Kean Coffee - Tustin, CA : Caffe Napoli

Liking Kean Coffee a lot. Smooth lattes. And I am not a coffee drinker. But when I want some, I want it from this place.

Caffe Napoli

I tried the Caffe Napoli and it was sweeter than their regular latte. So if you like a sweet latte, then this is it! It's quite good though. Kind of like a dessert drink. Very yummy, not like a coffee. The latte art wasn't so great in this one. It came like that, I have not stirred it yet. Yeah, but hey, as long as the drink is good.

Kean Coffee

http://www.keancoffee.com/ 

1368 Newport Ave., Suite 14

Tustin, CA 92780

(714) 838-5326

Japanese Chiffon Cake - Mitsuwa Marketplace: Irvine, CA

Cake is not really one of my favorite things to eat. But when I went to Japan, I loved their cake. It's so light and airy and not too sweet.

So when I saw cakes on sale at Mitsuwa I had to get one. I had a hard time deciding, but decided to pick this cream one, even though I don't love cream.

Oh, I love this cake. It's so soft and light, fluffy, airy, creamy (not heavy), and not too sweet. Perfect for my taste buds. Love love love. It almost melts in your mouth. You don't really have to chew because it's so soft. And this cake is the not-fresh on-sale item. I wonder what the freshly made ones taste like? This is definitely an indulgence!

Ecco Pizzeria & Bar - Costa Mesa, CA : Margherita Pizza

There is a backlog of food that I have not gone through, and it seems to get further and further behind because I would rather post about newer items. But here is one that I definitely have to blog about (even if it is old) because it is quite good. Ecco is located in the anti-mall area of The Camp.

Starter Bread

Our bread looks a bit burnt, but it wasn't bad.

Salad

I had this salad that doesn't seem to be on the menu any longer. It was quite good for my taste. Light and not too oily.

Margherita Pizza

What I always try...their plain pizzas. Margherita pizza is my favorite. Thin crusts rule for me since I don't like dough. Their dough was good. Nice, thin and chewy. I did think this pizza was too salty (same as other pizza places). Perhaps they use the same formula throughout all their pizzas, and their other pizzas have more items on it so it seems less salty. Whereas the plain cheese has nothing to cut the salt? I don't know. I always think these are salty for some reason. Everyone has a different palate, can't satisfy everyone. The meat-eater did like his meat pizza though....didn't think it was salty. Besides the saltiness, everything else was good. Perhaps it's changed by now.

Ecco
http://www.eccopizza.com/
2937 Bristol Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
714-444-ECCO (3226)

Bruxie (Gourment Waffle Sandwiches) - Brea, CA

Do you like waffles? I like waffles. On one of those travel shows, I saw that waffles were eaten sweet and salty in Belgium. So when I heard about this place, I really wanted to try it out. Waffles all day? Sounds great!

Roasted Mushroom & Goat Cheese

I tried the savory Roasted Mushroom & Goat Cheese waffle. There's goat cheese, basil, arugula, mushrooms, and a balsamic reduction. It's pretty much a sandwich but with waffles as bread instead. At first bite, there was hardly any goat cheese, and it didn't taste so great. After a couple of bites, you get into the more heavily spread goat cheese and the combination was perfect. Like this one a lot!! Just have to open up the waffle to spread the goat cheese more evenly for myself (since I like more evenly spread items).

Bacon, Egg & Cheddar

The Meat-eater liked his Bacon, Egg & Cheddar waffle as well. Asked for no mayo on this one.

Seasonal Creme Brulee

Afterwards we wanted something a little sweet and tried the Seasonal Creme Brulee. There's vanilla creme with burnt raw sugar pieces in it with the strawberries. The fruit is seasonal, so maybe there's blueberries or something during other times of the year. In any case, this was also good. I think having a whole one would be too much, but since we each had a piece, it was the perfect amount of sweetness.

So what do you like about waffles? If you like a flavorful sweet waffle, then this may not be for you. I cannot attest to how authentic these are since I have not been to Belgium. However, if you like a crispy on the outside, non-doughy light inside waffle (like myself), then you will enjoy these. There is no flavoring to the waffles as the food on it takes center stage. I think it's perfect this way, since the food inside is flavorful enough for me. Thumbs up!

Note: If you get something juicy, then the crispiness of the waffle will of course disappear quickly due to the moisture. Also these locations have enclosed patios with heaters for the winter. It's not a restaurant setting. Dress warmly if it's cold.

Bruxie

http://bruxie.com/

Eaten at Brea Location:

215 W Birch Street, Suite 1

Brea, CA 92821

714-255-1188

Sun to Wed: 9am - 9pm

Thurs to Sat: 9am - 10pm

Schat's Bakery - Mammoth Lakes, CA

Schat's Bakery

Passing through Mammoth Lakes, we stopped by Schat's Bakery. I didn't get a sandwich, but heard it was pretty good. Instead I got a couple of yummy looking cookies.

Oatmeal Raisin and Florentine Cookies

Could not resist the Florentine cookie....looked so delicious. Oh and yes in fact it was delicious. Nutty, sweet, crunchy.....oh and the oatmeal raisin wasn't bad either....but I liked the Florentine better. Goood stuff. Will definitely be stopping by Schat's when passing through Mammoth Lakes. It's not far from the freeway and also heard that their sandwiches are pretty darn good.

Schat's Bakery

3305 Main Street

Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546

http://www.yelp.com/biz/schats-bakery-mammoth-lakes-3

Daphne's California Greek - Veggie Pita Burger

Gardenburger Pita Burger

Instead of having my usual classic salad, I tried the Gardenburger Pita Burger. Eh, it was ok. More pita, less greens than a salad, similar thing. I think I'll stick with the salad since I like getting my greens. I did notice they have pizzas now. I'll have to try one of those next time.

Daphne's California Greek
http://www.daphnesgreekcafe.com/home.html

Macaroni Grill - Irvine, CA : Margherita Pizza

Pizza at Macaroni Grill....hmmm. Yes I love pizza so much that I'm willing to try it almost anywhere. They're better than delivery pizza (like a Domino's or Pizza Hut).

Small Salad

Starting off with some greens...to balance the non-fiber fillled cheese and bread.

Margherita Pizza

The pizza wasn't bad. The crust was nice and thin just like I like. Don't remember anything outstanding about it though. It was just fine. (That doesn't sound that good huh?)

Location this was eaten at:

13652 Jamboree Rd

Irvine, CA 92602

714-508-7990

http://www.macaronigrill.com/

What To Do With Stale Bread - Homemade Croutons

I usually keep my bread in the fridge so that it lasts longer. But after some time, it becomes stale. So what's the best thing to do with stale bread? Croutons! They're easy to make...just takes a little time.

Croutons

You basically just cut the bread into cubes...any size you want...just be as uniform as possible. Well, I didn't do a great job, but it still came out ok. Smaller ones crunch up faster though. There are basically two ways to do this, heat it up in the oven or in a pan. I've tried both, and while you can walk away from the oven, I prefer to make it in a pan. I use a cast iron pan on pretty low heat so that it doesn't burn too easily. I put a thin layer of oil on the bottom of the pan and toss the bread. You continually toss, or flip one by one if you're patient enough to get brown on all sides. If you don't feel there's enough oil, you can also spritz some oil on top. I use Misto so you can put whatever type of oil you want. The oil will make the bread nice and brown instead of burnt. My lazy way of seasoning is with herb salt. This way, I don't need a bunch of different items. There are lots of flavors/spices you can put on your bread to make croutons, so experiment! It's done when it's at a brown/crunch level you desire. Just taste one!

Capital Seafood Restaurant 金都 - Irvine, CA : Vegetarian Hong Kong Style Chow Mein

Although there is no vegetarian noodles on the menu, you can always ask them for the non-meat version at a Chinese restaurant. Chinese restaurants usually have tofu as a substitute. One such example is here at Capital Seafood.

Hong Kong Style Chow Mein

Sometimes I indulge in the Hong Kong style crispy fried noodles. They're usually seafood/meat, but I just ask for the vegetarian version...no meat please. They have always been able to make the dish that way. Although I have not asked to substitute with tofu, so I'm not sure how those would turn out. The veggies you get however, may be a little different each time. Like in this version, I got a bunch of vegetable stems instead of leaves. Phooey! In any case, just mix the veggies on top with the fried noodles below...and yum crunchy chewiness at the same time. =)

Capital Seafood Restaurant
http://www.capital-seafood.com/irvine/
Location this was eaten at:
Diamond Jamboree
2700 Alton Parkway #127
Irvine, CA 92606
(949)252-8188
Hours:
M-F 10:30AM - 10:00PM
Sat-Sun 9:00AM - 10:00PM

Homemade French Baguettes

Usually I find homemade items are better because you know the ingredients you put in, and it's fresher. Here I've tried a french baguette recipe from artisanbreadbaking.com. 

Ready for the oven

Baguettes may be one of the simplest recipes to put together, but takes a lot of time to make/perfect. I liked this website because of the detailed explanation of everything (great for a beginner like myself). It explains the different methods, poolish, biga, and hydration. Too much information for me to put here.

In the oven with slash marks done

I only used the half recipe because I didn't think we could eat that many baguettes and I didn't want to give them to anyone in case they didn't turn out right.

Done! Cooling on the rack

Lo and behold...done! Not too shabby. Nice and crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. The downside is, you have to eat these right away or they won't taste as good. You can't beat the straight out of the oven taste. Yum.

Recipe from Artisan Bread Baking
http://artisanbreadbaking.com/bread/french_baguettes/

Kean Coffee - Tustin, CA : Honey Vanilla Latte & Italian Cappuccino

Normally I do not have a cup of coffee in the morning, but this was worth it. Heard great things about Kean Coffee and wanted to try it out. The owner created Dietrich Coffee but left the corporate world to create a coffeehouse to his ideals...Kean Coffee. There are only two locations. One in Newport Beach and the other in Tustin.

Honey Vanilla Latte

The Honey Vanilla Latte was not too sweet, not too bitter. I can taste a bit of bitterness in the coffee, but I was glad it was not too sweet. I also had an almond croissant which went really well with the latte. It was smoother than other coffees. I find Starbucks and Coffeebean to be overly sweet to cover up the bitterness. Blegh.

Italian Cappuccino

There are two varieties of cappuccino here. The Italian and American style. The American style is much bigger. Apparently this wasn't too bad either. The Italian Cappuccino, although not the same as Europe, was much closer than any other coffee place we've tried in these United States. So if you're not a fan of Starbucks, go try Kean Coffee....it's a much better alternative.

Kean Coffee

http://www.keancoffee.com/ 

1368 Newport Ave., Suite 14

Tustin, CA 92780

(714) 838-5326

Hamada-ya inside Mitsuwa - Irvine, CA : Green Tea Ice Cream

Green Tea Ice-Cream

If you've walked inside the Mitsuwa in Irvine, you've passed the Hamada-ya bakery along the side. I'm not too interested in the bread, but they do have green tea ice-cream. And on these warm summer days, it sure hits the spot.

Green Tea Ice-Cream with Graham Crackers

They put what appears to be graham crackers on the bottom. Surprising or not surprisingly, it goes pretty well. Kind of like a cone, except it's like Cinnamon Toast Crunch without the cinnamon. Nom nom nom.

Hamada-ya inside Mitsuwa Irvine
14230 Culver Drive
Irvine, CA 92604
(949)551-1778

MaryJanesFarm Organic Freeze Dried Food

MaryJaneFarms Organic Freeze Dried Foods

Going camping in a few weeks and cleaning out the old backpack. Ran across some old freeze dried food and had to write about it. I got these because I wanted to eat organic as much as possible. Freeze dried foods are very convenient while camping/hiking. You just add hot water, let it sit, and voila...instant food. However, after sampling several flavors of this brand, I must admit that I did not like it. There was always a powdery "fake" taste to the food. It was not good at all. I still think the best tasting brand is Mountain House. I must also say that this opinion is based on eating MaryJaneFarms a few years ago. Perhaps they've reformulated and it tastes better? I'm still sticking to Mountain House. Now only if they started an organic food line.

Anepalco's Cafe - Orange, CA :

After typing in "brunch" through Yelp and sorting by highest rated, I came across Anepalco's because of its large quantity of reviews....and it was listed fourth...and it wasn't too far from me. Mexican French cuisine? Let's give it a try!

Go Veggie Crepe w/side of fruit

Crepes seemed like a good French type food. I wondered how they would make this fusion style. I had to try the Go Veggie Crepe. Inside there were tomatoes, spinach, onions, mushrooms, mozzarella, and pesto sauce.

Go Veggie Crepe

The flavors were good. It indeed is yummy. But after several bites, I felt the heaviness of it. It basically was an enchilada with a crepe as the outside instead of a tortilla. I was hoping for some lightness similar to some other savory crepes I've had, but this was a Mexican dominant dish. I personally don't eat too much Mexican food because it's usually too heavy for me. I'm just not used to it. It is very delicious, but it just wasn't suited for my tastes. =( I do like the concept and I do like good hole in the walls. =)

Anepalco's Cafe

http://www.anepalcoscafe.com/

415 S. Main St.
Orange, CA 92868
714-771-2333
M-F 8:00am - 3:00pm
Sat-Sun 8:00am - 2:00pm

Yogurtland - Hello Kitty Miami cup

Tuxedo Sam spoon

Yogurtland has the new Sanrio Miami cup with Tuxedo Sam as the spoon. There is Hollywood, San Francisco, and on August 21, Honolulu.

Yogurtland Miami cup

Tried one of their newer flavors...Salted Caramel Pecan. The other two were the usual Peanut Butter and Double Cookies & Cream. I liked the Salted Caramel Pecan. Salty and sweet....good combo. Similar to salted caramel ice-cream that I've had at other stores...but much subtler flavors here which I like better. I didn't see the new Strawberry Lemonade Sorbet or else I would've tried it too. Me likes frozen yogurt treats. Nom nom nom.

http://www.yogurt-land.com/

CrepeMaker - Santa Ana, CA : Tomato, Cheese & Basil Crepe

A simple and delicious...snack? Meal? Not big enough to be a whole meal, but bigger than a snack. If you eat four meals a day, this would be a good small meal. =)

Tomato, Cheese & Basil Crepe

This crepe mostly has tomatoes and cheese with a little bit of basil. You can see the crepes  being made since the stand is behind counters with glass partitions at the Main Place Mall. For a quickie bite...it was pretty good! And you can almost never go wrong with a tomato, basil, & mozzarella combination.

CrepeMaker
http://www.crepemaker.com/
Main Place
(located at food court entrance 2nd level)
2800 N. Main Street, Suite 9100
Santa Ana, CA 92705
714-541-2600

Pizzeria Ortica - Costa Mesa, CA

On the lookout for good Neapolitan pizza, we headed to Pizzeria Ortica before a show at Segerstrom. There's a lot of good places to eat around South Coast Plaza and this is no exception.

High Ceilings

The interior has super high ceilings...me likes. You know, better air circulation and all.

Tricolore

Starting off with the Tricolore salad. There's radicchio, arugula, a little bit of endive, apple slices, Gorgonzola cheese, and candied walnuts. Very good combo! Yum!

Margherita Pizza

My go to pizza is plain cheese. I don't like stuff on my pizza. For me, a true test of good pizza is their plain cheese. Tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. The dough was chewy and crunchy. It was very flavorful. Actually I think these pizzas were made to have toppings because it was really salty for me. So I think if you had toppings, it would probably disperse the salt better.

Margherita Slice

Leftover slice pizza...still good. (Also better lighting.)

Prosciutto di Parma e rucola

So this is not vegetarian, but what the Meat-eater had. Apparently the Prosciutto di Parma e rucola was very good. Also with what I believe about toppings, such as the arugula, the flavor is then just right, which is probably what his pizza did.

In any case, good crust! Maybe try a pizza that's not plain cheese. Too bad since that's my favorite.

Pizzeria Ortica

http://www.pizzeriaortica.com/

650 Anton Boulevard, Unit J

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

714-445-4900

Huntington Beach Beer Company - Huntington Beach, CA : Veggie Burger

If you ever go to Huntington Beach, there's a lot of shops along Main Street. When we had visitors from England and Australia, we took them to Huntington Beach, walked along Main Street and decided to eat here...the Huntington Beach Beer Company. Sounds local enough, right?

Veggie Burger

It's pretty much like any American food place...similar to a BJs. Beer, fries, burgers...you get the idea. (Okay, they have lots of other items too...like BJs.) I just had a regular veggie burger and the patty looks like a Gardenburger to me. So nothing special for us veggie eaters here. They do have wheat buns though...I just forgot to ask for it. So this place...like many American type food places, are more for the meat eaters. I don't think the visitors thought it was awesome food...just American food. That's what they're here for, right?! =)

Huntington Beach Beer Company
http://www.hbbeerco.com/
201 Main Street, Ste E
Huntington Beach,  CA 92648
(714) 960-3535

Britta's Cafe - Irvine, CA : Dessert

Forgot to add the dessert in the last post. I like to keep them separate anyway for labeling purposes.

Sweet Dessert

So I don't remember what this is called since the menu is ever changing. I believe this was like an apple pie bake with crumbles and ice-cream on top. It was not bad, very sweet and yummy. Also very rich of course. So we indulge once in a while, it's okay. Just don't have it all the time. =)

Britta's Cafe
http://www.brittascafe.com
4237 Campus Drive
Irvine, CA 92612
949-509-1211

Britta's Cafe - Irvine, CA

Britta's Cafe is located in University Town Center. Their food is always changing as they adapt to what's available during the year. So you get the freshest possible ingredients.

Interior of Britta's Cafe

It's a quaint little cafe that was very quiet. Maybe because it's kind of pricey so there are no screaming children inside. Me likes! =)

Complimentary Bread

Cheese, Fruit, & Nut plate

This was our favorite plate. The pairing of the nuts, fruits, and cheeses were sooo goood. We had to ask what type of cheeses they were and apparently the ones we liked were some type of goat cheese. The one that we didn't like happened to be from cow's milk. Interesting! Goat cheese good! Thumbs up!

I forgot what this was called, but it wasn't that special to me. I don't love bread, so this didn't wow me. There were not many vegetarian choices, just one. I remember it was a type of ratatouille that I didn't want to have. They had this bread that wasn't listed on the menu so I gave it a try. Eh...it's okay.

If you get the right dishes, it's awesome. I don't think I chose well, and maybe it's not that vegetarian friendly. But I DID love the cheese, fruit, and nuts. I would go back just to have that again. I do enjoy a good cheese. No wine for me though. =)

Britta's Cafe
http://www.brittascafe.com
4237 Campus Drive
Irvine, CA 92612
949-509-1211