One month in the OC, some pleasant surprises

Update:
Moved to laguna niguel, so the hood did change.
Still like Baja Fish Taco, haven't had a chance to try Los Cotijas.
Shin Sushi @ Oso and Marguerite is a great local sushi spot. The chef loves baseball as a bonus.
Takiyama(maybe?) on Bristol right across from the 73 south on-ramp is the best sushi I've had. The spicy squid app is amazing, weird as it sounds it is served like a taco salad. Pitchers of Kirin ++
Sapphire in laguna beach has community tables on the patio(dogs are welcome on patio too!) and great food. Everything from sheperds pie to caribbean curry w/fried platains.
Ramos House cafe in SJCap is the new favorite brunch spot. Apple beignets was the favorite first(SO just said 'don't tell too many people about Ramos house we'll have to wait longer') and everyone was unanimous in saying their dish was the best at the table. Mine WAS the best, chilaquiles are always a winner.
Restaurant at the Getty was the most expensive lunch and the best value lunch we've had in SCal thus far. Wine list to salad to dessert, hands down the best overall dining experience yet.
Second the Dosa Place rec for spicy indian. Real size dhosa and sambal...ummm.
Pho99 @ Lake Forest and Muirlands is good, but not spectacular pho. Little skimpy on the noodles and meat in the large.

Thanks for all the recs, now that the site is somewhat functional with the search feature I'll be contributing more regularly.

TNC

TNC in Los Angeles Area

One month in the OC, some pleasant surprises

I am also disappointed about Itz-a-Deli selling, but they were killing themselves. The original owners are starting a sandwich shop inland somewhere, much closer to their home.
The new sandwiches are the same stuff you can get anywhere, middle of the road deli meats, pre-shredded lettuce, etc.
I need to update my posting.
TNC

TNC in Los Angeles Area

need recs! S Indian in South OC

Anyone have a rec for lunch today for southern indian in Lake Forest/Irvine area? Pure vegetarian(for today's lunch) would be a plus.
Thanks,
TNC

TNC in Los Angeles Area

Thanks to the CHs in OC

Just a quick note to say thanks to the people who took time to give suggestions and give my impressions

Taco Rosa was great mexican food. Little bit spotty at the beginning, the gratis tamale and mini tostada were great, but the ceviche tostadas that were on the special board that day were the 'typical' restaurant fish special. Tasted like they were getting rid of fish that was on it's way out, not very impressive.
Then we got our agua frescas, one of the most refreshing drinks I've ever had at a restaurant. Tried both of them(divide and conquer with sharing was the strategy) on the board, mango and pineapple. The pineapple was a bit more to my taste, with a very slight taste of citrus sour. The mains had the simple ingredient and depth of flavor feeling that you get from your mom's cooking or a comfort food restaurant. They aren't trying to wow you with an ingredient list, they are doing what they do EXTREMELY well. I had the xochimilico(I prob butchered that) combo and my SO had the chicken mole enchiladas. The mole was the winner, stole the show and I was trying to wheedle bites. I didn't pay enough attention to the poster who talked about portion size, and we ended up with lunch and part of dinner the next day.

Inka Mama's was another place we'd return, but not quite as striking for quality of food. I think my SO wanted to take the waiter home. Subtle things like "I know we don't have a pool, but do you think we can get a pool boy?" gave it away :-) The food won me over, braised meat....mmmmm. The flan was a creamy-perfect end to dinner.

A miss:
The deli in the shopping center on the SW corner of Santa Marg and the 241. They have some nice meats, but the sandwich counter should get a little more focus. They serve boar's head cuts, which I am not particularly fond of. We waited at least ten minutes at the counter with people busy behind it until someone from a group standing around at the other counter came over. Then, the guy making our sandwich spilled the roasted red pepper mayo all over the place, then didn't replace the bread but just tried to squeegee the mayo off and continue. Made a mess and we paid for not telling him to start over with red mayo all over our hands when we tried to eat the thing.

Thanks again,
TNC

TNC in Los Angeles Area

One month in the OC, some pleasant surprises

It's all about sharing with pho.....and I get the bonus because my SO doesn't eat tendon!

TNC in Los Angeles Area

Mint Juleps and ponies?

I'm looking as well.....would love to find a place that has a Derby party in S OC. Anyone?
Thanks,
TNC

TNC in Los Angeles Area

One month in the OC, some pleasant surprises

Wow, thanks everyone. So:
Peruvian - Inka Mama's in foothill ranch.
Italian - Cosmo's in AV. Pina's Bistro Tustin. Sabatino's in Newport Beach. Onotria in CM.
Tacos/Burritos - Celinda's behind KFC. Las cotijas Tustin. Taco Rosa
Pizza - Antonucci's MV. Ciceros MV.
Dim Sum - Russells Seafood near John Wayne.
Cont/Amer - Nieuport 17 in Tustin. Blacksheep Bistro in Tustin. Lucca in Irvine for Tapas.
Indian - Dosa Palace off Red Hill. Masala Bowl in Tustin. Haveli.
Sushi - Sushi Wasabi in Tustin.
Japanese - Mitsuwa in CM.
Persian - Zov's Bistro. Naan and Kebab in Tustin.
Pho - Pho Bac in Irvine.

I saw a 'Best of OC' topic a couple months ago, but with this new site's TOTALLY UNUSABLE search feature I can't find it. anyone have a link?
Every other site of any note has a search function that you can at least sort by date....they still haven't fixed that basic function on here. Clowns.

TNC

TNC in Los Angeles Area

One month in the OC, some pleasant surprises

I've recently moved from NW Denver burbs to Orange County, and there has been some very pleasant finds. This is not meant to be exhaustive, but it's a quick rundown of what I've liked. You will notice a bias to RSM, it's where we're(SO and I) based right now. Will be looking for suggestions in laguna niguel soon....hint, hint.

Best:
Baja fish taco - corner of Alicia and Crown valley, next to Von's. Great fast food fish taco, the salsa bar has some of the tastiest onions I've found so far.

Itz-a-Deli - Lake Forest. TASTY corned beef on rye. Huge piles of meat on great bread. Veggie sandwich on squaw bread(think honey sweetened wheat-rye) is another favorite. $5 for sandwich and small cup of salad that will fill you up if you are there before 11:30 or after 1(they close at 3, itza lunch place).

Taco Mesa - Lake forest, Los Alisos and Trabuco. Great basic grilled meat on tortillas. Good guac and taste like homemade chips. Best is pork w/chile verde and the steak. $1 Taco Tuesdays, great deal. Horchata is a skip.

India Cook House? - Culver just E of I5. Good savory N Indian food(tikka masala, butter chicken, etc). The vindaloo/karahai stuff wasn't right, not enough heat. Adequate naan, didn't have crisp enough outside. Savory dishes were outstanding though, they stick in the head. I'm having a pavlovian response as I type this.

Caspian Restaurant - Culver just E of I5. Wouldn't have tried this place w/o some recs, just didn't have the feel of a great restaurant. It was very tasty, don't have a reference for authenticity. We went on a sunday night and saw the dancers....my brother in law from vermont was thinking of not going back(to vermont). My favorite was the chicken in thick sauce(pomegranate?) and rice with golden raisins, dried plums, and nuts. My wife liked the lamb that came with dill rice. HUGE portions, the three of us could have split an app and one main. The yoghurt drink was fantastic(du?).

Harbor Grill - Dana Point. Great fresh fish on mesquite grill. Surprisingly tasty NE clam chowder. Very nice breakfast, esp crab benedict. The huevos rancheros is a skip, doesn't have the right consistency.

Rose Canyon Cantina - Trabuco Canyon. Best marg I've had yet here, comparable to Mezcal 'coin' in Denver. Patio is an extremely pleasant place to have a meal, large trees shading the tables. Relleno and enchilada were probably good but not great, made better by locale and good drinks.

Canyon Cafe - RSM town center. Surprisingly good roasted chicken.

Middling
Taco Loco, Laguna Beach. Tacos taste really good after a day at the beach, but not something I'd go out of my way for.
Cinnamon Creations(?) - RSM town center. well executed generic breakfast. The bran blueberry muffin was the best part. Coffee had a really odd but identifiable odor of marijuana. Seriously. I thought the retiree behind me in line got her sunday morning started with a pipe.
Wine Bar, RSM town center. Hits and misses with food, the wine was nothing special at the tasting bar. Feels like they're still trying to get it figured out.

Skip
Opah - RSM town center. Blech.
Fat Burger - Aliso Viejo Town Center. Rather have an In-n-Out, esp for the highway robbery price.

If you made it this far, why don't you hit the 'reply' button to share your favorite hole in the wall in south OC? Please?

TNC

TNC in Los Angeles Area

My reading list problems

Every time I click on an author in my reading list I get logged out. I'm making a move soon and this is infuriating. I can't add new people (from the LA board as I'm moving to OC) at all.
Seems like engineering broke some basic functionality with the new release(this started on the weekend for me).
I'm using firefox 2.0.0.2, if that helps.

TNC

TNC in Site Talk

Need help with a wine pairing tonight

Thanks to everyone. I opened the CdP and it was a bit of a disappointment. The dried fruit(currant?) characteristic of the wine did not quite get there, and the wine was a tiny bit too tannic. Next time I make this dish I need to do more wild rice(proportional) in the stuffing. I added some golden raisins(not the pecans) and some chicken stock and bread crumbs to the wild rice and mushroom mix(2 c wild rice, 2 c mushrooms, 1 c dry bread crumbs, 1.5c stock, 0.25 c golden raisins). Next time more wild rice, maybe a bit of sage, and some of the walnuts someone suggested above.
Wine 98 Louis Bernard CdP: Thin and somewhat disappointing for expectations, but not a bad drink. Nose was pleasant(undefinable by me). Had dried fruit and high acid, tannins not well integrated. 87ish, but wouldn't purchase. 00 & 03 Beaurenard and 01 Guigal much better value for my tastes.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I'm not writing this up as a failure, but there was definitely a lot learned :-)

TNC

TNC in Wine

Need help with a wine pairing tonight

Tony, I like the way you think, but my wife needs to be coherent tomorrow at work :-)
Zin, the rieslings are Karl Erbes Kabinett and Louis Guntrum dry. I was thinking the contrast would highlight(does this make sense?), but couldn't quite work out the flavors in my head.

So, the obvious bonus question(if anyone is interested): What white wine would be best pairing for this dish? If I added a bit of nuts and fruit to the stuffing for a really complex set of flavors(maybe golden raisins and toasted pecans?) would it be more Chablis friendly? Or does that get into sparkling territory?

Just trying to suck brains dry on this. Thank you all for the responses, I'll open up the CdP and give it a go.

TNC

TNC in Wine

Need help with a wine pairing tonight

I'm making a mushroom and wild rice stuffing and roasting a chicken. I was going to serve a 98 Louis Bernard CdP, figuring a little age and the lighter than average CdP would be nice with the earthy flavors and still provide enough acid to go with the bird.

Now I'm having second thoughts, and am thinking about serving a german riesling or australian(unoaked) chard. I could go with a pinot(russian river valley and Sharecropper from oregon in the house) but don't really feel like that for some reason.
As you may be able to tell, I'm trying to branch out in pairing choices and see if things I *think* will work do. At the same time, I don't want to be drinking water with a meal I put time into because of a bad wine pairing.

So, anyone have opinions on the CdP? Will it complete the meal?

Thanks,
TNC

TNC in Wine

Looking for Recado in Denver

Mike,
No recado paste or balls at Avanza. They did have gnd achiote, so I got some to make the paste.
I'll have to go to mexgrocer and get some, see how my homemade stacks up.

TNC

TNC in Southwest

2nd attempt at new topic- NW Denver burbs finds

Claire, it isn't any chowdar or hounding, it's just that I have spent a bunch of time in SE asia. The first twenty or so times you go out with a Singaporean or Malaysian for 'soup' you wonder what all the fuss is about, because here we aren't taught(brought up...uhhh...can't think of the best word here) to pay attention to subtleties of depth and flavor in soup bases(broth). But tell that seAsian that you don't get it, and find yourself on a tour of six or seven places in a couple hours, all the sudden a light goes on. That said, I'm not a very definitive resource, I just know what I prefer. I definitely believe that 88 is at least one step above 79, and Duy and 120 are a half step below 79....but, if you don't like tripe, tendon, or rare beef in your pho, the conversation begins anew. Do you remember if you preferred one pho over another(this isn't a political question!)?

Hunt, this is the first experience I've had with actually reading my posting after submitting then coming back to nothing. I racked my brain for awhile thinking of reasons for deletion, and couldn't come up with one. It's kind of disturbing that this might not be a 'freak' occurrence, but rather some sort of of unintended feature aka bug that has crept into the site.

BTW, haven't had that brunello dinner(holiday season crept up fast) so I never posted a TN. Don't know when it will happen, but I will post a summary when it does.

TNC

TNC in Southwest

2nd attempt at new topic- NW Denver burbs finds

The first attempt at this post showed up yesterday when I checked to make sure it made it. Now it's gone. No objectionable content, unless chow has new and different rules than chowhound did.

This is going to be a lot shorter; I was able to take time with the first post, now I'm not able.

Kabob Station, near 120th and Huron. New 'best of' for us. Better than Ali Baba for everything we tasted but the schwarma. My favs were hummus, stuffed grape leaves, and the yoghurt drink. My SO's were the baba ganoush, tabouleh, and hummus. The 11yr old hound completely ignored fries(safety order, seen on a table and immediately craved) for the lamb kabobs, siekh kabobs(little dry for me), and hummus.
The baklava was good, but not outstanding. Not quite flaky enough top and the nuts were ground a bit too fine for my taste. My SO's complaint was that the bottom 'syrup' was not thick enough or sweet enough, but I thought it was the standout part of the dessert.

Pho - Pho 79 is the best of the trio of pho restaurants surrounding Pacific Ocean market and safeway(three in two strip malls right across from each other) at 120th and Main in Broomfield. They are not quite as good as Pho 88(88th and Wads) because the broth is not quite as good. 79 does a very nice prep job with the rare steak and tendon(not too processed with the tendon, but consistent thickness) they have as a meat for the pho. My SO thought the noodle bowl at 79 was the best she's had, I believe the fish sauce and crystal rolls at Chez Thuey(Boulder) make their noodle bowl the best I've had.

Hope this makes it.

TNC

TNC in Southwest

Hard boiled eggs at altitude

The Newton site is hilarious if you've been around engineers your entire prof life. My favorite line:
Under results in the first section "the final result is relatively simple:" Then a picture of a multivariable log function.

Freakin hilarious.

TNC

TNC in Home Cooking

Hard boiled eggs at altitude

It's very difficult to have an egg perfectly done boiling it. Tried many times, the best result was letting the eggs get to room temp before cooking(that's the important part), then putting them into a (big) pot of boiling water. The cook times here are ~1.5-1.75x the times quoted in most cookbooks. If you live above Denver(Evergreen, Bailey, etc.) my advice would be don't bother. Basted is a better and more reliable preparation, although you don't get to whack the shell.
To baste: let the eggs get to room temp and preheat a frying pan with oil/butter in it, avocado oil or bacon grease is my favorite. Crack the eggs and crack some fresh pepper and salt onto the top. Put a tablespoon of water into the pan and cover with a tight lid. The steam cooks the top of the egg and the yolk to whatever consistency you like(I'm a 1.5 minute or less fan), and the bottom is nicely fried but not crispy.

Candy, you are absolutely incorrect about altitude not having anything to do with it.

TNC

TNC in Home Cooking

Crisscross North America???

Jim, I love to read your posts. I haven't missed one.
( l )

Can you make it west of Bourbon country? It seems you are sticking to places you already 'know' geographically/foodwise. Any chance you'll make it near or west of the mississippi? I'd love to read a report about a remote, utterly unknown chow landscape....not eastern tourist destinations. In almost every locale you mention previous notes(granted, sometimes from years ago).
I hear North Dakota is nice this time of year :-)

To repeat: I love the blog, and am happy to eat vicariously until I can make it to these places you've visited. Thanks for making this available to all of us.

TNC

TNC in CHOWTour

Looking for Recado in Denver

Thank you both. There's an Avanza at 73rd and Pecos, I'll try there first. The MexGrocer link has a bunch of stuff I haven't been able to find readily around here.

Thanks again
TNC

TNC in Southwest

Wine Glasses...Is there a difference?

I received a six pack of the Tritan Top Ten fullbod red for x-mas, and have a little mileage on them now. I love the shape and the look of wine in these....and I love that they don't break. Had a couple of accidents already, and the one time we really needed it the glass bounced off the hardwood floor. Yes, we had to clean up wine(and red paw prints from our very inquisitive dog) but there was no glass. The Reidels are very nice glasses, and there is a small difference in nose and mouthfeel between the top ten and the $30/stem Reidel, with the Reidel being a bit more....hmmm...expressive? The difference was only there when we did a taste test and poured the wine(Argentinean Malbec) at the same time into the two glasses. Now that I think of it, we need to do another taste off with a more complex young red like Cabernet. I love taste offs...anyway, the variance of the wine over 30 min swamped the difference in the glasses.
For my money, I'm going to purchase more of the Tritan line. The shape is more pleasing to me, the sound is much better to my ear(it's nice to hear a great ring when you toast with your SO!), and the cost difference seals it.

Chinon00, to answer your question:
These Trit10 mature for reds, I think I might be getting another set of six for Pinot.
Chardonnay glasses from C&Barrel that I use for all whites. I'm going to get the light white wine glasses from the Trit10 line for SauvB now that I'm a believer.
Champagne flutes
Port glasses that are not intended to carry port. These are small stemmed water glasses originally, I believe.
Various bar glasses for other beverage choices(martini, marg, highball, double, etc)

TNC

TNC in Wine

Looking for Recado in Denver

I don't really want to make my own. Anyone know a store that has recado balls? Be amazing if I could find it in NW part of metro.
End product will be Pollo Pibil(close to that, anyway).
Thanks,
TNC

TNC in Southwest

Soon to be Denver area resident looking for recommendations for ethnic grocery stores

I love this thread, it gives a bunch of ideas in locales and cooking styles I like. My $0.02...
The market in Westminster is Pacific Ocean Market, off 120th(287 there) and main. Nice market, especially for fresh fish and produce. Same general area: India's market on 287/Wads and Midway, they have three or four shops around Denver/Boulder metro. Great (gasp!) indian specialty store. The one in Boulder has order-ahead fresh samosas near lunchtime, haven't tried that in Broomfield.
There's a concentration of european/russian stores north of I-70 in the Kipling/Wadsworth area. Black Forest Deli is on Kipling and 58th(or Ralston, streets get weird around there), they specialize in German sausages but have a wide selection of meats and preserves. Around the corner just north are a couple more Eastern European places just E of Tea Garden on Ralston/Kipling/64th. If you can't read polish or Russian they may be a waste of time as it's canned goods w/o english labels mostly. In the Old Town Arvada neighborhood there is Rhinelanders bakery, Primo Vino, Penzey's, and La Dolce Vita, to name a few. Rhinelanders(I think that's the name) and Primo Vino are a couple of standouts.
Restaurants in the area I love are Ali Baba, TV Cuisine, and Luke's.
Avanza near Sheridan on 44th is full of mexican/central american and general groceries. Service is not great but the stuff isn't so packaged as a Safeway or KS(local big chain grocers). Example would be the chickens. Avanza has them unwrapped in the butchers display case under headings of 'fryer', roaster, etc. S-way and KS have them previously frozen in plastic.
Wally's meats has a store at 32nd and Youngfield, they are a great butcher shop if you want that really special($$$$ but worth it sometimes) cut of meat. I shop at the one in Westminster on 112th and Sheridan. The free range half wild turkeys for thanksgiving are definitely worth the $$.

Tell us what you think about the stores you visit, I've got a spice shop to head to now off this thread! I'm looking for the spice mix used to create Belizean stewed chicken.

TNC

TNC in Southwest

making a maple syrup pecan pie thicker

I'd be interested in the recipes everyone is mentioning here. I have my own that uses dark corn syrup and half white, half brown sugar. Maple might add a different dimension. Do you just sub the syrup or are there other differences?

Mmmmmm this is going to be a tasty investigation.

TNC

TNC in Home Cooking

Sushi in Denver / Boulder

Sushi Mara on Arapahoe and 95th in Lafayette is my favorite sushi place around. They always have an interesting special or two and sitting at the bar talking to the chefs as they prepare your fish is an experience. The place is really small, and always packed. It's inside the building with Magnolia.
When they have toro it melts when it hits your tongue. Tip: Buy your chef a drink(they always have one on hand) and the suggestions about what's best start flowing.

TNC

TNC in Southwest

Love red wine...can't understand the subtle differences to expand horizons - help!

No problem, glad you have a nice shop around to explore in.
The wine name I couldn't remember was Alcance '04, it is the Carmenere from Chile. I served it with elk and bean chile without much heat(spice) and it was phenomenal.
Also, Altos de las Hormigas is the malbec I would suggest you try.

Chinon made my comment about drink what you like into a bigger deal than I had intended, so I will clarify a bit: When you get into wine at first, the tendency is to pay a lot of attention to ratings by WS or WA(

TNC

TNC in Wine

Love red wine...can't understand the subtle differences to expand horizons - help!

Lollya,
With your preference for Shiraz and the fact you liked a Granache blend....and your want to 'break out' of the habit, here are some specific wines I would suggest. I suggest these based on the price point I believe you are in(
Now for wines:
Carmenere from Chile - If your wine shop is not region-centric you should be able to find a good representative bottle for ~$17-$20. I need my notes in front of me to remember the latest bottle I had, Altavista or something like that.
Castano de Solanera(house) Monastrell(variety) from yecla(region in spain) 01 or 03($12) - This is one of my favorite wines to serve with grilled meat. This will give you an example of what reviewers inevitably refer to as a 'strong' or 'firm' wine. The best have 'well integrated' tannins, and I think Solanera is one of the best for the $$.
Coteaux de Languedoc - These are GSM(grenache, shiraz, mourvedre) blends and good ones can be found for ~$15-$20. If memory serves, Chateaux de Lascaux(sp?) '01 was my go-to red a couple years ago.
Oregon and Washington pinot noir - These are a bit too light and fruity for my taste(WARNING - generalities like these make you miss some very nice wines) but A to Z can be bought for $15 from the williamette valley and gives a good indication of style.
Altos de las (something) Malbec from any of the last three years - If I understand your descriptors above, cabernet without the blunt.
Seghesio Zin Sonoma - In almost any year, this is one of my favorite wines to have around the house. Consistency, quality and value. Seghesio also lacks the heat(high alcohol is the usual contributor) most cali zins now have.
Kim Crawford Sauv Blanc, New Zealand - Have this with fresh scallops sauteed in butter and you'll begin messing around with white wines, much to the chagrin of your pocketbook.

A step up in price point wines:
Domaine de Beaurenard Chateauneuf du Pape '03 - CDP wines are the best wines out for the money in a good vintage. This was a steal because I caught a price mistake at the register...I bought the '03 at the '02 sale price. Stay away from '02 in CDP(another broad brush stroke, but more true than most).
Cuvee Alexandre wines from S America - I can't remember the winery, but I've tasted several different grapes in this line and thought every one was good enough to pay the ~$30.

Remember, have fun and drink what you like.
TNC

TNC in Wine

suggestions needed - dinner near mag mile for NYE

Any suggestions for a decent wine menu / nice meal in the navy pier/ mag mile areas for New Years Eve? I know its last minute, but we were hoping for a nice 4 person prix fix for $40-70pp, any kind of great food.
A 'free' entry to the NYE celebration after would be a bonus. Looked at the Tribune article and just can't decide on a spot.

Also looking for an inexpensive dinner place for Sat night, maybe thai or vietnamese with great penang curry and pho.

Thanks
TNC

TNC in Chicago Area

Good Liquor Store in Cherry Creek area of Denver

IMO, the best boutique grape shop around Denver is Primo Vino in downtown Arvada. Mondo Vino is a great shop but the people there don't quite have the passion of Brad at Primo.
TNC

TNC in Southwest

Good Liquor Store in Cherry Creek area of Denver

I think Booger means Applejack in Golden. It is the greatest wine store I've ever been in, and has a selection you wouldn't believe. Everything from mad dog to $3,000 bottles of Cognac. www applejack.com for info. They only take cash or Co check.

Cheers
TNC

TNC in Southwest