A Howling Good Time at Coyote Grill in Laguna Beach

 Coyote Grill

31621 Coast Highway

Laguna Beach, CA 92651

It's always nice when people come back to visit after they have moved across the country, even if they have to bring their spouse. That was the case for us when we got a surprise text from our good friend Sandy, who was visiting California from Kentucky, where she moved four years ago to be closer to her grandson and my forever friend Clay. Unfortunately, for her and us, she was not traveling alone but brought her much-maligned husband Kenton along for the trip. 

Sandy is such a treasure that we all put up with her husband Kenton. He's not a bad guy, he's just different. Kenton is most known for falling off ladders, having diabetes, writing long-winded holiday letters that are very hard to get through, and getting hurt while doing routine chores. He loves to take our good-natured ribbing with a smile and is deeply devoted to Sandy, even moving across the country without hesitation. Of course, that was easy for him since he had no friends here. Kidding Kenton, well, sort of.  

Enough about Kenton, let's get back to what you are all here for, a restaurant review. When Sandy had texted, she suggested that we meet at Coyote Grill in Laguna Beach. This was perfect for two reasons. I did not have to scour my usual online resources to find a spot, and two, I actually had this place already on my restaurant wishlist of places I wanted to visit. Katie's parents had mentioned it when Katie and I first started dating, and in those 13 years, I had failed to visit until now.

Coyote Grill has been around since 1989, and has been featured in numerous media outlets, like the  TV shows; Rachel Ray's $40 a Day, and the Top Ten Beach Snacks which was on Travel Channel. They won the OC Register's best bloody mary contest and were named as having the best burrito and margarita by the people at Laguna Beach Magazine. 

Located right above Table Rock Beach in South Laguna, Coyote Grill calls its food Baja-style Mexican cuisine. A quick check of the menu bears this out. Tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and other Mexican specialties are offered, along with a good-looking burger for the three of you that are not fans of Mexican food. We were seated on the back patio, where you can just see the ocean over the rooftops of the beachfront homes standing guard over the beach. Let's take a look at the food that we all used to distract us while Kenton rambled on and on about some nonsense none of us cared about. 

First up was the Chips and Salsa that we were presented with once we sat down. The tortilla chips were a little ho-hum, but I was a fan of the salsa. It had a decent chunkiness to it but could have been spiced up just a tad more. We were also presented with escabeche, which consisted of some slightly spicy pickled carrots and onions. I haven't seen this for a while in Mexican restaurants, and it's always nice to encounter it.  

At Coyote Grill they have two versions of guacamole. They have their traditional version and then they have this Guacamole Especial ($8.75). The difference between the two was that this version added diced tomatoes, cilantro, and onion to the blended avocado. This was fine, but way too much tomato was included here, which distracted from the solidly seasoned guacamole. 

Kenton must have hypnotized Katie or something because they both selected the same entree this evening, the Pollo Borracho ($19.75), which marked the first time in his 85-year-old life that someone wanted to be just like him. This drunken chicken dish was pretty good-sized. Half a chicken served with rice and beans and your choice of tortillas. I knew Katie had no chance of finishing this when it was placed in front of her, so I got to partake in a few bites. I thought the breast meat was kind of dry, but the thigh and leg were way more tender and flavorful. To be honest, though, I'm never really a big fan of chicken in restaurants, because it tends to be overcooked a good majority of the time

Sandy, the much better half of our out-of-state friends, opted to get the Beef Tostada ($15.50), which looked to me as if it was misnamed and instead should have been more rightly called a taco salad instead. This crisped tortilla bowl was filled with shredded beef, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, olives, black beans, green onions, and a dollop of both guacamole and sour cream. From what I could tell, Sandy enjoyed her meal, although, like Katie, she did not finish this either. 

When I'm eating in a Mexican restaurant for the first time, I always veer towards their Carnitas Plate ($19.50) as a benchmark to see if a spot is good or not. Based on this plate, I'd say that Coyote Grill definitely has some upside. The roasted pork came out exactly the way I like it. Tender, with some lean pieces, and a little fat on other forkfuls. The pork was flavored well, and even though I had planned to only eat half and take the rest home, I finished it all. The refried beans were okay, but their rice was better, and I'm not usually a fan of rice. I was very pleased with my dinner. 

We had ordered this Jalapeno Bacon Wrapped Shrimp ($16) for an appetizer, but we had to ask for it numerous times, and it finally came out well into our entrees. These rather large shrimp were wrapped with crisp jalapeno bacon and then topped with a delicious chipotle cream sauce. I loved the combo of the shrimp with the slightly spicy jalapeno bacon. They paired this with a pineapple chutney salsa, which helped cut the richness a bit. They ended up comping this because it came out so late, which was very nice. I really just think our server was just trying to limit the number of times that he had to interact with Kenton. A smart move for sure. 

Not that we needed it by this point, but we finished things off with some Churros ($5). These came drizzled with some chocolate syrup and a spoonful of whipped cream. Not too bad at a dollar apiece, but they could have been made a tad sweeter with a little more sugar and cinnamon on them. 

I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised with our visit to Coyote Grill. I did not have the highest of expectations going in, because I expected this to be more of a tourist trap spot with its nice view and happy hour crowd. It turned out that the food was pretty good, with the carnitas, jalapeno bacon shrimp, and the churros as highlights. Yes, prices are a bit high, but portion sizes are pretty strong and you definitely have to consider the area where they are located. Even with the shrimp appetizer snafu, the service was solid, and our server took excellent care of us. Not an easy feat, especially when Kenton is involved. 

Out of five roadrunners, (because you can never hear about a coyote and not think of a roadrunner, especially if grew up watching Looney Tunes), five being best to zero being worst, Coyote Grill gets 3.5 roadrunners. 

For more information about Coyote Grill, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.coyotegrill.tv/

Ho Sum? More Like Ho Hum Bistro

 Ho Sum Bistro

3112 Newport Blvd. 

Newport Beach, CA 92663

Every so often there's a restaurant that I have to double-check to make sure I haven't written a review for yet. After nearly 950 different restaurant reviews on this blog in 13 years, it's possible I could have forgotten one or two, especially at my advanced age. I did double-check, and this is definitely my first review on this blog of Ho Sum Bistro in Newport Beach. 

You'll have to excuse me for thinking I've reviewed this restaurant before. Back about twenty years ago, I spent quite a lot of time on the Balboa Peninsula hopping from bar to bar at least three to four times a week. Yes, it was great fun, but now that I'm older I love my quiet nights on the couch. Back then with all of the beverages I consumed, it was imperative that I get a good base of food before imbibing with too many cocktails. One spot that was in my heavy rotation was Ho Sum Bistro. 

It has been about 15 or so years since I have eaten here. During that time they had a fire that closed them for over a year, but they have been back from that setback for four years now. Ho Sum is kind of stuck in a time warp. Their website uses Mapquest to share their location, they have two newspaper reviews that they proudly share on their website, from 2002 and 2005, and they use the term 'Califoriental' to describe their food, which some might find offensive in this day and age. 

The Ho Sum Bistro menu is divided into salads, soups, veggie dishes, noodles, dim sum, mu shu, rice options, and other specialties. Only one item on their very big menu will set you back more than $17, which could be considered a steal in this neighborhood. Ho Sum is also well known for its Sunday champagne brunch, an all-you-can-eat affair, with unlimited veggie fried rice, salads, and six of their most popular dim sum offerings for $20 a person. Unfortunately, we were not here during brunch hours, so it would be the regular menu for us. Let's see if Ho Sum Bistro is just as good as I remember it from back in the day. 

The six of us decided to divide and conquer the menu at Ho Sum Bistro. For the most part, we ordered what we wanted and decided to eat family-style. I do not recall which one of us picked these Crispy Crab Bellies ($10.25), but they should not be allowed to pick the next time the six of us go out. These reminded me of Hot Pockets filled with cream cheese and what I believe was imitation crab meat. This was served with a citrus-ginger sauce, which did these no favors. I had one bite and discarded the rest. One of my worst bites of 2022 so far. 

My dad is not really a big fan of family-style eating, so he ordered this Small Hot and Sour Soup ($6.49) for himself. He called this great. He loved the veggies and flavor of it. It was filled with vegetables and had a very pleasing sour taste, which he really enjoyed. It did look good from across the table. 

Katie was excited to try these Cha Sui Bao ($11.25 each). This was another thing that I was less than thrilled about. The bao was very doughy and the ratio of dough to pork was way off. I could not even get a good taste of the barbecued pork inside. Another miss for me. 

No one will confuse these Ho Sum Dumplings ($9.75) with anything that you could get at Din Tai Fung or any other place serving dumplings. They were filled with very little chicken and the promised spicy cilantro sauce was anything but spicy. These were okay, but if you are a fan of dumplings at more famous spots, you will be disappointed by these. 

Forget for a minute that Ho Sum Bistro still calls this an Oriental Artichoke ($9.25). What makes this Asian? It's basically a halved steamed artichoke with sweet and sour sauce poured over it with some sesame seeds thrown in. Not exactly the most authentic Asian food I've ever seen, and not even really a good-tasting item. The sweet and sour sauce was very overpowering and it did not really inspire me to eat much of this. Skip it. 

When these Crispy Filled Chicken Wontons ($9.75) first hit the table I thought they had made a mistake and given us coconut shrimp instead, but these were indeed chicken. The breading was very thick but was crispy. There was not a lot of chicken in here, but this was still the best starter that we had this evening.  

When you go on Yelp and check out Ho Sum Bistro, you will see that they get a lot of love for two things, their combo salad, and their fried rice. My brother-in-law selected the Large Shrimp Fried Rice ($14.25). This was very large portion size and with the price of shrimp these days, a very reasonably priced entree. Along with the rather large shrimp, they added bean sprouts, mushrooms, shredded carrots, and cabbage to the brown-tinged rice. This was not very greasy or oily and was enough for lunch the next day for Jarrod. 

Another Katie pick was this Greg's Garlic Chicken ($14.25). Lightly fried chicken pieces were served with a whole cavalcade of vegetables. This was fine, but I was definitely hoping for a lot more garlic, as I did not detect any in the bites I had. Not an awful dish, but just a little bland. 

As I was eating this Half Combo Salad ($9.95) I was confused as to why I liked it so much. I couldn't stop shoveling it in. It's a mix of their chicken and sesame salads. It has not changed in the fifteen years since I had it, and I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it since I last had it fifteen years ago. The red ginger and sesame oil and vinegar dressings work well together, coating the shredded chicken and lettuce perfectly so each bite is balanced nicely. This was the half version, which is enough for three adults, so unless you are hosting a football team, there's probably no need to order the full-sized salad. I took the rest of mine home, and it did not really keep too well the next day.  

The Califoriental Rice ($10.95) was our last item of the evening. This chicken, vegetable, and rice dish was pretty uninspiring. It was really quite plain tasting, it needed some textural contrasts, and required some soy sauce to wake it up a bit. Not a big fan. 

If it wasn't for the combo salad and the shrimp fried rice, this visit to Ho Sum Bistro would have been a complete waste. Yes, the prices here are low and the portion sizes are way more than generous, but if those two things mean more to you than quality, you may have found your new favorite restaurant. Ho Sum Bistro has been around since 1987, and maybe back then people did not know what Asian food should taste like. I'm hoping that in the 34 years since then we have evolved a bit, but I have my doubts. 

Out of five lollipops, (because Shirley Temple used to vacation in Newport Beach during the summer when she was a kid, and she sang the song Good Ship Lollipop in her movie Bright Eyes back in 1934), five being best to zero being worst, Ho Sum Bistro gets 1.5 lollipops. 

For more information about Ho Sum Bistro, head to their website by clicking here: http://www.hosumbistro.com/index.html

Guten Tag From Mattern’s Sausage and Deli

 Mattern's Sausage and Deli

4327 East Chapman Ave. 

Orange, CA 92869

German restaurants are disappearing from OC at an alarming rate. Last year, we lost one of my favorites, Jagerhaus, and I have been hearing rumblings that the Phoenix Club and Old World in Huntington Beach could close soon as well. It's probably due to my heritage, but I enjoy German food. It's not like we had it a lot while I was growing up, but my numerous trips to Oktoberfest venues for various sausages, schnitzel, stuffed cabbage, pork chops, and, of course, beer lend to the positive feelings I have towards the comforting food of my forefathers. 

It happened that it was dentist time again, which meant I would be in North OC around lunchtime, which does not happen too often. When these two things occur, I find a lunch spot not usually open later in the day when I'm around these parts on my way to a Ducks game, on a dinner date with my parents, or out with friends. It suddenly came to me that Mattern's Sausage and Deli would fill the bill on this fine afternoon. 

I've been meaning to swing by Mattern's for quite some time. They were named one of the top 100 restaurants on Yelp back in 2014, and the OC Register Restaurant Critic Brad A. Johnson called their sausage one of the best things he ate back in 2017. Over the years, they have supplied the Orange International Street Fair with well over 600,000 bratwursts, a few of which I have eaten. 

Mattern's has been around since 1983 and was owned and operated by Willie and Ann Mattern. In 1997, they realized a dream by opening a factory where they could make their own meats. Five years ago, they sold their beloved deli to Uwe Saler and his daughter Emily, who have kept things relatively the same since they took ownership. The Matterns still operate the factory, churning out award-winning meats.   

Located next door to a Weinerschnitzel, Mattern's still brings locals through their doors with sandwiches made while you wait, sausages, and a couple of sides. They also have a good selection of German groceries and stuff from Europe. Ordering is done at the counter to your right as you enter, and then you pay at the register deeper into the store. There are some tables here, but I took my food to go. Let's see how it all turned out for me this afternoon. 

I started things out with this Pastrami Rueben ($11.99). It was excellent from start to finish. Plenty of very solid pastrami that was accompanied wonderfully by sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and a touch of mustard. The sauerkraut was not too overpowering like some tend to be, which made this sandwich more enjoyable to me. I'm always partial to Russian dressing on my Reubens, but the mustard was a nice change of pace. The biggest surprise with this sandwich for me was the rye bread. It was lightly toasted and was unlike any rye I have ever experienced on a Reuben. It had a garlic tinge and reminded me of the cheese bread from Northwood's Inn. This sandwich is definitely something that you won't want to miss when visiting Mattern's. 

I asked the girl behind the counter which bratwurst she preferred, and she steered me towards the Smoked Bratwurst ($9.99). This was a good choice. The bratwurst had a subtle smokiness to it, which paired nicely with the mild, but still tangy sauerkraut. A little mustard and a sturdy French roll made this sandwich pleasurable. This might have been my first time having authentic German potato salad. It's served warm; there's no mayo, but it's studded with pieces of bacon and onion, and a tart dressing is used in it. I'm still a fan of the American version I grew up with, but this version was nice for a change. 

I rather enjoyed my first visit to Mattern's. Both sandwiches I ate this afternoon were solid, but the Reuben was the better of the two. It's definitely in the running for one of the better Reubens I have had in OC and might be one of the most reasonably priced. The service was nice and friendly, and even though I was here during the lunch rush, my sandwiches did not take too long to make, and I was on my way home rather quickly. With the scarcity of German restaurants around here, I will definitely visit Mattern's again soon. 

Out of five airplanes (because the most famous Mattern I could find was Jimmie Mattern, an American aviator who unsuccessfully tried to fly around the world twice, both times resulting in a crash landing), five being best to zero being worst, Mattern's Sausage and Deli gets 3.5 airplanes. 

Mattern's Sausage and Deli does not have a website, but you can click here to visit their Yelp page for more information: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mattern-sausage-and-deli-orange-7

Shedding Some Light on Brunch at Lighthouse Café

 Lighthouse Cafe

1600 West Balboa Blvd. 

Newport Beach, CA 92663

This is a review a few years in the making. For a while, it seemed like we were never going to get the chance to eat here. It felt like the odds were against us. We had come down to the beach three times to have brunch and were met with crazy long wait times of multiple hours. It seems that when the weather is beautiful, the ocean is like a magnet to people. They want to be near it when they eat. After multiple false starts, we finally made it to the Lighthouse Cafe. 

What was the secret to our success? I finally got smart and added my name to the Yelp waitlist. Even if you are not signed into the Yelp app, you can still get your place in line at the Lighthouse, without even being there. Since we live about half an hour away, and Katie has an affinity for sleeping in on Sunday mornings, I selected a convenient time that we could arrive by. It worked like a charm. When we arrived at half-past ten, we were alerted that our table was ready. At that time they were quoting wait times at the hostess podium of nearly two hours. 

Lighthouse Cafe is a two-story restaurant, which overlooks picturesque Newport Bay. The restaurant is located in Marina Park, which has plenty of pay parking available most of the time. We were seated inside the dining room, which I did not mind, as we were going to get to enjoy the outside environment on our planned walk after brunch. The dining space here has a very beachy, relaxed vibe that creates a vacation feeling that washes over you, even if you are only a half-hour from home. 

The brunch menu at Lighthouse truly has something for everyone. There are a dozen starters to choose from, and the entrees number close to twenty, with plenty of breakfast and more of what I'd consider lunch options to choose from. All the starters and most of the entrees do not eclipse the $20 price point, which is pretty impressive, especially in this part of town. Most restaurants that have amazing views try to get by with mediocre food, so I was hoping that Lighthouse Cafe would buck that trend. Let's see if that is the case. 

If you are eating here for brunch, you will be hard-pressed to find a table that does not have these Beignets ($7.99) placed prominently. These little puffs of pastry are probably the signature items at Lighthouse Cafe. These dozen or so beignets came to our table piping hot, dusted with a little cinnamon sugar, and drizzled with icing. These little pillows are hollow inside, which helps keep them light and airy as you find yourself on your sixth one in about two minutes. Definitely worth getting, especially if you like pairing sweet and savory for your first meal of the day like I do. 

Katie is drawn to breakfast burritos almost every time we head out to breakfast. The Breakfast Burrito ($15.99) at Lighthouse Cafe comes with a whole cavalcade of items; both bacon and sausage, scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, potatoes, avocado, crema, and pico de gallo topping this good sized burrito. Katie loved the lightness of the burrito and the avocado crema the best, but she did wish this had more cheese included. 

I really hesitated to order the Steak Chilaquiles ($18.99) here. I've been burned so many times getting chilaquiles at non-Mexican restaurants, but this actually turned out to be a pretty solid choice this morning. The housemade, red-hued tortilla chips were pretty crisp, the flank steak was not only plentiful, but tender, and the two sunny-side-up eggs tied everything together nicely. This dish had a gradual spiciness that intensified as I went along devouring the chilaquiles. Nicely done. 

This visit to Lighthouse Cafe showed me that restaurants with a spectacular view can serve some pretty good food. It's really no surprise that they have such long waits on weekends for tables outside, but even if you have to sit indoors, you will be treated to a pretty solid brunch. I look forward to trying more off of their brunch menu, or maybe even venturing over this way for dinner in the very near future. Our server Haley was a delight from start to finish, and she helped add to the vacation feeling we had throughout our visit to Lighthouse Cafe. Glad we persevered to eat here, and very thankful that I finally used the Yelp waitlist to make it happen.  

Out of five dragons, (because whenever I think about lighthouses it reminds me of Pete's Dragon, a 1977 Disney film, which featured not only a lighthouse but an animated dragon), five being best to zero being worst, Lighthouse Cafe gets 3.5 dragons. 

For more information about Lighthouse Cafe, head to their website here: https://lighthousenb.com/

Here’s Another Chicken Sandwich Review, Probably Not My Last

 Jaxon's Chix Tenders

149 North Glassell St. 

Orange, CA 92866

Man, did I love Burger Parlor. Whenever someone asked me where to get the best burgers in OC, Burger Parlor was definitely on my Mount Rushmore of great burgers in our wonderful county. Then, just like with so many things, the pandemic came and ruined everything. 

Joesph Mahon, the owner of Burger Parlor decided that burgers were not delivery friendly, so he decided to scrap his beloved burger concept and join the other 5,000 chicken concepts that have sprung up in the last couple of years. Okay, it might not be that many, but it does seem like I have written more than my fair share of hot chicken reviews in the last few years. Yet, here I am again meeting my parents for dinner at a hot chicken restaurant, hoping I will like it as much as I loved Burger Parlor. 

Jaxon's is named after Chef Mahon's son. The menu is pretty simple, as they only have tenders, four sandwiches, a teriyaki chicken bowl, six sides, and 13 housemade dipping sauces. The chicken comes in four styles; classic, half heat, full heat, and buffalo. Tender meals can be ordered in 2, 3, 4, or a ten-piece family offering and they include a side of your choice. Prices range between $10 to $15, while the family pack will set you back $40. Be aware that you do get one sauce with each meal, but if you want more sauce there will be a nominal charge.  

Parking in this area of Orange can be a little tricky, but we almost always have good luck parking in the convenient parking structure on Lemon Street or the smaller parking lot on Orange Street. We arrived just a little after 5pm on a recent Saturday. Jaxon's had a little rush when we walked in, but it cleared up rather quickly. We ordered at the counter, and then your name is called when your food is ready. This is how everything turned out for us this evening. 

Both my dad and I got the same sandwich, the Jaxon's Coleslaw Chicken Sandwich ($11.49). His is the one on top, the one that looks like they were trying to bury the chicken in a mountain of coleslaw. Not only did this sandwich come with plenty of coleslaw, but it also came with pickles and two tenders on a glossy bun. I've had chicken sandwiches that are made with two tenders and sometimes they kind of fall apart while you are eating them. That was not the case here, as the bun did a great job keeping everything together. I got the half spice for my sandwich, and the heat level was very tolerable. The chicken itself came out of the kitchen hot and steamy, but the breading here is definitely not on the crispy side of things. I also have to make note of the coleslaw, as it was not very impressive. I remember it as just cabbage with no dressing on it. It did add texture, but little else. Crinkle cut fries are my favorite kind of fry, as I feel that they are the best for dipping. These were seasoned fine, but could have been held in the fryer a bit longer to make sure they were all crispy. 

I guess I should also admit right now that I failed to snap some shots of the sauces at Jaxon's. I know, rookie mistake. You would never guess that I've been doing these reviews for close to 13 years now, but I skrewed this part up. I did try a few and jotted down some thoughts. My favorite was the garlic herb parmesan which was full of flavor and really went well with the chicken and the fries. The Jaxon's cajun sauce is comparable to Raising Cane's signature sauce, but not as peppery and kind of bland. I also tried the ranch, which I thought was missing something and was also kind of boring. Katie was very fond of the lemon-lime pepper, but I felt it was too heavy on the citrus notes, so I was not a fan. 

Part two of my meal at Jaxon's was this 2 Piece Tender Meal ($9.99). I went with full heat for this, and it was not very hot at all. It just seemed like they added extra paprika and other spices to the chicken tenders. The chicken tenders are very good sized here, way bigger than at most places. The chicken again came out of the kitchen very hot. I liked the chicken, as it was moist and juicy from beginning to end, but I'd probably skip the full heat the next time because it really did not add too much to my dining experience.  

Definitely the best pick of the night was Katie's meal, the Elvis Pepperjack Chicken Sandwich ($11.89). This sandwich came with lettuce, tomato, and pepperjack cheese. She got this classic style, which meant no heat. I think what made this for me was the cheese. It added not only a small tinge of heat, but a creaminess that balanced this sandwich out better than the others. 

Eating at Jaxon's made me miss Burger Parlor even more. These chicken sandwiches are fine, but I think I have reached my limit with the hot chicken sandwich craze. Chicken sandwiches are not as versatile as hamburgers in my book. There's only so many things you can do with a chicken sandwich, and I have not been wowed by any that I have had recently, including these from Jaxon's. The chicken on its own was fine, but not noteworthy, and I was not really a fan of a good majority of their sauces. Maybe I caught them on an off day, but I'd rather eat at nearby Holdaak, Dave's Hot Chicken, or one of the other 235 chicken options within a ten mile radius of Jaxon's. 

Out of five buckets of ranch dressing, (because I can imagine that with all of the fried chicken restaurants in OC, most go through many buckets of ranch dressing a day), five being best to zero being worst, Jaxon's Chix Tenders gets 2.5 buckets of ranch dressing. 

For more information about Jaxon's Chix Tenders, head to their website by clicking here: https://jaxonschixtenders.com/

Mario’s Butcher Shop, so Nice I Went Twice

Mario's Butcher Shop 

1000 Bristol Street North

Newport Beach, CA 92660 

This post is a little different from most of my restaurant reviews. Usually, when I visit a restaurant they have only one chance to make an impression. Since I pay for most of my meals, I can not make multiple trips to the same restaurant, as that would get quite expensive. I almost always try to eat with a group of friends or get a combo meal, so I can share with you a better view of what a restaurant is all about. For this review, I did make two separate trips a few months apart to Mario's Butcher Shop. 

Mario's opened in June of last year, and almost immediately after opening their doors, I started hearing amazing things about their sandwiches and burgers. The OC Register has run a couple of articles about this place, citing their smoked pastrami sandwich as one of the best around, and also naming Mario's one of the top 7 butcher shops in OC. There were also nice write-ups in the Newport Beach Independent and a very detailed article on the Eater LA website.  

There actually is a Mario here, and it's Mario Llamas. He's originally from the South Bay, went to culinary school, and moved to Mexico for fourteen years to work at an Argentine steakhouse in Guadalajara. When he moved back to the states, he was working in restaurants, but the long hours kept him away from his kids. He took an apprenticeship with West Coast Prime Meats and learned the art of becoming a butcher. When he was furloughed in 2020 because of the pandemic a friend suggested that he open a butcher shop, and thus Mario's Butcher Shop became a reality. 

Mario's is located near the corner of Bristol and Jamboree, in the same shopping plaza as French fave, Moulin, Vibe Organic Kitchen and Juice, and Il Barone Italian Restaurant. The inside of the space is dominated by the well-stocked meat case, which has some nice cuts of high-end meats for sale.  There's also a grab-and-go section that features salads, beverages, and other sides.  

I purposely picked pre-lunch times to order from Mario's. Ordering was very easy through their website, and once I reached their storefront, my food was ready within a couple of minutes of the promised time. The online menu features a great number of sandwiches and burgers, along with breakfast items for early risers. I'm not entirely sure if they serve breakfast all day, as the hours are not posted on their website. Also, keep an eye out for specials on their Instagram page, which they update semi-frequently. Enough background, let's see the food. 

Here's the first of two things that I got on my maiden voyage to Mario's Butcher Shop, starting with their Grass-Fed Burger ($12) and Potato Salad ($6). This burger came dressed with sliced cheese, tomato, and a little lettuce on a very soft bun which got a little misshapen on the car ride home. The burger patty was thick, with crispy sides due to contact with the flattop. The meat was juicy and full of flavor, while the rest of the burger components complimented the beef wonderfully. I'd probably get this with bacon next time, as I think it would make the burger pop a bit more. The potato salad at Mario's is probably the best I have ever tasted. Great consistency to it, lots of herbs included, and a good creaminess to it. I could not get enough and found myself licking the container clean.  

For the second part of my initial Mario's visit, I selected the Corned Beef Rueben ($15). Ths sandwich came with Russian dressing, sauerkraut, pickles, and thinly sliced corned beef on toasted rye bread. I'm more partial to pastrami, but this corned beef was fine. I expected a little bit more meat on this sandwich, which would have helped the corned beef stand out a bit more. It was a little overshadowed by the kraut and Russian dressing. A well-put-together sandwich, but one that I would personally skip on my future visits to Mario's. 

I went big with my second visit, starting things off with this Smash Burger ($7). Smash burgers are all the rage right now, as my Instagram feed is filled with them every time I log on. For those of you that are not aware, a smash burger is smashed on the grill, which causes more surface area in contact with the heat source, thus creating a toasty, crisped burger. I'm not a big smash burger fan, as I usually like more girth to my burgers, but this one was delicious. Not dried out like some tend to be. I'd probably get a double smash burger next time, which would be right in my wheelhouse. 

Even better was the Patty Melt ($13). Cheese, onion, and pickles on rye bread. Yes, the patty was a little on the thin side, but I could taste the high-quality beef that they use here and the cheese and onions were plentiful. I'd probably ask for a double patty the next time I get this, which will make it even better.   

Pastrami on Rye ($14) is what gets the most love at Mario's, and after my first bite, I can see why. This is one of the better pastrami sandwiches in OC. The pastrami is sliced perfectly, not too thin not too thick, so it showcases the delicious pastrami really well. The coleslaw, Swiss cheese, and a touch of mustard add just enough supporting clout, to make this a very balanced sandwich. It was a true pleasure eating this, and I did not want it to end. After my first trip to Mario's, I could not skip the potato salad. It might have been even better on this second visit. Do not miss it.  

Mario's is a true gem not only for people living nearby but for all of OC. The pastrami is the thing to get here, but I look forward to eating my way through the rest of their menu in the near future. They have recently run a Cuban sandwich special that looks amazing, and I'd also like to try their breakfast options at some point. The prices here are pretty competitive with other spots right now, so you might as well visit Mario's to try their elevated sandwiches and burgers. I'm very happy I made two trips here, but they will definitely not be my last. 

Out of five wrestling mats, (because the most famous Mario I can think of is Mario Lopez, star of Saved By the Bell, where he played wrestler, A.C. Slater), five being best to zero being worst, Mario's Butcher Shop gets 3.5 wrestling mats. 

For more information about Mario's butcher Shop, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.mariosbutchershopdeli.com/

Rock and Roll All Night at Rock and Brews

 

 Rock and Brews

1222 Irvine Blvd. 

Tustin, CA 92780

Theme restaurants have never done it for me. Theme restaurants are eateries that use a theme to create a memorable experience. Some examples that you might be familiar with are Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, Chuck E. Cheese, Hard Rock Cafe, Planet Hollywood, Medieval Times, and Rainforest Cafe. Not really a glowing collection of restaurants that I would ever want to return to. Tasty food seems to be an afterthought for all of these places, but I was hoping that maybe Rock and Brews in Tustin was going to be able to break the curse of bad theme restaurants. 

Rock and Brews started off as a whim between five guys after a KISS concert in 2010. In attendance were a concert promoter and his brother, a well-respected restauranteur, and Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of the rock band KISS. They all wanted to create a restaurant that prepares their cuisine in a scratch kitchen using the freshest ingredients they can get their hands on, all in a rock and roll atmosphere. That's what their website states, so I was definitely intrigued, and enlisted my sister and nieces to join Katie and me on a long-overdue dinner meetup. 

By my count, Rock and Brews now have 12 locations, not including a number of spots in casinos and airports. Their menu predictably features plenty of musical wordplay in describing their menu items. Plenty of starters, pizzas, sandwiches, burgers, salads, sides, and desserts are available. Just a couple of items eclipse the twenty dollar mark, with most hovering around the $15 mark, which is a pretty low price point these days. 

This Tustin location we visited used to be home to a Lonestar Steakhouse, but it has been completely revamped and is unrecognizable from those days. The restaurant seems way more spacious, with high ceilings, a large bar off to the right side of the restaurant, and lots of band posters and TVs hanging throughout the restaurant. We were seated on the outside patio, which was heated, so we were pretty comfortable. Let's see if Rock and Brews can break the theme restaurant curse of mediocre food. 

Katie has been pretzel crazy ever since she went off her keto diet. I guess she's making up for the lost time. The Giant Soft Authentic Bavarian Pretzel ($12.95) is not really my cup of tea, but everyone else seemed to dig it. It came with spicy mustard, which definitely had a kick to it. Katie decided to upgrade her pretzel experience by opting to have the Bier Cheese ($3.95). I found this sauce to be a little on the thin side, so I preferred the mustard in the few bites that I had. 

Loaded Potato Skins ($12.95) are way more my jam. These ones at Rock and Brews come with a mix of cheddar and pepper jack, candied bacon, green onion, and ranch. These were just okay. They kind of skimped on the cheese, and I'm not even sure if there was any pepper jack included here. They placed just a small sprinkling of bacon on each potato and I would have rather had sour cream instead of the ranch that these were topped with. Not awful, but not memorable. 

My niece is approaching adulthood but still orders off of the kid's menu for some reason. This is an improvement over the two years when she ate nothing but buttered noodles when she was younger. On this evening she ventured out by getting the kid's menu Mac and Cheese ($8.95). From what I saw this appeared to have come straight from the Kraft box, which makes sense since kids love that stuff. This also came with fries, which made this a double starch meal for my beloved niece.  

My sister had the Beer Battered Fish and Chips ($17.95). I'm not sure what kind of fish they use here at Rock and Brews, but it's probably not a good sign that my sister was unsure whether they had made the mistake of giving her chicken strips instead of fish. She decided it was fish, but wish it had a crunchier breading around it.  

Katie was pretty happy with her Key Club Turkey BLTA ($15.95). This turkey sandwich came on a french roll with sliced turkey, avocado, tomato, garlic aioli, lettuce, bacon, and melted swiss. She felt this was a nicely put-together sandwich with fresh produce and a nicely done garlic aioli. The onion rings are the way to go here. They had a crunchy breading and were served nice and hot. 

I steered clear of the pretty tasty burger I had here once during the pandemic and went with the Demon Chicken Sandwich ($17.95). This scary-sounding sandwich came dressed with sliced pepper jack cheese, jalapenos, a habanero slaw, chipotle ranch, marinated red onions, and just for good measure the fried chicken breast is tossed in their Rockin hot sauce. You'd think this would be way too overloaded with heat, but it was more subtle than I thought it would be. The chicken breast had a nice crunch to it, and as I ate this, the heat intensified, but not to the point where it became unbearable. I opted to not get the fries with this and went with the Caesar Salad instead. The salad was okay, but tomatoes do not belong on a caesar salad, ever.  

The grand finale for us this evening was the Giant Brownie Sundae ($9.95). A very simple sundae with a brownie topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream. This was fine but it would have been better if the brownie was warmed up a bit and if they would have used hot fudge instead of chocolate syrup. I had two bites and then let the rest of them spoon fight over the rest. 

Rock and Brews definitely could not break the theme restaurant curse. For all the talk on their website about being a scratch kitchen and using locally sourced ingredients, I find it hard to believe that what I tasted this evening was not delivered on a truck within the last week or two. That's not a knock on them, but don't try to portray themselves as something they are not. Rock and Brews is fine for what it is, safe, casual food, with a menu where almost everyone can find something that they'd like to order. It's like a Chili's with better music. Not awful, but not anything that I'd rush back for. 

Out of five jars of face makeup, (because I'm sure the guys in KISS have used more than their fair share of face makeup over the decades that they have been in the music industry), five being best to zero being worst, Rock and Brews gets 2.5 jars of face makeup. 

For more information about Rock and Brews, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.rockandbrews.com/