Taking a Walk on the Healthier Side at Green Tomato Grill

Green Tomato Grill

1419 N. Tustin St.

Orange, CA 92867

A lot of people think that I have a bias against healthy food. This is simply not true. I have a bias against food that does not taste good, and yes it is true, most of the time food that is good for you, usually does not taste good to me. So needless to say, I was a little skeptical about Green Tomato Grill. Their website features the word that almost always has me scurrying to another restaurant, and that word is "healthy". 

I decided we would give this place a shot though. Chef Kyle Markt is the man behind the food at Green Tomato Grill. Just from an email he sent, I could sense that he is very passionate about this concept. Fast, healthy, and tasty seemed to be the keywords he wanted people to know about this restaurant. They also try to source their products locally, so they know exactly where they come from. The menu is a hybrid of cuisines, ranging from Asian, Hispanic, and Mediterranean, which are used in new American favorites. Okay, I was starting to get a little more excited about this place. 

We made it to Green Tomato Grill at about 5PM on a recent Monday night. We were on our way to bowling, but we had plenty of time to enjoy our meal at GTG. When we pulled up, I remembered that this location used to be a Green Burrito back in the day. I used to eat here after bowling at the long-gone, Regal Lanes. Now that GTG has taken over, they have a small patio out front, with a small running fountain. The restaurant is small, maybe ten or so tables. The staff was very helpful in explaining the concept and the menu to both Katie and I. Ordering is done at the counter, then the food is brought out to your table. We ordered more than enough food for the two of us, but there was a lot we wanted to try here. Let's see what we thought about the food at Green Tomato Grill. 

Bet you were not expecting Popped Corn ($1) to be the first thing we reviewed at GTG. This unusual restaurant food is seasoned with sunflower oil and adobo seasoning. This tasted really good. It was seasoned well and was very fresh. This might have stood out for me because it was not popped in a microwave, and I have not had fresh popcorn in forever. It made me think back to when I was a kid and got the popcorn that they had at Sears. We had lots of food still coming out for us, so we ended up taking this on the road, but we ate so much of it, that it did not make it inside the bowling alley with us.  

Full disclosure, I am not the world's biggest lover of tomatoes. I do not mind the flavor of them, but it is more of a texture issue for me. I will eat them, but only in small doses. Katie really wanted to try the Fried Green Tomatoes ($2), and my thoughts are always if it fried, I will try it. The first thing I noticed about these tomatoes were that they were not greasy, thus I did not get a heaviness that you get with a lot of fried foods. They pair this with their GTG Dipping sauce, which is a mixture of their chipotle BBQ sauce and their Mediterranean dip. I would have liked these better with a different sauce, more in the line of a ranch dressing, but of course, GTG is geared towards more healthy dressings and sauces. The tomatoes were good on their own though. 

Another unusual item that I have not seen on any other menus were these Crispy Chick Peas ($2). These were interesting. I liked them but thought that they might need some kind of sauce to go along with them. Considering the two-dollar price tag, I felt that the serving size of these was more than generous. More of a light snack, than something I would consider ordering with dinner next time.

Kate will start off our entree portion of the evening with her selection, the Greek Chicken Melt ($7.75). This flatbread came with marinated grilled chicken, Monterrey, and Jack cheeses, peppers, onions, and cilantro, all sandwiched by a naan bread that they get from Clay Oven in Irvine. The flatbread sandwich is served with a side of tzatziki sauce, which gives it, its Greek flair. This is their best-seller, according to the owner we spoke to during our visit. Katie was very pleased with this. The bread had a good crunch to it, the inside ingredients were all fresh, and the chicken was pretty tender. She denoted several different flavors working here. The chicken and cheese were noticeable, but so was a hint of citrus. The tzatziki sauce went very well with this flatbread. She was a happy girl after devouring this. 

This fine looking bowl of food is the Chili Verde Steak Bowl ($6.75) This bowl starts with a cilantro lime rice and a chili Verde sauce, then is topped with marinated steak, black beans, corn, cilantro, onions, peppers, and avocado. The flavors here were present, but I was really looking for a big pop of flavor. I found out later that they have a spicier version of their chili Verde sauce, but you have to ask for it. The hot sauces above did the trick, by bringing the heat level up to where I wanted it. The steak kind of got lost here a bit, overshadowed by all the rest of the items in the bowl. It was tender, but I would have liked bigger pieces of steak, so maybe it would have stood out more. The rest of the dish was very fresh, and really filled me up, but not in a heavy way. 

Yes, they have dessert at GTG also. I think we tried one of everything that they offered. The desserts come from a bakery in Fountain Valley, known as Sensitive Sweets. They specialize in making desserts that are gluten-free, with no eggs, dairy, tree nuts, or soy. No surprise, but these are not my kind of desserts. The best of the bunch for me was the Cookie Dough Truffle. It was the one that most resembled an actual dessert. 

Okay, I left Green Tomato Grill feeling pretty good about the dinner I just had for myself. I was full, but not overly stuffed. I knew that the food I had just consumed was pretty good for me, and I still liked it. All of the food that we had was very fresh and prepared well. I would definitely forgo the desserts on our next visits here, but there is definitely more of their menu that I would like to explore. They have some stews that look pretty good, along with other flatbreads that piqued my interest. The staff we encountered on this visit were very helpful in explaining things, and the owner that we talked to really seemed proud of the food they were serving here. Glad I could prove that I actually like healthy food, as long as it tastes good. 

Out of five yellowhammer's (which is the state bird of Alabama, and the setting for the book and novel Fried Green Tomatoes), five being best to zero being worst, Green Tomato Grill gets 3 yellowhammers. 

For more information about Green Tomato Grill, click here:https://www.greentomatogrill.com/

Game Day at The Catch - CLOSED

The Catch

2100 E. Katella Ste. 104

Anaheim, CA 92806

I used to live, eat, and breathe baseball. Back when I was a kid, I collected baseball cards and scheduled my day around baseball on TV (this was way back when there were only like six games aired a week), and I used to be able to tell you every team's starting lineup. But, unfortunately, my love for the game faded after the labor disputes, and my introduction to faster-paced sports, like hockey. I still like baseball, but sitting down and watching a 3-hour game on TV is hard. Plus, now there are too many restaurants for me to write about.

Another reason for my lack of interest this year has been the poor play of our hometown Angels. They are awful. I could probably write forever about how bad they are, but this is not a sports blog, and I would probably drive most of you away. I still do enjoy going to the games, though. Most people love getting a hot dog at the game, along with some peanuts and maybe even a beer. Unfortunately, I find the food at Anaheim Stadium to be pretty bad. They offer Jack in the Box, Chronic Tacos, and Panda Express. Not exactly mouth-watering options here. The hot dogs are not even as good as they used to be. In the two games I have been to this year, the hot dog buns have either been stale or too soggy. The hot dog itself was not as flavorful as I remember from my youth.

So with the limited dining options at the stadium, a good alternative is to eat before the game, but where to go? There are a smattering of restaurants that surround Anaheim Stadium. Still, only one of them borders the parking lot, which helps cut back on the walking involved getting to the game, especially after a few adult beverages. That restaurant is an OC original restaurant, The Catch. They moved from their original location around the corner on State College at least three years ago. This new version of The Catch has a much more modern feel and a lighter, vibrant vibe. We were recently invited to see what they offer before the Angel games and see if it could match what is provided at the stadium. I am sure the guys at The Catch are not worried about being outdone by the cold pizza and hot dogs being served across the parking lot.

We were greeted out on the fantastic patio with our choice of cocktails. They were featuring cocktails made with Amethyst Gin on this particular afternoon. Amethyst Gin comes from the state of Washington, and they are now branching out by coming to California. This gin is distinctive because they add a hint of lavender to it. I could not detect the lavender used here in the first cocktail I had. Next was the Royal Tea, which resembled a Long Island tea but was less sweet and more manageable. I really liked this version a lot. The other cocktail was a Lavender Martini. This had lavender hints but did not overpower the drink too much. A little too sweet for my taste, but Katie enjoyed this cocktail a lot.

I refrained from having a beer because I knew we would have lots of food, and beer always fills me up way too fast. The beer list here is pretty awesome. Along with the award-winning beers from Victor Novak, who creates beers at Taps, the sister restaurant to The Catch, they also have a great list of craft and large-batch beers. At this event, I had the chance to meet Greg From OC Beer Blog, and he seemed really excited by a number of the beers here, especially the Chocolate Porter from Hanger 24. I was happy that I did not bow to the peer pressure of having a beer because the food started making its way out of the kitchen fast and furious.

Starting things off nice and light, the good folks at The Catch brought out Yellow Fin Tuna Tartare ($13.99). Here they use sashimi-grade tuna, diced up and joined in butter lettuce cups with sweet chili and soy sauces, green onion, avocado, and a very smooth wasabi creme fraiche. This had lots of layers going on here. The tuna was lovely and rich, the chili and wasabi cream added a touch of heat to the dish, the soy sauce added a burst of salty flavor, and the avocado helped to cool things down while adding a very smooth element. Again, very well done appetizer, and if you did not want to eat heavy before the game, this might be the plate for you.

Getting into more of my wheelhouse was the Reuben Bites ($11.99). These bite-sized Reuben sandwiches in the fried form are stuffed with corned beef, which is braised in Taps Irish Red Ale, Gruyere cheese, sauerkraut, and then rolled in seeded rye bread crumbs. These are accompanied by a thousand island dressing and a creamy horseradish sauce. These were not as greasy as I imagined they would be. The corned beef got a little lost here, with the big flavors from the sauerkraut and the cheese dominating this appetizer.

Okay, I have to apologize for the next set of pictures. I was so excited to eat that I did not get the full versions of the following two items, so just remember that these are the sampling versions. Sorry about this rookie food blogging mistake. The Twisted Carne Asada Fries ($15.99) is unlike anything you can get across the parking lot at the stadium. They start with a well-fried french fry, then are topped with marinated tri-tip steak, pico de gallo, pepper jack cheese sauce, guacamole, sharp cheddar cheese, grilled scallions, jalapeno peppers, and just for good measure, a toasted chili de Arbol. Tons of layers and flavors going on here. I would have liked a little more cheese on my sample, but looking at the full version, it had more than enough cheese on it. What is an outing to a baseball game without nachos? Right, pretty dull and lame. The Snack Bomb Nachos ($15.99) put those bland tortilla chips and a sorry excuse for cheese sauce to shame served at Angel Stadium. At The Catch, they use two kinds of chips, Frito's Scoops and Salsa Verde Doritos, then pile on the nacho cheese, beef chili, pulled carnitas, sour cream, cheddar cheese, pico de gallo, guacamole, sports peppers, green onions. I liked the inclusion of the Frito's Scoops here because it made scooping up the toppings much easier. The full-size version of these nachos could easily feed four and might be able to be used as an emergency pitching mound at the Big A.

We did not get a chance to try this, but it was too big of a burger not to post here. The O.M.G. Burger ($59.99) is five pounds of ground chuck, ten slices of cheddar cheese, a head of lettuce, a bunch of tomatoes, shaved red onions, dill pickles chips, and mayonnaise, all on a fourteen-inch bun. Just for good measure, this gigantic burger is served with four pounds of fries. Yeah, let's see Adam Richman tackle this one on Man Vs. Food. This burger can also have bacon, avocado, jalapenos, and even double meat added for an additional charge. Suitable for a group of about twelve hungry people, or maybe me and three of my friends.

The Catch is known for its seafood, but after eating these tacos, they might make a name for themselves with their Mexican food. On their Game Time Menu, they offer Tacos By the Rack (12.99 3pc., $24.99 6pc., $35.99 9pc.). They have two varieties: Slow Cooked Pork Carnitas and Blackened Mahi Mahi. Of the two, I was pretty impressed with the carnitas version, a family recipe from Sous Chef Sergio Lopez. Along with the carnitas, the tacos contain salsa Quemada, queso panela, green chile, lime juice, cilantro, and white onion. The pork was tender, while the contents provided a nice mix of flavors and moisture. The tortillas did a fine job of keeping everything together. The Mahi Mahi was a good taco, also. Predictably, the fish was cooked right. This is a seafood restaurant, after all. The chipotle sour cream was a nice topping, along with the Mahi-mahi.

The last item that made it out of the kitchen for us was the Roasted Pork Cemita ($12.99). To be honest, I had no idea what a cemita was before this event. However, I have since learned that it refers to the bread used. The bread originally comes from Puebla, Mexico, and like the sandwich above, it typically has sesame seeds covering it. The inside of this sandwich should not be overlooked, though. The pork is joined under the bun by Oaxacan cheese, papalo (Bolivian coriander), sweet onion, avocado, lime juice, and pork chicharrones. This was a very hearty sandwich with a very unique taste. I got the flavor in waves. A splash of citrus, the chicharrones' crunch, the onion's sweetness, the avocado's creaminess, and the gently spiced pork all hit at different times while I was eating this.

To finish our night, we had an aptly named Rally Monkey Shot. I was in a food coma when they described what was in this shot, but I know it had 99 Bananas liqueur, chocolate syrup, and something to make it creamy. This shot was little but definitely packed a punch.

So, the Angels are a horrible team right now, and the food at the stadium is not much better. But, if you are going to watch a lousy baseball team, at least you can eat well before it. The Catch is a great spot to enjoy your pregame festivities. The drinks are cheaper than at the ballpark, and the food prices are right in line with the stadium, but with more significant portions and better quality. So, it seems like a no-brainer that The Catch is the place to be before a game. The Game Day menu impressed me, and I did not even mention the Sausage Hoagie or the Highfalutin Dagwood Dog, a foot-long corn dog on a pretzel bun topped with chili, cheese, sports peppers, mustard, red onions, green onions, and jack cheese sauce. Just typing this description makes me want to sit through another Angel's loss, of which there have been many.

We thank everyone at The Catch for this beautiful opportunity to experience the Game Day menu here. The waitresses, bar staff, food runners, and management at The Catch were phenomenal this afternoon. In addition, all of the customers on the patio seemed to be having a great time. Lastly, we would like to thank the great Lee Healy for thinking of inviting us to this great event. Thanks so much, Lee. Everything was great.

If you would like to find out more about The Catch and get more information about any of the items you saw on this blog, click here to go to their website: http://www.catchanaheim.com/

Reeling in Great Tacos at Baja Fish Tacos

Baja Fish Tacos

27755 Santa Margarita Parkway #B

Mission Viejo, CA 92691

This is another one of those restaurants that has been on our list of must try restaurants forever. It has slowly made its way towards the top of our list as we have eaten at other restaurants, and then they get deleted from the list. Baja Fish Tacos was suggested by a reader of the blog, named Tina. Tina if you are reading this, I am sorry it has taken us so long to make it to Baja Fish Tacos, but now that we have eaten here, my only regret is that it took us so long to try it.

Baja Fish Tacos is a mini chain with six locations, including this one. They have another location on the way, which is in Belmont Shore. I have heard that they are close to opening, sometime in the next month or so. If you are familiar with the area, they are taking over the spot where Sweet Jill's Bakery once stood. That business, along with four others, have been relocated to other parts of Belmont Shore to make room for this totally revamped restaurant.

Now that you are up to date with all of the news from Baja Fish Tacos, let's talk about our visit to this Mission Viejo location. Baja Fish Tacos is located in the same center that includes a Sprouts Supermarket, a Claim Jumper, and right next door is a Grill Hut. We got here at about five on a recent Sunday afternoon. A little early for dinner, but there was definitely a steady stream of customers throughout our stay here. Ordering is done at the counter, you are given a number, then the food is brought out to your table. This location of BFT has about twenty or so tables inside, and a nice enclosed patio outside with another fifteen tables. The ceilings are high, so you get a feeling of openness. They have large HD TVs setup in the dining area, all tuned to sports. The food made it to our table in a timely manner. Let's see what we thought about our food at Baja Fish Tacos.

Before we got our food we checked out the salsa bar that is near the registers. The salsa here is not going to burn your taste buds off, but it does add a nice touch of flavor to whatever you put it on. I am usually more partial to red salsa, but the verde salsa here is my favorite of the two. The salsa bar also features pico de gallo, chopped onions, and other common salsa bar highlights.

Katie gets us started with a 2 Taco Combo Meal ($8.00). At Baja Fish Tacos they offer six different kinds of tacos. She selected the Blackened Fish Taco and an Ensenada Style Taco. She was really excited by the freshness of the fish and the way it was seasoned. The blacked fish had a burst of flavor, while the beer battered Ensenada style fish had a nice crunchy crust, while not taking away from fish's natural flavors. She also noted that she enjoyed the softer than usual corn tortilla used to hold everything in place. The rice and black beans earned praise from her as well.

As is the case when I am coming to a place for the first time, I kind of went a little overboard at Baja Fish Tacos. The first of my two plates was a 2 Taco Combo Meal ($8.00). This first plate featured both the Blackened Fish Taco and a Carne Asada Taco. I thought that the blackened fish taco had a good flavor, but the carne asada taco overshadowed it. This beef taco kind of reminded me of the tacos from the old Carmel's. I think it was the jack cheese used on it, that set my memory in motion. Just like Katie, I thought the tortillas used here served their purpose of holding everything together, while not getting in the way of the contents. If there was something wrong with these tacos, it is that there's too much lettuce piled on top of them. I took a handful of lettuce off each of my tacos, and had enough left over to make a small garden salad out of it. The beef was chopped in small pieces and was pretty tender. The rice was pretty plain tasting by itself, but I almost always mix my beans with my rice, and this boosted the flavor immensely. The pinto beans were a little on the runny side, but when mixed with the rice they thickened up a bit.

Just for good measure, I ordered two other tacos ala carte on my visit here. The Shrimp Taco ($4.00) was a pretty solid taco. There was a good amount of shrimp in this taco. They are sauteed in garlic and butter, then topped with cabbage, cotija cheese, and their baja sauce, which reminded me of a thinner version of crema. The Ensenada Taco ($3.00) was my fourth and final taco of the night. This taco used beer battered fish as a base, and then is topped with cabbage and baja sauce. This was a very good fish taco. The fish is not soggy, like at other fish taco places. I also thought they were pretty generous with the amount of fish in this taco. One of the best chain fish tacos I have had.

It is pretty rare that we go back to restaurants after we have reviewed them, but we have been back to Baja Fish Tacos three times since this first visit. I guess you can say that we are addicted. It helps that we have started walking around Lake Mission Viejo, and Baja Fish Tacos is a convenient place to have dinner after doing our three mile jaunts around the man made lake. The quality of the tacos here are a step above the other fast casual restaurants tacos. Yes, that means that they are also a little more expensive than the other fast casual restaurants too, but in this instance I think you get what you pay for. Glad we finally made it to Baja Fish Tacos, just wish it had not taken us so long to make it here.

Out of five marlins, (one of the most iconic fish that a fisherman could catch in Baja), five being best to zero being worst, Baja Fish Tacos gets 3 strong marlins.

For more information on Baja Fish Tacos, click here to go to their web site: http://www.bajafishtacos.com/