Javier’s Mexican Cantina in Irvine, CA

 

Bandera

 

I’ll have Good Food with a Side Order of Incompetence

Last Saturday evening we were at a friends house having a few cocktails when we decided we should go out for some dinner.  It was late so we figured we might have good luck at Bandera’s.  Since we were in CDM, Frank walked over to put our name in around 8:15pm.  They told him 45 minutes.  He walked back over and we figured they would be a bit late, so we wandered over an hour later at 9:15pm.  The hostess told us it was going to be an additional 15-20 minutes, and that we were free to go in a get a drink.  Read more

The Crow Bar

Last night we went to The Crow Bar located on PCH and MacArthur in Newport Beach.  Maybe I will eat Crow for saying this, but as our second time back, I was throughly unimpressed.  When we arrived at 9pm it had already made the transformation from restaurant to bar.   Read more

San Shi Go – 345

Not all tourist traps are for tourists.  Located on Main Street near the Balboa Ferry on the Peninsula is San Shi Go.  In the middle of chotchi stores and crappy restaurants is this gem of a place. Read more

Flemings: A Second Chance

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. You do, however, get to improve upon that impression. And that is exactly what Flemings did when we dined there the other evening.

When we first moved to the OC 18 months ago, everyone raved about how great Flemings was, even more so anytime I professed my love of Mastro’s. Read more

The Palm – West Hollywood

A Roller Coaster of a Meal

Their website says “There is no better place to see and be seen than at The Palm”.  And while that may be true for most nights, we lucked out and went on a Monday night which avoided all the craziness which can accompany a place like The Palm.  Rustic in design with caricatures of celebrities on the wall, The Palm is a loud, boisterous, kind of bar meets high dining place.   The menu is a bit Italian and a bit Steakhouse.   The servers are prompt when they greet you at your table which is always a positive.   

We started with drinks and a bottle of wine. (Yes you read that correctly, drinks and wine and then it was more wine and more drinks….but I will get to that later.)

Once we all had our drinks and had sampled them, our server came back over and we ordered our apps.  The special app of the week was Prosciutto, Melon and Figs over greens topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.  I saw the first two ingredients and that made my mind up.  Frank ordered the Lobster Bisque, and our friends ordered a West Coast Salad.  Everything looked and tasted great.  After dinner I realized that the apps were the first of the “ups” during dinner.  We all decided my app was definitely the best of the three.   

I ordered the nine oz filet.  I asked our server how they cook it (as there is never any continuity to what medium rare is) and once I heard his explanation, I asked for it to be medium.  Frank ordered the bone in ribeye, our friends ordered the chicken parmesan and the Crab Cake dinner. 

I was a bit hesitant to bite into my entree when it arrived.  But looks can be deceiving.  Although they weren’t this time.  The server and the cook obviously have different opinions of medium, and my steak arrived medium plus.  It was dry and only pink in the center.  When I took my first bite, I felt all the moisture get sucked out of my mouth to allow the piece to make it down my throat.  I cut up samples for each at the table to try and they all agreed, it was overdone.  For some reason I am a pretty out spoken individual, however I always feel bad complaining about my meal, so typically I suffer through a bad one.  With my friends all behind me, we called the server over and sent it back.  He agreed it was overdone to what I wanted and immediately sent for a new piece.   This was one of the “downs” of my meal.  The replacement piece came out a few minutes later and it was great.  However the only problem with getting a replacement piece, is everyone else is done eating and you are just getting your meal.  So I finished mine as quickly as possible, all the while trying to enjoy the flavor and the juiciness of the piece.  I think all carnivores can agree, one of the perks of having a good piece of meat, is the juice.  I love to bite into a piece and feel the juices run over my tongue and lap up the flavor.  

We were all finishing up our glasses of wine, when our server comes over with 2 huge pieces of cake. He says it is on us for the mistake.  We thank him and then stare at the mountains of cake that are in front of us.  These pieces could have been a cake each. They were huge.  One was carrot cake ( a weakness of mine) and the other a delicious chocolate cake.  I am usually not a chocolate fan, but honestly I still can’t decide which piece was better.  The cakes were the final “up” of the meal.  

All in all the food was great.  I took a bite of everyones entree and was overly impressed.  I think because it was a Monday and we were there late (we sat for dinner at 9) which is not that late for LA, our service was compromised.  When the bill came, we quickly glanced over it and noticed they had both of my filets on there and the cakes that were supposedly “on us”.  Once we fixed the discrepancies on it, we were very happy with our evening.

Wine Gallery

The saying, wine is fine but liquor is quicker, hits the nail on the head.  I love wine. Not all wine, but I love drinking wine that I like.  And no better place to do that then in a wine bar.  Most wine bars are owned and operated by wine aficionados, and Wine Gallery is no different. Read more

Cannery-Newport Beach

It was a lazy Sunday summer afternoon.  We were in the mood for something lite, but yummy, and we wanted to be on the water.  Our brains wracked until we remembered the Cannery.  The perfect summer restaurant. Read more

3Thirty3 in Newport Beach

3Thirty3 or as locals call it 3-3-3 is a happening bar in the harbor.  The first time we drove by it, I couldn’t read the sign very well, and exclaimed that it was called “Thirsty’s”, and I realized that wasn’t it and corrected my self and said “Oh it is called Sharkey’s, no wait that is not what it says, o I see it now, it says Stinky’s”.  To which my boyfriend replied, “No it is called 3 Thirty 3, and who would name a place Stinky’s, that is terrible marketing.”   Read more

Wine Steals in San Diego

I just got back from Wine Steals in San Diego, and have to say the name says it all.  Almost all of the wine available there is a steal.  Happy hour is from 11AM to 6PM M-F…. and afterwards glasses are $4.  To compliment the wine are cheese plates, which range from Cheese and Fruits to Cheese and Meats to the Everything platter..  All totally for a steal.  I don’t know how they stay in business as the food is great and the wine is cheap…. how are they making any $$$$?  Anyhow the pizza is AWESOME…. we had the Chardonnay Pizza, which was apples, pulled pork, red onions, and cheese…   The Pinot Noir Pizza looked delicious as well.  I made the mistake of filling up on the cheese and fruits…  

The bar is located on an old Marine Base that has recently been converted into private property.  The bar overlooks a golf course and is at the end of the SD Airport Runway, (which if you are seated outside, can interrupt a conversation every 6-8 minutes).  Either way the whole feel of the place is cool.  All the tables are old wine barrels, and the front of the establishment is a wine store so you can pick out your bottle, and to consume it in house is only a $5 corkage.  So for most wines it makes more sense to buy the bottle then to purchase 2 glasses.  (Just make sure getting home is not a problem for you)   

Only downside is it gets a bit busy and you might have to wait for a “bartenders” attention…  but they do walk around, so if you are standing in a random place, they will come up to you eventually.  

All in all a great place.  I just wish it was closer to home then it is (80 miles) for me.  

The website is below:

www.winestealssd.com

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