Getting Our Money's Worth at Sake 2 Me Sushi

Sake 2 Me Sushi

13951 Carroll Way

Tustin, CA 92780

I have a weird relationship with sushi. I have been to some high end sushi places. I have been to some bottom of the barrel sushi places. I think that more than any other food I can think of off the top of my head, the more money you are going to spend on sushi, the better the quality is going to be. I definitely can appreciate great sushi, but it's kind of wasted on me. I never leave these high end places being crazy full, and my wallet is not as hefty after leaving these high end sushi restaurants as well.

For me to get my money's worth when eating sushi, I tend to try all you can eat sushi places. The trouble with these AYCE sushi restaurants is that usually the quality is not anywhere close to traditional sushi restaurants. I had read a few good things about Sake 2 Me Sushi in the OC Weekly, and also on the Monster Munching blog, written by the great Edwin Goei. He's been blogging about OC restaurants since 2003, so if he likes a place, I should definitely give it a shot.

We were going to be meeting my good friend Angel, and his new girlfriend Rebekah, on a recent Saturday night. We planned on meeting at 6, but of course we were running late. Surprisingly, Angel and Rebekah were on time, and put our name in to get a table. If Rebekah can get Angel to be on time, we love this girl already. Sake 2 Me Sushi is located in the same shopping center as Mimi's Cafe, on 17th Street in Tustin. It is not seen from the street, so just head to the back of the shopping center if you are headed here.

After about a ten minute wait, we were seated in the loud dining room of the restaurant. This restaurant is deceptively larger than it looks from the outside. They maybe have forty or so tables inside. There was also a lot of activity going on here. Lots of staff taking orders, running food, and filling drinks. Our waiter came over and asked if we would all be having the all you can eat option, and we all replied in the affirmative. The AYCE option runs $22.95 at dinner, and four dollars cheaper at lunch. As with most all you can eat sushi places, you are given a paper to mark your selections, divided into rounds. Let's find out if we got our money's worth here.

Before we get to our selections, we were given this Crab Nacho to start. A very generous serving of crab is placed on top of a wonton, with green onion, and two sweet sauces. This whetted our appetites for our very large first round order that was on its way.

Yes, I am sure for you sushi purists out there, all of these fried hybrid rolls are making you cringe. Our first round consisted of; Green Mussels, Pepper Tuna, Spicy Scallop, Viva Lake (deep fried roll with eel, avocado, shrimp, and crab), Baked Lobster, Golden Tiger (a deep fried roll with cream cheese, avocado, shrimp tempura, and spicy crab), and lastly a Volcano (which is a California roll with cooked salmon on top of it). Yes, this was just round one, but there were four of us, so we made quick work of this. We really liked everything here. Favorites included the volcano and the baked mussels for me. I was surprised that the pepper tuna was so fresh, cut well, and not perched on a big bed of rice. Most AYCE places really overdue the rice.

Our second round of sushi was even bigger than the first. This go around we had; Mixed Tempura, Gyoza, a Mexican Roll (spicy crab, cucumber, and avocado), Philadelphia Roll, 911 Roll (spicy tuna roll with avocado and hot sauce on top), a Hot Night Roll (shrimp tempura, cucumber, and spicy tuna on top), Scallop, Red Dragon (California roll with spicy tuna and crunch on top), Dynamite Roll (California roll with crab, scallop and shrimp), and just for good measure, Shrimp Lover (shrimp tempura roll with shrimp and avocado on top). Again, all of these were pretty solid. My favorites were the 911 roll and the hot nights roll. Anything that had a spicy kick to it was one of my favorites.

Yes we went on to have a third round, which was smaller than our first two. The fried rolls and rice really creep up on you very quickly here. As is my custom when eating at an AYCE sushi place, I total up what the meal would have cost, based on the price on the sheet. We did pretty good at Sake 2 Me Sushi, eating $45 dollars worth of food per person. This trip we saved $23 per person having the all you can eat option.

We left Sake 2 Me Sushi very full, which is my goal at these all you can eat joints. Is this the best AYCE sushi place we have been to? No, but it is right up there. Sushi snobs will probably scoff at this place, but I was pretty pleased with mostly everything here. Angel and Rebekah thought it was good, but they did not seem wowed by this restaurant. Our server kind of got lost near the end of our meal. Our drinks sat empty for long periods of time, and it took forever to get the bill and pay it. We hear that this place can get crazy on Friday and Saturday nights, but just get here before 6PM, and you should have no problem getting in with just a minimal wait. Definitely worth a visit to quench your sushi cravings, while not emptying out your wallet.

Out of five race cars, (because Tustin is not only home to this restaurant, but also the Marconi Automotive Museum), five being best to zero being worst, Sake 2 Me Sushi gets 3 race cars.

For more information about Sake 2 Me Sushi, go to their website here: http://sake2mesushi.com/

Our Best Restaurants of 2013

Another year has gone by way too quick. It seems like I was just writing a year end review a month or two ago, but of course it has been twelve months now. Not to sound like a senior citizen, but listen to me when I tell you younger people that the years go by quicker and quicker as you get older. Enjoy every moment that you are given, and find something that you love to do. Okay, that is the end of my old man rant.

One thing that I really love to do is eat, and that is the reason why I started this blog in the first place. I love sharing what we think of restaurants with you all. I hope that you find it informative, and that it has helped some of you find some good food, right in your neighborhood. We all become creatures of habit, but there is always something good, just right around the corner.

This is first time in the history of our blog that we have not increased the number of restaurants we have eaten at. This year we posted 106 reviews, which works out to one every 3 and a half days. It's still feels like a lot of eating though. We never did get to the three remaining cities that we need to hit in OC, before we can say that we are truly eating our way through OC. I promise that we will make it to La Palma, Cypress, and Seal Beach soon. We actually had plans to go to all of these cities, but something always popped up at the last minute. 2014 will see us complete our quest of eating in all 34 Orange County cites.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that has made this year so great for me and the blog. First, I want to thank all of my fellow bloggers. We have such a fantastic group of OC food writers here, and I really do take the time to read all of their stuff. You guys are not only great writers, but an awesome group of people. We love hanging out with all of you at events. Speaking of events, we are always honored that publicists would consider inviting us anywhere. These publicists are incredible at what they do, and the restaurants are all the better by having these hard working people getting their name out there.

I would also like to thank all of my table mates this year. Thanks for allowing me to take a million pictures of your food, before you dig in. Almost all of my friends and family are conditioned on this, except for my Dad and Katie's Dad. Must be a dad thing to want to eat real quick. We not only have had some wonderful food, but some great conversations as well. I also need to thank my partner in crime, Katie. I could never imagine writing this blog, without you by my side. In fact, I could never imagine you not by my side for anything, and that is as sappy as I will get on that subject.

Lastly, I would like to thank all of you, our readers. Thanks for taking the time to read the blog. Thanks to all of you who have given me tips on places to eat, left comments, liked us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and any other new thing that will come along in the future. It is so nice knowing that people actually like what we are doing here, and I am not just writing this blog for me and my Mom. I wish you all the most joyous of New Years, and hope that we all have a terrific 2014.

Enough of the thank yous, let's get to our list. Usually we do a best and worst list of all the restaurants we have eaten at during the year. This year for some reason, we did not eat at too many awful restaurants. The only two that scored less than 2.5 stars was Pasta Connection in Orange, and the Elephant Bar in Laguna Hills. Both of these restaurants received 2 stars, and I definitely vow never to go to an Elephant Bar ever again. Just awful.

So that leaves us with just a best restaurant list this year. I have narrowed it down to ten OC restaurants. The top 3 restaurants that we ate at, not in Orange County were Bludso's Bar-B-Que in Los Angeles, which still gets my mouth watering when I recall what I think is the best barbecue in Southern California. Just over the county line, was a reader recommended burger and barbecue restaurant that has got us looking for reasons to make another trip to Bellflower, so we can try Fronk's again. Lastly, we made a trip to Vegas, and could not believe how great the Thai food was at Lotus of Siam. Even if you don't win gambling, you can still be a winner if you eat at this legendary Thai restaurant. Now on to our top ten OC restaurants of 2013.

#10 Taco Adobe This is the only Mexican restaurant that makes our top ten list this year. Just a few streets over from the Orange Plaza, this homey Mexican restaurant served up some real solid food, along with a great habanero salsa that you have to ask for. I almost finished the whole bottle they gave me. Nice and hot.

#9 G Burger I was over the moon when I heard that one of my favorite burger spots was expanding. Cutting my drive to their La Habra location in half, G Burger opened a new outpost in Irvine. Right off the freeway, and we were happy to report that they serve the same great burgers here, as their original location. Now the rest of the county can see what people in La Habra have known for years, that G Burger is one of the best burgers around.

#8 Cucina Enoteca Italian food is pretty traditional, and not much has changed with it for awhile. That is until Cucina Enoteca came to Irvine. Here they do Italian, with a California inspired feel to it. Gone are the heavy sauces and sausages, in are the stuffed squash blossoms and a short rib pappardelle that is not to be missed. A very welcome addition to the Irvine Spectrum.

#7 Slapfish This seafood darling of OC foodies is another restaurant on the verge of a big expansion, and we could not be happier about that. Started as a food truck, they recently opened an outpost in of all places, the Middle East. Fear not seafood loving fans, they are planning on opening 500 stores in the next ten years, so we won't have to make the long trek down Beach Boulevard to have their lobster dog or their clam chowder much longer.

#6 C4 Deli: The Cure for the Common For people that lament that there are no good delis on the west coast, I tell you to head to Downtown Santa Ana. This place comes to us from the two guys that run Chapter One, and they are doing things the right way here. Curing their own meats, preparing innovative salads, and their muffuletta sandwich can not be beat. If only they would put a Cuban sandwich on their menu. Hint, hint.

#5 Little Sparrow Another new Downtown Santa Ana restaurant cracks our top five restaurants of the year. The Little Sparrow has been getting a lot of press, and it is well deserved. The menu might seem limited to some, but I assure you that almost anything you get here will be cooked well, and blow you away. I still am salivating thinking of the pork chop I had here.

#4 Hapa J's I had not reviewed a Hawaiian restaurant on the blog until this year, and after eating at Hapa J's, I can not get enough of Hawaiian food. A lot cheaper than a plane ticket to Hawaii, the Kahlua pork here is legit, and when placed on top of a heaping pile of fries, cheese, and a teriyaki type sauce it makes up a dish I have not been able to forget since I had it. You should definitely try their Hapa Fries Man Style, well worth a drive from anywhere.

#3 The Capital Grille We do not really have the resources to go to fancy steak restaurants all the time, but we tried Capital Grille this year for Katie's birthday. We may have found our new special occasion restaurant. My bone-in kona crusted sirloin was fantastic, and tasted like a steak should when you are eating in an upscale steakhouse. Also not to be missed, is their version of lobster mac and cheese. So good, and they were not stingy with the big hunks of lobster in this.

#2 Early Bird It's crazy that our second best restaurant of the year, is a breakfast place. I always think breakfast is the hardest meal to put your own spin on it. People have preconceived notions of what they want for the first meal of the day, and it's hard for restaurants to tweak it too much. The guys at Early Bird tweak it the right way. The breakfasts are recognizable here, but Early Bird puts their own delicious spin on them. Duck confit hash, carnitas chilaquilles, and a Frank Floyd Benedict were notable during our visit.

#1 370 Common The best restaurant we ate at this year is this Laguna Beach hot spot. We ate at 370 Common on a Sunday, when they only serve a prix fixe menu, and even with such a limited menu, both Katie and I fell in love with the food from Chef Ryan Adams. I had a pork chop that I still dream about. The sides were all fantastic, and for dessert, a berry pound cake that even made this non-berry eater leave happy. We look forward to coming back here again real soon to try their regular menu.

So there you have it, our top restaurants of 2013. What restaurants will be on this list next year? Only time will tell. I am sure looking forward to doing the eating, and finding out. Have a great New Years, and I hope you enjoy the blog, as much as I enjoy doing it.

Hoping That El Sol Will Shine - CLOSED

El Sol Mexican Restaurant

1112 W. 6th Street

Corona, CA 92882

It had been a while since we had made plans with Sabrina and Anthony on their home turf of Corona. We needed to distance ourselves from Sabrina's constant chirping about everything under the sun. Man, that girl can talk. Poor Anthony. He must have some good earplugs, or he just tunes her out. Anyway, another trip to Corona means I can select another restaurant for us.

I introduced Sabrina and Anthony to some good places in their neighborhood, and this time, I came armed with three choices. Two were Mexican places, and another was a restaurant and bar I have been looking forward to trying. True to form, they went with a Mexican restaurant right down the street from their house, but they have never been to it. Sabrina and Anthony usually head to Miguel's for Mexican food, a restaurant I have never been too excited about on my visits.

El Sol has been around for nearly a year and a half. They are in the same shopping center as Superior Market and Ace Hardware. It is not a prominent place; they have ten tables, but ordering is done by a waitress. The wallpaper is red and reminiscent of the wallpaper at Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor; it could be the same. The menu here is standard for a Mexican restaurant in Southern California. They feature combo plates, enchiladas, and fajitas. We settled in, placed our order, and waited for the food. Let's see if El Sol can become Sabrina and Anthony's favorite Mexican restaurant in the neighborhood.

As is tradition when eating in a Mexican restaurant, we were given a basket of Chips and Salsa to start with. The chips here are pretty standard—nothing too fantastic. The salsa was a little on the runny side, but I did like the chunks of onion in it. It was not spicy, but it had some decent flavor.

When we go out with Sabrina and Anthony, we almost always get way too much food, which was the case here at El Sol. We started with their largest appetizer, the Fiesta Del Sol ($11.35). This large plate had taquitos, crispy chips with beans, buffalo wings, cheese quesadillas, guacamole, and sour cream. It was nice that there were four of each item here to help prevent Sabrina from hogging all of the buffalo wings. All of these items were good. The taquitos were fried nicely, and you could taste the shredded beef. The quesadillas were not greasy and tasty when paired with the smooth guacamole. The most average thing on the plate was the buffalo wings. They were hot temperature-wise, but flavor-wise, they were a little bland. They also did not have a lot of meat on them. A good appetizer platter to start with.

Sabrina called these "some of the best enchiladas I have ever had." Wow, that was such an over-the-top statement. I believe her, as she is usually picky when trying new restaurants. What got her so excited? The Enchiladas Del Sol ($10.95). These green enchiladas were filled with tender chicken and covered with flavorful green sauce. Sabrina felt that the green sauce was what made these enchiladas so great. They also came with rice and beans, which she ate sparingly. I did not get to try these enchiladas because Sabrina is notoriously stingy about giving bites away from her food.

Most of the time, Katie would almost always order fajitas in a Mexican restaurant, and at El Sol, she was true to form. The Fajitas De Pollo ($10.95) was a traditional fajita style. They came out of the kitchen on a cast iron plate with all the sizzling and steam you would expect when ordering fajitas. When describing almost any plate, Katie used her standard line, "these were flavorful and very fresh". I tried a few bites of chicken, and it was pretty tender. The veggies were not overly abundant here, and the portion size for this was more than generous.

Lately, when we have gone out with Sabrina and Anthony, Anthony and I get the same thing, which helps me cut down on my writing, which I am sure you all appreciate. This time, we both got Combo #4, which includes a chile relleno, a tamale, a crispy taco, and a soft taco. Both Anthony and I liked this plate. The tamale was solid and not as dry as some tend to be. The tacos were not stuffed with meat, but both were okay. I am not much of a chile relleno guy, but this one had a good heat, and the cheese did not overpower here. This plate was good, but we both agreed it lacked the wow factor. The beans were better than the rice, which was plain tasting.

I'm not sure how it came up on the car ride, but Katie and I were shocked to find out that neither Sabrina nor Anthony had ever had Fried Ice Cream ($3.95) before. This version at El Sol was like every other version we have had. A large scoop of ice cream is rolled around in cornflakes and then deep-fried. I did like the presentation here. The cinnamon-coated tortilla strips and the chocolate drizzle were an added bonus. It was great being here when Sabrina and Anthony came into their own to have fried ice cream. Very proud of these kids.

I was less enthusiastic about El Sol than my other dining companions. I thought everything was good, but nothing really blew me away here. In contrast, it was hard to please. Sabrina was over the moon with her enchiladas, and Katie liked her fajitas enough to call them excellent. I may be a hard-to-please food blogger who has eaten in too many restaurants in the past four years. The prices were fair, as nothing on their menu approached the fifteen-dollar mark. The service was excellent during our visit. The waitress came over to check on us numerous times. I will leave you with this. If you are in the area and feel like Mexican food, try this place. Glad I could add another restaurant to Sabrina and Anthony's repertoire.

Out of five buses (because there is a bus line that serves East LA, called El Sol), five being best to zero being worst, El Sol Mexican Restaurant gets 3 buses.

For more information about El Sol Mexican Restaurant, head to their website here: https://www.elsolmexicanrestaurantcorona.com/