Headed Down Memory Lane to Knowlwood - CLOSED

Knowlwood

5665 E. La Palma Ave

Anaheim, CA 92807

There are not too many restaurants that are still in business for the people of the OC to be nostalgic for. A lot of the restaurants that I grew up with have shuttered a long time ago. There are some exceptions though. Mama Cozza's, Jolly Roger, Mexi-Casa, Farrells, and Benjie's come to mind. Ironically these have all been reviewed by us, and you can read these reviews by clicking on the right-hand side of the page, under our restaurant roll call section. Back to this post though, and another restaurant I have memories growing up with, Knowlwood.

My family and I used to go to the original Knowlwood. Same location as they are now, but completely redone from the ground up. Knowlwood has been around since 1957.  To show how long ago that was, consider that Dwight Eisenhower was President back then. I really just wanted to reference the 34th president once in this blog, mission accomplished.

Back in those days, there was no 91 Freeway, there were orange groves all over the place, and  Roy and Faye Knowlton, along with Gene Wood opened a hamburger stand on Imperial Highway that served road-weary travelers. As the county grew around them, they kept serving burgers, which the locals called, "the worlds best!". I remember going to the old restaurant. Gravel parking lot, lights strung up over picnic benches outside, old screen doors that clanked shut behind you, and a fireplace that was outside, and might have been part of the restaurant at one time, but was just a place for little kids, like myself to climb all over.

Those days are long past. Knowlwood now has a more modern feel, even though they are trying to replicate the restaurant being in an old barn. They still have some picnic tables and benches here, but there are booths as well. Ordering is done at the counter and then your number is called when your order is ready to be picked up. The restaurant was pretty packed when we got here at 6 on a Wednesday night. Let's see if the food is as good as we remember.

Judging from my niece's face, you can see that Lillie is very happy with her Kid's Corn Dog Meal ($3.79). My other nieces got the Kid's Chicken Strip Meal ($4.39). The kid's meals come with a refillable beverage, cookie, and fries or oranges, (what kind of kid will pass up fries in favor of oranges?). The girls had no problem finishing these baskets of fried goodness off in record time.

The birthday boy, aka my Dad, was not in the mood for a burger, so he selected the French Beef Dip ($5.39), served with au jus on the side. He told me that he always gets this sandwich when eating at Knowlwood. He likes the fresh bun, the quantity of the meat, and the au jus is always served hot.

Maybe my family forgot that this place is nicknamed, world's best burgers. My sister Kristin ended up ordering the Fish and Chips ($6.39). At Knowlwood they hand batter, then deep fry cod, and serve it with tartar sauce. Kristin called this, "okay, not fantastic or exciting". She also mentioned that she expected a little more from this fish and chips that was just a step above frozen grocery store fish.

Hey, what do you know, we finally got an actual burger. Our good friend Todd got this World's Best Burger ($4.19) with a whole wheat bun. The burgers came with all the usual; tomato, lettuce, grilled onions on request, pickles, and your choice of either thousand island dressing or their signature creamy mustard. Todd felt this burger was just a step above a burger you could get at a fast food place. I did not try this burger, but it did look as appetizing as a fast-food burger. He did enjoy the fries though.

Jarrod kept the burger parade a coming when he got the World's Best Cheeseburger ($5.69). He was very pleased with this burger. You can not see it in the picture, but he got his burger with a thousand island dressing and bacon. The picture does show the perfectly melted cheese.

Katie would make a vegetarian very confused when she ordered the Veggie Cheeseburger ($5.69). This meatless patty was served on a wheat bun. She was not a fan of this burger, calling the meat, "mushy", and the cheese, "kind of like plastic". Not one of the top 50 veggie burgers she has had.

I went with one of Knowlwood's most popular sandwiches, the Frisco Burger ($5.99). This burger had a little bit of everything on it. Bacon, lettuce, cheese, tomato, pickles, grilled onions, and thousand island dressing all on grilled Parmesan sourdough bread. I liked half of this burger. The first half I had, the beef covered the whole slice of bread, while the other half of my sandwich barely covered a quarter of the toast on the other side. This really needed a bigger patty. I should have paid the extra dollar and gotten the half-pound patty, instead of the one-third pound. The sandwich also came out lukewarm, almost like it was sitting for a while.

One thing I will always remember about Knowlwood is that they were the first place I ever had Irish Nachos ($4.29). I am not sure if they invented the cheese and bacon covered french fries, but I always recall enjoying this appetizer as a kid. It is still a pretty good concoction. Worth noting is that they make their own Ranch dressing, and it is still one of the best I have had in a restaurant. They got the consistency of the dressing down to an art form. Not too runny, good and subtle flavor, and thick enough to coat a french fry. It helps make this a go-to side item here.

Knowlwood is not the same as I remember growing up. Maybe it is the fact that my tastes have evolved. What I thought tasted good at age 7 does not even sound good anymore. I mean I even liked putting mayonnaise on my hot dogs as a kid. I could not even stomach that now. I am not saying anything here tasted like a hot dog with mayo on it, but I am saying tastes change. It could also be that I have become accustomed to much better burgers. I mean Slater's 50/50 is in the same neighborhood as Knowlwood, and there is no comparison between the two. I know bacon makes everything taste better, but even Slater's regular patty, without bacon had more behind it than the burgers at Knowlwood. The service and atmosphere here were pretty good, but the food did have temperature issues. Prices have remained pretty decent here. Glad to see one of the restaurants from my childhood still up and running. It makes me feel a little less old.

Out of five Frisbee's, (because the same year that Knowlwood started was the same year as the Whamo Company introduced the world to the flying disc, the Frisbee), five being best to zero being worst, Knowlwood gets 2.5 Frisbee's

For more information on Knowlwood, click here: http://www.knowlwoodrestaurants.com/

On Safari to Pita Jungle -CLOSED

Pita Jungle

1200 Bison Avenue

Newport Beach, CA 92660

It was Katie's birthday, and where does she want to go to eat? That fancy steak place in Corona Del Mar? Maybe an Italian Bistro in Stanton? No, she wanted to try Pita Jungle in Newport Beach. Is there any doubt now why I love this girl? She makes everything so easy for me.

Pita Jungle is new to the area. This Arizona transplant was started in 1994, by three friends that gave up their jobs in broadcasting and engineering. This turned out to be a great move for them. They now have 14 locations in their home state of Arizona, and 3 in California, (the other two CA locations are Pasadena and San Diego).

Their first OC location is located where the old Blockbuster Video was. The building is now transformed into a much bigger space than I had imagined. The restaurant not only is larger than I expected, but also features high ceilings, plenty of space between tables, and as an added bonus they have large artworks on the walls for sale and display.

We arrived at 12:30 on a Wednesday and the place was packed with urban professionals having their lunch hours. We were seated immediately though. The menu here is definitely geared towards a more healthy individual than me. The menu is dominated by pitas, wraps, salads, and wood-fired pizzas. Even with my anti-healthy eating campaign, I was hoping that I could find something here to eat. Let's see what we came up with.

Starting us off is the Roasted Bell Pepper Hummus ($6.69). For you humus rookies, this was made with chickpea puree, roasted red bell peppers, tahini, and seasoned with garlic and lemon juice. If I had ordered plain hummus I would have been more pleased with this. The red pepper was not evident at all here. We should have ordered the Jalapeno Hummus instead. Other than the lack of flavor, the hummus had a great, smooth texture and went well with the fresh pita bread. We ran out of bread before all the dip was gone. We should have ordered more, but did not. It would have only cost us an extra 50 cents. A good-sized portion of humus though.

Fair warning, both Katie and I got hot pita sandwiches. Sorry, for the lack of variety that we ordered here. I could not make her change since she was the birthday tyrant this day. She went with the Mediterranean Roasted Chicken (Shawarma) ($7.29). I am one of three people in the world that has not seen The Avengers, but even I know this movie makes reference to shawarma. We ate here before the movie came out, so we could have been the trendsetters, but more than likely it was the Avengers with their large box office totals. Anyways, this hot pita sandwich came with grilled marinated chicken breast, mixed greens, pickles, onions, tomatoes, garlic sauce, and tahini. Katie liked the pickles and onions on this but felt the garlic sauce was a little on the thin side. She also felt the chicken could have been more tender. The pita bread really held the contents inside well, while being very fresh.

As promised I got a hot pita as well, the Philly Steak Pita ($7.99). With the Pita Jungle menu, this was as close to a no brainer choice for me as there has ever been. This pita came with steak sauteed with onions, bell pepper, mushrooms, and mozzarella cheese. When I saw this pita, I thought I was going to have to order another one to fill me up. This was not the case though. This was packed with steak and cheese, but the meat needed to be seasoned a lot more. It tasted real plain. The bell peppers were tender, and the pita bread was a little on the doughy side but did its job of keeping things intact.

Pita Jungle is another place that is not really geared towards a guy like myself, but it was easy to find something for me to order here. The menu is large enough that I would definitely come back and give other items a try, including the aforementioned jalapeno hummus and their pizzas. The service the afternoon we were here was pretty good, for how busy they were. I was surprised that they used waiter service here, and not counter service. As you can see, prices were not too bad considering the area. In fact, I might even call this place a bargain, just based on the prices alone. Glad I could make the birthday girl happy with her birthday lunch.

Out of five capes, (because superheroes wear capes, and according to the Avengers movie, superheroes love shawarma), five being best to zero being worst, Pita Jungle gets 2.5 capes.

For more information about Pita Jungle, click here: http://www.pitajungle.com/

Moseying Down to the Ranch

The Ranch Restaurant 

1025 E. Ball Road

Anaheim, CA 92805

It is all about change. For the last six years, my family has been going to Mr. Stox to celebrate our family holidays. The months of May and early June are filled with birthdays and anniversaries, almost every other day during this time of year for us. Wanting something a little different, my Mom made reservations for a new restaurant in Anaheim, The Ranch Restaurant and Saloon. 

The Ranch Restaurant could not be in a stranger place. Located in an industrial area of Anaheim, on the ground floor of the six-story Extron Headquarters. This restaurant is the lifelong dream of the owner and founder of Extron, Andrew Edwards. He wanted to create a place that honors his love of dancing to country music while paying homage to some of the great country clubs of OC's past, the Crazy Horse and the Palomino Club. 

The Saloon and the Restaurant are under the same roof but have different entrances. Both have different menus as well. We were actually going to be eating at the Saloon until my parents found out there was going to be a five-dollar cover charge per person. Not wanting to spend an extra $30, (and sparing my ears from listening to country music), we opted to eat in the Ranch Restaurant instead. 

We got to the Ranch at 5:30 on a Sunday night, just after they had opened. Being in such an awkward place, the restaurant and mainly the saloon were filling up quick. The restaurant is dominated by polished dark wood. The feel is very contemporary. The seasonally driven menu is anchored by American regional cuisine, and the kitchen is led by Chef Michael Rossi, formerly of Napa Rose, and numerous other great restaurants. His resume is rather impressive. Keeping his family close, his brother is the pastry chef here.  With these guys at the helm, I was really looking forward to what they had in store for us, so let's take a look.

After we were seated we were brought their bread basket, or as they call it, The Wagon Wheel. 7 different kinds of rolls, Jalapeno, Squaw, Multi-Grain, and others that I could not write down fast enough as they were recited to me. I tried three of these, and they were all really good. The jalapeno was my favorite. I know, big shock. They were not shy about refilling this bread basket either. 

Even after the Wagon Wheel, we were presented with even more carbs, in the form of their signature item, Freshly Baked Popovers ($6), served with creamy butter and preserves. The popovers really reminded me of a Yorkshire pudding. I was not as happy with these as others at the table. The house-made preserves and the butter helped, but I felt these needed more substances behind them. They were hollow inside, and I thought the outside was a little overdone. Everyone else really liked these, so I was definitely in the minority about these popovers. 

I was the only one to order a salad at the Ranch, and that was a good thing because this Caesar Salad ($11) may not look big in the picture, but it was very good-sized. All six of us tried at least a few bites of this, and there was still plenty left over when the bowl got back to me. I enjoyed the subtle creamy garlic dressing on here, and there was plenty of it, along with a good amount of Sonoma dry jack cheese also. A good combination. My one complaint would be the size of the lettuce, it was too hard to handle because of its large size. Needed to be cut into smaller leaves. Good salad though.

It is entree time, so let's start with Katie's dinner for the evening, the Maplewood Smoked Free Range Chicken ($22). This half chicken was served on top of a rustic bread salad, which seems like just a fancy way of saying stuffing. I usually do not order chicken in restaurants because most are very dry, not the case here. The bird was juicy, had a great au jus to accompany it, and went well with the bread salad. One of the best chicken dishes I have had in a restaurant. 

After much perusing the menu, my Dad settled on the British Columbia Skuna Bay Salmon ($25). This hunk of fish was served with an interesting assortment of items including, black quinoa, pistachios, vine-dried grapes, and a tangerine nage. My Dad called this good and moist, with a light sear to it. The sauce was a little on the fruity side, but it all went well together. He was pleased with his choice.

Unlike the rest of us, my Mom knew she would be getting the Classic Pub Style Fish and Chips ($21) before she even sat down at the table. The fish and chips at the Ranch are made with Icelandic Haddock and covered in a batter made with Anchor Steam. The result was a light breading that was very flavorful, and not greasy at all. Not only were the fries stacked Jenga style, but they were well seasoned as well. My Mom would not hesitate to get this again.

This handsome-looking entree belonged to my Brother in Law, Jarrod. The Colorado Grass Fed Lamb Chops ($35) drew praise from him, and everyone that tried this plate. The lamb was served with sweet potatoes, whole grain mustard, and pecan spatzle. Jarrod felt this was a well-put-together plate. The lamb was tender and cooked perfectly, but he felt the portion size of this was a little light. 

I needed two pictures here because I wanted to show you the thickness of this Prime Rib ($44). Not only was this thick, but it was called, "the best prime rib I have ever had!", by my brother-in-law. It was cooked a wonderful medium rare and melted as you were eating this. The meat was paired with a white cheddar scalloped potato. My sister was a big fan of these potatoes. Very cheesy, without losing the taste of the well-cooked potatoes. 

Confit of Muscovy Duck Leg ($26) was my dinner on this night. I never thought ducks had such meaty legs. There was a lot of meat here. Not as greasy as some duck dishes can tend to be. The skin here had a great crispiness to it. The meat, while not greasy, still provided a great amount of smoky flavor. The duck was served with baby root vegetables and Beluga lentils. I had a hard time envisioning lentils with this plate, but they worked very well here. The root veggies were also cooked fork tender. Great plate.

Side dishes are sold separately at the Ranch. We ordered three for our table of six and had plenty to pass around and share. The Green Bean and Mushroom Casserole ($7) was definitely a crowd favorite. This is actually Grandma's recipe, and it reminded my sister of the holidays. It had a wonderful creaminess and came out scalding hot. The Creamed Spinach ($7) was a solid side item. I am in search of my favorite creamed spinach in OC, and this one is in the running. Like the green bean casserole, this needed some time to cool down. I would have liked a little more creaminess, but the spinach was spot on good. The Idaho Russet Mashed Potatoes ($6) were light and fluffy and full of butter. A winning combination. 

I am not usually a big fan of deconstructed desserts, but we ordered two of them. The first is this PBJ and Milk Chocolate Bar ($8). This peanut butter and jelly-based dessert had a little bit of everything. Concord grape jelly, caramelized banana ice cream, and of course peanut butter and chocolate. Very good, but a little hard to get all of the tastes into one bite. 

The S'More with a Twist was the other dessert we got. I love s'mores, and this dessert really nailed the taste of the campfire treat. The chocolate was twisted alongside a graham cracker ice cream, hazelnut crunch, and marshmallow fluff. The ice cream really did have the graham cracker taste down. I would have liked a little more marshmallow on this though. 

To be honest, when I heard we were going to the Ranch Restaurant I was not too excited. I had looked at the menu and was not wowed by it. After eating here though, I can say they have a new fan. I have been won over. Everything that I tried was so great. The menu is not huge, there are 12 items to choose from, but whichever one you choose you will be in for a treat. The service was outstanding. Our waiter Arron, really made us feel welcome, and he gave us some great suggestions. You can tell he takes great pride in his work. The vibe at the restaurant was not what I had expected either. I thought it would be a honky tonk atmosphere, but it was more of an upscale country vibe. Music did not drift into the restaurant at all, even though the Saloon is under the same roof. The Ranch Restaurant made for a great place to celebrate our family holidays. I think they have not seen the last of us. I feel bad for them already!

Out of five dinner bells, (because on a ranch they ring the dinner bell for dinner time, and if they are serving food as good as this, you will not want to be late), five being best to zero being worst, The Ranch Restaurant gets 4.5 dinner bells. 

For more information about The Ranch Restaurant, click here: http://www.theranch.com/

Turning a New Page at Chapter One

Chapter One: the modern local

227 N. Broadway

Santa Ana, CA 92701

I have recently connected with my second cousin after nearly twenty years. He is a great guy. He likes to partake in some alcoholic beverages, he likes some great movies and music, he also likes to eat at some places that I have been wanting to try for ages. Hip, cool places that I read about in the OC Weekly, and have yet to try. When we texted each other setting up our long awaited meeting, he suggested meeting at Chapter One: the modern local. Needless to say I was very excited with his suggestion.

We arrived at Chapter One at 6:30 on a Friday night. We did not have a reservation, but were sat immediately. The decor of this restaurant felt more like a den or bookstore. That supposedly is not by coincidence. Chapter One is paying homage to the fact that their present location used to be home to a bookstore for many years. A very nice touch remembering the past.

Chapter One is the brainchild of former partner of Haven Gastropub, Jeff Hall. As you may recall, (or probably not, since it was a long time ago), I was not too big of a fan of Haven. I thought they might be trying to hard with their tobacco ice cream and blue cheese and apple tart. I admit that since that time, my tastes may have evolved a bit more. I am planning on returning to Haven in the near future for a revisit, but for now we we turn our attention to Jeff's current venture, Chapter One.

The culinary cocktail list at Chapter One is quite the assortment of mixed drinks. To be honest I was a little intimidated by the list. A lot of these concoctions are new to me, and I have been drinking for twenty plus years. I felt a little out of touch, so I asked our helpful waitress to bring me the most popular, so she brought out the Moscow Mule. This drink features a house made ginger beer, Russian vodka, and a lime, in a copper cup. This was a great choice. Very refreshing, with a mild taste. You could get a little taste of the ginger after every sip. The copper cup kept the drink very cold throughout it's stay at our table. There must be quite a problem of thievery with these cups, because the menu asks for an ID or $25 deposit for the cup. We must have looked honest, because our waitress did not ask for either from us. Guess we fooled her, just kidding.

We made it to the Modern Local a half hour before happy hour ended, so we quickly ordered two tapas from the menu. The first of which was the Tempura Frog Legs above. I admit I ordered this mainly for the shock value. They were heavily battered, and served with a lemon grass oyster sauce, radish sprouts, and julienned ginger. I likened this to a greasy chicken drumstick. Not a bad flavor, but nothing that I would probably order again. Plenty of meat on these though.

Katie went with a safer pick off of the happy hour menu, The Min Mac and Cheese. The mac and cheese here is made with white cheddar and Fontina cheeses, a smoky bacon and caramelized onion relish, toasted panko, and truffle oil. She felt this was a rich and creamy mac and cheese. She was very fond of this, but was happy she had a smaller version of this, because it was very rich.

On to the entrees, and first up is Daryl's dinner, the Skirt Steak Chimichurri. He really wanted this steak well done, but they would not do it that way. Are you sure we are related? Well done? Anyways, they compromised and got this medium well. Some pieces of this were more on the medium side, and I was lucky enough to have gotten some of those pieces. I liked the flavor of this meat. The steak was marinated in an apple chimichurri sauce. Very nice subtle flavor, which still let the natural flavor of the meat shine through. This steak was served with red pepper yucca fries. I am not really a big fan of yucca fries, but Daryl finished most of these off.

Katie's dinner may look like a pizza, but this was the House Flatbread. At the Modern Local they include grilled chicken, spinach, caramelized onions, blue cheese beciamel, arugula, and an interesting bacon infused powder on their flatbread. Katie liked all of the ingredients on top of this flatbread, calling everything, "well balanced and fresh".  She was not as excited about the bacon infused powder. This did not pack the bacon punch it promised, and begged the question to be asked, "Why not just use real bacon?" Not sure of the answer to this, but Katie ended up liking this anyways.

I am not sure if you have heard, but starting on July 1st, Foie Gras will be banned in California. So a lot of restaurants are making the goose or duck liver a featured item on their menus for the next few months. At Chapter One they had a special burger this night, the Foie Gras Burger. This burger was great, and it disappeared quickly. The foie gras was very rich and complimented the burger patty wonderfully. The caramelized onions and brioche bun rounded this burger out perfectly. I would not hesitate ordering this again. I had higher hopes for the duck fat fries, but they were just okay. The house made ketchup was more of a marinara instead the red tomato ketchup we are used to.

After the entrees we went with three very unique desserts, including this one, the Milk and Cereal. This tasted exactly like it sounds. Vanilla panna cotta is layered on the bottom of the bowl, along with kataifi, Cinnamon Toast Crunch ice cream, and fresh berries. Very light dessert with a mild flavor. The ice cream really had the Cinnamon Toast Crunch flavor nailed down. The berries were fresh, the panna cotta was ice cold, and the kataifi added a great cereal texture. Katie really enjoyed this.

Daryl's dessert was another kind of interesting take on Elvis's favorite flavor combination, the PB and B. Here peanut butter ice cream was topped with maple bourbon caviar, then placed alongside a bruleed banana, topped with candied bacon, and a drizzle of chocolate oil on the plate. As odd as all of this sounds it actually went well together, and created good flavor combinations. This is another dessert that was not very heavy, like a lot of other desserts tend to be. This kind of dessert will not replace a big old slice of cake or an ice cream sundae for my tastes, but it was nice for a change.

My dessert was probably the biggest disappointment of the night for me here. Not really even a dessert, it is listed on the bar menu. This was a version of a beer float made with Banana Bread Beer. This whole thing was just odd to me. I was not a fan of the banana beer, and the peanut butter ice cream really got lost here. I should have stuck with one of their other desserts.

Chapter One was a hip dining experience that I was not so sure I would like, but ended up enjoying. It is really not the kind of place that is for everyone though. I can see how some people may think this place is trying too hard to be artsy with their food pairings and flavors. They do seem to care about the quality of their foods, and the customers taste experience. Prices were not as crazy as I had expected. Most dinners will set you back about $20. Their happy hour is a great way to go here. They have drink specials, and on some appetizers they offer almost fifty percent off of the regular prices. Happy hour is weekdays 3 to 7. Our service was really good. Our waitress was very bubbly, and was very patient with us. The menu does change here four times a year, so be prepared for one of your favorite items not being available for sure. Glad we met my cousin at Chapter One, and glad he has such good taste in food.

Out of five encyclopedias, (because on the bookshelf right by our seats, there were a few World Book Encyclopedias that were identical to the ones my parents had when we were growing up), five being best to zero being worst, Chapter One: the modern local gets 3.5 encyclopedias.

For more information on Chapter One: the modern local, click here: http://chapteronetml.com/

Does Simon Say to Eat at Simply Simon's?

Simple Simon's Bakery and Bistro

3639 Main Street

Riverside, CA 92501

It is not every day that I make it out to Downtown Riverside for lunch. In fact, to be more precise, I have never been to Riverside for lunch. I had to give a deposition for a work situation, so I did a little research about restaurants in the area where I was going to be. I had about three places picked out, and based on time and location I picked Simple Simon's.

Simple Simon's is located right in the heart of downtown, right near the Mission Inn. Lots of shopping and dining options around this area. I got to the restaurant a little after midday, and there were about six people in front of me. Simple Simon's was full of business professionals on their lunch hours. I was a little worried about finding a table, but there were plenty of seats inside, and they also have a patio out their back door.

Ordering is done at a counter. The line moved quicker than I had anticipated. Besides ordering your sandwich, you can also order drinks, salads, and baked goods along your way to the cash register. After I was done paying for my food, it was ready in about two minutes. Let's see how this lunch turned out.

I was not sure what I would be having when I walked in here, and I did not need to look any further down the menu than the first specialty sandwich listed, the Grilled Pastrami and Swiss. The bread was very good here. It was a very sturdy sourdough. Held the contents of the sandwich well, with a mild sourdough flavor. Well made bread. The pastrami was a little under spiced. It could not really stand on its own. It was made better with the spicy mustard served with this. I kind of liked the thicker cut of this pastrami for a change. With my sandwich, I was allowed to pick one side, so it was Potato Salad for me. This salad really had a nice texture to it. Some bites were smooth, while others you could really taste the rough cut of the celery and onions.

Since Simple Simon's is not only a bistro but also a bakery, I had to order one of their Chocolate Chip Cookies. Glad I did. This cookie was very solid. Plenty of chips and baked perfectly. Nice crunch around the outer edge and little chewier in the middle. I should have gotten a few of these to go, or at least have tried some of their other baked offerings.

Simple Simon's really reminded me of some of the delis I have been to back east. Not saying they are as great as some of the ones we went to in Boston and New York, but they are still pretty good. The style of Simple Simon's is what really reminds me of our back east trips. The dark woods, the high counters, and the bustling employees working hard to get the sandwiches out quick. Parts of the sandwich I had here were really good, but the pastrami was a slight let down. The cookie was excellent though. Prices for all the sandwiches are under $10. Not a crazy price for a solid sandwich, but not much of a bargain either. Be advised that Simple Simon's is only open for breakfast and lunch. They close at 5 on weekdays and are closed all day on Sunday. I would not hesitate to come back and try other sandwiches on their menu the next time I have to give a deposition for work. Hopefully, it will be soon, so I can have another cookie.

Out of five piemen, (because in the nursery rhyme Simple Simon, Simon met a pieman on the way to the fair), five being best to zero being worst, Simple Simon's Bakery and Bistro gets 3 piemen.

For more information about Simple Simon's Bakery and Bistro, visit their website here: https://www.simplesimonsbakerybistro.com/

Blazing On to the Burnt Truck

The Burnt Truck

Food Truck

Irvine, CA 

Fresh off of our first food truck review, we were ready to tackle another right away. Our first food truck review of Soho Taco resulted in a positive experience. On this particular Friday night, in an apartment complex near the Spectrum in Irvine, Soho Taco's partner in crime was the Burnt Truck.

The nice thing about food trucks is they seem to travel in clusters, or as in the case this night, in pairs. Very easy to do reviews of numerous trucks all in one night. I had heard of the Burnt Truck before but did not know their specialty until we got in line and read their menu. It's sliders, but not just your basic, everyday sliders that you can get at any old sports bar. These sliders have a little twist to them.

The Burnt Truck must have quite a following. During our visit, they consistently had many people in line for their gourmet sliders. Their menu was very easy to read from the two video screens near the ordering window. On this night, they offered nine different sliders and specials. We had already eaten at Soho Taco, so we ordered four items to split. This is how it came out for us.

So the Burnt Truck is known for sliders, so of course, the first thing I show you is not a slider. Don't worry. We will get to those in a minute. These are the Sloppy Tots. One of Burnt Truck's staple side items is the tater tot, and this is their unique version of that side item.  The tater tots are topped with Sloppy Joe meat, pepperoncini, and a mellow cheese sauce. This combination really worked well together. It starts with a crispy tater tot and is helped along by the subdued cheese sauce and simple Sloppy Joe mixture. The pepperoncini give this a nice little finishing kick. I liked this side item a little more than Katie.

See, I was not lying about getting to the sliders. The first of our three was the Cheeseburger Slider. This slider was made of Angus beef, American cheese, grilled onions, and avocado spread, and for a little extra something, we added a quail egg for an additional charge. This was my first time having a quail egg, which was good on this slider. Not much different from a regular egg, just smaller. I have been all about sunny-side-up eggs on burgers lately. If you have not had a burger this way, do yourself a favor and try it. The burger patty was seasoned well, but the avocado spread got a little lost for us. It was not very prominent.

This odd-looking slider is the Crispy Pork Belly Slider. As a bacon lover, I order it anytime I see pork belly on a menu. This was delicious. The pork belly is joined with a hoisin sauce and green onions. The hoisin sauce was not as overpowering as others we have had, which is good because it lets the pork be the star of this show. The buns here are also worth mentioning. They are Hawaiian rolls, which were fresh and made everything taste better. I would get this slider again, but I would get my own and not split it with anyone. Sorry, Katie.

This slider made me nostalgic for KFC's Chicken Little. I could eat about ten of those when the Colonel used to sell them. However, this Fried Chicken Slider at Burnt Truck was better than KFC's. They had tender fried chicken with a garlic potato spread and country gravy. Stick to your ribs kind of food. Did not detect a lot of garlic, but the gravy was spot on, with good flavor and thick. It covered everything well.

We really liked everything we got at the Burnt Truck. These guys can definitely cook. The little twists that they sneak into their sliders are greatly appreciated. Katie and I split everything we ate here, but I could have eaten it myself. Like most trucks, their menu does change with what they have on hand, but some items never leave their rotation. Sliders are $2.50 each and $3.00 for the pork belly. Kind of a little on the high side, but way better than that $2.50 burger you can get at your local fast food joint. We can now say we are two for two on hitting the right food trucks.

Out of five Dalmatians, (because if I had a burnt truck, I would want the fireman to come right away, and they might bring their Dalmatian. Okay, I know that is kind of lame, but I could not think of anything else), five being best to zero being worst, the Burnt Truck gets 3 Dalmatians.

For more information about the Burnt Truck, click here: http://www.theburnttruck.com/site/