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"As god is my judge, I'll never eat a lettuce leaf again."
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296 Useful, 86 Funny, and 260 Cool
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Location
Aliso Viejo, CA
Yelping SinceJune 2007
Things I LoveFlorencio Paolo Ocampo Biagan Jr, baking desserts, spicy tuna bowls, cake, garlic mashed potatoes, anything almond, yelp
Find Me Inthe pastry kitchen
My HometownLos Alamitos, Ca
My Blog Or Website When I'm Not Yelping...I'm a catering manager
Why You Should Read My ReviewsI have a culinary degree and I live for food.
My Second Favorite Website The Last Great Book I ReadJulie & Julia: 365 days, 524 recipes, 1 tiny apartment kitchen - by Julie Powell
My First Concert3rd Eye Blind
My Favorite MovieSingin' in the Rain, It's a Wonderful Life, Amelie...
My Last Meal On EarthIl Latini - Florence, Italy
Don't Tell Anyone Else But...I'm pregnant!
Current Crushsummer fruit
Date
Everyone already knows that the food here is awesome. I had the cheese enchilada platter and it was filled and covered with melty, delicious cheesy goodness. Hubby went with his normal adventurous order of the lengua taco and super taco, which was like a crispy/soft taco combo thing. Although the food was fabulous, the best part of our dining experience was the guy who calls out the numbers. He was hilarious - kind of like a Mexican Harvey Fierstein - just as gravely, but with an accent. When he called out our order we were laughing so hard: "Numero quarenta y tres, number forty-three, enchiladas, super taco y taco lenguitasssss." You must go there to experience it. Watch out for the Mexican mannequin in the corner by the restroom though - his eyes move. Creepy.
500 Pacific Coast Hwy
Huntington Beach, CA 92648
Huntington Beach, CA 92648
Red, Yelp & Blue Bash CMYE at Zimzala
Category: Local Flavor
This event was just plain money. The restaurant was new, sleek and classy. How many times in your life have you seen oysters on the half-shell at a free event? Not many, that's for sure. As someone who is not currently able to partake of the delicious vodka (I'm expecting, which also means that the oysters were off limits - damn!), I appreciated that there were so many other facets to this event.
After a stressful Wednesday at work, that back massage was probably the best 5 minutes of my day. The fact that I got to enjoy some tasty appetizers at a beautiful venue and then walk away with a $10 spa certificate and a box of chocolates that were like the gourmet equivalent of what twix always wished it could be, made it worth the price of parking ten-fold. Thank you so much Hazel - you've done it yet again!
After a stressful Wednesday at work, that back massage was probably the best 5 minutes of my day. The fact that I got to enjoy some tasty appetizers at a beautiful venue and then walk away with a $10 spa certificate and a box of chocolates that were like the gourmet equivalent of what twix always wished it could be, made it worth the price of parking ten-fold. Thank you so much Hazel - you've done it yet again!
3 Del Amo Fashion Ctr
Torrance, CA 90503
(310) 371-9648
Torrance, CA 90503
(310) 371-9648
Melt Gelato & Crepe Cafe
Categories: Creperies, Desserts, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
Neighborhood: Torrance
I didn't try the crepes, but the gelato was pretty freakin good. Maybe not totally authentic, but the flavors I had were fresh and natural tasting. My husband also liked that when he asked for a couple cups of water they weren't pissy about it, and the water was ice cold.
I had a medium cup of the taste of italy, which was amaretto with chocolate chunks and key lime. The taste of Italy was scrumptious - lots of amaretto against bittersweet chocolate makes me very happy. The key lime was also phenomenal - tart and with lots of graham crackers crushed in to give it a substantial, almost gritty mouthfeel. I tasted my mother-in-laws rum raisin (a flavor I don't usually go for), but it was delicious and reminded me of Christmas. I'm usually pretty picky about gelato but Melt impressed me.
I had a medium cup of the taste of italy, which was amaretto with chocolate chunks and key lime. The taste of Italy was scrumptious - lots of amaretto against bittersweet chocolate makes me very happy. The key lime was also phenomenal - tart and with lots of graham crackers crushed in to give it a substantial, almost gritty mouthfeel. I tasted my mother-in-laws rum raisin (a flavor I don't usually go for), but it was delicious and reminded me of Christmas. I'm usually pretty picky about gelato but Melt impressed me.
1109 S Pacific Coast Hwy
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 316-1580
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 316-1580
Thai Thani Restaurant
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: Redondo Beach
Went here for a second time with my husband's family for father's day. I remember it being really good last time, but this experience was different. The bad service totally killed the good food. I don't know if they were understaffed or what, but they didn't look that busy when we arrived. We got a nice long table and true, we were a big group, but there was such a lag between dishes that we wondered what was going on. When i got there appetizers were already on the table, but then each successive dish came out one...at...a...time. Maybe it was a good thing because we ate less than we normally do since the meal was so long. The soup was pretty much on the salty side and we had to keep begging for refills on water and drinks. At the end we really didn't want to leave a 15% tip. Disappointing, considering their food is actually pretty decent.
So the other reviews really weren't kidding - this place rocks! I was craving a cinnamon roll and their cinnamon swirl pastry hit the spot. We also had a maple bar and glazed old fashioned. The bar had a ton of maple on top and the old fashioned was perfection. They do serve Diedrich's coffee, but my husband thought it tasted bitter. Maybe that was just in contrast to the super sweet donuts. This place was packed too! We had to find a table outside and watched in awe as the cars kept pulling in and out - awesome!
410 First Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 652-2345
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 652-2345
Dry Soda
Category: Specialty Food
Neighborhood: Pioneer Square
This review is just for the soda...I haven't been to the tasting room. I picked up a four pack at Henry's last week and got one of each flavor (lavender, kumquat, rhubarb and lemongrass). As everyone else here has said, they are lightly sweet, almost more like a sparking water with an essence of flavor, but so sophisticated and with tiny bubbles. I enjoyed the lemongrass with Greek food and then the kumquat with pasta. I haven't figured out what to have the other 2 with yet...
Their website is awesome and I learned that the sodas were created by a woman who was pregnant and looking for something to pair with food when she couldn't drink wine (which is exactly the reason I bought them too!) It's so nice to have something elegant and tasty to drink with dinner that's also not bad for the baby because it's not loaded with corn syrup like other sodas.
Beautiful design, thoughtful, unique flavors and a great female-owned Seattle-based company. I think I've found a new thing to crave!
Their website is awesome and I learned that the sodas were created by a woman who was pregnant and looking for something to pair with food when she couldn't drink wine (which is exactly the reason I bought them too!) It's so nice to have something elegant and tasty to drink with dinner that's also not bad for the baby because it's not loaded with corn syrup like other sodas.
Beautiful design, thoughtful, unique flavors and a great female-owned Seattle-based company. I think I've found a new thing to crave!
320 N Coast Hwy
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
(949) 494-0137
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
(949) 494-0137
Madison Square & Garden Cafe
Category: Restaurants
Madison Square would have been 5 stars if it hadn't been for the super slow service. I didn't realize that by relaxing atmosphere people meant that it would take over 1/2 an hour to get our food. The setting is beautiful though. It would be a nice place to take your mom for breakfast, or maybe meet up with the book club to discuss the latest read. I had the french toast and hubby ordered the eggs Benedict. Both were yummy, but his poached eggs were more on the done side (not runny). The berries that came with mine were perfectly ripe. Coffee was good here and I like that it's self serve. Overall a nice setting for a peaceful brunch and some shopping (if you've got $150 to spend on a birdhouse).
I won't go into the lines or the fact that you have to que up in the Target parking lot, because others have already covered how annoying this is. We just had to see what all the fuss was about, and eating in our car sounded like a cool idea. The burgers were okay - probably along the lines of a Burger King, but the tater tots were the best part. I was so excited to try the cherry limeade, but I actually ended up enjoying the mango cool breeze even more. It was similar, but with mango and cherry syrup and crushed pineapple.
I was surprised by the size and presentation of the menu. As someone who doesn't eat fast food very often, I was awed by Sonic's brazen "badness." I guess I'm just used to most burger joints trying to hide the fact that their food is bad for you by having a lot of salad, chicken sandwich and parfait kinds of items. Sonic is pure fast-food and doesn't try to disguise what it is. We felt so guilty after this meal though, I don't think I'll be back anytime soon. It's good, but it definitely doesn't deserve all the hype. I'm sure that in other parts of the country it's the best that's out there because they've never been to In n' Out.
I was surprised by the size and presentation of the menu. As someone who doesn't eat fast food very often, I was awed by Sonic's brazen "badness." I guess I'm just used to most burger joints trying to hide the fact that their food is bad for you by having a lot of salad, chicken sandwich and parfait kinds of items. Sonic is pure fast-food and doesn't try to disguise what it is. We felt so guilty after this meal though, I don't think I'll be back anytime soon. It's good, but it definitely doesn't deserve all the hype. I'm sure that in other parts of the country it's the best that's out there because they've never been to In n' Out.
4523 Campus Dr.
Irvine, CA 92612
(949) 387-9955
Irvine, CA 92612
(949) 387-9955
Strickland's Ice Cream
Category: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
All I can say is it's a damn good thing this place wasn't around when I went to UCI. The "freshman 15" may have turned into something scarier. I used to live right across the street from this shopping center and worked at the Starbucks on the other end of the parking lot. Considering that back then we had to drive down to the Newport Dairy Queen for a decent frozen treat, a place like this was long overdue.
I had the pistachio and mud pie and my husband had a dole whip. I was skeptical about that one, because I love Tiki Room version and have such fond memories, but this hit it spot on. And the swirl of pineapple with strawberry - ingenious! My ice cream was delicious as well...creamy, sweet and with flavors that tasted natural.
Oh and from someone with an ice cream maker and a culinary degree let me just say that ice cream *is* frozen custard. Making that distinction is like calling ice "frozen water." But then, if it sells more cones, good for them!
I had the pistachio and mud pie and my husband had a dole whip. I was skeptical about that one, because I love Tiki Room version and have such fond memories, but this hit it spot on. And the swirl of pineapple with strawberry - ingenious! My ice cream was delicious as well...creamy, sweet and with flavors that tasted natural.
Oh and from someone with an ice cream maker and a culinary degree let me just say that ice cream *is* frozen custard. Making that distinction is like calling ice "frozen water." But then, if it sells more cones, good for them!
18727 Brookhurst St.
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
(714) 968-8300
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
(714) 968-8300
Stonefire Grill
Categories: American (Traditional), Barbeque
So according to a listing on OC Weekly, Stonefire Grill was one of the participants in HB Restaurant Week last week. The special sounded pretty good - $10 for a drink, entree and dessert. We met up with a couple of friends here and when we tried to order off the special menu the cashier said she hadn't heard anything about it. We might have just gone ahead and ordered something else if it wasn't for the magical blessing that is the iphone. My husband showed the manager the site where the menu special was listed. What would have been a 3 star meal immediately turned into a 4 when the manager offered to give us the $10 meal!
The french dip I got was average, but the mashed potatoes were awesome. And with free refills on sodas and huge desserts, this place won a 5th star. The carrot cake was super moist, the cheesecake with blueberries delicious and my brownie was pretty tasty too. All of us needed boxes for the desserts they were so big.
We were having such a good time catching up with our friends that we stayed all the way up until the dinner rush started. Although several people stopped by to ask us if we needed bags or if they could clear our plates, we didn't feel pressured to leave. Thank you Stonefire Grill for your generosity and top-notch customer service!
The french dip I got was average, but the mashed potatoes were awesome. And with free refills on sodas and huge desserts, this place won a 5th star. The carrot cake was super moist, the cheesecake with blueberries delicious and my brownie was pretty tasty too. All of us needed boxes for the desserts they were so big.
We were having such a good time catching up with our friends that we stayed all the way up until the dinner rush started. Although several people stopped by to ask us if we needed bags or if they could clear our plates, we didn't feel pressured to leave. Thank you Stonefire Grill for your generosity and top-notch customer service!
5 Lists
1. Strickland's Ice Cream
All I can say is it's a…
2. Melt Gelato & Crepe Cafe
I didn't try the crepes,…
3. Tutto Amore Gelato
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