Kris C.'s Profile

The cupcakes are swirled with luscious buttercream and look too pretty to eat, but trust me, dig in and you won't be disappointed.  We tried the hazelnut and the Peanut Butter & Jelly.  The cupcakes were rich, moist, and dense.  The hazelnut had a marble cupcake with a hazelnut buttercream.  I didn't really pick up on the hazelnut in the frosting, but the cupcake was great anyway.  The PB & J was a chocolate cupcake injected with a light jelly, topped with peanut butter buttercream.  It was simply amazing and nicely done.

Besides great cupcakes, Babycakes has some personality.  If a coffeshop and a bar had a baby, it would be Babycakes.  By day, it looks like a great place to relax or study, and by night, it seems like a casual place to meet up with friends and grab a drink.

I can't keep my hands off the fudge; in fact, I am eating it as I yelp.  The candy shop is small and cozy, but don't let the crowd discourage you from entering.  The staff is friendly and efficient, and they do a great job keeping the line moving.  

The store is chock full of an assortment of taffy, chocolate covered nuts, jelly beans, and of course, fudge.  While waiting in line, I impulsively scooped up chocolate covered walnuts and dark chocolate covered pecans, but these were well worth the purchase.  (they barely survived the walk out of Old Town)  There was a heavenly selection of fudge- chocolate, peanut butter, s'mores, rocky road, pecan praline, snickers, maple nut, cookies and cream, just to name a few.  We got the snickers and the praline, and they were rich, creamy, and decadent.  

You should definitely make the trip to Old Town- for the candy, at the very least.

On a quest to find good New York style pizza, my boyfriend and I made the trek from Orange County to San Diego.  It is worth the trip; Bronx Pizza is a step up from anything we've found in the OC.  

We got the pizza by the slice- cheese, veggie, and the spinach ricotta.  The crust is pretty good- thin and slightly crispy.  The pizza by the slice holds up well and tastes good, despite being reheated.  My favorite was the spinach ricotta- rich and garlicky.  

As for the ambiance, the place is low key and no frills.  If you are a Yankees fan, you will enjoy all the Yankees memorabilia.  (The pizza can stand on its own; it doesn't really need all the kitschy decorations to prove its New York authenticity.)  I definitely recommend Bronx Pizza, and I would eat here again.

It can be tough to be a vegetarian eating at a Mexican restaurant, but when in Old Town, where else are you going to eat?  Besides, I like the chips and salsa and the cheesy decor.  

I had a hankering for a chile relleno, and Casa de Reyes did not disappoint.  The chile relleno was oozing with cheese and tasted pretty good.  It was served with rice, black beans, and tortillas.  The beans were well seasoned and flavorful, and they were vegetarian, which my boyfriend and I appreciated.  I also enjoyed the rice, which was a tad on the salty side, but good nevertheless.  The tortillas were handmade, but I'm sure this is the norm at most Mexican restaurants in the area.  

Casa de Reyes boasts that it serves the best margarita, but I've had better.  My boyfriend and I shared a mango margarita, and we didn't even finish it.  The drink was really, really weak and was more like a snow cone in a margarita glass.  

The service was pretty slow (we almost finished the basket of chips before our server returned to take our order), but it was friendly enough.  The food was pretty good and the prices were reasonable, but I would not go out of my way to return.

A meal here is worth every dollar.  I recently went to Mother's Market for brunch and then for dinner last week.  The food is tasty, the service is friendly, the prices are reasonable, and the portions are so large that you will surely have leftovers for the next day.

For brunch, I ate the tofu scramble with the roasted potatoes, and my boyfriend ate an omelet filled with green chiles, onions, and cheddar cheese and served with roasted potatoes.  Our meals were served with a choice of bread and a delicious, fruity jelly.

Later in the week, we returned for dinner.  We made the mistake of ordering way too much food, but that was okay because we had plenty of leftovers.  We tried the nachos and the BBQ riblet plate.  The nachos were huge and chock full of tomatoes, jalapenos, chiles, beans, cheese, black olives, and other goodies.  The BBQ riblet plate came with a salad (field greens with beets, cucumbers, and tomatoes), braised greens, mashed potatoes, and garlic bread.  We had so much good food that next time, I would order an appetizer and split an entree.  By the way, try the ranch dressing- you won't be sorry.  Trust me.

On a visit from California, I was excited to finally eat at the legendary Gillie's.  My boyfriend, a Virginia Tech alum, frequented this restaurant on a weekly basis when he was a student and I had heard so much about it.  Gillie's is a no-frills, casual vegetarian restaurant with reasonable prices, plenty of variety, and good food.

We ate the nachos and the tofu reuben.  The nachos consisted of a heaping plate of tortilla chips, melted cheese, black olives, black beans and kidney beans, tomatoes, red peppers, and sour cream.  It is large enough to share, and makes a wonderful appetizer or meal.  The tofu reuben was phenomenal- a marinated slice of tofu, sauerkraut, and russian dressing sandwiched between two slices of homemade rye bread.  The sandwich is served with a red cabbage and carrot slaw, lightly dressed in a sesame oil.  My boyfriend has eaten his fair share of tofu reubens, and he says that the one at Gillie's is simply the best.        

I can see why my boyfriend was a Gillie's regular while he was at Virginia Tech.  We are headed back to California tomorrow, but already, I can't wait until we return to Virginia so we can eat at Gillie's again.

My boyfriend, a native to the area, and I popped into Mamma Concetta for the lunch buffet while out doing some post-holiday shopping.  We were visiting from California, and even though the BF hasn't lived in Virginia for over a year, he still recalled Mamma Concetta's pizza as being the best in town.  

The pizza is definitely the star of the lunch buffet, and the appetizers, salad, and pasta are merely the supporting cast members.  Selections on the lunch buffet change daily, and there is quick turnover on the buffet, so the food is always fresh.  

The pizza is a thin crust, New York style pie that holds up quite nicely even though it's on a buffet and under the heat lamps.  The pizza really is excellent- nice and chewy, quite savory.  The salad bar is adequate; the iceberg lettuce is rather un-spectacular, but the homemade Italian dressing and homemade sun dried tomato dressings are pretty good.  As for pasta, the buffet included a spaghetti with garlic and oil, cheese tortellini with alfredo sauce, meatballs, and chicken cacciatore.  The pasta was okay, but probably something that you could cook for yourself at home.  The buffet also includes garlic knots, which might be reason enough to eat at the restaurant, and chicken wings.  

The service was quick and friendly, and the restaurant has a nice ambiance.  Mamma Concetta's is good for a quick lunch, but I would also come here for dinner.  This is a great place to go for a date, to celebrate a special event, and of course, just for a nice meal.

If I were Italian, going to Peppino's would be like going home.  This family owned restaurant cooks up all of the classics you come to expect, plus a nice variety that you might not find at run of the mill Italian restaurants.

My boyfriend and I have been to Peppino's a few times.  The food here is of great quality and is moderately priced.  We usually order the Lina rolls, a roll with mozzarella and romano cheeses, spinach and eggplant rolled up in a fresh dough and served with marinara sauce.  We have also enjoyed the fettuccini alfredo with chicken and the calzones.  Other favorites include the chicken parmigiana, a dish that boasts nice, tender, and juicy chicken.  We also love the fettucini della casa, sauteed mushrooms in a marsala sauce that is amazingingly creamy and impossible to replicate.  

The decor is homey and reminiscent of your grandparents' home with family photos adorning the walls.  However, there are large, almost imposing televisions that seem out of place and can be distracting.  Also, pass on the bread basket.  Peppino's doesn't take shortcuts with their food, but they seem to cut corners with the bread.  It's not very good and resembles store bought loaves.  Nevertheless, go to Peppino's and eat up!

Heed my advice: go easy on the chips and salsa or else you will spoil your dinner.  And you don't want to do that because the food is really, really good.  You may find it difficult to resist the fresh tortilla chips and spicy salsa, but trust me, take it easy.  

My boyfriend ate the enchiladas poblanas with the mole sauce, and I ate the carne asada fajitas.  The mole sauce had a nice dynamic flavor collision of chiles and chocolate.  It was good in and of itself, but it could have used some sliced onion, which is a perfect complimentary flavor.  The fajitas were really satisfying and the carne asada was nicely seasoned.          

Super Antojitos is a pretty low key place and casual.  The prices are reasonable, and the portions are so large that you will easily have leftovers for a second meal (although the leftovers aren't as good the second time around).  

My only complaint is that there is a large jukebox in the middle of the restaurant, and when patrons request songs, the music is so loud that it can become difficult to carry on a conversation.  However, this is a minor issue, and certainly not a reason to forgo the delicious food.

Ray's boasts that it has the best pizza in Irvine, and well, that just might be true- but get it fresh.  The crust is a New York style crust- thin and chewy, and not bread-like and dough-y.  The sauce is tangy but not overwhelming, and you get a hint of basil and oregano in each bite.  Ray's skimps on the cheese, so spend the couple bucks for some extra.

Ray's serves pizza by the slice, but reheating it cannot bring it back to life.  The pizza by the slice is mediocre and will satisfy pizza cravings in a pinch, but fresh is definitely the best.  

The prices are reasonable, the place is low key, and the service is quick.  Overall, the pizza is great, but heed my advice and get your fresh pie to go.