Get Your Tickets For Game Day! CLOSED

Game Day

3009 E. Chapman

Orange, CA

Hot dogs are one of my favorite foods. They are one of the foods that I remember eating as a kid, and truly loving. I can clearly remember having hot dogs at home, eating them at Angel's games, having them at Carnation on Main Street at Disneyland, and also ordering them at Carl's Jr., (way back in the day when they used to serve them). I still love hot dogs, but as my tastes have changed from when I was a kid, it has been harder to find really good hot dogs around OC. That is until now, now that I have found Game Day.

I heard about Game Day from an article written by one of my favorite food writers, Dave Lieberman, from Stick a Fork In It. In the article, which you can read here, Dave lists ten great hot dog places in OC. He put Game Day as the number two spot on his list. His number one pick is Berkeley Dog, which I am not too fond of, (too much bun). Anyways back to Game Day, we had a party to attend in Orange, and not knowing the food situation at the party we decided that we wouldn't chance it, and try Game Day since it has been on our list of places to try for awhile.

Game Day is located on busy Chapman Avenue, right near another hot dog joint on the list, PCH Hot Dogs. That place is also on our list of places to try, just like it is on Dave's list as well. Two great hot dog places, right near each other? Hot dog war in Orange! Game Day, from the architecture, and confirmed from the guy behind the counter, used to be an old Taco Bell. The half moon windows and brick walls give that away. Gone are the bland taco sauce packets and plastic fast food furniture, replaced with enough sporting paraphernalia to make a lot of sporting goods stores jealous, and 4 large TVs, that any sports bar would love to have. This restaurant really has the sports bar theme down, without the annoying Raiders fan in the corner waiting to pick a fight with anyone in the joint.

We got to Game Day at 5pm on a Saturday night. The menu is seriously awe inspiring and a little intimidating. I really did not want to pick the wrong items to try, and there was so much to choose from. I really wanted one of everything, but I settled on their most popular items. We ordered at the counter, and waited about five minutes for the food to come out. This is what came out of the kitchen for us.

I had a bad night with garlic fries one 4th of July years ago, and have not had much success with them since. These Garlic Fries ($2.25) have changed that. The outside of the fries had a nice crunch, while the garlic was very evident here. By the end of our meal I was so stuffed, but I could not stop eating these fries. These are a must get when coming here.

I was a little taken aback when Katie ordered this Sonoran Hot Dog ($6.95). Not because it sounded like it would be bad, but it just seemed a little out of her comfort zone. This gourmet dog is made with a spicy polish sausage, topped with chorizo, bacon, refried beans, pico de gallo, grilled jalapenos, and chipotle mayo. With all of these items I thought this was going to be in your face spicy, but the heat was not overwhelming here. I got the most heat from the chipotle mayo, which was very good. The polish sausage kind of got lost here with all of these fresh toppings. The chorizo and bacon, as expected, took over the flavor of this, but the beans added a good texture here as well. This turned out to be a very well balanced sausage that I would not hesitate to get again. Katie managed to finish only half of this, so I had it for leftovers the next day. It was still good then too.

Game Day is not just all about hot dogs and sausages, they also have burgers as well. One of their most popular is the Poblano Bacon ($6.95). This hamburger is made with a blend of Angus chuck and brisket. The meat on its own was very juicy and full of flavor. The toppings on top of the patty were an added bonus of flavor. This burger was topped with bacon, poblano chili's, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, onion, tomato, and the same chipotle mayo that was on the Sonoran Dog. This was a well crafted burger, that is reminiscent of a great backyard burger. Really solid, and the toppings take it to the next level.

I was pretty full after eating my burger and a few bites of Katie's sausage, but of course I had to get a sausage of my own. I asked the guy behind the counter for help with their massive menu, and he steered me towards the Split 44 ($6.95). This sausage sandwich gets its name from the owners father, who wore the number 44 at the Naval Academy, as a captain of the football team. He used to make different versions of this sandwich for his family. The version they serve at Game Day is a polish sausage, split down the middle, with pastrami, fried egg, pepper jack cheese, and chipotle mayo on top of it. Again I thought that this was going to be overpowering with all of these big time ingredients. but everything kind of had its place here. The egg was kind of soothing, the pastrami added the saltiness, and the pepper jack cheese and chipotle mayo added a flavor boost. Very good sausage!

After reading this review you can probably tell that I really enjoyed our visit to Game Day. They know what they are doing here. This restaurant really reminded me of another hot dog place that Dave put on his list, Pee Wee's in HB. The menus are both very large, with some very interesting sounding items. Some items that piqued my interest for next time here were the L.A. Street Dog, the Jamaican Jerk Chicken Sausage and the Bahn Mi Burger. They even have a version of Slater's Peanut Butter and Jealousy, called the PB&J Burger. Too many items, and so far from where I live. Not fair, but this place is worth the drive. The guy behind the counter was very nice, and the restaurant was very well kept. This place will be the perfect hot dog paradise to meet up before hockey games next year.

Out of five seat cushions, (because you may need these on game days, sitting on those hard bleachers), five being best to zero being worst, Game Day gets 3.5 seat cushions.

Game Day only has their menu on their web site, you can check it out here: http://www.gamedaydogs.com/gamedaymenu.pdf

Taste of Knott's Event

Taste of Knott's Media Event

8039 Beach Blvd.

Buena Park, CA 90620

When people think of amusement park food, they probably think of burgers, hot dogs, and cotton candy. However, Knott's Berry Farm, an amusement park built around a restaurant, is trying to change people's minds about what they think of when amusement park food is brought up. We recently were invited to a media event to try all the new food offered throughout the park.

Knott's is a real OC success story. Walter and Cordelia Knott moved to Buena Park in the '20s. Walter was a farmer and helped to bring a new berry to life. It was a cross between a red raspberry, a loganberry, and a blackberry. He named this new hybrid berry the boysenberry. With a family of six, they had to look for ways to make ends meet during the depression. Cordelia started selling pies, jams, and sandwiches to help the family through the lean times. Then in 1934, Cordelia served eight chicken dinners on her wedding china at an incredible 65 cents apiece. Thus Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant was born. From such humble beginnings to the present day, where they now seat 900 guests at a time and serve 1.5 million guests a year, Knott's Berry Farm and food go hand in hand. Unsurprisingly, they are also spearheading a campaign to change your mind about what you think about when your thoughts turn to amusement park food. We were lucky to get a firsthand look at all the new offerings.

Okay, these are not new offerings, but I feel it would be disrespectful to not showcase the food that started it all 78 years ago, the food from Mrs. Knott's Chicken Restaurant. They have not changed their fried chicken recipe in these seven-plus decades. For $16.90, you can have either the Mrs. Knott's Fried Chicken Meal or the Chicken Pot Pie Dinner, both of which come with a soup, salad, or cherry rhubarb; sweet corn or cabbage; biscuits, mashed potatoes and gravy, and your choice of desserts, which we will get to later. Quite a bit of food for well under $20. Biting into the fried chicken was like stepping back into my childhood. It tasted the same as when I came here as a kid. Whenever I got up to try some new food, I always returned to get another taste of the fried chicken. Of course, I could not resist their homemade biscuits with boysenberry butter either. Perfect start to a wonderful night.

The Fireman's Brigade BBQ food got some kudos at this event. These BBQ classics are available in Ghost Town, near the front of the park. The Slow Cooked Rib was one of the best I have had in a long time. The rib had plenty of meat and came right off the bone. They are very tender, and it is easy to tell that these are smoked for 11 hours. These ribs are served with garlic bread toast and a baked potato for $11.99. The Flank Steak Sandwich ($13.39, with chips and a drink) was another favorite. Knott marinates their flank steak over 24 hours and serves this sandwich on a jalapeno and cheddar roll. Big-time flavor!

Also located in Ghost Town, at the Ghost Town Grill, are these healthier options. Katie enjoyed the fresh ingredients used to make Goldie's Honey Garlic Salmon and Baby Spinach Salad ($13.99). The fish was cooked well, and she was impressed with the honey soy dressing. I will not be turning vegetarian anytime soon, but I was thoroughly surprised that I enjoyed this Black Bean Burger ($13.49, with a side item) so much. The spicy black bean patty had enough flavor to keep me interested, and the mayo and provolone cheese were great additions here. Again, not a bad burger, but don't tell any of my friends I liked a non-meat burger!

When we showed up at Knott's, these would be three things I would have bet I would not have been writing about. Located right across GhostRider, Spurs serves up three small plates you would typically not associate with an amusement park. The Bruschetta comprised fresh tomatoes, red onion, and Parmigiano Reggiano $7.99). The Cajun Lime Salt Riblets ($9.99) had a citrusy taste that went well with the natural saltiness of the riblets. I could have eaten a lot more of these. Finally, the Hawaiian Ahi Poke ($11.99) was a real surprise. Sashimi-grade tuna, green onions, avocado, sesame vinaigrette, and wasabi cream were placed on a fried wonton. The result was a multi-layered appetizer that let all of the flavors shine. Not too bad and totally unexpected.

Located in the park's Boardwalk area is this offering from the Hollywood Hits food stand, the Meatball Sandwich ($7.49). This classic meatball sandwich had a good, tangy sauce with flavorful meatballs and melted mozzarella cheese.

There was no Soak City last time I was at Knott's. Yes, it has been a long time. However, the water park got into the culinary action by preparing foods that can be devoured by the wave pool. Deli Sandwiches ($7.99) are always a great option under the sun. At Soak City, they offer roast beef, turkey, or ham sandwiches, with all the accompaniments. For healthier eaters, there is the option of having the Veggie Wrap Sandwich ($7.99). This wrap was stuffed with bell peppers, cucumbers, cheese, and tomatoes.

All of the food was really good up until this point, but I could not get this burger out of my head for some reason. This is the Coasters Cheeseburger ($13.99) from the Coasters food stand, next to the Xcelerator on the Boardwalk. What made this burger hard to forget? First, the worker put this together carefully, almost like he was working with precious metals. The burger had all the usual condiments added, but the thing that set this burger apart was the crunchy jalapeno chips that were added on top of the burger. They added a real flavor pop to a well-cooked and seasoned patty. I did have to share this with Katie, but I could have eaten another one of these for sure.

Last but not least, it was dessert time. Desserts are essential at Knott's. After all, it was a dessert that got things going for the Knott family. The Cookiewich ($5.49) and the Fresh Fruit Cups ($4.69) are both offered at the Chowhouse stand, across from the Calico Saloon. I passed on the fruit cups in favor of the Cookiewich (I am sure you are surprised about that, right?). The cookies were fresh, and the soft-serve ice cream was light. Not a bad dessert at all, and big enough to share between two people. I am sure you can tell that the pie above is the world-famous Knott's Boysenberry Pie ($3.95 per slice or $11.65 for the whole pie). This Knott's original dessert has finished many meals at Mrs. Knott's Chicken Restaurant for generations. The perfect way to end this Taste of Knott's.

As you can tell from this post, we were really pleased with everything we tried at Knott's this night. It is really a refreshing change that an amusement park is really stepping up its game culinary-wise. You get a sense that the people in charge of the food at Knott's are thinking outside what is considered normal at amusement parks and going for it with their new food items. Big flavors and well-prepared food will be a big hit with everyone.

Thanks to Knott's Berry Farm for a great night of fun and food. We even found a little time to get on a few rides after eating all the food. Nothing too scary, though! Thanks again, Knott's. We can not wait to come back again and see what else you will be cooking up.

For more information about Knott's Berry Farm, click here: http://www.knotts.com/

Hopefully Tito's Will Be Very Special

Tito's La Especial

503 W. 17th St.

Santa Ana, CA 92706

Lindsay was adamant that we must try these tacos. She said they were so good. There were only two problems with trying these tacos. One was that she was going to have to bring her boyfriend, my food nemesis along for the meal, and the other problem was that I had no idea what a taco al-vapor was.

I guess I should explain the first part of the problem first. Lindsay is my good, friend Richard's much better half. They have been seeing each other for a while, and she makes Richard very happy. I am very happy with this part of Richard's life. The part that drives me nuts about Richard is that he has awful taste in food. He loves Chipotle and hates almost all other Mexican restaurants. He also loathes the Cheesecake Factory, while I think it is not the worst restaurant in the world, and I could easily get something decent there. We are good friends, but when it comes to food we are polar opposites. So I was a little apprehensive when he told me he liked this taco place in Santa Ana that specializes in tacos al-vapor.

With my limited high school Spanish, I did know that these are wet tacos, or in this case, steamed tacos. That was about all I knew, so I went online and found out more. There are several different kinds of tacos al-vapor, depending on the region. From what I can gather, the tacos at Tito's are stuffed with fillings and then steamed, until they are sweating. thus the orange chili stain on the tortilla. The best resource I found about vapor tacos is at the Chowhound website which you can find here.

Tito's is really a no-frills restaurant. Located on busy 17th street, this eatery had a very steady stream of customers during our recent early, evening visit on a Sunday. If the decor at this restaurant is minimal, the menu only matches it. Their menu does not feature any carnitas, enchiladas, or chimichangas. They do have a small number of burritos, sopes, chile Rellenos, and of course the item they are most famous for, the tacos al vapor. Enough talk, let's see if Richard can get back some of his food cred with me.

Okay, I think the first thing I noticed about the Tacos al Vapor ($1.89 apiece, or $5.78 served with beans and rice), is that they do not photograph particularly well. Okay, it is probably not the tacos, it is the photographer, but I will blame the tacos anyways! At Tito's, they have four varieties of tacos al-vapor, each with different fillings. I tried all four; chicken, beef, potato, and bean. These are very simple tacos. Basically, you just have the tortilla, the filling of your choice, and a little iceberg lettuce. You do have the option of adding their hot sauce and some jalapenos if you like spice. Not overly large, but these tacos will get you stuffed as the greasiness hits your stomach. I was not too big of a fan of the bean or the potato taco al-vapor. I felt both of these were very plain tasting. The chicken was okay, with a little more flavor, but the beef is the way to go here. Not the best ingredients in a taco, but the way they are steamed really brings all the flavors together, and then when you add the hot sauce, it really makes these tacos addictive. We even ordered another round of these after we finished our first four tacos.   

Since we were here, we should maybe try some of the other items they offered. I got a Sope de Asada ($2.50). This was not a bad sope. Just like the taco, this was not made with the best ingredients, but the tastes worked well together. The meat was tender enough to be bitten into easily, and the fried base of the sope had a nice little crunch to it. This was made even better with the addition of the hot sauce.  

I am not really a big fan of chile Rellenos, but Katie saw this Chile Relleno Burrito ($5.89), and could not resist trying it. She was not too impressed. She thought that this burrito was very average. The chili was fine but was void of taste. The lack of cheese did not help out matters here either. She would not get this burrito again here.

Here's a quick shot of the hot sauce that they offer at Tito's. It did have a nice little kick to it and really added to the items offered here.

Tito's is not going to blow you away with their awesomeness. If you stick with what they are famous for, the tacos al vapor with beef, you will leave satisfied. There is something kind of magical with those wet, greasy tacos, that bring all of the tastes together in a nice little package. The rest of the menu is kind of bland and only brought to life by the addition of the hot sauce on each table. We had decent service on this night. They made us feel welcome. Be advised that they do not offer free refills on drinks. Richard's food cred went up a few notches with him introducing these tacos to us. Of course, most of that credit should go to his wonderful girlfriend, so no credit for you Richard! Thanks for introducing us to tacos al vapor Lindsay.

Out of five timbales, (the drums that legendary Latin performer, Tito Puente made famous during the '50s), five being best to zero being worst, Tito's La Especial gets 3 timbales.

For more information about Tito's La Especial, head to their website by clicking here: https://titoslaespecial.menu/

Finding a Hidden Jewel in Villa Park? - CLOSED

China Panda

17853 Santiago Blvd.

Villa Park, CA 92861

For ardent readers of my blog, you know why I am here. For the rest of you, I will explain. I have a self-imposed December 31st deadline for myself to have blogged about a restaurant in all 34 cities in our great county. I want this blog to be about all of OC, not just places convenient for me. So, after this review, we will have five more cities to hit before we reach our goal. Right now, we are headed to Villa Park.

Villa Park is one of the smallest cities in OC. They have the smallest population, and they are the second smallest in area, just behind the city of La Palma. No one ever thinks of heading to Villa Park for a bite. A quick search of restaurants in Villa Park on Yelp reveals six restaurants in the city. All of them are in the same shopping center, the only shopping center in the town. Wow, this city is small! Our options are scarce, with only six choices, one being a Subway. We head to the highest-rated place on the list, China Panda.

China Panda fits into the vibe of Villa Park perfectly. Much like the city, the restaurant is tiny as well. They have seven tables to choose from, and when we got here at 5 on a Saturday night, only two were occupied. We were greeted warmly and given our choice of any of the empty tables. The decor is dominated by light purple walls and numerous pictures hanging on the walls. The one that struck my eye all night was a pencil drawing of Princess Diana. After checking out the extensive menu, we decided on five entrees, so let's look at what we came here for, the food.

After being seated, we were brought these fried Wontons with a fruit sauce for dipping. I might have been really hungry, or these were really good because I could not stop eating them. The fruit sauce was made out of apple, peach, and pineapple and was really a great compliment to the wontons. It was kind of a Chinese equivalent to the chips and salsa served in Mexican restaurants.

The food came out really quick here. There are some family dinner specials, where you get soup and appetizers to accompany your meal, but we all decided to pick one entree each and then order an extra one, just for good measure. Not sure who chose this one, but it is the Hunan Spicy Beef ($8.65). This consisted of sliced, stir-fried beef with onions, bell peppers, and carrots in a spicy Hunan sauce. The meat was really sliced thin but in more significant pieces. It was very tender, with some good pockets of spiciness. The veggies were cooked well and were a solid plate of food.

I do know who selected this vegetable low mein ($6.85); it was Katie. This dish did not impress us. Honestly, though, neither my parents nor I are really into low mein, especially one without any kind of meat in it. This was not awful but plain tasting. The low mein noodles are joined by broccoli and mushrooms in this dish, which resembles Asian spaghetti.

Back to some dishes with meat, the Orange Flavored Chicken ($9.15). This generous portion of orange chicken was not overly sweet but still retained the citrus taste of the sauce. The chicken was fried nicely, with a nice crunch when bitten into. It's way better than the stuff they serve at Panda Express.

I always loved Sweet and Sour Pork ($8.05), and it was no different at China Panda. The chicken is mixed with the sauce, pineapple, onions, and bell peppers. Like the orange chicken, the pork pieces were fried well, but the sauce made this dish. It indeed was two tastes in one. You get the sweet at first, then the sour hits you later. The result was a very balanced sauce, which was a little on the thicker side.

When I read the reviews on Yelp, almost everyone mentioned the Honey Shrimp with Walnuts ($13.55). When this was placed in front of us, I was taken aback by the presentation of this dish. It was served in a taco salad shell, which was unique. They may be trying to present this as an ice cream sundae since they topped it with a cherry. I don't know if they wanted that, but this dish was almost as sweet as a sundae. The shrimp and walnuts were covered in a lovely cream sauce, which went well with the natural saltiness of the shrimp. Not the most enormous serving here, but this was a very rich plate, or bowl?

So you can now officially cross this tiny OC enclave off our list of cities we have not been to. Of the six restaurants in Villa Park, we made the right choice as to which one to visit. The Chinese food here is old-school. This is basically the kind of Chinese food our parents thought was so exotic, but it turns out it is really mainstream. I like mainstream sometimes, and I did like China Panda. The food was good and came out quick and hot. It was also very fresh tasting; you can see why they have been in business for 20 years. The menu is dotted with plenty of items we can all enjoy eating. They feature over 50 beef, chicken, pork, and seafood entrees. Be warned that this place is tiny, and on the day we were here, it was warm outside, and they did not have any air conditioning. Also, the chairs were uncomfortable. They could be the original chairs they opened up with 20 years ago. So now it is on to the other five cities we have left to try. We are headed your way Seal Beach, Cypress, La Palma, Stanton, and Westminster!

Out of five hummingbirds (because the hummingbird is the official bird of Villa Park, probably because they are both tiny), five being best, to zero being worst, China Panda gets 3 hummingbirds.

For more information about China Panda, head to their website here: https://www.villaparkchinapanda.com/