Derrick C.'s Profile

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grunt grunt slurp chomp chomp slurp ... moan.

Salmon Spaghetti with Ginger Cream Sauce!
Salmon Spaghetti with Ginger Cream Sauce!!!
Salmon Spaghetti with Ginger Cream Sauce!!!!!
Salmon Spaghetti with Ginger Cream Sauce!!!!!!!
Salmon Spaghetti with Ginger Cream Sauce!!!!!!!!!
Salmon Spaghetti with Ginger Cream Sauce!!!!!!!!!!!
Salmon Spaghetti with Ginger Cream Sauce!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Salmon Spaghetti with Ginger Cream Sauce!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Oh, and free wifi.

AMBIENCE: Friggin nice, but not in a pompous way.  More in a relaxed "let's enjoy good food and drink" kinda way.
 
THE MEATS ==============
 
- FRALDINHA: skirt steak w/ onion herb marinade... Definitely my fav. Thick layer of marinade is hearty satisfying.
 
- PRESUNTO: ham slow roasted w pineapple ...  The pineapple is better than the ham.
 
- MAMINHA: tri-tip slow roasted w/ rock salt and olive oil ...  Outter layer is tres yummy.
 
- LOMBO: pork tenderloin slow roasted w spice dry rub ...   oh my gawd.  No seriously, ohhh myyy gawwwd. Sweet, spicy, and bold. Like me from yesteryear.
 
SIRLOIN FILET: w/ garlic herbs ...  Just a smidgen too salty, but excellent bold flavor and surprisingly tender for a sirloin cut.
 
DESSERT ==============

- Chocolate Tort w Bacon Brazil nut toffee ...  Totally misleadinly weird description.  It's just a badass brownie topped with ice cream and a toffee chip.  
 
- Blueberry Acai crisp w ice cream ...  Great crisp with fresh fruit. Slightly too sweet.  But so am I, and nobody seems to mind.

I went in for some garlic.  They have a $5 minimum for credit card transactions, so I grabbed a carrot cake and a chocolate cake to meet the minimum.  
   
THE GARLIC WAS MOLDY.  
   
THE CHOCOLATE CAKE WAS MOLDY.  
   
The best part is, I already took a big ole bite of the chocolate cake before I noticed that there was mold on it.  
   
I'm gonna go throw up.  Then I'm never going back there again.

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If you want EXCELLENT Chinese drinks and snacks, DON'T go to Lollicup.  
 
If you want GOOD Chinese drinks and snacks, and you happen to be near a Lollicup anyway, and you have no where else to go, then step inside.
 
This particular Lollicup ain't bad ...  for a Lollicup.  They serve tart yogurt, not as good as Pinkberry, but my taste buds aren't really that bitchy, when it comes to yogurt.
 
The salty fried chicken is perfect for people of all sobriety levels.
 
I just realized how many run-on sentences I wrote into this review.  Forgive me, grammar gods.

huff ... huff ... huff ... deep breath ... panic ...

 / ravenously drinks down ice water

huff ... huff ... huff ... deep breath ... panic ...

My girl and I stumbled across this joint the way you sometimes trip on the last step when you're climbing a stairway in the dark.  
 
---- SYNOPSIS -------
 
DERRICK:  Wake up, babe.  Are you hungry?  We're in Paso Robles.  
 
JULIA:  Paso Robles?  What is this place??  Are you driving me into some Steven King movie?  
 
DERRICK:  Let's check Yelp to see what's good around here.
 
JULIA:  I'm getting scared.  THAT GUY JUST PEED ON MY WINDOW.  
 
DERRICK:  [tinkering with his Treo]  Hmmm, let's see ...  winery, winery, bar, winery, expensive restaurant, winery, pub, winery ...  AHA!  How about some burgers?!?!
 
JULIA:  OK, let's go.
 
---- END SYNOPSIS -------
 
Anyway, the burger meat was kinda dry, like some of the other reviewers mentioned.  But the burger was well flavored.  The onion rings were the size of Krispy Kreme donuts.  The chili on my hotdog was AWESOME.  
 
While we were there, we met a lady with an AMAZING baby stroller.  It looked like something designed by Segway.  I know that's totally irrelevant, but I just thought I should mention it in case she reads this.  
 
Hey amazing stroller lady!  What brand was your stroller?

NUTSHELL REVIEW:
 
- PRICE:  overpriced for the quality of food
- FOOD:  The tapas were yummy, but they did not blow the lid off my tastebuds.  The special paeallaeeaa (dammit, who can help me spell this word??) was buttery and flavorful, but not sure if it's worth an hour wait time.
- WINE:  I don't drink well.  But our friends loved the wine selection.  
- ATMOSPHERE:  Cozy and good for a date, or just to prove to your girlfriend that you're not a complete tool ... even though we all know you really are.
- LOCATION:  Dude, it's a gem for downtown Tustin.  The area is actually quite quaint.  It made me want to help old ladies across the street.  
- SERVICE:  The waiters were attentive, almost to the point of being pretentious.  Our waiter reminded me of Taylor Hicks.
 
FINAL VERDICT:
- It's worth going once.  Probably not twice.