Picture Perfect Pizza at Pizzeria Ortica? - CLOSED

Pizzeria Ortica

650 Anton Blvd.

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

I have wanted to try Pizzeria Ortica for a long time now. It seems like it has been on my list of places to try forever, but we have just not had the opportunity to make the trek up the 405 to Costa Mesa. After going to New York and having some great pizza, we were on a quest to find an equally great pizza in the OC. Pizzeria Ortica has been on so many of the best pizza lists, so that is where we are headed. 

Pizzeria Ortica is located adjacent to the theater district of Costa Mesa. Modestly decorated, long, and narrow, this restaurant has high ceilings that do not diminish the noise. Very hard to hold a conversation in a loud room. Also, the tables were crammed too close together. We sat along the front window and were brushed by a passerby at least twice. The atmosphere got us off our game, but the food could bring us back. Let's see if this will be the case.

To start, Katie and I chose one appetizer. Above is her choice, the Conserva di Pollo. This consisted of olive oil, shredded chicken, Parmigiano, vegetables, and balsamic dressing. Think of it as a warm chicken salad. I thought the taste of this was fine, but Katie, who found a bone in it, would not get this again. She summed up this dish by saying it was "not fantastic."

I usually see lamb on a menu and gravitate towards it, and this was the case here. Above is the Arrosticini d'angello. Two lamb skewers were served with wilted dandelion greens and a mint salsa verde. The lamb was cooked well and very tender, and the mint worked well with the meat. The dandelion greens were very strong and oily, and they really overpowered this dish.

Now on to the main course, and the reason we are here: the pizza. Katie went with the Milanesa Pizza. This featured fontina cheese, asparagus, Parmigiano Reggiano, and a fried egg. This pizza was very good. It was unique and rich in flavor. The Fontina and egg rocked it. Katie really enjoyed this pizza as well, calling it "more of a pizza quiche."

I ordered the more traditional type of pie, the Salsiccia pizza. This came with homemade sausage, fennel, mascarpone, red onion, and buffalo grana. These are big flavors for this pizza, and they all worked well together. I am usually not a crust guy, but this one had a good chewiness to it. They were light on the toppings, but that might have been by design. The absence of sauce was not noticeable at all. It was a very good pizza.

Lastly, for dessert, we went with the exotic-sounding Budino di Cioccolato. This was chocolate layered with caramel, topped with two berries. This tiny dessert was okay—not too decadent, but with a smooth texture. I'm unsure if I would order this again, but it was all right.

There are two different kinds of pizzas out there. One is the kind we grew up on, from Chuck E Cheese, Pizza Hut, or Haus of Pizza. These have lots of cheese and toppings and taste really good. The other type of pizza is more of a refined, grown-up-only kind of pizza. It is a pizza that lets the toppings and dough be the show's star instead of just piling on mounds of cheese. Both pizzas are good in their own way, though, so I will continue eating both.

The refined, grown-up pizza is what should bring you to Pizzeria Ortica. They use a 300-year-old biga to create their dough and have great options for what to put on their pizzas. This has been the best pizza we have had in the OC for a while. The rest of the menu, however, was a disappointment, and the service at this restaurant could have been better than you would expect. Our waiter seemed lost for the majority of our time here. We will definitely be back for the pizza, though, and we will skip the rest of the menu.

Out of five train cars (because Ortica is an area in Milan that used to have a famous railway station), five being best to zero being worst, Pizzeria Ortica gets 3 train cars.

For more information on Pizzeria Ortica, click here: http://www.pizzeriaortica.com/

Terrific Night at Taste of Anaheim

16th Annual Taste of Anaheim

Anaheim Garden Walk

321 West Katella Ave.

Anaheim, CA 92802

One of my favorite food events every year is the Taste of Anaheim. Unlike other Taste of... (insert city name here), your admission to the festival is your passport to trying all the samples you can eat. I was fortunate enough to be given a press pass for this event, but Katie was pleased to pay the $40 entrance fee, and we both felt this was more than worth it.

The Taste of Anaheim features food from 50 restaurants, ranging from fast food to fine dining. Although the crowd was large, everything appeared to run smoothly. Lines for food booths went pretty quick. There was definitely enough food to go around. In addition to the food, the TOA also had three bands to entertain the crowd, local artists, and many exhibitors from the local community.  So, without further ado, let's check out the food.

Of course, one of my favorite Anaheim restaurants is Mr. Stox, so that is one of the first booths we hit. They were sampling their Crab Cakes and Chocolate Macaroon cookies. Both were great, and of course, I did go for seconds.

Fire and Ice Restaurant was hosting the VIP party and was offering the above items. This Mongolian-style grill had slider hamburgers, sausage pasta, and a beef dish. The drink above is their signature Scorpion drink, made with two kinds of rum, gin, brandy, and other juices. Very smooth, even with all of the alcohol in this.

Cantina Lounge was handing out Carne Asada tacos and Mexi-Mac and Cheese. Both of these had a decent flavor.

Canyon Neighborhood Restaurant, a place on my list of places to try now, sampled a BBQ Beef Quesadilla and a Tuna Salad. Both were very tasty, and the presentation was good here as well.

Last year I called Concourse Bowling Center's food the worst at the TOA. This year they were a lot better than the veal meatballs and chicken curry dish they had last year. This year they went with more traditional items for a bowling alley, a Roast Beef Slider, and Beef Chili. Much better choices.

Another on my worst list last year was Alcatraz Brewing Company, but the rib above was tender, and the light beer they were sampling was smooth and had a mild flavor. Much better!

Taste of Anaheim is not just for restaurants already in business but for introducing themselves to the community before opening. This is the case for The Ranch Restaurant. This place, located on Ball Road, will be open in the fall. They offered three samples, a Lamb Chop (tender and flavored well), Tortilla Soup (nice flavor but too runny), and a light dessert that I did not catch the name of (refreshing). I will definitely give them a try when they open in the fall.

Old Anaheim stalwart rolled out three offerings as well. The cheesecake was light and fruity, the shrimp salad was okay, and the spicy shrimp ceviche was excellent and bursting with flavor.

La Brea Bakery also made my list of worst booths last year, but they offered a Turkey-Bacon Panini that was much better than last year's samples.

Another of my favorite restaurants was in attendance, Slater's 50/50. They sampled their Signature Burger and a burger I have been dying to try, The Peanut Butter and Jealousy Burger. The signature burger is always a good bet, and the peanut butter and jelly burger were tasty, but it needed more PB and J. I still want to try it at the restaurant, though.

The above is an actual sample at one of the busiest booths of the night, Ruth's Chris Steak House. They were giving out full versions of their Prime Burger. At the restaurant, this sets you back $13.50, and here you can eat three of these and about pay for your admission to the TOA.

I have many more pictures of other foods I consumed on my Facebook page, which you can find here: http://www.facebook.com/EatingMyWayThroughOC. While you are there, if you could "like us," I would appreciate it.

As for the Taste Of Anaheim, another job was well done by the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce, who put this event on. The food gets better and better each year. I could not even compile a list of best and worst because nothing really stood out as worst. I always look forward to this, like Christmas, and I can not wait until next year.

For more information about Taste of Anaheim, click here: http://www.tasteofanaheim.com/TOA10.php?page=home.php

Flopping on Broadway at Ellen's

Ellen's Stardust Diner

1650 Broadway

New York, NY 10019

I will preface this review by saying that I am not a real big Broadway guy. I have seen some shows, but I do not really seek them out. I usually only go because I know that someone else wants to go. I also have to admit that I am also put off by theater-type performers. Their thirst for attention and getting noticed usually comes off as desperate to me.

So with that said, I knew that Ellen's Stardust Diner would not be for me. I knew this going in, but I was still hoping for a good meal. I mean just because I had to listen to some song from Little Mermaid that I did not know, didn't mean they could not make a good breakfast, or a decent dessert, right?

Ellen Stardust Diner has been in business since 1987 in the heart of Times Square. Besides the singing wait staff, they have a 50's nostalgia theme going on here also. My parents, bigger Broadway fans than myself, had been here before and loved it. So we came here twice, once for breakfast and once for dessert. So let's see if the food will be a big hit or Broadway flop.

I will start with my Dad's omelet. To be honest, I did not try this omelet, and I am not even sure what was in it. From the picture, it looks like a veggie omelet. It also looked like it was a little sparse when it came to the cheese. My Dad finished this with no problem, and no complaints, so I will take that as it was good.

My Mom's standard breakfast is an egg sandwich on an English muffin. This was not even on the menu, but they accommodated her request. The bacon on this looked good, and again, I did not try this. She liked this meal, calling it, "good".

Katie followed my Mom's lead when she got the Breakfast Sandwich served on a bagel. Katie felt that this breakfast was average. She thought that the bagel was the best part of this meal.

I was not too enthused by the breakfast menu at Ellen's. I finally decided on the Breakfast Burrito. This breakfast burrito came wet style, with egg, cheese, and sausage. The burrito really lacked flavor. It was decent sized but tasted like nothing. The potatoes were equally bland and tasted like something you would get out of the freezer case at the supermarket.

Now on to dessert at Ellen's. The whole trip Katie had wanted to try New York Cheesecake, and sadly she chose this place to get it. She claimed that this was a mediocre cheesecake. I tried a bite of this also and would have to concur.

For the second time on our trip, my Dad got an Ice Cream Soda made with chocolate ice cream. Looking from across the table this looked to be a gloppy mess. No complaints from the big guy with this ice cream soda though, so I guess it was all good.

This soupy mess was my Brownie Mudslide Sundae. It came out half melted. The ice cream that was not already melted was fine, but the brownie was not anything spectacular.

I will sum up Ellen's this way. The only reason to go to Ellen's is if you enjoy singing waiters. The food we had was all average to below average. Maybe their lunches and dinners are better than what we had, but if the above is any indication, they probably aren't. The service was okay, considering that the wait staff was more concerned with grabbing a piece of the spotlight, rather than finding a bottle of Tabasco.

Out of five cattle calls, (because I imagine the waiters here have been to plenty of cattle calls), five being best to zero being worst, Ellen's Stardust Diner gets 2 cattle calls.

For more information on Ellen's, click here: http://ellensstardustdiner.com/

Getting Out the Pom-Pom's for Pommes Frites

Pommes Frites

128 MacDougal St. 

New York, NY 10012

Fries, whether French, Belgian, or Freedom are really tasty. But a restaurant that only sells fries? Fries are traditionally a side item, but can they make it when they are not paired with a hamburger or fish? If they are from Pommes Frites, I would say yes they can.

Pommes Frites is a very narrow, small place that sells Belgian fries. Located in the East Village, they have created quite a buzz for their twice-fried fries. But that is only half the story here. The fries are good, but what makes them outstanding are the tasty sauces to go along with them. Let's take a look at these spuds.

Here are two quick shots of the restaurant. Ordering is done at the counter and the fries are made right in front of you. The place kind of had an H. Salt kind of feel to it. The counter help was very nice, and allow you to try as many sauces as you would like to help you determine which one of the twenty-six sauces is right for you. They are very limited on seats here, so lots of people opt to get these to go.

The Pommes Frites are served in a paper cone, in three sizes. Above is the regular size, and it easily fed both Katie and I. The fries alone are crispy on the outside and cooked well on the inside. Not overly salted, but served scalding hot. It is best to wait a minute or two before diving into these if you can.

What really pushes these fries to the upper echelon are the sauces they have here. Katie's choice was the Sweet Mango Chutney Mayo. I liked the sweetness of this, as it reacted nicely to the saltiness of the fries. It kind of created a yin and yang effect. My choice was good as well, the Roasted Garlic Mayo. Good consistency with this sauce. The flavor was very good, and I feel that I could have done shots of this sauce straight. Fortunately, no one dared me to do this though.

Pommes Frites was definitely worth the trip. Of course, after leaving I was haunted by the thoughts of the other great sauces that were left untried, Parmesan peppercorn, wasabi mayo, and pomegranate teriyaki mayo among them. I guess that means we will have to make the 3,000-mile trip back across the country soon.

Out of five mussels, (because the national dish of Belgium is mussels served with fries), five being best to zero being worst, Pommes Frites gets 3 mussels.

For more information on Pommes Frites, click here: https://www.pommesfritesnyc.com/

Pizza Perfection at Grimaldi's?

Grimaldi's Pizzeria

1 Front Street

Brooklyn, NY 11201

Pizza is to New York, as fake body parts are to LA. New York just does pizza well. Some say it is the water, some people claim the cheese is the key, and still, others say the cooking process makes all the difference. Whatever the reason for this, one place kept coming up when I was doing research on where to get a great pizza in the city, Grimaldi's.

Grimaldi's, located right under the Brooklyn Bridge, has become the favorite pizza of countless celebrities, politicians, and foodies from around the world.  The line at Grimaldi's is legendary. People have waited hours to get a seat inside the bustling restaurant. Once inside you are squeezed into your table, almost elbow to elbow with your neighbor. The menu here is not too complex. They have one appetizer, (antipasto), calzones, and of course the reason we are here, pizza. 

The pizza here is cooked in coal ovens. Coal is said to make the pizza's come out with a smoky flavor and a crispness that is not possible when cooking with gas or wood ovens. Coal ovens have been banned from newer restaurants, so there are only a handful of restaurants that still have them. Let's see if coal makes a big difference. 

We opted to get the large pizza with pepperoni and sausage. After the first bite, I noticed the difference right away, the cheese was fresh mozzarella. Not the rubbery stuff that you get at Pizza Hut, but the real thing. Very milky, and it seemed to enhance the slice instead of over-powering my taste buds. The pepperoni was much better here as well. Peppered better than any pepperoni I have ever had. The sauce on this pizza was not overdone either. Sparsely splashed over the pizza to complement the basil leaves. The crust was good as well. The nice crispness to it, but soft on the inside. Between the four of us, there were no pieces of crust left on any of our plates. Not sure that I have ever seen that happen before with four people. 

One last picture to show you the lack of grease left on the pan. The result of this was a light tasting pizza that was full of flavor. The large was eight slices, and I could have probably eaten one whole large pizza by myself. I really savored my two slices and was a little sad when they were gone. 

Grimaldi's was all it was cracked up to be. Some may scoff at the lack of variety on the menu, but it is better to do one thing exceptionally well, than doing a lot of things marginally well. The service here was fair, for how busy they were, but they have to be used to the crowds by now. Another criticism I have heard about this place was the price of the pizza. The large pizza has a base price of $14 and an additional price of $2 for each topping that you choose. I did not find this to be outrageous, but it could add up quickly if you wanted a pizza with everything. Luckily, I like my pizzas more on the simpler side. In my opinion, Grimaldi's deserves all the press and praise it receives. 

Out of five Christmas stockings, (because Grimaldi's could use all the coal that has been found in my stocking to make pizzas for a year!), five being best to zero being best, Grimaldi's gets 4 solid Christmas stockings. 

For more information on Grimaldi's, click here: http://www.grimaldis.com/index.html

Starring Role for Sandwiches at Stage Deli? - CLOSED

Stage Deli

834 7th Avenue

New York, NY 10019

When heading to New York, I looked forward to many things, such as going to a Rangers game, watching Katie experience the Big Apple, and having an excellent deli experience. New York is known for many food cuisines, but the deli has to be one of my favorites. I did some research before leaving for my trip, and Stage Deli was highly rated, so that is where we headed for one of our last nights in NYC.

Stage Deli has been around for 74 years. The list of people that have come through the door of this delicatessen reads like the Hollywood Walk of Fame sidewalk. Opened by Max Asnas, a Russian immigrant, he sold the food of his homeland and soon became the toast of Broadway. Performers would come to the deli after rehearsals or after the shows to chow down on big sandwiches. We showed up here not after going to a show but after walking through Times Square, a different kind of show. Let's check out what we ate.

Katie started off with Chicken Soup and a Matzoh Ball. This could have been the finest matzoh ball either of us has had. It complimented the soup well but was clearly the star of this dish. The matzoh had a great flavor and was not dry. It was a perfect start to this meal.

Big sandwiches are the specialty at Stage Deli, which is what my Dad went with. Here is the Howard Stern Sandwich, which consisted of pastrami, brisket, and muenster cheese. I would have thought that Howard Stern would have a tongue in it because he talks for a living, but what do I know.  My Dad made a real effort to finish this sandwich but came up short. He felt that the meat on this could not stand on its own. He alternated between using mustard and Russian dressing to moisten up the meat. The bread also did not stand up to the sandwich. It fell apart before even the first bite.

My Mom likes tuna, so it was no shock that she opted for the Tuna Salad Sandwich. She felt that this was average tuna. I tried the tuna and thought it had enough moisture, and they were very generous with the amount of tuna on it for a half sandwich.

Another specialty at Stage Deli is the open-faced sandwiches, such as the Tiger Woods Reuben above. This Reuben was made with corned beef, hot sauerkraut, and lots of melted Swiss cheese. Like my Dad said, the meat was dry and needed lots of Russian dressing. Once that was added, this sandwich was good. The bread here was a non-factor, but the sauerkraut was delicious. It was not the best Reuben I have ever had, but it was still good. I even finished this with no problem.

I liked the Stage Deli but was not blown away by it. We arrived at 7 p.m. on a Thursday and got seated right away. The service was surly but efficient. The food really came out quick. The prices were a little high, but this is New York City.

Out of five curtain calls, five being best to zero being worst, Stage Deli gets 2.5 curtain calls.

For more information about Stage Deli, click here: http://www.stagedeli.com/index.cfm