Bluewater Grill Begins Our OC Restaurant Week - CLOSED

Bluewater Grill

2409 Park Ave.

Tustin, CA 92782

We came to the District in Tustin for the OC Restaurant Week Kickoff Party. Still wanting to get dinner after eating numerous samples, and having a few beverages, we were pleased to see that Orange County restaurant week started a day early at the District in Tustin. We took this opportunity to take advantage of this extra day to try Bluewater Grill.

We did not seem to be the only ones who had the same idea of trying out one of the restaurant week options early. Bluewater Grill was packed, but we were seated immediately, right adjacent to the bar area. Bluewater Grill has a cool ambiance. Dark inside with wood all over. The staff adds to the young, hip kind of vibe. Bluewater Grill has four locations, two in the OC, (the other Orange County spot is in Newport). Let's see what they have cooked up for us for restaurant week.

First a quick look at the bread basket that was on the table. This sourdough bread was served lukewarm, with a very hard crust. I like my sourdough to be a little sourer than this one was.

Both Katie and I chose to start off our first course with soups. She went with the Lobster Bisque. She felt this could have been creamier, but it did have velvety chunks of lobster in this. I liked the flavor of this bisque, it was rich and went down easy. I opted for the New England Clam Chowder. This smooth tasting soup was lacking in clams but had an over-abundance of potatoes. Decent soup, but the better of the two was the lobster bisque.

Katie's main course of Shrimp with Basil and Roasted Tomato is up next. This was served over linguini with chive oil and garlic. Katie felt this dish was good. Light in taste, but had an abundant amount of tender shrimp. This came out hot, and after eating this dish, Katie exclaimed that this made her want to try other items on their menu. Which I guess would be their goal by participating in restaurant week. Mission accomplished Bluewater Grill.

For my meal, I went with the meal behind door number three, "The Entree of the Day". Tonight it happened to be breaded catfish, with mixed vegetables and mashed potatoes. This catfish did not stand on its own. It was made better when I asked for a tartar sauce. Before the tartar sauce, it was just kind of blah. The veggies and potato were the same, average.

Now on to dessert. Above are the two choices for the dessert course. The Brioche Bread Pudding with golden raisins and bourbon sauce was the best out of the two. This bread pudding was cooked well, with a great texture, and the big banana flavor hit you right away after biting into this. I am not much of a bread pudding guy, but this one was pretty good. I would have liked to have had more sauce over this though. The Vanilla Ice Cream with Hot Fudge was fair but could have used more hot fudge.

I can not say that I was blown away by Bluewater Grill. The food was okay, but not something I would crave. It is, however, one of the better dining options at the District at Tustin. I have never been to keen on the restaurant choices at the District. None of them really pop out at me. The service at Bluewater Grill was also a little spotty. Maybe because it was pretty crowded, but our server got lost for long periods of time and did not check back with us. She may have had too many tables.

So out of five shopping bags, (because the second largest shopping center in the UK is called Bluewater), five being best to zero being worst,  Bluewater Grill gets 2.5 shopping bags.

For more information on Bluewater Grill, click here: http://www.bluewatergrill.com/index.php

Time to Try Some Thai

Thai Juan On

31878 Del Obispo St. #109

San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675

When we started the new year, I resolved to myself that I would get out of my food comfort zone. Try something new and exciting. So how have I done? Looking over the list, we have visited Mexican restaurants, hamburger places, and traditional joints. Okay, guess this was going to be more complicated than I thought. But, to my credit, we did have a great Vietnamese meal at OC Poultry and Rotisserie. So when Jason asked us to try some Thai food, it was the perfect opportunity to cross another country's food off our list.

Going in, I had very little knowledge of Thai food. I know it can be a little spicy, and there are many vegetables. That was the extent of my familiarity with the cuisine. Thai Juan On is the sister restaurant of Thai This in Dana Point. Their menu, like their name, is dotted with lots of puns.

We arrived at about eight on a Friday night. We were seated immediately in the restaurant, halved with a bar area. The night we were here, they had a musician with some soft music. The bar area seemed to bring in more people than the restaurant. While we were there, there were only us and three other tables eating in the darkened restaurant. Hopefully, they are not hiding anything from the dark atmosphere. Let's check out the food.

The first of the two appetizers we got were the Spring Rolls. These were filled with chicken and jelly noodles and served with a sweet and sour sauce. We all remarked how these tasted very fresh and were not greasy like other places we have had spring rolls. The sauce was very sweet and added some flavor to the rolls.

The Golden Thaiangle was the second appetizer we got. See, you thought I was kidding about the puns, right? They stuffed flour, "thaitillas," with fish, shrimp, avocado, cilantro, and green onion. Again, the fish taste stood out and moved everything else to the side. This was served with a very interesting nutty, sweet and sour cucumber sauce. A unique Thai take on a quesadilla, minus the cheese.

Now on to the main dishes. Jason went with the Green Jungle. This dish had broccoli, carrots, bamboo shoots, baby corn, zucchini, green beans, and shrimp in a spicy green curry/coconut milk sauce.  The sauce was tasty with a great kick, and the veggies were cooked well. The shrimp was delicious but not abundant. When  I asked Jason for his reaction to this dish, he said, "I am speechless." I guess that means he liked this a lot.

Katie took a chance on the Thai Noodles. The Thai noodle is cooked with shrimp, eggs, ground peanuts, tofu, and bean sprouts. Katie called this the best Pad Thai she had ever had. She mentioned the ingredients' freshness and liked the dish's texture with the bean sprouts. I had one bite of this and thought it was good but too mild.

I had difficulty choosing what to get and finally settled on the Red Devil. This dish consisted of spicy red curry beef with coconut milk, potato, onion, and peanut. I liked this dish but would have liked it a little more spicy. The waiter kind of spooked me out about asking for this spicier. I should have followed my gut and taken it up a few notches. I would equate this dish to a spicy pot roast. I would also have liked a little more meat here. They were a little skimpy with the portions, but I am a big eater.

Now on to the desserts. Jason raved about the Sticky Rice served with Coconut Ice Cream and Coconut Custard, so that is what I got. The ice cream had a great coconut flavor and was very cold. However, after I warmed up to the texture of the sticky rice, I really liked it. This was a great-tasting dessert, but a little over-priced at $10.

For his dessert, Jason got Mango with Sticky Rice. He liked this but said that he missed the coconut ice cream that he usually gets with this. We shared a little of our ice cream with him, though. It was the least we could do since he introduced this place to us.

Our dear Emily, who sat through the meal with us, has a peanut allergy and could not eat here. So here she is, holding her empty plate. I wanted to include her in this post because she had to watch all of us really enjoying our meals. Thanks for the great company Em!

I could not have been happier for our first try at Thai food. The food here was fresh and definitely had some flavor to it. I would have liked the portions to be bigger, but I look forward to trying more Thai places. The service here was excellent. They took care of us and ensured our drinks were filled all night. Once again, thanks, Jason, for the suggestion.

Out of five swan boats (because their is a swan boat circuit in Thailand), five being best to zero being worst, Thai Juan On gets 3 swan boats.

For more information on Thai Juan On, click here: https://www.thaijuanon.com/

Bacon-mania at Slater's 50/50! - CLOSED

Slater's 50/50

6362 E. Santa Ana Canyon Road

Anaheim Hills, CA 92807

It is a rite of passage for food bloggers in our county to review Slater's. The North County spot has been reviewed on almost every blog I read. It was even the site for a gathering of Food Frenzy fans. So when I had the rare opportunity to find myself in north Orange County for lunchtime, it was a no-brainer where I would eat.

Slater's 50/50 is located in a nondescript shopping center off the beaten track in Anaheim Hills. I can not even tell you what else was in this shopping center because I had a burger in my crosshairs and could not wait to get inside and wolf one down.

Slater's is a decent-sized restaurant with about fifty or so tables. They also took over the area next door and made a sports bar out of it. We arrived just before 11:30 on a Thursday, and the place was moderately busy. We sat immediately and were given ample time to peruse the menu. The menu features salads, sandwiches, and signature burgers. The menu also has a "Design it!" section where you check off what you want on your burger. Overwhelming can be one way to describe this checklist. After some deliberations, we came up with this.

Here is my brother-in-law's creation, the self-proclaimed Ja-Rod Burger. His two-third-pound burger featured a 50/50 patty. This patty is fifty percent ground beef and fifty percent ground bacon. Crazy that no one has thought of this before since people are so bacon crazy. He also opted to get red onion, a fried egg, relish, and dill pickles piled on a honey wheat bun. He took a small break from eating this to tell me this was a good burger, but he would choose a more petite version next time. Jarrod has a big appetite but did not finish this burger.

I went big here. Literally, I had the full-pound burger. After cooking, Slater's weighs all of their burgers, so it was a pound. Not only did I have a 50/50 patty, but I also added bacon, relish, mayo, grilled onions, and cheddar cheese. When filling out the checklist, they ask you to name your burger. I called this one Bacon Overload. I love bacon, and this was even too much bacon for me. I was thirsty for the next four hours after eating this. It was delicious, though. The meat had a great flavor, and the toppings were top-notch. My only complaint would be about the bun. It was baked well, but it did not fit the size of the patty. If you have a pound burger, have buns that fit the pound patty. That was the only fault I could find with this burger, though.

So, do you feel like something other than a burger? Okay, you can go the route my Mom went and get the Spicy Buffalo Chicken Sandwich. This monster of a chicken sandwich also came with lettuce, crumbled blue cheese, and tomato. The chicken was tender, and the sauce really added a kick. If they did not serve burgers here, I would get this.

As much as people rave about their burgers, the same can be said about their appetizers. We ordered the Pick Three Combination Plate. We chose the french fries, fried pickle chips, and beer-battered onion strings. We all agreed we would leave the fries out next time. They were nothing special. What was noteworthy was the fried pickles and onion straws. I am not usually a big fan of pickles but fried them this way, they were delicious. The onion straws also had a great flavor and were not too greasy. Next time, we must try the sweet potato fries or the fried artichoke hearts.

Slater's 50/50 creates some problems for me in a good way. There are far too many choices for me to make here. Maybe the route for me will be to just try their signature burgers, so I do not need to think about which one of the 12 cheeses I want on my burger. Since I left here, I have been craving their Peanut Butter and Jealousy Burger, with, you guessed it, peanut butter and jelly, along with bacon. I can not wait to go again.

Out of five rippers (a tool used by a Slater to remove broken slate), five being best and zero being worst, Slater's 50/50 gets a solid 3.5 rippers. You probably thought I was going to go with an A.C. Slater reference here, right?

For more information on Slater's, click here: http://www.slaters5050.com/

Shooting An Eagle at O'Neill"s?

O'Neill's Bar and Grill

26772 Avery Parkway

Mission Viejo, CA 92692

Katie's Dad loves golf. Some people in his own family might even say that he loves golf more than them. Okay, maybe that is a slight exaggeration, but his eyes get a little extra twinkle in them when he talks about golf. All the problems of the world go out the window when he is reminiscing about a day out on the links. So it came as no surprise to me that one of his favorite restaurants just happens to be at a country club where he has played golf numerous times. And that place is O'Neill's

O'Neill's is located at the Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, at the end of Avery Parkway. The course opened in 2004, was designed by PGA pro, Tom Lehman. The public course is a favorite among south county residents. But, we are here for the food.

O'Neill's has a new chef that has completely overhauled the entire menu. Chef Jeff Platt honed his craft at Roy's, Tabu Grill, and the Napa Rose. Platt's goal at O'Neill's is to serve high-quality food, with great presentation, while still maintaining the ranch feel of the club. Let's see if he gets to his goal.

To start our meal we had the Kung Pao Calamari. This calamari was served with peanuts, cilantro, and carrots with a kung pao sauce. The calamari was cooked perfectly. I liked the long strips instead of the rings. The breading was good as well. I thought that the kung pao sauce could have had more of a kick though.

For months before we came here, Katie's Dad has told me I have to try the Chaparral Chili. Not wanting to disappoint the big guy, I complied with his wishes. This chili is served with white aged cheddar and red onion. Not quite the chili I was expecting, it was still solid. It was not a spicy chili but had a sweet almost cinnamon taste to it. I would equate it to a Cincinnati chili, but not quite. Very rich flavor, I would say this was a must-have.

Now on to the main dishes. Katie's Mom opted for the Double Breasted Chicken. This chicken was stuffed with fennel and cremini mushrooms. Lynn and I both agreed that this chicken was a little on the dry side. I also did not find this big on flavor. The sauce that was on this chicken was good though, I just wish there was more of it.

Katie surprised me with her pick for the night, when she got the Saffron Paella. This dish featured scallops, shrimp, sausage, crab, corn, Flageolet beans, and leeks. Pretty much everything in the kitchen. Katie liked this dish and liked this interpretation of paella. Scallops were cooked perfectly, but the beans were undercooked according to Katie. 

Katie's Dad, Dennis went with the Prime Burger here. This upscale looking burger came with bacon, avocado, Swiss cheese, (he subbed out the pepper jack that usually comes with this), and red onion on a brioche bun. The burger looked great and got rave reviews from Dennis. I did sneak an onion ring, and they were heavily breaded but very good.

The last main dish of the evening was my choice, the 7 Oz. Flat Iron Steak Meyer Ranch Natural Prime. This steak was very tender and had a great robust flavor to it. The Bearnaise sauce that came with this complemented the meat nicely. As much as I loved the meat, the opposite was true of the blue cheese macaroni side item I got with this. I thought with all of the big flavors in this it would be great, but it fell flat. I would not get this again.

Here were the two desserts that we got to share. These were just okay. The chocolate cake with ice cream was the best one out of the two. The raspberry sorbet tart got good reviews from Katie and her Mom but is not the sort of dessert that I enjoy.

The vibe at O'Neill's is a comfortable one. Not too country-clubbish. They did reach their goal of making their small restaurant have the feel of an upscale ranch. On the downside, I think that their menu is too limited. I would like a few more side items, but you can definitely find something that you will like here. The next time I am here I will go with a burger, or the prime rib sandwich looks promising.

Out of five skins, (this is a golf club after all), five being best to zero being worst, O'Neill's get three skins.

For more information on O'Neill's click here: http://www.arroyotrabuco.com/o-neill-s/o-neill-s-bar-grill

Eating at the Pride of Crown Town, Miguel's - CLOSED

Miguel's California Mexican Cocina

26592 Towne Center Dr.

Foothill Ranch, CA 92610

I know, I know, another Mexican restaurant reviewed on this blog? I should leave it to the experts like Christian over at Orange County Mexican Restaurants. But, I can not stop eating Mexican food. It has become a part of me. So when Kevin and Sara suggested Miguel's, who was I to say no?

Miguel's is a Corona import to the OC. It started in 1973 in the "Crown City", by Mike and Mary Vasquez. They now have three locations, (the other two are in Corona), and nine locations of the fast-food version of their place, Miguel's Jr.

This Friday night the restaurant is really packed. The large dining room is buzzing with activity, and it is quite loud. We arrived at about 7:30 and had about a ten-minute wait. The decor is bright, but the lighting is dark. Enough about the ambiance, let's check out the food.

So first things first, we always have to give you a glimpse of the chips and salsa. Okay, not really a salsa here, it is more of a sauce. There were no chunks of onion, cilantro, or tomatoes anywhere around this so-called salsa. The taste was okay, but not big on flavor. The chips were your average run of the mill chips. They did not stand out to us.

Katie always has to order some Guacamole, and this night was no exception. The guacamole here is pretty mellow. It did have a nice smooth taste, but I like my guacamole with a little kick to it.

Now on to the meals. Kevin went with the El Garbage Burrito with shredded beef. He felt that this was just a basic burrito. Nothing special here. I should have gotten a picture of the inside of the burrito, but I did not. I didn't want to interrupt his eating.

Kevin's wonderful wife, Sara ordered the One Item Combination Plate and chose the chicken taco. This also came with beans and rice. Once again, she was not wowed by this plate. She liked this well enough to finish it, but the taco did not get rave reviews from Sara. I will say that the chicken was at least moist, although lacking in flavor.

Next up was Katie's dinner, the Baja Fish Tacos, served Cabo style. Icelandic cod, flash-fried and served with shredded cabbage and Baja sauce. She was surprised by how much she enjoyed this plate. She felt that there was a lot of cheese in these, but it did not get in the way of the fish. She also thought that the fish was cooked well, and had a nice mellow essence to it.

Lastly, was my Carnitas Burrito, filled with Sonora beans, cilantro, Maria's sauce, then topped with salsa verde. The carnitas in this was tender, but like all the other food, it was kind of bland. I ordered a side of beans and rice with this for an extra $2.49. I should have saved that money. They were average beans and rice and did not add anything to the meal.

Our thoughts about Miguel's? Sara might have summed it up best when she said, "It was okay, but I probably would not go back". Living in the OC there are far too many good Mexican restaurants to eat at. The service for us on this night was good, but I feel that the prices at Miguel's are far too high for what you get. My burrito was $11.99, and Katie's two fish tacos were the same price. Only Sara's meal, the chicken taco combo plate, was priced fairly at $7.99.

So out of five lemons, (because Miguel's is from Corona, and Corona was once dubbed the lemon capital of the world), five being best to zero being worst, Miguel's gets 2 lemons.

For more information on Miguel's click here: http://www.miguelsrestaurant.com/default.asp

Big Day at Big B's Barbecue

Big B's Barbecue

1948 N. Placentia Ave.

Fullerton, CA 92831 

I was up in north Orange County getting my teeth cleaned, so it was the perfect opportunity to cross off one of the places on my restaurant wish list. It is rare that I am up in this area for lunch, so it had to be Big B's Barbecue where I would go. Joining me on this outing was my Mom, and brother in law Jarrod.

Big B's Barbecue is located right next to Brian's, Fullerton's oldest sports bar, and owned by the same owner, Brian Fairley. Fairley opened the space right next to his bar in 1986, trying to give his patrons a more satisfying menu. Since that time they have become very popular for their barbecue, and have a booming catering business. Big B's is a very small restaurant with two booths and counter seating against a wall. If there is no room in the tiny restaurant, you can order in the much larger bar area at the window. So without further delay, let's check out the food.

When I go to a barbecue place I always like to get a combo plate. This trip was not any different. I got the Rib and Chicken Combo with potato salad as a side item. The ribs were tender and good. Great flavor, and a lot of meat on them. The chicken was also moist, and the skin was very crisp. I would definitely get these meats again. The potato salad, however, was not very good. Too many big hunks of potato in it, and not real big on flavor. It was more like eating a cold baked potato with nothing on it.

Next up was Jarrod's lunch, the Pulled Pork Sliders with a side of Beckett's Beans. I felt that the pork could have been moister, but it did have decent flavor. I tried to add BBQ sauce to the meat to make it less dry, but the sauce here was not to my liking. It was a very tangy barbecue sauce. The Beckett's beans, named after a customer who inspired the recipe, were actually pretty good. They were made up of three kinds of beans with bacon and jalapenos. These beans had a great kick to them and would be my go-to choice for a side item here.

My Mom was not feeling like having barbecue, so she went with the Chicken Salad Sandwich with Fries. The fries were average, and my Mom felt that the sandwich was good, but not the best she has ever had.

Barbecue is a tricky business. It is a very complex genre of food. There are so many aspects to it. From the sauce, the meats, the sides, and how they all combine and interact with one another. One bad area and it throw all the others off kilter. At Big B's they lost me with their sauce. I am sure other people like it, but to me, it was just too tangy. It really took away my pleasure from the meats. I was also not too fond of their side items, other than the beans. The prices here were fair. My rib and chicken combo were $11 and the pulled pork sliders were $8, with each coming with your choice of a side. The service was okay, you order at a counter.

Out of five titans, (because this spot is popular with CSUF students), five being best to zero being worst, Big B's Barbecue gets 2.5 titans.

For more information on Big B's Barbecue click here: https://bigbsbbq.com/