js76wisco's Profile
Monterey Aquarium with 2 year old - Please rate my list
This is right up our alley. Both Carmel Belle and Basil both look like places where we can find a good variety of things for my pregnant wife, my 18 month old and my carnivorous self. Thanks again. We need some reasons to go down to Carmel during lunch anyway. There is only so much time we plan on spending inside the aquarium.
Monterey Aquarium with 2 year old - Please rate my list
sounds great. we have Mundaka scheduled for a dinner.
did you eat any good lunches in the area that you could recommend?
Monterey Aquarium with 2 year old - Please rate my list
Marlemarie - Randy's is closed for 2 weeks during the time we are visiting. Do you have any other suggestions in the area for lunch?
Earthern- What else to order beyond scallion pancakes and house chicken?
They have a beef roll on the menu? I've been to Earthen probably 10 times and never noticed it.
My wife likes the hot n sour soup - I am ambivalent about this soup.
My other favorite dish besides the scallion pancakes, house chicken and pork potstickers is the spicy garlic shrimp. It's one of the most expensive items on the menu at around $16 but well worth it. Expertly fried shrimp covered in a sweet and spicy sauce. It's not as garlicky or spicy as I'd want it to be but they can amp up the heat. My suggestion is to ask them for the sauce on the side so you can dip the shrimp. This maintains the integrity of the fried shrimp for a much longer period of time.
Monterey Aquarium with 2 year old - Please rate my list
Wow that is good to hear. We got a really good mid week rate for around $200 per night. I'll add that to our list for lunch and early dinner. Interesting menu.
Monterey Aquarium with 2 year old - Please rate my list
Ok, fair enough. The sandwiches on the Randy's website look great and everybody likes nice freshly baked bread. I can be down with a nice chicken and bacon sandwich.
Monterey Aquarium with 2 year old - Please rate my list
Thanks for the info. Will add Mundaka to the list. Seems like a good menu and we like tapas. I've had some pretty good tapas recently in Chicago at Jose Garces place. It's the best tapas place I've been to.
Monterey Aquarium with 2 year old - Please rate my list
Thanks. I'll add Breakfast Club to our breakfast list. We're up at 6:30 so we have plenty of time to drive there. Don't worry about strip malls, we're coming from LA. I practically live in strip malls.
Randy's looks great. Any opinion on the sandwiches here vs. Campagno's? I've never been to either but most people seem to think Campagno's is the best sandwich in the area.
Monterey Aquarium with 2 year old - Please rate my list
So we're going up from LA for a long weekend to visit in-laws and take my son to the Aquarium. He is a very adventurous eater (loves kimchee, carnitas, salami, anything with deep flavors or spicy kick) and is pretty good in restaurants. We want to have good food but in less formal environments where we can order and eat in under 1 hour (preferably 45 minutes). A louder room would be good as well as he is just starting to find his voice.
We're staying at the Intercontinental which is literally next door to the Aquarium. We have a car and want to do some sightseeing so not opposed to driving to Carmel or Santa Cruz for a good option.
Breakfast
First Awakenings
Big Sur Bakery
Lunch
Henry's BBQ
Campagno's Market
Sam's Chowder House - do they make a warm butter lobster roll?
Dinner - need 2 dinner places
Passionfish
Casanova
Restaurant 1833
Cafe Rustica
Cantinetta Lucca
Santa Anita racetrack dining?
Agree with ipsedixit. The Turf Club requires a jacket and no jeans. A bit of a stuffier environment. The Front Runner has a huge bar in the middle of the floor and tiered seating system with good views of the finish line and backstretch. The food is not great and on the more expensive side. If you have the time the right way to do it is go to DTF for food before the track opens. Get some reserved seats somewhere for your parents or get a table inside or outside the clubhouse. you can reserve a table in either section without any minimums and the table is essentially yours for the whole day.
Italian Semolina Bread in Los Angeles?
I'm from NYC originally and have had trouble finding semolina bread in LA. I've tried most of the Italian delis in LA and OC and no luck. Claro's and Bay Cities do not have any semolina bread. Cortina's in Anaheim has something similar but not quite what I'd call semolina. I think it's a regional thing.
The Ranch, Anaheim - any visits?
Thanks Steve. We were a little concerned about the country music vibe during dinner so nice to know the rooms are separate.
Good review today in OC Register.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/ranch-350089-tender-restaurant.html#
The Ranch, Anaheim - any visits?
How was the atmosphere? Was there any live music on either of the nights that you went. I noticed on their website it lists concerts but usually for Sunday night.
I've driven by on my way to Disneyland and it looks like a really big restaurant. We are planning to go there with a few other couples and the menu looks like it has enough variety to satisfy meat eaters and vegetarians.
Newport Seafood in San Gabriel for lunch - any changes since 2009? And best dishes? (aside from the lobster)
Aside from what you've already mentioned we always order the hot n sour soup and salt n pepper calamari. The fry on the calamari is usually not too greasy and like fried jalapenos along with a dash of the salt n pepper mixture. My wife is a hot n sour soup fiend and this is one of her favorite versions because the soup is actually sour. Most other hot n sour soups are only hot or peppery but this is well balanced in the sour department as well.
La Mirada, La Habra, East Whittier???
Moro's Cuban - on Harbour just north of Imperial in mini mall. Great reasonably priced lunch buffet where you can taste a couple of things.
My personal favorites are chicken empenadas (I know not Cuban per say but excellent), the lechon asada, arroz con pollo and Cuban sandwich. The Cuban sandwich comes off toasty and grilled with a good portion of the lechon asada, ham and this amazing dripping cheese.
Another lunch time option is Ye Dang. It's a Korean place across the street from the Costco on Beach. They have a great assortment of dishes. Lunch is also usually $1 to $2 cheaper per item. I would highly recommend the sujabe (dough flakes), galbi tang and bo ssam. The bo ssam is best split between a few people but won't disappoint. It's pork belly with kimchi and raw oysters that you wrap in lettuce. They have a very good assortment of banchan - not quite the 20+ at Genwa but a very good assortment.
Honda Ya to open in Fullerton
Fantastic. It will save me a good 10 to 15 minutes driving to Industry. All we need is a good Korean place somewhere in the North OC and I'd be set.
Any recs for French macarons in Orange County?
Thats what I keep telling myself, how did these macarons make it to Brea.
Sorry attran99 but I have only had good experiences with Merely Sweets. Been there at least 7 times and their macarons compare favorably to any of the so called best macarons I've had in any city including Bouchon, Laduree, and many others.
I find the texture and flavors of the macarons to be spot on.
Any recs for French macarons in Orange County?
Merely Sweets in Brea. 2 ex-CIA pastry chefs open up very respectable store in downtown Brea. The macarons are excellent. My favorite flavors are the PBnJ (not as good as Bouchon when it's in season), salted caramel, chocolate and pistacchio.
$1.65 a piece. If you're in the area worth a try. Bruxie is across the street so you could grab a nice meal out of the trip. Farrell's just opened up down the street but there is always a wait, usually 30 to 45 minutes long.
Sushi In OC: Found! Kasen.
Have you tried Ikko? I know it's not just traditional sushi in the same sense but wondering how you'd compare to Kasen and Shibucho. I haven't had a chance to try either but both places have been on my to do list. The sushi at Ikko was very good. The prepared food was excellent and I would go back just for the home made tofu and chawanmushi.
Thai in Orange County
Thanks, was hoping for something closer off the 57 north of the 91 but beggars can't be choosers.
Thai in Orange County
Sorry to hijack but my pregnant wife has been craving good authentic Thai food but we live all the way up in Brea.
Any good suggestions for north OC? When we lived in LA our favorite places were Ruen Pair and Jitlada.
cara cara oranges found in OC
Just got some at mother's last night but haven't tried one yet. Have you tried the sumo tangerines? They are fantastic, available at both Whole Foods and Mothers - $2.99 per lb. I would highly recommend these. They are the biggest tangerines I've ever seen with big hearty flesh. They are seedless but some of the best citrus I've ever had.
dinner for 8 for LA hound
Coming in from LA for a few nights for work. Have reservation at The Publican one nigh. I was wondering if there are any restaurants that you would recommend a fun place with good food. I'm thinking of something like Animal food wise where you can share/try a bunch of plates with the rich, flavor packed, many times porky, unctuous, delicious and savory food you savor for years. I will settle for good food. I know we won't be able to get into the Girl and the Goat but know there is no chance of that. Thanks in advance.
best non-steakhouse steak
Waygu ribeye at Park's BBQ if it's available. just a couple of bites so you have enough room for brisket, Toyko X pork belly and galbi.
King Taco - par cooked carne asada
I ordered al pastor tacos as well but it's really a shame. The red sauce and green salsa are some of the best around. It just seems like a real lazy shortcut considering how long it would take to grill the carne asada from start to end. I enjoy the flavor of the carne asada but the texture not so much.
King Taco - par cooked carne asada
So I went to the Pico and Alvarado branch around 7:45. After ordering my tacos I proceeded to see a guy behind the counter open up a big plastic bag of meat. I couldn't tell what type of meat this was. After watching for a few minutes I realized it was carne asada pre-chopped and par cooked. The cook put some oil and cooked the heated the meat on the flat top for about 5 minutes. I saw this meat go into my tacos.
I was pretty surprised that King Taco par cooks their carne asada. In almost every Mexican place I can recall eating at - high end to low end - nobody is par cooking carne asada and heating it up. Even Baja Fresh is cooking the meat fresh. What gives?
It certainly left a bad taste in my mouth and I didn't enjoy my tacos as much, but that was probably as much mental than anything. This is similar to the uproar (by some) over Zankou garlic sauce not being made in house. But I am truly offended from my taco loving soul.
Dripp Coffee Trickling In Chino Hills
Ice cream was excellent. We had almost every flavor they had available - chocolate, peanut butter, vanilla, nutella and mint chip. The favorites of the group were chocolate and peanut butter. The chocolate tasted like a very rich dark chocolate influenced brownie. My 6 year old nephew who ordered the chocolate moved to his own table to finish the ice cream after a few of us had a taste. The peanut butter tasted just like peanut butter without the saccharine sweetness you find in a lot of ice cream. There were peanut butter cups and some toffee like pieces. $2.75 a scoop.
Easy Eating At Easy Earthen in Rowland Heights
The one dish I almost have to order now at Earthen besides the staples is the spicy garlic shrimp. It's very similar to the type you'd get at Korean-Chinese place with jja jang mein. This is the best version I've had anywhere since moving from Flushing. Great crispy crunch with enough heat to satisfy and not over saturated with the gooey sauce. One downfall is that it might be the most expensive item on the menu but well worth it.
I'm pretty sure they don't have this at Easy Earthen but just thought I'd share.
Anepalco’s Café – Literally Amazing Chilquiles in Orange
The best chilaquiles I've had anywhere. The presentation and flavors that came out of this kitchen quite honestly startled me. It was an amazing dish that I would recommend. The only problem is that it's in an odd location and the only reason I even tried Anepelco's is I was doing rehab across the street in the hospital. I'd stop by every other treatment for breakfast and dinner.
The owners are real nice friendly people and they put out excellent food. I've had lunch there and the sandwiches are an excellent bargain with the same great flavors as the chilaquiles.
