Sunday, October 14, 2012

Whole Foods/Back Bay Tavern Media Event


Whole Foods/Back Bay Tavern
415 Newport Center Dr.
Newport Beach, CA 92660

For those of you that do not know me, I have had the same day job for the past 24 years. Yes, I have worked at my high school job for over two decades. I swear it was supposed to only be a summer job! Anyways, I work in a traditional grocery store, so when we got invited to come to see the new Whole Foods Market at Fashion Island, I had some mixed emotions. Of course, I had just spent eight hours in a grocery store working, and the last thing I wanted to do was go to another grocery store, but I did want to see the way that Whole Foods did things. To be perfectly honest, Whole Foods was way more than a grocery store, and at times during our visit, I forgot I was in a grocery store.












So of course I say that it was not like we were in a grocery store, but I start out with some pretty standard-looking pictures of grocery store shelves. When we were at Whole Foods they were two days away from opening, so they were still busy filling the shelves. I am a dairy guy, so I was pretty impressed with the wide variety of yogurts, cheeses, and deli meats. The wine selection was pretty enormous as well. The produce section was only half full when we were here, but the bright citrus really caught our eye.








The first thing that sets this Whole Foods in Newport Beach apart is the Tea Hive in the front of the store. What's the Tea Hive you ask? It is a brand new fusion cafe and tea bar that is making its debut at this Whole Foods. We were lucky enough to be able to sample all of their teas straight from the martini shakers of the "Tea Tenders". I am not too into overly sweet teas, I never even add sugar to tea. Most of these were not overly sweet. My favorites included the Ginger Citron, which was made with oolong tea, ginger, and lime, and the Pomegranate Lemonade, which featured green tea, along with pomegranate and tart lemonade. This one was fruity without being crazy sweet, and the finish was nice. Not pictured, but the Tea Hive also is serving bowls and wraps for a very respectable $9 and $7 respectively. Before 10:30 AM they are serving a Chai Oatmeal and an interesting-sounding Acai Crunch Cup. Layered Acai, Greek yogurt, fruit, and granola are garnished with your choice of honey or agave. A very healthy way to start the day for sure.


The aspect of this Whole Foods that I was most looking forward to seeing was the Back Bay Tavern, which is kind of tucked away in the back right corner of the store. It kind of feels like a secret spot that only real insiders know about. Walking into the Back Bay Tavern I felt like I was transported 3,000 miles away to a bar on the East Coast. Brick walls, wood beams and tables, and a mahogany bar that was originally located in Harlem, all lend to the right coast kind of vibe here. Back Bay Tavern has a rotating selection of 24 craft beers on tap, along with wines and spirits. They also feature special cocktails that are made from all organic ingredients. The draft beer prices were all very reasonable, in the $6 to $8 range. After ordering my Ballast Point Yellowtail Ale, I was ready to check out the food. Let's see what Executive Chef Dennis Horton came up with.



When we walked into the Back Bay Tavern we were treated to this Artisan Cheese Board ($10) and Bread Sticks on every table. I am not much into cheese boards, but this one had very mellow cheeses. I did not catch the names of all the cheeses, but they were gobbled up rather quickly. The bread sticks were a nice touch here. I have not had breadsticks in a while. These were all flavored differently, but my favorite was the simple sesame bread stick. Went well with the cheese board.




They brought out almost all of their dishes for us to take pictures of. This trio of plates was the ones I did not get to sample. I was pleasantly surprised at the portion size of the Ginger Atlantic Salmon ($25). This pan-seared Atlantic salmon was accompanied by a beet puree, salmon roe, and a green salad with a light vinaigrette. Fried Tofu is not really my thing, so I was not too concerned that I missed this, but it went quickly. The Tempura Veggies were not on the menu, but the people that had these really liked the light batter used here.




Salad time, and again I was very surprised by the sizes of these salads. Kale seems to be the hottest thing in salads right now, and the way the Mediterranean Chopped Kale Salad ($9) disappeared, it seems like the trend will continue. The SoPac Caesar ($9) was very good. Nice dressing and the cheese was plentiful. The Kenter Canyon Herb Salad and Beet Carpaccio ($9) was not only colorful but full of big flavor. This salad came with pistachios, crumbled blue cheese, and a champagne vinaigrette. Complex flavors, all working together to create a well-crafted salad.



A few more appetizers that I tried. It would not be a tavern without Chicken Wings. These large wings had plenty of meat on them with a real mellow sauce. The House Root Chips and Dip ($4) were a real winner for me. The chips were fried perfectly, with just a touch of greasiness, but what put these over the top was the spicy chipotle dip that came out with them. I would have eaten this dip on an ice cream sundae, it was just that good. Get these on your next visit here.


True to the vibe of an east coast bar, the guys at Back Bay Tavern have Local Brew Battered Fish and Chips ($11) on the menu. Big hunks of what I thought was cod, are served alongside skinny fries on top of the fake newspaper. This fish came out of the kitchen smoking hot. The breading was good but did not detract from the fish.


Not sure who ordered this burger, but the distinctive feature was what came on this burger. The Tavern Burger ($11) may look a little on the plain side, but they put bacon jam on this one. Yes, you read that correctly, Bacon Jam. The jam was not as overpowering as it could have been, but it really added to this juicy burger. I really liked the grill marks on this burger as well. They reminded me of a backyard burger.


My meal on this night really popped! I had the Cabernet Braised Short Ribs ($23). These were your classic comfort food short ribs. Very tender, and the flavor from the Cabernet was great. The short ribs were placed over some sweet corn polenta and for added zing, this had a smoked poblano puree that really kicked up the heat index on this one a few notches. Served alongside local veggies and a tomato confit, this was a very well-balanced plate. Definitely not something you would expect from inside a supermarket.


The only miss of the night for me was Katie's selection for dinner, the Bayside Club ($10). Even Screech could not have saved this one for me. Sorry, had to get my Saved By the Bell reference in there! Anyways, this sandwich had a lot of everything that I like. Chicken, triple stacked bacon, lettuce, tomato, and onion on a ciabatta roll, but I found this chicken to be a little on the dry side, and even with the bacon, it kind of left me wanting more. Katie did not have any complaints about this, but she likes her chicken more well done than I do.


The biggest hit of the night for almost everyone in attendance was the Wasabi Pepper Seared Scallops ($25). Served alongside a mushroom and asparagus saute and micro Asian greens, this plate had everyone buzzing. It all starts with the scallop for me. It was cooked to just the right doneness. The Wasabi was present but did not detract from the scallop. The veggies all worked well together to create a very good dinner.


The last meal of the night belonged to Suki, she chose the Panko Crusted Eggplant "Parmesan Fondue" ($18). This vegan dish came with white truffle laced eggplant, tomato confit, basil pesto, and cashew Parmesan "cheese". This plate did not really get much of a reaction from Suki, so I will assume that it was just okay. Not anything that I would order. I know, shocking right?






After dinner and appetizers, I could barely move I was so full, but there was one more thing that the good folks from the Tea Hive brought out, Frosted Tea Lattes ($5) and Blended Tea Sorbets ($5). The lattes were some of my favorites. The Chocolate Chai made with black tea, spiced chai, and just the right amount of chocolate and cinnamon was very decadent. The Strawberry Almond Frosted Latte was very fruity, without being overly sweet. Katie really liked the Orchard Peach Sorbet. The mint used in it really enhanced the peach and black tea. Very refreshing with the warmer weather we have been having lately.

So in the end, I was happy to go to Whole Foods Market after all. It was way more than any average supermarket. The Tea Hive and Back Bay Tavern are places that people will want to go to, even if they do not have any grocery shopping to do. The food that we tried was way better than anything we have ever had in a supermarket. We are looking forward to another visit to Whole Foods very soon.

We wanted to thank everyone at Whole Foods Market for the wonderful opportunity to tour your market before you opened. Everyone we encountered was genuinely nice and answered all of our questions. We also wanted to thank Sara Record and everyone at Gold PR for the invite and the opportunity to experience Whole Foods Market. You guys rock! Lastly, thanks to all of the bloggers that experienced this with us. All of you make these kinds of events worth going to. Good times.

For more information on Whole Foods/Back Bay Tavern, click here: http://wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/Newport

Jetting Up to North End Caffe


North End Caffe
3421 Highland Ave.
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

Whenever we are going to an area we rarely go, I always look for places that have been on TV, or I scurry and try to find restaurants with glowing reviews on-line. When we were going to be taking Chuck to LAX, and he suggested that we eat dinner before their flight, I knew where we needed to eat, North End Caffe.

North End Caffe has both of my criteria covered. They have been on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, and they have a lot of four and five-star reviews on Yelp. I am not sure why I like eating at places that have been showcased on TV. A good majority of them have been really good, but we have also had some real stinkers as well. Online reviews are a much better indicator of how a restaurant is going to be. I look at Yelp and Urbanspoon, then read what other bloggers have had to say about a certain place. This was the case here, and most reviews were positive.

For this dinner, the timing really had to be right. We had left OC at six on a Saturday night, so that gave us three hours until Chuck and Stephanie had to get to the airport. Luckily there was little in the way of traffic up to Manhattan Beach, so we made it in just under an hour. Parking was another hurdle, but we lucked out and got a great spot on the street one block away from the restaurant. The last thing that could trip us up was the wait at the restaurant. Here again, we dodged a bullet, as the wait was only five minutes. This was all going along great.

North End Caffe is right down the street from the ocean. The restaurant is not too large. Maybe eight tables inside, and two large ones outside. The ambiance was laid back, with a heavy influence of beach vibe. The restaurant was well-staffed, and they really kept things moving along as a team. This restaurant is known for their breakfast items, even though the meals they featured on DDD were all lunch items. The lunch menu was available during the evening hours, as well as nightly specials that were written out on a chalkboard on the far wall of the restaurant. Many of these specials sounded great, but I was going to stick to what I saw on TV. Let's see how that turned out for us.



Since we were doing Chuck the big favor of taking him to LAX on a Saturday night, Katie and I decided to take advantage of him buying us dinner, so we started off with two salads. Katie just wanted a side salad ($5.75). This colorful side salad came with red onion, a spring lettuce mix, tomato, cucumber, and a citrus-based dressing that I did not get the name of. Katie was a big fan of this large side salad. It had very fresh produce, and the citrus-based dressing really had a nice mellow flavor. My Caesar Salad ($5.75) featured fresh romaine greens, a little Parmesan cheese, and a mellow Caesar dressing. When I first saw this salad, I thought it was going to be on the plain side. The dressing, although not heavy, still had a nice flavor to it. I would have liked some croutons here, but the salad was still good without them.



When a restaurant has been on TV, I like to get the items that the host had eaten. The Kahlua Pig Monte Cristo Egg Rolls ($10.00) was the first thing they made on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. These egg rolls are stuffed with Kahlua pork, which is roasted for 12 hours, Swiss cheese, black forest ham, and what I believe to be cabbage. These are then fried, and served with a Wasabi Mojo sauce. The Wasabi is not over the top, and kind of gets neutralized by the mayonnaise and teriyaki sauce, but still has a nice flavor to it. These egg rolls were one of a kind. The pork is well done, and the egg roll itself is fried to perfection. This is must get when coming to North End Caffe.



The other item that was highlighted on the show was the Fettuccine Carbonara ($14.50). This heaping plate of food was as rich as I have tasted in a while. This pasta dish definitely sticks to your ribs food, perfect for a red-eye flight back east, so you can sleep the whole way across the country. They make their own pasta at North End Caffe, and it shows. The pasta is way fresher than anything you can get at Olive Garden. Also included in this carbonara is the salty pancetta, a cream sauce, and lots of pecorino romano cheese. The result is a heavy, but balanced plate. This was not a bad send-off meal for Chuck and Stephanie.



What I got for dinner was on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives as well, but they just showed people ordering it. I was torn between ordering off of their nightly special menu, but I ultimately went with the Fuego Burger ($12.75), which is on the regular menu. This nine-ounce burger patty was joined on the baguette with pepper jack cheese and cheddar cheese, bacon, avocado, red salsa, and a chipotle mojo. The burger portion of this reminded me of a meatloaf, more than a burger. The meat was very dense, with a nice seasoning to it. The condiments were fine, but none really stood out like I thought they would. This burgers big downfall for me was the baguette used here. It was very crusty and was difficult to get through in certain parts. I probably would have liked this burger a lot more, had the bread been better. The Belgian fries that came with this burger were pretty good. The potatoes were fried perfectly, with just enough crunch to them, then seasoned with a touch of salt. I was full, but I ate plenty of these.



Dessert time! Looking at their menu, most nights they offer two different desserts. The night we were here they had the Salted Caramel Bread Pudding ($6.95) and the North End Brownie Sundae ($6.95). After eating the bread pudding here, I have decided that I am not a huge bread pudding fan. Not anything against this one, but I can not recall ever being in love with any bread pudding I have ever had. I did like the salted caramel sauce poured over this pudding, but the pudding itself left me wanting more out of it. The brownie sundae was more to my liking. The brownie used here was very soft. Almost like it wasn't cooked all the way, but it was. I thought the brownie to ice cream ratio was one of the best we have had in a while. I always hate when places skimp on the amount of ice cream they serve alongside a cake or pie. Hot fudge would have pushed this sundae over the top.

We really enjoyed our trip to North End Caffe. The food was all above average. The menu is big enough that it would definitely warrant other visits. Next time I would definitely try some of the dinner specials, and of course have the egg rolls again. The service during our visit was spot on. They really took care of us and made us feel welcome. The prices are a little on the high side, but at a place that makes so much from scratch, that is to be expected. Portion sizes were pretty large as well. My burger was only nine ounces, but it filled me up. Guy Fieri got this one right. North End Caffe really filled the bill perfectly for our trip up to LAX. We got in and out in an orderly time so Chuck and Stephanie could make their plane. We had a great meal, and eating at a place that is in a different area than we are used to making both Katie and I feel like we were on vacation as well.

Out of five hockey sticks, (because the city of Manhattan Beach is home to numerous current and former hockey players, and I miss hockey so much now that the players and owners have imposed a lockout), five being best to zero being worst, North End Caffe gets 3.5 hockey sticks.

For more information about North End Caffe, click here: http://northendmb.com/

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Athena Gyro Returns - CLOSED


Athena Gyro
25381 Alicia Parkway, Ste. Q
Laguna Hills, CA 92653

For ardent readers of the blog, you will notice that we have been to Athena Gyro before. It was way back in the early days of the blog. Over two years ago we went to the now-closed Athena Gyro in Mission Viejo. One of the readers of the blog, Amanda had given us the tip about this hidden gem, located right off of Alicia Parkway. Unfortunately, four months after our review, Athena's was no more.

About a month ago, I got another tip from Amanda that Athena's had opened back up. Still along Alicia Parkway, but now in the city of Laguna Hills. I pass this small shopping center almost every day on my way to work. This strip mall has been in desperate need of a remodel, and along with a new El Pollo Loco, they are finally getting that remodel.

We visited the new Athena Gyro on a recent Friday night. This small, ten table restaurant had a small trickle of customers the night we were here. At most, they had about three tables, including us at one time. Not exactly bustling, but enough that I think the word is getting out that they are back and in a new location. The first thing I noticed when getting here was the door. This is the first time I have ever mentioned a restaurants door, but it was not a normal door, it was a sliding glass door. Very unusual for a restaurant, and it was almost comical watching people maneuver it. Not sure if this is going to be a permanent feature, but keep an eye out for it.

We talked to the owner or someone we believed to be the owner briefly about where they have been. He sold the restaurant up the street to another guy, and that guy started taking shortcuts, and the business suffered and was forced to close. There is another location of Athena's in San Mateo. That restaurant has been in business since 2000 and gets average reviews on Yelp. We were hoping that our experience would be better than average. Let's check it out.



We will start with Maureen's plate first since it was the first to arrive. She knew what she wanted almost immediately, the Mousaka entree ($11.99). I did not know it before this, but Mousaka is eggplant and potatoes mixed with ground meat, then topped with meat sauce and tzatziki sauce. This sounded delicious to me, but Maureen was less excited by this. She called this, "good, but not the best I have had."


A meal that I was much more familiar with was this Gyro Plate ($9.99). This came with your choice of beef, chicken or lamb gyro meat, and Denis chose the lamb. Denis really liked this plate and seemed a little reluctant to share any with Maureen. The entrees here are served with a side Greek salad, rice pilaf, and pita bread. Not a bad amount of food for under ten dollars.


Katie and I started off our dining adventure at Athena Gyro by having the Humus with Pita ($5.75). This creamy mixture of chickpeas and tahini was seasoned with garlic and lemon. Not a bad plate of hummus, but it needed a little pop of flavor for me. Not bad, but average.



So after Maureen and Denis were done with their meals and their plates were taken away, we finally received our dinner. Not sure if they only had a limited number of plates or something, but it was one of the most awkwardly served meals we can think of in the time we have been doing the blog. There were other issues going on here as well, but for now, let's focus on the food. I selected the Zorba's Combo Mixed Grill ($15.99). This plate had a little sampling of everything. Lamb and chicken cubes, gyro slices, Greek meatballs, and chicken gyro slices with tzatziki sauce on the side. All of the meats were seasoned the same way, but they were all pretty good, and tender. I liked the gyro meat the best, with the Greek meatballs a close second. The chicken was not dry like some places can serve it. Overall, not a bad plate of food. The Greek side salad had fresh produce, but I did not touch much of it.


Katie's Chicken Gyro sandwich Plate ($8.99) may look pretty plain, but she was pretty happy with it. The salad and rice were just average, but what made her take notice was the gyro. The pita bread was soft and pillowy, the thinly shaved chicken was very tender and had a nice flavor to it. The produce here was fresh and added a nice crunch to the gyro. I am more of a traditionalist when it comes to gyros, but this one was pretty good.



Time for dessert. They were out of two of their four choices, so we went with the other two, the Baklava (3.50), and the Shekepare ($3.00). The Shekepare was a very forgettable dessert. It was described in the menu as honey syrup and crushed walnuts baked in a flour and semolina mix. It really suffered from a lack of flavor. The Baklava was another story though. It was very sweet, but not chalky. I have had a good number of Baklava, and some of them can be very dry, this one wasn't. I'm glad we split this one because I am not sure I could have eaten this rich dessert by myself.

Welcome back to the neighborhood Athena's. The food was just as we remembered, which was very good. The service, on the other hand, was kind of crazy. I know this restaurant just recently opened back up, so I am going to give them a pass on not having certain items that are on their menu, the weird way they served two of the meals to our table of four, and then served the other two meals twenty minutes later, and the lack of attention by a waitress that had three tables the whole night. Hopefully, these growing pains will be worked out by our next visit. I would sum up Athena Gyro as a good place to quench your Greek cravings. In an area where there is not a lot of Greek places, Athena's can be counted on to do that.

Out of five owls, (because the Greek Goddess Athena is the Goddess of Wisdom, and one of her symbols is the wise old owl), five being best to zero being worst, Athena Gyro gets 3 owls.

For more information about Athena Gyro, check out their web site right here: http://greeklagunahills.wix.com/anthenagryo

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Panera Bread Media Event in Mission Viejo


Panera Bread
25523 Marguerite Parkway
Mission Viejo, CA 92692

I love sharing what I do with others. This was the case on this visit to the brand new Panera Bread in Mission Viejo. Katie is my usual plus one when we attend events, but she has a regular 9-5 weekday job, so she has a hard time making some of the lunch events. Plus she was out of vacation/sick days by like February. So I needed a substitute guest to attend this Panera event with me. I could think of no one better, than my Mom to join me. I had never been to a Panera Bread before, but my Mom has, but only for breakfast. She was excited to see what they offer after the morning hours.

We got to Panera Bread just before 1. This Mission Viejo location had only been open four days when we showed up, but the restaurant was packed. The word has definitely gotten out about this place, and only four days in! This location shares a building with a Chipotle, and a parking lot with Walgreen's and a California Pizza Kitchen. It used to be an old Blockbuster, but it does not resemble a video store anymore. The restaurant is deceptively large. Plenty of two person tables dominate the dining area. The colors are bright and inviting.






Also inviting are all the baked goods that you pass on the way up to the ordering area. I was surprised with all of the different varieties that they offer. Most bakeries shelves are all empty by lunchtime, but the shelves at Panera were full. If there is anything left over at the end of the night, it is donated to a local charity. In the case of this Mission Viejo location, they give to the food pantry at Saddleback Church.


Who says you can't have dessert first? The good folks over at Panera Bread brought us out a large assortment of baked goods to start. I was very partial to the Pecan Braid and the Cinnamon Roll. Both were very sweet, with the cinnamon roll really living up to its name by having a lot of cinnamon on the inside of it. I would not hesitate to get these both again. The item I was most surprised by was the Pumpkin Pie Bagel. I always refer to bagels as a poor man's donut. I have never really been a big fan of the heavy dough, non-sweet bagel. This bagel has changed my mind. This bagel is flavored with pumpkin pie spice and pumpkin flakes, then topped with a cinnamon crunch topping. My Mom was so impressed with this bagel, she went right up to snatch the last one that they had.


Man can't live on baked goods alone, so it was time to bring on the sandwiches. Up first was one of Panera's best sellers, the Bacon Turkey Bravo Sandwich. This sandwich came with smoked turkey breast, bacon, smoked Gouda, lettuce, tomato, and their signature dressing, on a tomato basil bread. The first bite, I realized how special this bread was. Full of flavor, but not as crusty as I thought it would be. It also held the contents of the sandwich well. The produce was fresh, and complimented the meats and cheese nicely. This was paired up with their Broccoli Cheddar Soup. This is a pretty solid soup. Very smooth tasting, without big hunks of broccoli in it. I can imagine eating this on a cool fall night, if we have any cool nights in our future.



We really must have been in a turkey mood because the next two sandwiches we got also featured turkey. The Roasted Turkey and Cranberry Panini might be new to the Panera menu, but we spied a lot of people ordering this one throughout the restaurant. I liked this sandwich because it was so stuffed with turkey. It literally had turkey falling out of the sandwich. The cranberry added a nice little sweet surprise in some bites, while the garlic and herb cheese spread added a nice zing to the sandwich. The Roasted Turkey and Avocado BLT had my name written all over it when I saw it on the menu. All of my favorites were on this sandwich, which came on a very sturdy sourdough bread. Basic sandwich, but really hit the spot.


Taking a break from the sandwiches, we also got to sample the Mac and Cheese and Sonoma Chicken Stew. I am really picky about my macaroni and cheese. It takes a lot to impress me. This one did a good job of it. Panera's version is made of Vermont White Cheddar cheese, and poured over shell pasta. The result was a smooth, kind of understated version of mac and cheese. The item that really captured our hearts was the Sonoma Chicken Stew. This had a great homey taste to it. We could imagine buying this, taking it home, and filling pie shells with it to create our own chicken pot pies. This seasonal stew combined chicken, leeks, carrots, onions and celery, with a very creamy sauce. It was also served with a cheese biscuit in the middle of it, which was good for dipping. Again, we long for cooler nights where we can curl up and sip on this wonderful stew.



When I saw Cuban Chicken Panini on the menu, I had to have it. I am a real sucker for Cuban sandwiches. This one was a little different. It did not have roasted pork, but used chicken instead, to go along with the lean ham, sweet and spicy pickle chips, Swiss cheese, mayo, and sun dried ale mustard. An interesting take on the Cuban sandwich. I have been back to Panera one time after this, and this was the sandwich that I got. It is very balanced, with the saltiness of the ham, the smooth Swiss, and the tanginess of the mustard and pickles. The French Onion Soup was paired with this. Not as cheesy as some french onion soups can be, this one also did not taste like a salt lick. I usually stay away from this soup because most restaurants over salt this very easily.


I definitely needed to end my meal with one more thing, the perfect ending to the afternoon, the Chocolate Duet with Walnut Cookie. This cookie also included white chocolate and semi sweet chunks of chocolate. Not too crunchy, and not overly soft, this cookie really had a pleasant texture, and was the great end to a wonderful afternoon of food.

My first visit to Panera Bread could not have gone any better. All the food was great, but the baked goods was where it is at! All of them were so good, I had to sign up for a MyPanera Card, which is their version of a rewards card. You can sign up for it, or get more information about the program here: http://mypanera.panerabread.com/?ref=pbhomeleft. We have already been back for dinner one night, and have plans to go again soon.

Both my Mom and I really had an excellent afternoon at Panera Bread. It gave us some quality time together, and showed her what it was like going to these food events and what it entails. Special thanks go out to everyone at Panera Bread. They really made our visit great. Thanks to Panera Bread's, Jenny Lynch for making sure we got to try everything our hearts desired. Hope she has a great trip to Europe. One last thank you goes to Jocelle Untalan, from Fleishman-Hillard for the invite. We really enjoyed ourselves, and that was due to your hospitality Jocelle.

For more information on Panera Bread, check out their web site here: http://www.panerabread.com/?ref=pblogo

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Working on Getting a Good Meal at Sabatino


Sabatino Pizza and Pasta
23032 Alicia Parkway
Mission Viejo, CA 92692

Sometimes you just do not want to go to far from home. This was the case on Labor Day. Besides the stifling heat we have been having, Labor Day always seems like a depressing holiday to me. When I was a kid it always marked the end of summer and the start of school. Now that I am older, Labor Day means more cars will be out on the road during morning rush hour, the weather will be turning cooler, and football season will be starting. Okay, two of those things are good, but I still have been scarred by Labor Day, so I was not in a great mood to battle the beach traffic, and wanted just an easy night somewhere around our house. That's how we came upon Sabatino.

Sabatino is located a few miles from our house, in an Albertson's shopping center on the way to RSM. The restaurant is small, with only ten tables or so. The decor is dominated by the color brown, with a real comfortable, updated feel to it. The Labor Day crowd was trickling in during our visit. At the height of their busiest, they probably had about five tables full. They do have some seating outside, but with the heat everyone opted to sit inside. The staff is on the younger side, but all seemed very polite. The menu is not crazy big, but the staple Italian items are here. Let's see how everything came out of the kitchen for us.




Starting us off are the Garlic Knots that came out to the table. These were pretty good. They came out warm, had a decent garlic flavor, and were pretty soft. Not the best garlic knot I have had, those would be at Oggi's, but not bad for free. The marinara served with this was slightly sweet, and went well with the garlic here.



I have been on a real Caesar Salad ($3.95) kick, and I basically picked an Italian restaurant just to order one. This salad had plenty of dressing and cheese, which I liked, but the croutons were this salad's downfall. They had no crunch to them, and were just cut up pieces of garlic bread. Katie was pretty excited by her Side Dinner Salad ($3.95). Not only was the price right, but she really liked this salad. The olives and cheese really enhanced the produce, and no complaints with the ranch dressing.



Let's go with Katie's meal first. She selected the Spinach Cannelloni ($11.95). This was hand rolled pasta stuffed with mozzarella, ricotta, and spinach, topped with a tomato-butter-sage sauce. I like to think of these as an Italian enchilada. The sauce was mellow, but very fresh. The spinach was cooked well and not soggy, like some restaurant spinach can be sometimes. This is not usually a meal I would order because of the lack of meat, but it was good enough that I may consider it on future visits.


Not the most photogenic lasagna ever, but a deceivingly large portion. This Homemade Lasagna ($10.95) had layers of ground beef, pasta, ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, and was topped with marinara sauce. The sauce was pretty sweet tasting. I toned it down with some Parmesan cheese. Crushed red pepper flakes would have done the trick as well. I would have liked the meat to have been in bigger hunks, but this was a solid lasagna. Plenty of cheese on this one.

Sabatino may not be destination dining, but if you are in the area it is not a bad place to visit. The two entrees we had were pretty good. Not going to blow you away, but they were better than most. A good majority of their business was to go orders. Almost all of the to go orders while we were here were for their pizza, so that might be what we try on our next visit. I thought the prices were pretty good for the size of the plates. Service was not top notch, but they never really forgot about us. Glad this place was close by, so we did not have to fight Labor Day traffic.

Out of five white shirts, (since it was Labor Day, and as a rule you should not wear white clothing after this holiday), five being best to zero being worst, Sabatino Pizza and Pasta gets 3 white shirts.

For more information on Sabatino Pizza and Pasta, click here: http://www.sabatinomissionviejo.info/

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