Hoping These Burgers Can Stand On Their Own

The Stand

5633 Alton Parkway #200 

Irvine, CA 92618

A new year and a new burger concept pops up in OC. There are a few things you can count on in life. Death, taxes, that it'll rain a day after you wash your car, and the fact that there's always a new burger chain ready to take a crack at the OC market. Last year we were invaded by Hopdoddy, Burger Boss, Burger Lounge, and others, while this year is already looking like we will get another round of new burgers to try. We are getting the ball rolling by trying out one of these new concepts, The Stand in Irvine.

The Stand has been opened in this Oak Creek Shopping Center, which is situated at the corner of Alton and Jeffery, for three months now. The Stand is not new, though. They have been in business since 2003, and have locations in Encino, Northridge, Century City, and Woodland Hills. This is their first spot outside of LA County and comes to us from Murray and Jason Wishengrad, the father and son duo, who also operate TLT Food.

While TLT concerns itself with serving chef-driven, California street food, The Stand is more into classic American diner food. It started out as a burger and hot dog stand, but the menu has grown over the years, which is a strategic business plan, to encourage customers to visit more times a week to partake in the more varied menu. Their menu now includes sandwiches, salads, and sides. More menu items seem like a novelty these days, but it looks like it's working with guests, as this Irvine spot boasts four and a half stars on Yelp. Needless to say, I had some high hopes for our visit here.

We decided to meet my parents here for a long overdue dinner of catching up. This 15-table or so restaurant was pretty lively on this particularly chilly evening. The space is pretty modern, with a video menu board above the register, and one along the side wall, where guests line up to place their orders. There's even a window into the kitchen so you can check out the handy work of the culinary staff. After your food order is taken, they bring it out to you when it's ready. Let's see how everything came out for us this evening.

When we had finished ordering our food, our cashier happily mentioned the pickles near the register and exclaimed that we could help ourselves to as many free pickles as we wanted. I'm not really too into pickles, but I took a few to try. They were a solid dill pickle, crunchy, but nothing earth-shaking about them, but hey they were free.

Our food started making its way out to us in waves, starting with the Stand Fries ($2.50) and the Onion Rings ($3). The fries were pretty good, although they could have been a little crisper and hot. The onion rings are the things to get here. The breading and onion underneath achieved a very delicate balance of not overwhelming the other. Not too greasy, and lighter than I imagined, these were a winner in my book, and they went well with the provided ranch dressing.

Not in the mood for a burger, and proving the point that The Stand is more than just burgers and hot dogs, Katie selected the Cilantro Lime Chicken ($8.25) for dinner this evening. The grilled chicken was joined on the bun by sliced avocado, arugula, red onion, tomato, and a cilantro lime aioli. Katie liked this sandwich, as the chicken was tender and the cilantro lime was understated, but still added some flavor bursts. She really liked the sturdiness of the bun, and the fresh produce used on this. She felt pretty confident that she's found her go-to item on her first visit here.

Next out was part one of my meal, the Big Red Chili Dog ($5.25). This big red is a quarter-pound spicy hot dog, and it did have a great pop of heat to it, which I was not expecting. Usually, when something says spicy on the menu, it registers just a little heat, but not the case with this tasty hot dog. Along with the nice heat, this also featured a good snap to the casing, which released a beautifully done beef flavor, which set the tone here. I had wished for a little more flavor from the chili, but the heat from the hot dog helped out. The bun was ply-ably soft but did a great job of maintaining its structural integrity. There was plenty of onion on this, but they needed to add more cheese to help push this chili dog to even greater heights. Still good, though.

I had asked about three employees what burger they liked most here, and they all said without hesitation, The Business Burger ($11.50). This stacked burger included a beef patty, porchetta, bacon, pickled peppers and onions, garlic mushrooms, and sweet chili aioli. I liked this burger, but I kind of expected a little more from it, with all the pork going on here. The garlic mushrooms and the pickled veggies kind of overpowered, and left the bacon and porchetta in the background. The bun was nice and toasted, which was a nice touch, but the sweet chili aioli, which kind of appeared to be mustard based, could have been applied with a heavier hand for my taste, but I love things to be a little saucier. I'd probably try one of their more basic burgers on future visits, like their ABC Burger (Avocado, Bacon, Cheddar), or the Onion Stack Burger.  Also, be on the lookout for seasonal specialty burgers when eating at The Stand, we heard good things about their French Onion Soup Burger.

My mom likes things pretty simple, and after having breakfast earlier in the day, my light-eating mother only wanted to try the Stand Dog ($3.75) this evening. She did get a little crazy by getting some mustard and relish on the side. They do offer a nice selection of free condiments for the build-your-own hot dog option, and then they have what they call loaded toppings, which range in price from fifty cents to a dollar. She enjoyed this basic hot dog, which featured a soft bun reminiscent of grocery store hot dog buns, but of a higher quality. Not sure who makes their hot dogs or sausages, but they were meaty and pretty solid. A thumbs up from mom.

Our last entree, with an assist from my dad's excellent hand modeling, was the Ultimate Egg Burger ($9.75). This breakfast-inspired burger utilized a very runny fried egg, bacon, American cheese, pickled pepper and onions, and the sweet chili aioli. This burger was very satisfying and filling for my old man. He could only manage to finish three-quarters of it, but I obliged by finishing the rest of it off. I liked this burger more than mine, and would not hesitate to get it next time, but I might sub out the sweet chili aioli next time, for maybe mayo, ketchup, or the cilantro lime aioli.

The guys behind the counter really talked up the brownies here, as I guess they are made on the premises each day, so we had to give the Brownie Sundae ($5.25) a try. They do not use ice cream here but instead use frozen custard, which I'm kind of leery of. I'm definitely more of a fan of ice cream. This sundae was just the right size for the four of us, after eating our meals. I liked it, but felt it needed more frozen custard, as the brownie to frozen custard ratio was off, which lead to intense spoon fighting between the four of us. The brownie was good but did not stand out, and a thicker hot fudge would have made this even better. It was almost the consistency of chocolate syrup.

The Stand is definitely a welcome addition to the neighborhood and is a good option for people that want a burger around this part of town. I'm not sure this is a travel-worthy restaurant based on this visit. If I had to rank this place against their other burger competitors, I'd say they are way better than Burger Boss, on par with Burger Lounge, and not as good as Hopdoddy. Just my opinion, and only based on this one visit. The service was very good, and the employees were very active going through the dining room and making sure everyone was doing alright. I thought the prices were more than fair here, especially based on the neighborhood. Now that the calendar has turned to 2017, it'll be interesting to see how many new burger concepts come around this year.

Out of five joysticks, (because the biggest non-academic employer in Irvine is Blizzard Entertainment, a maker of video games, and the last time I played video games, a joystick is what I used as a controller), five being best to zero being the worst, The Stand gets 3 joysticks.

For more information about The Stand, head to their website here: https://www.thestand.com/

Birthday Dinner at Javier's

Javier's

536 Spectrum Center Drive

Irvine, CA 92618

A lot of times I have a preconceived notion of a restaurant before I even walk through its doors. Whether it's because I've read online reviews, seen it in a newspaper or magazine, or heard about it from word of mouth, it's hard shutting out those mitigating voices that I have running through my head. This was definitely the case when we were invited to celebrate my aunt Hiroko's birthday at Javier's in Irvine.

To be truthful, I had eaten here one other time, long before I started this blog. I was not too impressed with that visit, but every time I've come back to the Irvine Spectrum since I'm always amazed at the crowds waiting to be seated out in front of the restaurant. It got me thinking that maybe I should give this restaurant another shot. Maybe I caught them on an off night. So, as much as I could, I went into this celebratory evening with as close to an unbiased opinion as I could muster.

After a little research, I learned that there actually is a Javier. Javier Sosa Sr. opened up his first Javier's in Laguna Beach in 1995. That location closed 13 years later, but they now have four other operations running, this Irvine spot, along with one at the Crystal Cove Promenade in Newport Beach, one in the Aria Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, and even one across the border in Los Cabos, Mexico. Some pretty impressive locations.

Javier's can best be described as an upscale Mexican restaurant, in a night club environment. We were seated in the darkened main dining room, which had a lighted faux tree in the center of the room, with club music being pumped through the sound system, at a little too loud of volume. It was pretty hard to hear our waiter and vice versa. He had nearly every member of our party repeat their order at least once. The menu here is pretty large, with many combo plates and entrees to choose from. Entrees range in price from $22 to $65, which is for a steak and lobster version. My uncle was going to be buying our dinner on this evening, so I'd have to forgo this surf and turf plate. Let's see what we did end up ordering.

When we were sat at Javier's, we were brought out their Chips and Salsa. The chips here were crisp and very fresh. The salsa had a tiny kick to it, but what I liked most about this was its texture. It appeared to be a little thin at first glance but had some decent chunk to it when placed on the sturdy chips.

My favorite appetizer in Mexican restaurants is Queso Fundido ($12), so I had to try this one from Javier's. This one is made of Monterrey jack cheese, with mushrooms, onions, and pasilla chilies, and was then topped with chorizo and chipotle chilies. With all of these big flavored items, I expected more from this. It really fell flat. The chilies kind of got lost here, and there was not nearly enough chorizo. I was also a little leery about them serving this on a plate, since it's way better when this comes to your table in a skillet, with the cheese nice and bubbly, and the outer cheese forming a slightly harder crust, which is one of the best parts of this starter. Not awful, but we'd skip this next time.

Entrees came out pretty quick on this evening, and the first to hit the table was this Enchilada, Tamal, and Taco ($19). With this meal, you get to choose from a cheese, chicken or beef enchilada, and you also get to select from a beef or chicken tamal and taco. I'm not sure what my cousin Chris went with here, but he liked this well enough. It also came with refried beans and rice. No complaints from the big guy with this plate.

Here's a quick shot of the birthday girl's meal, the Enchilada and Taco Combo ($17). My aunt Hiroko had the beef taco and the chicken enchilada. She was quietly pleased by this meal, and when pushed about how she liked it, she claimed it was fine. Not exactly glowing praise.

I'm really sorry for the lackluster pictures on this night, not only was it pitch black in this restaurant, but I was trying to snap pictures real quick so my family could enjoy their meals. This was Katie's dinner on this evening, the Chicken Fajitas ($23). The adobo marinated chicken was joined on the plate with onions, pasilla chilies, and roasted tomatoes. This also came with sour cream and guacamole so you could make your own tacos with the provided corn tortillas. Katie stated that this was a pretty average fajita plate, but it did not knock her socks off. The chicken was tender but really needed more seasoning. I was a little-taken aback by the fact that this did not come out on a sizzling skillet. I thought a restaurant like Javier's would have liked to serve this with the oohs and aahs of a steaming platter.

I always feel that carnitas is the best barometer for how a Mexican restaurant measures up, and that's why I had to get the Carnitas ($22) on this night. The menu states that these are served Michoacan style, which I assume means that they are served in two big hunks, just like these were. The pork was tender, but there was nothing behind it. The swine was greasy, which is fine, but if there's grease, there's usually flavor, but that was not the case with this. The provided green salsa provided a small burst of flavor, but not enough of one. The refried beans were not very good, as they were runny, and had a more soupy feel to them, rather than the thicker refried beans I'd prefer.

We had all made the decision to get ice cream at Haagen-Dazs after dinner, but they had told the waiter it was my aunt's birthday, so they brought out this Flan ($7). Not a bad version, as it was not overly sweet, like a lot of flans tends to be. The caramel could have been more prominent, but this was free for her birthday.

I'm still wondering why people enjoy eating at Javier's so much. We have been back to the Irvine Spectrum a few times since this visit, and the crowds are still waiting in front of the restaurant. I think a lot of it has to do with the atmosphere here. I get that its hip, and they have some good margaritas, and it's the kind of a place people want to be seen, but I don't get the love of their food. I'd describe their cuisine as soulless Mexican food. There's nothing behind it. It's not awful, but there are no pops of flavor included here, and everything seems to fall flat when consumed. My one last gripe with Javier's is the price and serving sizes of their food. There is no way that Katie's fajitas should have been any more than $15 with the amount of chicken that they included here. There was plenty of pork included with my meal, enough for three tacos, but how about some rice to go along with the below average beans. I can honestly say that I came to Javier's with an open mind, but after our experience with the food on this visit, it will probably be the last time we come back here.

Out of five hot fudge sundaes, (because that's what I had after eating here), five being best to zero being worst, Javier's gets 2 hot fudge sundaes.

For more information about Javier's, head to their website here: http://www.javiers-cantina.com/index.html#!/page_HOME

Our Best Restaurants Visits of 2016

For most everyone, 2016 can not end fast enough. It's been a tough year with all of the celebrity deaths, going through the election chaos, and it seems like every time I log on to Facebook, one of my friends has posted about something awful that has happened to them or someone that they know. Yep, 2016 has been awful for some, but the calendar is soon going to flip to 2017, and hopefully there will be much better things in store for all of us.

My quest to eat and review at least 1000 restaurants on this blog continued this year, slowly but surely. We now stand at 655 different restaurants reviewed in 81 different cities throughout the US. I had wanted to hit up at least 100 restaurants this year, but I fell 12 short of that goal, primarily because we were short handed at my real job, and I had to work a lot more. We also wanted to travel more this year, but we only managed a short trip out to Palm Desert and also a short jaunt out to Las Vegas, for a much overdue visit to try some of the great restaurants there. Hopefully, both of these things will change in 2017.

Before we get to our top ten list of restaurant experiences we had in 2016, I'd like to thank all of you readers of this blog, who have commented, managed to get through my awful writing and grammar mistakes, and have hopefully found some great places to eat while reading this blog. It's because of all of you that makes this journey through all of these restaurants worth it. I'd also like to thank all of my dining companions this year, many of whom were very patient while I was taking my pictures, and did not mind me asking over and over how they liked their meals. Lastly, I'd like to thank my partner in life, my beautiful wife Katie, who has allowed me to continue this hobby/quest to find the best food that our great county has to offer. I could not ask for a better wife/dining companion and look forward to another 50 years worth of meals with her. Now enough with all this sappiness, let's get to the places we ate in 2016.

#10 Anaheim White House - This is a spot that makes our list for not only the wonderful Ossobuco Milanese that I had for Katie's birthday dinner at this iconic OC restaurant, but also for the great work that Chef/Owner Bruno Serato has done for the community. At last count, his Caterina's Club has fed 1.2 million meals to underprivileged children. This might be one of the reasons that I believe Katie has a slight crush on Chef Bruno, which I'm kind of okay with.

#9 El Camino Cafe - All it took for us to make it to this Tustin breakfast restaurant was a mention from OC Weekly's Gustavo Arellano, who put this on his list of top ten chilaquiles in OC. Good enough for us, and he was right on with his assessment. One of the most balanced versions I have had, and almost as good as the one at Anepalco's.

#8 What A Dish Cafe - Another breakfast/brunch spot on our list, and the highlight here was an East Coast Benedict, which featured a great crab cake on it. I still don't understand why people wait an hour at RJ's Cafe, which is in this same shopping center when you can usually get a table right away at What A Dish, and get a far superior first meal of the day. I hope it stays this way.

#7 The Pie Hole - This LA transplant is expanding, and the City of Orange hit the pie jackpot by getting great access to desserts like grandma used to make. The Apple Crumble, Mexican Chocolate, and the Maple Custard have all been winners. Now it's time for me to try their savory pies next.

#6 Burger Parlor - The only burger spot to grace our top ten list this year. Burger Parlor, a few doors down from Pie Hole, also expanded from their Fullerton roots. Chef/Owner Joseph Mahon brought his award-winning burgers to the Plaza in Orange, and we could not be happier. The Frito Chili Cheese Burger is the stuff of legends and just one of the great options here. Burger Parlor definitely has a spot on my Mount Burger-more of OC burgers.

#5 Roma D' Italia - Tustin seems to have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to Italian restaurants. Last year Tustin's Pina's Bistro made our list, and this year it's the venerable Roma D' Italia, with its stick to your ribs Italian fare that makes an appearance. This restaurant is coming up on 50 years in business soon, and with sausage rolls, lasagna, and other pasta dishes like these, they'll be around for at least double that time.

#4 Sol Agave - Food truck turned brick and mortar restaurants are pretty common nowadays, but the Mexican cuisine at Sol Agave is not common. We loved this modern, upscale Mexican restaurant, and look forward to checking out their carnitas, queso fundido, and other specialties in their new, larger digs, which is just across the same parking lot, in the old Harlow's location.  Glad they are so close to where we live.

#3 The SmoKING Ribs - Barbecue is one of my favorite genres of restaurants, but you really have to hunt for good ones, especially in South OC. Not in south OC, but definitely worth the drive is this barbecue mecca in Garden Grove of all places. The meats and sides here were all stellar, and you'll definitely leave with leftovers for the next day, and become the envy of your coworkers. Trust us, this place is that good.

#2 Ironwood - This is basically a sister restaurant to the much-heralded Vine in San Clemente, with a few tweaks to its menu. With our love of Vine, it's no wonder that this Laguna Hills restaurant would make our list this year. I celebrated my birthday here, and still dream about the bone in rib-eye, covered with Bearnaise sauce that made my big day even more special. Another winner for Russ Bendel and his team.

#1 Grits - Time will tell how the recent departure of Chef Cody Storts will affect this restaurant, but for now, they land at our best meal of 2016. Actually, we ate here 2 times, once for brunch, and another for dinner, and both were incredible. They are still using all of Chef Cody's recipes, so you should still make a trip to Fullerton to try out their Pot Roast Benny, Thai Waffle Stack, Dr. Pepper Pork and Grits, or their Big Papa Burger. All will leave you wanting for more.

Okay, that's it for this year's list. Who will make it on next year's list? Time will tell, but I know I'll enjoy the ride. May all of you and your loved ones have a fantastic and prosperous 2017. Now go out there and make it a great one.

Fulfilling Chinese Experience at Mandarin Terrace? - CLOSED

Mandarin Terrace

24291 Avenida De La Carlota

Laguna Hills, CA 92653

It has been a pretty long time since we have had some Chinese food. When the weather turns colder, and it gets a lot closer to Christmas, I start to get a hankering for some good old-fashioned Chinese cuisine. Then, after reading Brad Johnson's top 20 Chinese restaurant piece in the OC Register, it got me thinking even more about Chinese. Unfortunately, there were only three places south of Irvine on his list, and we did not want to venture too far on this particular evening. So we struck out on our own and headed to Mandarin Terrace in Laguna Hills.

Food people will know exactly where Mandarin Terrace is because it's right next door to the wildly popular, and one of the best breakfast joints in OC, Break of Dawn. If you are still unclear as to where this restaurant is located, you might also know this shopping center as adjacent to the being refurbished Laguna Hills Mall, and in the same parking lot as Trader Joe's, El Torito, and the awful Woody's Diner. Now that we have our bearings, let's check out this joint.

Mandarin Terrace was very bright inside, and really had an old school charm to it. They have plenty of comfy booths, with many other tables situated in the center of the restaurant. We arrived here pretty close to 6:30 on a recent Sunday evening. In this area, bordering the retirement mecca of Laguna Woods, we did not expect this restaurant to be bustling with customers, but there were about half of the 16 tables occupied on this evening.

The menu here is pretty standard for an Americanized-Chinese restaurant. They offer beef, chicken, seafood, duck, and vegetarian entrees, along with appetizers, soups, and noodles. Being this close to Leisure World, Mandarin Terrace entices its older customers with lunch specials and an early bird special, which runs daily from 3 to 6, and even though we got here closer to 6:30, they had no problem with allowing me to partake of this deal. After placing our order with our very nice waitress, we patiently waited for our food. Here's how it all came out for us.

Right after we ordered, we were brought out these Chow Mein Noodles with Spicy Chinese Mustard Sauce and a Sweet and Sour Sauce. I guess this is the Chinese equivalent to having chips and salsa in a Mexican restaurant. The noodles were okay, as they kind of seemed a little past their prime, but they were free, so no big deal. The sauces were pretty standard, and like others, I have had in Chinese restaurants.

My early bird special included my entree choice, an appetizer, sweet and sour pork or chicken, rice, and my choice of soup. I went with this Hot and Sour soup over the egg flower soup. This version is made with seafood, and it added a good depth of flavor, which I presume I would not have gotten with the egg flower choice. This soup was a little light on the sour tinge but was still pretty solid.

The early bird menu says that you get your choice of wonton, egg roll, or green salad, but they brought me out both a Fried Wonton and an Egg Roll. Score. These were both kinds of humdrum. The fried wonton was fried nicely, but contained about a dime-sized piece of meat, which might have been beef or chicken, but was so small I could not discern what it was. The egg roll was better, but still not great. It was filled with plenty of veggies but lacked any kind of flavor until I used some of the sweet and sour sauce from earlier. Pretty mediocre appetizers.

Katie has been pining to go to Din Tai Fung in Costa Mesa, and I think she ordered these Steamed Dumplings ($8.95) to give me a little hint to make plans to go there. These were pretty good, but the outside was a little too rubbery. The inside had a good amount of pork in them, but they needed a bit more liquid inside. I enjoyed the sauces that came with these, but could not really tell the difference between them, other than one included lemongrass. I promise I'll make plans to hit up Din Tai Fung soon Katie.

Here was the rest of my early bird special, including my entree choice on this evening, the House Special Beef ($13.95). This was actually pretty good, although the beef could have been more tender. The sauce used here was kind of a cross between the one used to make Mongolian beef and a less citrusy orange chicken. The menu made no mention of the broccoli that surrounded this so they might have just wanted me to get my daily vegetable requirement. The fried rice was not greasy at all, but the trade-off with that was that it was kind of devoid of flavor. The tiny side of sweet and sour pork was pretty unremarkable and tasted like it could have come out of the freezer section at the supermarket. A decent meal, but nothing that wowed.

No, we suddenly did not run out, and go to a Mexican restaurant in the middle of dinner, this was Katie's choice on this evening, the Chicken Moo Shu ($11.55), which was prepared tables side. I should have taken a picture of our waitress making this, but I was not so sure she would have liked me photographing her handy work. She did an admirable job of filling the pancakes with the chicken, egg, and vegetable mixture. This Asian-tinged burrito was not really my cup of tea. It was a little plain tasting and needed a sauce to make this pop. Katie liked this alright, but even she admitted that she would forgo this on future visits to Mandarin Terrace.

When the check came, we were presented with the customary Fortune Cookies, along with two orange wedges, and some pineapple. A very nice gesture.

Mandarin Terrace fulfilled my craving for Chinese food on this winter evening, but it failed to impress us enough to want to return based on what we had on this visit. I did think that the value for the money was pretty strong here, as my early bird special with all of that food was less than $15. As long as you enjoy pedestrian Chinese cuisine, and don't want to spend a lot of money on it, this might be your spot. I do have to admit that our waitress was very nice, and made us feel very welcome. A very comforting environment, but unfortunately the food did not equal it.

Out of five mustangs, (because that's the mascot of Mandarin High School in Jacksonville, Florida), five being best to zero being worst, Mandarin Terrace gets 2 mustangs.

For more information about Mandarin Terrace, head to their website here: http://www.mandarinterracerestaurant.com/home.html