Archive for the 'Mexican' Category
October 16th, 2009, 6:53 am by Jeff Overley
In addition to being a decent writer and an OK chef, I have this amazing knack for sticking my foot in my mouth. I wish I meant that in some sort of double-jointed-sideshow way, but alas, it’s the figurative saying-stupid-stuff ability that I possess.
My latest foray into Gaffeville began when I reviewed Sol Cocina and, in the process, ripped on wet burritos and other greasy Mexican fare. That prompted Al Flores, longtime owner of Hacienda Flores in Orange, to leave me a voicemail dissent:
“It’s a shame that people like yourself write stuff like this on restaurants that are ripping people off,” Flores said. “We’ve been in business for 30 years, you know, and we have good food, and we get a bad rap because we sell wet burritos … It’s a shame you pay $10 for guacamole that anybody can make for 99 cents … And the chicharrones, that’s nothing new - you go to East L.A., you can get tacos and chicharrones for 99  cents.”
Flores said all this in a very even-keeled, reasonable way, and so I decided to review his place. And that’s where we come to me saying something stupid. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Mexican • Restaurants by price: $0-$14 • Restaurants by price: $31-$50 • Orange | 25 Comments »
September 22nd, 2009, 10:17 am by Jeff Overley
Note: As expected, the owner of Hacienda Flores called me today and respectfully told me he doesn’t appreciate this review. Specifically, he said he doesn’t like the term “homeboy” because of its gangster connotation and that his restaurant closed early because of health problems. He reiterated that he has a loyal following, and from the comments below, he’s probably right.
So after I dissed wet burritos and other Mexi-gutbombs recently, I received a semi-ticked-off call from the owner of Hacienda Flores in Orange, who called me out for buying into “gourmet” Latin fare.
I felt bad, promised a review, and what happens when I show up on a Friday evening? Homeboy has knocked off an hour early and closed his restaurant before I arrive.
It worked out well, though, because I ended up right across the street, at a place called The Chili Pepper, which serves that borderline-obscene log of meat shown above. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Mexican • Restaurants by price: $0-$14 • Orange • The Chili Pepper | 25 Comments »
August 13th, 2009, 6:45 am by Jeff Overley
My little lady just loves south-of-the-border cuisine, but I always drag my feet when she feels like nibbling a tostada, because 99 out of 100 mainstream Mexican food spots serve one thing and one thing only - cheese and grease wrapped in a tortilla.
But 1 out of 100 restaurantes have something special, and that’s where we come to the brand-spanking-nuevo Sol Cocina.
 You know you’re in for a different kind of Mexican food as soon as you look at the menu - no mention of wet burritos, no deep-fried chiles relleno.
The menu’s burger isn’t prefaced by the word “gringo,” and even if it was, it would still sound amazing: “Hamburguesa: Handmade 8-ounce premium Meyer beef burger, grilled, with jack, cotixa or blue cheese, secret sauce, pico de gallo, lettuce, pickled jalapeños & red onions.”
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Mexican • Restaurants by price: $15-$30 • central county • Newport Beach | 30 Comments »
July 10th, 2008, 11:41 am by chantal
Walking in flip-flops across a sandy sidewalk to La Palapa in Belmont Shore on a sweltering Saturday night exuded a tropical vacay somewhere far, far away. The sun was already dipping into the ocean but the lingering heat was making us more thirsty than hungry. So we opted for the best of this casual ocean front eatery: cocktails and appetizers.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Mexican • Restaurants by price: $15-$30 • Beachfront dining • Cocktails • Long Beach | Post a Comment »
June 19th, 2008, 4:30 pm by chantal
The best way to describe La Sirena Grill in Laguna Beach is to liken it to a gourmet taco stand. The food is mostly grilled and owners use sustainable products (compostable spoons, plates) as well as high-quality meats from humane ranchers (Neiman Ranch beef and pork, Estancia beef, Rosie Petaluma chicken). The dishes are contemporary Mexican but the twist is delivered in the flavor combinations: Tangy with spicy, soft with crunchy and hot over chilled.
But before you order you’ve got to find its obscure location. It’s really just a few hops and skips from the crowded beach and downtown. But because of its squeezed inside a two-story shingled cottage on Mermaid Street (a mostly residential street) it’s congestion free with the exception of the breakfast, lunch and dinner rush crowds.
My usual meal combination consists of a grilled fish taco ($3.75) bowl of tortilla soup ($3.25) and chilled glass of watermelon-strawberry agua frescas ($2.85). First, I have to say, that their version of tortilla soup is the best I’ve ever tasted. Click on the jump to read more … Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Mexican • Restaurants by price: $0-$14 • Breakfast • Mexican | 1 Comment »
June 2nd, 2008, 5:48 pm by Jennifer Muir
If I’m not craving something specific when I go to a restaurant, I’ll usually ask the servers to recommend their favorite dishes.
And if the recommendations aren’t completely generic, I take the advice, which usually turns out to be one of the restaurant’s fine-tuned specialties: Perfect just the way it is on the menu.
So I was surprised recently at River’s End Cafe when I asked a server for some omelet advice and he recommended modifying a dish on the menu. (The omelet above isn’t the one I ordered — it’s the seafood version stuffed with shrimp and crab. But this photo by Reg photographer Cindy Yamanaka is way more beautiful than anything I’ve ever shot and is making my mouth water right now.)
Back to my meal: I was eyeing a chicken omelet ($8.95) . Our server, Claudio, suggested adding spinach to the mix of sautéed tomatoes, onions, peppers and jack cheese. He said one of the cafe’s regular customers orders it every time he comes in. Thank you, mystery customer. Because it was awesome. The fresh steamed leaves balanced the rich cheese and heavy chunks of chicken. Yum!
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Mexican • Restaurants by price: $0-$14 • Restaurants by price: $15-$30 • Beachfront dining • Mexican | Post a Comment »
|
|
