Wednesday, March 25, 2020

A House Divided, One Part Sushi the Other Part Ramen


Sushi Ramen House
25260 La Paz Road Suite A
Laguna Hills, CA 92653

There was not much good that came out of Katie's last place of employment. She had to deal with an inept division head, her direct supervisor overtly harassed her, and the so-called human resource department sat on their hands while a scathing write-up, which definitely had the tone of being more like a personal attack that had little to do with her job performance, was written and rewritten three times by this bungling management team.

It was time to leave this train wreck of a company behind. The one bright spot that Katie took out of that horrible one and a half year experience was that she made some pretty good friends there. People she has kept in contact with since she left. One of those people was Mazi and his recently wed wife, Marita. We see them frequently with our sporadic walks and dinner afterward. They even introduced us to this restaurant, Sushi Ramen House in Laguna Hills.

Located in the same shopping plaza as Ironwood, Cecilia's, Villa Roma, and Heidelberg Bakery, Sushi Ramen House took over for another Japanese restaurant in early 2019. In those 15 months, they have now garnered a four and a half star rating, with over 200 reviews. Pretty good for a  restaurant that is easy to overlook with their much more visible and highly regarded restaurant neighbors.

We decided to forgo our walk with Mazi and Marita on a rather chilly Thursday evening and instead met for dinner at Sushi Ramen House. This small corner restaurant has about 10 to 15 tables, many of which were filled during our visit. The dining room vibe is what I'd call sleek, with its darkly painted ceilings and walls, and sparse decor. The menu predictably offers plenty in the way of ramen and sushi, but there are also 21 appetizers, salads, and bowls to choose from. Let's check out the food.


Katie and I really just ordered this California Roll ($6.50) because we were hungry and knew it was going to come out faster than our entrees. A little something to tide us over. This was your basic California roll that you've had all over with imitation crab, cucumber, and a smidge of avocado wrapped up around rice and seaweed. Nothing special.


In hindsight, we probably could have done without the average California roll above, because the ramen came out pretty quickly. Katie had this Chicken Ramen ($11.95). This is made up of chicken broth with sliced chicken, half an egg, green onion, and noodles. It also usually comes with fungus and bamboo, but she held off on those. She liked this ramen but was not wowed by it. It was very middle of the road and she's had better. It did end up satisfying her ramen craving on this evening.


Mazi and Marita both got the Tonkotsu Ramen, which is a pork-based broth and joined in the bowl by a half an egg, green onion, noodles, and simmered pork. No bamboo or fungus for them either. I had this the one other time we came here and found it to be pretty solid, although I am by no means an expert when it comes to ramen. I liked the thicker broth and found the pork to be pretty tender. Like Katie, I was not too fond of the egg though. As for Mazi and Marita, this is what they get every time they visit Sushi Ramen House. It's right near their house and they find it's perfect on the rather chilly evenings we have been having lately.


I'm not really into ramen, so I decided to go my own route and try one of their bowls. This Spicy Tuna and Shrimp Rice Bowl ($11.95) was larger than I was expecting. Half was spicy tuna and the other half was tempura-like shrimp which had a sweetness to the sauce on top of it, kind of like honey walnut shrimp, but not as sweet. This bowl was fine, but kind of awkward. On one side you have the cold and softened tuna and the other was the warmed and crunchy shrimp. I'm all for contrast in my meals, but this was a little too much. I'd probably just get all shrimp next time.


Katie made a very late decision to order one more thing, the Spicy Tuna with Crispy Rice ($6.50) off of the appetizer portion of the menu. It was probably the best thing I had all evening. I really liked the contrasts of the crispy rice, the smooth sliced avocado, and the soft spicy tuna perched on top. I could have eaten a couple more of these in no time flat.

Rereading what I have written above, it sounds a bit harsher than I intended it to. Sushi Ramen House is fine, but it's not going to blow you away. It's like the restaurant that you go to if you want some ramen or sushi, but don't want to veer too far from home. Not really destination dining, but it will do in a pinch. The few times we have been here the service has been very good and the kitchen gets the food out in a very timely manner. I'm glad Katie's old place of employment is a thing of the past, but I'm also happy that it gave us the opportunity to spend some time with our new friends Mazi and Marita.

Out of five dollars, (because Lagna Hills is where Aloe Blacc the musician grew up, and his first hit was, "I Need a Dollar,") five being best to zero being worst, Sushi Ramen House gets 2.5 dollars.

Sushi Ramen House does not have a website, but you can find info about them on their Yelp page here: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sushi-ramen-house-laguna-hills

Thursday, March 12, 2020

Jetting off After a Meal at Alejo's


Alejo's Presto Trattoria 
8343 Lincoln Blvd. 
Westchester, CA 90045

It's been a long while since we've been up in this neck of the woods. It's been about a year or so since we've taken our good friends Chaz and Stephanie to LAX, so they can jet off to visit their grandkids in South Carolina. We have a simple agreement, we battle Friday evening traffic up the 405 in exchange for a free dinner. It works out great for all involved. They avoid paying the outrageous parking fees at the airport, while I get to pick a restaurant in a part of So Cal that I would usually not be around.

Chuck and Stephanie were pretty much up for any kind of food, but I know that they are partial to Italian, so I went to Yelp to find a spot near LAX that serves classic Italian cuisine. Mission accomplished. Alejo's is situated a few blocks north of the always busy runways of LAX, they had a four-star Yelp rating with over 600 reviews, and most importantly, their prices were pretty modest, which is a big plus for Chuck, (although it is fun to watch his eyes bug out when he sees the check come at more expensive places).

The story of this restaurant is a pretty interesting one. It was started by Alejo Castro, a native of Spain. After a few stops across the globe, he mastered the art of making pasta. He next made his home in the US, where he accepted a position at the now-shuttered La Scala in Malibu. Chef Alejo then branched out on his own and opened La Traviata in Hermosa Beach. A return to Spain resulted in that restaurant being sold. Missing Southern California, Alejo opened this current version of his namesake restaurant in 1991.

Now run by his sons, Tony and Christian, they have kept things relatively the same since the days when their father ran the place. They make all of their pasta, bread, and pizza on the premises. The large menu is dotted with all of your Italian favorites; pizza, pasta dishes, lasagna, chicken and seafood options, and of course some salads. Almost all the items on this menu list two prices which I assume is for smaller portion sizes. Only a few things at Alejo's pass the $20 threshold.

We arrived here on a Friday evening at 7:30. Parking can be a little tricky along this section of Lincoln, but we were fortunate enough to find a spot in their tiny lot behind their restaurant. The dining room is pretty laidback, with very minimal decor populating the space. There's a wall that features framed pictures of famous people that have eaten here, some, what I assume to be, family members portraits, and community awards they have received throughout the years and decades they have been in business. Let's check out the food to see if this was a great sendoff for our friends on their way to the East Coast.



Probably one of the most overflowing bread baskets we have ever received during the ten year run of this restaurant blog. After seeing how quickly this disappeared between the four of us, I guess they knew what they were doing. The Bread and accompanying Garlic Dip were addicting, to say the least. There was also oil and vinegar as well, but for any garlic lover, the garlic sauce is what you want. It's bordering on pungent, but man was it awesome. I had the taste with me for the whole car ride home. The bread was good as well. The cut-up ciabatta bread was a great vessel for either the garlic or the oil and vinegar.



Both Katie and I opted to get salads to start our meal off at Alejo's. She had the Chopped Salad ($8.95) which came with garbanzo beans, tomatoes, diced up salami, and mozzarella cheese, with finely chopped greens and their house dressing, which seemed like a creamy Italian from where I was sitting. Katie loved this salad, which was chopped nicely so it was easy to handle, and the flavors kept her interested during the short life of this salad. She'd probably try the Alejo Salad the next time, which is this same salad with turkey, bacon, and red cabbage added.

I went with my usual salad, a Caesar ($7). This traditional version of my favorite salad came with chopped romaine, anchovies, croutons, a sprinkle of parmesan, and Caesar dressing. This was a wonderful start to my time at Alejo's. The greens were fresh, there was just the right amount of dressing on this, and the anchovy added a burst of saltiness that perked up my tastebuds. Bear in mind that these are the half portions, which were more than enough for someone that's getting something else to eat in a few minutes.



Katie had the Spaghetti Carbonara ($15.95) this evening. Carbonara was one of the first meals I made for her when we started dating all those years ago, but this one blew mine away easily. This version utilizes a pink sauce and comes with crumbled bacon and mushrooms to round it out. A very rich dish, but she polished this off with no problem. The fresh pasta and the wonderful pink sauce made this non-traditional carbonara a winner.



My go-to meal in an Italian restaurant for the first time is usually Lasagna ($15.95). I figure if they can make a good version of this dish, you can expect good things from everything else they make. After my first bite of this one, I knew we had stumbled upon a very solid Italian restaurant. At Alejo's they have three versions of lasagna; beef, chicken, or vegetable. No shock to anyone reading this, I went with the beef. The ratio of beef, sauce, and cheese was pretty stellar. I liked that they threw in some spinach lasagna noodles for a little different spin. The beef was seasoned very well, and the red sauce surrounding this square of deliciousness really shined. One of the better lasagnas I have had in recent memory.


Not wanting to get too full on their flight, Chuck and Stephanie agreed to split this Pepperoni Pizza ($17) between them. They were also generous enough to let me have what they did not eat on this evening, which was three of the slices. The pizzas at Alejo's are cooked in a brick oven, the dough is made daily, and kneaded by hand. You can taste the quality of the ingredients. There was no orange grease running down your arm eating this and the cheese and pepperoni tasted very fresh, even after being heated up the next day. It would be hard for me to come here and not get the lasagna that I had, but the pizzas would be a close second choice.

Alejo's ended up being a great place to eat before Chuck and Stephanie jetted off. We have taken them to LAX at least 20 times, and this is one of the best places we have eaten at up this way. This is the kind of restaurant that you wish was in your neighborhood. I feel a slight animosity towards the people of Westchester, who get to eat here whenever they want and some who probably even take it for granted. It's a good, honest, and low-key Italian place that serves some really solid food. With so much good going on here, I do have to mention that the service was not the best. After we were seated, it took about five minutes for us to be acknowledged, but our waiter did improve slightly throughout our stay. Even with the mediocre service, Chuck has mentioned that we need to come back here the next time we take them to LAX. That's fine with Katie and me, especially since he will paying.

Out of five owls, (because not only is Westchester the home of LMU, but also the Otis College of Art and Design, and their mascot is Otis the Owl), five being best to zero being worst, Alejo's Presto Trattoria gets 3.5 owls.

For more information about Alejo's Presto Trattoria, head to their website here: https://alejosrestaurant.com/

Thursday, March 5, 2020

May I Present to You, Mr. Katsu


Mr. Katsu
3165 Yorba Linda Blvd. 
Fullerton, CA 92831

Do you hate going to the dentist? Just like you, I'm not really fond of some guy poking around my mouth, drilling into my jaw, or sucking out my spit through a tube, (sorry, I know this is not the most appetizing way to be starting off a restaurant review, especially a restaurant that I actually liked).

Going to the dentist gets me out of my normal routine a bit by placing me in North OC right around lunchtime. This, in turn, gives me a chance to try a new place for lunch. An added bonus on this trip was that my new boss was going to be joining me on this little restaurant adventure. Melissa is one hundred times better than my old boss, who thankfully was put out to pasture last year.

Anyways, we decided to meet up at Mr. Katsu, which I've wanted to try forever. It's located along Yorba Linda Boulevard, in the same shopping center as Vendome Liquor, Gem Supermarket, and a bunch of smaller storefronts. From what I've been able to learn Mr. Katus has been here since late in 2014, and in those five-plus years they have amassed quite a following. They have over 1100 reviews and a four and a half star rating on Yelp. They were also called one of the best surprising sandwiches in OC by Orange Coast Magazine.

Mr. Katsu can best be described as a Japanese fusion restaurant that takes pork cutlets and incorporates them into one of their 11 sandwiches. Not a fan of pork? They also have chicken cutlets or grilled chicken as options. Prices range between $9 to $11 for the sandwiches. They also have a version of Korean loaded fries, a Korean fusion bowl, and potato puffs. Ordering is done at the counter and then you find a seat at one of the ten or so tables. Not really anything too remarkable about the dining area, but Melissa and I were hoping that the food could be described that way. Let's check it out.


I was a little worried that these WTFF Fries ($9), AKA What The Frick Fries were going to be just a gimmicky Instagram dish, but after the first bite, I was proved wrong. The fries were your basic fast-food french fry, but the marinated beef kalbi, sauteed kimchi, and party sauce topping this elevated ho-hum fries into something magical. The short rib kalbi was nicely flavored, and the kimchi was mellower than I imagined it would be. I'm not entirely sure what the party sauce was, maybe mayo-based with some Sriracha thrown in, but it did a great job of tieing everything together. Definitely worth ordering when visiting Mr. Katsu. 


As if we did not have enough potatoes with the fries above, we also got five Potato Puffs ($3) to share. These were better than the fries. They had a decent crunchy outer shell and had an almost mashed potato feel to them on the inside. We got the regular, but I will try the curry-flavored next time I visit. The only drawback with these was that there was an odd number served, and with just the two of us, it was going to be a little uncomfortable about who was going to have the last one. Melissa ended the stalemate by snagging the last one without even offering to split it. Rude.



After the potato puff incident above, I knew there was going to be no way that Melissa was going to share a bite of her Chipotle Asiago Sandwich ($11). This pork cutlet came with chipotle aioli, asiago cheese, and plenty of coleslaw. She really enjoyed this spicy sandwich. The cheese did seem to get a little lost here, maybe due to the fact that there was so much slaw on this. The thick bread, maybe egg bread, was soft and a great vessel for the sandwiches. It did a great job of keeping everything together. She'd definitely come back and try other sandwiches next time. Just don't expect her to share.



My selection was what they claim is their most popular, the Habanero Pesto Sandwich ($10). This also came with a pork cutlet, as well as more coleslaw, pesto, and habanero aioli. This sandwich had a much bigger spicy kick than I was expecting. It did not overpower, but it lingered on the back end of each bite. I'd probably ask for extra next time. The pesto was a nice touch and made me realize that I do not have pesto nearly enough. The pork cutlet was moist and flavorful with a nice crunch to the outside of it. It's easy to see why this would be such a popular sandwich at Mr. Katsu.

This was a great find and I can see why they get so much love from everyone. Even though both Melissa and I got pretty basic sandwiches, they were delicious and pretty filling. Prices were very fair for the amount of food that you receive. Yes, the dining area is a little sparse, but you are here for the sandwiches, not the ambiance. I look forward to trying their Bacon Avocado and the Bleu Cheese Buffalo the next time I'm in the area around lunchtime, maybe in six months when my next dental appointment is scheduled.

Out of five hornets, (in honor of Fullerton College, who's mascot is Buzzy the Hornet, and it's one of the numerous JC's that I attended), five being best to zero being worst, Mr. Katsu gets 3.5 hornets.

Mr. Katsu does not have a website, but you can find more info about them on their Yelp page here: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mr-katsu-fullerton-3

Sunday, March 1, 2020

Another Year Older and Another Birthday Dinner


Meizhou Dongpo
15363 Culver Dr. 
Irvine, CA 92604

I've known my coworker/friend David for close to ten years now. We have a pretty good work relationship. He works way harder than me, while I try to get out of doing as much work as possible. He always comes to work happy, whereas I sometimes show up a little frustrated or moody. He speaks very little, while I'm pretty much talking nonstop. Okay, maybe we are complete opposites, but it's worked for nearly a decade now.

One thing we are not opposite about is food. He loves to eat, almost as much as I do. So when it's our birthday we take the other out to dinner. I usually ask him where he wants to go, and he'll usually defer to my choice. So when his birthday rolled around this year I knew I wanted to try Meizhou Dongpo, which has been on my list of places to go forever.  That's where we headed, along with Katie and David's mom on a recent Wednesday evening.

Meizhou Dongpo sprang to life in 1996 in China. Started by a husband and wife team, Wang Gang and Liang Di, they now have over one hundred locations in China and more spread throughout the world. Their website states that they specialize in authentic and fresh Chinese cuisine, with an emphasis on the Sichuan region. They have also been quoted as saying that they want to bring elevated Chinese food to the rest of the world, including their four Southern California locations; Arcadia, Century City, Universal City, and this Irvine branch.

Mission accomplished with this Irvine spot that is situated in the always busy Culver Plaza, which is also home to the 99 Ranch Market, Tasty Noodle House, and the always-packed Sam Woo Seafood and BBQ Restaurant. Walking into Meizhou Dongpo I was taken aback by the spaciousness of the restaurant. It doesn't look that big from the outside, but they can accommodate a bunch of customers at the same time, which is a good thing since they almost always have a wait. The dining space has high ceilings, lovely hanging lanterns, and eye-catching blue hues throughout the space.

The menu is equally as impressive. It's not even really a menu, more of a high fashion magazine, but instead of models gracing its pages, there's nicely plated food in the professionally done pictures, with a list of ingredients listed per item. Literally taking a page from the menu they have at Cheesecake Factory, with about a hundred items available for your perusal.

The menu starts off with their signature item, the Roast Duck, which you will see upcoming. There's also plenty to choose from with the rest of the menu as well. Appetizers, seafood, beef, poultry, pork, veggies, noodles, buns, and rice selections are aplenty. Prices hover around the $20 mark for most things, but there are some notable exceptions to that price point, including $68 for short ribs and a $45 sweet and sour fish dish. A little too rich for my tastes, but let's see what we did end up having this evening to celebrate David's birthday.



We might as well get this one out of the way first, as it was my least favorite of the evening. I'm usually a big fan of pork belly, but this Dongpo Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetables ($19.95) started us off on the wrong foot here. I guess I'm more into crisp pork belly, and this one I think was steamed, which left it more on the limp side. I'm also not sure what veggies they had under the layers of pork belly, maybe some kind of greens, but the two flavors did not mesh well with me. I stayed away from this plate for the rest of the night.



Listed under the appetizer section of the menu, our server suggested that we give the Meizhou Dongpo Sausage ($15.95) a try. He also suggested that we try both the spicy and non-spicy. I liked both versions. I did not find the spiciness to be overwhelming, but it was definitely present. The sausages themselves were dense with meaty flavor, and not at all greasy, which is rare when it comes to sausage. They did come out lukewarm, but I'm not sure if that's how they are normally served.


My mom's favorite thing to eat at P.F. Chang's is Dan Dan Noodles ($4.95), (even though they are not on the official menu anymore you can still ask and they will make them for you), but that version could not hold a candle to these at Meizhou Dongpo. This was more of a single serving but was enough for both Katie and me. The noodles were fresh and the pork mixture had some nice flavor to it, but the broth is what tied everything together for me. Katie thought it was on the spicy side, as it cleared out her sinuses, but I liked the heat level of this. It will be hard for me to go back to P.F. Chang's and have their bland version again.


Another of Katie's picks was this Wonton Soup ($4.95). I did not have any of this, but she liked the lightness of this, which she found soothing after the heat she got from dan dan noodles. One of the better versions she has had.


The birthday boy David selected this dish, the Sauteed Beef Fillet with Black Pepper ($22.95). This was composed of cubed pieces of beef, onions, three broccoli florets, and a little garlic. I liked this dish, but the pepper was not present and the beef was not as good as the one I had across the parking lot at Sam Woo for six dollars less. I'd skip this the next time I'm here. 



Another Katie pick, the Meizhou Pork Buns ($4.95). She was generous enough to allow me to have one of these, and just like her, I thought these were unremarkable. Very plain and the outer dumpling really overtook the pork inside. Nowhere near the best dumplings, we have consumed. 


Another David pick, the Spicy Chicken ($17.95) looked really intimidating when it hit the table. It's listed on the menu with three peppers next to it, indicating that it's one of their spiciest items available. I managed the heat fine, but with all of the dried peppers covering this it kind of pushed the chicken off to the side. I did like the addition of the french fries on this. It reminded me of a Chinese version of lomo saltado. 


When you first get to your table, and before you order, your server will ask if you would like to order their famous Meizhou Roasted Duck ($38.90 for the half) since it takes time to prepare. You will definitely want to answer in the affirmative. This was the best duck I have ever had. Sliced in the kitchen and brought out on a serving tray, it truly was incredible. This came with sauce, sliced cucumber and wraps, but I found myself just eating this tender bird by itself. I could not get enough. The skin was nice and crispy and our server suggested adding some sugar to it, which made it even better. This is the duck that will be used to judge all others for me now.


David's mom was pretty quiet when it came to selecting plates for us all to share, except when it came to these Wok-Fried String Beans ($13.95). These were done pretty straightforwardly. They had a nice crunch to them and the sliced garlic and peppers added to this dish. It's always good to have at least one vegetable dish on the table.


Our last dish was the Beef Fried Rice ($12.95). A nice side dish, but it could not really stand on its own. Again, it was not as greasy as most others, but the beef did not star and the rest of this was a tad salty. We probably would have been better off just getting plain steamed rice.

Not everything wowed us at Meizhou Dongpo, but the duck, dan dan noodles, and the sausage made up for the slight misses. With a menu as varied as this, we would definitely come back and try more items. Prices are about five dollars more per plate than you'd pay elsewhere, but I'd argue that the quality and ambiance is better than your typical Chinese restaurant. We experienced wonderful service this evening, as our server answered all of our questions, and guided us as to some of his favorites. It was probably our best dinner while celebrating David's birthday and we can't wait to do it again next year.

Out of five pandas, (because the Sichuan region, where this restaurant is from is home to a majority of these iconic black and white bears), five being best to zero being worst, Meizhou Dongpo gets 3.5 pandas.

Meizhou Dongo does not have a website, but you can check out their Yelp page here for more information: https://www.yelp.com/biz/meizhou-dongpo-irvine

Sunday, February 23, 2020

Having an Ahba Moment


Ahba
31732 Pacific Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, CA 92651

The power of a picture is pretty incredible. Photos can bring down governments. They can make you fall in love. They can also entice you into checking out your favorite restaurant review site (Eating My Way Through OC) way more often. In my case, a well-tailored picture can pique my interest and get me to move a restaurant to the top of my restaurant wishlist.

That was the case when I saw a shot of a burger in a recent copy of Orange Coast Magazine. The delicious-looking burger came from a place I had never heard of before, Ahba, which is located in South Laguna. SoLag is an area I have not explored at all. I've seen it many times through my car window as I've driven past it on the way to one of  Downtown Laguna's higher-profile restaurants.

Ahba replaced Eva's Caribbean Cuisine, which had closed its doors over a year ago. A jolting reminder that I should not put off going to restaurants that I want to try, because you just never know when they will be serving their last meal. I was not going to make the same mistake again at the same address, so we woke up earlier than normal on a Sunday morning and headed over.

Ahba comes to us from the duo of Owner and Chef Nick Bennett and Chef de Cuisine Jayro Martinez. Ahba translates to father in Hebrew and is what all of Nick's friends called his dad while growing up, and the name stuck with him. Chef Jayro started in the culinary industry right out of high school and worked catering gigs and kitchens around LA soaking up as much as he could at each restaurant he worked at. He opened Mh Zh, which was named the best new restaurant of the year by Thrillist and garnered all sorts of attention while he was at the helm. It's also where he met Nick. Chef Jayro then moved to OC to be near his girlfriend and linked up with Social in Costa Mesa. Now he's reunited with Nick, working his magic at Ahba.

Ahba is open six days a week, closed on Mondays. They serve breakfast and lunch from 8 to 2, open again at 3 for a two-hour happy hour, and then start dinner service at 5pm. The short and sweet menus are Mediterranian skewed, but you're not going to see middle east stalwarts like shwarma or falafel here. I'd classify this food as American, with slight touches from the Mediterranian region. Nothing on the breakfast/lunch menu crosses the $15 threshold, while dinners range anywhere between $10 to $29 for a ribeye, which is a pretty good deal for a steak near the beach.

Definitely going to come here for dinner in the future but on this visit, we were here for breakfast and were met with a full restaurant at just before 11 on a beautifully sunny, but chilly Sunday morning. They hastily made a spot for us on the side of the restaurant, at an odd little table with a window looking inside the drink station. We quickly persued the 15 item daytime menu and made our selections once our server brought back the iced teas we had ordered. Let's check out the spread at Ahba.


Katie starts us out with her Egg Sammie with Avocado added ($14.50). This sturdy egg sandwich came with bacon, arugula, white cheese, aioli, and of course a fried egg. She loved the insides of this sandwich. The way that everything played off of each other to form a very comforting, yet lighter than your average breakfast sandwich made this a winner. She did comment that the bread used here was a little tough to get through, especially around the crust. This came with a simple salad, with a light dressing that was fine, but nothing earth-shattering.


Katie rounded out her meal with these Rosemary Hash Browns ($6). I don't know what it is, but I really enjoyed the presentation with this. The dollops of the red ketchup and the beautifully browned hash browns were eye-catching and got a lot of love on my Instagram post. Not just a pretty picture, these hash browns had a nice undercurrent of rosemary running through them while being crunchy and not too greasy. A nice improvement from the usual humdrum hash browns you get from your usual breakfast joint.



Apple Pie French Toast ($12) caught my attention when I saw it on the menu, as I think it would do with most anyone perusing the offerings at Ahba. I had to give it a try. Three slices of french toast were topped with spiced cubed apples and a smear of homemade whipped cream. This missed the mark for me. It was not sweet at all, and really needed some syrup on the apples, or maybe a side of maple syrup to tie everything together. The whipped cream was fine, but since it was homemade, it lacked the punch of sweetness that I was hoping for. 



It was the burger that brought me here, but for some unexplainable reason, I was not in the mood for a burger. I'm always in the mood for burgers. What is happening to me? Who am I? Anyways, I went with this Harissa Toast ($11.50) instead of the burger. I stand by my choice. A thick slice of bread was topped with two strips of crisp bacon, a sunny side up egg, caramelized onions, tahini, and harissa, a North African chili paste. This was delicious and satisfying. I loved the different textures, and flavors coming through in different bites. I did not get enough heat from the under applied harissa, but the rest of this made up for it, especially the runny egg yolk. Like Katie, I thought the crust of this bread was a little tough to get through, but I managed with a little help from my knife and fork.

Maybe subconsciously I knew that I did not need to order the burger on this visit because I knew we'd like this restaurant enough to make a return trip very soon. With the exception of the french toast, we both really enjoyed this unique and unpretentious brunch spot. With this restaurant being located a great distance away from the busy downtown area, it makes a trip here feel more like a hidden gem, even with all of the people here during our visit. I'd also be remiss if I did not mention how nice everyone was during our stay. I thought that since our table was outside, and tucked into a little corner, we would have been forgotten, but the opposite was true. We had great service from both our server and the food runner on this late Sunday morning. It really seemed like everyone we encountered really wanted us to be here and have a great experience. The picture of a cheeseburger brought us here, but the great service and unique food will bring us back.

Out of five skimboards, (because skimboarding was started in the 1920s by Laguna Beach lifeguards), five being best to zero being worst, Ahba gets 3.5 skimboards.

For more information about Ahba, head to their website here: https://eatahba.com/

Sunday, February 16, 2020

Island Hoping in La Palma


Isla Cuban Latin Kitchen and Rum Bar
30 Centerpointe Drive #12
La Palma, CA 90623

I might have a problem. It's a problem I'm more than happy to have, but a problem nonetheless. I am addicted to Cuban food. The main problem is that there are not too many Cuban places to eat in OC. My unofficial count is at about 7 restaurants that I'd consider strictly Cuban. Yes, there are some spots that kind of verge on Cuban cuisine, but they also have other food that they specialize in.

Of the seven Cuban restaurants in OC, I have been to five of them so far, and my favorites have been Bella Cuba, Moros, and Habana, in that order. Porto's, of course, is a classic, and you couldn't get me to go back to Felix in Orange again because the two times I have visited, their food has been bone dry. If you are looking for the best I have had in Southern Californa it's definitely El Cochinito in Silver Lake. I was definitely intrigued as to where newcomer Isla Cuban Latin Kitchen and Rum Bar was going to end up on my list of OC Cuban spots.

I had read a review about Isla in the now-defunct, but not forgotten OC Weekly, and a glowing review in the OC Register, where the only complaint Brad Johnson could muster was about the noise level inside the restaurant, (he was not wrong about that). Isla is a family-owned restaurant, with items from not only Cuba, but also the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. The matriarch of the family, Senora Deysi, is the inspiration for the food that they serve at Isla.

I had made 5pm reservations on a recent Saturday to meet up with my parents here. Reservations are definitely the way to go, as the restaurant and enclosed front patio filled up rather quickly during our visit. There are maybe twenty or so tables inside, another ten on the patio, and a ten-seat bar off to the right-hand side of the restaurant. The dining room is lit with hanging chandeliers and the obligatory pictures of Cuba adorning the walls. A pleasing kind of art deco vibe fills the space.

The menu reads like a greatest hits of Cuban cuisine. It starts with seven traditional appetizers, there's a quartet of soups and salads, beef, chicken, pork, and seafood entrees, a Mofongo, and sandwiches, which are unfortunately only available from 11 to 5pm. Since we were seated at exactly 5:03 it prevented my mom from having the only thing that she had her heart set on this evening, a Cuban sandwich. Even a request from our server to the kitchen yielded an emphatic no that they would not be making a sandwich three minutes past their 5pm cutoff time. Apparently, they lock up their sandwich ingredients in a time activated safe, which will only be opened at 11am on the next day. At this point, my mom checked out, and would not be eating anything at Isla on this evening. Not a great start to our meal. Let's see if the night could be salvaged with what the other three of us ordered.


It's a Cuban restaurant, so no chips and salsa insight, but instead you get Plantain and Yucca Chips with Garlic Sauce to start out with. I enjoyed the plantains, more than the yucca chips. The real star here was the garlic sauce, which actually made even the blander yucca chips taste good. 


Out of the seven tapas options, we settled on the Empanadas ($10) which are offered with either beef or chicken. We went with chicken. Even though I'm more partial to beef, I really enjoyed the empanada that I consumed way too quickly. It was filled with plenty of chicken and the two sauces served with this were pretty stellar. The green was my favorite by just a bit.



My dad is pretty unpredictable with what he usually gets in restaurants. I never know what he's leaning towards until he orders. On this evening he could not resist the Salmon A La Parrilla ($22). I have a love-hate relationship with salmon. It's either really good or it's not to my liking at all. This was definitely the former. It was cooked perfectly, the garlic sauce was delicious, and I was a little whistful that I did not get the salmon. My dad's only complaint was the black beans and rice, which he did not really care for, although he did not give me a reason why.


Katie is a lot more predictable when it comes to guessing what she's going to order. I knew she would be having a chicken entree, and I was proved correct when she went with the Pollo Asado Isla ($19). This chicken was slow roasted and utilized the same excellent garlic mojo sauce that topped the salmon. She loved the tender chicken, but it was the garlic sauce that made her swoon with delight. She called this classic comfort food. The black beans rounded this out nicely.


I came here expecting to get the Bistec Encebollado, but our server really talked up this Lechon Asado ($19) and being a big fan of pork, that's the way I went. This was the best version I have had in OC. The menu description claims that this pork is marinated for two days, and after my first bite, I knew it was true. The pork is roasted wonderfully and topped with more of that garlic mojo sauce that I could not get enough of. I actually liked the black beans and rice. I mixed them together to form a kind of congri. The black beans were full of flavor and really livened up the white rice. The plantains were sweet but subtly, just the way I like them. A very good meal.



Dessert would be our last hurrah at Isla, and I decided on the Tres Leches Cake ($7). This very traditional Cuban dessert failed to impress. I did not mind the moistness of this, as that's what you expect when getting this dessert. I did mind the blandness that each bite brought to my taste buds. A way too mild taste and the frosting did not help out here either. Looking online, we should have maybe gone with the flan instead.

Even with the sandwich snafu at the start of our visit, I left Isla pretty impressed with the food that I experienced on this evening. All three of our entrees and empanadas were great and made me definitely want to come back again soon to try their sandwiches, (before 5 of course), and also try one of their beef dishes. Our server Raymundo handled a difficult situation at the start of our visit as well as could have been expected. No complaints about his service on this evening. Where does Isla rank as far as Cuban food in OC? I'd put them right near the top, if not the best. I'd have to go back to Bella Cuba again to see if it's just as good as it was back when we visited over eight years ago. Yes, it's difficult for us to make it back to a restaurant once we visit, with my ever-growing lists of restaurants I want to experience. I am very grateful for another OC Cuban option that will help satisfy my Cuban food addiction.

Out of five cows, (because the city of La Palma was once named Dairyland, and they have a cow on their city seal to commemorate this), five being best to zero being worst, Isla Cuban Latin Kitchen and Rum Bar gets 3.5 cows.

For more information about Isla Cuban Latin Kitchen and Rum Bar, check out their website here: https://www.islacubankitchen.com/