Meat-topia at Agora in Irvine! - CLOSED

Agora Churrascaria

1830 Main St.

Irvine, CA 92614

After leaving Agora Churrascaria, I came home and looked for flights to Brazil. I do not always eat Brazilian food, but if it is as good as we had this evening, it might be time for me to hop on a plane and experience it for a few weeks or so.

We recently were invited to a blogger's dinner at Agora Churrascaria. Our hostesses for the evening were the wonderful Diana Daniele and equally great Jane Gillespie. They brought together the best bloggers that Orange County has to offer. I have read many of these authors' blogs before I even thought of starting this blog. Anita from Diary of a Mad Hungry Woman, Tom from Tom's Foodie Blog, Griffin from Griffin Eats OC, Bobby from 100 Eats 100 Days, Austin representing The Hungry Dogg, Suki from Eat Suki Eat, the very talented Anne Marie from Brekkie Fan's Blog, and the cantankerous duo of Kat from Kat's 9 Lives and Minerva from Much Ado About Fooding were all in attendance. As great as the company was, the food would not be overshadowed.

Before we get a look at the food, first a little bit about Agora. Agora is a Brazilian steakhouse opened by Scott Im in 2005. He is Korean-born but grew a love of Brazilian food while spending part of his youth in the South American country. Agora is an all-you-can-eat meat lover's paradise. Meat is brought to tables by gauchos, who slice the various cuts of meat right off of the same metal skewers they are cooked on.

I snuck into the kitchen to take pictures of the meat cooking. Leonardo, the man holding the skewers above, is the General Manager of Agora, and he told me that they go through about a ton of meat a week here. They offer 12 different cuts of meat for lunch service, and then that number jumps to 16 for dinner. It is not all about the meat at Agora, though.

At Agora, they feature authentic Brazilian drinks. They have four versions of the famous Brazilian cocktail, the Caipirinha. I sampled three versions on this night. The Original Caipirinha, which contains Sagatiba, Cachaca, lime, and sugar, was my second favorite version of this drink tonight. It tasted very refreshing, like a cousin to the Mojito. Other versions included a Passion Fruit Caipirinha and, my favorite drink of the night, the Strawberry Basil Caipirinha. The canned Brazilian soda, Guarana, was also a table favorite for the non-drinking crowd. Katie thought this was a sweeter version of Sprite that was more refreshing.

Before the meat hit the table, we snacked on gluten-free Brazilian Cheese Bread, fried bananas, and salsa-like Tomato Vinaigrette. The cheese bread bowl was refilled numerous times throughout the night. I also liked the banana. It was nice to switch from savory to sweet every so often.

Are you not in the mood for meat? They had a well-stocked salad bar featuring over 16 different salads, plus a selection of cold cuts, cheeses, and shrimp cocktails. Standouts for us were the Caesar Salad, Potato Salad, and Shrimp Cocktail.

I knew the meat was on its way, but I had to go through the hot food bar at least once. I could have made a whole meal out of just the Black Bean Stew. There were pieces of what I thought were linguica in it. It was very good when paired with the Garlic Rice. Other items of note were the Clams, Collard Greens, and Mashed Potatoes. All of this was a precursor to the main event, so let's bring on the meat!

At Agora, there is only one rule that you have to follow. Green means go, and red means stop. As long as you have your coaster turned to the green side, the gauchos will keep bringing you meat until you can no longer pack it away. Some meats were slid off the skewers, and for others, you had to use tongs to grab them. I caught the hang of this rather quickly.

Wow, and you thought I was just kidding about all of the meat! This is just 12 of the 16-plus offerings on this night. My favorites included the Skirt Steak, Lamb Chop, and the Linguisa. All of the meats were cooked perfectly here. I have been to one other all-you-can-eat in a Brazilian restaurant, and all the meats started to taste the same. This was not the case here. At Agora, the meats were seasoned differently, so this problem was avoided. Other meats included Filet Mignon, Bacon Wrapped Chicken, Chicken Hearts, Top Sirloin, Top Sirloin Cap, Tri-Tip, Pork Tenderloin with Parmesan, Baked Salmon, Beef Ribs, Beef Skewers, and Filet Wrapped in Bacon. For those who wish to have their meat with a different degree of doneness, the gauchos were very accommodating, and every effort was made to get you the type of meat you are after.

By this time of the night, I knew I would have to be wheeled out of there, but of course, there was always room for dessert. Everyone around me got a different dessert, so I took a picture of all of them. I ordered the Chocolate Gelato, a light end to my heavy meal. Katie got the Acai, which was topped with bananas and granola. I took a bite of Kat's Cheesecake and thought it was very creamy. I was less fond of this Flan at Agora. It was too chalky for me. I like a lighter, more caramel-tasting flan.

Our night at Agora was a great experience. We left very full and satisfied with our meal. This is definitely a special occasion kind of place. We would like to express again our thanks to Scott Im, Leonardo Giannotti, and all of the wonderful staff at Agora for making this a great night out for us and all of our fellow bloggers. Also, thanks again to our hostesses for the evening, Jane Gillespie and Diana Daniele. We had a great time!

For more information on Agora Churrascaria, click here: http://www.agorachurrascaria.com/

Re-Peter Visit to Peter's Gourmade

Peter's Gourmade Grill

14311 Newport Ave.

Tustin, CA 92780

There is always something going on at Peter's Gourmade. This eatery started in a gas station on McFadden Avenue, not far from their current location. After being written up in OC Weekly, and numerous other print media and blogs, their business swelled. They gained a reputation for serving some of the best burgers and sides in the area.

Then the Valero gas station closed, but they remained open filling hungry patrons' stomachs. According to Peter's Gourmade web site, the new owner of the gas station raised their rent, demanded that they pay all of the utilities on the property, and refused to come to a sensible lease agreement. Needless to say, they needed to find another location, and that is what they did. Just a few blocks away, in the old Masala Bowl location.

While all of this was going on they opened a location in Newport, just steps away from the Balboa Ferry. This was the establishment that I visited when I first tried Peter's Gourmade. Unfortunately, we were not satisfied with that experience. They were out of nearly all of the ingredients for their signature items. They did not even have utensils for both of us. You can read that review here. Even with this sour taste in our mouths, we were willing to give Peter's another try. So we headed to their new location.

We got to the restaurant at about 6 on a Friday night. This little corner strip mall is at an awkward-looking intersection that really sneaks up on you. I never went to their location in the gas station, but I heard that it was a 100 square foot space, so this place must feel so roomy compared to that place. This place is not huge though. They have 6 tables in here. Ordering is done at the counter and then brought out to the table. Let's see if this time our visit is better.

Let's start with the sides first. Last time we were at Peter's, this was the only item we really liked, Peter's Greek Fries ($6.25). Lightning definitely struck twice, because these were just as good the second time around as well. They lay down a bed of french fries and top them with gyro meat, tomatoes, onions, feta cheese, and Greek oregano, then you also get a homemade tzatziki sauce. The skinny fries are overshadowed by the fantastic and plentiful gyro meat. I really wish more restaurants would add this to their menus, but it would probably not be as good as this. This is a must get when coming to Peter's.

Anthony and Sabrina consider themselves connoisseurs of humus, so it was no surprise that they ordered it here. Maria's Hummus ($4.75) is whipped up and topped with Greek olive oil and Kalamata olives. The garlic is very prevalent here. This hummus is smooth and went well with the freshly sliced pita bread. The serving size for this was very generous.

I might have found my favorite way to eat sweet potato fries. If you are a loyal reader of this blog you know I am not too fond of the sweet potato, but at Peter's, I was introduced to the Sweet Potato Gooey's ($6.50). I was basically alone in my love for these unusual fries though. Others at the table were not so excited by these, including sweet potato loving, Katie who said, "she was not feeling the sweet and saltiness of these". I, on the other hand, could not stop eating these sweet potato fries which were covered with brown sugar, maple syrup, and toasted marshmallows. Really more of a dessert than a side dish, these reminded me of a Thanksgiving dish.

Sorry for the lackluster picture of the Basil Chicken Sandwich ($6.79). This was a popular sandwich night because both Katie and Sabrina ordered it. This sandwich featured lettuce, tomato, Swiss cheese, and house-made basil mayo, on a Parmesan sourdough. Both girls thought this sandwich was good. They really liked the basil mayo, calling it, "tasty". Sabrina really liked that they used shredded lettuce here. They both liked the sourdough bread, but it really filled them up. Both girls would get this sandwich again.

Last time we went to Peter's Gourmade location in Balboa, I could not have the item they were most famous for, because they were out of cheese and avocado, but I was not to be deterred a second time. The ABC Burger ($6.25), comes with avocado, bacon, cheese, mayo, mustard, ketchup, lettuce, tomato, onion, and Dave's spicy pickle chips. This burger lived up to the hype. The patty was seasoned well, the flavors melded together nicely, and the potato bun really kept things together here. The avocado was not as prominent as I thought it would be, but I could see why this burger is all the rage. I scarfed this down quickly.

The last sandwich of the night belongs to Anthony, the Patty Melt ($5.75). Here they take a six-ounce all-beef Angus patty, grilled onions, and American cheese, then place it on corn rye bread. Anthony really liked the meatiness of this patty melt, along with the portion size. Not the best patty melt he has had, but definitely a solid sandwich.

This was more of what I thought our experience at Peter's Gourmade would be. Glad we made a second trip to this location. Maybe since they do not have an extra location to worry about, and a bigger space to store items, they have it more together now. The burgers and side items were all that they were billed to be. All of the items we had were solid choices, and we would not hesitate to come back here. The restaurant is small, and I am sure they get a little busy and cramped during meal times. Spoiled Sabrina wanted me to let everyone know that they serve Royal Crown soda products here, which she is not a fan of. Wow, there is just no pleasing some people! Hopefully, Peter's Gourmade will not have to move for a while and keep serving their good food.

Out of five gas pumps, (in homage to their former location), five being best to zero being worst, Peter's Gourmade Grill gets 3 gas pumps.

For more information on Peter's Gourmade Grill, click here: https://gourmadegrill.com/Welcome.html

Umami Burger Arrives in OC - CLOSED

Umami Burger

2981 Bristol St.

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

The burger invasion continues in OC. In recent years we have been invaded by other towns' burger favorites. Five Guys, The Counter, The Habit, and now, LA export, Umami Burger is putting down roots in our great county. This is one invasion I can really get behind.

I have had Umami Burger once before in Santa Monica. You can read that review here. This OC Umami Burger is taking over the old Valhalla Table space at the Camp in Costa Mesa. They have been open here for almost two months. There is also another outpost of this burger chain opening in Laguna Beach on June 13th, and yet another one planned for Anaheim later this year. With all of this expansion, I was really excited to see what they had in store for us in OC.

We got to the restaurant at six thirty on a Wednesday night. The word has definitely gotten out about this place. We had about a fifteen-minute wait to be seated. Once inside we were seated at one of the communal tables in the middle of the restaurant. The seats and tables are located very close to the ground. The atmosphere here is kind of hip, with murals on the walls, and a young hip serving staff. The dining room was very loud and bustling with activity. After checking out the menu, this is what we ordered.

Not your normal drinks at Umami Burger. Kat, from Kat's 9 Lives was eating with us this night, and ordered the Boozy Breakfast Coke Float ($6). What made this a breakfast float? This unique float was made with Kahlua-infused ice cream, Grape Nuts, (that is the breakfast part), and pure cane sugar, Mexican Coke. I had a sip of this and thought it was okay. I did not get the Grape Nut vibe, but the Kahlua was prevalent here. Both Katie and I opted for a more traditional beverage, the Iced Green Tea ($2.50). This was not sweet tea, which is the way I enjoy my beverages. Umami Burger also has an eclectic selection of beers and wines, ranging in price from  $4 to $21.

When we go out with Kat we really like to get a good selection of food, so we got four side items to start. The first were these Truffle Fries ($4.50). I was not too big of a fan of these. I did not like the cheese/truffle sauce here. It really globbed together and the taste was off for me. This might have worked if the fries were a little bigger, so they could have held more of the sauce.

Do not tell anyone, but at Umami Burger, they have a secret menu item, the Cheesy Tots ($4.50). I guess it is not that big of a secret, because our waitress told us about these, but it was cool thinking we were in the know. These were definitely better than the fries. They were fried crisp, but the cheese inside was not overly abundant. These were kind of plain tasting.

The Tempura Onion Rings ($3) were served very hot. The breading here is very light, and not very greasy at all. The onion inside was good, but it broke away from the breading very easily. I would get these again though.

Of course, I saved the best side item of the night for last, the Smushed Potatoes ($4.50). These double-fried creamer potatoes were cooked perfectly. Fried lightly on the outside, and still soft on the inside. These were the unanimous favorites of the three of us. Skip the fries, and go for these smushed spuds instead.

Of course with all of these side items, condiments are a must. We opted to get the Umami Ketchup, Roasted Garlic Aioli, and the Jalapeno Ranch. After looking at the Jalapeno ranch, I thought it was going to be too runny, but this was my favorite sauce of the night. It was a little on the thin side, but you could really taste the jalapeno in this dressing. Very good. I always enjoy a good garlic aioli, but this one was not my favorite. It was lacking when it came to the garlic portion. I liked the texture though. The house-made umami ketchup was not as sweet as the ketchup we are used to, but it worked out well for us.

Now on to the real reason we are here, the burgers. First up is Katie's selection, the Cali Burger ($10). This one came with lettuce, roasted tomato, house-made American cheese, and caramelized onions. Katie thought this burger was just okay. She was happier with her burger here on her first visit. She called this burger, "just okay".

My burger of the night was the Port and Stilton Burger ($11). This burger came with port-caramelized onions and blue cheese. The burger itself was very juicy and had a decent flavor, but that flavor was not due to the blue cheese or the onions. This was a very plain-tasting burger. Nothing really wowed me about this hamburger.

Kat really wanted to get the feel of this place, so this Umami Burger ($11) was the first of her two burgers. The namesake burger of this restaurant comes with shiitake mushrooms, caramelized onions, roasted tomato, a Parmesan crisp, and umami ketchup. She was happier about this burger than her next one.

Again, The truffle disappointed here. Kat had the Truffle Burger ($12). It is true what they say on all the cooking competition shows, too much truffle is usually a bad thing. This burger got a double dose, with house-made truffle cheese and a truffle glaze. Just like the fries, the truffle cheese had an odd texture for us. Kat was less than enthused by this burger.

By this time I was pretty full, but of course, there is always room for dessert. At Umami Burger, they offer five different versions of these LA Creamery Ice Cream Sandwiches ($5). True to form, my favorite of these three was the peanut butter and chocolate ice cream, with a chocolate cookie. The peanut butter could have been more pronounced here, but it was still good. Other versions included a chocolate ice cream/chocolate chip cookie and a vanilla ice cream/sugar cookie option. All were pretty good, but I was so full from dinner, that it was hard to enjoy them.

I was not so enamored as I was on our previous trip to Umami Burger in Santa Monica. It could be that I was not as hungry as I should have been, because of a big lunch I had eaten earlier in the day. It also could be that we have been eating at some real good burger places recently, and I am subconsciously comparing these others to Umami Burger. More than likely though it was my choice of burger on this night. I should have stuck with a burger that included some kind of pork in it. You can never go wrong with bacon in a burger. The prices here are definitely not a value. For over $11 per burger, these burgers need to be bigger. I know you are paying for the quality of ingredients, but if I had not eaten a big lunch, I would have probably left here hungry. It was busy during our visit here, and the service could not have been better. Our waitress was right on top of things and gave us some good suggestions. We will definitely give Umami Burger another try when I am more hungry. For now, I am just happy that we are getting to try some other regions' burger places.

Out of five storage units, (because Dave Hester, one of the buyers on the show, "Storage Wars", lives in Costa Mesa where this location of Umami Burger is located), five being best to zero being worst, Umami Burger gets 3 storage units.

For more information on Umami Burger, click here: http://www.umami.com/umami-burger/eats/costa-mesa/