No Surprise, Pie Leads Us to the Circle City

Casa Taquito

2721 Green RiverRoad #106

Corona, CA 92882

It seems that after a long absence of not coming out to Corona, we have made numerous trips out the 91 Freeway recently. This visit to the Circle City was initiated about three months ago when my family and I had a late night craving for pie and headed to Polly's in Yorba Linda. There we met a server, Albert, who after some small talk we discovered that his family owned a small Mexican restaurant in Corona, which he claimed to be the best in town. Always in the mood for good Mexican food, I jotted down the info, and it sat there for three months, but the stars finally aligned and I made the trip to Casa Taquito with my parents in tow.

Casa Taquito is located in the Sierra Del Oro Towne Center, at the corner of Serfas Club and Green River. This shopping plaza is anchored by a Ralph's and a Dollar Tree, and Casa Taquito sits almost right between them. We arrived here at close to noon on a recent Thursday, and I was surprised to find this small, 15 table or so restaurant pretty full throughout our stay.

This truly is a family restaurant. Run by the Ortega family for the last few years, they are residents of the Corona community and make a point to stop by each table to make sure everything is up to their guest's standards.  When we walked in, we were met by Albert, who was serving here this afternoon and was then headed off to work a night shift at Polly's. His mom and dad were in attendance running food, cooking in the kitchen, and probably making sure Albert wasn't burning down the place. Kidding Albert.

The menu here is pretty much what you would expect from a family run Mexican restaurant. I was actually impressed with the numerous menu options, based on the size of this restaurant. They have plenty of combination plates, tacos, burritos, seafood dishes, and other Mexican favorites. Of interest for us since we were here midday were the lunch specials. Let's see if Albert's claim of this being the best Mexican food in Corona was founded.

As is our custom when eating in a Mexican restaurant, we always want to share what the Chips and Salsa look like. These chips were pretty good and stood up to the salsa well. I like a little more chunk to my salsa, but the flavor of this was right on. Of course, a little more spiciness would have made this salsa even better in my book.

 Lunch specials at Casa Taquito include your choice of soup or salad. Both my mom and dad went the soup route. My mom favored the Tortilla Soup, even though it had peas in it, which she is not a fan of. My dad really liked the Albondigas Soup, which had a flavorful broth but was a little light on the number of meatballs included in the cup.

Instead of the soup, I got the Salad option with my lunch special. Albert told me that they make the copycat recipe of the cilantro and pepita dressing from El Torito, which is probably the only reason to still visit El Torito these days. I have to admit that they nailed this dressing, as it tasted just like the original.  The greens were topped with a few tomatoes, some shredded carrots, and jack cheese. I really enjoyed this salad, as it had plenty of dressing included, and the produce was nice and fresh. Good sized salad for a dinner salad.

Before showing up to Casa Taquito, I had done a little research online to see what people liked here. A good amount of people mentioned their Nachos ($7.49) so I knew I had to give them a try. This was the small sized version, which was more than enough for the three of us. The nachos were layered nicely with refried beans, cheese, guacamole, jalapenos, sour cream, pico de gallo, and shredded beef. Every chip was covered by something, which is the mark of a good plate of nachos in my book. This definitely could be a meal for some people, but we still had our entrees on the way.

I haven't seen my mom go back and forth about what to order for a long time. Usually, she is very decisive about what she wants, but this time she debated between the taquitos and a cheese enchilada. As you can see, the Cheese Enchilada ($7.49) won out. This enchilada came with plenty of red sauce, sour cream, rice, and beans. For someone that's not a real big eater like my mom, this was the perfect lunch size portion. She devoured the enchilada quickly and was pleased with the amount of cheese and red sauce included here. She'd get this again for sure.

Sensing my mom's anguish about her Sophie's Choice moment at Casa Taquito, my dad came to the rescue when he ordered the Two Taquito Lunch Special ($7.49). This way my mom could eat half a taquito, and not miss out. Who says gallantry is dead? My dad got one chicken and one beef taquito. He enjoyed the beef one a tad more but thought both were pretty decent. He'd probably branch out and try something else on his next visit though.

My benchmark item when eating in a Mexican restaurant for the first time is Carnitas ($8.49), and based on these, I left with a favorable impression of Casa Taquito. Not only were these reasonably priced, but the serving size was more than I was expecting for a lunch portion, and they were done nicely. I enjoy crispy tips on the carnitas, and this pork came to the table that way. Not a bad piece in the bunch and flavored nicely. This was one of the better versions of this dish that I've had recently, and I'd be hard pressed to skip it the next time I was at Casa Taquito. The beans and rice were pretty solid here as well.

I'm usually not a big fan of dessert in Mexican restaurants, but we tried two of them here. The better of the two was the Deep Fried Ice Cream ($4.99). A large scoop of vanilla ice cream covered in corn flakes and then drizzled with chocolate syrup and whipped cream. The ice cream was good quality, and I liked that the coating of the scoop was not overly crunchy and hard like other versions of this dessert tend to be. Also, I have to mention the very nicely done fried chips with a dusting of sugar and cinnamon. They were puffy and light and would be good on their own as well. The Mexican Homemade Flan ($4.99) was good, even to a non-flan lover like myself. It was not overly sweet, had a good solid structure to it, and was a favorite of my dad, who was very stingy allowing my mom and me to have too much of this. Maybe he's not as gallant as I thought.

Casa Taquito is a good, solid choice when craving Mexican food in Corona. If I lived closer, this restaurant would definitely be in my rotation of Mexcian restaurants I would visit frequently. They do all the standard Mexican items you have come to love exceptionally well, and at an affordable price point. Even for dinner no item comes close to the $20 mark, and their lunch specials are definitely a steal for the amount of food you recieve. Service was very personable and friendly, but also quick, which is what most guests probably like at lunch time. Be advised that they are not open on Sundays though. Glad our late night pie craving at Polly's helped us end up at Casa Taquito.

Out of five Aztec dancers, (because there's always Aztec dancers on Olvera Street in LA, which just happens to be the birthplace of the taquito in 1934), five being best to zero being worst, Casa Taquito gets 3 Aztec dancers.

Casa Taquito does not have a website, but you can find their location, hours, and more info on their Yelp page here: https://www.yelp.com/biz/casa-taquito-corona

It's a Prime Time to Head to BJ's

BJ's Brewhouse and Restaurant

24032 El Toro Road

Laguna Hills, CA 92653

For a lot of people, BJ's probably conjures up visions of deep dish pizzas, delicious potato skins, and of course their world renowned Pizookies. I admit these are the things I think of and order when coming to BJ's for dinner, which we do every few months. After this visit though, I might start thinking about BJ's for their prime rib. Yes, you read that right, Prime Rib.

There are some big changes going on at BJ's. Yes, you can still get a Pizookie and they still offer their pizza, but they have recently installed slow roasting ovens in all of their kitchens, which allowed them to expand their menu and offer guests some slow roasted options for diners who want to have an even more special meal at BJ's.

Starting May 11th, the roll out begins at all BJ's restaurants. The Slow Roasted Menu includes six new menu items. There's a Doube Bone-In Pork Chop, Baby Back Pork Ribs, which are on special every Thursday, a Hand Pulled Turkey Dip, a delicious sounding Barbequed Pulled Pork, and last but not least, and the reason we were here on National Prime Rib Day, a 15-ounce prime rib.

We arrived at our local BJ's in Laguna Hills a few nights ago. This is always a very busy and lively restaurant, which is always full of hungry guests. Even with the crowd waiting outside, we were seated right away, as we were one of the few parties of two waiting for a table. The inside of this restaurant is pretty cavernous, so wait times are usually shorter than expected. We were met by our waiter, and since we knew what we wanted, we put our order in rather quickly. This is how everything turned out for us on this evening.

Katie and I had arrived at BJ's right from work, and we had worked up quite an appetite, and wanted something quick before our meals, so we got the Honey Sriracha Brussels Sprouts ($6.50) at the suggestion of our waiter Nicolas. He made the right call on these. Served in a metal cake pan, these sprouts were seasoned with some Big Poppa Smoker's Desert Gold Seasoning and finished with a sweet Sriracha crema drizzled over the top. Nicolas touted adding some balsamic with this, and that put this over the top. I loved the crunchy sprouts and the combo of the two sauce really kept me interested.

Since my meal included a choice of salad, Katie did not want to be left out and got the affordably priced House Salad ($3.50). This side salad includes a mixture of greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, shaved parmesan squares, and some seasoned croutons. A very suitable salad which more than satisfied Katie. I had a choice of salad with my meal and deviated from my usual Caesar by getting the House Wedge Salad. This is your typical wedge of iceberg topped with plenty of blue cheese crumbles and dressing, cubed tomatoes, sliced red onion, and crumbled bacon. As with most wedge salads, this has some big time flavors included, and I liked that this had plenty of dressing on it. Still a lot of work cutting it up, but a nice change from my usual salad selection.

Before we get to my meal, a quick look at Katie's selection, which also comes off the new Slow Roasted Menu, the Hand-Pulled Turkey Dip ($12.50). I have to admit I was pretty impressed with this sandwich. The turkey actually tasted like it came fresh off the bird, and was made even better with the addition of a very tasty creamy horseradish, a blanket of Swiss cheese, and some caramelized onions for a touch of sweetness. The hoagie roll had a nice crunch to it, which was softened when dunked into the warmed au jus. Katie went the classic route for her side by getting the crispy thin fries to accompany her sandwich. Very tender turkey here, just like we get the last Thursday in November.

Ever since I was a kid I have loved prime rib, it made me feel so grown up to eat it. So on this National Prime Rib Day, I was excited to try BJ's newest addition to their menu, their Prime Rib Dinner ($26.95). I have to admit I was kind of skeptical coming in here to get prime rib, but BJ's made a believer out of me. This slab of beef came to our table a beautiful medium rare, was tender, and spiced nicely on the edges. Very juicy, even in the middle, which is not the case at most places. For my choice of two house-made sides, I had the white cheddar mashed potatoes and the roasted asparagus. The mashed potatoes had a good texture to them but were a little light on the white cheddar. The asparagus was nicely done and picked up a little flavor from the grill.

Again, with my dinner, I got to have a Mini Pizookie ($3.75) as the finishing touch to my meal, and Katie did not want to miss out, so she got one also.  With eight varieties of Pizookies now, the hardest part is deciding which one to get. Katie had the salted caramel, while I had the triple chocolate version. Both were excellent, and just the right size so we did not have to share with each other.

Even though you do not think of BJ's as a place where you can get prime rib, it's definitely now on my radar, and when you can get a complete dinner for under $30 it's definitely way more than on my radar. Now be aware that the prime rib at BJ's is only available Friday and Saturday after 4 pm, and all day on Sunday. The rest of the Brewhouse Slow-Roasted menu is available every day but is served in limited quantities daily. If the prime rib and the pulled turkey dip are any indication, I can't wait to try their ribs and pork chop in the near future.

We would like to thank everyone at BJ's for the invite to be among the first to try their Slow Roasted menu. We had a great dinner, and really forward to coming back again soon. We would also like to thank all of the staff at the Laguna Hills location that we encountered on this evening, especially our server Nicolas. He not only provided us with fantastic service but seemed to be very proud of the food he was serving. Thanks for everything Nic.

For those of you that would like to experience the new Slow Roasted menu for yourselves, or to find your nearest BJ's location, head to their website here: https://www.bjsrestaurants.com/

Can the Cannery Deliver a Great Anniversary Meal?

The Cannery Restaurant

3010 Lafayette Road

Newport Beach, CA 92663

Well, they said it couldn't be done, and probably many friends and family lost some money on this, but Katie and I just celebrated our second wedding anniversary. Yes, she must be a saint for putting up with me these past 24 months of wedded bliss and 72 months before that. Yes, if my math is correct, we've been together for eight years with no signs of slowing down anytime soon. So how does a foodie celebrate a significant life milestone? Going out to dinner, of course, and on this particular evening, I neglected my usual Tuesday night poker game. So, Katie and I met at the Cannery Restaurant in Newport Beach.

The Cannery Restaurant used to be an actual fish cannery site. Opened in 1921 and taken over by the Western Canners Company in 1934, they were canning tuna and other seafood in this location until the business ceased operation in 1966. Of course, with this picturesque setting, it was just a matter of time before some businessmen decided this would be the perfect spot for a restaurant and some retail shops. The original cannery building had been torn down, a new structure was built, and the Cannery Restaurant was open for business in 1973.

The Cannery was a meeting place for city officials, occasional celebrities, locals, and many out-of-town guests. Then in 1999, the restaurant closed and was slated for demolition to make room for condos. Instead, local resident Jack Croul bought the land. After a brief two-year respite, the Cannery was reopened under Ron Salisbury's tutelage, he of the iconic El Cholo chain of Mexican restaurants.

The Cannery is going through another transition now that its former Executive Chef, Nick Weber, has left to pursue a catering venture from what we hear. Now taking over the reins of this historic kitchen is Phillip Tangonan, a former sous chef here. I'm not sure how long ago Chef Nick left, but his name was still on the menu, and the hostess and our waiter made it seem like this transition had just happened. We were excited to experience the Cannery and celebrate our anniversary.

When we arrived, we were allowed to either eat outside or inside. Out is, of course, the correct response when dining at The Cannery. But, much to my surprise, we were seated right along the rail and enjoyed this view throughout our stay. There's something so relaxing about dining on the water, watching the boats travel the channel, and inhaling the ocean air. It's like we were on vacation, even though we were only twenty miles from home.

As is customary in excellent restaurants such as this, we were presented with a bread basket before ordering. This sourdough bread came to the table warm and with plenty of butter. It could have had a bit more sourness, but it was a sturdy bread with a slightly hardened crust. We did go through two baskets of this. Carbs be damned on our anniversary.

When I was checking out the menu online before meeting Katie here, this Wedge Salad ($14) piqued my interest, but Katie ordered it before I could claim it. This was a beautifully done wedge with plenty of Mineshaft blue cheese, red onion, tomato, applewood smoked bacon, and iceberg lettuce. Katie loved this colorful and fresh-tasting salad. I enjoyed the few bites I got of this, which included plenty of dressing, which is always a plus in my book.

With Katie taking my top draft pick, I was in a quandary about whether to have my usual Caesar or go for the New England Clam Chowder ($12). You can see from the above picture that I went with the chowder, which was topped with brioche croutons and micro celery. Even though there was a slight grittiness included in the clams, this was one of the better versions of my favorite kind of soup. It was creamy and had a great depth of flavor. I would have liked a little more potato and clam, but very solid nonetheless.

It almost seems sacrilege not to get seafood when you are so close to the ocean, so Katie and I went the seafood route this evening, starting with her choice, the House Made Lobster Pasta ($42). The pasta here is Gemelli, topped with a good amount of Maine lobster, a carbonara sauce, and some herbs. Katie liked that this dish was not too heavy and showcased the rich lobster. The carbonara sauce was understated but still present. Katie claims that she will get this again.

I'm a sucker for comfort food, so this Shrimp Pot Pie ($31) was right up my alley. The shrimp underneath this flaky crust was joined by a lobster sauce and some vegetables. There was plenty of good-sized shrimp in here, but they skimped out on the veggies. Underneath the crust, I expected to see a pie filled, but there was definitely room for more in this pot pie. The lobster sauce was delicious and went well with the shrimp. The crust was nicely done. A very comforting dish that warmed my insides.

As if we did not have enough food, we splurged and got these Robuchon Mashed Potatoes ($11). As you can see from the picture above, these were very buttery potato, which was nicely done, with a very smooth texture. I like a little more chunk to my mashed potatoes, but I still ate my fair share of these. Even good the day after with the rest of my shrimp pot pie.

An anniversary dinner without dessert wouldn't be proper, so we split this Salted Caramel Pudding ($9). This layered dessert included a brown butter chantilly, a not-over-the-top sweet caramel bourbon sauce, and was finished with some of the best toffee on the planet, a local favorite, B's Toffee. I really enjoyed this, but as is the case with most of these desserts, getting a little bit of everything in one perfect bite is always a challenge. It's also hard being polite as Katie and I were fencing with our spoons, trying to get our fair share of this.

The Cannery was an excellent pick to help us usher in our second year of marriage. Yes, the prices were a little higher than they should be, mainly because of the area this restaurant is located in, but at least they are not just relying on getting people in the door with their view. The food is delicious and has not taken a step down since Chef Weber left. It will be interesting to see if Chef Tangonan will keep things the same or if he will venture out a bit and bring his flair to the menu here. Unfortunately, the service was stretched a little thin this evening, as our server had far too many tables, so our meal lagged a bit in spots. It did not diminish this visit, though. The Cannery was a great restaurant to celebrate our second wedding anniversary, and I have no doubt we will be back to celebrate many more special occasions here.

Out of five cans of tuna (in homage to what used to be produced in this location long ago), five being best to zero being worst, The Cannery Restaurant gets 3.5 cans of tuna.

For more information about The Cannery Restaurant, head over to their website here: https://cannerynewport.com/

Vincenzo's, Not the Tnew Kid in Town

Vincenzo's

24504 Lyons Avenue

Newhall, CA 91321

I really love Katie's extended family. Coming from such a small family myself, I never really had a ton of cousins, aunts, and uncles around. Our holiday dinners usually consisted of the four of us, plus my one uncle and his family. We didn't even have to break out the dreaded kid's table until my sister had kids. This was not the case for Katie.

An unofficial count on my hands, and not including spouses, Katie has five aunts and uncles, eight first cousins, and countless second cousins. With a family this large, there's always something going on, and this weekend it was her cousins Steve and Kevin's Eagles tribute band, Dark Desert Highway which was performing. After getting off work on Saturday afternoon, we took the long drive up the 5 Freeway and made it to Vincenzo's just as the first chords of Hotel California were being strummed. Impeccable timing as always.

Of course, this gave us a chance to try out a new restaurant. That's probably the only time that Vincenzo's has been called new recently. They have been in business at this address since 1979, and in those 38 years, they have expanded to four times their original size. The business was started by a former Pittsburgh resident, Vincenzo, who could not find a quality pizza in Santa Clarita like the ones back home in Steel City. He got a friend to show him how to make pizza, and like they say, the rest is history. Vincenzo is unfortunately no longer with us, but his restaurant lives on with the latest owner, Steven Katz, who is passionate about keeping the originality and quality of the food from back in the day. Let's see if he has succeeded.

Vincenzo's is located right near the 5 Freeway and Lyons Avenue but is set back from the street, and easy to miss if you are not familiar with this area. Just look for the driveway between the Chevron and Shell Station, and you'll find it. Vincenzo's is laid out with two dining areas and registers in the middle. The ordering process here is not very practical, as the lines get backed up very quickly. Maybe a line dedicated to beverages only would help alleviate the gridlock here. After about fifteen minutes of waiting in line, we finally got back to our seats and enjoyed some Dark Desert Highway. Let's see if the food at Vincenzo's will give us a Peaceful Easy Feeling, or will it be a Heartache Tonight?

Our good friend Rosanna got the Individual Pizza Special ($10.50), which comes with a large drink and this Small Green Salad. This salad was a pretty good size for a small salad and came with fresh greens, olives, plenty of mozzarella cheese, and some croutons. I'm not sure if she asked for both Italian and ranch dressing, but I like that combo.

Here's a shot of the Individual One Topping Pizza that belonged to Rosanna. She went the traditional route, opting for pepperoni. What struck me most about this pizza was the thick and puffy crust. There were no complaints from Rosanna about this pizza, but with Dark Desert Highway blaring over the sound system, it would have been hard for me to have heard her anyway.

The menu at Vincenzo's says that a Small Pizza ($18.95) feeds two to three people and since Katie and I could only polish off three-quarters of this pizza, I totally believe them. Since Katie let me pick the toppings, I got onions, pepperoni, and sausage, which are my go-to items on any pizza that I get to choose the toppings for. This was a pretty solid, old-school pizza. Kind of reminded me of a less oily Barro's pizza that I had as a kid. It was not overly cheesy, but there was plenty of meat and onions to pick up the slack here. The crust was very prominent and was a great vessel for the toppings. I'm not one for eating the crust of a pizza, but Katie does, and she liked this one.  

Vincenzo's is not earth-shattering pizza, but a very solid choice if you happen to be in the area. The setup here is very old school, and I imagine a bunch of people from around this area grew up coming here after Little League games, having birthday parties, and also made this a Friday night tradition giving the cook at home a night off. It was packed on this evening, filled with what I assume were big fans of Eagles music. Dark Desert Highway did not disappoint this evening and this was also a great chance for Katie and me to catch up with her family.

Out of five horses, (because near this restaurant was Gene Autry's, Melody Ranch, which was the setting for many movies, most of which featured cowboys on horses), five being best to zero being worst, Vincenzo's gets 3 horses.

For more information about Vincenzo's, head to their website here: http://vincenzosnewhall.com/