All Star Striking Out Looking or a Home Run?

All Star Sandwich Bar

1245 Cambridge St.

Cambridge, MA 02139

We finally made it to Boston! After our six-hour flight, lugging our bags on the T, and settling into our hotel, we did not want to go far for our first meal. Luckily, we were staying in Cambridge, and a restaurant that was on my list happened to be within walking distance of our hotel. So we set down our bags and walked a short fifteen minutes to All Star Sandwich Bar.

All Star Sandwich Bar has been operating since 2006, and if you are looking for a wrap here, keep on walking. They proudly state that they are a wrap free restaurant. I knew I was in the right place after seeing that. Opened by two brothers, All-Star strives to bring you back to your childhood by creating great comfort food sandwiches.

We arrived at eight on a Tuesday night. The restaurant has bright colored walls, featuring local art for sale. The vibe here is definitely a collegiate hip one. The staff was all young, and the indie music over the speakers was a variety of everything. A constant stream of customers filtered in throughout our stay, so I had a feeling the sandwiches would be good. Let's find out if that was the case.

A suggestion from our waiter started us off with the Deluxe Mac and Cheese. This came out steaming hot. Not really sure why this was called deluxe mac and cheese. It had too mellow of a taste for me. It would have been better if they added some bacon here. Not a bad dish, but not anything I would get again. I did enjoy the bread crumbs that topped this.

The mac and cheese put my taste buds to sleep, but the Rings of Fire woke them up in a hurry. This mountain of onion rings was served with All Star's own creation, the Inner Beauty Hot Sauce. This stuff was scorching and addictive. The rings themselves were fried crisp, and I liked that they were not oversized rings. It made these very manageable. We got a side of blue cheese to dip these in, just to cut the heat down a bit.

I was a little surprised by Katie's choice for a sandwich, the Beef on Weck. This Buffalo, New York-based sandwich consists of house-made roast beef, extra hot horseradish, and au jus, all served on a Kimmelweck bun. The bun is salted and has caraway seeds on top. Very unusual bun, but it works here. The sandwich itself is very simple, but all of the ingredients together made this a solid sandwich. Katie liked the juiciness of the meat but found the horseradish a bit overpowering in some bites.

Coming into All-Star I knew what I was going to get. The other sandwiches on the menu almost tempted me to switch, but I did not stray from the Atomic Meatloaf Meltdown. Grilled meatloaf, red onion jam, jack cheese, and the Inner Beauty hot sauce made up this killer sandwich. This sandwich was a flavor explosion. The sauce was hot in spots, but also mellowed a little because of the cheese and meatloaf. The meatloaf was very moist, almost to the point of becoming liquid. The bread is also worth noting here. It really held the sandwich together, without being too hard.

I would say that the brothers that opened this sandwich shop have met their objective of creating great comfort food sandwiches. The service was very good, and the prices were very fair. All sandwiches are in the $7 to $9 range, well worth the price. The variety of sandwiches would keep me coming back for more if I lived in this area. The Cubano, Texas Reuben, and Monte Cristo all looked so good on the menu, I might have to fly back to Boston for a sandwich.

Out of five rockets, (because Roger Clemens was an all-star for the Red Sox five times, and his nickname was the Rocket), five being best to zero being worst, All Star Sandwich Bar gets 3.5 rockets.

For more information on All Star Sandwich Bar, click here: https://allstarsandwichbar.com/

 

Football Frenzy #7 Barney's Beanery

Barney's Beanery

99 East Colorado Blvd.

Pasadena, CA 91105

I know football season has been going on for awhile now, but we have not really gone anywhere new to watch the games. We have been lazy on Sundays, going to friends houses to watch, or maybe the real reason we have not done a football post this year yet is because my team has already thrown in the towel, and it is really painful to watch how bad they are. This particular Sunday we could not be lazy though. We were up in Pasadena for an event, so we took this opportunity to try one of the local favorites in the area to watch football, Barney's Beanery.

Barney's is older than dirt. The restaurant has been around since 1920, making this a local legend. It opened as a restaurant on historic Route 66, serving road weary travelers. Since that time Barney's has had a very colorful history. Janis Joplin had her last drink here, before her death, Jim Morrison got kicked out of the bar after urinating on it, and Quentin Tarantino wrote much of the movie, Pulp Fiction in one of his favorite booths.

Barney's Beanery now has five locations, all in LA county. I had never been to a Barney's before. The Pasadena location has a festive vibe to it, even early on this particular Sunday. Colored lights are all over, license plates hang everywhere, and the walls look like they could double for a garage sale with all of the stuff hanging on them. The best part of the decor though, were the TVs that were on every table. These could be tuned to any game that you wanted to watch, you could also flip channels as often as you would like. One of the best setups we have come across for watching football, but what about the food?

Starting off the eating festivities is Katie's choice, the French Toast with bacon and eggs. This breakfast platter  did little to win Katie's heart. She called this breakfast plate, "average, and nothing special". The French toast was a little too soggy for her, and the bacon was on the fatty side.

I went south of the border for my breakfast selection, the Machaca and Eggs. Three eggs mixed with shredded beef, onions, peppers, and cilantro, then topped with cheese sounds like a winning combination, but this plate was bland. Even the refried beans were pretty plain tasting. This dish was helped by hot sauce, but not enough to make it more than mediocre.

After our breakfast, we also ordered the Sweet and Spicy Asian Style Chicken Wings. These were served with a cucumber salad. The sauce had a good flavor, but the wings were lacking in the meat department. The price for these wings were a little on the high side. We got about ten wings, and that put the price per wing at just over a dollar a wing, not such a great deal.

I liked the atmosphere at Barney's Beanery way better than the food. The menu here is overwhelmingly big, so we might not have gotten the right things off of it. I should have skipped the breakfast, and maybe gone for their famous chili, or a burger. Barney's was not very boisterous for football, maybe that was because everyone had their own TVs at their own table. The place filled up rather quickly, so make sure you get here early enough to get a seat. The service was attentive, which can sometimes be a challenge during the three hour game. True to form my team lost while I was watching the game here, but I will not hold that against Barney's.

Out of five dinosaurs, (because who really can not hear the name Barney, and not think of that big purple guy?), five being best to zero being worst, Barney's Beanery gets 2 dinosaurs.

For more information on Barney's click here: http://barneysbeanery.com/index.php

A Secret Spot in Orange - CLOSED

Mascarpone's

1448 E. Katella Ave.

Orange, CA 92867

Mascarpone's has been on my list of places to try for so long that I can not even remember how it got there. I am sure it was an email from a reader or a recommendation I received from someone while we were out. It's a good thing I had written it down because I would have never known this place was here. I had driven by it about a hundred times and almost drove past it even when I was looking for it.

For 23 years, Mascarpone's has been the secret, in-the-know Italian spot for Orange's locals. Located in plain sight on busy Katella Avenue, it often gets overlooked because it does not have a flashy sign, parking is off the street (in the back of the restaurant), and it has almost no web presence. Luckily, we were not deterred from finding this place, and we arrived at about six on a Saturday night.

The first thing I noticed after entering Mascarpone's was the drapes that adorned the ceiling. I'm not sure of the meaning of these, but they did seem odd. We did not have a reservation but were seated immediately. The restaurant is very dark, and an older crowd inhabits it. They have two separate dining rooms, with kitschy knickknacks adorning some of the walls. The menu is pretty straightforward Italian. Let's take a look at some of what was on that menu.

First, there was the complimentary bread basket that was placed on our table. I always enjoy it when a restaurant adds something special to the breadbasket, and here, the special addition was that they served garlic bread instead of regular bread. This bread was served steaming hot and had a little crunch to it. The garlic was very noticeable here. We went through two baskets of this bread.

I am not usually a big fan of Bruschetta, but most reviews I read highly suggested this as the appetizer to get here. The reviews were correct. This had a great taste and was not overloaded with tons of tomatoes. The onions and garlic were the stars here, and I also enjoyed the Gorgonzola. It was one of the best bruschettas we have had.

The entrees here all came with soup or salad. All four of us chose the salad. This was a good dinner salad. The lettuce was fresh, but the blue cheese dressing really set this salad apart. It was very creamy, and they must have added extra blue cheese to the dressing. The flavor was spot on. My Mom had the Italian and also stated that it was good.

Let's start with my Dad's meal, the Scampi Carmelo. This shrimp dish was served with steamed veggies and fusilli pasta. My Pops said the vegetables were cooked well, and the pasta was done to his liking. He also added that the shrimp burst with flavor. Simply put, he was delighted with his meal choice that night.

Katie shocked us all when she shied away from a shrimp dish here, ordered this Fusilli dish, and added chicken. This dish combined tomatoes, white wine, and mozzarella. Katie called this dish "delicious". The chicken was very tender, and the sauce was very flavorful.

I have been on a veal kick lately—okay, not really a kick—but this is the second time in a row I have ordered it in an Italian restaurant. Here I got the Vitello Saltimbocca. The veal here was a little overdone, but the sauce was good, and I liked the addition of the capers. I would also have to agree with my Dad that the vegetables were cooked well and really fresh. It was a pretty good plate of food here.

Last but not least was my Mom's dinner, the Spicy Arrabitata with spicy sausage added. My Mom really liked this dish. The sausage kicked the plate up flavorwise, and she felt the pasta was cooked well. I liked the sauce on this; it was not too acidic and had a nice mellow flavor. I ate the leftovers a few days later, and they were still very good.

Above is a picture of my Mom and one of the guys at Mascarpone's, (sorry I forgot to write down his name). Anyway, this picture shows the warm and friendly atmosphere at Mascarpone's. We had never been to this restaurant before, and all four of us left feeling like we had a good meal cooked by friends. The food was really fresh and came out piping hot. The service was spotty. There were some long delays getting our entrees and settling the check. The prices were reasonable, and the portion sizes were decent. Well worth the journey to find this hidden gem.

Out of five tiramisus (because the main ingredient of that dessert is mascarpone, and I hear that they have a pretty good one here), five being best to zero being worst, Mascarpone's gets 3.5 tiramisus.

For more information about Mascarpone's, head to their website here: https://www.ristorantemascarpone.com/

Will China Moon Eclipse Our Expectations?

China Moon

30001 Town Center Dr.

Laguna Niguel, CA 92677

We have not had Chinese food in awhile. In fact the last time we have done a review of a Chinese restaurant was just over a year ago. Katie did not want to drive far from home for dinner, so we checked her phone for a place to eat. That is when China Moon popped up. After reading the reviews we decided to head on over.

China Moon has been in business here for the past nineteen years. Operated by Vanissa and Jackson Chan, this restaurant has become a local institution in south OC. We could tell from the interactions with the wait staff that most of the customers come here very frequently.

We arrived at 7 on a recent Friday night and had about a ten minute wait. This restaurant appears small on the outside, but they probably have close to 25 tables. The decor was a lot nicer than I expected as well. Pretty much on par with a PF Chang's vibe here. The menu is pretty straight forward, standard fair for a Chinese restaurant. Let's hope the food is far above standard Chinese food.

For an appetizer we chose the Fried Crabmeat Wontons. Our waiter Andy offered to split this order with their special of the day, Duck Wontons. I always enjoy duck, so this was a no brainer. The duck wontons were a little on the greasy side, as you would expect, but the flavor was really good. The crabmeat wontons were filled cream cheese, as well as crab. I am not usually a big fan of cream cheese, but the cream cheese here was not so bad. I did not get a lot of crab taste out of these though. Oh yeah, Andy gets credit for the artwork on our appetizer plates. Very well done Andy.

The first of our three selections was the Chef's Special Beef. Crispy fried beef sauteed with onions and peppers, with a very sweet sauce over it. Quite simply, I loved this dish. The sweet, thick sauce was as sweet as candy, and the beef was fried to perfection. The beef had a good chew to it, so it might not have been the best beef, but the sauce hid it well.

We had wanted to order orange chicken, but our waiter informed us that it was too much like the chef's special beef, so he suggested another dish. We went with the Cashew Nut Chicken. This dish contained lots of nuts, which contributed to its earthy flavor. The chicken was cooked well, but there could have been more of it. Solid dish of food here.

Katie and I differed greatly on this next dish. She loved the Taiwanese Rice Noodle with Shrimp added, I was not as big a fan as she was. Katie called this, "addictive", and she liked the thin noodle. I felt the noodle was too thin for my taste, and it did not hold onto the flavor well enough. It made the dish bland in my mind. The shrimp was cooked well, but again there could have been more shrimp on this plate.

I really enjoyed this Chinese restaurant. The neighborhood aspect of this place was very comforting. The service was very professional and welcoming at the same time. The entrees were in the $9 to $15 range. Be aware that China Moon is closed on Tuesdays, and weekends can be very busy, according to our waiter Andy. They also close between lunch and dinner. Lunch is served until 2:30, and they open again at 4:30. Eating at China Moon has awoken my taste buds to try more Chinese restaurants, so it probably will not be a year before our next Chinese restaurant review.

Out of five palm trees, (because the 1994 movie, China Moon starring Ed Harris, was set in Florida, and there are lots of palm trees there), five being best to zero being worst, China Moon get 3 solid palm trees.

For more information on China Moon, click here: http://www.chinamoonrestaurant.com/

Sweet Music at Kagura? - CLOSED

Kagura Japanese Cuisine

6324 E Santa Ana Canyon Road

Anaheim, CA 92807

It almost felt like I was cheating. I was in the same shopping center as Slater's 50/50, and I was not having one of their awesome burgers. Of course, we did meet at Slater's for a drink, but then it was off to the opposite side of the parking lot to Kagura Japanese Cuisine.

Our friend Lindy told us about this place the last time we were at Slaters. Kagura is a small, quiet restaurant tucked away in the corner of this shopping center. They have six tables and a small sushi bar. The muted colors and dim lighting give this place a very relaxed, almost tranquil feel. According to the waiter, they have been in business for almost two years. Most of our party of eight opted to try the three course prefixed dinner. These included an appetizer, entree, and dessert for $28. Not a bad deal. Let's see what Kagura has in store for us on this night.

Steve starts off the food portion of this blog with his Small House Salad and Miso Soup, both were served with his entree. He felt that the miso soup was served hot, and served its purpose. Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but how great could miso soup really be? He thought that the side salad was a bit on the salty side, but felt it was made with fresh produce.

I forgot to write down who had this appetizer, sorry guys. This is the Octopus Carpaccio. The octopus, as you would expect was pretty chewy, but this was not too big on taste. Not one of our favorites this night.

This was one of our favorites of the night, the Kobe Beef Carpaccio. This appetizer had big-time flavor to go along with its good-sized portion. This is definitely a must-have when coming to Kagura.

For my appetizer selection, I went with the Takenoko Foie Gras. This was my first time having foie gras, and I was really happy with my choice. It was very good, and everyone at the table that tried this had a great response to this rich plate.

This is not like any tuna salad I have ever seen. This is the Spicy Tuna Salad, which is a Hawaiian big eye tuna sashimi with spicy soy dressing. I did not get a chance to try this dish, but I was told it had great flavor, and the tuna was very fresh.

Lindy did not opt to have the three course meal, instead, she wanted to have some assorted sushi. I am not very well versed in sushi, and I do not know which is which, but I wrote down that she had Bluefin, Spanish Mackerel, and Amber Jack. She raved about all of these, especially the Spanish mackerel.

Katie followed suit with Lindy, by going the sushi route. She was so excited to go out for sushi, she ordered three rolls, a Philly Roll, California Roll, and a Spider-Man Roll. The spider man roll was made of deep-fried soft shell crab, crab meat, avocado, and smelt egg, wrapped in cucumber. Katie liked this unusual combination. She was also pretty excited by the other two rolls, calling the Philly roll smooth and velvety, and the California roll very fresh. These quenched her sushi addiction for at least a few days.

Steve's entree was the Jidori Chicken. Steve thought that this free-range chicken could have been more tender, but he liked the sauce, calling it sweet and spicy without being too much of either.

My great friend Richard ordered the Braised "Karubi" Short Rib. This short rib is braised for five hours and served with a red wine sauce. Richard called this Japanese pot roast very tender, and he loved the sauce so much he told me he wanted to lick the plate. Glad I did not have to watch that PDA.

The prefixed meal also featured an Assorted Sushi option. Tuna, salmon, albacore, hamachi, shrimp, halibut, and a California roll made up the contents of this plate. There were no complaints from the people that had the sushi. I was told that the shrimp was the best. Heather said she was not cool with the wasabi.

I saw Rib Eye Steak on the prefixed menu, and of course, I gravitated towards it. This eight-ounce steak was served in a light garlic port sauce. I ordered this medium rare and it was cooked perfectly. I did not notice the garlic as much as I would have liked, but the flavor of the meat was enough to make up for this. I also enjoyed the way this was already cut into strips. It helped speed up my eating time. The veggies that came with this were okay, nothing too remarkable.

These last two items belong to our new friend Sam. Sorry Sam, but I did not write down what you ordered. I know, what a horrible blogger I am! One of them looks like Yellowtail Sashimi, but I could not even begin to guess what was on the tray above. He was definitely happy with his choices though.

Finally, it was time for dessert. Everyone, other than Katie had the Panna Cotta. I had not known it until I got home and looked it up, but panna cotta is an almond Italian cream. Here it is served with a raspberry sauce. It definitely had an interesting flavor, very subdued. The texture was smooth and resembled a more plain tasting flan. Katie was the lone person to try the Sesame Ice Cream. Again, this was something totally different. The taste was not bad, just odd. I did not really get a sesame taste, but I would not even know how to describe a sesame taste. This ice cream kind of tasted earthy to me, but maybe that is just what I got out of it.

Kagura was a great find, thanks to Lindy. The service in this tiny restaurant was very solid. Our waiter had a great sense of humor and was really on top of things. He suggests that people make reservations on weekends because it can get very busy here. The prices here were not too crazy either. Like I said before, a three course meal will set you back $28. I feel I definitely got my monies worth here. The sushi and sashimi prices seem to be on par with other sushi places I have heard about. All in all, it was a great night out, with some really great friends. It almost made me forget about the burgers over at Slaters. Okay, at least for one night.

Out of five sheets of music, (because Kagura translates to English as, entertainment of the gods, which includes music), five being best to zero being worst, Kagura gets a solid 3 sheets of music.

For more information on Kagura Japanese Cuisine, click here: http://www.kagura-sushi.com/index.html

Excellent Adventure at Ted's?

Ted's Place

23990 Aliso Creek Road

Laguna Niguel, CA 92677

Almost every neighborhood (okay, maybe not Aliso Viejo, but almost everywhere else) has a place like Ted's Place. Usually, it is owned by a Greek family, the menu is enormous, and most of the time, locals crowd this kind of restaurant on weekend mornings to eat large breakfasts. Ted's is no exception to these generalizations.

Ted's Place has been around for as long as I have lived in South OC (almost ten years). It is owned by a Greek family, and the owner is here nearly every time I visit. The menu features breakfast items, sandwiches, Mexican Favorites, Greek meals, salads, and full-on dinners, like seafood plates and meatloaf. I won a bet from Mario at my work, so he owed me a meal here. After ordering at the counter, this is how Mario paid his debt to me.

I started with a heaping plate of Chili Cheese Fries. This portion was about the size of a football. I know the fries are probably frozen and not made fresh, but they are fried to perfection and complimented the chili and cheese well. The chili is not spicy nor significant in flavor, but it works. Almost every fry was covered in chili and cheese.

I was a little full from all the fries, but I still managed to finish this Bacon Avocado Cheeseburger. This burger was good, but I do not understand why it is good. The patty is skinny and probably made well in advance. The cheese is okay, nothing spectacular. The avocado was fresh but unremarkable. The bun is sturdy, but it does not add too much to the overall taste of the burger. Bacon is always good, but I can not detect the difference between this swine and others. I concluded that the burger works because these ingredients interact to create a satisfying burger.

Mario and Mike each ordered the same burger, Ted's Signature Burger. This burger came with a treasure trove of condiments. Swiss cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, raw onion, onion rings, and Cole slaw. I am sure I forget some of the hundred things on this burger. But, again, Mario and Mike felt this burger was delicious. All of the big flavors worked together to form a great-tasting burger.

I am trying to explain why I like Ted's Place so much. Maybe it's because of the portion sizes. Burgers and other plates are enormous here.  I have had much better burgers, but I feel delighted whenever I leave Ted's. The service is okay here, and the owner is very nice. Prices are pretty good for what you get. Burgers are in the $4 to $7 range. They even offer a one-pound cheeseburger with fries and a drink for $10. The breakfasts here are pretty good as well. They make a decent breakfast burrito, and all of their breakfast skillets will keep you stuffed well into dinner time. I'm glad I went to Ted's Place. I just am not sure why I liked it. Guess it is best not to overanalyze it and enjoy the food coma.

Out of five bears (in reference to teddy bears), five being best to zero being worst, Ted's Place gets 3 teddy bears.

For more information about Ted's Place, head to their website by clicking here: https://tedsplacelaguna.com/