A Pleasant Burger in Placentia

B & C Burgers

1868 Placentia, Ave.

Placentia, CA 92870

Has it really been six months? Yes, I guess it has. This year is flying by. Every six months, like clockwork I have a standing appointment to get my teeth cleaned at my childhood dentist. Yes, I live in south county, but I have not wanted to change dentists. So every six months I make the trek up to Yorba Linda, get my teeth cleaned, and then usually have lunch with my Mom. It works out perfectly. I get to eat at a restaurant in an area I am usually not in, and she gets to eat lunch with her favorite child, (sorry to break this to my sister, but she will get over it).

After another spotless dentist visit, I had to choose where to eat. As an added wrinkle to my selection, my Mom informed me that my three nieces would be joining us for lunch. That narrowed my list quite a bit, so we headed to Placentia's very own B & C Burgers.

Restaurants like B & C Burgers dot every city in OC. They usually have names like Gus's, Bill's or Ted's. The menus are always very large, serving breakfast, burgers, sandwiches, and Mexican or Greek food. At B & C there is no Greek gyros, but they do have a wide assortment of Mexican favorites. After reading the Yelp reviews, I knew what I was going to be having when we showed up here.

We got to B & C right as the lunch rush was forming. The restaurant is pretty small, with six tables inside, and about the same number outside. Ordering is done at the counter, and with such a big menu, of course it takes awhile for most people to find out what they want, including my nieces. The heat was getting to me, so we ordered, got our drinks and waited for our food to come out.

It was not breakfast time, but a number of people in reviews had made mention of how good the B & C Breakfast Burrito ($6.99) is, so of course I had to try it. The potatoes were very creamy and the large pieces of sausage were very tasty. The eggs did get lost here and this burrito needed a little more cheese and bacon. What really made this burrito pop was the salsa that came with it. I am pretty sure it was homemade, and it added a nice kick of heat to the burrito. I almost wanted to steal the whole container of it and bring it home with me, but my Mom was sitting right next to me, so I was good.

I only ate half of the burrito, because of course I had to try their burgers. The one hamburger that got more mentions on Yelp than all others, was the Double Frisco Burger ($7.99 as a combo). I know his sounds like a huge burger, but the patties at B & C are very thin. I would have been very disappointed if I had only got a single patty. The sourdough bread could have been toasted a bit more, but it held the contents of the burger well. The cheese kind of got shoved to the side on this because the bacon was some of the best I have had in awhile. This is thick cut bacon, which was full of salty flavor. I also liked that they put mayonnaise on this burger. Not too many places opt for this condiment, and it was a refreshing change. Instead of fries I went with onion rings, and they were pretty good. The breading was not over the top, and the onion was cooked well, without being crazy greasy. Insiders tip, the yellow squirt bottles on the tables are not mustard, they are filled with ranch dressing.

If there is one food that I would say my Mom orders more than any other in restaurants, it is a Tuna Sandwich ($3.99). I can remember her ordering these when I was a kid at Polly's Pies, and the tradition continues today. She liked the basic looking tuna sandwich at B & C. The tuna was fresh, the produce was fine, and the bread appeared to be wheat of some sort.

My Mom and I split the Fried Zucchini ($2.99). This was a pretty good fried zucchini. Not a heavy breading, the zucchini seemed pretty fresh, and the light dusting of Parmesan cheese was much appreciated. This was not a real heavy fried item. The serving size for this was not awful for three dollars. We had some left over to take home.

Two of my three nieces had the Bacon Burger Combo with Fries ($5.99). Kids are picky eaters, and these two are no exception. Neither of them wanted cheese or produce on their burgers, which makes for a very drab looking picture. Both of them only ate a few bites of their burgers, after complaining that they were starving before the food got to the table. They were way more interested in the fries than the burgers.

Gracie of course did not want to be like her sister's, so she had the Kid's Chicken Strips ($4.99). She struggled to finish these and really only started eating when I told her I would get her a milkshake. She finally finished after forty-five minutes, but the milkshake would have to wait for another day because her sisters were getting antsy. I did try the chicken and it was good, nothing special.

B & C claims to have the best burger in Placentia, and up to this point in my research I believe that to be true. Although there is not much competition in this north county city. There is only fifteen burger places listed on Urbanspoon in Placentia, and nine of those are fast food chains, including the supposed number one burger in the city from In N Out. I like this burger better than In N Out. The patties might be thin, but the thick bacon makes up for that in my book. The service was really good. The guy working the counter came out and checked on us frequently. He also made sure that we were happy with everything, and cleared our plates for us while we were waiting for Gracie to finish her chicken strips. There were signs on the soda machine warning people that they are only allowed one refill, but we did not see anyone enforcing that. Now, where to go when I have my next dental visit in March?

Out of five Olympic medals, (because former Placentia resident, Janet Evans won five Olympic medals in her swimming career), five being best to zero being worst, B & C Burger gets 3 Olympic medals.

For more information on B & C Burgers, click here: http://www.bncburgers.com/index.html

Blazing a Trail for Pizza

Blaze Pizza

4255 Campus Drive #A120

Irvine, CA 92612

The restaurant business is really funny. Someone has an idea, and within a couple of months, that idea gets copied and then copied again. I am not sure who came up with the idea of a build your own pizza place, but they seem to be popping up with great regularity all of a sudden. Spin Pizza is one of these concepts. They are a pizza chain from Kansas City, that will be started out here by Hof's Hut honcho, Craig Hoffman. He plans too open before the year is out if everything goes right. Another assembly line pizza place opened up right by Cal State Fullerton, Pie-ology. We have not been yet, but most people online really like it. Now enter a third contestant for your fast casual pizza dollar, Blaze Pizza.

Blaze Pizza just opened up about a month ago. We were going to go to the media preview party, but we had a scheduling conflict. We put it on our list of places to try and waited for the perfect opportunity to go. That perfect opportunity came up on a recent Sunday when we went to watch our friend Rachel play soccer for the Anteaters. We needed a place to eat nearby, and Blaze Pizza was right around the corner.

Blaze Pizza was founded by pretzel people, Elise, and Rick Wetzel. The same people who brought you Wetzel's Pretzel's to almost every mall in the US, have teamed up with Executive Chef, Bradford Kent to open this quick-service pizza restaurant. Ordering is done at the counter, where you have the option of building your own pizza creation or you can take the easy way out and just go for one of their signature pizzas.

We got to Blaze Pizza at about 5:30 on a Sunday afternoon. Since school has not started yet, I thought it was going to be pretty dead, but the restaurant and the entire center had plenty of people roaming about on this lazy Sunday. Blaze Pizza is dominated by the color orange, which is a real attention grabber. I was watching people when they first walked in, and they were real standoffish about ordering. It took people about three to four minutes to decide what they wanted, which is understandable at this new eatery. It did back the line up a little bit.

Here are a few shots of the assembly line process that goes on at Blaze Pizza. As each customer orders, their pizza dough is flattened, sauce of their choice added, along with the toppings they choose. At the end of the process, the pizza is put into a large oven and baked for 180 seconds at 800 degrees. Sorry I failed to get a picture of the oven. I was done snapping pictures, it was now time to eat.

Okay, guess I still have to take pictures of the food. Starting us off is Blaze's Caesar Salad ($3.50). This prepackaged salad was just okay. The lettuce was fresh, the dressing was pretty good, but there were too many croutons on this salad, with most of them losing their crunch due to the moisture of the greens. I could tell that this was a fresh salad, but they should really keep the croutons separate.

Of course, I have been talking up the fact that you can build your own pizza masterpiece here, but neither Katie or I built our own. We both went the signature pizza route. True to form, I opted for the Meat Eater ($6.85). This pizza came with pepperoni, crumbled meatballs, red onion, mozzarella, and red sauce. The crust here is thin. It did a great job of holding the toppings and did have a slight chew to it. They did not overload this pizza with toppings. The meats were all pretty good, but I would have liked just a little more on this pie. The sauce was fine, but again, there was not much of it on here. The thing I noticed most about this pizza was the lack of grease. Not really any, which made this a very light tasting pizza.

Katie's pizza could not have been any more different from mine. She had a modified version of their White Top Pizza ($6.85). This sauceless pizza usually comes with bacon, but she substituted the swine for sliced tomatoes. A trade-off I would never make. Anyways, this pizza came with mozzarella and ricotta cheeses, chopped garlic, arugula, and oregano. Katie thought the cheese was melted nicely, and that the pizza had a nice mellow flavor. She liked the sliced tomatoes on this but will opt to cut out the arugula on her subsequent visits.

I liked Blaze but was not blown away by anything we had here. I think this concept will definitely flourish at this location. Students love pizza and inexpensive food, and the prices here are pretty good. Time is also an important factor for students, and at Blaze Pizza, you walk in, and five minutes later you are eating your pizza creation. The pizzas are better than anything you can get a chain pizza place, (Pizza Hut, Domino's, or Little Caesars). The toppings are fresh, the dough is really good, and the concept seems to be spreading. Blaze Pizza might have a winner on its hands.

Out of five rocking horses, (because in 1962, toy maker Mattel introduced the world to its version of a rocking horse, which they called Blaze), five being best to zero being worst, Blaze Pizza gets 3 rocking horses.

For more information on Blaze Pizza, click here: https://blazepizza.com/

Satisfying Situation at Stonefire Grill?

Stonefire Grill

3966 Barranca Parkway

Irvine, CA 92606

It was time to go out with Chuck and Stephanie. This time I did not have to decide where we would be eating. Thanks to rave reviews from Chuck's Dad, we were headed to a place I had heard of before, but never been to, Stonefire Grill.

Stonefire Grill has been in business since 2000. In those twelve years they have opened seven locations. OC is home to two of these locations, with the other one situated in Fountain Valley. Sisters, Maureen and Mary Harrigan opened this place as a tribute to their Mother. She was a mother of 11, and the sisters wanted to create an atmosphere where families could congregate around the table, share conversations, and create special memories.

Stonefire is a fast casual restaurant. Ordering is done at the counter and then brought out to you. The restaurant really reminded us of an updated Sizzler, without the salad bar, or a Pat and Oscars. The menu is pretty large. They have plenty of family meals or individual meals to choose from. Salads, sandwiches, pizzas, and four proteins dominate most of the menu here.

We got to Stonefire Grill at about six on a Wednesday night. The restaurant was pretty busy, but we had no problems finding seats. We perused the large menu, ordered at the counter, and waited for the food to come out. The restaurant is pretty loud, but that just helped drown out some of Chuck's ramblings. After about a five minute wait the food started to make its way to our table in waves. Let's see how it all came out.

Individual meals come with your choice of salad, so we selected the Garden Salad and the Caesar. Both of these salads were big enough to share, although I did not share too much with Katie, sorry about that. The Caesar was pretty basic, but I really enjoyed it. It was probably one of the best I have had in awhile. I liked that there was plenty of dressing here, and it kind of had a little bite to it. It could have just been the pepper, but it really was a nice surprise. Stephanie went with the Garden Salad. This salad came with mixed greens, chopped tomato, carrots, cucumber, red cabbage, and your choice of dressing. She opted for the blue cheese. I really liked that they tossed the salad for you. I wish more places would have their salads come out this way. It really coats the greens better.

Each salad came with two Breadsticks. I am not wild about breadsticks. These ones were good though. They came out warm, and were soft on the inside. The outside had a nice garlic/butter taste. You can tell these were freshly made.

Katie had been here before and wanted to try their Grilled Chicken Pesto Sandwich ($7.99) again. This sandwich came with caramelized onions, mozzarella, pesto sauce, tomato, and greens, on a French roll. As you can see from the pictures, this sandwich was dominated by vegetables. Katie liked the toasted bread, but felt there was way too much pesto on this. It really detracted from the chicken. She would forgo this sandwich on her next visit to Stonefire.

Both Chuck and Stephanie got basically the same thing, just prepared differently. Chuck ordered the 1/4 Chicken and Tri-Tip Combo ($10.99), while Stephanie got the Boneless Chicken Breast and Tri-Tip Combo ($13.99). They both really enjoyed the tri-tip. It was cooked a perfect medium rare. Very tender and it had a great meaty flavor. The chicken was another story. It was very tender, but lacked any flavor at all. The mesquite BBQ sauce really failed here as well. Chuck even ordered an extra side, and it helped just a little bit.

I knew exactly what I was going to have before I got here, and it was the Tri-Tip and Rib Combo ($14.99). I liked the tri-tip very much. I got it with pepper garlic and Gorgonzola butter. The butter was pretty mellow, from what I was expecting, but it still added to the meat. The baby back ribs were very tender. They separated from the bone very easily, and the taste of the meat was spot on. I thought the BBQ sauce was a little weak because it was a little too sweet, and kind of on the thin side. Not a bad plate of food though.

We also got some side items to try. We got the small Macaroni and Cheese ($7.99), and it could have easily fed three people. Everyone really liked this mac and cheese, except for me. I thought it was kind of plain tasting. They all liked the cheesiness, but I needed a little more bite from the cheese. The Nutty Coleslaw came with Katie's sandwich. I really enjoyed this version of slaw. The cabbage was crunchy, the nuts added a little earthiness, and the dressing did not overpower the other ingredients. The Garlic Mashed Potatoes ($2.99) were a pleasant surprise as well. By looking at them I was not expecting much, but they had lots of garlic flavor, and there seemed to be a layer of cheese running through them. Sure they could have been a little creamier, but the garlic flavor more than made up for this.

Okay, it was finally time for dessert. At Stonefire they offer three desserts, and we tried two of them. The Famous Chocolate Brownie ($2.79) was just okay. I would have liked this brownie to be a little sweeter. It was moist enough, but was kind of plain tasting. The Incredible Carrot Cake ($5.49) is the dessert to get here. The serving size was perfect to split with four people after dinner. The cake was moist and had a very good spiced flavor. The cream cheese icing was sweet, without taking over the cake. There was also not big hunks of things in this cake, like in other carrot cakes. We would all get this again.

I liked Stonefire Grill, but I am not sure it is destination dining for me. If I were in the area again I could see myself eating here though. The food was all pretty good, but nothing really hooked me. I liked the concept though. The restaurant was pretty comfortable. We were here at a peak hour and there was plenty of room, so we did not feel like people were right on top of us. The service was pretty good for a quick service restaurant. They had a lot of dining room runners, and they checked on us frequently. I did not feel the prices were outrageous here either. Glad Chuck's Dad gave me a night off from choosing where to go for dinner.

Out of five eagles, (because this restaurant is located in the same city as Concordia University, and their mascot is the Eagles),  five being best to zero being worst, Stonefire Grill gets 3 eagles.

For more information about Stonefire Grill, click here: http://www.stonefiregrill.com/

SlapFish Has Got Us, Hook, Line and Sinker - CLOSED

SlapFish - A Modern Seafood Shack

19696 Beach Blvd. 

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

I am one of the last OC food bloggers to make it to SlapFish. Not that I haven't wanted to go before now. I have heard good, no make-that-great things about them. We have not been able to make it up to HB to see the big deal. So we finally had a free Sunday to drive up to try them.

Casual fish restaurants are opening up all over. Spike's Fish House, California Fish Grill, Boneheads, and SlapFish have all sprung up recently. This is a trend that I can really get behind. It used to be that seafood had to be served in fancy restaurants with great ocean views and big price tags attached to the meals to help pay for that view. I can only ever recall having fish from H. Salt or in TV dinners when we were growing up. I always thought more people would like fish if exposed to it early. These restaurants are trying to encourage this by making fish more readily available to everyone, which is good for all of us.

For those of you who have yet to learn about SlapFish, they started as a food truck, and earlier this year, they set up shop in a Huntington Beach shopping center about a mile away from the ocean. SlapFish is run by two guys who genuinely love the sea. Chef Andrew Gruel and Jethro Naude want to serve fish responsibly, so they are committed to sourcing only Eco-friendly and well-managed seafood. They work closely with the Aquarium of the Pacific and other agencies to prevent overfishing and harmful fishing practices. They believe sustainable fish taste better, so I was excited to see if this was true.

We got to SlapFish at about 3:30 on a Sunday afternoon. The ten-table restaurant was packed with people just finishing up their meals. Ordering is done at the counter, and the menu is posted on large chalkboards above the register. The menu rotates based on what is available at a specific time. They update their menu every month or so. Food is then brought out to your table by the staff. Enough talk; let's get to it!

Right after ordering, I made a beeline for their condiment bar. This is where they have their tarter sauce, hot sauces, and the sauce on the right, the "Awesome Sauce." We had ordered some items that already came with these sauces, but I like adding a little extra sauce to everything, so we got more. The awesome sauce was very good. It was like a Thousand Islands dressing in color but very subtle. I really liked it.

I needed to post two pictures of this Major Crunchy Fish Sandwich ($8.95) because I could not get the whole thing in the picture. This thing was massive. I really enjoyed this sandwich. It's one of the best fish sandwiches I have had. This sandwich had fried golden hake, pickled onion, and their awesome sauce. Katie thought this was good but very rich. I liked the crunchiness of the outer portion of the fish. It had a great crunch without being overly greasy. The fish was very fresh and had an appealing flavor. The brioche-buttered bun is also worth noting here. Went very well with the sandwich, and it held up to this big hunk of fish admirably.

One of the most popular dishes on their menu when we were there was the Chowder Fries with Bacon ($5.95). This simple dish should be copied by more restaurants. They take their creamy clam chowder, pour it over French fries, and then add crumbled bacon. Surprisingly, the fries stayed somewhat crisp while we were eating this. The clam chowder was very creamy but did suffer from a lack of clams. I would definitely get this again.

We had a seat right near the register, and while we were there, I noticed almost all the orders included $1 Fish Tacos. Every day from 3pm to 5pm, they offer dollar tacos, and lots of people were taking advantage of this deal by ordering six at a time. I was reserved and only ordered one. They used the same golden hake in the tacos they used in Katie's fish sandwich. I was first amazed at how much fish they put on this. I am used to their minuscule amount at Rubio's and Wahoo's. I was also impressed with the attention to detail they used to put this dollar taco together. You can see it in the picture above. A light avocado spread, pickled red onion, and a lemon aioli accompany the fish in this taco. This fish taco had great, deep flavors. Really a good value for a buck.

We are suckers for crab cakes, so when we saw SlapFish's version, the Griddled Clobster Cake ($6.85), on the menu, we knew we would be ordering it. This cake was made of crab and lobster and served with a chipotle slaw and herb aioli. I liked the big hunks of meat on the cake; there was only a little filler here. The sauce was mellow, and the cake had a little citrus kick. The slaw was well made, and I could not stop eating it until it was gone.

We last tried the XL Firecracker Fish Burrito ($8.25). This burrito was stuffed with cod, avocado, black beans, cabbage, and rice. The burrito could have been wrapped better. I cut it in half to snap pictures of the inside, and it fell apart. This burrito was big and had many layers of flavor. I did not get the spiciness until I was halfway done with the burrito. This burrito needed a little more liquid, so I added more of the "Awesome Sauce" to it, which made it better.  I would skip the burrito on my next visit. This was not the best vehicle for the fish, and without eating this filling burrito, I would have more room to eat other things on the menu.

I guess you can tell that we really liked our trip to SlapFish. I might have liked this even better than Katie. The fish was very fresh, and its preparation really brought out big-time flavors. Be advised that the menu items here may only sometimes be available due to the time of year and availability. Still, if this visit was any indication, you can find something you like here. The girls behind the counter were charming, and even after we ordered, they ensured we got all our food and checked back on us to ensure everything was okay. SlapFish is a testament that seafood does not have to be expensive or served only in fancy restaurants. Thanks for bringing delicious seafood to the masses, SlapFish.

Out of five oil wells (because the city of Huntington Beach, where SlapFish is situated, was first known for the oil under the town, and thus, the teams from Huntington Beach High School are still called the Oilers), five being best to zero being worst, SlapFish gets a strong 3.5 oil wells.

For more information on SlapFish, click here: http://slapfishrestaurant.com/index.php

Consuming Corona's Best Breakfast?

Silver Dollar Pancake House

710 E. 6th Street

Corona, CA 92879

These words have never been written anywhere before, but we came to the city of Corona to escape the heat. Yes, you read that correctly. My roommate is pretty frugal when it comes to paying for air conditioning, so with the heatwave, we have been having in Southern California, it has been uncomfortable, to say the least. We were going to be up in Corona one night, then back to Yorba Linda for my nieces birthday the next afternoon, so it just made sense to stay in a hotel and take advantage of their air conditioning. It also gave us a rare chance to try one of Corona's favorites for breakfast, Silver Dollar Pancake House.

Silver Dollar Pancake House has a real old-time feel to it. Of course, the reason for that is because it is really old. This restaurant dates back to the 1920s. It has been a carhop restaurant, a Mexican restaurant, a Chinese place, and in the early 50's they became Silver Dollar Pancake House. This eatery has survived two fires, but with the hard work of the married couple that met and fell in love here, they are still churning out what some call Corona's best breakfast.

We slept in to enjoy the air conditioning, and to avoid the long wait times that many people posted about in on-line reviews of this place. We showed up at noon on a Sunday, and still had about a fifteen-minute wait. This small restaurant has a counter in the front room, and up a few stairs is the main dining area, with about twenty or so tables. Not many people choose to sit at the counter, so the dining area was bustling with activity. The walls of this restaurant are lined with framed pictures, some of which are autographed. JFK, Mohammad Ali, Mr. Clean, Bill Clinton, the Retired Postman of Corona, and other local celebrities have a place of honor on their waiting area wall.  Our wait for a table was up, so it was time to head to the crowded and warm dining room. Here's how the food came out.

First up was Katie's Western Omelet ($8.49) which came with bell peppers, onions, bacon, and cheese. Katie was a little turned off by the cheese here, which she believed to be American. An odd choice for an omelet, but I had a few bites of this and really enjoyed it. This was stuffed with lots of crisp bacon, the veggies were all right, but the salsa really stole the show. It had a great heat to it and really enhanced this omelet. The hash browns were pretty average.

I liked Katie's breakfast a lot more than I liked my choice, the Country Scramble ($6.59). This scramble was made up of 2 biscuits and gravy, 2 sunny side up eggs, and 2 strips of bacon. The eggs were a tad overcooked, while the bacon was thick-cut, and cooked just the way I like it. You could tell that the biscuits are scratch-made. On their own, they would have been pretty good, but the gravy really detracted from them. It was very runny, with little to no flavor. The salsa helped wake this plate up, but not enough to get past the gravy.

So this is a pancake house, so of course, we definitely needed to get pancakes here. The ones that everyone raved about on-line were the Banana Pancakes ($7.39). These were not just your standard banana pancakes with banana flavoring in the batter. These were more like pancakes you would see served at a county fair, pancakes that are way more over the top than your standard restaurant pancake. These cakes were served with whipped cream, pecans, and a caramel sauce. The pancake itself was pretty light, for a pancake. The banana kind of got lost here in some bites, but the caramel sauce and pecans really negated the need for the banana. I would have liked a little extra caramel sauce on these, but they were already rich enough without it. These are definitely worth getting on trips here.

We can see why this place has become a local favorite. The vibe here is a real small town, with an emphasis on big plates of food. All of the waitresses seemed to know most of the customers here, or at least acted like they did. The food here is not going to change your life, but the banana pancakes just might. The egg dishes were okay but should only be ordered to help augment the sweetness from the pancakes. Prices were pretty fair for the amount of food you receive. We were not hungry for the rest of the day after eating here. So after this filling meal, it was back to OC to sweat it out with no air conditioning. Thanks for saving us from the sweltering heat Corona!

Out of five lumberjacks, (because the Silver Dollar City amusement park in Branson, Missouri has hosted logging competitions in its park), five being best to zero being worst, Silver Dollar Pancake House gets 2.5 lumberjacks.

Silver Dollar Pancake House does not have a website, so click here to see their Yelp page: https://www.yelp.com/biz/silver-dollar-pancake-house-corona-2?sort_by=date_desc