Searching For the Best Breakfast Burrito!

Lucky Boy Drive-In Restaurant

640 S. Arroyo Pkwy

Pasadena, CA 91105

Breakfast burritos. I dream about them every morning. I know I should be working, but I can not get the thought of them out of my head. It has occurred to me that I live in an area devoid of great breakfast burritos. I have found passable ones, decent ones, and ones that I would not consider ever eating again. I just have not found one that has that WOW factor. That is until now.

I present to you Lucky Boy in Pasadena. I had heard about this place from my friend, Mike at work. He definitely knows food, and we have similar tastes when it comes to it. I had heard him mention this place before with such conviction that this was the best burrito he has ever had, so I put this on my list of places to try.

The perfect opportunity to swing by Lucky Boy was a night Katie and I were headed up to Burbank for an engagement party. We put the engagement party on hold, got off the freeway, and thanks to our GPS hopefully found our breakfast burrito bliss. Lucky Boy is a burger stand that appears to serve a little bit of everything you would expect, pastrami sandwiches, fish and chips, burgers, and chili fries. All of these sounded great, but we were here for one reason, and one reason only, breakfast burritos. They serve breakfast from 6 to 10:30 am, but the breakfast burrito is served all day long. Let's take a look at one.

Behold the power of the burrito. It looks heavy just sitting there. The burrito probably weighed in at about three quarters of a pound or more. I liked the grill marks on the tortilla. So what about the inside you ask, let's delve deeper into the burrito.

Yes, this burrito is definitely worth two pictures. Whole strips of bacon resting along side grated cheese, eggs, and very smooth potatoes. In fact it is very rare that bacon gets moved out of the spotlight, but these potatoes did that. They almost tasted like the inside of a twice baked potato. It had the right amount of potato to meat ratio, that many restaurants can get wrong. My only complaint about this was that there was not enough egg. Maybe with all of the other big flavors going on here it got lost in the shuffle. The green sauce that was served with this, added just enough flavor to remind you that you were eating a burrito.

So now I ask any of you out there, where can I find a great breakfast burrito in the OC? I know there has to be a place that I have missed, or at least I am hoping that I have just missed it because, I do not want to move up the 210 freeway to Pasadena.

Out of five leprechaun's, (because they are definitely lucky), five being best to zero being worst, Lucky Boy Drive-In receives 3.5 leprechaun's.

For more information on Lucky Boy, click here: http://www.luckyboyburgers.com/

Will Genghis Khan Win the War Over Other Mongolian Places? - CLOSED

Genghis Khan

23615 El Toro Road

Lake Forest, CA 92630

Kevin and Sara suggested that we all go out to dinner before they left for London. We were so happy they were leaving that we let them pick where we should go. They opted for Genghis Khan in Lake Forest. I have been told that Genghis Khan has been around for over twenty years, like a record in South OC. It can be hard to find; it is behind Fuddrucker's and tucked in the corner of the shopping center.

I visited another Mongolian barbecue restaurant, Big Grill, in Mission Viejo. You can read that review here. The basic premise of Mongolian barbecue is that you stuff frozen curls of meat, vegetables, and noodles into a bowl, then add oil and sauces to adjust the flavor and spiciness. It's a simple concept. Let's see if all Mongolian barbecue is the same.

Here are two quick pictures of raw food. This restaurant was more careful when refiling the ingredients that would become your entree. Meat choices included beef, pork, chicken, and lamb. The veggies were fresh, even with noodles that could be added to your bowl.

The sign above gives you the amounts of oil and sauce to add to your bowl. I had three helpings of this and tried all the different sauces, but I could not tell the difference between them. The only thing that made my bowls of meat spicy was the hot pepper sauce you put on after cooking.

Before you hand your bowl over to the cook, it should look like this, (I will admit that these were not mine. I usually only fill my bowl with meat and onions, but these pictures made me look like I was eating healthy!).

Now, the finished product. You can see by the absence of vegetables that these were my bowls. After getting your food from the cook, it is super-lava hot, so it is best to let it rest for a minute or two. Depending on your preference, you can eat this straight out of the bowl or stuff it in the pocket biscuits pictured below. Both ways were good, but I like eating it right out of the bowl.

These pocket biscuits were better here than they were at Big Grill. They were bigger and could hold all of the contents of your bowl.

The all-you-can-eat meal also includes soup or salad. These were just average and very forgettable.

Genghis Khan is not a place to go to impress anyone. The decor is no-frills, the wait staff is average, and the side items are just fair. You will get a very filling meal made with fresh ingredients at a fair price ($12.50 for the all-you-can-eat option). I don't know which Mongolian barbecue place is better. I would have to concede that all Mongolian barbecue is created equal.

So out of five Omar Sharifs (because he was in the 1965 movie Genghis Khan), five being best to zero being worst, Genghis Khan gets 3 Omar Sharifs.

For more information about Genghis Khan, head to their website here: https://www.gkmongolianbbqlakeforest.com/

Fair Food at Joe's? - CLOSED

Joe's

124 W. Commonwealth

Fullerton, CA 92832

We have been to downtown Fullerton a lot recently, visiting Roscoe's, Heroes, and Slidebar in the last few months. Now, we were headed to Joe's for a Food Frenzy event, Foodie Fest IV, and to wish Food Frenzy columnist Niyaz good luck in his future endeavors because he was leaving Food Frenzy after a three-year stint at the Register.

I had never been to Joe's before. Going in, I knew they had a very odd menu, and that will become evident to you in a bit. The vibe at Joe's is just like all the other joints in downtown Fullerton: kind of laid-back, with a kind of grunge feel to it. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. Let's see about the food.

The menu at Joe's can be described as a county fair meets Cajun backwoods restaurant. Above is the appetizer Rocky Mountain Oysters. If you have no idea what this is, simply put, it is bull testicles. They are pounded flat, breaded, and then deep-fried. I had one of these, and they did not taste too bad. It was not as chewy as I thought, and the breading dominated the flavor. I was unsure I would get a whole order of these, but I was game since everyone was trying them.

Katie's pick for dinner was Lido's Goat-Cheese-Stuffed Italian Sausage, served with grilled peppers, onions, and marinara. She subbed out the zucchini squash for the fries. She felt the goat cheese was non-existent in this sausage. She liked the sweetness of the peppers and marinara and felt that it balanced the subtle spiciness of the sausage. I did not try her food because I had my hands full of my meal.

I had Joe's Picks, a sampling of three of the most popular sausages at Joe's. Rattlesnake, rabbit, duck, bacon, and chicken and jalapeno sausages served with condiments. The condiments were sauerkraut, chopped tomatoes, and a delicious kind of jalapeno pepper slaw. My favorite sausage of the night was the chicken and jalapeno sausage. It had a great spicy flavor and worked well with the jalapeno slaw. The flavor just burst out of its casing. The rattlesnake and rabbit were the second-best, with its smoky flavor. This worked well with the sauerkraut. The duck and bacon sausage was a little too salty and a little bland for my taste. If you want to try a variety of their sausages, this is the plate for you.

Joe's is known as a sausage place and for their deep-fried desserts. What we have above is the Fried PB&J. This could be one of the best desserts we have had in a long while. They serve this with ice cream, chocolate sauce, and berries on top. Alone, the sandwich was a little dry, but with the ice cream, it became magical. I will never look at a peanut butter and jelly sandwich the same way again. Definitely get this when you come here.

Joe's is a novelty restaurant that is definitely worth a visit. The menu features many items that are not available elsewhere (smoked ostrich sausage, frog legs, a whole turkey leg, fried Ho-Ho's, and cupcakes, to name a few). The prices at Joe's are steep; the entrees average around $11, and the desserts are more reasonable at $6.75. But the adventure of eating smoked alligator or fried pepperoni chips is worth it.

Out of five coffees (because another name for coffee is Joe, sorry, I know that is corny), five being best to zero being worst, Joe's gets 3 coffees.

Joe's does not have a website, but you can find reviews here: http://joesbarfullerton.com/

Football Frenzy #4 - Draft Choice - CLOSED

Draft Choice Sports Grill

30100 Town Center Drive #A

Laguna Niguel, CA 92677

We are still on our quest to find the perfect spot to watch NFL football in the OC. Are criteria is pretty simple; good food, good service, and good atmosphere. This should be no trouble at all. Well, we have found some decent places to watch the games, but not the ultimate place we would like to hang out all the time. Let's see if Draft Choice can become that place.

Draft Choice is located in a sleepy, little strip mall off of Crown Valley. From the outside, it looks very small, but once inside it balloons up to almost double the size it appears from the outside. The interior is dark, but the glow from the many TVs lights the way. They have well over thirty TVs here, and projection ones as well. No matter where you sit, you will be able to see a good many of the games. A very good layout for watching many games.

We arrived midway through the afternoon games, so we were relegated to sitting at a covered pool table. The waitress came over quickly and took our order. I had read reviews on other web sites that the service here had been poor, but we got nothing but good service. It might be different in the morning when they are a little busier, but that is what we experienced.  Now on to the food.

To start off, we ordered Irish Nachos. This mound of fries was covered in cheese and bacon and served with ranch dip. This was more than enough for Katie and I. The first ten bites of this were good, but then it just started tasting like a giant salt lick. This appetizer in moderation would have been good though.

Katie had your basic Turkey Sandwich with salad as a side item. She felt that this was just your basic sandwich. Nothing much to say about it other than it filled her up. I did not try a bite of this.

I went the turkey route also with the Turkey Melt. I was expecting something a little different here. Maybe the vegetables threw me off, or the fact that a melt came with avocado, but this was not what I had envisioned when I ordered it. A melt is supposed to have cheese, and here the cheese was indistinguishable. It was not bad, but again after the Irish nachos, I should have gone with something a little less salty.

The food at Draft Choice is your average bar food. Knowing that when you walk in helps you take it for what it's worth. The food is definitely not meant to be the star at Draft Choice, that would be the sports. The atmosphere was good, there were a lot of people that were definitely into the games. The service was good also, no major problems.

I like Draft Choice, but unfortunately, this will not be crowned ultimate football hangout. The food is just okay, and it needs to be better. The atmosphere and the service were good enough when we were here, but it might have been helped by my team's miracle win over the much-hated Colts.

Out of five Bert Bell's, (NFL commissioner, who invented the draft in 1935), five being best to zero being worst, Draft Choice gets 2.5 Bert Bell's.

Draft Choice does not have a web site, but you can check out reviews here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/draft-choice-sports-grill-laguna-niguel

Following the Stampede to Elephant Bar - CLOSED

Elephant Bar

24155 Laguna Hills Mall #1055

Laguna Hills, CA 92653

It is rare that my friend, Laurie gets out of the house for happy hour. She is a mother of two and is always busy running around taking the kids to school, working at her job, and trying to find time to keep up the house duties. So when she got a spare minute to meet up for happy hour, the only hesitation from us was, where should we go?

We headed to Elephant Bar at the Laguna Hills Mall. We had been here one other time and remembered that they had good deals during happy hour. Elephant Bar has 47 locations in 10 different states. They have two Orange county restaurants, the other OC spot is in Irvine. Elephant Bar has been around since 1980, and they specialize in Asian inspired food. Their happy hour is from 3 to 7, Monday through Friday, and 9 to close seven days a week. Let's see if this happy hour will make us happy.

To start off we both got two of their $4 cocktails. Laurie got the Classic Mojito with Cruzan Estate Rum. I went with a Long Island Ice Tea. We both thought that these were decent prices for these drinks. I thought my Long Island was okay, not the best tasting one I have ever had, but not the worst either. Laurie felt that her Mojito was refreshing, and she must have liked it because she ordered another one later on. Some of their other drink specials included a $2 Margarita, $3 well drinks, and $4 Mai Tai's and large draft beers. Let's check out the food.

Laurie's first choice for an appetizer was the $4 Vietnamese Shrimp Spring Rolls. I made a point of telling you that this was Laurie's choice because these were awful. The only reason I knew that these had shrimp in them was because it said so on the menu. Tasteless is one word comes to mind, and avoidance is another. The two sauces that came with this barely added any flavor to these spring rolls. Stay away from these!

Laurie redeemed herself with her next pick, the $4 Artichoke Dip. I am not saying that this was the best artichoke dip ever, but after eating the tasteless spring rolls, this was a big improvement. This came out piping hot and had a good consistency. We polished this off pretty quick.

The start of round two of appetizers arrived, and leading off were the $6 Niu Niu Coconut Shrimp Skewers. These heavily breaded shrimp were just okay. No coconut taste present, let alone shrimp. This dish that had flavor written all over it, disappointed us with its mediocrity.

Our last appetizer of the evening was the $4 Baja Chicken Quesadilla. Now, this had to have some flavor right? No, it did not. This was your basic quesadilla, it did have a fair amount of chicken in it, but the taste was pretty bland. Still, this quesadilla was our second favorite appetizer of the night, although that does not say too much.

The happy hour at Elephant Bar is a good deal for people who are not too picky when it comes to food. The way the restaurant was packed, it seems like a lot of people fit into this category. The drink specials are pretty good, and the only redeeming value about the food is, that it will soak up some of the alcohol in your system. So the next time Laurie gets an afternoon off, we will have to find another happy hour to try. If you have any advice on where we should go for a great happy hour, please leave a comment.

Out of five Stampy's, (Bart's pet elephant on the Simpsons), five being best to zero being worst, Elephant Bar gets 2 Stampy's.

For more information on Elephant Bar, click here: http://www.elephantbar.com/

Barbecue Bliss at Blake's Place?

Blake's Place

2905 E. Miraloma #3

Anaheim, CA 92806

Ever since we got back from our vacation to Dallas, Katie and I have been on our own personal journey to find the best barbecue that Orange county has to offer. We have tried several places, chain restaurants, hole in the wall places, and reader recommended joints. One thing that all these places had in common, was the fact that they were not as good as anything we had in Texas. I am not saying that all of these were bad, but they all were lacking in one aspect, either the meats were not good, or the sides were weak, or a mixture of both. Let's see if Blake's can break our streak.

Blake's Place is located off the beaten track to say the least. Located in a very industrial area, and opened 14 years ago, they have a rabid following and glowing testimonials from local magazines, newspapers, and fellow bloggers. So needless to say, I was very excited to see what Blake's Place had in store for us.

My Mom has a small appetite, so she opted for the Half Sandwich and Salad. For her sandwich, she got the pulled pork. This sandwich was killer. The crispness of the Coleslaw, the right amount of sauce, and the tender meat made this sandwich a winner. Mom gushed, "the sandwich had a really good flavor, and the sweet sauce was a good compliment to it."

My indecisive Dad went with the Sandwich Sampler, a great deal at $7.99. The sandwich sampler had three half sandwiches of smoked beef brisket, turkey, and pork. My Dad felt that these sandwiches were great, and made better when he added extra sauce, because he likes things, " a little messy". I also thought that these sandwiches were good. The meats were moist, and you could taste the smokiness, but it did not overpower the meat.

Katie and I decided we would split two items. I was really hungry, so our first dish was Blake's Big Rib Plate. This mountain of ribs featured baby backs, pork spare ribs, and a beef rib. Also included were Blake's BBQ beans, Coleslaw, French fries, and garlic bread. I could have eaten this all by myself, but I had a little something else on the way. The meat fell off of the bone with all of these ribs. They say that they slow cook all of there meats, some up to 16 hours, and it shows. The baby backs were my favorite, with the beef rib a close second. The sides here were good as well. The fries were crisp, the Coleslaw had a good flavor, with a decent amount of dressing on it, and the beans had a sweet tang to them. Excellent rib plate!

Pictured above, and definitely worth a second look is The Beast. This two and a half pound sandwich is the type of food that makes a place a legend! The sandwich has pulled pork, pulled BBQ chicken, chopped beef, Coleslaw, pickle, red onion, and BBQ sauce. They have an eating challenge with this sandwich, (the record is four minutes and five seconds), but I wanted to be able to enjoy it, and I am so glad I did. The meat was so tender and flavorful, even the bun was good. I tackled this sandwich with a knife and fork, and could not get it down quick enough.

I think I have found my barbecue nirvana. All of the items that we tried were really good, and there is definitely more on the menu that I would love to try in the future. The prices were not exorbitant, they may even be too cheap. Even writing this post has made my mouth water. I think it is time to go back!

Out of five Fred's, (because that was the name of Robert Blake's cockatoo on Baretta), five being best to zero being worst, Blake's Place gets four solid Fred's.

For more information on Blake's Place, click here: http://www.blakesplacebbq.com/