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.Let’s back up a second. I first stumbled upon the market one day while Nadia was at a nearby salon and I’ve been meaning to return and eat ever since I saw hordes of people in the tiny market, most watching soccer, drinking beer and chomping on carne.

For a little background Villa Roma Market & Deli is housed in a stand-alone building in a massive strip mall off La Paz Road. The market has its own storefront, but it’s actually connected to Villa Roma Restaurant, an upscale Italian-Argentinian restaurant. I prefer the market because 1) I don’t feel weird wearing shorts and sandals inside and 2) It’s open all day unlike the restaurant.

You can buy Italian and Argentinian goods here including cured meats, crazy pastas and these wacky looking sandwiches. (Sorry about the finger placement, lol).

I should add that I was told all portions served in the market are lunch portions instead of the bigger dinner portions from the restaurant, but these aren’t paltry plates by any means. They are also a little cheaper when you skip out on the ambiance.

As for that ambiance, I did return, and you bet I took in the game while enjoying two of God’s greatest gifts to man: steak and beer. While there are no people in this picture, or a televisor con futbol, here’s a look at the deli counter. It’s really long, has a small coffee bar on one side and a huge TV on the wall.

Anyways, the beer.

I’m not going to pretend to know much about beer, so I’ll just introduce you guys to the go-to grog here. Guys, meet Quilmes. It’s imported. It’s apparently Argentina’s favorite beer. It’s delicious.

Next, the meat.

I chose the entrana (skirt steak) cooked medium ($13.95). I was a little worried that I had overcooked it, but was pleasantly surprised by this tender, juicy piece of meat that arrived at my table. I slathered it with the house chimichurri (essentially oil, parsley and garlic) and quickly devoured this thing along with the skinny fries that came with it.

As far as the other stuff (because the wife’s got to eat, too) …

Wifey Nadia must like things that aren’t much to look at, but are awesome on the inside. Except, well, I’m not covered in an herb-filled cream sauce like this salmon is. The plate, which was about $12 (I can’t seem to find it, or its name, on their online menu), came with steamed veggies and roasted potatoes.

As far as the fish is concerned, I’m not much of a fan when it comes to the chicken of the sea, but Nadia seemed to really like it. The sauce is what did it for me; it’s essentially what made her salmon edible. If you aren’t a hater like I am, you’ll love this one.

Finally, the empanadas.

We order one beef and one ham-and-cheese but receive two beef ones. First, they’re only $1.95 each, so Villa Roma’s already up in the points department. Second, for the money they are dishing up a whole lotta empanada. You can’t tell in the photo, but I’ve had so many empanadas that were too small for the asking price; that was not the case here.

As far as taste, these were savory little starters with well-spiced ground beef and hard-boiled egg. They sell them as six-packs for about $8 in the market. I did pick up some ham-and-cheese ones, but was disappointed after cooking them at home and finding them to be stuffed with spinach instead (Note: the spinach ones don’t taste good after being frozen).

On my way out, I noticed that Villa Roma also has a buffet on Sundays from 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. The spread features champagne (I don’t know if that’s all you can drink), pasta station, cold cuts, salads, dessert and most importantly, all-you-can-eat barbecue including skirt steak, flap meat and sausages.

It looks like I’ll have yet another reason to return.

Villa Roma Market & Deli/Villa Roma Restaurant
25254-A La Paz Road
Laguna Hills
949-454-8880 (market) or 949-949-454-8585

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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.

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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.

Gomen was packed at noontime, and we waited at the entrance amid the din of dishes clanging and the sound of lips slurping.

Speaking of slurping, while it is often perceived as rude among Westerners, it is actually considered complimentary to the ramen chef. Hence, Keizo’s shirt:

Before we got down to complimenting the chef, Keizo whipped up a little dish of sauces to go with pork gyoza.

I’m a big fan of dumplings, and Keizo showed me it’s wise to balance the saltiness of the dipping sauce with a heavy dose of oil (chili oil, in this case).

The dumplings here were seared sensationally on the outside and were rich and meaty inside, and for only about $4, they were wallet-friendly.

Also affordable was the star of the show; there’s a litany of ramen variations, but Keizo recommended the salt ramen, shown at top, which goes for about $6.50.

The blood-cell-constricting salinity of the broth was divine, the noodles were thin and super-slurpable, and the hard-boiled egg had soaked up all kinds of awesome flavor.

Most surprising, for me, was the pork - thin, extra-fatty and just sinful. The whole bowl was brought to life with the expected green onion slices.

Ever since our lunch, I have a whole new outlook on ramen; with the weather getting colder, I now daydream about how nice a big hot bowl of the stuff would be.

Keizo is gone now, toiling away under a ramen master, “living the ramen dream,” in his words. One ramen fan left Orange County, but he left another in his place.

Gomen
7147 Katella Ave.
Stanton
714-761-8007

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Post from: Food Frenzy

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. This lunch had me thinking that if I was a passenger on Oceanic Flight 815 and I just so happened to crash on Vegetarian Island, I might really have a chance at survival.

If reading this post has made you hungry for this burger, know that you can have it without ever leaving the safety and comfort of your own car. Ian Hamilton has the details on the Irvine Business Blog.

The Veggie Grill
Irvine Spectrum
81 Fortune Dr.
Irvine
949-727-9900

University Center
4213 Campus Dr.
Irvine
949-509-0003

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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.

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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.)

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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

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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?

I wondered if it was an odd play on pumpernickel bread and the standard deli pickle, but some people seem to sense a double entendre:

“WHAT WAS I THINKING!!!!” one person wrote on Yelp. “PUMPER… PICKLE…. lets say it again Pumper!!! Pickle!!! Well let me see… That name isnt very appetizing.”

After making a call, though, I was told that the origin of the name is a bit unclear. There have been several owners since the spot opened in 1979, and apparently the first proprietor’s young daughter, before the spot opened, for some reason kept saying “Pumper Pickle, Pumper Pickle,” and it sounded cute, so it stuck.

I doubt she was being perverted, as the Yelper suggested, so I guess we’ll just chalk it up to toddler-speak.

Now for the hoagies. I ordered a chicken breast sandwich with bacon; the poultry and the pork were both quite good - not mind-blowing, but not the microwaved mystery meat you get at Subway.

The cheese was ooey-gooey and the mayo tasted full-fat, but the best thing of all was the toasted bread - this was a truly unique roll, with an amazingly crunchy shell and a soft interior. (Sandwiches come with a pickle and also a slice of watermelon, which is a nice touch.)

Now, if you look at the two reviews on Yelp, you’ll see they are not flattering, but both refer only to the pastrami sub. Go with the chicken-bacon, and the next time you think of “Pumper Pickle,” you’ll not only laugh, you’ll get hungry.

The Pumper Pickle
231 E. Dyer Road
Santa Ana
714-641-0978

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Post from: Food Frenzy