Escaping to Pina's Bistro - CLOSED

Pina's Bistro

640 West First St.

Tustin, CA 92780

I have had a great hunger for Italian food for the last month. I crave it almost every time dinner time rolls around. For a while, I couldn't put my finger on the reason for my craving, but it suddenly came to me because we were streaming TV now. Yes, Katie and I have finally got with it and signed up for Amazon Prime, so we've spent quite a lot of time sitting in front of the TV. The first series we binge-watched was The Sopranos. A month later, we were just about done with the entire series, and I figured out that this show about Italian mobsters living in New Jersey was the genesis of my Italian food craving. The food they discuss on the show gets my mouth watering almost every episode.

That's why I met my parents at Pina's Bistro in Tustin. Not only is it geographically in the middle of both of us, but I was hoping that eating here would squash my Italian food cravings for at least a night or two. Pina's has been around for twenty years and is truly a family-run business. Pina's mother and two daughters also work here, helping run the kitchen and waiting tables.

It is wise to think ahead and get reservations when dining here, as the restaurant is not huge. A few walk-ins were welcome, but they were excellent about holding tables for people with reservations. A simply decorated dining room has eight tables inside and a lovely patio out front with another four. The menu features items from Pina's homeland of Naples, and this is definitely a scratch kitchen. Everything is made on the premises, and I was very excited to try their stuff. Let's see if the food here will help me quench my hunger for Italian food.

Even the bread served before the meal is made here, and they were very generous in replenishing it after we gorged ourselves on it. This bread came out warm and with plenty of butter. A straightforward, rustic bread went well with our upcoming appetizer.

People online were raving about the sausage at Pina's, which is handcrafted on the premises, so I had to try the Sauteed Sausage Appetizer ($7.95). This was not what I was expecting, but it was totally delicious. Not a spicy sausage, this loose sausage was bathed in a very lovely red sauce, enhancing the meat's flavor. Spread this on the supplied bread, and you will find yourself in a euphoric state.

We'll start the entrees with my mom's Chicken Parmigiana ($19.95) selection. This differs from the overly breaded version you can get at Maggiano's. This lighter dish had a lightly breaded, tender chicken breast, plenty of mozzarella, and marinara sauce. My mom enjoyed this dish and loved that it was not as heavy as others. Along with the side of spaghetti that this came with, she had more than enough to send to work the next day with my dad for his lunch.

Katie must have really enjoyed the sausage at Pina's because she also ordered this Penne with Sauteed Sausage and Asparagus ($18.95). This had the same freshly made sausage from the appetizer but with an excellent aurora sauce engulfing it. I had never heard of aurora sauce before but learned it's a mix of bechamel, cream, and tomato puree, making it a beautiful combination. This dish was terrific and very comforting to eat. You could feel it coating your insides like a warm blanket, but the freshly made penne kept things light. Another solid selection from Katie, who's been on quite a roll when we've gone out to eat.

Like I've said before, there used to be a time when I could predict what my dad would order, but those days are long gone. He went with this Shrimp and Scallop Arrabbiata ($24.95). I usually shy away from seafood in Italian restaurants because I love meatballs and sausage, but my dad really enjoyed this plate. Even though the scallops were on the small side, there was plenty of shrimp, and the freshly made pasta made this a winner in my dad's book.

It's been a long while since I have had such a good piece of veal as on this night. In fact, I need help thinking of a time during the six-year run of this blog when I wrote about Veal, but this one will be hard to top. It's not on their regular menu, but if you see this on the chalkboard displaying their specials, get it. The 16-ounce Veal Chop Marsala ($39.95) is worth every penny. This veal came straight to us from New Zealand and was prepared simply with a bit of seasoning and garlic and paired with an equally simple side of penne pasta. This veal was tender and had tons of meat included here. It took me some time to finish everything, but I eventually conquered it. I was also glad they chose a lighter pasta to go with this, as it would have been too much if they had included a different sauce. An extremely satisfying meal.

Pina's Bistro really impressed all of us. For being such a small restaurant, they put out some really delicious dishes. You will enjoy Pina's if you are a fan of traditional Italian cuisine rather than American-Italian food, with its heavier sauces and tons of cheese. Yes, you will be paying a little more than you are used to for Italian, but the fact that it's all made here by hand is the reason for that and makes it well worth it. We experienced some outstanding service tonight. It was an authentic family atmosphere as if they had welcomed you into their home. This night's food definitely helped satisfy my Italian craving, at least for one night. Those same cravings came back the next night when we continued our Soprano's marathon, so a return trip to Pina's is definitely in order again soon.

Out of five carriages (because the man that Tustin is named for, Columbus Tustin, was a carriage maker in Northern California), five being best to zero being worst, Pina's Bistro gets 4 carriages.

For more information about Pina's Bistro, go to their website here: https://pinasbistro.com/

Refueling at Pit Stop Diner

Pit Stop Diner

3825 Mission Ave. #D1

Oceanside, CA 92058

2015 is definitely the year of the wedding for us. Before the year started we had eight weddings to attend on seven different weekends this year. Lucky for us, and unlucky for the intended bride and groom, one of the weddings was postponed, so that still left seven weddings for us to attend. All but one has required us to travel at least two hours, and stay for the weekend. Looking on the bright side, this means seven chances to eat at restaurants where we would normally not be around to eat at.

On this particular trip we were coming back from the fun filled wedding of Katie's cousin, Erin. For her wedding we stayed at Harrah's Resort in Valley Center. After much drinking, gambling, and dancing, we were ready to head home on a hazy Sunday morning. We left the hotel a little past check out time, and hit the road for the two hour, traffic filled drive back home. By the time we hit Oceanside, I definitely needed something to soak up some of the leftover alcohol that was still in my system. A quick check of Yelp guided us to Pit Stop Diner.

Pit Stop Diner is located right off of the 76 Freeway, on Mission Avenue. Situated in the same parking lot as the Oceanside Police Department, it's not the most convenient of places to stop for travelers, because there's not really close freeway access to this area. Still, the Yelp reviews were good enough that we decided to take a chance, and divert our travels by about five minutes or so.

Walking inside Pit Stop Diner, it kind of had the feel of Knowlwood's, for those of you that are familiar with the OC mini chain of hamburger stands. There's lots of car inspired/Route 66 paraphernalia all over the place. License plates and street signs hanging all over the walls, old gas pumps scattered about, and even the car above sitting right in the middle of the dining space. Not sure what kind of car it was, but I do know it was a 1962 model, with a really nice paint job.

Ordering is done at the counter, and then the food is brought out to you. Classic American food rules here. Burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, and salads dominate the menu, and breakfast is served all day long, which was a plus for Katie, who was not ready to bypass the first meal of the day, even though it was close to an hour past noon. We quickly grabbed a seat at this larger than it appears diner, and waited about five minutes for our food to come out. Let's see if the food was worth stopping for, or should we have driven on by.

I've been writing this blog for close to six years now, and one of the first things I learned during this time is that burritos are some of the most boring items to photograph, which is odd because they can be some of the most delicious items you will eat. Katie had the Wreck Breakfast Burrito ($4.55). This burrito was stuffed with plenty of egg, bacon, cheese, potato, and avocado. All the essentials for a great breakfast burrito. Katie was very pleased with her selection, and loved the amount of avocado used here. She ate this so quickly that I did not even have a chance to try it, so we'll take her word for it.

Unlike the boring looking burrito above, the camera loves chili dogs. The first of the two things that I hoped would sustain me until we got home was this Chili Cheese Dog ($3.49). This chili dog was pretty good sized, but was definitely better off eaten with a fork. The dog was split, and got a nice crispness from the flattop. It had a slight crunch when bitten into. Topping the hot dog was plenty of chili, shredded cheese, and diced onions. The chili here is very mild, and did not offer much in the way of flavor. This could be due to the fact that there was plenty of onions and cheese also occupying this. Not a memorable chili cheese dog, but it does look better in the pictures than it tasted while we were here.

Part two of my meal was this Bacon Avocado Cheeseburger Combo ($6.35). A very standard burger, with a very thin patty. The burger was saved by the crispy bacon, and the generous serving of avocado slices included on this. They kind of went a little overboard with the lettuce on here, but it was easily discarded, which showed more truly how thin the patties are at Pit Stop. The fries were okay, as they're your standard fast food fries. Not the best burger I've had, but not the worst by a long stretch.

Pit Stop Diner definitely hit the spot for what we were looking for on this afternoon. The food here is not going to blow you away, but it's pretty solid for what it is, diner food. It kept Katie and I full all the way back up the 5 Freeway. Ordering at the registers was a little slow, but other than that, the service was great here. There's also enough variety to keep everyone in your party pretty happy, including the person that's going to be paying for the meal. I mean, under seven dollars for a combo meal is something that just doesn't happen very often, even at the large fast food joints. The low cost of this meal, helped to offset some of the loses I incurred at the casino during this this wedding stay, which was very much appreciated. Now on to the next wedding.

Out of five pink racecars, (because when I hear the words pitstop, it always makes me think of Penelope Pitstop from the Wacky Racers, who drove a pink car in that cartoon), five being best to zero being worst, Pit Stop Diner get 2.5 pink racecars.

Pit Stop Diner has a very limited website, which you can see here: http://pitstop.menutoeat.com/

South OC Gets Lucky Again - CLOSED

South Coast Kitchen

31105 Rancho Viejo Road

San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675

Away from the hustle and bustle of the mission area of San Juan Capistrano, on the other, quieter side of the freeway is a restaurant that you definitely have to check out. Like I've said before, there's kind of a renaissance of great, independent, chef-driven spots opening up all over South OC. Joining Pub 32, Urban Grill and Wine Bar, Dublin 4, and nearby Pascal in this new age of great restaurants south of Irvine is South Coast Kitchen.

South Coast Kitchen is definitely off the beaten track, in the same out of the way shopping center that doomed Harlow's. With no direct freeway access, a shopping complex that is anchored by a post office, a Mediterranean restaurant, and a martial arts studio, South Coast Kitchen has managed to be around for three years and earned some great praise for their restaurant. A ton of five-star yelp reviews, a very nice review of their food by the OC Register, and high marks from OpenTable users, I was excited to see what all this great press was about.

It probably has something to do with chef and owner, Justin Davis. If that name sounds familiar to you, it's probably because you remember him from his time at Stonehill Tavern at the St. Regis, or maybe you might have heard that he was also at the Ritz Carlton for a time. He left these high profile jobs to open a catering business, but once people tasted his food, they coaxed him into opening a restaurant, where they tweak the menu every week depending on what's available, and what he feels like making. It must be working, as the restaurant was lively from the moment we walked in until we left.

We had made reservations on a recent Thursday evening. It would definitely be wise to make reservations on weekends, as this restaurant is pretty small, with about ten or so tables inside, and two to three tables out in front of the restaurant. The decor here is understated but comfortable. The acoustics of the place make it seem louder than you would think from the number of people occupying the space.

The menu is sectioned off into simply small and large plates, with limited selections offered under each. Of course with a different menu every week, this can change. As with many of these chef-driven restaurants, it states that substitutions and modifications to the chef's dishes are politely declined. I used to find this kind of galling, but have come to understand the reasoning behind this. A chef is like an artist, and he's come up with plates that he feels equal each other out, and if you take one part away, it alters their interpretation of what they were trying to accomplish with the meal. Let's take a look at what Chef Justin had in store for us on this particular night.

We were going to be meeting my good friend Michelle, so drinks were definitely in order. SCK only has beer and wine, so they have to get a little creative with their wine cocktails. Michelle tried the SCK Sangria ($12), which was made up of red wine, apples, pear, and sparkling water. Michelle is always bragging that she knows everything about sangria, and she called this version pretty tasty. It was refreshing and not overly fruity. Sorry for the poor shots of this beverage, as it did not photograph too well in the darkened restaurant. My selection was much brighter, the Just Keep Swimming ($12). This tall red drink used sauvignon blanc as its base, elderflower, a vodka infusion, champagne, lemon, and a strawberry garnish. When this was placed in front of me I thought it was going to be too fruity, but it was more toned down than it looked. I'm not sure how they get away with the infused vodka, but I believe that's what toned it down a bit. A good drink, but I was ready for some food.

Katie selected the first of our two small plates. She was intrigued by this Rustic Spanish Bread ($4). The three pieces of grilled bread were joined by smoked salt, house-made butter, tomato confit, and local extra virgin olive oil. We all really liked this simply prepared dish. The grilled bread had a nice crunch to it, and all three of the condiments went well together. Not trying to do too much here, this disappeared rather quickly with Michelle around. 

I had read the Yelp reviews of SCK before we got here, and a lot of people commented on the Savory White Cheddar Souffle, so there was no question I'd be ordering it. I really enjoyed the presentation of this dish, even though I did not totally understand it. Of course, there was the very well made cheese souffle, which had a lightness to it which I was not expecting. Very tasty. They also included a fruit compote, petite greens, apple slices, and a cube of pork belly. I get the apple, as some people enjoy apples and cheese together. I also get the fruit compote and the greens, as it was kind of like a mini salad, but the pork belly kind of seemed out of place here. Don't get me wrong, I love pork belly, and will never turn it down, but it kind of was left on its own here. Still delicious, but it seemed odd to me. 

Michelle had a hard time choosing her meal here, just as she has a hard time picking which one of her many suitors she will hang out with on a Saturday night. She eventually went with Chicken and Biscuits ($25) for her entree. This was not like any chicken and biscuit version we had seen before. The chicken breast came whole and was used as the base for the scratch-made biscuit. It was plated with a fava bean succotash and a light serving of a foie gras and bacon gravy. Michelle had nothing but nice things to say about her dinner. The chicken was tender and seasoned well, the gravy was light, but still had tons of flavor, and the biscuit was well made. She liked that this was not as heavy as she was expecting. Not your mother's chicken and biscuit meal. 

Katie's been on a real steak kick as of late, and she held true to form on this evening when she selected this Petite Filet ($30). Unlike those expensive steak house restaurants, you get a full meal here, instead of ordering a bunch of sides. This steak came with truffle potato gratin, broccolini, and confit onion. Even though Katie likes her steak medium, this still came out very tender, and the pinot noir reduction got along with the steak, not trying to mask the natural flavor of the meat. The potato was delicious, without the truffle taking things over the top. A very well balanced plate, that left Katie full, but not overly stuffed.  

Just like when I see pork belly on a menu, I have become a big fan of pork cheeks as well and had to try this Pinot Noir Braised Pork Cheek Carbonara ($27) when I spotted it. The first meal I made for Katie was spaghetti carbonara, which she thought was good, but this one blew mine out of the water. Chef Justin uses linguine here, along with snap peas, a white cream sauce, pecorino cheese, a fried egg, crispy shallots, and of course the very good pork cheeks. This was a fantastic interpretation of a carbonara. Not as heavy as some can be, all the elements blended wonderfully together to form a real homey kind of feel to this plate. My only complaint would be that there was not nearly enough pork included in this, but the pork that was here was very tasty. A very comforting meal. 

We could not let our visit to South Coast Kitchen go by without trying their desserts. The pastry chef here is Samantha Ihde, and she came up with the unusual SCK Snickers and the more traditional Espresso Creme Brulee (both $8). The creme brulee came with a sidecar of Irish coffee, which Katie polished off rather quickly, probably due to listening to all of Michelle's stories. I was afraid that the creme brulee would have been overpowered by the espresso, but it was milder than I imagined. My favorite of the two desserts was the SCK Snickers which utilized a peanut butter crust, chocolate mousse, salted caramel, and nougat to recreate the famous chocolate bar. If you ate this expecting it to taste like a Snickers, you'd probably be a little letdown, but it was good nonetheless. Not over the top sweet, the peanut butter kind of got pushed to the side, as the chocolate took over, and the texture of this was spot on. I liked the playfulness of this, and it was a great end to our meal.

When we were walking out of South Coast Kitchen, the three of us left totally satisfied. You can definitely add this to the list of very good chef-driven restaurants in South OC. I was very impressed with not only Chef Justin's menu, but also that he took the time to walk the front of the restaurant, and chat with each of the tables to see how they liked their meals. Yes, with prices for entrees in the $20 to $30 plus range, this might not be a place you come every week, but it's more of a special occasion restaurant for most of us. Be advised that what you see in this review might not be exactly how it is on the menu when you come here, but if our experience is any indication, you will definitely be in for a treat. Service was solid, and you could tell that our waitress was very proud of the food she was serving here. We felt the same way, and it's definitely worthwhile coming to the quieter side of the freeway in San Juan Capistrano.

Out of five ink spots, (because the musicians, the Ink Spots were the first to record the song, "When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano," five being best to zero being worst, South Coast Kitchen gets 3.5 ink spots.

For more information about South Coast kitchen, head over to their website here: http://www.southcoastkitchen.net/

Extra! Extra! Read All About Pizza Press

Pizza Press

155 North Glassell St.

Orange, CA 92866

It seems like every time I open up my email, there's another do it yourself pizza place opening. These restaurants are getting as common around OC, as the Angels pathetic performances in the playoffs every year. Scioscia needs to go, but that's a story for another day. The point I'm trying to make is that there are lots of these kinds of restaurants out there now.

Of course my immediate thought is how can all of these restaurants survive, and what makes them all different. There's Blaze Pizza, Pieology, Mod Pizza, Pizza Studio, Pizza Rev, Creations Pizza, 800 Degrees, Spin Pizza, and Project Pie. As I'm writing this post, there's probably even a new one popping up in your local shopping plaza right now.

Pizza Press is the latest DIY pizza place to invade my inbox. They invited me and my good friend Richard to come in and give them a try. Richard considers himself to be a connoisseur of these do it yourself pizza restaurants. His favorite is Mod Pizza, which I also like. Usually Richard and I do not agree too much on restaurants. He's a big Chipotle fan, and I haven't been in about three years, and really have no desire to go. He prefers Subway to most other sandwich spots, and considers Togo's to be the worst of the chain sandwich options out there. Crazy, right? So take this all into consideration when he gives his opinion of the pizza at Pizza Press.

Pizza Press, a newspaper themed restaurant, opened in Downtown Orange earlier this year, and almost every time we have been down this way the line has been out the door. They get a solid 4 stars on Yelp, with close to 150 reviews, they have now opened a second location in Anaheim, and have two more on the way, one in Fullerton and one in Pasadena. I've also heard good things from people who have eaten here, so I was excited to give them a try.

We got here just before 5pm on a recent Monday evening. Beating the dinner rush, we got right in, and started the process of making our pizzas. Not as many custom creations as most places, they had five different pizzas to choose from if you did not want to be bothered to make up your own creation. All pizzas are $8, whether you make your own or have a custom job. Otherwise a pretty standard ordering process here, they ask what you want on your pizza, and then they put it on there for you. Straight forward. Both Richard and I opted for this, and put what we wanted on our pizzas.

After the pizza went through their assembly line preparation, we made our way towards the registers, and were amazed by all the beers that Pizza Press has on tap. I lost count as to how many taps they have here, but for beer aficionados this must be like heaven. On the day we were here they had a Stone Brewing Tap Takeover, so there were tons of options from this Escondido based brewing company. They also had Ballast Point, Goose Island, and others pouring from their taps on this afternoon. Pretty impressive.

We'll start things off with Richard's pizza. He went with a similar pizza to what he would normally get at Mod Pizza, which is a combination of chicken, mozzarella, roasted garlic, and bacon. He wanted fresh basil, but it was not offered. The first things we noticed when the pizzas were sat in front of us, was that they were a lot bigger than the ones from Mod. That would be the last positive thing picky Richard would say about his pizza on this night. He was not a fan of what he called, "the bland chicken," or the undercooked crust in the center of the pizza. He claimed that the whole pizza was rather plain tasting, and lacked that pop of flavor that he usually gets when having this combination of toppings at other places. He left pretty unimpressed.

It was not all doom and gloom though, as my pizza hit the table. As is my usual order when eating in these kinds of pizza places, I ordered a meat heavy pizza with jalapenos. The meats here at Pizza Press included pepperoni, bacon, ground beef, sausage, and pulled pork. I have to say that pulled pork was an unusual topping for these kinds of places, but a very welcome addition to this pizza. Unlike my buddy's pizza, this one really did pop with flavor, and had a nice consistency of sauce to toppings ratio. I did have an issue with the crust being a little soggy in the middle, and would probably ask that the pizza be left in the heat a few minutes more on my next visit. Otherwise this was a good pizza, with some good quality meats included on it.

So I guess you can classify this visit to Pizza Press as a split decision. While I liked my pizza well enough, Pizza Press failed to impress Richard at all. I would definitely go back if I was in the area, and was craving pizza. One of the things I have learned the most about writing this blog for the last 5 years is that food is very subjective. You can sit ten people down, serve them the same food, and have ten different opinions come out of their mouths. That's probably why the restaurant business is so hard to succeed in. If you are a craft beer person, and are craving a pizza in Orange, Pizza Press will be right up your alley. Maybe their craft beer selection is what will set Pizza Press apart form all of their competitors.

We would like to thank everyone at Pizza Press for making us feel so welcome, and inviting us in to experience the Pizza Press experience first hand. We would also like to thank Emily Webb of BAM Communications for setting up this visit.

If you wish to find out more about Pizza Press, go to their website here: http://www.thepizzapress.com/