Right on Track at Vintage Steakhouse? - CLOSED

The Vintage Steakhouse

26701-B Verdugo Street

San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675

Finding a good steakhouse can be very hard. Like barbecue restaurants, there are many factors that can turn you off from a steak place. Sides can be bad, the steaks can be tough, service can be horrible, or the restaurant can just be overpriced. So with this in mind, I dragged my steak expert/friend, Matt out with me and we tried a new place for both of us, Vintage Steakhouse.

We arrived at 7 on a Thursday night, without a reservation, and had no problem getting a seat. The Vintage Steakhouse is situated right next to the San Juan Capistrano Depot. Staying with the railroad theme, The Vintage has a fully restored 1927 Pullman railway car, which houses one of their two dining rooms. We were seated here.  Enough of the ambiance, let's see some food.

Here is a quick shot of the bread basket that was given to us. There was nothing really too memorable about this bread, but it did come out very warm.

Both Matt and I ordered salads because man can not live on steak alone. Well, I probably could, but I wanted a nice balanced dinner, plus I was really hungry. I had the Caesar Salad above. This was your basic Caesar salad. I liked that this had plenty of cheese on it and was served cold, but it was a little light on the dressing. Matt went with the Spinach Salad. He felt this salad was good, but would have been made better with some goat cheese added.

We only went with one appetizer to split between us, the Orecchiette Au Gratin. This was bell-shaped pasta in a cheese sauce with applewood smoked bacon. This was so rich, that it makes Donald Trump feel homeless. I liked the sauce at first, but then it got to be too much. This is a very heavy appetizer, so I am glad we split this.

For dinner, I  was torn between a few items, but I went with my old standby, the Filet Mignon. At the Vintage, they are very proud to point out the fact that they grill all of their meats over a mesquite grill. The filet here was pretty good. Very tender, and had a great flavor. I ordered this medium rare and that is the way it came out. I did not really need the sauces that we were provided with above, but they were nice accompaniments. The best of the bunch was the Bearnaise sauce, but the Cabernet Demi and Wild Mushroom Bordelaise were not too bad either. I also wanted to give props to Vintage for including sides with their steaks. A lot of the more upscale restaurants sell everything ala carte, but not so here. The twice-baked potato is the way to go. The inside was fluffy and had just enough cheese to avoid being called bland. The vegetables were just veggies. Nothing made them stand out.

Matt heard the specials and took this one. The Tomahawk Chop is a bone-in rib eye. Sorry, the picture makes the meat look so dark. Matt felt that this steak was cooked to his liking, the flavor was good, and the meat was very tender. He remarked that the veggies were fresh, also he is not much of a potato guy, but he liked the twice-baked potato as well.

Lastly, we had dessert. I stole Matt's choice for dessert, which you will see next. So he settled on the Vintage Train Car. This dessert was made up of puff pastry, with cinnamon cream, and then rolled in sugar and cinnamon, and finished off with a caramel drizzle. This was not the best dessert. With all of the big flavors here, this was kind of subdued. If you want a light dessert, this is probably the way to go. I give them credit for the presentation, but I would not get this again.

The best dessert that I have had in a while was the Peanut Butter Creme Brulee here. I wish more places would put this on their menus. The peanut butter was very smooth and had a big flavor. This was served with chocolate sauce and whipped cream. I really enjoy Reese's candy, but the chocolate sauce did not match up as well with the peanut butter here for some reason. The way to go with this was to eat this with the whipped cream. Very good.

The Vintage Steakhouse proves that a steak place does not have to be crazy expensive for it to be good. The meats here were very good, and they ranged in the $30 and under price range. I was not too crazy with the choices of appetizers, and the dinner menu is a little small, but you should be able to find something on there that will make you happy. The crowd here is definitely older. The service also left a lot to be desired. Our waitress was MIA for a lot of the night, leaving the food runner and bussers to do almost everything. There were long gaps when glasses were empty and plates were left on the table. We were in no rush, but I am sure if you were going to be catching a movie or something where you were on a timeline, it could be annoying. All in all, a very satisfying meal.

Out of five bottles of wine, (because in winemaking, grapes picked in a specific year turn a bottle of wine into vintage wine), five being best to zero being worst, the Vintage Steakhouse gets 3 bottles of wine.

For more information on Vintage Steakhouse, click here: http://www.thevintagesteakhouse.com/index.html

Salvatore's Take Two - CLOSED

Salvatore Cucina Italiana

27001 La Paz Road

Mission Viejo, CA 92691

I will preface this review by telling you I have a solid sentimental pull toward Salvatore Cucina Italiano. This was the spot for Katie and my first date. The food was okay that night, but it took a backseat to the company. This is the first time we have been back since that fateful evening all those years ago. 

Salvatore's has been in the exact location and under the same ownership for the last twenty-one years. That makes them one of the oldest Italian restaurants in Mission Viejo. Salvatore D' Abbusco came from Naples to the United States when he was 24. He married a girl from Philadelphia, and they opened this place. Salvatore's is known for their "Complete Dinners," a six-course all-inclusive meal. Let's take a look at it.

The bruschetta started our complete dinner. I am not usually a big fan of bruschetta, but this one was fine. The Roma tomatoes were chopped finely and tasted fresh, and they also had a good deal of garlic on them.

With the complete dinner, you will also get both soup and salad. The soup the night we were here was the Minestrone. Small elbow pasta and beans combined to make this soup. The broth was salty but not overboard. There was no abundance of beans or pasta, which would have made this better. The soup was average. The salad was your basic dinner salad. This one came with a creamy Italian dressing. It was too tangy for my taste. I should have gone with the ranch or blue cheese dressing.

Now, on to the entrees. Katie selected the Penne Con Pollo. This rich dish came with chicken, mushrooms, peppers, and sun-dried tomatoes, all in an Alfredo sauce. Katie felt that the chicken was cooked really well—very tender. What I remember most about this dish was that it came out scalding hot. It was steaming for a long time at the table. 

I also went with a pasta dish, the Penne Al Fungi. Mushrooms, pancetta, and peas were all featured in this dish, along with a creamy garlic sauce. This dish was okay when I first started eating it, then I doctored it up a little by adding some red pepper flakes, and it was made much better. I liked the sauce but would have been happier with some extra pancetta. This dish was very rich, so I took some for lunch the next day. Like most pasta dishes, it was better the next day. 

After skipping the Coffee course, we went right into dessert with the items above. Katie wanted to try the Spumoni, a multi-flavored ice cream with nuts and liquor, then rolled in chocolate chunks. This is not like the spumoni that you get at Spaghetti Factory. Katie loved this spumoni. She thought it had a great taste and was really cold. I had the Torta di Triplo Cioccolato. My Italian is not the best, but I think this means triple chocolate cake. Who needs Rosetta Stone anyway. Back to the dessert, this was a cheesecake with a layer of chocolate, chocolate chips, and a chocolate sauce. I like chocolate, but this was way too rich. The cheesecake was very dense. I like a lighter cheesecake, so this was not my favorite dessert. 

The feel at Salvatore's is that of a rustic farmhouse. The restaurant is hard to find, tucked away in a complex that looks more like a group of doctor's offices instead of housing an Italian restaurant. The dining room is small, with fifteen tables. The service was friendly but slow and leisurely. Do not come here if you have tickets to a movie in an hour. You will not make it on time. Value for the money is very good here. Dinners are reasonably priced, and you will go home with leftovers. Also, the menu is extensive, so you will find something you like here. It was nice returning to Salvatore's; at least this time, I could concentrate on the food. 

Out of five roads (because the lead character of Jack Kerouac's On the Road was named Salvatore), five being best to zero being worst, Salvatore's Cucina Italiano gets 2.5 roads. 

For more information about Salvatore's Cucina Italiano, click here: http://www.salvatore38.com/Home.html

Sweet Brunch at Plums?

Plums Cafe 

369 E. 17th Street

Costa Mesa, CA 92627

I admit it, I am a guy that likes brunch. Brunch to me usually means going to El Torito, the Hyatt Newporter, or some other restaurant, that serves unlimited champagne, has long tables of all you can eat food, and will result in a two hour nap. That is not the case at Plums in Costa Mesa. Here they have no buffet and the champagne sets you back $8 a glass. So this is a new kind of brunch for me, let's see how it turned out.

Plums has been open for over twenty years. Started as a catering business, their food quickly became a local favorite. Owner Kim Jorgenson, a native of the Northwest, settled in Costa Mesa and created a menu inspired by the cuisine of the Northwest. The wait on the Sunday we were here was 45 minutes long at 11. I figured all of these people must be on to something to wait this long, when there are plenty of restaurants nearby.  Let's hope the food is not as gloomy as a Seattle day.

Katie and I were both intrigued by the Banana Brulee Oatmeal, so we split it. The top layer of this was good, with the caramelized bananas. The oatmeal part of this was very plain, as any oatmeal will be. I would have liked this a lot more if the bananas were spread out evenly through the whole bowl, but I should have known what I was getting myself into when ordering this.

Believe it or not, Katie had never had Eggs Benedict before. So this would be her first foray into breakfast staple. She ordered the Santa Fe Eggs Benedict after reading all of the positive reviews on Yelp. This Benedict featured peppered ham, chipotle-cilantro hollandaise sauce, and poached eggs all served on a baguette. Katie said, "This has set the bar very high for all Benedict's that I will try in the future". I am not a big fan of this egg dish, but it was very good. I thought the chipotle hollandaise sauce could have been a little more flavorful, but overall this was a good dish.

I also went with an egg dish for my meal, the Dungeness Crab and Asparagus Omelet. This very fresh tasting omelet was filled with asparagus and crab. The crab was noticeable, but not very over powering. You could tell that it was good quality crab. The eggs seemed very buttery and full of flavor. I did not even miss the absence of cheese in this omelet. The Plums potatoes that were served with both of our plates were just okay, nothing spectacular.

Lastly, I wanted to show you the bread that came with my omelet. This Organic Nine Grain Toast was not too bad. I am usually pretty picky about such healthy sounding bread, but this had a good taste to it, and with jelly, this tasted even better.

Plums Cafe is a great, but simple breakfast spot. The food is definitely fresh and prepared well. I did not feel weighted down by the food I ate here. The prices might be a little on the high side. My omelet was $15, and Katie's Eggs Benedict was $14. This is not the type of place I would come every Sunday, but I do look forward to exploring their menu more. The service was professional and prompt, especially since they were so busy. We were seated on the patio in front of the restaurant, but it was very pleasant out there. Did Plums change my mind about what a great brunch is? Well, it definitely got me to think about it.

Out of five eye glasses, (because Eve Plumb played Jan Brady, who had to be reminded to wear her glasses. Yes, I know they are spelled differently, but I wanted to work a Brady Bunch reference into my blog sometime!), five being best to zero being worst, Plums gets 3 eye glasses.

For more information on Plums Cafe, click here: http://plumscafe.com/index.htm

Cheese-ing It Up at Mi Casa

Mi Casa

296 E. 17th Street

Costa Mesa, CA 92627

Every neighborhood has one. A local Mexican restaurant that has been around for decades. A restaurant where kids have come with parents, and then they have brought their own kids with them to experience the restaurant for themselves. The kind of place that has a fifteen minute wait on a Friday night, but you do not mind waiting because you know you are going to have a great meal. In Costa Mesa, this kind of place is called Mi Casa.

Mi Casa has been around since 1972. The restaurant has pretty much stayed the same today as it was back in the 70's. A lot of the waitresses have been here from the beginning, learning their customers names and becoming an extended member of the family. The restaurant, now in their third generation owned by the same family, has been the host to presidents, (George W. Bush), singers, (Barbara Streisand), sports stars, (Mickey Mantle), and many more celebrities. So let's see what has brought all the stars to this Costa Mesa restaurant.

We made two trips to Mi Casa. Here is a shot of the chips and salsa. I really like their chips, but the salsa is very watery. I like a little more substance to my salsa. The flavor was still okay without the hunks, but it would have been better with some tomato and onion in there.

This heaping plate of food is the Large Mexican Pizza. The menu says that this feeds two to three people, but I almost finished this all by myself. You have your choice of having this with shredded beef, chicken, chili verde, or a combination of all three, so of course I went with all three. The best meat out of the three was the pork chili verde. Seasoned really well and very tender, I will skip the chicken and beef next time and just get the chili verde. The rest of this dish contained almost everything in their kitchen, beans, green chiles, olives, tomatoes, onions, sour cream, guacamole, and lots of cheese. The tortilla that all of this was served on was lost here, but the dish still tasted good.

Katie's first meal here was Sal's Shrimp Burrito. Of course this featured shrimp, but it also had pinto beans, rice, tomatoes, cilantro, cheese, and avocado sauce wrapped in a flour tortilla. Katie liked that this burrito was packed with shrimp, and she also thought this had a little heat to it. She felt that the beans were great, but the rice was average. Overall she was very pleased with her dinner.

Our second trip to Mi Casa we went with Kevin and Sara. Sara ordered a Chicken Taco with a side of rice. She loved the rice, calling it, "the best Mexican style rice she has ever had in a restaurant." Her praise ended there, because she felt that the chicken in the taco was very dry.

Kevin had the Flautas Rancheras, one with chicken and the other with beef. Like Sara's taco, the chicken flauta was dry. The beef was better, but needed to be cut up in smaller chunks. Kevin said that the beans and rice were above average. Kevin really liked the cheese that was added to the top of the beans.

On Katie's second trip to Mi Casa she settled on the Grilled Mahi Tacos. These tacos were served with  a creamy avocado sauce, shredded cabbage, pico de gallo, and queso fresco cheese. I am not a wimp when it comes to heat, but this really packed a punch when it came to spice. Katie would get this again, but she was disappointed that the tortilla gave way under the weight of its contents.

I went big time for my second meal at Mi Casa, with a Three Item Combination Plate. For my three items I chose the Pork Tamale, Shredded Beef Taco, and the Cheese Enchilada. I agree with Kevin, the shredded beef needed to be chopped up more. One bite and all the meat came out of the taco. The tamale was filled with pork, and not dry like a lot of tamales can be. The enchilada was the best thing on the plate. I really liked the sauce, and of course there was no shortage of cheese here. The rice was just okay for me. I liked the refried beans better. I did manage to finish this meal, but I was stuffed afterwards.

Mi Casa is a comfortable restaurant. They are very consistent. The prices might be a little on the high side, but you will probably have leftovers for lunch the next day. The waitresses know what they are doing here, but they may get distracted during busier times. The food is not going to blow your socks off. It is good, but not great. They try to make up for it by adding copious amounts of cheese on everything, and that can never be a bad thing.

So out of five water pitchers, (because they have them on the tables), five being best to zero being worst, Mi Casa gets 2.5 water pitchers.

For more information about Mi Casa, check them out here: http://micasa1.com/

Filing My Report From Philippe's!

Philippe 

1001 North Alameda

Los Angeles, CA 90012

On the plane back from New York to LAX, my Mom had one of her best ideas in a long time. She said, "How about after we land we head over to Philippe's for a sandwich?" So instead of heading down the 405 freeway, after our five hour flight, we headed to the home of the French dip sandwich Philippe's.

I am not saying Philippe's is old, but their was a rumor that their first sandwich was made from dinosaur meat! Okay, that was a bad joke, but Philippe's has been around for a long time. 1908 to be exact. Their signature sandwich, the French dip has been around almost as long, 1918. The story goes that a police officer ordered a roast beef sandwich and the bread was inadvertently dropped into the pan drippings. The officer was in too much of a hurry to wait for a new sandwich, so he took the sandwich anyways. From that day on, the officer always ordered the sandwich like that and told his friends about it. Thus the French dip was born.

My parents were not around in 1918, (although some days they look like they were, just kidding Mom and Dad!), but they have been coming to Philippe's for as long as they can remember. Like their parents bringing them here, they passed down the tradition to my sister and I.  The restaurant has not appeared to have changed in the years that I have been coming here.

Ordering is done at the counter, where the carver creates your sandwich, and any other items that you may want. They only take cash, so remember to stop by an ATM before heading over to Philippe's. After receiving your meal, find a seat at one of the communal tables, and dig into the food.

At Philippe's they offer five versions of their famous dip sandwiches, beef, pork, lamb, turkey, and ham. The debate always rages which one is best. I am not going to get suckered into that debate, I will dodge the question by saying, whichever one you choose, you will not go wrong. The one above is pork. The bread is the first thing you notice when biting into the sandwich. Soft, but sturdy, it holds together nicely and soaks up the au jus nicely. The meats are all roasted on the premises, and are all very moist and have a great flavor.

Here is an inside view of the Lamb sandwich. Never gamey, with moist, flavorful pieces of lamb. The sandwich is not overly large, but there is a decent amount of meat on these.

Katie had the Beef French Dip with Swiss cheese added. I snuck a few bites of her sandwich as well.  At Philippe's you have the option of having a single dip, double dip, or having your sandwich wet. These sandwiches  are all just dipped, but next time I am going to be having mine wet.

I had never had their Potato Salad before, so we tried some this trip. This scoop of salad was topped with cayenne, but the potato salad was just average.

Another thing that makes the sandwiches here so legendary, is the hot mustard. This is not to be played with. I like heat, and this needs to be used in moderation. Not sure but I think this mustard is horseradish based, and if it catches you by surprise, you will be feeling it for awhile. It does go well with the sandwiches though.

Philippe's is not fancy, as you can see from the picture above. Appearing like it has for many years, sawdust on the floor, barren walls, and food served on stiff, brown paper plates, this restaurant has become part of Los Angeles culture. Southern California has so few food icons, let alone ones that have stayed the same for well over a century, that this one should be celebrated.

Out of five pigs feet, (because according to their web site, Philippe's sells 300 pounds of pigs feet a week), five being best to zero being worst, Philippe's gets 3.5 pigs feet.

For more information about Philippe's, click here: http://www.philippes.com/

Street Walking For Great Indian Food in the NYC

Biryani Cart

46th Street and 6th Avenue

New York, NY 10036

Eating street food is something everyone should do when visiting the city. Whether it is a hot dog in Battery Park, or a bag of nuts from any number places that sells them throughout the city, it is really part of the experience of being in New York.  I had a long list of restaurants to try while we were here, but I had no idea where to eat when it came to the food carts that were on every corner. Luckily for us we were staying on 46th street, which just happens to be the home of Biryani Cart.

The smell from the Biryani cart was the first thing to catch our attention. The smell of spices wafting through the air, along with the aroma of the meat got us to stop. Also, plastered all over their cart were reviews and accolades they had received. So we kind of ran into this place with some dumb luck.

I am not going to try and trick you into thinking I know a lot about cuisine from India. I don't know the difference between a Spicy Buradi and a Chennai Roll. In fact the first time we went to this cart I did not even look at the menu, and instead ordered the Spicy Gyro above. Not sure if this has a different name on the menu, but it was delicious. The meat had a great flavor, the bread a nice texture and it held up to the insides of the gyro nicely. The thing that popped out at me with this were the spices. Not just a spicy, big flavor, but savory at the same time.  On our second trip to the cart I had to get another one of these.

Our second trip, along with the gyro, we ordered the Kati Rolls. One with chicken and one with lamb. Picture a soft taco, with meat and seasoned very well and you basically have a Kati Roll in mind. Both of these were very good. We ordered ours spicy, and they were great. I would definitely get these again.

Eating at Biryani Cart really made me want to try some Indian/Middle Eastern cuisine when we got home. Katie felt that the food from the Biryani Cart was the best thing we ate on the trip. I will not go that far, but  it was in the upper echelon of foods that we had on our vacation.

So out of five Bengal tigers, (because that is the national animal for the country of Bangladesh, which is the home country of the owner and operator of the Biryani Cart), five being best to zero being worst, Biryani Cart gets 3.5 Bengal tigers.

Biryani Cart does not have a web site, but you can get reviews and info here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/biryani-cart-new-york

A Little Piece of Havana In Times Square

Margon Restaurant 

136 West 46th Street

New York, NY 10036

I was pretty excited to hear that there was a Cuban restaurant across from our hotel in New York. I have been on a real Cuban sandwich kick lately. The reviews for Margon had all been pretty positive also. Most on-line posts remarked that it was good food, for an even better price. Some have even called it the best food in Times Square. So with all this glowing praise, I could not be any happier to try it.

Margon is a very narrow, counter-style restaurant. Our first of two trips here was during the lunch rush, and organized chaos would be the way to describe what was going on here. The locals all had the system down, like ordering the Cuban sandwiches at the front part of the counter and ordering all other items at the back counter. I could tell my parents were a little sheepish about this place, so I told them I would order the sandwiches and bring them back across the street to our hotel. They seemed cool with that, and after about a five-minute wait we were tearing into our sandwiches. 

The Cuban sandwich here is a little different from what I am used to. At Margon the pressed sandwich comes with roasted pork, ham, salami, mayonnaise, mustard, pickles, and cheese. The other Cuban sandwiches I have had contained all the same items, but no mayo or salami. The additional items did not make this sandwich worse, just a little different. I really liked the flavor of this sandwich. It was not the best Cuban sandwich I have had, but it was way better than most. Also, the $6 I paid for this sandwich really filled me up until dinner, so it was definitely a bargain.

Our second trip to Margon was for breakfast. The breakfast crowd at Margon is a little more subdued, and we had no trouble finding a table. My parents both got the omelet's above. My Mom went with the Cheese Omelette served with home fries. My Dad settled on the Ham and Cheese Omelette. Both egg dishes came with their choice of American or Swiss cheese, not my favorite kinds of cheese to come on an omelet. Both of my parents thought the omelet was okay, nothing special about them, except that they cost under $5, one of the cheapest items we had on this whole trip.

I went a different way for breakfast when I ordered the Media Noche Sandwich. This midnight sandwich was served on potato bread with ham, cheese, pickles, and mustard. I liked this sandwich better than the Cuban sandwich. The bread was softer, and the ham had a nice grill to it. The price you ask? How does $4 sound? Cheaper than even Subway's five-dollar foot long, and much better.

I was very happy about eating at Margon. If we had been here longer I would have for sure had some of their more exotic-sounding specials. The oxtail, lamb breast, and octopus salad all intrigued me, but those will have to wait for our next trip to the Big Apple. Also, next time I will try to avoid the lunchtime rush in this tiny restaurant.

Out of five yank tanks, (referring to big American cars of the '50s and 60's still in use in Cuba), five being best to zero being worst, Margon restaurant gets 2.5 yank tanks.  

For more information about Margon Restaurant, head to their website here: https://margon.has.restaurant/