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Food Frenzy ~ OC Register foodies eat their way through the county's restaurants

Archive for the 'Restaurants by price: $0-$14' Category

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So-so Southern grub at SOUTH

September 8th, 2009, 8:03 am by Niyaz Pirani

chicken

Not that Yelp! is any kind of food Bible, but I’m always glad when my general sentiments are in line with what others are saying about a restaurant.

Sometimes I’m clueless, as apparently was the case with Corky’s Kitchen (read the comments, though I still stand by my review). For the most part, though, our opinion is just another crafted for your enjoyment.

That brings me to SOUTH - Authentic Southern Cuisine. It’s a six-month old eatery (once upon a time was home to Mario’s Cucina) where the service is attentive, the space is welcoming, but the food is hit-or-miss. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Restaurants by price: $0-$14 • • • • • | 16 Comments »

A whole different kind of BBQ

September 3rd, 2009, 6:15 am by Jeff Overley

siam-chik

When I think of American barbecue, I picture baby backs and chicken breast and a smokey-tangy sauce. When I think of Korean barbecue, I picture bulgogi short ribs, and when I think of Chinese barbecue, I picture deep red slices of pork tossed in fried rice.

When I came across Thai BBQ chicken the other day, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The menu at Sea Siam promised “marinated chicken with BBQ sauce in Thai style served with plum sauce.”

What I ended up with was a surprise, in ways both good and bad. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Restaurants by price: $0-$14 • • • | 2 Comments »

A pizza place that’ll make you feel young again

August 31st, 2009, 12:34 pm by Niyaz Pirani

pizzaport

Pizza! Video games!

That’s pretty much all it took for my inner child to get hooked on Pizza Port in San Clemente.logo

And once Adult Niyaz saw all the beer, I decided that this place was officially on my “good” list.

I’ll be honest though. I don’t like the Port for its pizza (it’s good, but nothing stellar).

Instead, this is the kind of place where you can grab a beer, or simply take the kids out for family-sized portions, play some video games and, for old-time’s sake, make a suicide at the soda fountain. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Restaurants by price: $0-$14 • Restaurants by price: $15-$30 • • • • | 20 Comments »

Design-your-own at Jerry’s Wood-Fired Dogs

August 26th, 2009, 8:34 am by Niyaz Pirani

jerrysdog

I got stuck during rush hour in Santa Ana on Monday night, so I figured it would be smarter to find a place to get some dinner and watch the football game than to sit in traffic all the way to Lake Forest.

I settled on Jerry’s Wood-Fired Dogs because I’ve had the itch to drive to Pink’s for some time but just haven’t done it yet. Jerry’s wieners may not be on par with that legendary Hollywood house of hot dogs, but it is a place that takes the “build-your-own” concept to new levels. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Restaurants by price: $0-$14 • • • • • • • | 45 Comments »

The $18 filet mignon burger

August 25th, 2009, 2:45 pm by Jeff Overley

The headline says it all. Well, most of it.

Learn about what I’m calling the bling-bling burger, as well as four other pricey patties that are debuting at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar, by visiting the Fast Food Maven.

Posted in: Restaurants by price: $0-$14 • Restaurants by price: $15-$30 • Restaurants by price: $31-$50 • • • • • | 4 Comments »

The greatest meat lover’s pizza ever

August 25th, 2009, 9:50 am by Jeff Overley

dom-slice

Note: This restaurant is in Belmont Shore, 1.7 miles from the Orange County border, so it narrowly qualifies for our ongoing series of Out-of-County Experience reviews.

We’ve all seen plenty of egregious meat-laden pizzas, and to me, they’re usually more about machismo and heartburn than flavor and quality.

The well-known Meat Lovers at Pizza Hut, for example, is the greasiest heart attack on a plate you could ever imagine (at least, it was the last time I had it 10 years ago). The Mind Blower at Munchies Pizza, featuring 10 types of beef/pork/poultry/seafood, is just stupid.

With that in mind, I was a little hesitant to get excited about the house specialty at Domenico’s in Belmont Shore, even though it sounds supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Restaurants by price: $0-$14 • • | 26 Comments »

At Cosi restaurant, make your own S’mores indoors

August 20th, 2009, 9:36 am by Niyaz Pirani

smores1

Wandering around in Costa Mesa’s Metro Pointe one day, Nadia and I stumbled upon Cosi, a sandwich/flatbread pizza place that sets itself apart by cooking their yummies in a hearth.

The sandwiches were solid, and I would have blogged them except I didn’t have any form of camera on me. I made a return trip, though, this time with a camera, for the S’mores.

I’m not much of a camper, so the opportunities for me to S’more it up are few and far between, but hanging out with my friends and roasting marshmallows on the open flame was probably as close to the wilderness as I really need to be. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Restaurants by price: $0-$14 • • • • • | 5 Comments »

New 24-hour diner serves up homestyle happiness

August 17th, 2009, 9:33 am by Niyaz Pirani

applepie

Before I became an old man who hardly ever leaves his house after midnight 10 p.m. 8 p.m., I used to enjoy a once-in-a-while drive to Harbor House Cafe in Dana Point.

But now that I’m totally boring, I hardly ever get out late enough to enjoy an after-hours omelet or burger. Plus, the only placse open 24 hours near me are Taco Stop or Denny’s, so the selection is fairly limited.

Limited, that is, until Corky’s Kitchen and Bakery opened a few months back and started serving Triple-D-style fare ’round the clock. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Restaurants by price: $0-$14 • • • | 20 Comments »

Beefy (and porky) deliciousness, Vol. 4: Back to Portillos

August 12th, 2009, 7:30 am by Niyaz Pirani

portillos11

Back in January I wrote about my love of Italian Beef sandwiches at Portillo’s Hot Dogs, and it was in that thread that a reader suggested I try the combo - a beef sandwich with an Italian sausage stuffed inside, you know, just for good measure.

That suggestion taught me a good lesson: trust the reader, they likely know what they’re talking about. Such is the case with that combo sandwich pictured above. I’ve already told you about the delicious, salty thin slices of beef, the sweet bell peppers and the perfect roll it’s all tucked away in. But add that charred, meaty sausage and you’ve got a whole new level of awesomeness, friends.

What could make this meal even better you ask? Well … Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Restaurants by price: $0-$14 • • • • • | 20 Comments »

Delicious $1 breakfast at South County deli

August 7th, 2009, 7:30 am by Niyaz Pirani

sandwich

Remember Gandolfo’s New York Delicatessan? That new sandwich place I had no love for?

Turns out they’ve got a pretty good breakfast sandwich, and now, lo and behold, they’re hawking these things, one per person, for only a buck. Get the rest of the details about the $1 Gandolfo’s breakfast here.

My “Radio City” sandwich came with two slices of gooey American cheese, some salty ham, and two eggs that still had some yolk in them. All of this on a soft, buttery Kaiser roll. This sandwich puts a body slam on the Egg McMuffin; it chokes out the Croissanwich. True story.

If ever there was a reason to go to Gandolfo’s in Mission Viejo, this would be it.

Posted in: Restaurants by price: $0-$14 • • • | 2 Comments »

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