November 6th, 2009, 3:56 pm by Niyaz Pirani
Note: I’m in the middle of moving and am without Internet, which is partly why this post came so late in the day instead of first thing in the morning. We’ll have a weekly roundup early Monday, followed by a post about tonight’s Food Frenzy Foodie Feast, Part Deux. Don’t forget that dinner is at 6:30 p.m. so if you’d still like to join us , you’re more than welcome.
We’re continuing our culinary tour of Laguna Hills this week at the place where my adventure in the city started: Villa Roma Market & Deli.
For those who don’t recall, the wife and I were going to go here for breakfast, but they mostly sell coffee and pastries in the morning (which we didn’t know), so we had heartier fare at Mitze’s Kountry Kitchen instead.
We did return for dinner, and while I still had a pastry (an empanada’s technically a pastry, right?), I stuffed myself with some fantastic Argentinian supper too. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Restaurants by price: $0-$14 • Argentinian • Italian • Laguna Hills • Villa Roma Market & Deli • Villa Roma Restaurant | 1 Comment »
November 6th, 2009, 11:03 am by Jeff Overley
One of our commenters recently mentioned a site called Stuck Serving, where waiters and waitresses dish on the oddities they inevitably encounter when catering to diners.
I briefly scanned the site, and one of the better stories was about the guy who called for take-out, and upon being asked what he wanted, declared, “I don’t know yet, can you put me on hold?”
On the more disturbing side was a tale from an apparently dead-broke waitress who described her technique for stealing half-finished customer appetizers.
Click here for all the stories.
Posted in: Events/Food News • Miscellaneous | 5 Comments »
November 5th, 2009, 11:17 am by Jeff Overley
Foodie confession: Until recently, I had never tried ramen, except for Top Ramen, which is surely not considered real ramen by ramen lovers.
Luckily, local ramen fanatic Keizo Shimamoto got word of this and decided to educate me.
How big a ramen fan is Keizo? So big, he runs a blog dedicated solely to ramen. So big, he went on a trip to Japan this year and consumed something like 55 bowls of ramen in one month. So big, he just quit his job and moved to Tokyo to become a ramen master. Seriously.
Before his departure, Keizo met me at Gomen, which after all his noodle-soup adventures he considers the finest ramen establishment in Orange County. And judging just by the crowd when we arrived for lunch, he’s right. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Asian • Restaurants by price: $0-$14 | 14 Comments »
November 4th, 2009, 3:51 pm by photo_xmits
Farrell’s Ice Cream parlour is back! After a long delay and nearly a decade of waiting, the shop has returned to Mission Viejo. Video by Jonathan Khamis, OCRegister.com
Posted in: American • Bakery • Breakfast • Desserts • Events/Food News • Lunch specials • Miscellaneous • Restaurant openings/closures • Uncategorized • farrell's • ice cream • Mission Viejo • parlour • restaurant | 2 Comments »
November 4th, 2009, 8:48 am by Niyaz Pirani
Note: Niyaz really loves beef, and this was his first trip to Veggie Grill.
Whoa. I got totally sucker-punched in the stomach by a vegetarian burger.
It’s Papa’s Portobello, $8.50, at The Veggie Grill at the Irvine Spectrum, and it’s worth every penny. This sandwich features a huge mushroom cap covered with a smear of chipotle ranch as well as caramelized onions, chopped tomatoes, a basil-and-garlic spread and a roasted clove of garlic.
It’s a mushroom-lover’s dream, as each bite bursts with earthy, juicy portobello and sweet onion. The flavors mellow out the sharp basil-garlic spread that makes this sandwich really stand above vegetarian choices I’ve had at other restaurants. Best of all, I wasn’t heavy or sleepy as if I’d just eaten a beef burger. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Restaurants by price: $0-$14 • Irvine • The Veggie Grill • Vegetarian | 15 Comments »
November 3rd, 2009, 2:04 pm by Jeff Overley
 We’re woefully behind on plugging our colleagues’ reviews and slide-shows, so here are two more links for the latest in high-falutin’ food criticism.
Shown at top right is the filet mignon with sherry mushroom gorgonzola sauce at Franco’s Italian Restaurant and Bakery in Cypress. Click here for the Franco’s review and photos.
 Shown at bottom right are the chips and salsa at Zamora’s Mexican Grill in Santa Ana. Click here for the Zamora’s review and photos.
Posted in: Restaurants by price: $0-$14 • Restaurants by price: $15-$30 • Restaurants by price: $31-$50 • Italian • Mexican | Post a Comment »
November 3rd, 2009, 10:15 am by Jeff Overley
OK fellow foodies, our latest get-together, which I have cleverly dubbed the Second Quarterly Food Frenzy Foodie Fest, is set for this Friday at 6:30 p.m.
We’re chowing down at Lou’s Red Oak BBQ, aka Lou’s Oak Oven BBQ, 21501 Brookhurst St., Huntington Beach. The phone number is 714-965-5200, and you can click here to read their menu.
Everyone is welcome, and feel free to bring a friend, significant other, kids, etc. Hope to see you there!
(Click here to read our first group review, a summertime feast at Slater’s 50/50.)
Posted in: Events/Food News | 10 Comments »
November 3rd, 2009, 7:18 am by Niyaz Pirani
The Register’s Lori Basheda checked out Cha Cha’s Tacos & Tequila, a new Mexican restaurant, in Brea recently.
“There’s a new Mexican restaurant on the block and its worth the taste,” she writes. “Cha Cha’s Tacos & Tequila calls itself a fresh California-Latin kitchen. At the Brea promenade, the airy restaurant with patio seating, a bar and windows in the dining room is a mix of modern and Old-World Mexican.”
There’s even a Fast Food Maven sighting in this review, as Register blogger Nancy Luna tags along for some ceviche and tortilla soup, both amazing dishes according to the review.
Read the Cha Cha’s Tacos and Tequila review here.
Cha Cha’s Tacos and Tequila
110 W. Birch St.
Brea
714-225-1040
Posted in: Restaurants by price: $15-$30 • Brea • Cha Cha's Tacos and Tequila • Mexican | Post a Comment »
November 2nd, 2009, 10:47 am by Jeff Overley
Oftentimes, to broaden our culinary horizons here at Food Frenzy, we’ll just drive around aimlessly until a restaurant catches our eye. There’s no specific criteria for luring us inside, but an interesting name doesn’t hurt, and that’s how I wound up at The Pumper Pickle.
 Catering to a weekday lunch crowd, the sub shop in Santa Ana - near the border with Irvine and Costa Mesa - is strictly no-frills, eschewing any pretenses with its dim-cafeteria ambiance and barred-windows security at night.
Thankfully, the sandwiches are much prettier, but before we chomp that chicken-bacon hero above, let’s address the burning question: What’s up with that name? Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Restaurants by price: $0-$14 • Sandwiches • Santa Ana | 24 Comments »
November 2nd, 2009, 10:10 am by Jeff Overley
Hector’s Cake Shop and Bakery in San Clemente has the sweet deal. Details here.
Posted in: Miscellaneous | Post a Comment »
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