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/

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