Tutto Famiglia -- value for money family style Italian

**Version of article also in OC Register**

With the crazy amount of restaurants dotted around Orange County, it is hard to really pinpoint where to go when those crazy cravings hit. Some days, I want to stay close to home, I want value for money, I want good service but most of all I want something tasty!

I don't go out for Italian often because I make a lot of it at home, but I won't say no when a friend wants to go and try some place new. This was the case with Tutto Famiglia! I've seen Tutto Famiglia so many times while hitting up Pho Bo Vang next door.  I'd even gone up to read the menu posted outside, but never stepped inside until now.

Interestingly, the first thing that hits you when you are walking into the restaurant is the strong smell of pho wafting from next door, and I mean STRONG. Even when you are inside Tutto Famiglia, you are still getting a whiff or two of the beef broth. However, it only lasts a few moment until you catch the aromas wafting from the kitchen -- that undeniable aromas of garlic and tomato.

The interior is simple, comfortable and cozy and it came as no surprise when I realized it is a family-run business. Mother and daughter were both taking orders and serving customers and you definitely feel that warm hospitable affinity when you are there.

The wondrous smell of aroma is continued when complimentary garlic bread is brought to the table -- hot and buttery, perhaps not garlicky enough for me, and way too buttery, but a nice welcoming touch. It's great to see that they didn't just plonk some regular bread on the table with pats of butter like most places.

We ordered a small pizza with gorgonzola, eggplant and sausage. Three toppings come standard on the pizzas, $12 for the small, or $15 for the large. Additional toppings are $1.50 each.  -- we opted for gorgonzola, eggplant and sausage -- and linguine alla vongole (clam sauce) to share. I was surprised at how large the pizza was for a "small" and how generous the toppings were. The pizza was laden with toppings, which I know a lot of people love, but for me, I prefer less toppings and a sturdy crust, but it was a great tasting pizza regardless and such what value for money! But for me, the toppings bogged down the crust making the crust not crispy and too much toppings is more of an American style pizza rather than those pizzas I love so much from Naples.


Linguine alla vongole was also a hefty portion, way too much for me alone. I was very impressed that they used fresh clams as there's nothing worse than finding tinned clams in your linguine alla vongole when it hits your table. Although the pasta itself didn't soak up enough of the juices, leaving it a little bland, the pasta was perfectly al dente. The sauce also needed a touch more wine and maybe a pinch more salt as the flavor was a bit one dimensional.

Because everything was cooked with love, like how your Italian aunt may do so in her kitchen, I let it go. I also liked how the whole dining room was bustling with energy from all the patrons who were here, a lot of them seemingly regulars. I like how the servers were very attentive, never leaving a glass of water empty, how they constantly came to check on us, to see if we needed anything else.

This is a neighborhood restaurant, something I can see families with children will frequent in the evenings and on the weekends.Tutto Famiglia is true to its name, "the whole family", and when you dine there, it's like eating in their home.


Tutto Famiglia, 23766 Mercury Rd, Lake Forest, CA 92630. Tel: 949-472-5466

*** Photography by Mahesh ***

The Greasy Wiener -- as sinful and naughty as it sounds

Hey, I don't particularly search out for hotdogs or burgers as a means of staple when I am contemplating what to eat, but on this particular day, I get a tweet informing me that The Greasy Wiener gourmet food truck was going to be in Irvine and if interested, to go out there and give them a try. I gathered up my trusted fellow foodie and blogger Holly (Savored) and headed out to Central Park West where we found several trucks already parked there.

I quickly searched out for The Greasy Wiener and found Adam, who had tweeted me and Holly as well to come on down to give their simple menu a shot. We chatted a little before embarking on what was to be a hell of a journey into making my taste buds whet and changing my mind forever on the humble hot dog and its counterpart, the burger -- in this case, sliders.

chili cheese dogs

The menu is simple. There is the bacon chili cheese dog, or the chicken and apple sausage dog. Then there is the Iggy slider which come two to an order and topped with cheese, pickle and a special 'secret' sauce. If you're a non-meat eater, well, they even have the "Hippie" which is a vegan dog especially for you. Add some fries, or, if you're feeling REALLY brave, get the chili cheese fries. A whopping portion of fries topped with the delectable chili and cheese sauce for only $4 is enough for four or more people to share as a side. It was so good I couldn't stop eating it even though I kept telling myself "gotta stop, gotta stop", but I kept taking another bite.

I tend to like menus which are simple and no fuss. Really, hot dogs, burgers and fries. Straight-forward stuff! But let me tell you, when the stuff hit my mouth, there was nothing simple about it.

Iggy sliders

The bacon chili cheese dog was topped with a massive amount of grilled onions and some grilled jalapenos (I asked for mine spicy, you can get it without) making it a little difficult to bit into at first. I picked up the dog and thought about it for a bit before just giving up and taking a bite. I think I was literally a bit shocked at the mouth-explosion which happened right after I realized what had hit me. This wasn't like any other hot dog I've ever had before and I thought those bacon-wrapped muthas from downtown LA were the bomb.

These hot dogs are fried which adds to the snap of the sausage but they are not over-fried where the skin shows sign of deterioration and starts wrinkling up. Oh no, these were just fried to perfection and the incredible snap of each and every bite is what is so addicting for me. You see, there are two reasons why I eat hot dogs, one of course is the flavor of the sausage portion and the other, is how much it snaps. For some reason, that snap just thrills me to no end. I can't explain it, but it does, and the dog here has the most incredible snap I've ever encountered.

Next was the chicken apple sausage -- okay, I've never been a fan of sausages mixed with apples to begin with due to its sweetness -- I do NOT like sweet with my savory food --  but I'll have to give it to them because again, the snap factor had a lot to do with how I like a dog. If you like chicken apple sausages, definitely go for this one.

chili cheese fries

Sliders, ahhh these cute lil miniature burgers which sound so adorable and tasty, but my experience with them have been a hit and miss. Why? Well, most places use King's Hawaiian bread rolls for their sliders and if you were paying attention .... yeah, you get the picture, they're SWEET! Up to now, my favorite sliders are those kobe ones from Drago Centro in downtown LA, but these little suckers just blew my mind.

Take freshly ground Angus and season them correctly, cooked so they are still tender and juicy, and now you assemble them with grilled onions, a fair amount of cheese, and the 'special' sauce and voila -- positively one of the best sliders I've had in a long time!!

At the moment, The Greasy Wiener operates in Los Angeles and if you're lucky they'll stop by in OC on a whim. They are working to get an OC permit and when that happens, I'll be first in line for more of this deliciously greasy fare.

The Greasy Wiener can be found on Facebook as well as Twitter

Liang's Kitchen -- long lines mislead what awaits

I'm convinced that newly opened restaurants get the "new restaurant hype" and the long lines outside the place affirms that hype even more. This is what happened to Liang's Kitchen, newly opened in Orange Tree Square Irvine, taking over the Takaraya space in the Ranch 99 Market plaza off Walnut. We tried to go there several times in the past few weeks and each time, we drove by there and the crowd outside was insane, so I opted out. I do not like standing in line for food, it puts me in a bad mood and makes my dining experience very unpleasant.

beef noodle soup

This time, we got there early and stood in line at around 10.50am (they open at 11am) and there were only a few parties waiting, Believe it or not, they put out a "sign in sheet" and make you put yourself on a "waiting list" and this is BEFORE they even open. Of course the minute the sign in sheet was placed outside, those who were in line behind us descended upon it like vultures trying to get in on the game. This is the reason why I hate eating in Chinese establishments around Irvine. People are rude and do not follow protocol. It is a highly stressful experience when you feel like you have to fight others just to get fed.

At 11am sharp, a guy comes to the door and reads off from the 'waiting list' and customers are seated. Menus are already on the table so the intention is for you to quickly order, so they can quickly feed you, so you can quickly get the hell out of there so they can keep the momentum going.

dan dan noodles

The menu is reminiscent of that from A&J, Nice Time Deli and even Yu's Garden. An order sheet is provided as well as a menu with tons of photos to help you along the way. I'm a huge fan of tendon and beef noodle soup and although I like the one at A&J it's not the best I've ever had. I was really hoping that the one here would be good. Sadly, it wasn't and to add insult to injury, the whole thing tasted rancid from the broth to the tendon. It made my son and I gag and when that happened, no one else wanted to try it.

Scallion pancakes (cong you bing) is my son's favorite item whenever we go to Chinese/Taiwanese breakfast but ironically, the ones here didn't impress him at all. He ate one piece and didn't touch it again. The pancake was undercooked, very greasy and was chewy instead of crispy on the outside. To make matters worse, the beef roll we ordered was wrapped with the same undercooked scallion pancake making it extremely soggy. When I took a bite, the grease oozed out from the scallion pancake -- this is due to the pancake not being cooked at the right temperature and left to sit in the oil in low temperature.

beef roll

Dan dan noodles (spicy sesame noodles) was terribly weak. The sauce was watery, lacked flavor and basically, consisted of nothing but just the sauce, a pinch of chopped scallions and such a small amount of crushed peanuts that it didn't do anything to enhance the flavor.

I love bittermelon so I ordered the stewed bittermelon and was glad the flavor was nice and was soaked into the melon, but the seeds weren't removed so the initial bite caught me off guard and I bit into a bunch of seeds which made the whole eating experience very tedious.

Fried pork chop bento was probably the best thing we had. The pork chop was nicely fried, even the ground pork on the rice was nicely flavored, but when I took a bite of the pickled vegetables, they tasted weird.... and I realized they were OFF. I quickly removed them from the plate and prayed that I wouldn't get sick from this AND the rancid beef noodle soup.

If the food had been good, I wouldn't have had a problem paying what we did for this meal. However, I don't believe in paying for bad food, whether it's a lot or a little. There is no excuse for serving bad food to customers, let alone rancid food.

The lines outside this place do not justify the quality you will receive and frankly I think it's just that Liang's Kitchen is new and people are curious that the line is so long. Once the hype dies down and everyone goes back to this being just another restaurant in Irvine, Liang's Kitchen will have trouble staying so popular if it continues to serve its customers such crappy food.

Liang's Kitchen, 5408 Walnut Ave, Irvine, CA 92618 -- CASH ONLY

Xanh Bistro -- a delicate balance of the old and new

**This article is featured in the OC Register**

Xanh Bistro is tucked in the corner of a larger strip mall with no signage to alert you to it from the street, so if you're not looking for it, you won't find it. But let me tell you that this is a gem of a restaurant you definitely need to go in search of because you won't regret it.

The food here can be construed as modern Vietnamese, but the only thing modern here is the presentation and attention to detail that Chef Haley Nguyen puts into every dish that hits your table. The food itself is as traditional and authentic as one can find in lil Saigon but your food won't be carelessly dumped on your table, nor would the staff treat you with nonchalant disrespect. Here the service and food go hand in hand to give you a complete experience.

There are ubiquitous items on the menu such as cuon (rolls) and there are many to choose from. Salads are innovative and the intricate preparations are not lost on me. I see the julienned banana blossoms in the Goi Hua Chuoi, along with the daikon and carrots and everything else in the salad that require so much knife-work for it to be this simple and refreshing salad, but more on this later,

Chef Nguyen will be the first to tell you that Vietnamese food requires a lot of preparation but the end result is well worth it. Nguyen also runs cooking classes which teaches eager students easy ways to prepare Vietnamese meals at home (check out the website for more information).

squash blossom salad

Refreshing salads are very popular in Vietnamese cuisine and almost every restaurant will offer some sort of salad on its menu. Goi Hua Chuoi, or banana blossom salad is one such salad. Banana blossoms are found on the condiment plate when you eat bun bo hue, a beef noodle soup from Hue, the old capital city of imperial Vietnam, and have a nice crunch to it, which makes it ideal in a salad. Here, Nguyen adds pickled daikon and carrots, Vietnamese mint, peanuts, sesame seeds, shrimp and grilled pork. All the ingredients tossed in a dressing made with nuoc mam, or fish sauce, it is the perfect way to tease and whet your palate for whatever else to come.

Com Chay Thit Nuong is an appetizer comprising of crispy rice and grilled pork. Chunks of jasmine rice, deep fried until crispy is topped with pieces of flavorful grilled pork to give this dish not only great flavor, but also, great texture. Crispy rice is always delicious regardless of what cuisine it comes from, whether the bottom of a Korean bibimbap pot, part of Chinese sizzling rice soup, or this, I love it all. This appetizer is definitely something I would order over and over again!

crispy rice

One of my favorite Vietnamese dishes is Cha Ca Thanh Long, dill fish. I've had it in so many restaurants in lil Saigon..... usually whitefish is preferred ranging from catfish to snapper, but the best ones are seasoned impeccably and cooked to perfection, moist and flaky. The fresh dill brings an added dimension to the dish and is the primary factor in the wondrous aromatic finish of the fish. Bun, or rice vermicelli, along with lettuce, peanuts and special black sesame crackers are served alongside this dish to be assembled before eating. A bowl of special shrimp paste sauce is served alongside for dousing purposes. Although the one at Xanh isn't pungent enough for my tastes, it will be accepted by the majority of people because it is mild yet flavorful enough to enhance the ingredients.


I also got to sample the Bo Ham Ngu Vi -- five-spice braised short ribs -- which reminded so much of a dish my mother makes. It was not surprising then when I found out that this dish has its roots from Chinese cuisine and although Nguyen's version isn't as intense as my mother's, it was beautifully paired with garlic mustard greens. The meat was tender and it was obvious it had been slow cooked for hours.

dill fish

Chef Nguyen also makes her own ice cream in-house so if you have room, by all means try the ginger ice cream! It is delicious! There were so many other enticing dishes on the menu I had wanted to try, but unfortunately, there is only so much my stomach can endure in one sitting. I am already eagerly anticipating my next visit and I am planning on bringing along some friends so we can order more dishes to share.

Xanh Bistro, 16161 Brookhurst Street, Fountain Valley, CA 92780. Tel: 714-531-2030

Komodo -- first time didn't do it for me

rendang taco

I wasn't sure what exactly Komodo was offering really -- is it Mexican? Indonesian? Singaporean? I guess there is a little of each. What caught my eye was the Indonesian offering of beef rendang in a taco. I make a mean beef rendang, or so I've been told, by my Indonesian friends and my Indonesian BFF's mother no less, so I know what I'm talking about. I wanted to try it in a taco because in my mind, this would TOTALLY work, and with a cucumber salad? It could totally rock!!

Komodo taco photo by Florance Chung

I was waiting for my friends to arrive, but I was absolutely famished so I don't pass out while waiting. I get the taco, it looks good enough, but when I looked at how pale the rendang is I knew that flavor-wise, it wasn't going to be strong enough. I also didn't catch the fragrant aroma it should've been emitting.  I took a bite and surely, there was just a hint of the rendang flavors, but boy oh boy, it should've been pounding out at least 10x more than what I was tasting. I liked how they even topped it with bawang goreng (fried crispy shallots), but the rendang need a hell of a lot more punch than that! There wasn't enough sauce so the meat was a little dry -- there is a lot of potential here, but right now it wasn't doing it for me.

When my friends arrived, we also got the Komodo taco -- seared skirt steak with jalapeno aioli and a Southwestern corn salad. It looked very colorful and appetizing and honestly, the corn salad was really good, but the steak was so dry (almost like jerky) that none of us wanted to eat the meat after tasting it.

meatball with romesco

The other thing we tried were the meatballs with romesco sauce, which is a Spanish pepper sauce. The pork meatballs were overcooked -- the outside was too brown and the entire meatball was well..... dry! The romesco sauce was perhaps a variation of traditional romesco sauce because it didn't taste like any romesco sauce I've ever tasted before. On the whole, this was another item none of my party enjoyed.

I may give Komodo another try sometime later -- but for now, I'm kinda licking my wounds from wasted stomach space.


You can find Komodo at their website, on Facebook or follow them on Twitter

The Californian -- decent hotel fare

When my friends were in town I came to visit and hang and ended up having breakfast at the hotel. The Californian at the Sheraton Universal Hotel is small but suffices in that most people who stay here are on vacation either to visit Universal Studios or something like that and wouldn't ordinarily be eating inside the hotel anyway.

There is a breakfast buffet for $21 but I opted for the regular breakfast of sausage, poached eggs, hash browns and toast. It was $12 which wasn't exorbitant for hotel prices and one would expect to pay a few bucks less at a reasonably nice breakfast place. All I cared about was that the poached eggs were poached well and that the sausages were flavorful -- which they both were. The poached eggs could've been a little less well-done, but they still were runny. The sausages were lovely pork sausages, very tasty!

I had asked for the hash browns to be extra crispy and they did exactly that! Overall, a nice meal without really breaking the bank if one absolutely MUST stay in.


The Californian, 333 Universal Hollywood Drive, Universal City, CA 91600. Tel: 818-980-1212

Renzo"s A Taste Of Peru -- lunch with a lot of heart

This story is running simultaneously in the Orange County Register


I waited a while to try out Renzo's A Taste Of Peru even though I'd heard from various friends that a new Peruvian place had opened up in Irvine months ago. I usually don't like to be the first in line when restaurants open because I think it is unfair to judge them during their first weeks when things can go wrong and everyone is still learning to deal with the flow of traffic so to speak. I like them to have some time to work out their kinks first and that way, there isn't any excuses from either side.

When I finally visited Renzo's for the first time I found Mr Renzo Macchiavello himself behind the counter with a huge smile on his face welcoming me into his place. My friend who came along has been a customer here since it opened so he was very familiar with the menu and was excited for me to finally try. I, on the other hand, have always loved Peruvian food due to how overwhelmingly familiar its flavors are to me -- there is a huge Chinese population in Peru and a lot of the food flavors are imported from the various ethnic backgrounds including Chinese and Japanese -- and I was eager to see how this place compared with the various Peruvian places in the area.

Although Renzo did not have my favorite Peruvian items on the menu, namely lomo saltado and parihuela, he did have ceviche and various arroz (rice) dishes. My friend was nice enough to allow me to pick whatever I'd like for our meal , so I selected ceviche mariscos (seafood salad), arroz con mariscos (seafood rice) and the special of the day secco de carne (beef stew).

Ceviche was nice and tart and the selection of seafood: calamari, shrimp, scallops, were all fresh. The red onions, fresh corn and sweet potato wedge are all regular items in all the ceviches I've had around Orange County, the only thing Renzo doesn't include are corn nuts. However, if you so wish to have some in your salad, feel free to help yourself to them at the counter near the entry-way because they are there to for customers to snack on while they wait. If you like your ceviche spicier, by all means, let them know because the kitchen will dress it to your specifications.

Secco de carne was absolutely delicious! The rich, dark stew had layers of flavor and was perfect with the fluffy white rice it was served with. In fact, I wanted more of the sauce towards the end so I could finish off the remaining rice. All specials come with a side salad topped with a dressing similar to the green aji sauce but with  a little more tang to it.


After the beef stew, arroz con mariscos was a little bland in comparison, but still reasonable. Aji sauce is available and you can help yourself to it. I call this the 'miracle green sauce' because a few squeezes from the bottle will instantaneously kick the flavor-aspect up several notches. It just makes EVERYTHING taste better, and that, is definitely a miraculous feat!

I had asked Renzo about parihuela on my first viit and on my second visit a week later, he informed me he had made parihuela and asked if I'd like to try some. So on top of the parihuela, my friend and I ordered the special of the day, braised lamb shank.

After two visits I'd have to say, definitely order whatever specials Renzo has for the day because those have been winners. The lamb shank was a whole shank braised in a blend of spices, meat is fork tender and oh so addictive. I was blown away at how the sauce tantalized my tastebuds and how I couldn't stop eating it, but more than anything, I couldn't believe that this dish was under $10. The portion was generous and filling, but on top of that, you can taste the love put into it. Again, I needed more sauce to soak up the rice it came with.

Parihuela was good, but not what I was accustomed to. The parihuela I'm accustomed to is soupier in consistency while the one here was more 'stewy'. The thicker liquid worked well though because when paired with the steamed rice, the sauce actually clings instead of just swishing off the spoon.

Although Renzo's serves up Peruvian food, they do a huge lunch time sandwich business and although they are really a great lunch spot, I could eat this stuff for dinner. At the moment, the restaurant is open for lunch from Mondays to Fridays 10am to 4pm but I'm sure with some arm twisting and gentle coaxing, things might change in the future.

Specials are posted on Renzo's Facebook fanpage every day. You can also follow Renzo's on Twitter.

 Renzo's A Taste of Peru, 2222 Michelson Drive, Ste 200, Irvine, CA 92612. Tel: 949-955-9053


*** Photography by Mahesh ***

Cafe La Boheme -- goth at its finest

wings

What can I say.... Cafe La Boheme makes me think that if I was invited to dinner by Count Dracula, this would be his dining room. It is dark, it is mysterious and it is romantic in a kinda erotic sorta way? This is definitely somewhere you wanna bring your girlfriend for a night of special memories. The restaurant is furnished in black and red and along the wall are booths where you can have an intimate experience with your sweetheart.

I've always had good times here, service is always very attentive without being intrusive and the people who work here are..... how can I say this...... almost always incredibly attractive with awesome personalities. It must be a pre-requisite to be in good shape and attention to detail to your appearance is highly preferable!

sea scallops

Happy hour is awesome here I'm told, but I've always come for dinner. I'm guessing that the prices are good because if it was due to its taste, then I'd have to say, the small plates/appetizers are kinda just okay. They in no way blow me away. The crab cake is good and so are the lamb skewers, but the chicken wings weren't good at all. The chicken tasted like its been in the freezer too long and honestly it's just your average buffalo wings, probably tastier at your local brewery.

My experience with La Boheme has always been that their entrees are the way to go, especially seafood. I've had fish here as well as scallops and they were both cooked perfectly.I especially liked how there was no carbs served with the scallops but instead, a nice pea tendril, edamame and mushroom saute accompany the plump mollusks.

Valrhona choc cake

If you're a carnivore, you may like their steaks. Even the cheaper cut of hangar steak is tasty and very satisfying and cooked perfectly to your specified temp. In any case, I suggest getting an entree and dessert instead of an appetizer and entree because the Valrhona chocolate cake is to die for! Definitely do not leave without eating this decadent gem!

Cafe La Boheme, 8400 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069. Tel: 323-848-2360

Ortolan -- humiliates and royally slaps us in the face

Several of us south OC-ers decided to visit Ortolan for DineLA week. I was very excited about this restaurant since LA isn't exactly a city brimming with Michelin-starred restaurants and having visited 2-star Michelin restaurant Melisse earlier this year, I was anticipating my visit to 1-star Michelin Ortolan (awarded in 2009) to be a similarly mind-blowing experience.

I had not perused a menu prior, but from previous experiences, I was expecting that an a la carte menu would also be offered if nothing appealed on the prix fixe menu, at least, that was what I thought would happen. Instead, Chef Christophe Eme had decided to fore go the regular menu all together and replace it with a prix fixe menu ($44) which we were all subjected to select from.

I was very impressed the minute I entered the restaurant. Not only was it absolutely gorgeous and tres tres chic, and as we were ushered to the back of the restaurant into the private room, I couldn't help but notice the splendor of its main dining room, the classic elegance the restaurant exuded. It was highly reminiscent of restaurants I had frequented in the Big Apple and my heart raced at the thought of a fantastic night ahead.

After we were seated, I immediately noticed that something was off. Why were the bread plates set to the right of us instead of the left? Why were there scrolled up menus already in place? I asked if we had pre-selected a menu and everyone shook their heads. As I unfurled the menu, I recognized that it was the prix fixe menu, so I asked our server if I could have an a la carte menu as well, only to be told that Chef Eme was only serving this prix fixe for DineLA week.

Ahhh, yes, Chef Christophe Eme, husband to actress Jeri Ryan, who, with his apparently coveted resume basically "forced" upon us a prix fixe with a trio of selections for our dining "pleasure" -- albeit, two items not available on the menu were offered for a supplement (egg caviar) and as a substitution (pan seared branzino).

Was it my naivete to have presumed otherwise? After all, this WAS a Michelin-starred restaurant right? This was a restaurant with ummm, well, a reputation? When I enter an establishment claiming to serve "haute cuisine", I expect a certain level of finesse, of flair, from start to finish. I don't expect that crescendo to appear at the beginning of the meal and going downhill from there.

After our party of five were seated -- orders taken 10 minutes later purely due to our indecision -- we were left sitting there for 30 minutes (34 to be exact) with only water from the initial pour and my glass of Sancerre to keep us company. The water glasses were quickly emptied and my wine pretty much down to the last sip and still, no bread, no appetizers, no food whatsoever.  As we grew more and more restless, my friend Holly (Savored) caught one of the staff finally coming to check in on us and asked "does this restaurant not have bread". The surprised man exclaimed "oh, you didn't get any bread?"


As I've constantly been stipulating, bread is always the customer's first introduction to a restaurant, and it needs to "wow". For a Michelin-starred restaurant, the bread failed to impress -- French, ciabatta, walnut raisin -- common-place breads if you will, nothing shouted uniqueness.

halibut ceviche

Because some of us ordered a 3-course meal while others ordered 4- to 5-courses, our dishes were not served concurrently -- and I understand that it would be impossible to pull that off -- but might I add that there was no amuse bouche to tickle our taste buds before our first course arrived.

Egg caviar (supplement $28) was our starter. Now, mind you, I was still dreaming about the egg caviar at Melisse after 6 months and although I didn't expect a Melisse-quality egg caviar, I wasn't quite ready for this curdled mess I was faced with. How is it possible that they haven't mastered scrambled eggs?  Where was the refined texture? The delicacy from perfectly scrambled eggs reminiscent of puffy clouds? I took one taste and turned down the offer of a second tasting. To say it left a bad taste in mouth would be an understatement.

From the prix fixe's menu, tomato coulis, another appetizer was a refreshing difference. Served chilled, the accompanying yogurt sorbet's slight tartness worked nicely with the tomato's natural acidity, but the buffalo mozarella floating in the liquid was very dry, like the low-moisture log mozarella you can find at your local grocery store -- the kind I usually buy to put in my lasagnas. These types of mozarella bake well but when served as is, can be miserably harsh to the palate. The dollop of pesto was flavorless, not what I would expect from a restaurant of this supposed calibre. My homemade pesto fared much better in comparison.

open ravioli with scallops

Apart from that I was a little confused by this dish because the menu clearly stated that there would be a "honey crispy tuile" accompaniment which was non-existent and when I posed this to our server, she apologized and said that the kitchen had ran out of it. Run out? Does the kitchen not realize it has run out of an ingredient in a dish when plating? The question is, do you still go ahead and plate a dish knowing full well you will be omitting a key component and then serve it to your customer? What goes through the mind of the final inspector before the food is sent out? Does he or she hope that the diner may somehow overlook, or not notice that something is missing?

Serving a dish without an ingredient clearly stated on the menu description is false advertising. So you've run out! You're a fully functioning kitchen! Make another crunchy component you can substitute it for, but DO NOT leave out an important textural component to the dish!!

The other appetizer selections were mushroom soup with seared quail and a halibut ceviche. While the halibut ceviche was probably the only redeeming factor in the array of appetizers we sampled -- thinly sliced halibut with a hint of ginger, topped with micro cilantro and a quenelle of lemongrass sorbet, the mushroom soup was mediocre at best. The soup portion was thick and clumsy, and on its own, so ordinary in taste that the 'parmesan emulsion' served as a much needed accompaniment to this one dimensional starter. The adorning seared quail was meaty, but dry and a bit stringy.

At this point in our meal, we hadn't been impressed by any one thing, let alone been wowed by it. So when the first of the second courses arrived, I wasn't very hopeful.

pan seared branzino

Open ravioli of seared scallops, yellow corn coulis and pumpkin gnocchi -- the minute my knife touched the scallop I knew it was undercooked. It had that wobbly bounciness to it but I took a sliver to tasted anyway and my suspicions were confirmed -- the scallops needed an extra 30 seconds in the pan. Don't get me wrong, I love scallop sashimi, scallop ceviche, but the menu clearly says "seared scallops" and that's what I expect when I put it into my mouth, that it is seared to its right temperature and not still raw on the inside.

This dish was an epic fail in every way. Scallops on their own should be the selling point, not the acoutrements, which by the way, were a confusing mess. Yellow corn coulis was infused with truffle which masked the natural fragrance of the corn and created a "neither here nor there" flavor aspect. The pumpkin gnocchi was undercooked leaving the center doughy and floury. However, to add insult to injury, there were grape halves and chestnuts thrown in -- I mean SERIOUSLY? How exactly do all these things work together in creating a flavor balance to heighten one's eating experience? The phrase "less is more" comes into play when I think of this culinary anomaly.

By now, as you can imagine, we were actually afraid of what the following dishes would be like. I'm certain the staff heard us complaining and I couldn't believe my eyes when they brought us ANOTHER dish of scallops to somehow compensate for what had so far transpired. My mind was screaming "stop bringing us more food we didn't order, let alone want to eat", but we remained calm. Luckily, the second lot of scallops were cooked through, tender, but still, the same discombobulated accompaniments remained.

I knew my entree of pan seared branzino (or European sea bass, sometimes known as Mediterranean sea bass) was going to be a disappointment the minute they put it in front of me. It was cooked to a crisp so I wasn't surprised that the flesh was dry. After my one and only bite of the branzino, I tackled the overcooked vegetables and swallowed the sprig of tasteless white asparagus (which by the way isn't even in season) and took one taste of the vile eggplant puree before pushing my plate away.

The last entree selection -- braised short ribs -- was the only edible entree, served with polenta, olive and tomato confit. But having said that, it wasn't a dish worthy of fine dining, let alone Michelin quality. This isn't anything spectacular. It's something I'd expect to find from a bistro-style or cafe-style restaurant. It just wasn't the polished result of a dish worthy to be labeled "haute cuisine".

chocolate ganache

Dessert time came and chocolate ganache was probably one of the most popular items of the evening. The brownie itself was good with a tasty chocolate ganache on top. The quenelle of chocolate sorbet had a bitter after-taste and the little biscuit it was sitting on was stale! So even though parts of this was a hit, it was also a miss.

The caramel panna cotta dessert I ordered was served -- and I kid you not -- in an empty caviar tin. This befuddled me to no end. I would've been okay had the panna cotta been exquisite, but this was no panna cotta. It was dense, thick and creamy, like creme brulee, and not a good one at that. It was amateurishly put together and topped with green apple flavored "caviar" spheres to give it a "tin of caviar" look. I took one spoonful and again, pushed it aside. There was nothing to this dessert except for its attempt in playing to the gimmicky illusion of opulence that Ortolan was trying to sell.

caramel panna cotta

And that was it really, just an illusion. That mirage starts from the minute you walk through the doors to the time you sit down, after that, the beautiful imagery starts chipping away from every misnomer, misconception, mistake, mis-step, I could go on and on with this.

Maybe it was the condescending attitude of the sommelier towards Holly -- someone I regard highly in the world of gastronomy -- and his presumptuous suggestion that she was somehow unschooled in how wine pairings work with a meal? Perhaps it was the arrogance he displayed when we suggested that maybe they could remove the branzino from the final check because two of us found it too unappetizing to even consume? Or maybe, it was how he not only did not graciously accept that the meal was in fact an epic failure, but turned around and acted as if he was doing us a favor by removing one branzino "behind the chef's back" (he returned the check to us unamended and insisted that it was already removed when it was part of our entree substitution) which finally broke THIS camel's back.

In my 20 years of food writing, food critiquing, and food tasting experiences, I have never felt more humiliated or more disparaged as a paying customer. I never expect to feel castigated when I'm dining out, but at Ortolan, I felt the disrespect, the insulting final slap to the face when all we wanted was an enjoyable evening out with friends and eating some delicious food while doing so. Like I had stated at the beginning of my review, I was expecting a mind-blowing experience, I guess I got my wish, except, it wasn't the kind of mind-blowing experience I was quite looking for.


*** Photography by Mahesh ***

Ortolan, 8338 W 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90048. Tel: 323-653-3300 

Harry's Bar & American Grill -- nice atmosphere, average food

French onion soup

Whenever I'm in San Diego, I rely on my local friends to take me on certain dining adventures. On my recent weekend down south, I visited Harry's Bar & American Grill with my friend for dinner.

The restaurant offers complimentary valet parking but don't expect the valet to be always there when you arrive. If that is the case, you can easily park in the parking structure yourself or there is street parking if you are lucky enough to find it.

The restaurant itself is welcoming, the interior is warmly lit and tables nicely spaced apart and on that particular evening, there was a jazz band playing even. We opted to sit on the patio area and boy am I glad we did because the overwhelming sound from the band meant that we were able to enjoy our meal, but I was also able to hear myself speak!

Pancetta scallops

The menu is extensive ranging from tapas to appetizers to entrees and everything comes with a price-tag which is a little more than what I would expect from a restaurant such as this one. The selections sounded exciting and I was immediately enticed by the French onion soup and wanted to order my own when my friend wanted it as well. After my friend suggested that we not get the same thing so we could try more items, I selected the sea scallops wrapped in pancetta instead.

A bread basket was brought to us consisting of garlic bread and grissini -- garlic bread was definitely a welcoming change from the usual boring breads I've encountered of late. I actually had to restrain myself from eating more although, I did munch down two slices before the appetizers arrived.

16oz bone-in rib-eye

French onion soup looked great when it arrived, complete in its little crock-pot with the cheese melted on top. However, that's where it ended. The broth was light in color and there was no beefiness to the flavor. The onions weren't caramelized well leaving the soup tasteless and uninspiring. I sheepishly looked at my friend and admitted that if I had gone ahead and ordered the second soup, it would have been a dining disaster.

The sea scallops on the contrary were perfectly cooked with the pancetta adding a really nice salty and crispy contrast. Unfortunately there were only three scallops to the appetizer -- I could've eaten ten of these on my own. Served with a handful of baby greens, there was also a balsamic reduction which was really awful -- tasted like cheap balsamic rather than the nicely aged Modena version. There was also a sweet chili sauce which reminded me of Thai sweet chili sauce from a bottle. The scallops would've held up on their own and the addition of everything else flavor-wise completely thwarted what were the best part of the meal.

rack of lamb

For entrees, we selected the bone-in rib-eye and the rack of lamb. I would have to say my rack of lamb was far better than the steak, much more flavorful although, slightly under-seasoned and very strangely served. The rack of eight chops were sliced apart, but unevenly. On the plate were four pieces --- two of them with two ribs, one single rib and another, with three ribs. I was completely befuddled by this arrangement. Some pieces were great, while others were really fatty. It was okay, I just expected more for a $35 entree.

The rib-eye looked impressive, a one-pounder of a steak no less, and it was cooked correctly as requested. My complaint was for a $40 steak, it was really tasteless. Again, there was a lack of beefy flavors and the mushroom sauce accompaniment was really watery and I could barely detect the mushroomy aromas I was looking for.

Both entrees were served with roasted potatoes, green beans and cauliflower. I asked for French fries instead of the roasted potatoes but I guess the server forgot, but when I reminded her, they brought out the tastiest fries ever! The roasted potatoes were absolutely disgusting! They were hard and dry. I couldn't figure out what exactly happened to them except probably they were pre-boiled (and not cooked through) and then pre-roasted and left sitting. It tasted like they were reheated and not fresh.

Oreo cheesecake

Desserts never appeal to me but my sweet-toothed friend wanted to see the selection and so the tray was brought out and some looked really awful -- like it had wilted and melted, which it probably had seeing it had been sitting on that tray probably all night. Oreo cheesecake was selected and surprisingly, was a good ending to an otherwise, mediocre and expensive meal. The cheesecake portion was light and had a hint of citrus while the Oreo crust was enough to give a nice contrast without being overwhelming.

If you do go to Harry's Bar, I suggest going for appetizers and dessert. Some items on the tapas menu looked interesting -- truffled fries for one caught my eye. I am a firm believer that there are places you go for appetizers and drinks, sometimes, even desserts (see my Seasons 52 review), this is one of those places! I don't believe the price tag justifies the end product received, however, www.restaurants.com offers discounted gift certificates which could be a good way to try Harry's out.

Harry's Bar & American Grill, 4370 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, CA 92122. Tel: 858-373-1252

Lemonade -- a salad lover's paradise

BFF wanted to bring me here for the salads and boy was I glad she did. The array was amazing and what was best was that it was very affordable and extremely tasty! The 'marketplace' as the salad array was named offers 1-3 portion sizes ranging from $4 to $11. Each portion gives you two scoops of your choice of salad -- or, one scoop of two items. We went for the three portion size plate -- 6 scoops -- of different salads and shared the plate.

Kale with creme fraiche was delightful with a creamy dressing while the arugula with blue cheese and mission figs was a perfect mixture of flavors in one bite -- I liked how they used things in season like the figs. In fact, every salad we chose was delectable, especially the Israeli couscous with mushrooms and tossed in a truffle vinegraitte. We could get enough of it.

Another interesting thing was the 'watermelon' daikon -- a radish which was pink on the inside and green on the outside resembling a watermelon slice. This was tossed with seared ahi tuna in a sesame dressing -- very Asian inspired and very tasty!

Swiss chard and duck salad was another Asian-inspired item with a slightly sweet taste. Roasted cashews added another dimension to it giving it a crunchy texture. Brussel sprouts with balsamic and parmesan cheese was another flavorful choice.

We were pretty full by now but everything was so delicious I felt I could've eaten more if there was more in front of me. Lemonade also offers braised items such as beef stroganoff, miso short ribs, curries and tagines, but I didn't try them this time. I was too excited about the salads. Lemonade also offers an array of desserts and fresh lemonade to accompany your meal.

The Lemonade we ate at was in Venice -- there are 3 more locations in Beverly Hills, MOMA and Downtown LA.

Lemonade, 1661 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90291. Tel: 310-452-6200

My Battle of Cupcakes

It really makes a difference when you've got something to compare with and I'd have to say, having eaten cupcakes from different businesses really gave me perspective as to what a truly great cupcake really is, so here, I'm going to compare a few cupcakes I've had recently -- essentially, the same thing when you look at it, but a world of difference when it comes to taste. I'm not listing the addresses and phone numbers seeing some businesses have more than one location, but I've provided the link to their website.

Sprinkles Cupcakes has got to be one of the most popular cupcake stores around OC right now but ya know, I've never been highly impressed. The cupcakes are hit and miss -- sometimes they're pretty good, other times they're really dry. Red velvet, chocolate, vanilla, I've tried them all. Frosting is out of control in terms of quantity and very very sweet, great for those with a severe sweet-tooth, but I like my desserts a little more well-balanced.
(3 stars)

chocolate peanut butter

Oh For Sweets Sake Mobile Cupcakery and Bakery is an Orange County food truck featuring a range of cupcakes which comes to you although in reality, they are parked at various locations daily and you go to them. The cupcakes definitely look better than they taste.... both the cake and frosting portion were average, there is no wow-factor when you bite into one. In fact, I stopped at one bite. I tried the chocolate peanut butter and the red velvet, both were underwhelming. The cake wasn't moist and the frosting VERY sweet, gooey, sticky and paste-y in texture. Nothing about these cupcakes shouted uniqueness. I've got friends who bake better cupcakes than these. Sorry! Concept is good, but definitely fell short in flavor and texture.
(2 stars)

red velvet

Frosted Cupcakery is a little out of the way for me but I've tried them on many occasions when friends have brought them to a party and I quite like their selection. The red velvet, lemon, chocolate offerings are all good, the cake part moist and the frosting not sickly sweet. This is a really good cupcake and I have no trouble buying these to bring to a party or when I throw a party myself -- but again, they are out in Long Beach so a little out of the way for me.
(4 stars)

choc cake w/pb buttercream

Meringue Bake Shop unfortunately doesn't have a shop, they are strictly a catering business and it is such a shame because they have some of THE BEST cupcakes I've ever tasted! The cake is soooooooooooo moist and the frosting so delicate and flavorful without the nauseating sweetness -- hands down my favorite cupcakes to date! They also have innovative toppings such as the Sweet & Salty -- a vanilla cupcake with a salted caramel buttercream frosting. The MFEO was a chocolate cupcake with a peanut butter buttercream frosting -- absolutely divine and I don't often pay high compliments to sweet things.  
(5 stars)

Lemon Drop

Itty Bitty Sweets is another cupcake caterer who specializes in both standard and mini cupcakes as well as pretzels. I found these at OC Wine Mart & Tasting Bar's grand opening and snagged one each of the Lemon Drop and the Southern Belle (red velvet). I was a bit skeptical with these mini cupcakes seeing I had just come from a lunch where the mini cupcake was dry as dust! However, I was so pleasantly surprised by how good both the flavors tasted -- I'm partial to the lemon drop though -- with the cake portion moist and the frosting, though a tad too sweet for my palate, was not bad at all! Was very impressed by how the cupcakes were on the disply for quite a while and still remained moist!
(4 stars)

Oreo Dark

Cupcake Blake is one of those places you probably would never get the chance to try because they don't have a shop and I was lucky enough to try their cupcakes off Short Stop BBQ food truck. The truck wasn't even selling their cupcakes because they were parked next to Oh For Sweet's Sake (mentioned above) and felt bad about selling them with the other truck parked next to them, but offered it to us for being customers. I was really impressed by these cupcakes. The cake portion was very moist ad the frosting was nice and light and  the sweetness highly palatable. In fact, my three friends who were there all raved about how good the cupcakes were and one of them even managed to convince them to sell some to her to take home even though they weren't displayed for sale. We told the owner of the truck that his cupcakes were seriously good and were told that they were made by Cupcake Blake. I'm definitely glad to have tried these! At $2.50 a pop off the truck these are well worth it because every bite was absolutely delicious!! I hope I see more of these cupcakes around!
(4.5 stars)

OC Wine Mart & Tasting Bar -- a new wine concept in Irvine

 I'm no wine expert. In fact, I don't understand how some wines get 87pts and some get 97pts, or how some can boast 5 different hints -- I usually can detect one or two -- and have a certain end note. When it comes to wine, all I know is:

1) if I like it or not
2) if it tastes too alcoholic
3) if it makes my face feel hot -- which ordinarily means I have an allergic reaction to it. Other than that, most of the other stuff is just beyond me.

I know I don't like oakey whites or reds with super high tannins. I don't care if the wine is from France, Napa Valley, Australia, New Zealand -- blah blah blah -- just let me sniff it and I'll more often than not know if I'll like it.

So when I came to OC Wine Mart the other day for its grand opening, I wasn't terribly excited about the prospects of the wines themselves, but rather, the curiosity of having an independent wine seller in Irvine. However, when I got there, what I encountered was something completely different!

Julie Lim, owner of OC Wine Mart has installed a system called the "enomatic tasting bar" which allows shoppers and wine aficionados the opportunity to browse for wine and sample some while doing it. This tasting bar has bottles of red and white wines (in separate systems) set up with a price indicator -- reasonably priced might I add -- and customers can walk around and select their own wines to sample. How this works is, you buy a card which has a dollar amount on it, you slide it into the slot on the machine and select the wine you want, place the glass under the selected bottle and voila -- a 1oz pour magically flows into your wine glass.

I was highly impressed with this because it suits me to a tee -- I don't necessarily know what I like and often, I'll buy a bottle and bring it home, open it and then find out I don't really like it at all. With this tasting bar, I can sample whatever tickles my fancy (usually it's a label on the bottle -- yeah I know I'm a dork), and if I like it, I can bring a bottle home to enjoy.

My friend Mahesh took it one step further though. His take is this -- you can grab some lunch at Renzo's next door, come in and enjoy some wine, and go back to work, or alternatively, if you just wanted to be an UNsocial drinker, or if you didn't want to make small talk with a bartender, or even worse, if you're just plain depressed, you can walk in, get your wine, drink and walk out without having to make eye contact or make small talk with anyone!

No matter how you look at it, OC Wine Mart & Tasting Bar has an awesome concept, and right now through the month of October, customers can get in on the wine card special -- $20 wine cards, buy one get one free (limit one per customer) -- go check it out!

Needless to say, even this self-professed light drinker walked out of there with wine cards and two bottles of wine!

OC Wine Mart & Tasting Bar, 2272 Michelson Drive, Irvine, CA 92612. Tel: 949-250-0033

MSNBC picks up on my story

After Jeff Overley's story in the OC Register ran on Thursday Sept 30, MSNBC posted an abridged version online. Thank you so much for the exposure and thanks to those who follow my blog! You can also click LIKE on my fan page on Facebook or follow me on Twitter

South Coast Winery -- restaurant week menu an epic fail

Ordinarily, I am a firm believer that one should try out restaurant week menus whenever possible to get a glimpse of what the individual restaurants has to offer diners. When my friend and I looked at the restaurant week menu from South Coast Winery Restaurant, it was quite tantalizing especially the lobster bisque as a starter.

The restaurant was relatively empty when we got there so I asked for a table with better lighting in order to capture some good photos. We were shown to a booth and our server was swift in bringing us water. We were also quick to order seeing the choices were relatively straightforward.

Both of us decided to go for the lobster bisque seeing the other option was a salad which sounded uninspiring. For $15, the selection looked decent -- an appetizer and an entree, no dessert, which was fine by me seeing I'm not big on sweets anyway.

A bread basket of two crusty rolls were brought to the table. They were average rolls, neither good nor bad. Lobster bisque arrived..... it wasn't piping hot, which is a pet peeve of mine when it comes to hot soups and on top of that it was absolutely terrible! It was way too salty and to make things worse, it was super fishy as well. I think this lobster bisque is in my list of bottom five I've tasted to date! We had two spoonfuls, maybe three, and couldn't stomach much more. When our server came back and asked how it was, I said "it's too salty". He was sweet enough to offer us a new one, but it takes a long time to create lobster bisque so in my mind, I knew it was more from the same pot so what's the point really? We declined.

The entree selections were hangar steak frites or grilled salmon. The hangar steak came with the fries of course (frites!) and some aioli and ketchup in ramekins while the grilled salmon was served on a bed of quinoa, asparagus stems and cherry tomato halves.

The steak started off okay, it wasn't seasoned enough and I tasted the salt on the table -- it was iodized salt and I wasn't going to put that on my steak, so I fished out my salt dispenser from my purse and ground some sea salt onto the steak. It definitely was better than what was originally presented to us. However, as I got farther down, the steak started to tasted off with an increasingly strong bloody aftertaste. I gagged at one point and had to spit it out. Definitely not a good idea to ask for steak medium rare when it is not a top quality piece of meat. I think the reason why it tasted off the farther we got was because the meat was rarer on that end.

Salmon wasn't much better. I knew it was overcooked the minute I pierced my fork into it. The fish was dry and tasteless. The accompanying quinoa was seasoned inconsistently with one side overly salty and the other side with no salt at all. My friend and I were both saying how we could've done a better job at home, sad really!

For $15, I still don't feel this was a good deal because it wasn't enjoyable at all. Sure it sounds good on paper, but at the end of the day, the execution and what was presented was far from ideal. A meal can be reasonable, cheap even, but when you don't enjoy it, or you can't eat it, then really, what's the point?

South Coast Winery Restaurant, 3608 S Bristol Street, Santa Ana, CA 92704. Tel: 714-957-1857