Taking a Break at Aldo's in San Juan - CLOSED

Aldo's Sidewalk Caffe

31882 Del Obispo St. 

San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675

I never knew how much stuff really went into planning a wedding. Yes, I have been to weddings before, but I never really thought about getting the flowers together, picking colors, getting a DJ, acquiring an officiant, gathering addresses, shooting save the date pictures, picking out formal attire, selecting a honeymoon spot, finding the perfect venue, and all the rest that goes into it. Most of the time I just sit here thinking how much easier it would be going to Vegas or swinging by the OC Courthouse. Of course, that's not going to happen with Katie's large family and my large group of friends. So when it's a rare night that we are not wedding planning, going out with friends, or attending a food event, we want to stay close to home and relax. That's when I go on Yelp to find a restaurant with a good amount of stars and plenty of reviews. That's how we came upon this place, Aldo's Sidewalk Caffe.

Aldo's has four solid stars and 121 reviews on Yelp, so we headed three exits down the 5 Freeway to try this place out. In a city known for some pretty good Mexican food, Aldo's has been in business for twenty years in San Juan. Located in the big shopping center off of Del Obispo, Aldo's is right next door to a Subway, and near the Marshall's.

On this Saturday night, we were greeted warmly by whom we perceived to be Aldo, even though no formal introduction was ever made. This restaurant is not overly huge, with six tables inside, and a good majority of the customers opting to sit outside on their eight table patio. Aldo made his rounds from table to table talking to each customer as if they were lifelong friends. On this night they were not overly busy, but we hear that during all you can eat pasta night, which is on Wednesdays, this place gets a little crazy. The menu is typical Italian fare, with a good amount of sandwiches offered, pasta dishes, salads, and meat dishes were thrown in. We made our choices and waited for our food to arrive.

We were presented with this bread to start things off. The bread here was pretty standard. I liked that they placed it on the grill for a few seconds and that it was served warm. The packaged butter was served at just the right temperature, so that it was spreadable, without being too warm. Other than that, just kind of average bread.

I've said it before, but I really like that most Italian dinners include a salad with the meal. Wish more restaurants would do this. At Aldo's Sidewalk Caffe, you get a Caesar salad with each meal. As you can see in the picture, the produce was fresh and bright green. It was sprinkled with a good amount of grated Parmesan. The dressing left a little to be desired though. It was more of an oily Caesar dressing, instead of my preferred creamy variety. The menu claims that their Caesars have croutons included, but not a one was found in this salad. Having croutons would have helped by adding some texture and flavor to this good sized salad.

I was not too excited by any of the four appetizers that were offered here at Aldo's, but Katie really wanted to try their Bruschetta ($5.95), so that's what we ordered. There was a lot going on with this bruschetta. The toasted bread was topped with basil, garlic, Kalamata olives, red onions, and of course tomatoes, then tossed with olive oil. I'm not a big fan of bruschetta, but Katie felt this was one of the messier ones that she has had. The bread did not stand up to the weight of the toppings, and this version was a little more oily than it should have been. Not awful, but a little awkward to eat.

Definitely not the most photogenic of plates, Katie's selection was this Ravioli with Smoked King Salmon ($14.95). With this dish, the cheese ravioli was topped with salmon and a garlic cream sauce. Katie really enjoyed the creamy sauce, and I used her excess to dip the bread in after she was done. She would have liked the salmon in bigger pieces though. She was also pretty impressed with the well-made pasta on this plate. A very filling dinner, she would get this again sometime.

As is my usual routine in an Italian joint, I always have a hard time picking what I want to eat. I went a little out of my norm by ordering a chicken dish. The Penne Veneziane ($14.95) was a very generous serving size. Joining the pasta on the plate was chicken, garlic, mushrooms, and red pepper flakes, all in a tomato cream sauce. I really enjoyed the sauce with this, but it was not spicy like it was advertised on the menu. After I asked for more red pepper flakes, this became more enjoyable and awakened my taste buds. The chicken was kind of lost here, as it was cut in very small pieces. Good, but I'd probably try something else on my next visit.

Both Katie and left Aldo's Sidewalk Caffe pretty full. We did not even contemplate getting dessert, so you must know that we were pretty stuffed. I liked Aldo's but was not in love with it. Since it's so close to our home, we will definitely be back on nights we don't want to venture too far. I've heard good things about their sandwiches here, and I might try some other pasta dishes in the future. Service was pretty spotty during our stay. Our waiter was nice, but refills and clearing of the plates did not seem to be his forte. I thought the prices were pretty fair. I found a menu online for this place, but it was from 2007, and much to my surprise Aldo's prices have only gone up fifty cents on some items, and a lot of the items have stayed the same. Pretty crazy that in 7 years no prices increases. There's probably not a lot of restaurants where that's the case. Aldo's was a very nice break from all the wedding chaos, but now I have to get back to gathering peoples addresses for the save the date magnets. Ugh.

Out of five motor buggies, (because in 1910 there was a motor buggy available named the Aldo, which sold for $395), five being best to zero being worst, Aldo's Sidewalk Caffe gets 2.5 motor buggies.

Aldo's does not have a website, but you can check out their reviews and other info on their Yelp page here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/aldos-sidewalk-caffe-san-juan-capistrano

Stefano's is Like Going Home Again

Stefano's Golden Baked Hams

18220 Yorba Linda Blvd. #307

Yorba Linda, CA 92886

Even though I only live about forty minutes away, give or take depending on traffic, coming back to Yorba Linda always feels like going home. I grew up in this North OC city. I lived here from the age of four, and stayed here for the next 18 years. My parents still live in the same house, my nieces go to the same schools I went to, and a lot of the same restaurants that piqued my interest in food are still in business.

Not yet in business when I lived in the, "land of gracious living", Stefano's Golden Hams has been around a long time too. They were established in 2003, and have stayed in their original location at the corner of Imperial and Yorba Linda Boulevard, which is the same shopping center as Chili's, 24 Hour Fitness, and the long departed Goodie Bag, (if you remember that place, you are definitely an old school YL resident).

Stefano's is truly a family business. It was started by Frank and Colleen Stefano, who now run the restaurant with their son Frankie and daughter Alana, both of whom we met on a recent Wednesday night. I tried to get Frankie to say that he does more work than his sister, but he wouldn't throw her under the bus, like I would to my sister. They both seem to be doing what they love, and it shows. Stefano's has a huge catering business, they sell their hams to other retailers, such as Bristol Farms, and on the restaurant side of things, they have exceeded their sales projection by 20 percent each year. It seems that the word has gotten out about Stefano's, and we were very excited to be invited here to see what has all of North OC so thrilled about this restaurant.

Stefano's is not only known for their hams, but they like to say that they did not invent the panini sandwich, but they perfected it. They currently have 14 panini sandwiches on their menu, along with salads, wraps, and hot and cold sandwiches. Stefano's recently also started a Dinner To Go offer on Tuesday and Thursday nights, where they prepare a family meal for four, which includes an entree and a salad. A very good idea for busy people that don't have the time or energy to make dinner for their family. All this talk about food was making us hungry, so we trusted Alana to bring us out some of her favorites. This is what came out to our table on this night.

We decided to forgo salads, so we could save some room for dessert. What a sacrifice we made. Since there were four of us, they brought out three different sandwiches cut in half for easy sharing. Or maybe they know that my Dad is not the best with sharing his food. Either way, let's take a look at each of these sandwiches up close.

With all due respect to my mom's meatloaf sandwiches, this Meatloaf Sandwich ($10.50) rocked it. A very tender and savory house made meatloaf is joined on rye bread with a chipotle mayo, crispy fried onions, provolone cheese, bacon, and pickles. This was a meatloaf sandwich with a tang to it. I really enjoyed all the textures and flavor layers going on here. The crunch of the fried onions, the slight sourness from the pickles, the unmistakable taste of bacon, and the softness and stability of the rye bread were all great contrasts, which did not distract from this meaty meatloaf. Well done Stefano's, making a classic your own.

When my dad sees pastrami on a menu, he always wants it to be sliced as thin as possible. Alana assured him that she slices her pastrami at a zero for the Rue-Bini ($9.25). He must believe her now, because he said this was one of the best Reuben's he has eaten. Besides the sliced pastrami, this sandwich was made up of Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, thousand island dressing, and red onion. I was not as enthusiastic about the thinly sliced pastrami. It was good quality pastrami, but I like it to be a little more whole, as this was almost ground up. I did like the rest of the sandwich. The crunch of the bread fresh from the panini maker, the tang of the sauerkraut, and the right amount of thousand island used here. This sandwich made my dad so happy, that he's not sure if he will stray away from it on future visits to Stefano's.

Just like my dad was enamored with the Rue-Bini, this Bostonian ($9.50) was the blue ribbon winner for the rest of us. If you want a panini with a little spice, that will linger for awhile, this is the one for you. Roasted turkey, roast beef, a jalapeno and garlic cream cheese, tomato, avocado, onion, pepper jack cheese, and pepperoncinis gave this panini a heat that was definitely present, but not, "smoke coming out your ears," excessive. I'm not usually one for cream cheese, but it kind of melted into the sandwich, and just added a slight creaminess. I've had their highly talked about Burg-Gini before, but this one might be better, and I loved that sandwich.

Dessert time at Stefano's, and on this night they brought out three of their rotating desserts. I'm not much of a cheesecake kind of guy, but the Eggnog Cheesecake was pretty solid. A slight tinge of eggnog flavor, this was a sturdy cheesecake, that had a lightness about it, while not being too chalky like other cheesecakes tend to be. Of course Stefano's has to have a Chocolate Chip Cannoli on their menu, and this one is right up there with the one I had in Boston. They have the cannoli shells made for them by an outside vendor, and then they are filled with the traditional sweetened ricotta cheese filling. There was a good crunch to the shell, and the cream inside was sweet, without the sourness that sometimes accompanies cannolis. The lone blight on this dessert tray for us was the Chess Pie. I had never heard of a chess pie before. It's a custard pie that utilizes cornmeal in it, and has a very mild flavor. It wasn't bad, but kind of bland. If I'm going to splurge on dessert, I want something that makes an impression. This pie was like me at every school dance I was ever at, almost invisible and sulking in the corner. Such a childhood I had.

It's going to get busy around the upcoming holidays, and if you feel too rushed or stressed out, Stefano's is a great respite for a quick dinner. Their wide array of sandwiches and salad options will keep you happy during this stressful time of the year. Of course if you are really pressed for time, Stefano's could help you out by just making your holiday meal. I've never had their holiday foods, but if they are anything like what we had on this night, your family won't be disappointed with their holiday meals. I'm glad that when I come back home, I can always stop in at Stefano's, and try one of their great paninis.

We would like to thank everyone at Stefano's for the invite to come try their sandwiches. We had a great time engaging with the staff, they all seemed extremely proud of this restaurant, and it genuinely seemed like they all were happy to be there. Also thanks to Alana and Frankie for taking time out of a busy Wednesday night to talk with us, explain their philosophy, and showcase their food. We really appreciated it.

If you would like to experience Stefano's for yourself, or would like more information about their food or catering options, head to their website here: http://www.stefanoshams.com/

LAX By Way of Trabuco Canyon - CLOSED

San Giovanni

31931 Dove Canyon Dr. 

Trabuco Canyon, CA 92679

So it's been about three months since we last took our good friends Chuck and Stephanie to LAX. They seem to make a trip every three or so months to see their grandkids in South Carolina. As a thank you for Katie and I drove them up the 405 Freeway, Chuck graciously pays for our dinner. This usually entails me looking for restaurants up near the airport, areas we usually do not get up to. This time though, Chuck threw me for a loop when he wanted to share one of his favorite restaurants with us. With the pressure off of me, we headed to Trabuco Canyon, and an Italian spot called San Giovanni.

San Giovanni is located behind Santa Margarita High School, in a pretty desolate shopping center which is also home to a Gold's Gym, a couple of insurance offices, and the long-departed Friends Sports Tavern. We arrived here on a Saturday night around six, and this larger sized restaurant was pretty busy. There's a patio out front which seemed to be the popular place to sit. I noticed they also did a pretty good take out business as well. The decor is pretty subdued, with a few TV screens hanging on the walls, most showing sports.

The menu at San Giovanni is about what you would expect from an Italian restaurant. They have plenty of baked Italian dishes, entrees, and pizza. Looking around the dining room, it was about 50/50 with people having pizza and the other half having entrees. Since our good friend Chuck was buying, we decided to have entrees. Let's see how that decision worked out for us.

Of course, we have to start out by showing the bread we received, even before we ordered. This bread was lightly toasted and came with the packaged butter and margarine on top of it. Not sure why the butter and margarine were not served on a separate plate, but some people are sticklers about that. I'm not one of those people. A decent, crusty bread here.

Since we did not have enough carbs on the table, we ordered these Garlic Sticks ($3.95) as an appetizer. These came topped with garlic butter and Romano cheese, with a side of marinara. These were kind of bland in my opinion. The cheese fell right off when I picked them up, and the marinara was a little on the watery side. I only had one of these, as I wanted to save room for my dinner.

One thing I always enjoy about Italian restaurants is that salads almost always are included with your meal. This was the case here at San Giovanni as well. Everyone opted for salads, but you also had your choice of soup as well. Stephanie, Katie, and Chuck all tried the Insalate Verde, which is their version of a house salad. This one came with chopped greens, Roma tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, olives, and your choice of dressing. There were no complaints from any of them with their salads. I definitely had to try their Caesar here. This one came with grated mozzarella cheese, garlic-flavored croutons, Romano cheese, and their Caesar dressing. This Caesar was a little off for me. Maybe it was the addition of the mozzarella cheese, or it could have been the pretty weak dressing that came on this, whatever it was, I thought this Caesar was average at best.

Stephanie loves spice, so I was not surprised that she ordered this Chicken Stuffed Ravioli Alla Rustica ($17.95) with a side of their spicy fra Diavolo sauce. This dish not only had the ravioli but also some artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes thrown in. Stephanie did not finish this, so I took it to work the next day. It was pretty tasty, with plenty of chicken inside the ravioli, and their spicy sauce made this pop with flavor. A very solid plate.

Chuck, aka our hand model on this night, is pretty much a creature of habit when we go out for Italian food. He sizes a place up by their lasagna, and that was the case here at San Giovanni's on this night. This Lasagna ($13.95) was made with seasoned beef, three kinds of cheese, pasta noodles, and topped with marinara. Chuck thought this was a middle of the road lasagna. Not the worst he has had, but not the best. It did come out steaming hot.

Fusilli al Pomodoro ($15.95) would be Katie's selection on this night. The spiraled pasta was joined on the plate by fresh basil, diced Roma tomatoes, Romano cheese, and tossed with olive oil and garlic. Katie also added some chicken to this for protein. The few bites I had of this were okay. The chicken was tender, and I liked the lightness of this dish. I wish there was more flavor from the sauce tough.

I really did not know what to try here, so after a long time perusing the menu, I came up with the Tortellini Giovanni ($19.95). With this one the tortellini is served with sliced sausage and garlic, topped with mozzarella, then I substituted the spicy Diavolo sauce, and added two meatballs to round out this meal. I was glad I added the meatballs because the sausage kind of got lost here. This was not very flavorful, and a little skimpy on the amount of sausage they put on the plate. The meatballs added more girth than flavor, but I was still happy to have them. A decent plate, but nothing earth-shattering about it either.

I guess that's the way I would describe San Giovanni's. A very middle of the road Italian restaurant. I'd eat here again if I was in the area, and my car had broken down, and I was hungry waiting for the tow truck. Don't get me wrong, the food here is not horrible, but San Giovanni's is not destination dining. I feel this is a restaurant for the people of Coto de Caza and Dove Canyon, who do not want to drive too far to get something to eat, on nights that they don't want to cook. The service was good, and the prices, for the most part, were okay. I don't believe that my plate was worth close to twenty dollars, but at least I didn't have to pay for it. That's why we have good, "old" Chuck. Thanks for the meal buddy, and glad we got you to the airport on time again.

Out of five glasses of milk, (because Chuck and Steph were on their way to South Carolina, and the official drink of that state is milk), five being best to zero being worst, San Giovanni gets 2 glasses of milk.

For more information about San Giovanni, go to their website here: http://www.sangiovanni.us/index.html

Happy Diwali from Tamarind of London, Plus a Giveaway - CLOSED

Tamarind of London

7862 E. Pacific Coast Highway

Newport Beach, CA 92660

Yes, we just visited Tamarind about two months ago. This jewel of Indian cuisine by the sea, really awakened our love of Indian food when we were here last. So when we were offered a chance to try their Diwali menu, and give away a $100 gift card to one of our readers, we could not have been happier to make the sacrifice to dine at Tamarind again.

First of course I had to look up what Diwali was. I knew it was a holiday celebrated in India, Pakistan and other countries, but I did not know much else until I took a trip to Google. There I learned it is a Hindu fall festival, which celebrates the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and hope over despair. On Diwali night Hindus dress up in their best clothes, light up candles and lamps, participate in family prayers, and then partake in a family feast and exchange presents. Sounds like a great night, and we got a little taste of it at Tamarind at Newport Coast last week.

For those of you not sure where Tamarind is located, it's in the same shopping center as Javier's, right along scenic Coast Highway. The accolades keep piling up for this restaurant. Not only was this named, "the best Indian food" in Southern California, by famed LA Times restaurant critic Jonathan Gold, but they also just won a Golden Foodie Award for best Indian food in all of OC, an honor they have won before. After eating here a couple months ago, we felt all this praise was well warranted.

We arrived here for this visit at 6pm on a recent Monday night. The dining room is very elegant, with a nice view of the kitchen , and a closeup look at the tandoori ovens. Since we were eating with other raucous food bloggers, we were sat on the bar side, which had a nice and peaceful spa feeling to it. Our dining companions for this evening were Shelly from Nibbles of Tidbits, Wendy from Wendyfulworld, Michael from Eating Around So Cal, Chelsea from OC Food Diva, and our good friend Minerva, from the great Much Ado About Fooding. It's always wonderful to catch up with these guys, and even better when there's great food involved. The food was starting to make its way out to us, so lets see if this experience would be as good as our last.

We started things off with these Fried Naan and a Trio of Chutneys. I had never had fried naan before, and I have to say I was impressed. I prefer this to the papadam we had on our first visit here. The naan had a crunch to it, and was still a little soft on the inside. The chutneys of course were all great, but my favorite was the apricot-fennel one. I liked the sweetness in it.

There were two platters offered for the first course, the first of which was this Vegetarian Platter. Most of you know by now that I am pretty partial to meat, but this was not too bad. This plate featured from left to right, Hara Bara, Paneer Tikka, and Aloo Tikki. The hara bara is very falafel like, but it's made out spinach instead of chickpeas, with potatoes and peas added. This North Indian snack was paired with my favorite chutney, the apricot one. The paneer tikka was not greasy like some versions can be, and the cheese was subtle. My favorite of the three was the Aloo Tikki, which is a potato cake with cumin and ginger present, and a smoked tomato chutney smeared alongside of it. Chef Imran Ali made me like vegetables with this platter.

Of course I was much more in my comfort zone when my Kebab Platter arrived with Malai Chicken, Swordfish Tikka, and Lamb Kebab. The lamb was not my favorite thing on this plate. It was a tad over cooked, and kind of on the gritty side. One thing we learned on our last visit here, is that they do seafood perfectly at Tamarind. We had an excellent sea bass on that visit, and the tradition continues with this swordfish. It had a wonderful flavor, and was cooked to a perfect tenderness. I could have eaten a lot more of this, than the chunk we were given. The chicken was equally tender, which is a rarity these days when we go out to eat. A very good start to our Diwali menu.

The drink menu at Tamarind is not meant to be overlooked. Even though Katie doesn't like to drink, she had plenty of options on this night. She selected the Strawberry Mojito. This classic mojito had all the usual suspects included, mint and lime muddled together, and mixed with fresh strawberries, then topped with Sprite. Not as sweet as she expected, this was a very refreshing mock-tail. The last time I was here I had their Tower of London, which I liked, but I wanted to try something different. So I went with the Narangi Crush. This citrus based beverage contained vodka, Chase Elderflower, muddled blood oranges in a simple syrup, and a splash of grapefruit, which toned down the sweetness in this drink. When drinking this it was like liquid sunshine. A very happy drink, that could really get me into some trouble if I hadn't limited myself to only one of these. I think I have found my favorite beverage on their drink menu.

The food was just about to make its way out for us, but first they brought out some Garlic Naan, which is very addictive. The garlic was very prevalent on this, and the aroma could be whiffed from across the table. They are wizards with the tandoori ovens that churn out this naan at Tamarind.

Since we were such a large group, we were served family style from the four offerings of the Diwali menu. Not only were there four entrees, but they also provided Saffron Rice, Raita, and Dal Amritsari, which is a Northern Indian dish of lentils, which was quite hearty. All of the sides were well made and delicious. Let's take a closer look at the entrees we had on this night.

I've never really been a big fan of eggplant. I think it might be a texture thing, but this Achari Baingan is the closest I have come to liking the purple vegetable. The version had baby eggplant paired with tomatoes, Frank pepper, and a Kashmiri chili stew. This had a great spice to it, which intensified when I took this for lunch the next day. If you like eggplant, and love spice, this is definitely for you.

Katie's favorite item at Tamarind when we went here the first time was this Butter Chicken, and I have to admit I was pretty excited to see it on this Diwali menu as well. Bite sized chicken pieces are bathed in a creamy light tomato sauce, which I swear would be great on anything. The chicken was tender, and that sauce was full of flavor. Still one of our favorites here.

Again the only miss for me on this night involved the lamb again. This Classic Rogan Josh had large pieces lamb in a Kashmiri stew that was not as spicy as the one used in the eggplant dish. The lamb was a little overcooked, and the stew was a little too passive for my tastes.

I was shocked that this vegetarian entree impressed me as much as it did. The Navrattan Khorma included seasonal veggies, paneer and pomegranate, all in a rich curry. I must not have been the only one to like this, as there was not any left for us to take home. Going to try this again on my next visit to Tamarind.

The dessert course of this Diwali menu was a Chef's Platter with Diwali Sweets. Just like the last time we were here, Pastry Chef Mark Medina made a traditional rice pudding with pistachios on top, a rose flavored paneer, and my favorite of the three, a honey filled doughnut like concoction, which brought to mind the loukoumades that we get at the Greek booth at the Orange Street Fair every year. This was all capped with a mint covered leaf drizzled in chocolate.

Unfortunately I did not get this post done in time for you all to enjoy this Diwali menu, but the good news is that no matter what you choose to eat at Tamarind, chances are that you will leave happy. See for yourself if all of the awards and accolades are deserved at Tamarind by entering our contest to win a $100 gift card. Just follow the steps below, and you might be a winner.

We need to thank everyone at Tamarind for their warm hospitality. Everyone from the hostess, the bussers, wait staff, and the manager were all so nice and answered all of our inquiries. We would also like to thank the very talented chef, Imran Ali for all the fantastic food, and even taking the time away from his busy kitchen to make sure we were enjoying our meal. Thanks for everything Chef.

For more information about Tamarind of London, go to their website here: http://www.tamarindoflondon.com/

a Rafflecopter giveaway