This past Saturday, the OC Bruins went to Oki Doki after the Angels game. I wanted to go to Honda-Ya, which was clsoer, but everyone knew where Oki Doki was, so we went there. Unfortunately, it turns out Rooster doesn't eat seafood, and so I was stuck with the task of ordering for some of us without seafood. At Oki Doki, this was surprisingly hard to do, and we ended up with a lot of vegetarian offerings, which were only so-so. There was seaweed salad, which went over very well, but was just like the stuff you can buy in a supermarket. The same with the kim chee, which was also greeted with mysterious references to a Mr. Yu, whom Rooster apparently knows. There was also fried tofu, which was pretty good, but served very hot. The chicken wings were surprisingly fishy, which was gross. They were out of pork belly, which was sad because Zond liked it a lot, and thought Rooster would too. We also got a pitcher of beer, but it turned out not to really be a full pitcher, because there was a cylinder int he middle, taking up space- what a rip off! It was cheap, but not good. Their best stuff is still fish, I think, though Zond said something ridiculous about the eel nigiri (2 pieces) costing $4- way overpriced for the probable quality of fish. Sigh. Poor clueless Zond.
Date of Visit: 6/23/07
Oki Doki
Costa Mesa, CA
Showing posts with label Costa Mesa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Costa Mesa. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Friday, June 8, 2007
Chat Noir- Costa Mesa
My boss gave me tickets last night to Hamlet, so GameBoy and I decided to hit up one of Costa Mesa's many happy hours. We saved the $7 valet fee by first parking in a nearby lot, which is free at night. The promotion at Chat Noir is half-off champagne cocktails and carafes of wine for the price of a glass. Given Chat Noir's inflated pricing, however, it's not that much of a deal, especially compared to Memphis, McCormick & Schmick's, or even Z'Tejas. However, it definitely has the most elegant atmosphere, which seemed like a good start to a night of Shakespeare.
Though the internet claimed Thursday night is house and trance night, the music was muted and mellow- appropriate for the restaurant, though a bit disappointing to me, because I wanted GameBoy to hear what house music is. In any event, we quickly seated ourselves at a high booth. One thing that drew my attention was the fat that the bar waitresses all wore fishnets. McCormick & Schmick's waitresses wear pleated schoolgirl skirts and knee-highs- I wonder what the target demographic is? Apparently, GameBoy, who was quite pleased by their attire. It seemed reasonably classy, though, and i helped that the restaurant as filled with respectable young and not-so-young professionals.
I had two champagne cocktails, the Chanel and the French 75. They were reasonably okay, but nothing memorable. The Chanel was a bit sweet, so I'd recommend the French 75 over that. GameBoy had the French Revolution and the Marie Antoinette. Unfortunately, I didn't get a taste of these, so I can't comment on them, other than the fact that we both got a slight kick out of the Disneyland-cute Francophile names.
We also got some overpriced unmemorable appetizers. Actually, the American sliders (bacon and cheese) weren't bad, and at $14 one of the best values on the menu. Unfortunately, I had the worst escagot I've had in a while. It was a bummer, especially since French 75 in Newport, a sister restaurant, does them reasonably well. But these were tiny, and drowning in way too muc sauce. They were also, surprisingly, not very juicy considering the fact that they were in a casserole! Skip these. Next time, I'll just go for drinks and stick with the free potato chips to eat.
Date of Visit: 6/7/07
Chat Noir
Costa Mesa, CA
Though the internet claimed Thursday night is house and trance night, the music was muted and mellow- appropriate for the restaurant, though a bit disappointing to me, because I wanted GameBoy to hear what house music is. In any event, we quickly seated ourselves at a high booth. One thing that drew my attention was the fat that the bar waitresses all wore fishnets. McCormick & Schmick's waitresses wear pleated schoolgirl skirts and knee-highs- I wonder what the target demographic is? Apparently, GameBoy, who was quite pleased by their attire. It seemed reasonably classy, though, and i helped that the restaurant as filled with respectable young and not-so-young professionals.
I had two champagne cocktails, the Chanel and the French 75. They were reasonably okay, but nothing memorable. The Chanel was a bit sweet, so I'd recommend the French 75 over that. GameBoy had the French Revolution and the Marie Antoinette. Unfortunately, I didn't get a taste of these, so I can't comment on them, other than the fact that we both got a slight kick out of the Disneyland-cute Francophile names.
We also got some overpriced unmemorable appetizers. Actually, the American sliders (bacon and cheese) weren't bad, and at $14 one of the best values on the menu. Unfortunately, I had the worst escagot I've had in a while. It was a bummer, especially since French 75 in Newport, a sister restaurant, does them reasonably well. But these were tiny, and drowning in way too muc sauce. They were also, surprisingly, not very juicy considering the fact that they were in a casserole! Skip these. Next time, I'll just go for drinks and stick with the free potato chips to eat.
Date of Visit: 6/7/07
Chat Noir
Costa Mesa, CA
Friday, April 27, 2007
Z'Tejas- Costa Mesa
GameBoy and I went to Z’Tejas last night before seeing Rent at the Orange County Performing Arts Center for two reasons: its location within walking distance of the OCPAC, and its happy hour. We sat ourselves down at the last empty table in the bar area, then promptly ordered drinks- a margarita for me, and a Budweiser for him. After GameBoy walked up to the hostess stand to check, we verified that their happy hour meant half-off appetizers. I had been here several times before, mostly with my family, and GameBoy had been here once before with me. I really like the catfish beignets, so we ordered some catfish beignets and perused the menu. I normally hate fried fish, but these are coated with cornmeal and the dipping sauce has a bit of a spicy kick, which really makes a difference. That, and they don’t overcook it.
The drinks and the beignets came out, and while the waitress was there, we ordered shrimp Tostitos, a chicken quesadilla, and guacamole. The guacamole came out and it was yummy- nicely spicy unlike many versions, with tons of chips. We had some leftover, and it we hadn’t been on the way to the musical, I would have taken the leftovers home. The chicken quesadilla was fairly good, and filling to boot. I had eaten a huge lunch from Maggiano’s at work that day, so I was completely filled, and couldn’t even touch their usually yummy cornbread. GameBoy felt full too, so we sent back the shrimp tostitos, though those looked yummy too. We ended up taking the cornbread back with us, and hopefully my mom will not have tossed it by the time I get back from work today.
The best part about it was that GameBoy and I ended up having all that, plus another $1 off happy hour drink each, all for about $35 including tip. We stumbled away pleasantly buzzed and full. Happy hour, indeed.
Z’Tejas
3333 Bristol St.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 979-7469
The drinks and the beignets came out, and while the waitress was there, we ordered shrimp Tostitos, a chicken quesadilla, and guacamole. The guacamole came out and it was yummy- nicely spicy unlike many versions, with tons of chips. We had some leftover, and it we hadn’t been on the way to the musical, I would have taken the leftovers home. The chicken quesadilla was fairly good, and filling to boot. I had eaten a huge lunch from Maggiano’s at work that day, so I was completely filled, and couldn’t even touch their usually yummy cornbread. GameBoy felt full too, so we sent back the shrimp tostitos, though those looked yummy too. We ended up taking the cornbread back with us, and hopefully my mom will not have tossed it by the time I get back from work today.
The best part about it was that GameBoy and I ended up having all that, plus another $1 off happy hour drink each, all for about $35 including tip. We stumbled away pleasantly buzzed and full. Happy hour, indeed.
Z’Tejas
3333 Bristol St.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 979-7469
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Mother India- Costa Mesa
GameBoy likes Indian food, so we tried Mother India for lunch today. Like most Indian places, it had a lunch buffet for a reasonable prince- $7.95 per person. Eagerly, we headed to the buffet. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a particularly good buffet, even for an Indian lunch joint. There were two meat options: a mediocre chicken korma and tandoori chicken. While both were not bad, neither were they that great. This would have been fine if I could have supplemented them with the other dishes. However, the samosas were lukewarm and bland, the saag burnt, and the garbanzo bean dish unappetizing. I’m not sure if it’s our taste buds or what, but I normally enjoy Indian buffet more than this, even if it’s not my favorite cuisine. There was no lentil dish, surprisingly, and only the squash dish proved to be relatively okay. In addition, I got saag on my sleeve from where someone had smeared it on the glass protective cover. Since there aren’t too many other Indian options in the area, I guess this is okay if you have a real craving. But I’m not going back.
Date of Visit: 4/10/07
Mother India Restaurant
688 Baker St # 8
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Santouka- Costa Mesa
We tried to go to an Indian place we had seen along that strip of restaurants along Bristol, but the parking lot was set up for it in such a way that, despite two attempts, we were still unable to navigate through traffic to get there. Time was running short, so instead we headed to Santouka once again.
Based on GameBoy’s previous visit, in which, he gave me all the fat from his special Kurobata pork, I recommended that he get the regular pork, which was less fatty. I, having tried the regular pork a few days before, stuck to the special pork. This time, however, I branched off from my usual miso broth to the much-recommended shi (salt) broth. GameBoy tried the spicy miso broth.
The shio broth turned out to be a great idea. Though I like the miso broth, the shio broth was so amazing I found myself picking the bowl up to drink the last drop of broth. And anyone that’s ever seen Tampopo, that classic Japanese ramen movie, knows that this sort of broth is the pinnacle of perfection in terms of ramen broth.
GameBoy thought the shio was a bit too salty, but to me it was all juicy pork slurpiness. In contrast, the spicy miso ramen was not bad, but reminded me too much of my college days of instant ramen to be too enjoyable. The noodles, of course, were perfectly chewy, and the pork was delicious. The regular pork isn’t bad, either, but definitely go for the special pork if you can spare an extra buck or two- it’s well worth it. GameBoy, notoriously picky, still ended up trading me some of his regular pork with fat for a no-fat part of the special pork, which he agreed is fantastic.
Santouka is still the best quick lunch in Costa Mesa, hands down. Too bad you have to go through parking hell to get to it.
Date of Visit: 4/5/07
Santouka
Mitsuwa Marketplace Food Court
665 Paularino Ave.,Costa Mesa CA 92626
(714) 557-6699
Wahoo's FIsh Taco- Costa Mesa
Today, I continued to explore the strip of restaurants along Bristol just west of the 405. I had been to a Wahoo’s before in Aliso Viejo, but wanted to try the one on the corner of Bristol and Baker to see how it compared. Unlike the Aliso Viejo location, which was located in a nice strip mall, the Costa Mesa II branch was an old free-standing ramshackle building with low ceilings. Since it was lunch time, it was very crowded, and all the tables appeared to be full. Luckily, it’s a sunny day today, so I ordered my two taco combo platter to go. The food came out quickly, and I got back into my car and parked on the roof of our office parking structure to better enjoy the weather.
My blackened fish tacos were hot and spicy. Topped with a little pico de gallo salsa, the corn tortilla tacos were pretty yummy, and I gobbled them right up. Unfortunately, the ahi rice was too buttery, and I don’t like black beans. As far as beans go, they were fine, but nothing special. Next time, I’ll just order more of their tacos.
Date of Visit: 4/9/07
Wahoo’s Fish Taco
3000 Bristol Ave.
Costa Mesa, CA
714-435-0130Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Metro Cafe- Costa Mesa
I met my new friend, OCBruinLawyer, at Metro Cafe for lunch, mostly because I only have an hour for lunch, and the Metro Cafe is located at the bottom of a mid-rise near where I work. It's a surprisingly small cafeteria-type place with sandwiches and burgers. OCBruinLawyer and I both get burgers (no onions) with fries. You pay at the register, then wait for your food to be finished. Unfortunately, they don't seem to be too good at letting you know when that is, as we ended up waiting for several minutes before he went up to the counter and asked, whereupon two styrofoam containers appeared with our food.
The burger was probably the worst I've had in a while, on the level of McDonald's in taste. The soggy bun was too big for the tiny patty, which appeared to be similar to the McDonald's QuarterPounder. It was drowning in mayo and some sauce, which dripped all over. Oddly, the fries were decent, and now that I think about it I can't figure out why I finished the burger and left the fries. I must have been distracted by the conversation.
In addition to the good conversation, I also had some bottled grapefruit juice by Langers, which was a nice change. Still, though, I'm not going back if I can help it.
Date of visit: 3/14/07
Metro Cafe
575 Anton Blvd , Costa Mesa 92626
714-957-3316
The burger was probably the worst I've had in a while, on the level of McDonald's in taste. The soggy bun was too big for the tiny patty, which appeared to be similar to the McDonald's QuarterPounder. It was drowning in mayo and some sauce, which dripped all over. Oddly, the fries were decent, and now that I think about it I can't figure out why I finished the burger and left the fries. I must have been distracted by the conversation.
In addition to the good conversation, I also had some bottled grapefruit juice by Langers, which was a nice change. Still, though, I'm not going back if I can help it.
Date of visit: 3/14/07
Metro Cafe
575 Anton Blvd , Costa Mesa 92626
714-957-3316
Orchid- Costa Mesa
My loyal dining companion, GameBoy, and I set off at 1 pm with one goal in mind: to eat lunch and return to work by 2 pm, sharp. We drove down Bristol, passing Paularino, searching for an Indian restaurant I thought I had read about. Instead, we found Orchid, a Persian restaurant with an $8.50 lunch buffet. With the clock ticking in the back of our minds, we quickly grabbed plates and hit the buffet.
It was a bit picked-over, which was not surprising given that it was a little past prime lunch hour and only partially-full. Nonetheless, there were still 3 types of rice (yellow, green, and white), something that looked like naan, something that looked liked a samosa, a chicken stew dish, an oxtail stew dish, something that looked like tandoori chicken, ground beef kabobs, hummus, and a parsley salad. I'm not sure why the food had a lot in common with Indian food, but I'm pretty sure it was a Persian place since it had Arabic writing.
In any event, I loaded up on a little of everything, then dug in. The tandoori chicken-like item was nice and juicy- better, in fact, than many versions of tandoori chicken I've had. The kebab was decent- not bad, but not spectacular. It may be that I just don't like ground beef kebabs. The oxtail stew was a surprising find for me, having only had oxtail stew as a Chinese dish. This oxtail was also cooked until juicy, but wasn't complimented with anything else, so while it was initally yummy to eat the tender meat, it got heavy and greasy-tasting on my second course. The chicken fared much better in this preparation, especially since it was given an extra kick by some sort of spicy sauce.
I've had parsley salad before, in a Persian restaurant on Westwood Boulevard up in LA, but the one offered by this buffet tasted particularly good. Its onions, tomatoes, and couscous were refreshing, especially given the heavy meat items I selected. Finally, I had the hummus, which was an overly-chilled and average version, but still good with the naan-like flatbread. I passed up the yogurt and salad offerings, but left with a full tummy and slight food coma. Mission accomplished.
Date of visit: 3/13/07
Orchid Jewel
3033 S Bristol St, Costa Mesa, CA
(714)557-8070
It was a bit picked-over, which was not surprising given that it was a little past prime lunch hour and only partially-full. Nonetheless, there were still 3 types of rice (yellow, green, and white), something that looked like naan, something that looked liked a samosa, a chicken stew dish, an oxtail stew dish, something that looked like tandoori chicken, ground beef kabobs, hummus, and a parsley salad. I'm not sure why the food had a lot in common with Indian food, but I'm pretty sure it was a Persian place since it had Arabic writing.
In any event, I loaded up on a little of everything, then dug in. The tandoori chicken-like item was nice and juicy- better, in fact, than many versions of tandoori chicken I've had. The kebab was decent- not bad, but not spectacular. It may be that I just don't like ground beef kebabs. The oxtail stew was a surprising find for me, having only had oxtail stew as a Chinese dish. This oxtail was also cooked until juicy, but wasn't complimented with anything else, so while it was initally yummy to eat the tender meat, it got heavy and greasy-tasting on my second course. The chicken fared much better in this preparation, especially since it was given an extra kick by some sort of spicy sauce.
I've had parsley salad before, in a Persian restaurant on Westwood Boulevard up in LA, but the one offered by this buffet tasted particularly good. Its onions, tomatoes, and couscous were refreshing, especially given the heavy meat items I selected. Finally, I had the hummus, which was an overly-chilled and average version, but still good with the naan-like flatbread. I passed up the yogurt and salad offerings, but left with a full tummy and slight food coma. Mission accomplished.
Date of visit: 3/13/07
Orchid Jewel
3033 S Bristol St, Costa Mesa, CA
(714)557-8070
Inka Grill- Costa Mesa
My loyal dining companion, GameBoy, and I met up for dinner here on night that quite suddenly turned from sunny to foggy as I was driving down Bristol. As I got out of my car, I felt a fine layer of mist settle on my bare skin, and I grabbed my umbrella before heading inside to wait for GameBoy. Inside was warm and cozy, and minutes later I found myself sipping a fairly sweet Pisco Martini with Maracuya ($6.50) at a booth by the window. There was a bit too much maracuya juice, which is apparently a fruit found in the Amazon, and not enough liquor. However, I was pleased by the fact that it came with its own small pitcher of refill- enough to fill a whole additional martini glass!
After having a bit of difficulty finding the place (it's next to Del Taco on the southeast corner of Bristol and Red Hill), GameBoy parked and made his way in. Though I had already selected my entree, having scanned the menu as I waited, GameBoy, a bit of a slow and methodical reader, took several minutes to peruse the six or so pages of menu items. After our waitress had come and gone a few times, we were finally ready. I ordered the paella, while GameBoy went for the lamb stew, which the waitress pronounced as her favorite menu item.
The food came out quickly. My paella had more brown rice than the yellow that was depicted on the front of the menu. It contained one mussel, perfectly-cooked chunks of salmon and some white fish, lots of calamari rings, and two perfectly-cooked shrimp. I'm not that familiar with paella, but I liked this version, and certainly it's price ($14) was reasonable too. Not being a huge fan of calamari rings, I would have preferred more shrimp and mussels, but no big quibbles.
The big disappointment was GameBoy's lamb stew ($15), which to me tasted heavy and greasy. I should note, however, that I'm not a big fan of lamb other than lamp chops, so maybe it's just that I don't have a taste for it. GameBoy claimed he liked it, though he didn't finish it. In any event, though, I was glad I had gone with the paella, which was yummy. Service was a bit slow when we wanted to get the check, but other than that was fairly competent. It was my first time trying Peruvian, but I'll definitely come back.
Date of Visit: 3/13/07
Inka Grill
260 Bristol St.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Phone 714-444-4652
Hours: Mon-Thurs 11:30am-9pm. Fri & Sat 11:30am-9:30pm. Sun 5pm-9pm
After having a bit of difficulty finding the place (it's next to Del Taco on the southeast corner of Bristol and Red Hill), GameBoy parked and made his way in. Though I had already selected my entree, having scanned the menu as I waited, GameBoy, a bit of a slow and methodical reader, took several minutes to peruse the six or so pages of menu items. After our waitress had come and gone a few times, we were finally ready. I ordered the paella, while GameBoy went for the lamb stew, which the waitress pronounced as her favorite menu item.
The food came out quickly. My paella had more brown rice than the yellow that was depicted on the front of the menu. It contained one mussel, perfectly-cooked chunks of salmon and some white fish, lots of calamari rings, and two perfectly-cooked shrimp. I'm not that familiar with paella, but I liked this version, and certainly it's price ($14) was reasonable too. Not being a huge fan of calamari rings, I would have preferred more shrimp and mussels, but no big quibbles.
The big disappointment was GameBoy's lamb stew ($15), which to me tasted heavy and greasy. I should note, however, that I'm not a big fan of lamb other than lamp chops, so maybe it's just that I don't have a taste for it. GameBoy claimed he liked it, though he didn't finish it. In any event, though, I was glad I had gone with the paella, which was yummy. Service was a bit slow when we wanted to get the check, but other than that was fairly competent. It was my first time trying Peruvian, but I'll definitely come back.
Date of Visit: 3/13/07
Inka Grill
260 Bristol St.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Phone 714-444-4652
Hours: Mon-Thurs 11:30am-9pm. Fri & Sat 11:30am-9:30pm. Sun 5pm-9pm
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