JeffSD's Profile
Knotts Berry Farm
Mrs. Knott's Fried Chicken Restaurant is very, very tired. The building is shabby -- ramshackle, dirty, poorly painted, not well-kept up. The silverware is flimsy, the "glassware" plastic, and the dinnerware the most basic cafeteria-style. And the food is ordinary-minus on every count. They've been coasting on their "reputation" for a very, very long time. It's unfortunate.
La Mirada, La Habra, East Whittier???
G Burger is an option, trendy gourmet burgers at 421 E. La Habra Blvd. Probably the best thing happening in this area for lunch.
http://gburger.com/
We've tried to like Moro's Cuban, but on two occasions food has been spotty to good and service has had problems.
Goods Eats in Santa Ana?
We've always liked the Chapter One gastropub built inside an old bookstore at Fourth and Broadway.
LaBrea Bakery frozen take & Bake
Finally found the Take 'n Bake products at Ralph's Fresh Fare in Villa Park. They had the baguettes and dinner rolls, but none of the five Take 'n Bake items listed on the La Brea website. They weren't frozen or refrigerated, but sitting out with other La Brea Bakery baked goods. The bakery guy said they were "parbaked." Instructions said to bake at 385 for 8-10 minutes. I bought the Take 'n Bake baguettes and baked according to instructions. They came out tough and very, very crusty and there was no aroma of fresh baked bread. I would have done better if I'd bought the already baked baguettes, which are usually pretty great.
Umami Burger & Pitfire Pizza in OC
Yes, the date has been pushed forward. Now, the opening for Umami Burger is said to be after New Year's.
Any places with unexpectedly good coffee?
Tierra Mia has great coffee at their South Gate, Huntington Park, and Santa Fe Springs coffeehouses.
http://tierramiacoffee.com/
fresh turkeys for thanksgiving?
Do NOT order a bird from Whole Foods! Last Thanksgiving, I ordered a turkey from the Tustin store and picked it up. On Wednesday (Thanksgiving Eve) I got a call from them telling me I had to return the turkey and they would replace it because of some unspecified problem. So I returned it and picked up the replacement. They would not say what was wrong with the turkey, of course, but did say there were only a few that were affected. The replacement turkey was not the same brand that I had ordered. It was tough, stringy, a totally horrible bird, and folks, I DO know how to roast a delicious turkey. It was so bad we didn't even keep any leftovers, we just put it in the trash. That experience plus some terrible Mary's air-chilled, organic chicken breasts (again tough and stringy) that I got there the previous month, plus some other negative experiences, did it for me. I won't go anywhere NEAR a Whole Foods anymore.
On the other hand, I have NEVER been disappointed with Bristol Farms poultry.
ISO high quality, free range chicken in OC....
...not necessarily. The last time I bought chicken breasts at Whole Foods, the meat was stringey, ropey, and tough. And these were Mary's organic, air-chilled chicken breasts at premium prices. I am more often than not disappointed by the Tustin Whole Foods meats, poultry and fish, given their prices and stated mission.
Best NY strip steak
I agree, bought prime New York steaks recently at the Fullerton Costco and they were pretty good, as are the prime Ribeyes which I usually buy.
silver palette bbq sauce
All of the Silver Palette products are available by mail order at http://www.worldpantry.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ExecMacro/silver/home.d2w/report, including the Smokey Maple BBQ Sauce. The salad dressings are available at Bristol Farms, maybe other products as well. Some of the more upscale Vons also carry a few of their products.
Sprouts Market.
Sprouts is a lot more like Henry's than Whole Foods, Gelsons, or Bristol Farms. The only time I tried to buy fish there (at the Irvine location), it was TERRIBLE!
Middle Eastern Grocery in LA and San Diego
Try Wholesome Choice in Irvine and Anaheim Hills. It's the Whole Foods of middle eastern groceries. A pretty amazing place.
http://www.wholesomechoice.com/
Opinions about Sprouts
My only experience with Sprouts was with the Irvine market, where I bought some truly terrible fish. I think the Henry's has better selection in general. I see no reason to go back to Sprouts, even though they opened a market fairly near me recently in Orange. I frequently shop at Wholesome Choice and less frequently at Bristol Farms.
the Dal Rae Restaurant in Pico Rivera
We have been to Dal Rae once. Never again! The service was extremely showy and pretentious, but without substance. My filet mignon was not medium rare, as ordered, but solid medium. My companion had the spaghetti, which was drenched with a medicinal-tasting red sauce. As we expected, the check came to a sizable amount and was not worth it.
While this restaurant in no way tries to be a cutting-edge place, it also isn't old school fifties. For the fifties equivalent of these prices, one would have expected quiet, competent service, a filet as ordered, and a good plate of spaghetti.
Save some money and go someplace like Phlight in Whittier, where the food is innovative and the service is great.
Anaheim/Central OC Eats
Wholesome Choice in Anaheim Hills and Irvine has phenomenal eastern Mediterranean, Indian, Persian, and Asian food that you can eat on the premises or take home.
Bristol Farm Bakery Treats?
I've always liked the Bristol Farms bakery. Love their squares of Texas chocolate cake and pumpkin cake. Delicious and moist without having to buy a whole cake. Have had good luck with most of their cupcakes. And, when I can find it, they have dynamite slices of chilled lemon cake.
Tommy's Frozen Chili in Ralph's or Food for Less?
Bristol Farms is great place to go for really good chili. It's in the homemade soup section, near the deli. They usually have Roadhouse Chili, Snake-Bite Chili, or Basil-Chicken Chili. They are all delicious and full of meat and vegetables, with some nice heat.
Bristol Farms Mission Viejo closing
The OC Register reports that the Bristol Farms store in Mission Viejo is closing at the end of February. The article says the store is "underperforming."
Where to buy Prime Beef in North Orange County
Gem Meats on Yorba Linda Blvd. in Fullerton carries prime beef. So does Pacific Ranch Market on Chapman Ave. in Orange. Orchard's Fresh Foods at 16426 E. Whittier Blvd. also carries excellent prime beef, just two blocks across the Orange County line in Whittier. Other than that, prime beef is available at Whole Foods on Jamboree Road in Tustin and Bristol Farms in Newport Beach and Mission Viejo, which aren't North Orange County.
New Mexico Style Mexican food
I agree with the assessment about Anita's. The food was not that great, on three different meals there, and the service was indifferent at best. We won't go back.
Fresh & Easy Coupons Changing in LA & OC [moved from LA board]
A follow-up: Since I posted my original post, I tried to find the online coupon. I couldn't find it anywhere on their website.
When I shopped there today, I asked the guy for next week's coupon (which is a great deal). He informed me that they were no longer offering coupons in-store, but coupons were online (at the reduced rate of savings). I can't find them as of tonight.
Fresh & Easy Coupons Changing in LA & OC [moved from LA board]
Fresh & Easy has changed their coupon system. Instead of handing out coupons worth a $5 savings on purchases of $20 or more, they are posting coupons online (which you can print out) worth $6 on purchases of $30 or more.
I guess the honeymoon is over.
REVIEW: Cafe Contigo, Anaheim
I went by Cafe Contigo yesterday and found it was closed. It was such a sweet place, indeed an exotic oasis. I'll miss it too.
Fresh Turkeys for Thanksgiving in San Diego?
Last year, Whole Foods offered brined Diestel turkeys weighing about 7 pounds. I bought them for Thanksgiving and Christmas and they were delicious, the best turkeys I've ever cooked.
Frida at the Americana
We also had pretty bad service when we went to Frida. Plus the room was incredibly noisy and the decor jarring. The rib eye tacos I had were only fair. In addition, it seemed like everything else, for instance rice and beans, was extra cost. Seems like a cheesy practice for any Mexican restaurant. We won't go back. A far cry from the Frida in Beverly Hills.
Tierra Mia, South Gate -- Latino Coffeehouse
Tierra Mia is an upscale Latino coffeehouse in South Gate very near the corner of Firestone and Atlantic that opened in March, 2008. It specializes in coffees, lattes, frappes, and espressos with a Latin theme.
Some examples are Rice and Beans (a frappe made from crushed coffee beans and horchata), Cuban cafe con leche (really syrupy), and a variety of coffees and espressos brewed from beans from small El Salvadorean estates.
There are also several other non-coffee drinks, including a wonderful Mojito lemonade. We've been there a couple of times and tried a variety of coffee and non-coffee drinks, all delicious. The decor is clean and modernist and it's a pleasant place to sit and enjoy the drinks and the cool and modern Latin music.
We first heard about it in Jonathan Gold's column in the LA Weekly:
http://www.laweekly.com/2008-08-21/eat-drink/palate-food-amp-wine-charcuterie-that-39-s-a-cut-above/
The owner was profiled in the LA Times business section:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-smallbiz15-2008sep15,0,4901553,full.story
4914 Firestone Blvd., South Gate
(323) 563-3948
REVIEW: Cafe Contigo, Anaheim
We went to Cafe Contigo for lunch today and it was excellent. We had the Media Noche sandwiches (very tasty) and the guava/cheese pastry (also tasty). For drinks, one of us the Iced Sweet Mate and the other had Mocha Mexico (made with Mexican chocolate).
It was a delightful place. Warm colors, nice furnishings, soft music, and a very polite young man in a Cuban hat behind the counter. It's obvious that the owner takes a great deal of pride in his business.
This gem is what keeps me coming back to chowhound.com for recommendations.
Sunday night dinner in Pasadena
Daisy Mint is excellent. The curry dishes are excellent, as is the Salmon with Cilatnro Sauce. We've been there three times and always had a great meal.
