Doing the Hula at Islands

Islands

27741 Crown Valley Parkway

Mission Viejo, CA 92691

There's a lot of things going on at Islands, and specifically the one that's right by our house. Not only are they going to be moving to the former Farrell's location across the street at the Shops at Mission Viejo, but they also have partnered with the great folks over at Left Coast Brewing Company to collaborate on a beer that's only available at Islands. We were recently invited to give this, and their latest burger a try. at the Left Coast Brewing Company Tap Room in San Clemente.

First things first, I could not pin anyone down on when their new location at the Shops at Mission Viejo is going to open, but I've been hearing whispers of an August or September opening. I was at the new spot a month or two ago, and was astounded to see that they basically tore down the old Farrell's down to the studs, and rebuilt it. I have a feeling this is going to be one heck of an Islands location, and one that's going to have way more foot traffic than the one at the Kaleidoscope across the street.

This was my first visit to Left Coast Brewing Company, but it won't be my last. Located right off Pico, I was pretty impressed that this large tap room was filled with patrons on a Thursday evening, so I had high hopes for their beer. My assumption was not even close to being wrong. We met up with Shawn Hadjis, Director of Sales and Marketing for Left Coast, and learned that this is a family owned and operated craft beer company, founded in 2004, which is ancient compared to most of their competitors. You can find their beers in 25 states and 7 countries, and they have won over 25 awards at various festivals for their beers.

We were here on this evening to try their latest addition to their lineup, the Hula Bay IPA ($6.50 for a regular or $8.50 for a large). This is a classic west coast IPA, which they said possessed aroma hints of pineapple, grapefruit, tangerine, and pine. To be honest, when I heard this I expected a sweeter beer, but the abundance of Amarillo hops balanced this out, and the result was a lighter beer, which did not sacrifice flavor. No watered down beer here. This becomes available at all Island Restaurants, with the exception of their Hawaiian locations, on Monday June 13th, until it runs out, which they expect will be in early September. Also on this Monday, their much loved Heat Wave Burger makes its return to their burger lineup, and coincidentally, they say the Hula Bay IPA pairs nicely with this burger. I'll have to be the judge of that.

To no ones surprise, I'm usually a Big Wave with Cheese and Bacon kind of guy at Island's, but that burger goes on hiatus when this Heat Wave Burger ($12,19) come out of hibernation. This burger really packs a punch with grilled Serrano and green chilies, pepper jack cheese, tomato, lettuce, red onion, and it's finished off with a very tasty spicy mayo. I'm not ashamed to admit that I ate two of these full sized burgers at this event, they were that good. As advertised this did pair well with the Hula Bay IPA. The spice of the burger was extinguished a bit by the beer, which was definitely needed every few minutes when consuming this. The bun is also worth noting here. It was soft and pliable, but held everything together well. I'm really looking forward to heading back to Islands for this great burger soon.

One of the most underrated items on the Islands menu is the Jungle Caesar Salad. I'm a pretty big Caesar fan, and I love their dressing here. This salad also includes romaine lettuce, plenty of Parmesan cheese, and croutons. My usual routine when eating at Islands is to have the cheese fries for an appetizer, and then substitute a small Caesar for the fries that comes with my burger. That way it almost seems like I am eating healthy, or at least I try to tell myself that.

The great folks at Islands had an alternative burger for people that did not want the spice of the Heat Wave Burger. They also featured these Hawaiian Sliders, which featured teriyaki sauce, grilled pineapple, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion. I'm not really big on pineapple on pizza or in burgers, but these sliders were pretty good, and  helped numb the pleasing burn of the Heat Wave Burger.

I'd say that this collaboration between Islands and Left Coast Brewing Company is a perfect match. I enjoy that Islands is always trying new things, and pairing craft beer with their great burgers is right on target. I will definitely be headed into Islands a bunch of times this summer to partake in their Heat Wave Burger, and pair it with a Hula Bay IPA. I'm also looking forward to the opening of their new location at the Shops at Mission Viejo soon. I'll keep you posted on opening dates, as soon as they become available.

For more information on all the latest things happening at Islands, click here to visit their website: https://www.islandsrestaurants.com/

I also strongly advise you to try the full lineup of Left Coast Brewing Company's beers, maybe at their tap room or your favorite retailer. Get all their info here: http://leftcoastbrewing.com/

Traveling to Gulliver's for Prime Rib

Gulliver's Prime Ribs of Beef

18482 MacArthur Blvd. 

Irvine, CA 92612

When the calendar turns the page from April to May, it means that we become very busy. Not only is this the time for Mother's Day, Father's Day, and graduations, but most of our family have birthdays and anniversaries in this section of the year. My mom had the great idea to combine all the birthdays and anniversaries into one meal, which I am totally fine with. It means more free time to, well catch up on writing this blog, and of course eating at more restaurants.

The restaurant my mom chose to celebrate at was Gulliver's, right across the street from John Wayne Airport. If it seems like this restaurant has been here forever, it almost has. They are celebrating their 46th year in business, which makes them real ancient in restaurant years. They are so old, that I can remember being left with a babysitter, so my parents could eat here sometimes, and I haven't had to have a babysitter for a couple of years now.

Gulliver's wants to transport its guests back in time to the 18th-century English roadside inn. I wasn't around back then, and I haven't been to England, but I think they might have nailed it. The restaurant decor definitely seems dated for sure. Lots of pewter platters, pictures, and artwork featuring scenes from the novel Gulliver's Travels are plastered over every wall. Not that you will be able to make out much, with the restaurant being so dark. The floral printed furniture, which is comfortable, has definitely been around for a while.

The menu here is pretty straight forward and geared towards red meat-eaters. The big draw is, of course, their prime rib, but they also offer other steaks, seafood, chicken, some pork and lamb dishes, and even a duck dish to complete the petting zoo feel the menu has. Just glancing at the menu, you can assume that the food here is prepared simply, and they do not take a lot of chances. There's not going to be any kale or quinoa served here, which is always a plus in my book. Let's see how everything turned out for us this evening.

Right after ordering, we were brought this rather large basket of bread, which they were not shy about refilling. The bread was served warm, with the sourdough being my favorite. I enjoyed that the butter was softened, and easy to spread across the warmed bread.

Of course, since Gulliver's is famous for their prime rib, we'll start off with Katie's selection, the Atlantic King Salmon ($27.95). This was prepared with a three mustard caper sauce, which judging from the picture, they used sparingly. Katie thought this fish was okay but lacked a freshness that she has come to expect when dining out. She'd definitely forgo seafood on her next trip here. This lackluster plate also came with a scoop of mashed potatoes, green beans, and two carrots.

Closer to what they are famous for was my sister's choice, the Aged Charbroiled Ribeye ($37.95). This 16-ounce ribeye had some good looking grill marks on it, and a seasoned herb butter topping it. My sister was across the table from me, so I did not get to try this, but she seemed to like it, calling it, "delish." It was way too much for her, so she ended up taking half of this home. It came with creamed spinach and a twice-baked potato. Not sure if she got to choose these sides, or they just automatically came with her meal.

The rest of us got prime rib, but different sizes. My mom went with the smallest size, the Traditional English Cut ($34.95). With this one, they thinly sliced the beef, and it came with three slices. She asked for this to be medium-well, which is not how I would have gotten this, so I did not even bother taking a bite. This came with creamed spinach, Yorkshire pudding, and their famous creamed corn. No complaints from mom with this plate, and predictably, she took half of this home.

Here's a quick shot of my brother in laws prime rib, the Gulliver's Prime Cut ($35.95). My dad and he got the same sized portion, but my dad had his well done, which I did not even bother taking a picture of. At least my brother in law knows to order his beef medium rare.

Okay, let's get to my take on Gulliver's prime rib. I had the biggest, and supposedly best cut, their Brobdingnagian Cut ($45.95), which is served bone-in. I asked for this to be served medium rare, and that's how it came out. I've come to expect that with prime rib, there are going to be some bites that are great, some that are good, and some that are a little on the dry side. This cut had more mediocre bites than good ones. The outside areas of this slab of beef were flavored well, but not too tender. The inside portion was tender, but not much flavor to the meat. The au jus helped a bit, and using some of their creamed horseradish added some flavor to the inside portions. I probably should have just gone with the medium-sized cut, and maybe it would have been a little more consistent. The sides here are pretty stellar. I love creamed spinach, and this was a good version of this classic. Not overly creamy, it still let the spinach be the star of the show. The creamed corn here gets raves, and it still is good. A very sweet creamed corn, you can make this at home, as they have their recipe for this on their website. The Yorkshire bread pudding might be liked by some, but I've never been a fan, and always leave this pretty much ignored.

Since we were celebrating all of our family celebrations on this evening, they brought us out a complimentary dessert, which just happened to be their English Trifle, This layered sponge cake comes with strawberries, raspberries, Bavarian cream, whipped cream, and sherry wine. This cake is okay, but nothing special. The cake portion is not very moist, and the whipped cream was kind of boring. If the menu did not alert me to the fact that there was Bavarian cream in this, I would have never known. Still, this was a free dessert, so they get a little more leeway from me.

I'd sum up Gulliver's as a restaurant that has not changed with the times. Probably back when they first started in the '70s, there were not too many prime rib spots around, and it made this restaurant seem better than it was. Fast forward to the present, and there are a good number of restaurants that serve better prime rib than this, and Gulliver's is left with customers that come here for the nostalgic feel of this place, instead of having some great prime rib. Honestly, the food here is one step above what you would receive at a wedding, but at a higher price point. The dated decor makes Gulliver's seem drab and dingy, while the 65 plus crowd definitely does not liven up the joint. We did have some great service on this evening, but that's not enough to venture back here for our next family celebration.

Out of five ships, (because Gulliver's Travels is a novel about the journey of Lemuel Gulliver's trek around the world, which is made on numerous ships), five being best to zero being worst, Gulliver's  Prime Ribs of Beef gets 2 ships.

For more information about Gulliver's Prime Ribs of Beef, head to their website here: http://www.gulliversrestaurant.com/

The Nittty Gritty at Grits - CLOSED

Grits

133 West Chapman Ave. #102

Fullerton, CA 92832

When I hear the word grits, my mind automatically thinks of breakfast. There are probably two reasons for this. One reason is that when you are traveling in the south, if your first meal of the day does not include grits, then you have not done a southern breakfast properly. The second reason is that we had a really good breakfast the first time we visited critically acclaimed Grits in Fullerton. I just learned however that Grits also serves dinner, and we were invited to try out some of their latest supper items.

After nearly seven years of writing this blog, I still enjoy media events, but this one had me really excited, and I think a lot of that has to do with the man at the helm of this restaurant, the great, Chef Cody Storts. Chef Cody has been a mainstay in Fullerton for a while now, working in many roles at Stubik's, Bourbon Street, Hopscotch, The Lime Truck, and Nieuport 17. Grits, however, is the first restaurant where he is the owner, chef, and founder. A spot where he's grown this restaurant from concept to fruition.

With a background in theater, Chef Cody wanted this restaurant to be a culinary showplace, hence the bar seating, with a great view of all the drama of the kitchen right in front of you. The Grit's website boldly proclaims that they exist because "Fullerton dining needed a kick in the ass." A pretty audacious statement, but one they seem to back up with their philosophy of this restaurant. They look at themselves as a team of leaders, who want to shake up the dining scene, but refuse to be pigeon-holed by labels. They are excited by the food they are creating at Grits and want it to keep evolving, so you might want to order what you like because it might not be there the next time you visit.

Grits is located just a stone's throw away from the rambunctious hub of Downtown Fullerton. Situated a block west of Harbor, they share a small strip mall with  Philly's Best, Kaori Sushi, and Chronic Tacos. Known first as a breakfast/brunch/lunch restaurant, they now are winning rave reviews for their dinner service, and more notably, their monthly beer dinners, which have been described as epic, and I've been advised that I should not miss the next one that features Golden Road Brewing on June 24th. For now, though, I was pretty pumped to see what Chef Cody had in store for us this evening.

Things started out nicely with this good looking Charcuterie Plate, which was loaded with pickles, a variety of cheeses, pickled veggies, and some thick slices of ham. I took it nice and easy to start here because I peeked at the upcoming items on the menu and decided to save room. See, you can teach an old dog some new tricks. Anyways, I did enjoy the pickled vegetables here, and the one piece of ham that I had was smoked wonderfully. A nice mellow start to my night.

This plate was way more my style, as it featured a very well done Blood Sausage. When most of the people at our media event heard that this was blood sausage, they kind of avoided it, and that was fine with me, as I ate more than my fair share. So much for taking it easy at the start. The sausage had a great flavor to it and was accentuated with the very good mustard provided. The toasted bread was nice, but I envisioned having this sausage in a bun and eating it like a bratwurst. That would be epic.

For those of you that know me, or follow this blog pretty closely, you know I'm usually averse to vegetables, but this Salmon Lox Salad was pretty impressive. Sliced salmon was joined by one of the more unique dressings I have seen in a while, a cumin vinaigrette. This was delicious, and I wanted to sneak some of it out of here. This is one way to get me to eat my produce servings.

The food started coming out quickly now, and it was agony waiting for everyone to get their perfect pictures, because the food all looked so good, and I could not wait to dig in. Starting off the entree portion on this evening was the Pork and Grits. A Dr. Pepper braised pork shank was perched atop some of the best white grits you will ever shovel into your mouth, and the pork was finished off with a dried Bing cherry glace. Wow, just wow. The pork was incredibly tender, and the braise added a great deal of flavor. The cherry glace was subtle, but lingering in the background. I fork battled my table mates for as much of the grits as I could get my hands on. They are that good.

Next up was the Fried Chicken from Grits, which they offer on Sundays as an All You Can Eat Fried Chicken Dinner. After inhaling this poultry, we will definitely be making plans to head back here on a Sunday to partake in this delicious fried chicken, which the menu describes as, "fried chicken that does not suck."  A very apt description indeed. There was a nice crunchy outer shell, and moist, and tender chicken inside. I was also a fan of the provided hot sauce to dip the chicken into, even though this was unnecessary for a lot of my fellow food friends at this event.

I should have taken a picture of the inside of this Meatloaf En Croute, but it was not on my plate too long. I'd describe this as a poor man's beef wellington, but not in a bad way. Instead of the traditional steak inside the puff pastry, Chef Cody substituted meatloaf, and topped this with a hunter sauce, and paired it with a duck fat mash. This is true stick to your ribs kind of food, which I am always a fan of. The meatloaf was very flavorful, the brown hunter sauce went well here, and the duck fat mashed potatoes were incredibly decadent. A very creative plate, and one I have been thinking about ever since.

I don't know why, but I was not expecting a burger on this night, but we were presented with this Big Papa Burger. Not sure of the size of this burger, but I'm putting it in at two-thirds of a pound. The loosely packed beef was topped with Havarti cheese, peppadews, plenty of red cabbage, cilantro, and a Cajun aioli. I really liked this unique burger, which is not like anything I have had recently. The beef was seasoned well and cooked to a wonderful medium. The red cabbage added some crunch, there was plenty of the very good Cajun aioli on here, and the South African peppadews added a nice sweetness. Also worth noting, the bun held everything together and was a great vessel for the insides of the burger. Not sure who supplies their bread, but they should be commended.

The last of our entrees came out, and I really did not know what to expect from these Thai Balls. The menu describes these as a buttermilk fried cutlet, with jalapeno, shallots, maple syrup, and fish sauce. Okay, that sounds like an odd combination, but these were a hit with almost all in attendance. I liked the different flavors working together here. You have a sweet and savory thing happening here, and it works well. The pork was delicious, the pancake balls soaked up the syrup, and got me upset that I did not try these when I came here for brunch. The fish sauce was present but did not overpower, only providing an Asian tinge to this dish. A very well balanced plate in my opinion.

Yes, even with all of this food, there's always room for dessert, especially if dessert is this very awesome Bread Pudding. My friend Anne Marie took a bite of this first, and by her reaction, I knew it was going to be good. The sliced buttered brioche was served with some kind of sauce. To be honest, I heard Chef Cody describing this, but I was in my own euphoric state, and could not be brought out of it until I cleared my plate. Do yourself a favor, and make sure to try their bread pudding when having dinner at Grits.

After this visit to Grits, I will never make the mistake of thinking of this restaurant as only breakfast joint again. Chef Cody dazzled with his dinner menu, and I 'd be happy to come back here again for any of these entrees. In fact, I'd be hard-pressed to pick my favorite of the night. They were all great. Also, knowing Chef Cody's philosophy of an evolving menu, I look forward to seeing what delicious changes he has in store for us on subsequent trips here. Be aware that dinner is served at Grits only Wednesday through Sunday, so plan accordingly. We are already setting aside some time to partake in their all you can eat fried chicken dinner on Sundays.

I'd like to thank everyone at Grits for this opportunity to try out their impressive dinner items. Many thanks to the man of the hour, Chef Cody Storts, who impressed all of us with not only his culinary prowess but his willingness to answer all of our annoying questions. I'd also like to thank Beverage Director Mike Ruvalcaba, who has created a masterful beer list at Grits and is always on the lookout for the next great addition to make the tap lineup. Lastly, I"d like to thank my food bother from another mother, Niyaz Pirani of Knife and Spork PR for this invite, and for putting together such a great group of OC food people. It was truly a pleasure.

For all the latest things happening at Grits, head over to their website here: http://gritsfullerton.com/

MRK Might Be Short for Remarkable

MRK Public

1402 South El Camino Real

San Clemente, CA 92672

South OC has been blowing up lately, with many independent, chef-driven restaurants opening. Sol Agave, Ironwood, Public 74, and Central, which is located in Laguna, are just some off the top of my head that have debuted recently and are on our list of restaurants to hit up. Also on our list is MRK Public, which has been getting lots of praise lately, and that was enough for us to move them to the top of our list.

MRK comes to us from the three local chefs who used to be at Tabu Grill in Laguna. Lending the first letter of each of their names gives us the name of this restaurant, which used to be a burger joint but has been revamped into this chef-driven spot. Coming from a more fine dining background, the three chefs wanted to create a casual place, encouraging customers to become regulars. If the crowd here on this particular Saturday night we visited is any indication, they now have tons of regulars.

The term gastropub gets thrown around often, and I guess this restaurant/bar qualifies. MRK has a solid list of craft beers priced at $5. There's also a small list of red and white wines. The decor here is minimal, with white walls, some sporadic art hanging up, and comfortable black booths. There's a ten-seat bar as you enter to the left and maybe 30 or so tables here, including the busy patio out in front of the restaurant. They nailed the casual, laid-back beach atmosphere they were going for.

Chalkboards all around lend to a slight hipster vibe at MRK, but not in an annoying way. Checking out their customer base, I see a good cross-section of people here. Young families, seniors out for a date night, and millennials out for a quick bite before hitting the bars. The space is loud but lively kind of way, which is good because it gave Katie a break from listening to me for a while. It also allowed us to focus on the food here. So, let's see how it all worked out for us this evening.

I recently read an article by the Register's Restaurant Critic, Brad Johnson, about wings, and he mentioned these Vietnamese Sticky Wings ($13) among his best. I would also have to tend to agree with his summation. I'm usually more partial to a traditional hot wing with the neon orange sauce, but these were fantastic. They came out of the kitchen scalding hot, had a great crispy shell to them, and included plenty of tender chicken on each drum and wing. They struck a delicate balance by having just the right amount of sweetness so it did not detract from the chicken. Wonderfully done.

With only one of four sandwiches at MRK, Katie selected this photogenic Red Wine Braised Angus Short Rib Sandwich ($14, but $17 with the fries) as her meal. This sandwich overflowed with shredded short rib, caramelized onions, a very good horseradish crema, pickled Fresno chilis, baby greens, fried onions, and jalapenos. Katie fell in love with this sandwich, throwing words around like "perfect, balanced, and comforting." She loved the crunchy bread this came on, the tender short rib, and the clean heat she got from the jalapenos. She proclaimed this the best sandwich she has had all year, and the bite I had could not discount this statement. The fries were freshly cut and fried to perfection. These came with a tasty rosemary garlic aioli that I used with my upcoming entree. Even the house-made ketchup was good, and I'm usually not a fan of ketchup made in-house.

With only three other sandwiches left to try, one being a burger, I guess you can assume which one I went with. This House Burger ($12) starts with a half-pound of Angus beef and is topped with white cheddar, oven-roasted tomato, lettuce, house-made pickles, a grilled onion spread, and lemon aioli. This was one of the cleanest burgers I have had in recent memory. Not relying on the condiments to do the work. The bun-to-burger ratio was on point, and the beef was stellar. I would have liked the condiments to be more prominent here, but I used plenty of rosemary garlic aioli. The cheese melted superbly, and even the roasted tomato, which I am not a fan of, worked well. Very good burger.

Every time we have gone out recently, we have ended our meal with bread pudding. This evening, it was a variation of that dessert. The Brown Butter Banana Bread ($8) was not soaked like bread puddings and was topped with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream, five-spiced cashews, and banana caramel. To be truthful about this, I did not really get a lot of bananas from either the bread or the caramel. I liked the crunchy texture of the nuts, and they included enough ice cream for Katie and me to share. Usually, we jockey with our spoons for the ice cream, but not so at MRK. Katie enjoyed the muted sweetness of this dessert.

MRK deserves all of the praise it receives. Not only were they lauded for their very good wings, but they were also placed on the Top 75  Places to Eat List by the OC Register. Pretty impressive for a restaurant that has only been around for less than two years and is located in the sometimes neglected southernmost city in our great county. The only knock I have with this restaurant is that their menu is pretty limited. They feature only four sandwiches, three salads, and a handful of light snacks. This might be due to their small kitchen, which you can get a good look at as you walk through their door. We received great service from our waitress, Elizabeth, this evening, and everyone else we encountered was also friendly. Good food and nice people make this a great addition to the chef-driven restaurants of South OC.

Out of five ravens (because the initials MRK are also used as the airport code of Marcos Island Airport in Florida, and the lone airline that flies there is Raven Airlines), five being best to zero being worst, MRK Public gets 3.5 ravens.

For more information about MRK Public, click here to go to their website: https://www.mrkpublic.com/