Arnold "Blue Steel" E.'s Profile

My wife and I love to eat and we've made it a point to celebrate our birthdays at nicer eateries. For one of my last birthdays, my wife surprised me with a reservation at José Andrés' The Bazaar. I'd had this place on my food radar for a while and couldn't wait to experience José Andrés' dishes.

The Bazaar's location within the SLS Hotel was a bit intimidating, especially since this place screams out "LA!" I wasn't sure if I was entering the hotel or the restaurant or a gallery. So, The Bazaar is quite an apt name for this establishment. Artwork and crafts pieces are spread throughout the restaurant area in a way that is confusing at first, and then eventually makes sense once you near the end of your meal. And, the fact that much of the pieces are for sale (if you've got the ducats to spare) makes this place feel more like a marketplace of sorts.

We were seated for our dinner in the dining area, between the bar and patio. As we admired our surroundings, I couldn't help but notice the eclectic selection of furnishings. To be honest, the word 'bizarre' crept into my thoughts instead of 'bazaar' at times. Anyway, I digress.

How was the food? Good, if not great. Chef Andrés is commonly known for his molecular gastronomy. So, visually, all of his dishes are quite appealing. His focus on techniques, preparation, and presentation should definitely be noted.

BEVERAGES
LN2 Caiparinha - Liquid nitrogen + Caiparinha + tableside service = delicious science experiment! I loved the flavor and smoothness of this drink.
Virgin Strawberry Mojito - My wife's allergic to alcohol and I wanted to drink this almost as much as my caiparinha.

DISHES
Olives, Traditional - simple, yet tasty; made in-house
Olives, Modern - technically impressive, flavorful, and tastier than I'd expected
Fermin Platter - three selections of successively succulent slices of ham the way it's supposed to be....MMMM! I could have eaten this stuff all night long...seriously!
Philly Cheesesteak - airy bread, tasty toppings; interesting take on an American classic
Caprese Salad - liquid mozzarella spheres, anyone?
Gambas - not too fancy, but cooked well; guindilla pepper adds a nice touch
Tuna Ceviche and Avocado Roll - tuna wrapped with thin slices of avocado; what's not to like?
Cotton Candy Foie Gras - sweet, then savory; great presentation; must try
Croquetas de Pollo - the wife's favorite; chicken + bechamel fritters = gooood...
Beef Hangar Steak - the piquillo pepper confit worked really well with the beef
Wild Mushroom Rice - earthy and delicious, at least for me (My wife doesn't like mushrooms); the Idiazabal cheese made this dish
Boneless Chicken Wings - stuffed with green olive puree; good if you like olives
King Crab & Sea Urchin Sandwiches - served in mini Chinese steamed buns, these tiny sammies were delicious and disappeared quickly
Sauteed Cauliflower Couscous - flavorful, fresh tasting, but a little dry for my tastes
Barramundi - combined with black garlic and scallions, this is a good choice; fish was cooked perfectly as well

DESSERT
Nitro Coconut Floating Island -  a flavorful, frozen hemisphere of tropical goodness that has to be tasted in person
Chocolate Bonbons - saffron, lemon ginger, star anise; delicate, smooth, rich, decadent; I wish I could have sampled the rest because they were delicious

Overall, our dinner was memorable, a bit surreal, and definitely worth experiencing. Was the food mind-blowing? Not necessarily. Don't get me wrong. The food was very, very good. However, I think my experience was dulled by the distractions within the restaurant/gallery/market hybrid that is The Bazaar. I'm still a fan, Chef Andrés. For now, 3-1/2 stars (rounded up).

For pics of our experience, visit: http://www.flickr.com/...

I normally don't go out of my way to bash a business on Yelp, but this particular McDonald's location was really asking for it. First off, yes, it's right off the freeway. However, it's behind Chevron (coming from the 15N offramp) and difficult to spot. I saw a neighboring Jack In the Box before spying this Mickey D's. Perhaps we should've eaten there instead. Anyways, after waiting a while in the drive thru queue (which reeked of public restroom intermingled with the pungent aroma of Norco air) we placed our order. Oh, Ronald McDonald, how do I loathe the? Let me list the ways...

Mistake #1: they failed to ask if my Happy Meal orders were for boys or girls. My daughter received a toy intended for a boy and was immediately made UNhappy. FAIL!

Mistake #2: I requested iced tea (which almost every fast food employee knows is a request for unsweetened tea). The worker who took my order even made a note of it on the receipt as "unsweetened tea." So, what did I receive? Sweet tea, which was extremely over-sweetened, by the way.

Mistake #3: The peppermint hot chocolate I ordered was basically mint-flavored milk with a bit of chocolate sludge at the bottom. WTF? If I order hot chocolate, that $#!+ had better be chocolaty first and minty second, b!+$#!

Mistake #4: How the f*$% are we supposed to drink six beverages with four straws?!  Granted, one drink was the sh*tty peppermint hot chocolate and had a lid made for sipping. But still! Doesn't McDonald's HR department at least check to see if their employees can perform simple math tasks? Six drinks? Six straws, dudes! Ughhh!!!

Mistake #5: Not a single napkin to be found in our two paper bags nor our two Happy Meal boxes. WHAT. THE. FRACK.?! We inhabit the U.S. of frickin' A. for goodness sake! Napkins to go along with our meals is practically a part of our U.S. Constitution! How the heck do the employees here expect a family, with kids, to consume a fast food meal, in a moving vehicle, and not make a mess? Give me a break!!! Arghhhhh!!!!!!!11!!1!!!111!!

[End rant.]

Please, for the love of all that is holy, avoid this McDonald's like the plague. Save yourself from heartache, disappointment, and wasted time. Go elsewhere, even to another McDonald's location. But, please, don't subject yourself to the ineptitude and lack of quality control that is desperately lacking at this particular location.

I love Native Foods Cafe. I'll admit it. No, I'm neither a vegetarian nor a vegan. But, I do know what I like and I like the food here. A lot. I could eat it everyday. Seriously.

That being said, the service and food quality here is consistently good. Possibly the only thing I don't like about this particular location is the overabundance of pretentiousness that you'll find here in its customers. Would you care for a side of Hipster with your meal? And, trust me, I'm no hipster by any means. I know this shouldn't reflect on my review, but it can get pretty stifling in here. Just be prepared.

I'll still eat here, but I prefer the Tustin location over this one. Too bad it's too far from me now. :*(

Just an update.

This place is still good. Pancakes: good! Cinnamon rolls: good! Breakfast dishes: good! Breakfast potatoes: good! Bathroom cleaner smell as you enter the restaurant: not so good. :(

Overall, it's mostly good!

The wifey and I found ourselves in North OC on a Sunday night and we were craving ramen. Our usual noodle haunts were too far or closed on Sundays so a quick check on our Yelp mobile apps pointed us towards Shisen Ramen. A ramen joint in Cerritos? Hmmm... Well, we eventually found this place and were seated quickly. Unfortunately, they were out of the the garlic shisen ramen that night, so I made due with the [spicy] charsu ramen while the wifey ordered the Tonkotsu charsu version. We also ordered some gyoza to start us off.

Gyoza - cooked well, but filling was very green and not too meaty; kind of bland on its own, honestly.

Charsu ramen - not as spicy as I expected, but had good flavor; didn't notice oiliness that many have mentioned; charsu was tender and not too fatty; broth was well seasoned; served up nice and hot

Tonkotsu - also had good flavor (from what I tasted from my wife's bowl); also served at a nice temperature; charsu same as my bowl

One thing that was interesting was the ramen noodles that they use in their dishes. It's thinner and straighter than ramen noodles you'd find elsewhere; much closer in appearance to somen noodles (thin, straight). Also, their noodles are cooked to a nice al dente, which I really liked.

Overall, this place is a decent and welcome addition to the area. Sure, you'll probably find tastier ramen elsewhere, but Shisen is an adequate substitute when you don't feel like driving 30 or more minutes elsewhere. I'd say give them a try. If you don't like it, more for me!

I like Paul's Place. They've got decent burgers and, depending on their location, their breakfasts are pretty tasty. However, one item on the Paul's Place menu that usually deserves recognition is the fried zucchini. The fried zucchini at the Anaheim, Buena Park, and Cypress locations has been consistently awesome. However, the fried zucchini I had here the other day is simply decent at best. Yeah, it's cooked well. But, it lacks the panko-like breading similar to that used at Claim Jumper restaurants as well as the grated Parmesan that looks like tiny pieces of broken angel hair pasta. What you get here is cornmeal breaded zucchini sticks with what appears to be grated Kraft brand Parmesan cheese. *Sigh* What a let down...

However, the rest of the menu is still good. I really enjoyed my Gyro Salad (Greek salad plus strips of beef/lamb gyro meat), burgers, fries, and onion rings. And, no, I didn't eat all that stuff by myself. Or did I?

Pros:
-Open 24 hours a day, great for late night grubbin'
-Not too busy, so you'll most likely get your food faster
-It's actually an Alberto's (not some weird variation like Albarto's, or something)
-Decent selection of SoCal comida Mexicana
-Aguas frescas! Horchata, Tamarindo, Jamaica, oh my!

Cons:
-Open 24 hours a day, bad for your waistline
-Not too busy, sometimes a sign that it's not so good
-Greazy fo' sheezy
-0.1% chance of incurring "Montezuma's Revenge"
-The people working the drive thru window have forgotten to give me my drink and/or change on occasion

Bottom Line:
If you're hungry enough, you'll eat anything, right? Hey, that could be their new slogan!

The only reason I usually end up at a Sonic is because of those clever Sonic commercials on TV. My wife sees them and, like the target demographic type person she is, she'll quickly suggest that we visit Sonic for their newest food or drink item. So, we stopped by one evening to feed the family on the cheap and I was extremely impressed! Not by the speed at which their food passed through my GI tract, but by their level of service and quality of their food. I've been to another Sonic before (Anaheim or Fullerton?) and their service and quality weren't this good.

The workers here were on top of things like crazy. Their attentiveness reminded me of a team of servers one would normally get at a high end restaurant. I almost felt weird, being waited on while eating in my own car. The food was great as well. Nothing was over seasoned, overcooked, or overwhelming. Everything was very good. Sonic good, in fact!

If you find yourself watching/overhearing a Sonic ad and feel like checking them out, you need to do yourself a favor and drive down to this location on Harbor.

My dryer died on me one day and I had clothes that were in desperate need of washing. I checked Yelp for some washer/dryer repair services and Appliance Medic Service was so highly rated that I had to give them a shot. After speaking with Lamberto on the phone, it seemed like I was in good hands. He and one of his partners showed up a little later than promised, put on some protective booties, and proceeded to check out my dryer unit. Well, they did find the problem and fixed the main problem. However, while reassembling the dryer, a fuse was accidentally shorted out and had to be replaced. Basically, I had to wait a few more days for the part to come in after the initial visit. The second visit (several days later) was pleasant enough, but they didn't bother with the booties this time (which I appreciated the first time as I have two children and we have a no-shoes-inside policy in our home). Hmmm...

Overall, I was pleased with the level of courtesy, professionalism, and Lamberto's ability to meet my schedule (late night visit). My dryer was fixed, but it took much longer than originally anticipated, so I had to wash my clothes elsewhere. Despite this inconvenience, I would still recommend AMS for your appliance repair needs. With all the glowing reviews here on Yelp, I expected everything to be top-notch. AMS was close, but not 5-star spectacular. But, that was just my experience.

The only mall that may be worse than BPD is the Moreno Valley Mall. Maybe. No, wait. They're both equally sad. BPD just happens to be close to Knott's Berry Farm. Hmmm... That shouldn't matter. Okay, nevermind. BPD is just sad. Don't go here unless you absolutely have to. End of story.