the order of the day at Deemer's. You order at the counter, get your number, and the food is brought out by the eager to please, young staff. I actually made two trips to Deemer's, one on a Sunday afternoon, and the next was a weekday for lunch. Sunday was a real busy day, almost every seat was taken. The weekday was not too packed, but they had a steady stream of customers coming through the door. Now on to the food.

Katie's burger will start things off for us. She opted for the Napa Burger. This burger featured goat cheese, roma tomatoes, red onion, baby spinach, and basil pesto aioli. This unusual burger got high praise from Katie. Starting with the bun, that she found to be, "sturdy". She also thought that the burger was juicy, and the fact that they did not pile on the toppings, really brought out the flavor of the meat.

My first burger at Deemer's was the Hickory Burger. The hickory burger is comprised of cheddar cheese, bacon, onion rings, tomato, lettuce, and BBQ sauce. This burger tasted fresh, but could have used a little more BBQ sauce. The burger lacked the wow factor that I was looking for. It was a decent burger, but nothing that had me craving more.

The French Fries and Onions Rings here really needed to be salted more. Unfortunately, there were no salt shakers on any table, so there was no chance for me to try them with salt. The crispness of the fried foods is spot on, but they are lacking in flavor. The french fries are fresh, but they seem to be missing something. The last picture shows the absolute absence of grease anywhere on the paper that the once held the fries. I found this to be a little odd. The same was true of the onion rings, no grease. I guess that means they are good for you.

My second burger was the B & B Burger. Blue Cheese, bacon, tomato, lettuce, and herb aioli all combined to make this burger. This was better than my first burger. The flavors were more pronounced, but the burger patty was cut in half, along with our other burger we got, I assume to check for doneness. Not a big deal, but I thought that was a little weird. I would get this burger again, but I would ask for more aioli on it, they put so little on it that it was un-noticeable, and I think it would add to this burger.

Richard was very excited to see his burger on the menu, the Caliente Burger. A rare burger that is made with queso fresco cheese, jalapenos, tomato, lettuce, and Deemer's fire sauce. Richard felt that the meat alone was under-seasoned, but he liked the toppings on this burger, and would get this one again.

Deemer's has a few kinks to work out, which is to be expected. First, and foremost on their list of tweaks, should be the introduction of a value meal. A burger, fries and a drink should not cost over $12. They also need to work on their seasonings, and the way they apply their condiments. I am not saying to go the Carl's route, where you slather sauces all over the place, but a little more would push this burger  into a higher class of burger. I liked the uniqueness of the burger choices here, and I look forward to trying a few more in the future.

Out of five verdicts, (because a deemer is an occupation that is tasked with pronouncing the verdict in a court of law), five being best to zero being worst, Deemer's gets 2.5 verdicts.

Okay, I went to Deemer's one more time this week, but forgot to bring my camera. They now have salt shakers on the tables, and that did add to the fries and onion rings. The burger still needed some seasoning, but it still tasted pretty good. I again had the B & B burger, and the extra aioli really made this burger better. I also got to try their BLT, and it tasted great. The sandwich came on parmesan crusted texas toast, which really enhanced the sandwich. I will stick with my rating, but they are moving in the right direction.

For more information on Deemer's, click here: http://www.deemersgrill.com/

Tony's Bella Vista a Beautiful Sight? - CLOSED

Tony's Bella Vista

3116 West Magnolia

Burbank, CA 91505

It is Katie's grandfather's birthday, so we headed up to Burbank to take him out for dinner. Since I have been dating Katie, trips up to LA have been more and more common than in my past, and that means many more restaurants to try. Tonight it is Tony's Bella Vista in Burbank that I get to experience for the first time.

Tony's Bella Vista holds a special place in the hearts of Katie's family. It is a place where her parents went on dates, many, many, many years ago. They have held wedding dinners, baby showers, and even wakes at Tony's. Now it is grandpa's turn to be the guest of honor at Tony's Bella Vista.

Tony's has been around since 1965, and it shows in the atmosphere. The restaurant area is dark, and not very decorative. Big red leather booths and paintings on the walls dominate the place and add to the old-school feel of the restaurant. Brothers, Angelo and Giovanni bought the place from the original owners back in 1987, and still use their original recipes to this day. Those recipes have won Tony's Bella Vista countless awards for the best pizza in Burbank. Let's see if the awards are deserved.

We were all really hungry so we started off with an order of Garlic Bread. This garlic bread looks better in the picture than it tasted. The crust was too hard, and the insides were not soft. The price was right for this, $2.95, and it did have a mild garlic taste.

The other appetizer we tried was the Fried Calamari. I thought that this was decent calamari. Cooked well, and seasoned fine. It did not really stand out as one of the best calamari I have ever had, but I found myself eating a lot of this. Again, maybe I was just hungry.

We each ordered an entree, and this is the soup and salad that came with the meals. Nothing out of the ordinary here. The soup was Kevin's, and he was not enamored with it. I am not sure what kind of soup it was, but from the picture, it looks like it could be some kind of vegetable soup.

When I see Carbonara on a menu, I generally always gravitate towards it. I did the same here. This is the Spaghetti Carbonara. This was a very different carbonara from what I was used to. The sauce was more like an Alfredo sauce, very heavy. The sauce was also kind of bland. I really needed to doctor this dish up with lots of Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes. The meat that was incorporated into this dish, usually bacon, guanciale, or pancetta, ( I could not tell what they used here), was not very salty, and thus added nothing to this dish. Not very happy with this.

Katie, on the other hand, could not be more pleased with her choice for the night, the Tortellini 3P. Why do they call it that you ask? Because it comes with Peas, Prosciutto, and Parmigiano. This was also a very rich dish. Katie felt that the plate was made up of very fresh ingredients.

The big draw at Tony's is of course the pizza. Here is a slice of pepperoni and sausage, with a thin crust. This was one of the thinnest crusts I have ever seen. Very close to the width of a tortilla. I am usually not too big on the crust, but even I wanted more crust than this. The toppings were okay here, and the sausage really did not stand out. The cheese had a good flavor though. Katie complained that this had too much grease on top of it.

Katie's wise aunts and uncles got the much better pizza at the table. They went with the Ham, Artichoke, Sliced Tomatoes, and Basil Pizza. The toppings on this were not my cup of tea, but the crust was the thicker regular crust. A much better crust, than the thin one. The toppings on this were good, but a little too mellow for me. These toppings almost tasted like they were good for you, and when I eat pizza, I want to know that I am eating something bad.

Tony's Bella Vista is a family-style restaurant. Do not go here for a romantic night out on the town. You are not going to have the best Italian food of your life here. You need to take it for what it is. It is a family-run restaurant that makes everyone feel comfortable. The quantity of food that you get for the price is very reasonable. The service was pretty good for our party of 15. I did think it was a little odd that they serve their sodas out of the can, but that just shows how old-school this place is.

Out of five cantaloupes, (because the first official seal of  Burbank had a cantaloupe on it), five being best to zero being worst, Tony's Bella Vista gets 2.5 cantaloupes.

Tony's does not have a website, but you can find information about them here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/tonys-bella-vista-restaurant-and-pizzeria-burbank

Football Frenzy #6 - Players Sports Bar - CLOSED

Players Sports Grill

24401 Ridge Route Dr. #105-B

Laguna Hills, CA 92653

All this football season we have been trying to find the ultimate place to watch football. It is now January and we still have not found that place. We have come close, but I am sure that we can do better. So before we get to the playoffs, and my team is officially eliminated, I wanted to try out Players Sports Grill in Laguna Hills.

Players has been around since 1995. Located dangerously close to Laguna Woods, this place is a little off the beaten track, tucked in the corner of a shopping center anchored by a 7-Eleven. I got the feeling that most of the people here to watch Thursday night football were regulars. The bar has a kind of loungy feel to it, with big comfortable chairs. Televisions are everywhere, they have over forty here, including some on the smoker's patio. The atmosphere gets the thumbs up from us, but how about the food?

To start off our culinary adventures at Players both Katie and Richard got salads with their meals. Nothing too out of the ordinary and the salads seemed like they were made with fresh ingredients.

Richard went with an unusual pick for a sports bar, the Chicken Fettuccini. He was not too pleased with this dish. He felt this was bland tasting and the sauce was straight from the jar. I did not get a chance to try this though.

Katie called this Players Club Sandwich, "the best turkey sandwich I have ever had!". That might be an overstatement, but every time we go to Players this is her go-to menu item. Katie liked the smokiness of the turkey meat and the way it is sliced thin. She did not want the bacon that came with this, so she asked for it on the side so I could have it. What a great girlfriend to sacrifice her bacon for me!

Sorry for the blurriness of the picture above. I ordered one of Player's specialties, the Patty Melt. This sandwich is served on sourdough cheese toast and comes with lots of onions, cheddar cheese, and thousand island dressing. A pretty solid patty melt. The sandwich is pretty greasy, but I always think that adds flavor. The fries were a little overdone for my taste but still good.

The service at Players was pretty good. All of our drinks were refilled, and all of our requests were met. The crowd was okay, most were not too into the game, but I am sure that is just because there was only one game on this Thursday night. We will have to come back here next year, when there is a full set of football games going, and when my team is not eliminated.

So out of five contracts, (because players get contracts, and sometimes that is all they care about), five being best to zero being worst, Players Sports Grill gets 2.5 solid contracts.

For more information on Players, click here: http://www.psgrill.com/index.html

My Best and Worst Restaurants of 2010

Happy New Year! New Years is a time to reflect on the last twelve months, and everyone seems to be doing best of lists, so I thought I would do the same. So without further ado, here are the worst and the best restaurants we have gone to in 2010.  Hope you enjoy the list, and I look forward to showing you more food adventures in 2011.

Worst Restaurants (in no particular order)

The Jolly Roger, in Dana Point harbor has been around forever, and on our visit it really seemed ready for an update. The food could be described as bad wedding reception food, and the service was not much better.

It is rare that a Mexican restaurant can not deliver flavor, but Carmelita's in Rancho Santa Margarita succeeded in doing just that. The bland food was over priced, and the food was under seasoned. Not a good combination.

It seems like just a few days ago that we went to Bubba Gumps Shrimp Co., maybe because it was only a few days ago, but we are still trying to get this place out of our heads. This tourist trap of a restaurant was the joint where our beloved Emily wanted to eat for her birthday. No worries Em, we do not hold it against you!

We tried to find a spot to go for happy hour, and we unfortunately found ourselves at Elephant Bar in Laguna Hills. The prices were good, but the food was not. Run around outside with your mouth open, and you will get more flavor than the food here at Elephant Bar. The many drinks we had could not make us forget the boring food.

The last of our worst restaurants of 2010 is Marmalade Cafe in Tustin. The food here was awful, and the menu did not give us much hope that future visits would be any better.

Best Restaurants (in no particular order)

Mr. Stox continues to be one of the best restaurants that Orange county has to offer, and our visit in May was not any different. This Anaheim institution has been around for over thirty years, and I am hoping for at least that many more.

Since we got back from Dallas, we have been trying to find great barbecue in the OC, and finally after some failures, we came across Blake's Place in Anaheim. This place had the trifecta of barbecue goodness; great meats, excellent sauce, and good side items.

We made it to Bungalow way back in January, and what brought us here? Of course it was the good food, but it was also the special that they were running on Sunday nights, all you can eat filet mignon! Yes you read that right. I ate four filet's and only spent $25, it was almost like I was making money eating here.

In August, Orange county welcomed Five Guys  to the city of Orange. We waited through the long lines and were rewarded with one of the best fast food burgers we have ever had. The lines have still not dwindled even late into this year, so I guess the word has gotten around.

The last of our best restaurants of 2010 is Heroes in Fullerton. This downtown bar and grill has big food, served by a cool staff, and at a decent price. I dare you to finish the Southwest Meatloaf dinner that I ate here. It was even too much for me!

Okay so there are the best and worst of the year that was 2010. I hope that you all have a great new year, and I would like to thank each and every one of you for reading my blog throughout this year. I am very humbled that you have taken the time to read what I write. I also am looking forward to many more dining adventures for 2011, and hope that you will read right along with me. Again, many thanks!