Rise and Shine, it's Time for Sol's Take on Brunch

Sol Cocina

251 E. Coast Highway

Newport Beach, CA 92660

Yes it is true, another post about Sol Cocina. This just happens to be one of Katie's favorite restaurants, and one that we frequent quite often. Anything to keep the woman happy I guess. I actually do enjoy the food here too. We have been to Sol Cocina for dinner, for a couple of media events, and now we are trying the brunch here. Along with us on this trip are my parents, who are trying Sol for the first time.

Sol Cocina comes to us from Executive Chef and Partner, Deborah Schneider. I have had the pleasure of meeting Chef Deb a few times, and can honestly say that she is as nice, as her food is good, and I love her food. She has written five cookbooks, including the James Beard nominated, "Cooking with the Seasons at Rancho La Puerta". Her passion for Baja cooking comes from her many trips down the coast, observing the small street stands which offer flavorful and healthy food. Chef Deb has brought what she learned in Mexico across the border, and opened Sol Cocina to help showcase her culinary talents. Now with two locations, (this Newport Beach location, and one in Scottsdale), they have just announced that a new sister restaurant to Sol will be opening at the Bella Terra Center in Huntington Beach. It will be called Solita, and will be a neighborhood-casual restaurant serving items that have bold flavors, while integrating traditional favorites with other more imaginative dishes. I can not wait to see what they come up with when this sister restaurant opens in September. For now though, I was really excited to try the brunch at Sol, so let's see how it turned out for us.

We got to Sol at about 10:30 on a recent Sunday morning. I had made reservations, so we did not have more than a couple of minutes of a wait. We were very lucky to get one of the last tables overlooking the marina. If at all possible, ask to be seated overlooking the water, whether on the outside patio or in the restaurant, with a window seat. It kind of gives the impression of being on vacation. The brunch crowd definitely was a little late in arriving, but by the time we left the restaurant was pretty full. I am usually partial to all you can eat brunches, but this one had a menu to order off of. After ordering from the waitress, this is what came out for us.

I was pretty hungry at this almost lunchtime hour, so I was happy to see that Sol Cocina serves their Taste of Baja, which consists of salt, lime wedges, and hot sauce, along with an addicting bean dip and a salsa that had a mild spice to it. The big round chips did not last too long at our table, as they were being gobbled up by the four of us. I definitely had more than my fair share of that bean dip. So good. The main plates were coming, so I really had to test my willpower to stop eating this bean dip.

If you can avoid being distracted from my Dad's wonderful peach Hawaiian shirt, you will see that he ordered the Crab and Shrimp Cakes Benedicto ($17.50). This unusual take on an eggs Benedict used the shrimp and crab cake as a base, then it was topped with a poached egg and a chipotle-orange hollandaise sauce. It is also served with black beans, a few slices of avocado, and bacon on the side. My Dad really had a hard time putting this away. It was very rich, and I was the willing recipient of what he could not finish. The crab and shrimp cake had a great crunch to it, and the hollandaise sauce was spot on, with a very subtle chipotle flavor to it. The one drawback I would say about this was that the seafood really got pushed to the background in this dish. Not surprising with everything going on here, but I would have liked the crab to play a more prominent role.

Before I had got to Sol, I had looked at the menu and picked out something I would have liked to have ordered. My Mom beat me to this Breakfast Changa ($11.75). This deep fried breakfast burrito came stuffed with scrambled eggs, cheese, bacon, Serrano chilies, cream cheese and onions. It is then topped with pico de gallo, avocado slices, and crema. Again, and not surprisingly, I got to eat what my Mom could not finish of this dish as well. I was really cleaning up here. I thought this changa was going to be a little more fried than it was. I would have liked the tortilla to be a little crisper. The insides of this had some big time flavors going on. The cream cheese kind of melted away, but the creaminess remained. Not something you could eat everyday, but once in a while this would be a welcome treat.

Katie's plate of food really lacked the color of the rest of ours. Maybe I should have had my Dad's peach shirt lurking in the background for this shot as well. Katie went with the Sol Chilaquiles Verde ($11.75). You do have the option to have this with meat added for three dollars more, but Katie declined this option. Pieces of corn tortilla are sauteed in a tomatillo salsa, along with queso fresco, then topped with eggs, crema, cotixa cheese, and onions. Katie felt this was really a well made brunch plate, but the tomatillo salsa was very mild. She has decided that she favors red salsa with chilaquiles. The chips were still crisp, which is very hard to find in a chilaquiles. She would probably get something else on future brunch visits here.

Since my Mom got the changa, I selected my second choice, the Papas Papi ($12.50). This started with a bunch of thick cut red potatoes and onions, then melted cheese on top of that, then a whole mess of items; Serrano chilies, crema, chorizo, bacon, pico de gallo, green onions, and then topped with three fried eggs. The base of this version of a breakfast skillet was very good and flavorful. I, of course would have liked even more chorizo and bacon, but I made due with what was given to me. I liked the flavors here, but this really needed more cheese. I should have also asked for the eggs to have runny yolks. That's my new thing, I have grown very fond of a runny yolk at breakfast. This was a very filling plate of food, and kept me full until dinner time.

I liked the brunch at Sol Cocina, but it still is not as good as the dinners here. The brunch was good, but nothing really rocked my world on this visit. After eating my food, and some of my parents, I was definitely very full. The food had a great flavor, but I might have been expecting more because I am so fond of the lunch and dinners here. The atmosphere for brunch can not be beat though. The great view, the laid back vibe, and the wonderful service really made this visit for me. My Mom took advantage of the $10 Bottomless Mimosa, and our waitress Donna was right on top of it every time the glass was nearing empty. My Dad had the Sol Bloody Mary ($8) and made very quick work of it. We all agreed that we would definitely come back for brunch, and eating here really got my parents excited to try their dinners in the near future. A return trip that both Katie and I are always up for.

Out of five soccer balls, (because the former women's professional soccer team based in LA, was called the Los Angeles Sol), five being best to zero being worst, Sol Cocina gets 3 soccer balls.

For more information about Sol Cocina, go to their web site here: http://www.solcocina.com/

A Little Bit of Texas in the Shadow of the Hollywood Sign

Bludso's Bar-and -Que

609 N. La Brea Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90036

To wrap up our day trip up the 5 Freeway, both Katie and I wanted to have some dinner. We had crammed two restaurants into our six-hour LA adventure so far, so neither of us was overly hungry when we decided it was time to hit the third restaurant for dinner. Before we had left the house, I had mapped out where I had wanted to eat. The third, and final restaurant I wanted to try was Bludso's Bar and Que.

Bludso's has been on my list of places to try forever. In fact, it was number four out of the over 70 restaurants that we have on our list of restaurants to try. I got this suggestion way back in 2009, when a reader of the blog, Joe C., had told me that I needed to try Bludso's in Compton. Compton is a little out of the way for us, but I was surprised and happy to learn that Bludso's had opened another location in the West Hollywood area of LA. This was way more convenient, as we were up this way running a Mother's Day errand and playing tourist.

Bludso's serves Texas-style barbecue. I love all kinds of barbecue, but Texas style is my favorite. This kind of barbecue is characterized by having the sauce on the side, or none at all. I really like having the option of trying the meat without sauce first, then using my desired amount of sauce. The man behind this restaurant is Kevin Bludso, who comes from a long line of barbecue masters. Using the barbecuing techniques of his great-great-grandfather, and the recipes of his grandmother, he has amassed a cult-like following in Southern California for his fantastic barbecue. Over 750 reviews on Yelp and nearly 700 of those gave 4 or 5 stars to this restaurant. To say that I was excited to try this barbecue would be an understatement.

We got to the restaurant just before seven on a Saturday night. There is no parking lot here, they offer valet parking, but we found a spot on the street pretty close to the restaurant. As soon as we walked in the front door, we got hit with the sweet smell of barbecue. I was surprised there was no wait, and we were ushered to a table near the back of the large one-roomed restaurant. The openness of the restaurant is heightened by the lack of decor on the walls, which have large, flat screened TVs hanging on them, showing the latest sporting events. This restaurant can best be described as comfortable. Large wooden tables really allowed the two of us to spread out. My eye was immediately drawn to the window that allows customers to take a peek inside the kitchen.

We were greeted promptly by a waiter that gave us our menu, which really just amounted to an order sheet. You check off any of the six kinds of meat and the quantity that you want, along with the seven side items offered. Very simple ordering process. If you are with a large group they have an option called The Tray ($85), which gets you everything on the menu. I saw a couple of tables of six get this, and they had enough to bring home. Unfortunately, Katie and I did not have a large group with us, so we only ordered three kinds of meats, and two sides. Let's see if this place can live up to the hype.

Here's a quick shot of the tray that came our way. Our food came out pretty quick, maybe about ten minutes, if that. Let's take a closer look at the three types of meat that made up our meal.

Starting with the Half Pound of Brisket ($11). Quite simply, one of the best briskets I have had. The first bite really highlighted the smokiness of the meat. The only way I can imagine someone not liking this is if they are sensitive to smokiness in their meats. The brisket itself was very tender, with a great flavor. There was just a small amount of fat on some slices, which definitely gave this meat even more flavor. Wow, is all I can say.

I was a little skeptical ordering pork in a Texas barbecue joint because they are more known for their beef, but this Half Rack of Pork Ribs ($14) has helped change my mind about that. If the brisket was the best I have had, these are definitely the best ribs I have had in Southern California. The meat was very tender, with just enough pull to it. The smokiness was very evident here as well. Each rib had lots of meat on it, with not a bad one in the batch. I guess this is a good time to mention the barbecue sauces here. They, of course, are served on the side, a sweeter one and a spicy one. I, of course, was more partial to the spicier version, but the sweeter sauce was fine as well. Both sauces coated the meats nicely while allowing the flavor of the meats to still be front and center.

I am usually against getting chicken in restaurants because most of the time they are overcooked and dry. This was not the case with the Half Chicken ($9) at Bludso's. This chicken, like the other meats, had a great smoky flavor while being very tender. When I had this the next day for lunch, people were raving about the smell of this chicken in my break room at work. I was stingy though and did not share with anyone though.

We only selected two of the sides to try, because we knew we would be stuffed by this point. The Regular Size of the Baked Beans ($4) really woke up my taste buds. This had a real kick to it, without being overpowering. The beans were cooked well, there were little bits of meat in here, and the consistency was just on the verge of becoming too soupy, but did not cross that line. The Regular Size of the Mac and Cheese ($5) was good, but not great. They really went easy on the cheese with this version. After a few bites this, it kind of got boring. Since they do not have sandwiches on the menu, I guess they provide the white bread if you would like to make an impromptu sandwich.

Even though we were full, there was just enough room for Banana Pudding ($5). This classic dessert came with two Nilla Wafers wedged into the pudding. The banana flavor was very subtle here, but the texture of the pudding was smooth. A very nice dessert, which did a great job of complimenting the savory meats.

If you have not read any of the above and only looked at the pictures to this point, you are probably not aware of how much I loved this restaurant. No beating around the bush here, I am ready to declare this the best barbecue restaurant in Southern California. It is that good. Even though it has been three weeks since we have been to Bludso's, I still find myself thinking about the meats here. Each one blew all other barbecue places we have had in California away. This is real-deal barbecue that could easily be served in any barbecue rich state in the nation. It's hard for me to pick out something I did not like here, but if pressed, I would say it is the lack of sandwiches on the menu. Any of the meats here would go great made into a sandwich. The service was good for us on this night. The food came out nice and quick, and we really had no other issues. Glad we could find time to fit Bludso's into our LA day. Now we just have to make up more excuses to come back this way again soon.

Out of five pecan trees, (the official state tree of the state of Texas, and because this barbecue is good enough to be served in the Lone Star State), five being best to zero being worst, Bludso's Bar-and-Que gets 4.5 pecan trees.

For more information on Bludso's Bar-and-Que, click here: https://www.barandque.com/

Finding All the Good Things that the Golden State Has to Offer

The Golden State

440 N. Fairfax

Los Angeles, CA 90036

After walking and shopping through the Grove and the Farmer's Market, we were ready to take a load off and sit for awhile. I had really grown quite an appetite. So, bucking the stereotype that people do not walk in LA, we took a short walk up Fairfax to a restaurant that had recently appeared on Diner's, Drive-Ins, and Dives. I know there is not a lot of love for the host of the show, Guy Fieri, in foodie circles, but I always enjoy going to restaurants that have been featured on the show. Sure some of them have not been so good, but at others, we have had some really memorable meals. I was hoping this would be one of the more memorable restaurants we have been to.

As stated on their own website, Golden State's philosophy is to showcase local makers of food and drink. They are trying to feature everything that makes California so great. I like this philosophy because I am proud to be from California, and I know that our products kick ass. After reading other people's reviews of this restaurant, I was even more excited to try Golden State. Most of the on-line reviews called the burger here one of the best in LA, and Golden State gets a lot of love from Yelpers, with tons of four and five star reviews.

We arrived at Golden State at about half past three on a Saturday afternoon. Kind of between lunch and dinner time. This restaurant, right across the street from the iconic Canter's, had a steady stream of customers even at this odd dining hour. Golden State is not a very large restaurant. They have about ten or so tables. The vibe here is on the hipster side, without the douchiness. The brick walls feature some remarkable paintings, the high ceilings give the restaurant an openness, and the laid-back aura of the guys behind the counter was all part of the atmosphere here. The menu is not overly huge. It is highlighted by several sandwiches, hot dogs, and salads. They also have rotating offerings of local craft beers and other unique non-alcoholic beverage choices. Ordering is done at the counter, and the food is brought to you. We placed our order, and this is what hit our table.

Before we get to the burger at The Golden State, Katie opted to get the Tuna Sandwich ($10). This sandwich was made up of tuna salad, lettuce, tomato, and aioli. Katie really liked this sandwich a lot. The tuna was fresh and seasoned nicely, and the aioli did not hijack the sandwich like she thought it would, but the big winner for her was the bread. It had a soft crunch to it, and really held up to the contents inside of the sandwich. One of the better tuna sandwiches Katie has had. With each sandwich you get to choose one side item, which she went with the Golden State Potato Salad. This very good potato salad was made of red potatoes, mayonnaise, chives, egg, mustard and shallots. The potatoes were left in big hunks, and the salad was very moist without being too soupy. This was one of the better potato salads we have had in a restaurant. The mustard did not overpower, and the consistency of this salad was spot on.

Now on to the real reason we were here, The Burger ($12). At Golden State they use Harris Ranch beef, the white cheddar cheese comes from Fiscalini Farms, the burger is then topped with apple wood smoked bacon, arugula, aioli, and ketchup. This burger was very well made to start with. The brioche bun was fantastic. Great job supporting the burger, while not being too bready. The insides were more subdued than I had imagined. The beef was cooked perfectly to a beautiful medium rare. There was far too much arugula on this burger, which I quickly pulled off and could have made another salad. The bacon got lost here, as it was overpowered by the delicious cheese. The condiments were used sparingly, but I remedied this by adding extra of the excellent curry ketchup. For my choice of side I had the Jalapeno Cabbage Slaw. This unique slaw combined shredded cabbage, jalapenos, carrots, and a red wine vinaigrette. It was a tad on the dry side when I started to eat this, but the dressing must have settled to the bottom, because as I ate it I got more and more dressing. The heat from the jalapenos really woke up my taste buds, and the crunch of the produce provided a good texture.

I really enjoyed the food at The Golden State. Is this the best burger I have ever had? No, but it is a very well put together burger, and it kind of reminded me of a bigger version of a burger that you could get at Umami Burger. They definitely use great ingredients here. Everything was fresh, and I liked the little twists they used to make everything their own. If I lived in the area, I would definitely place The Golden State into my rotation of restaurants that I would frequent. Well worth the block and a half walk from the Farmer's Market.

Out of five saber-toothed cats (because that is the state fossil of California, and one of the most abundant sources of saber-toothed cat fossils found is just down the street from this restaurant at the La Brea Tar Pits), five being best to zero being worst, The Golden State gets 3.5 saber-toothed cats.

For more information about The Golden State, click here: https://goldenstatecafe.com/

Beginning Our LA Day at the Farmer's Market

Charlie's Coffee Shop

6333 W. 3rd Street

Los Angeles, CA 90036

I am kind of addicted to restaurant shows. I know, not much of a shock considering that I write this restaurant blog. I don't even know what I like about these shows sometimes. They get me so frustrated, because the food looks so good, but the restaurants are usually located in a faraway city. That is why I was excited to see a new show hit the Travel Channel's lineup, Burgerland. It just so happened that their first episode was going to feature burgers in LA. Ironically, we were headed up that way for a Mother's Day errand, so it could not have worked out more perfectly. After our errand we headed straight to the Farmer's Market, and a burger spot that was highlighted on the show, Charlie's Coffee Shop.

I know my food cred is going to take a hit for this, but this was my very first visit to the Farmer's Market. If I had not known exactly where I wanted to eat here, I would have been totally overwhelmed by all of the options that exist here. Walking by the stalls on the way to Charlie's, I was tempted to stop and sample a bunch of things. My willpower was solid though, because I had a full list of places I wanted to eat on this trip up the 5 Freeway.

We got to Charlie's just after one on a Saturday afternoon. From other restaurants we have been to that were featured on TV, I thought this place was going to be packed. This was definitely not the case. Charlie's is located in the back of the Farmer's Market, and is a little difficult to find. Only one couple was ordering ahead of us, which I thought was odd, but there are so many choices at the Farmer's Market, and maybe not a lot of people watched Burgerland.

The menu at Charlie's seems more geared towards breakfast, but they do have about ten or so sandwiches, a few hot dogs, and of course the reason we showed up here, the burgers. Most of the items that make up this burger come from the stalls at the Farmer's Market. The meat comes from Huntington Meats, while the produce comes from the market as well. This helps ensure a very fresh burger and toppings. Ordering is done at the counter, then your name is called. It took about ten minutes for my burger to make its way to my table, and this is how it turned out.

We of course had a full day of eating in front of us, so it would just be a Double Cheeseburger ($9.85) split between Katie and I. This burger had all the traditional toppings you have come to expect on a burger; lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, and ketchup, all on a whole wheat bun. This was a real meaty burger. The meat they use on this burger is made up of ground chuck that is 10 percent fat. This makes for a very lean burger, but it still had some juiciness to it. The cheese adhered to the meat nicely, and of course, since the produce was from the Farmer's Market, it was very fresh. I am not too big of a fan of wheat buns, but this one did not get too much in the way. A very solid burger.

The burger at Charlie's Coffee Shop was good, but nothing that wowed me. The burger was well put together and made with the freshest ingredients, but it needed some sort of kick to it. Don't get me wrong, if this was the only thing we ate here, I would not go home unhappy. Unfairly or not, since this place was featured on TV, I was expecting to be blown away by this burger, which I was not. My first food adventure at the LA Farmer's Market can be called successful. I was very overwhelmed with all of the food options available, and can not wait to come back again and try more real soon.

Out of five milk bottles, (because the site of the Farmer's Market at Third and Fairfax used to be a dairy farm until 1905), five being best to zero being worst, Charlie's Coffee Shop gets 3 milk bottles.

Charlie's Coffee Shop does not have a web site, but you can find information about them on their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Charlies-Coffee-Shop-Farmers-Market/215830435110062

Mulling Over Our Meal at Mulleady's

Mulleady's Sports Pub and Grill

27695 Santa Margarita Parkway

Mission Viejo, CA 92691

Good sports bars in South OC are like trying to find good baseball being played at Angel Stadium. You really need to look hard, or just look at the team that the Angels are playing on that particular day. The Angels are such a bad team right now, they could even make a men's 50 and over softball team look good. If you could not tell, I am a little frustrated by our local baseball team. They of course have just under 130 more games this season, so they do have time to turn it around, but I am not going to hold my breath. Just like I am not going to give up on finding a good sports bar in South OC. That is what brought us to Mulleady's in Mission Viejo.

My good friend Kevin has been singing the praises of Mulleady's since he heard about my food blog. Kevin works at the golf course at Coto, so this place is kind of an after work hangout for him. We decided to meet up with him after his long hard day at work, talk some hockey and about some of the crazy times we have had in the past, and of course my primary objective, sample the food here.

We got to Mulleady's about 7 on a recent Thursday night. This is not a huge restaurant. The higher than average ceilings give it an openness, even though  the restaurant is long and narrow. The tables are a bit close together, but nothing that would make a person uncomfortable. The close proximity to your fellow patrons really encourages the neighborhood type feel to this place. We could really sense that many of the people here were regulars. The predictable sports paraphernalia and the brick walls really dominate the dining space. There is also an enclosed patio in the front of the restaurant for people that want a little more airflow. There are plenty of TVs around the room, and they were more than happy to turn the hockey game on for us.

Mulleady's has been around for awhile now. They opened their doors in 2001. Owners Gary and Kris Mulleady can be seen on most nights running food and chatting up customers. On the night we were here, there was no sign of Gary, but Kris was very hospitable and friendly. After waiting for Kevin to arrive we checked out the menus, and were ready to eat. This is what we decided on.

I am always a sucker for cheese fries, so it was a natural that we ordered the Pub Fries ($5.95) to start. These fries were topped with cheese and bacon, then finished off in the broiler. I really liked the nice touch of browning the top of these fries. The fries were of the thinner variety, and did not hold enough of the ranch dressing for my taste. I would have liked a thicker fry here. The cheese was mellow, and these were not as greasy as other cheese fries we have had. A good size portion as well.

Mulleady's is a very subtle Irish bar. They have a four leaf clover as their logo, but they are not all in your face about the fact that they are an Irish bar. I kind of like that. Anyways, lets start with Katie's selection for dinner, the Corned Beef Sandwich ($7.95). This sandwich came on marbled rye, with mozzarella cheese and yellow mustard. I thought the mozzarella cheese was an interesting choice for this sandwich. Katie liked this, but felt that it needed a little kick to it, like maybe some spicy deli mustard or some pickles. The bread was very soft, but the corned beef needed to be sliced a little thinner. Otherwise the meat had a very subtle flavor. Katie did enjoy the homemade potato salad that came with this sandwich. It had a very good consistency, and was topped with real bacon bits. Never a bad thing. Katie would probably opt for a different sandwich on future visits here.

The menu at Mulleady's has just about something for everyone. They have regular bar food, steaks, Mexican food, pizzas, burgers and pastas. I ordered this Shepherd's Pie ($9.95) from the Irish section of the menu. When I ordered this, the waiter let me know that this is a sweeter version of a shepherds pie. He was not mistaken. This version was made up of seasoned ground beef, chopped tomato, carrots, and is then topped with mashed potatoes and cheese. The taste of the beef kind of reminded me of a Sloppy Joe, with mashed potato over it. The ground beef was left in bigger hunks which I liked, but the sweetness took some getting used to. I admire them for trying to make this dish their own, but I would have preferred the more hearty version of this Irish classic.

From the food standpoint of what we had on this night, I would say that Mulleady's was just a little bit above average. Like I said earlier, their menu was kind of all over the place, so I am sure that I will be able to find other items that I might like here on future visits. Don't get me wrong, nothing we had here was awful, but it was nothing that made us stand up and take notice. I think the atmosphere kind of overshadowed the food. The neighborhood type vibe that surrounds this place really has made me excited to try it for NFL football in the fall. Sometimes neighborhood type bars can be kind of snobby towards newcomers, but I did not get that feeling here at Mulleady's. We might not see good baseball being played at Angel Stadium anytime soon, but there might be hope that their is a good sports bar in South OC.

Out of five rosin bags, (since I learned that Gary Mulleady was a minor league pitcher back in 1969, and pitchers always use rosin bags), five being best to zero being worst, Mulleady's Sports Pub and Grill gets 3 rosin bags.

For more information about Mulleady's Sports Pub and Grill, click here: http://mymulleadys.com/

Cleared for a Great Meal at Nieuport 17? - CLOSED

Nieuport 17

13051 Newport Ave.

Tustin, CA 92780

When I think about the restaurant Nieuport 17, two things come to mind. This was a restaurant that my parents frequented back in the seventies and eighties, and we always had to stay home and be babysat while they ate here. We liked all of our babysitters, so this is not a bad memory. My other recollection about this restaurant is a little later in life. I was interning at my Dad's work in Santa Ana at the age of sixteen. I had won a radio contest, and had to go to Hollywood to see if I had won the grand prize of $86,000. A lot of money for 1986. I had made the promise of buying my coworkers lunch at Nieuport 17 if I won the grand prize. Needless to say, I did not win the prize, and it took me nearly 27 years to make it, but I finally got the chance to come to Nieuport 17.

Back in the old days, Nieuport 17 was located on 17th Street in Santa Ana. That's not how it got its name though. It is named after a single seat, French fighter plane used in WWI. Original owner of this restaurant, former naval aviator Bill Bettis, realized his dream of opening a restaurant with an aviation theme. Along with  authentic artifacts and pictures spotlighting the glory days of flight, Nieuport 17 has also hosted some of the greats of aviation, including the flying groups the Thunderbirds and the Blue Angels.

Nieuport 17 has been around forever in restaurant years, but they just recently hired a new chef to help breath some new life into this four decades old restaurant. Award winning chef, Greg Moro, formerly of Laguna Beach's French 75 took over the helm of this venerable restaurant in February of this year. With new owner, Cameron Irons, both he and Chef Greg are trying to slowly add new items to the menu, while trying not to anger the longtime regulars that have become accustomed to their favorites. A very delicate balance I am sure.

We had made a long overdue double dinner date with our good friends Erven and Rocio on a recent Sunday night. We met them in the Barnstorm bar area for a quick drink before dinner. In the bar area they feature live music every night. Moving to the dining room, the feel of this place kind of reminded me of the now departed Mr. Stox. This restaurant definitely draws an older crowd. The restaurant is a little on the quiet side, even with a good number of the tables full. I was good and hungry when we got here, so I was more than ready to eat. Let's see if we would be flying high after this meal or still stuck at the gate.

Starting out our visit to Nieuport 17 was the bread basket. The bread served here was toasted and it came buttered with some herbs on top of it. It had a nice crunch and went well with the sun dried tomato and olive oil tapenade. I liked this version of tapenade better than the olive versions I have had previously. It was a very nice twist.

We must have been really hungry, because we started out with three appetizers. The first of which was the Escargot ($18). This was not like any escargot that I have had before. I have always had it the more traditional way, with lots of garlic and butter. Here they use garlic parsley butter and a mirepoix (celery, carrots, and onions cut very finely), to create this greener hued escargot dish. I actually liked this take on escargot. Sometimes when it is just butter and garlic, you can not taste the escargot. With this variation, the meatiness of the escargot was present, surrounded by the mellower flavors that did not overpower. Well executed, but more escargot would have been favorable.

Sauteed Button Mushrooms ($18) were out next for us. Sorry I did not snap a picture of the serving size, but there were a fair amount on the serving plate. These mushrooms were paired with a Cabernet jus. These really failed to impress me. They were cooked fine, the meatiness of the mushroom was evident, but the Cabernet jus was very subtle and kind of made these boring in my opinion. I would pass on these next time.

Here's two shots of Rocio's appetizer selection, the Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail ($20). She was very generous and let me have one of these huge shrimp. The shrimp cocktail at Nieuport 17 is made with avocado and escadrille sauce. Not sure what escadrille sauce is, and when I googled it, nothing came up. The sauce was brownish in color, very tart, with maybe a horseradish tinge to it. I liked this little twist on shrimp cocktail. The shrimp were very fresh, and this is something I could see myself getting here next time.

With the appetizers disappearing so quickly, it was now time for soups and salads. Up first was Katie's choice, the Nieuport 17 House Salad ($8). This very basic salad was made up of romaine and iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, and garlic croutons. Kate very much enjoyed this salad calling it, "delicious, with fresh lettuce, and crunchy croutons". Guess she is easy to please after all.

Erven could not resit trying the French Onion Soup ($11) at Nieuport 17. He felt this was a better than average onion soup. The top of the soup held a special surprise for Erven. It contained a thin garlic crostini and bruleed Gruyere cheese. He could not stop talking about the thin layer of bread just underneath the cheese. The onion was in very thin pieces and the soup was not too salty in Erven's opinion. He would definitely get this soup again.

I almost always get a Caesar salad when I go out, but I was branching out at Nieuport 17 with an Iceberg Wedge Salad ($11). This traditional wedge was topped with bacon, red onion, tomatoes and blue cheese crumbles and dressing. I like the sharp flavors of wedge salads. This one was pretty good, but it needed more of their house made blue cheese dressing. The dressing was very thick, with a good taste to it, but they needed more of it to help even things out here.

It was Sunday when we visited Nieuport 17, and on Sundays they feature a Southern Fried Chicken Dinner ($30). Katie heard about this special when we sat down and could not resist it. This dinner comes not only with the above plate, but also soup or salad and a slice of pie for dessert. The fried chicken was pretty good here. It really reminded me of Mrs. Knotts fried chicken in Buena Park. The chicken was moist, with good breading, and was not crazy greasy. The green beans were very fresh, but the mashed potatoes kind of got lost here. The texture was right, but they kind of lacked any pop of flavor from either the potatoes or the gravy. Katie did like the biscuits that came with this dinner.

Erven did not take too long to decide what to have for dinner. The Sauteed Scallops and Jumbo Prawns were his quick choice. The seafood was joined on the plate by a Bearnaise and caramelized onion beurre blanc sauce, along with charred asparagus. Erven said this plate could best be described as, "mild". He liked the way that the prawns were cooked, but the scallops were a little on the gritty side. The mildness came from the sauces that were a little runny. The asparagus was a nice compliment to the seafood.

Erven's beautiful wife, Rocio went with the Peppercorn Black Angus Boneless New York Strip Steak ($36).  This steak was paired with a green peppercorn sauce. Although this was spiced with peppercorns, they did not overtake the taste of the meat. The steak was cooked a very nice medium rare, like Rocio had requested. This steak came with baked potato and asparagus. Much like her husband, she thought the asparagus was pretty good.

Last but not least was my dinner for the evening, the Filet Mignon Fungi ($39). I had ordered another Filet dish, but this is the one that came out instead. Instead of making a big deal about it, I decided to try this one. This ten ounce charbroiled filet came with an abundance of mushroom demi-glace. The steak was pretty tender, and cooked medium rare just as requested. The mushroom demi-glace kind of took over this plate, but it was not a deal breaker here. This steak came with Dijon mashed potatoes and roasted kale sprouts. The mashed potatoes texture was spot on, but the Dijon was undetectable. The roasted kale sprouts had a nice texture and flavor to match. I believe this was my first time having roasted kale, and after this, it will not be my last.

So what to think of Nieuport 17? Just walking in the door, sitting in the dining room and looking at the menu, you can definitely tell that this restaurant has been around for awhile. I kind of got the feeling that things are about to change for this restaurant. New chef and new twists on the menu can not be far behind. Some changes have already occurred, but I sense that more might be on the way. For now the menu is very safe. A few chances are taken, but all of the traditional favorites are here. It is evident that Chef Moro knows his way around a kitchen, as everything was prepared well. We all liked our food, but nothing wowed us enough to make us want to return again and again. Of course that is not a bad thing, Nieuport 17 is more of a special occasion restaurant, than a place you would eat weekly. I did feel that the prices were on the high side for the serving sizes. The service on this night was very good. The waiters here are of the older variety, but our waiter Art really was a first rate server. He even had no trouble dealing with my good buddy Erven, who can sometimes be a handful. I'm glad I finally made it to this iconic OC restaurant, and look forward to seeing what the future holds in store for them.

Out of five baggage carousels, (due to the airplane theme here), five being best to zero being worst, Nieuport 17 gets 3 baggage carousels.

To find out more information about Nieuport 17, click here: http://nieuport17.com/