Hollywood is in the OC — Pink’s is at the Orange County Fair. We crave their Chili Cheese Fries and must share them every visit, especially since they will only be in town until August 14th. They’re one of the top rated CCF’s listed in our Chili Cheese Fries Comparison post.
He’s a Snooth Operator, Snooth Operator — YES, Snooth. It’s YOU with Fast Food, a well paired bottle of Wine and hot date. How about it? Pack a tablecloth and one of the suggested bottles of Wine with a couple glasses and head to your favorite Fast Food Joint.
Order a Burrito at Chipotle, Big Mac at McDonalds or Fried Chicken at KFC, find a table, pop the cork, pour, sip and bite, until you get kicked out for bringing in alcohol. Chicks will dig it!
Snooth helps one find better Wines. Their suggested pairings for Chipotle Mexican Grill, McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken are linked above. I dare you to dine in. If so, send a photo and we’ll post it here along with future fast food pairings. Thanks for the photos Snooth. Cheers!
As previously noted, we attended the Chili at the Beach event in Huntington Beach.
It appeared to have a great turnout and the proceeds will be going to CHOC.
We had the opportunity to taste 21 different Chili’s for $15 – All participants are listed above.
One of the many decorated Chili booths (above).
Chili Score Card and just one of numerous Chili samplings. We got to vote for our favorite.
The above was from Whole Foods, and below I don’t recall, but liked the Cornbread.
Don the Beachcomber was there representing well with a friendly booth.
Endless Chili.
The Sugar Shack had cute little helpers checking off Score Cards when dishing out the Chili.
Rotating bands played all day long at two ends of Main Street.
Kid’s area on Olive, paralleling Main Street — Loved the giant shark.
And since my friend is on the Board of Trustee’s at the International Surfing Museum, we luckily parked in their lot for the day. Thank you HBISM. If you haven’t been there in a while, major changes are happening. It recently merged with the Surfing Heritage Museum and thus money is now available to make improvements. Check it out. Overall, it was a beautiful, uncomplicated and filling day at the Chili at the Beach event.
THE RESULTS: The 2011 Winners were Duke’s Ohana “Uncle Matty’s Famous Pork Chili” for Best Tasting Chili, Aloha Grill Tiki’s for Most Enthusiastic Chili Team, and Chronic Jerky’s “Chronic’s Outhouse Chili” for Best Chili Name. We’re somewhat in agreement, but must also mention that we liked the Chili from Gallagher’s, Baja Sharkeez, Killarney, 2nd Floor and Beach Pit BBQ.
Chili at the Beach benefiting CHOC Children’s Hospital appeared to be a success today.
It seemed like everyone was having a good time.
$15 got us a taste of twenty-one different Chili’s — Good for us and CHOC.
After that, we kicked it with Zimzala’s 7-Day a week Happy Hour and beautiful view.
More will be reported about both separately soon.
06/20/11 Update: The link to more about the Chili at the Beach event is here.
The Orange County BBQ Festival happened yesterday at the OC Fairgrounds.
It’s best to buy tickets online, so to avoid an extra line. There’s a service charge, but it might be worth it — I personally have low tolerance for long lines. Inside the event was better.
There were lines for some BBQ, but none were horrible and they moved fairly quickly.
I tried to keep track of what we were eating and drinking and its origin, but forget it.
There were too many BBQ’s and Breweries to remember and I needed an extra hand.
There was a lot of Brisket, Pulled Pork, Tri Tip, Chicken, Sausage, Ribs and Meatballs.
One serious BBQ team.
Though much looked good, it took a while to find the best BBQ, as some meats were tough, fatty and surprisingly bland. And others were dry, but okay sauced. Tender is imperative.
A neighbor, The Meat House was there serving the Beef (below) and Chicken.
I liked the name and look of Big Rick and the BBQ Chicks, but didn’t try their Brisket.
Never had trouble sharing a table with anyone and the sun came out.
Grilling. Btw, I’ll never go on the background chair lift again — Did it last year and it’s scary.
We used tickets to receive generous servings of BBQ and Brew — It worked well.
And here’s Mr. BBQ, who won the Mr. BBQ Pageant.
He was sooooo funny and kept saying… It’s hard being this sexy.
An old-fashioned, new fangled Ice Cream Truck — There was a Car Show happening too.
Farmer John was there offering free Pork Sausage.
Bands were playing.
Pass the Sauce
Towards the end, Famous Dave’s was giving away free Pulled Pork, because they wanted everyone to know how good it is — We were full and out of tickets and thought their Pulled Pork was better than many others. There’s a debate happening regarding their Pickles.
The Famous Dave’s Pickle debate will soon be reported and linked here.
It’s agreed, Famous Dave’s Pulled Pork is good and they served it to the end. We appreciate that, since too many BBQ teams ran out of food way too early — Not cool! We had plenty of food, though expected the option of more. I planned to name the super early closers, but stopped caring when full, and didn’t separate the good business cards from the bad ones.
And then came The Rib Eating Contest…
The Ribs were weighed, documented and distributed to the contestants, who ate as much as they could within the allotted amount of time. Each batch of Ribs was then re-weighed to determine who ate the most in pounds and ounces. I had never seen it done in person.
We had a great spot — Thankfully it wasn’t too gross to watch.
The cost was $50 to enter the contest, but you take home the balance of the Ribs.
If you still want them?!
Time is up.
And the winner is… this guy, on the left, and last year’s winner is on the right.
IMPORTANT INFO: The OC BBQ Festival is a fundraiser benefitting Kristie’s Foundation for critically ill children, and all proceeds go to them. That’s a great thing. Mark your calendar for next year’s event or make a donation at the link above. The winner of The Rib Eating Contest donated his $250 prize to Kristie’s Foundation — Wow, that was a cool thing to do!
Those Cadillac Margaritas go right here, thank you — At Walt’s Wharf Restaurant in Seal Beach for the Oak Grilled Artichoke, dinner, drinks and to explore Main Street.
In the Bar having Walt’s Famous Oak Grilled Artichoke and Lea & Perrins Sauce.
View looking out the Bar window on to Main Street, a couple blocks from the ocean.
The kitchen, grill and pick-up window.
White Wine cases lining the entrance.
Lovely Hostesses of the evening.
Warm Sour Dough Bread.
Dinner Salad.
The Trout was excellent.
A Blackened Halibut (split).
Looking in from the outside — Got there during daylight and left when it was dark.
Walt’s Wharf Birthday Dessert — Thank you.
And thank you dear friends for the appetizers, dinner, drinks and guaranteed laughs.
Those piggies ate most of the dessert. 😉
I drift back in time and I find my feet down on Main Street.
Note: Mystery solved is found in the links above and summarized here — We observed that Walt’s Lea & Perrins Sauce n/k/a Lea and Perrins Aioli is slightly different. The ingredients are the same, but the measurements have changed. We like the original recipe better.
Congratulations to Chef Nicola Bellazzi who is the new Champion Chef of Orange County in the Sunday Night Chef Fights circuit, de-throwning Chef Lindsay Smith-Rosales — It was a fun experience and the food was much better than expected. I was a little unsure, since the drawn and mystery ingredients were Ham, Cauliflower, Sweet Potato and Coconut.
To learn more about Sunday Night Chef Fights see here.
Chef Bellazzi cooked first — Each Chef had 30 minutes to finalize their meal for the audience.
Starting with Cauliflower & Sweet Potato Soup with Prosciutto Bits and Shaved Coconut.
The above Soup was thought to be a favorite overall by many around us.
Also prepared by Chef Bellazzi was the Penne Pasta with Prosciutto, Arugula, Coconut Cream and Truffle Oil — It and the dish below it were those I liked best and tasted amazing.
Chicken Tenders with Italian Ham, cooked in Coconut Milk, topped with Cauliflower and served over Sweet Mashed Potatoes aromatized with Gorgonzola and Coconut Bits.
And a Sweet Potato & Coconut Creme Brulee (not pictured) was served for dessert.
Chef Bellazzi prepared a menu and since one wasn’t provided by Chef Smith-Rosales, handwritten notes were made by our Chef Fight neighbors. Both are shown above. There’s better description for the first meal. I prefer a menu and don’t want to take notes.
Chef Smith-Rosales in one of the display kitchens at the Standards of Excellence showroom.
Preparing and serving our second Soup, Cream of Cauliflower with Pancetta Crisps.
The second meal to be cooked in 30 minutes and compared to the first.
Continuing with a Spiced Chicken Thigh with Curry, Coconut Rice, Cilantro and Spinach.
All was finished with a Sweet Potato Custard with Coconut Caramel.
In between all was a blind Wine tasting — A taste of A, B and C to pick what we liked best.
As announced, Chef Bellazzi is the new champion and the guests won too, because everything was terrific — The food was notable, the service was diligent and swift, we ate from real plates with silverware rolled in cloth napkins, and all seemed well orchestrated. Sunday Night Chef Fights value is better than initially thought. We left full and satisfied. Cheers!
We had a good time tasting and participating in the voting process.
The next Sunday Night Chef Fights event is Sunday, August 7th, 2011.
Have you tried Houston’s BBQ Pork Ribs aka Knife & Fork Ribs? They’re some of the best I’ve had and a model for how I want my Baby Back Ribs to be. And I’m content knowing I’ve previously accomplished it, BUT sometimes there’s not the time, nor grill, then what?
The above Baby Back Ribs were baked in the oven at 400° for 1 hour wrapped in foil (fat/meat side down), then unwrapped, turned over and lathered with BBQ Sauce and cooked 20 – 30 minutes longer unwrapped. Below is how they looked, prior to turning to sauce.
And separately below we experimented with a Dry Rub on a different slab of Baby Back Ribs.
Last year at the Foodbuzz Blogger Festival in San Francisco, I was given a Brown Sugar Pork Rub developed by Tyler Florence. I finally tried it on this second slab of Ribs. And to compound the test, we cooked them as described above, but at 225° for 3 hours.
The consensus, the slower cooked Dry Rub Baby Back Ribs fell apart while cutting, not attractive for serving, and unnecessary since the top Ribs cooked in half the time and were perfectly tender. That recipe is from Delicious House. It’s a keeper happily collected, posted and linked here for future use.
And I’m sorry to report that I wasn’t excited by Tyler’s Brown Sugar Pork Rub, and it sounded so good too, but Salt and Pepper worked better on the first slab of Baby Backs, a winner.
It’s fun to try a variety of new food items in one sitting — A bite (or more) of each, from savory to sweet, to see what you go back to the most and finish first. In this instance, the favorite of the basket was the Sofiato Cream Filled Crepe Bites aka Cafe Mocha Pillows. I’m still missing them. And the California Pantry Rosemary & Olive Oil Baked Crackers were excellent too, super crispy and flavorful.
All else was fine, except for the Cheese Straws — Yuck, none could finish one. The taste and texture was bad. And surprisingly the Godiva Dark Chocolate Covered Pretzel wasn’t good either, as the Pretzel was too fat, thick and dry for the Chocolate that crumbled off it after the first bite. Overall, I appreciate the gift and the basket is a keeper for attractive organization.
Have you seen that Reddi-wip commercial, whereas Reddi-wip is offered as “Cream” for a slice of Pie and generic Cool Whip is offered as “Oil” for the same? Oil or Cream says the waitress. Cream of course. Who wants Oil on a slice of Pie?! If Cool Whip is truly made of Oil, I don’t know. You may want to research that yourself. For fun on Thanksgiving, Chef Lexi and I tested Reddi-wip’s marketing campaign by asking each guest if he/she wanted Oil or Cream on their Pumpkin Pie.
And interestingly some who usually opt for Cool Whip on Pumpkin Pie, chose the Reddi-wip this year. Hhmmmmm, effective marketing? It’s not like Cream is tremendously better for you than Oil, but at least it’s what you think you’re getting. Cream obviously sounds more desirable on Pie (or any dessert) than Oil. Regardless, our final position is this… Reddi-wip and Cool Whip are fine on occasion, but real Whipping Cream is so much better than both. Know that it’s convenient too, in that it only takes a few minutes to whip up and can be stored in the fridge a few days.
Bobby Flay was at Williams-Sonoma South Coast Plaza yesterday signing his new cookbook — Bobby Flay’s Throwdown!: More Than 100 Recipes From Food Network’s Ultimate Cooking Challenge. Since the line was way too long and my patience and available time too short, Jennifer provided her adorable photo for posting above. Thanks Jennifer (and Bobby).
Just a fraction of the line going in to Williams-Sonoma to see Bobby Flay.
Since the book includes recipes from Bobby Flay and a few hometown challengers, we’ll soon be hosting our own Throwdown! We plan to make competing recipes and have a blind taste test to see if we agree with what went down at the Throwdown.
Check back to see Nibbles of Tidbits Testdown! results.
So many Chips, so little time — Well, we actually have the time, but can only eat so many Chips. We thought it would be fun to sample a cross-section of the vast Chip selection offered at Cost Plus World Market. Although they have much more than you see here, we ultimately decided to try (7) Bags of Chips and (4) Salsas for our Chip Invasion Taste-Off.
Seven of us gathered for the festivities to determine our favorites — To learn more about the Chips, hover your cursor over the pictured plates below to match ’em up with the Chip Bags above. It’s always good to see what’s in a bag before you buy it.
The variety we selected appears to be a good representation of Chip types and brands. Some are produced especially for Cost Plus World Market, and others you’ve seen there and at other popular markets (i.e., Kettle Chips).
The same applies to our Salsa selection — The (2) on the left below are specially made for Cost Plus World Market and the other (2) can be purchased there and elsewhere. And the Salsa verdict is… All were good and enjoyed for their comparative uniqueness. In other words, the pictured Salsas would be a terrific combination for a party. One was spicy (Chipotle), one was mild (Roasted Tomato), one was cheesy (Chili Con Queso) and one was chunky (Corn, Black Bean & Red Pepper). All were picked as a favorite by one or another, with the most votes cast for the Frontera Chipotle and Cost Plus World Market Chili Con Queso.
With respect to the Chips, the verdict was all over the board. The favorites were the Gaytan Baked Cheese Puff, Sweet & Spicy Tortilla Chips with Flaxseed and the Death Valley Chipotle Chips. We really don’t think the Spinach & Artichoke Chips taste like Spinach and Artichoke, but they’re a good dipping Chip for any Salsa. The favored combo seemed to be the Veggie Tortilla Chips (due to their neutral flavor) dipped in the Chipotle Salsa. It’s all good.
Note: Nibbles of Tidbits loves Cost Plus World Market — Check back to learn about our future Candy Taste-Off, our picnic inspired by Cost Plus products and more. We have a lot of great ideas, because they have so much cool stuff!
As a Tastemaker for Foodbuzz, we got to try the newest SoyJoy Baked Whole Soy & Fruit Bar. It’s Blueberry, one of our favorite flavors — Good start. And we generally appreciate a tasty and healthy breakfast bar. It was our first time (4 of us) trying a SoyJoy product. Unwrapped we all like how they look — Baked, fruity, easy to eat and toasted. After that we dueled over their taste. Two liked their flavor and texture and the other two found them a little too dense to finish and more bland than anticipated. Overall, no one here considers them bad, one might buy them, and Holly the Dog was hoping to catch a bite. Thanks SoyJoy and Foodbuzz. It’s always fun to try new high quality products.
* Bars have 0 Grams Trans Fat, No Hydrogenated Oils, 140 Calories, B Vitamins, etc. Go to SoyJoy for the rest.
The post title is inspired by The Naked Gun, since we love Leslie Nielsen, and by our recent numerous Cheese & Wine parties. Here we finally summarize our favorites and the consensus is unanimous. For our slew of parties, we purchased (6) different Cheeses from Trader Joe’s. They have an excellent selection. Before the first party, we tested the Cheese to spare guests from potential scary flavors, which is highly recommended and turned out to be necessary, since we quickly ruled out the TJ Morbier (France). It tasted awful, thus we replaced it with another. It’s a better party when all tastes good.
And the winners are… (1) Toscano Cheese With Black Pepper (Italy), (2) Blue Catello (France), (3) Italian Truffle Cheese (Italy), (4) Gouda Cheese With Olive Oil (USA), (5) Kiwi Swiss Cheese (New Zealand), and (6) Smoked Cheese (Holland). All are Cow’s Milk Cheeses. The first three listed are definitely worth buying again — Everyone particularly loved the Toscano Cheese With Black Pepper (back row right). And the Italian Truffle Cheese deserves a special mention too, as it includes actual Truffle pieces throughout (front row left).
Our final Cheese & Wine Par-tay included a few Mezzetta products that went well with the Cheese and other accompaniments. We dipped Olive Bread in the Pesto Sauce and the Roasted Red Peppers and Pepperoncinis were a compliment to all. Thanks Mezzetta — We’ve enjoyed many of your fine products over the years and the arrival of the (3) above surely came at the right time. We liked the Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio had with all, but have no elaboration on ’em. They sufficed.
Note: What makes a Party a Par-tay is your own personal Wine opener. Thanks T.
Inspired by the Cheese & Charcuterie we saw at SideDoor in Corona Del Mar, we’re testing Cheese to select the best for a Cheese Tasting Party I’ll be hosting. The goal is to make our platter as special as theirs. We learned the importance of preliminary testing by quickly ruling out the TJ Morbier from France, Cheese #1 (Above). It was awful. I don’t like having to write this because it’s not appetizing, but it smelled and tasted like stinky feet — Not good! I definitely wouldn’t want to serve it to guests, as it could be a turn off from the rest.
I ultimately decided on 5 – 6 Cheeses from Trader Joe’s and can’t wait to plate them with Calabrese Salami and Black & Green Olive Bread, with a complimentary selection of fresh Pears, dried Montmorency Cherries, Pecans, Garlic Stuffed Olives, Red Grapes, Mustard, Club Crackers, Pita Chips, etc. Check back to see how our Cheese & Charcuterie measures up to the platters at SideDoor.
Just went to Fantasy Springs Resort Casino for the day. It was our second time having their amazing Buffet. Continuing our tour of local Indian Reservation Casinos and Buffets, so far this one is our favorite. They seem to offer everything you’d want and all was fresh and delicious during both visits. This is our first report with photographs. The Brisket (above) and the Turkey (below) were especially good, perfectly cooked and carved to order.
They offer almost every ethnicity and type of food — American, Italian, Chinese, Mexican, Salads, Soups, Fresh Fruit, Grilled Vegetables, Cheese and much more. We captured a lot, but certainly not all.
And almost every Dessert imaginable, Ice Cream, Bread Pudding, Cheesecake, Pies, Cakes, Cobblers, a Chocolate Fountain and more.
Our lunch this day was only $12.99, which isn’t bad for all you can eat — Unfortunately we could only eat so much. We wished we could take home doggie bags. 🙂
Below is a photo of only one of our plates — We were stuffed and happy by the time we hit the video poker machines. And we didn’t do too bad at that either. Fantasy Springs entertainment line-up is pretty good too. We learned that Morrissey will be playing there on December 5th and are considering going to that.
Check out Nibbles of Tidbits’ Buffet category to see where else we’ve been. Thumbs up for Fantasy Springs Resort Casino Buffet.
We were going to run this report on Examiner.com for National Liqueur Month (October), but didn’t have the necessary “Liqueur” to qualify for that category. And since it’s now National Pomegranate Month (November) and I received POM Wonderful’s New Pomegranate Nectarine and Pomegranate Kiwi the very same day we planned this drink comparison, we substituted it in place of the Liqueur.
We set out to make 6 different Pomegranate Drinks and rate them. The numbered rating cards are from one of my favorite boardgames, iMAgiNiff. They come in handy for taste test comparison parties like this. We got all our recipes from the PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur site, but used POM Wonderful’s Juice in place of the Liqueur. We’ll post about the PAMA Liqueur later this month. Overall, we found the recipes very adaptable and most tasted fantastic.
For this taste test, we made a Margarita and unblended Daiquiri, respectively posted above, and Pomegranate Juice with Club Soda, a Blushing Lady, a Pomegranate Juice Lemon Drop and a Martini, respectively shown below. POM’s Juice substituted well for all — We particularly favored the Pomegranate Nectarine Juice, which is refreshing and flavorful on its own.
And since Pomegranate Juice is so good for you, we felt we received a healthier buzz, if you will. 🙂
We garnished the drinks with a variation of Lemon wedges and twists, Lime slices and Pomegranate Seeds (fabulously in season), then determined our favorites. Our number one cards were awarded to the Margarita and Martini— Both tasted as if they were prepared by a professional mixologist and thus made us very happy.
We found the Pomegranate Juice and Club Soda a refreshing combination for any day, since it was the only drink without alcohol. We’d probably pass on the Blushing Lady next time, but give the Pomegranate Lemon Drop an honorable mention. Overall, we think PAMA’s recipes are good and look forward to trying their Liqueur. And we always appreciate having POM Wonderful’s Juice — It’s the best 100% Pomegranate Juice.
We’ve just added Pink’s Chili Cheese Fries to our Chili Cheese Fries Comparison Post — And they’re now our second favorite, next to Original Tommy’s Chili Cheese Fries. ALL are linked below.
Chili Cheese Fries Comparison Post & Photos:
http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/2008/11/06/orange-county-chili-cheese-fries-comparison/
Pink’s of HOLLYWOOD: http://www.pinkshollywood.com/
Pink’s Chili Cheese Dog & OC Fair Booth Photos:
http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/2009/07/15/more-food-fun-at-the-orange-county-fair/
Have you seen our Chili Cheese Fries Comparison post? We just added these Chili Cheese Fries from SONIC Drive-In to the post. The report is linked below. ALSO, we still need an address from two SONIC Drive-In Gift Card Giveaway Winners. Hurry and get back to us or we’ll need to draw two new winners on July 10th, 2009. All prizes need a home.
Chili Cheese Fries Comparison Post:
http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/2008/11/06/orange-county-chili-cheese-fries-comparison/
SONIC Drive-In Gift Card Giveaway:
http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/2009/06/25/congratulations-sonic-drive-in-gift-card-winners/
Yesterday Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) offered a FREE New Grilled Chicken Drumstick to ALL (above). And today El Pollo Loco (EPL) offered the public a FREE Drumstick (below) and Wing. I was curious to try KFC’s new product so we went for the free Drumstick, and we already knew the taste of EPL’s Drumstick, but paid for this one for true comparison.
But let’s just get right down to it, there’s no comparison — El Pollo Loco’s genuinely Grilled Chicken is hard to beat. It’s got a lot of great flavor and it’s cooked on the better grill. Isn’t it obvious from the photos above? KFC’s Drumstick wasn’t bad — It was just bland and nothing special whatsoever. I certainly wouldn’t go out of my way for it, but I would for EPL’s Drumstick.
This OFFICIAL comparison reminded me how good EPL’s Chicken actually is. Can another well-known fast food chain just jump in and expect much with just okay? I think not. I like Kentucky’s “Fried” Chicken much better than this Drumstick — KFC should stick with its Original Recipe and Extra Crispy, and come up with something better for this CHICKEN WAR. El Pollo Loco is the WINNER.
Related Links:
Tommy Pastrami’s NY Blackened Pastrami Sandwich (above). http://www.tommypastraminydeli.com/home.asp
OR
The Hat’s “World Famous” Pastrami Sandwich (below)? http://www.thehat.com/index.htm
Both Sandwiches are good yet different from each other. I liked the look of Tommy Pastrami’s Pastrami. The meat was lean and athetically pleasing. The Hat’s Pastrami was fattier, and I most often prefer a leaner meat — However, it’s not all over with that observation.
The Hat’s Pastrami was more flavorful and juicy. In comparison, Tommy’s Pastrami was unexpectedly bland/dry, but tasted good with Mustard. Between these two Sandwiches, I may wear The Hat for a while. Whose Pastrami do you like better? I know there’s a lot more Pastrami Sandwiches out there, but do you have an opinion on these two?
Related Link: http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/?p=1110
Where’s your favorite place to get Chili Cheese Fries? We’ve been trying a few around town and would love to know whose Chili Cheese Fries you like BEST. Some are extra good and some are just okay. We describe a few, but want you to be the judge too. Each photograph will have a brief description and related restaurant link directly below it. And we’ll be adding more Chili Cheese Fries photos and observations, so keep checking back.
The Hat’s Chili Cheese Fries with Pickles & Tomatoes – You get a lot of them. It’s heavy.
Tommy Pastrami’s Chili Cheese Fries – It’s got nice Steak Fries, but the Chili is a bit Tomato-Paste tasting. It has big chunks of Beef in it, which is ok, but generally not preferred in a CCF.
Carl’s Junior’s Chili Cheese Fries – They’re not bad.
Fatburger’s Chili Cheese Fries – For some reason I expected more, but they were good. Fatburger offers a choice of Skinny Fries or Fat Fries. Pictured here are the Skinny Fries.
SONIC Drive-In’s Chili Cheese Fries – I haven’t tried these yet, but others like them.
Orange County Fair’s Chili Cheese Fries – You can only get them during the OC Fair.
Wienerschnitzel’s Chili Cheese Fries – Unfortunately they’re not one of my top picks. I’d have to go with Carl’s Jr.’s Chili Cheese Fries before these (above).
Pink’s Chili Cheese Fries – Very good. Second favorite to Original Tommy’s Chili Cheese Fries.
Del Taco’s Chili Cheese Fries – I’d pick them over Carl’s Jr. ones, since the Fries are better.
EZ Take Out Burger’s Chili Cheese Fries – I liked them, especially the French Fries. Their Hamburgers are similar to In-N-Out’s Burgers, but dare I say I like EZ Take Out’s Fries better. And Chili Cheese Fries don’t appear to be an option at In-N-Out Burger.
Johnny Rocket’s Chili Cheese Fries – They’re acceptable. Nothing to rave about, nor rag on. On a separate note, their Hamburgers are very good.
Original Tommy’s Chili Cheese Fries – They still stand as my favorite over all those pictured.
Wendy’s Chili Cheese Fries — It’s made with Chili that should be served in a bowl with a side of Buttered Crackers, but instead it’s dumped over French Fries and topped with Cheese. I don’t think so. They’re not recommended.
Jack in the Box Loaded Chili Cheese Wedges — Good with the Onions picked out.
Portillo’s Chili Cheese Fries — Portillo’s Chili has a really good flavor that goes well with their crinkled-cut French Fries and a little melted Cheese. We’d have them again.
Santa Fe Cafe Chili Cheese Fries — They’re best had on their outdoor patio with a Pitcher of Beer.
MORE TO COME.
Since several Cupcake Bakeries have popped up around town, I decided to conduct a taste comparison of the 3 closest to me — Dolcissiomo, Suzie Cakes and Mrs. Beasley. I tried a small variety from each.
(1) Dolcissiomo Cupcakes were my overall favorite. I’ve tried almost all the Cupcakes there. They offer a lot of great flavors and look aesthetically best. http://www.dolcissimobakeshop.com/
Lemon Blueberry
Orange Dreamsicle & Coconut Snowball
Tiramisu & Lemonade
(2) Suzie Cakes Cupcakes were very moist and appeared to have a filling, at least the two I tried did. You can see it in the pictures. http://www.susiecakesla.com/
Lemon and Vanilla
(3) Mrs. Beasley’s Cupcakes have the most frosting by far, so if you’re into that, they’re definitely the Cupcakes for you. http://www.mrsbeasleys.com/Cupcakes.cfm
Orange and Mini Blueberry
The Grand Prize flavor winner was Dolcissiomo’s Orange Dreamsicle. It may be the best Orange flavored Cake I’ve ever had. I’m trying to confirm that opinion, but it’s only sold on Tuesdays. I’ll report about more locations as I try them.
(POST UPDATE 08/20/08: It appears that Dolcissimo Cupcakes just moved or closed. This post will be further updated when that information is known)
Here’s a Cupcake Challenge on Food Frenzy:
http://foodfrenzy.freedomblogging.com/2008/05/28/oc-cupcake-challenge-the-results/#more-1140
Cupcake Blogs:
http://cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com/2008/03/five-sweets-bakery-costa-mesa.html
http://ooolala-cupcakes.blogspot.com/
My Cupcake Pics – The Story Told Later:
Orange County Food Examiner
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