Celebrating a Step Closer to Normalcy at Bandeno Mexican Food

 Bandeno Mexican Food

466 South Anaheim Hills Road

Anaheim, CA 92807

It was my first vaccination day. I had been working with the public for the last year with the threat of coronavirus looming over my head with every customer that reached over me as I was stocking my shelves. I knew I was going to be fine, but the thought of bringing the virus home to Katie was enough to make me want to decrease the risk and get the vaccine as quickly as I could. 

Orange County did not really have their stuff together in early March, with no appointments available to front-line grocery workers. My friend suggested that I try my luck making an appointment at Corona High School in Riverside County. I was able to make an appointment that day for two days later. The process could not have been easier, and I was in and out of there in 30 minutes, including being observed for 15 minutes for complications after my shot. Since I was near my parents, I took this opportunity to meet them for lunch at Bandeno Mexican Food in Anaheim Hills.  

I don't really know too much about Bandeno. I know they are a family-run business that opened up in late 2019. Thanks to some hints from their website, I think their family is from the state of Gerrero in Mexico, which is located south of Mexico City and borders the Pacific Ocean. They took over a Mediterranian restaurant in a sleepy shopping center tucked deep inside Anaheim Hills, which is also home to a Papa John's, Subway, a CVS Pharmacy, and a small supermarket. 

For such a small place, Bandeno really has a pretty diverse menu. There is plenty to choose from with many varieties of combo plates, burritos, seafood options, tacos, bowls, tortas, appetizers, and plenty of breakfast choices to pick from. Ordering is done at the counter and we were able to sit inside since we were the only ones in the place, except for a steady stream of people getting to-go orders during the duration of our stay. Let's see if Bandeno Mexican Food was a worthy spot to celebrate my first step towards being fully vaccinated for covid. 

Let's start off with what my parents got first. They are pretty predictable when it comes to eating in Mexican restaurants. My dad most of the time gets a Chile Relleno ($4.75) and a Shrimp Taco ($3.99), while my mom usually veers towards a quesadilla of some sort, this time it was a Plain Cheese Quesadilla ($5.90). My dad called this the best chile relleno he has ever had, and he's eaten a lot of them over his 70 plus years. The poblano chile was fried well and was plated with plenty of cheese surrounding it on the plate and inside of it as well. My dad was also impressed with the shrimp taco because they used bigger shrimp than what he usually gets at other places where he orders shrimp tacos. The shrimp was cooked wonderfully and the sauce topping it tied everything together perfectly. My mom was pleased with her quesadilla and really enjoyed the guacamole that they included with it. 

My parents were paying, so I went a little large here, sorry pop. I started things off with two tacos, Asada ($3.25) and Pastor ($3.15). Both were very good. The pastor was my favorite of the two with its big flavor, but the asada was tender and not bland at all, which is not always the case with asada. The meat to tortilla ratio was a plus in my book also. The Beef Taquitos ($5.50) was bigger than most and filled nicely with plenty of shredded beef. Next time I'll order three for sure, as it's only an extra buck and a half. The Carnitas Plate ($10.75) was pretty good-sized with lots of sliced pork, rice, and beans included. There were a few bites of the pork that were a little on the dry side, but the majority of the pork was tender and moist. The beans and rice were a nice vehicle for the pork and I could have easily made at least four tacos with the provided flour tortillas that came with this. A very good value. 

Bandeno Mexican Food ended up being a very good neighborhood spot. It's probably not destination dining if you are reading this from half an hour away or more, but if you are in the area and are looking for some good Mexican food nearby that won't break the bank, this is the spot for you. The service was very friendly and it felt great getting to eat indoors again. Now I'm just looking forward to getting my second shot and getting back out there to do more restaurant reviews for all of you. 

Out of five health care professionals, (in honor of all the people who have been working on the vaccine and all that are involved in getting it out to all of us), five being best to zero being worst, Bandeno Mexcian Food gets 3 health care professionals.  

For more information about Bandeno Mexican Food, head to their website here: https://bandeno.com/

Goldenbox Express Full of Surprises or Disappointments? - CLOSED

Goldenbox Express

21212 Bake Parkway Unit C and D

Lake Forest, CA 92630

If there's one thing I've learned in the past 12 months, it's that some foods are conducive to takeout and many others are not. We've gotten meals from high-end steakhouses that we have enjoyed and were left underwhelmed when we brought them home. French fries don't travel too well either, and they are never quite the same when reheated. Seafood is also a little dicey to bring home, but the worst traveling food by far is naturally ice cream. 

However, many foods travel like champs. Pizza, Mexican food, and hamburgers come to mind right away. You could also add Chinese food to that list. The Chinese takeout container is so iconic that it could not be left off this list of the best takeout foods. I had been feeling like some Chinese food after a long-overdue haircut. A quick Yelp search led me to GoldenBox Express, which had some promising reviews. 

Strike one with my visit to Goldenbox was that they did not answer their phone when I tried to call in my order at half past 11 on a Thursday morning. This is one of my biggest pet peeves about getting takeout. I shy away from using third-party delivery services, as they cut into restaurant profits way more than they should. If restaurants don't answer the phone, it tells me they don't really want my business or would rather I order through a delivery service. 

Undeterred, I soldiered on my quest to have Chinese food for lunch and drove the fifteen minutes to Goldenbox, situated on the corner of Bake Parkway and Trabucco Road. This cramped parking lot was teeming with many people getting an early jump on their lunch from one of the other food offerings at this location; Subway, El Pollo Loco, and Kanji Japanese. I ordered and then waited 25 minutes for my to-go order. Strike two. 

The menu at Goldenbox is dominated by a wide array of bento combination meals. They list 15 on their menu. There are also plenty of single items to choose from, many that you've come to expect at your local Chinese takeout spot, to a little more exotic stuff like duck legs, sea bass, yellow croaker, and pigs feet. Nothing on their menu will set you back any more than $20, and they also have a wide selection of teas, smoothies, and other beverages available. Let's see if they can make up for not answering their phone or the long wait for the food. 

Before we get to my bento meal, I needed to try their Orange Chicken ($12.99). Everyone loves the orange chicken from Panda Express, but I need to tell you that there are better versions out there, and this was one of them. This good-sized portion relied on something other than an overly sweet and syrupy sauce. It was more subtle, with a big orange flavor contrasting nicely with the tender chicken. Each piece of chicken had a nice crunch, which was a feat in itself since the breading here was lighter than most versions of orange chicken I've ever had. This had temperature issues (something that will become a trend as you read deeper into this review). 

Bento boxes are the way to go at Goldenbox Express; as you can see, you get an entire meal for the same price as most of their single-item entrees. This Combo H2 ($16.99) is the one that piqued my interest. It came with a sweet-skinned duck leg, spicy Szechuan chicken, a whole bunch of egg-fried rice, honey balsamic salad, and a drink. Let's start out with the proteins. There were five duck legs in here, and the meat was pretty solid, but there wasn't much of it. The chicken was ice cold when I got it home, but it was much better after half a minute in the microwave. There was some spice with this, but I could go up a spice level on future visits. The abundance of peanuts added an earthiness that detracted from the tender chicken. The egg fried rice is one of the lightest you will find anywhere. It lacked the greasiness that others possess. The salad was a spring mix topped with quinoa and a vinaigrette. I used some of it but switched to the blue cheese in my fridge midway through. Last but not least, this meal was rounded out with a strawberry green tea, which I found a bit too sweet, as I'm more of a black tea with no sugar kind of guy. 

Goldenbox Express showed some promise on this visit, but there were too many miscues for me to rate them too high based on this one visit. Would I go back? Yes, they may have been having a bad day with not picking up their phone, how long I waited for my order, and the almost unforgivable temperature issues with the food. Even with all of this, this was elevated Chinese takeout, lighter than most, and not relying on overly sweet sauces to distract you from the inferior meat that they use. I'll try their online ordering process the next time I am up this way. This is another example of one of the biggest lessons I've learned during these last twelve months, all takeout is not created equal.   

Out of five helmets (because Lake Forest is home to the largest public skatepark in all of California, but you need a helmet to use it), five being best to zero being worst, Goldenbox Express gets 2.5 helmets. 

For more information about Goldenbox Express, head to their website here: https://goldenbox.us/

An Early Sunday Morning Visit to Taqueria Zamora

Taqueria Zamora

3121 Main Street

Santa Ana, CA 92707

If I had a dime for every time that there was a mention in the now-departed OC Weekly about Taqueria Zamora, I'd probably be able to have been retired by now. Almost every best-of-list mentioned this tiny, out-of-the-way restaurant which sits alone at the end of Main Street, nearer to South Coast Plaza than Downtown Santa Ana. 

The biggest fan at the OC Weekly of Taqueria Zamora was the Editor in Chief, Gustavo Arellano. He mentioned numerous times that he loved the chilaquiles here, that he would eat here most mornings, and that he never needed to order because they just assumed that he'd be having his favorite dish once again. Chilaquiles just so happens to be my favorite Mexican breakfast dish as well. That's all I needed to know to put Taqueria Zamora on my restaurant wishlist. 

Taqueria Zamora started out in the backyard of Don Alberto, who would cook a variety of Mexican food for his family and friends who would come to buy what he was making. During the week he filled his shopping cart and would sell tamales, chorizo, tortillas, and other foods around his neighborhood. This led to him opening his restaurant in 1992. In the 29 years since Taqueria Zamora has garnered a lot of love from the community and has been mentioned numerous times as one of the best Mexican restaurants in OC. 

As has been my custom on Sunday mornings during the pandemic, I get up early, do a little writing, and get Katie breakfast and her first of two daily coffees from Starbucks. The drive up to Taqueria Zamora was not going to be any more than 20 minutes on a Sunday around half past 8. Their online ordering process made ordering painless, and I was given a pickup time of  8:45. 

There was a pretty impressive amount of variety on the menu here. Yes, they have combo plates, tacos, and burritos, but there's also plenty in the way of seafood options, soups, and what I was here for their breakfast options. I made it up to Santa Ana with plenty of time to spare. Even though it was still quite early on this sleepy Sunday, there were plenty of people waiting for their orders. I grabbed mine and headed back home to have my first taste of Taqueria Zamora. 

When I picked up my bag of neatly packaged food from Taqueria Zamora, it was really heavy. The heft was primarily due to these Chilaquiles ($16). I was almost afraid the to-go container was going to give way when I lifted this out of the bag, but it held firm. I opted for the red version, which is my favorite, and added carne asada to it for an extra dollar, which was a great investment. Let's start with the chilaquiles themselves. They were as advertised. The chips stayed relatively crisp even with the 20-minute drive home and time allowed for taking my pictures. Each chip was coated wonderfully with the flavorful red sauce. The carne asada could have been one of the best I've had in a Mexican restaurant. Thin, flavorful, and very tender it went well with the chips underneath. I ate half of this one day and then added two fried eggs the next and it was even better. Beans and rice were on point. 

Katie is all about Breakfast Burritos ($9.25) on Sunday mornings. She got this one with extra bacon, adding cheese and avocado, but omitting the beans and rice that Taqueria Zamora usually has in their breakfast burritos. Katie loved the light and fluffiness of the eggs and that the burrito was grilled for a short time on the flattop to give the tortilla a pleasant crunch when bitten in. There were bacon and cheese in every bite, but she did wish for more guacamole in this. She would not hesitate to get this again. 

Even though I had that big plate of chilaquiles, I just had to give their tacos a try. I went with the Paator Taco ($3) and Asada Encebollado ($3.50). The pastor taco had a great flavor running through it, but the pork needed to be more tender. The steak and onion taco was my favorite out of the two. The steak was done nicely, and there were plenty of onions included in this. The salsa that came with this, (no picture, sorry), really made this pop. I'm not much into corn tortillas, but these were very good, and you'll never be satisfied with the corn tortillas you get from the supermarket ever again after eating these. 

I think it's safe to say that Taqueria Zamora is worth all the media mentions and online praise that they receive. Just this small sample size of their menu showed me that I have to make some return visits very soon. I'm looking towards trying the carnitas, birria, burritos, and more in the next few weeks. I did not think the prices were crazy out of control here for the quantity and quality that I got. Taqueria Zamora is definitely on my Mount Rushmore of great chilaquiles I've had so far in OC, right along with Anepalco's, El Camino Cafe, and Amorelia Cafe. It will be hard for a spot to knock one of these places out of the top 4, but I'm looking forward to that quest. 

Out of five stagecoaches, (because the first Wells Fargo office was located in Santa Ana back in 1874, and they are known for their stagecoaches), five being best to zero being worst, Taqueria Zamora gets 3.5 stagecoaches. 

For more information about Taqueria Zamora, head to their website here: https://taqueriazamora.net/

Any Way You Slice It, This Is a Good Breakfast Sandwich - CLOSED

Eggslice

8340 La Palma Ave. Unit A

Buena Park, CA 90620

I don't know what it is, but there's something satisfying about starting your day off with a breakfast sandwich. Even if it's one from a fast-food spot, it kickstarts my day in the right direction. Now that I think about it, it may be that I don't eat breakfast when I have to work, so subconsciously, my brain equates breakfast with the fact that I'll have a great day free of the drudgery that is my workplace. Whatever it is, the simple truth is that I like breakfast sandwiches and have seen Eggslice open and want to give them a try. 

Apparently, I'm not the only one who likes breakfast sandwiches because when my parents, sister, and brother-in-law found out I was going to try Eggslice, they all wanted to join me. The allure of some delicious breakfast sandwiches was also too great for Katie to pass up, as she went without her customary twelve hours of sleep on a Sunday to accompany me for the short half-hour drive up the 5 Freeway. 

Eggslice has a unique story. Owner and executive chef Bill McMullan started his breakfast sandwich business in the farmer's markets of Sydney, Australia, over two decades ago. When he jumped to the US, he did pop-ups at different restaurants in OC. As of late last year, Eggslice now has a permanent home at Grange Hall 39, which is a partially completed food hall located on the backside of the Buena Park Mall, right near the massive Krikorian Movie Theater. Their current hours are 7 to 4pm every day of the week. 

What Eggslice hopes will set them apart from the other breakfast sandwiches you have eaten before is the quality of the ingredients that make up each sandwich. They use locally sourced items to build the best breakfast sandwiches around. They proudly tout many of their purveyors, like OC Baking Company, West Coast Prime Meats, Billy's Egg Farm, and others. There's also a locally made chili jam, which they boast about quite vocally. 

I met my family at Grange Hall 39 at 8am on a chilly Sunday morning. The food hall was far from complete when we visited, with only three booths occupied, and at this early hour, only Eggslice was open and operating. Their menu consists of five sandwiches, which can all be made into a protein-style version for those of you averse to carbs. Sides are limited to just tater tots and orange juice, tea, coffee, and bottled water. We ordered at the counter, took one of the tables outside,  and waited for our food to be ready. 

The Chicken Katsu Egg and Cheese ($7.99) started things off for us this morning. Both my sister and I got this one. Thanks for the hand modeling, Kristin. Joining the panko-crusted chicken was an extra-large egg served over medium, sliced American cheese and chili jam mayonnaise, all on a brioche bun. This was my favorite sandwich of the morning, not to ruin the suspense for everyone. It was very balanced with the well-made chicken katsu, the richness from the runny yolk, the creaminess of the cheese, and the slight tang of the chili jam mayo. It was all wrapped up by the beautiful brioche, which is not surprising since it was made by OC Baking Company, which makes some of the best bread in our grand county. 

Salmon has always been a little hit or miss with me, but this Smoked Salmon and Egg ($8.59) hit just the right notes with my dad and brother-in-law. This featured a good amount of cold-smoked salmon, an extra-large egg, and a dill and Dijon mustard sauce to finish it off. My dad was impressed with the salmon's freshness and the sandwich's lightness without sacrificing flavor. He also wanted me to point out that he had one of the best cups of coffee here, and it was less than three dollars. My dad is always looking for bargains. Glad he was happy with this meal. 

My mom, always the breakfast sandwich purist, went with the Bacon, Egg, and Cheese ($7.99). They used thick, smoked bacon on this, which looked lovely from across the table. She asked for this without the chill jam, unsure if she would like it. She was pleased with this sandwich and the high-quality ingredients used to make it.  

You are probably tired of me mentioning it, but Katie is on a keto diet, and I could not be more proud of her progress so far. She assured me when she started this that she'd still be able to go out to eat in restaurants with me, and I'm thankful that places like Eggslice accommodate people who live the no-carb lifestyle, like Katie. This is the Protein Style version of the Bacon, Egg, and Cheese ($9.99). With all of their protein-style options, they add an egg and half an avocado. Even though this was less good-looking than the other sandwiches, Katie enjoyed it. She was stoked with the quality of the bacon and the amount given to her. I counted 7 strips, which is pretty impressive. She also enjoyed the chili jam, which helped elevate this from a regular bacon and egg plate. 

Last but not least was my second sandwich of the morning, the Sausage, Egg, and Cheese with Avocado added ($9.98). I liked this sandwich, but the sausage was pushed to the side by the chili jam and the avocado. I'd probably ask for the chili jam on the side next time so I can apply it myself. The egg was cooked perfectly, with the runny yolk adding a nice, even richness, and the bun was stellar. 

Eggslice is the perfect spot for people looking to upgrade their basic, daily fast-food breakfast sandwich. Biting into each of these, you can taste the craftsmanship and love that went into making them. I definitely get the feeling that Egslice takes great care of what purveyors they use for their sandwiches. These are some of the best that OC has to offer, but they fall short of my all-time favorite breakfast sandwiches from Egg Slut, which has locations in LA and Las Vegas. Eggslice is definitely a solid choice for people looking to stay a lot closer to home and avoid the long lines at Egg Slut. 

Out of five coathangers (the nickname for the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge, a nod to where these sandwiches originated), five being best to zero being worst, Eggslice gets 3.5 coathangers. 

For more information about Eggslice, head to their website here: https://www.eggslice.com/

'Ono Grinds at Matiki Island BBQ

Matiki Island BBQ

1015 North Harbor Blvd. 

Fullerton, CA 92832

Sharp-eyed readers of this restaurant blog probably can infer that if I'm writing about a North OC spot for lunch, it means I'm either meeting my parents for a midday meal, or I had just gone to the dentist. On this occasion, the latter is true. I don't go to the doctor all too regularly, but I do go to the dentist every six months like clockwork, and since I'm rarely up this way in the afternoon, I usually combo my trip with a restaurant I haven't tried yet. This time it was Matiki Island BBQ's turn to dirty up my just cleaned pearly whites. 

Matiki Island was founded by Melvin and Ricki Liufau, known more commonly as Uncle Mel and Aunty Ricki. Uncle Mel was a fire dancer and Ricki was a hula dancer when they opened a dance studio together in Anaheim. When the spot was available next door to the studio in 1996, Uncle Mel decided to open up a restaurant. Since those early days they now have three other Southern California locations, and recently opened one just off the strip in Las Vegas. 

Operating five restaurants is pretty impressive in itself, but each restaurant has a 4 and a half star rating on Yelp with a lot of reviews. This, and my love of Hawaiian barbecue is what drew me here, and it was only a few miles away from my dentist. As soon as I got out of another stellar dental exam and cleaning, I called to place my order at Matiki. I was quoted just the amount of time it would take me to drive over and pick it up and be on my way. 

For a point of reference, this Fullerton location is in the Hillcrest Park Shopping Center, which is situated alongside busy Harbor Boulevard and also includes a Black Bear Diner, Wingstop, and a Ralph's. There were no hassles with getting my food, as I was off within a couple of minutes after paying for it. The only problem I could envision was the thirty-minute drive back to Mission Veijo with the smell of barbecued meats wafting through the car causing my stomach to do summersaults. Let's check out the food. 

As is the case whenever I eat at a Hawaiian barbecue restaurant, I gravitate towards combo meals, and at Matiki BBQ that meant I was going to have the #6 Chicken and Kalbi Plate ($12.75). I like getting to try as much as I can on one plate. The kalbi or short rib here was some of the best I've had at a takeout Hawaiian restaurant. Yes, they were a little fatty in parts, but these were some of the meatiest short ribs I've ever had. Usually, they are tiny, with just a little bit of meat, and not really worth the trouble. These had a good marinade on them that was sweet but did not overpower the beef. The chicken was a little hit and miss. Some pieces were delicious and tender, but other bigger pieces were on the dry side. Combo plates at Matiki come with two scoops of rice and a scoop of mac salad, but they were really good about substituting two scoops of mac salad in exchange for no rice at no additional charge. The mac salad here was on point with texture but was a little on the boring side. Still, it was better than white rice and definitely worth trying. 

From what I've seen online, this #1 Beef Rib Plate ($12.25), which is also known as Sam's Plate is the most popular thing on the menu at Matiki BBQ, and for good reason. This was really excellent. Reminiscent of the big ribs you'd see flip over Fred Flintstone's car in the closing credits of the famous cartoon, this was one very heavy to-go container. The way they were placed into the container I thought they were going to be all bone, but there was plenty of meat on these. The meat was tender and kissed with a tinge of sweetness. I did not really have to use the provided sauce on these. There was one bone that had way more fat than meat, but this plate is one of the big reasons I'll be returning to Matiki BBQ in the future. 

As far as fast-casual Hawaiian BBQ restaurants go, Matiki Island BBQ is right up there with my other favorite, Da Hawaiian Kitchen in Huntington Beach. The proteins here were pretty much all excellent, with the exception of a few pieces of chicken that were a tad dry. The beef ribs alone are worth the visit. Portions were huge, as I had plenty of leftovers for dinner the next day. Prices were more than fair when you consider the amount of food that I received. It will be hard to bypass Matiki Island BBQ when I'm up here again in six months for my next dental appointment. 

Out of five hamsters, (because I recently found out that it is illegal to own a hamster in Hawaii), five being best to zero being worst, Matiki Island BBQ gets 3.5 hamsters. 

For more information about Matiki BBQ, head to their website here: https://www.matikisbbq.com/ 

Hoping for a New York State of Mind at Al's

Al's New York Cafe

1673 Irvine Avenue Suite B

Costa Mesa, CA 92627

In the 11 years of writing this blog, I've come to realize that people have very strong opinions about their pizza preferences. Nothing gets their blood pressure up more than arguing for their favorite pizza place, type of pizza, or even what should go, and not go on a pizza, (yes, I'm a believer that pineapple does not belong on a pizza, but to each his or her own). 

I get tips and suggestions about pizza all the time from my small group of readers. I can only imagine the volume of comments, emails, and social media inquiries that Brad Johnson, OC Register restaurant critic gets when he posts about pizza places like he did almost a year ago when his top 20 list of pizza places came out. When that list premiered I jotted down the ones that I had not been to yet. That left me with 5 left to try, and I recently decided to scratch one off of my list, so I headed to Al's New York Cafe for a takeout lunch. 

Al's has been around since 1995. They possess a very respectable 4-star rating with close to 600 reviews on Yelp. They are located near the corner of Irvine and 17th Street in Costa Mesa, right behind one of my favorite spots, La Cave. This is definitely a hidden joint, as it's not easily seen from the street, but if you spy the much more visible 7-Eleven, it's right next to it. 

I wanted to avoid the lunch rush, so I strategically called about ten minutes after they opened. I was quoted a pickup time of 30 minutes, which was perfect because since we live in South OC, it was going to take me just that long to get to Costa Mesa. From what I could tell during my brief time there, Al's is really more of a takeout spot, especially these days with the pandemic going on. My order was all ready when it was promised and I was off very quickly back home to have a rare weekday lunch date with Katie, who was working from home on this particular Thursday. Let's see if this is indeed one of the top 20 pizzas in OC. 

This bright and beautiful Greek Salad ($7.75) was part of what Katie hoped would get her through her workday from home. This good-sized salad came with plenty of red onion, cubed cucumbers, lots of olives, pepperoncini, tomatoes, and feta cheese all on a bed of mixed greens. Katie did not use the provided vinaigrette that came with this, instead opting for the Bob's blue cheese dressing we had in our fridge. She really enjoyed the salad and it kept her going through her long afternoon of conference calls.   

Now for what brought me here, the pizza. When I was perusing the menu, this NYC Special ($15.50) really caught my attention. This thin-crust pizza came with pepperoni, sausage, onion, garlic, and double cheese. Quite possibly the perfect combination of toppings for my tastes. The thin crust was a bit too moist in the center like it could have been left in the oven a few minutes more. I did like that their was not a lot of crust left at the end of each slice, as they really spread the sauce and toppings around really well. Speaking of the toppings, they really carried this pizza. The sausage was a standout, but this combo of toppings will be my "go-to" for any upcoming pizzas I have in the future. 

I've been on the prowl for a really good Meatball Sandwich ($10.25) lately. This one from Al's was fine, just not the great one that I was looking for. The insides were good, with the meatballs being tender and flavorful, with an abundance of mozzarella cheese in there. What held this sandwich back was the bread to fillings ratio, as there was too much bread here and it was also a bit burnt as you can see from the pictures above. They also needed a bit more sauce to balance things out. Not awful, but not nearly as good as my gold standard of all OC meatball sandwiches, the one from Cortina's in Anaheim. 

Proving that you can not live on just salad alone, no matter how much you enjoyed it, Katie also got this Side of Italian Sausage ($5.75) to round out her meal. The sausage hit the spot for her, but next time she'd get this with some cheese or something else to jazz it up a bit. 

Even though there were some minor issues with the food from Al's, I can see why they were named one of the top 20 pizza places in OC. The pizza I had here really was delicious, and I'd definitely get it again. I'm also intrigued by their lasagna, which is only available on Wednesdays and Fridays, and I'd try their meatball sandwich again for sure. I'm glad I was able to knock this place off of my list, and I look forward to where you and my other three readers would suggest I try going to next. 

Out of five subway rides, (because in New York Coty the price of a slice of pizza rises every time the subway fares increase, at least for the last 50 years), five being best to zero being worst, Al's New York Cafe gets a solid 3 subway rides. 

For more information about Al's New York Cafe, head to their website here: https://www.alsnewyorkcafe.com/