JERSEY MIKE'S SUBS ~ SANTA ANA

3941 S. Bristol St.  Unit G

Santa Ana, CA

There's a new guy in town!  That's right!  Jersey Mike has a new home in Santa Ana!  The long awaited Jersey Mike's Subs is now open and ready to serve you.

I had received two coupons for a free regular sub to be enjoyed during the opening week.  Tonight, Patty and I decided to head out and give these highly talked about subs a try.

After all, I feel like everyone I know has eaten at a Jersey Mike's Subs but me.  I was excited to finally get to try them.

Patty got the famous roast beef and provolone .  The roast beef was cooked to perfection.  We both were very impressed that they actually carve the meat right when you order your sub and it is not already cut and laying out like other sandwich shops.

They ask if you want it "Mike's Way". We explained that we didn't know what that was.  The girl waiting on us asked if it was our first time eating at a Jersey Mike's and we answered "yes".

She then explained that Mike's Way was lettuce, tomato, onions as well as the "Juice" which is red wine vinegar and olive oil, topped with a sprinkle of their special spices.

She also told us that since it's our first visit we get a FREE COOKIE!  How nice!

Patty went with the "Mike's way" minus onions.

She also had a bag of chips and a drink.

She said the sub was soooooo good!  The bread was flavorful and fresh and was the best sub she has had from any sandwich shop.

The Famous Roast Beef and Provolone sub received a 9 out 10 silver spoons!

I ordered the turkey breast and provolone sub.  I too got it "Mike's Way" minus the onions and also a touch of mayo.

I was expecting a lot when I took I first bite.  I was not let down.  The turkey was fresh and it sort of reminded me of those wonderful turkey sandwiches you have with all the left over turkey at Thanksgiving.

The "juice" and spices really kicked up the flavor too.  Who would have thought that vinegar would taste good on turkey???

I had to agree this was the best sub I've ever eaten before.  The produce was also very fresh and full of flavor.  Often the lettuce and tomatoes really add nothing more then just texture to a sandwich but not here.  You could really taste them.

The size was good too.   We got the regular size.  It's a tad bit bigger then the sandwiches at TOGO or Subway.  

They also have a mini which is about 1/2 the size of a regular one and a giant one that is about twice as big as the regular one.

The price of the Famous Roast Beef and provolone sub runs $7.95 for the regular size and the price for the turkey breast and provolone regular sub is $7.50.

I too would give 9 out of 10 silver spoons for the Turkey Breast and Provolone sub.  I do wish they had cranberry sauce though.  I would have given it a 10 out of 10 if they did.

Everyone that worked there was very friendly and helpful.  I will be going back here for sure.  I'm thrilled to finally eaten here and highly recommend, if you are like me, and slow to hop on the bandwagon, get on over to the closest Jersey Mike's and see what you are missing.

BJ'S RESTAURANT AND BREWHOUSE IN HUNTINGTON BEACH

 

 

16060 Beach Blvd

Huntington Beach CA

 

 

I've been going to BJ's for years.  However, every time I go, I have only gotten their pizza.  

 

They do brew their own beer here and though I'm not a beer drinker, I hear they have wonderful beer.

 

I received a coupon for by one get one free on their new BBQ dishes.  So, I gathered up some family members and off to BJ's for dinner we went.

 

Everyone was excited to try the ribs.  It's hard to find good BBQ ribs and we had high hopes this was going to be the place.

 

 

 

All meals came with your choice of either a salad or bowl of soup.  Everyone in my group went with the salad.

 

The salad was just your normal run of the mill side salad.  Iceberg lettuce, a few tomato slices, cucumbers, grated carrots and croutons, topped with your choice of dressing.

 

It wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything to write home about either.  In fact, I didn't eat most of mine as I wanted to save room for my meal.

 

 

You can order either a full rack of ribs or a half rack.  I got the 1/2 rack.  They cost $17.99.  We all felt this was pretty high priced for not even getting bread with your meal.

 

You also get your choice of BBQ sauce.  I got the sweet sauce and it was super good.  I would recommend it as it has a nice smoky flavor and touch of sweetness but not so much it's over powering.

 

You also get to pick off menu a side dish.  We all got the baked potato. 

I also wanted to try their cornbread that said it was  cheesy and spicy.

 

 

I love lots of BBQ sauce on my ribs so, I slathered the whole cup full on mine.  Like I said, it was very good sauce!  So, I was excited to bite into the ribs.

 

I cut one of the ribs off and that is where my excitement ended.  Normally baby back ribs are super tender and pretty much fall apart with little effort.

 

I had trouble cutting into the ribs even with a knife! 

 

I took a bite and was very let down.  While the flavor tasted nice, having the meat be so hard to get off the bone made it not enjoyable at all.

 

In fact, I only ate two.  After cutting the third one off the rack, I decided it wasn't worth eating another one.

 

I asked everyone in my party what they thought and two had nice tender ribs and two of us had ribs that almost seemed like they were not cooked long enough.

 

Then I cut up the cornbread.  It is meant to be a one person piece of bread but no one else wanted to spend the $3.00 on getting their own so, I split it.  If it was good, we were all going to order more.

 

No one ordered any more. In fact, we didn't eat but 1/2 of this between the four of us.  It had no cheese or spice taste at all.  It was dry with very little flavor of anything.  The butter they give you is a pecan sweetened butter and it was so sweet it wasn't good at all.

 

Our baked potatoes were cooked perfect and everyone enjoyed them.

 

I would have to give our meal a 6 out of 10 sliver spoons.  If the ribs were tender I would have really enjoyed this meal, minus the bread. 

 

Perhaps because this was a new dish on the menu they have not perfected cooking the ribs so they are all tender???

 

 

BJ's is famous for their Pizookies.  It's a warm cookie cooked and served in a mini pizza pan topped with  vanilla bean ice cream.

 

I ordered the white chocolate macadamia nut cookie.  Maureen ordered the milk chocolate chip cookie.

 

I was so thrilled when I got my pizzokie that I forgot to take a picture and so I borrowed this one from the Internet.

 

The picture shows the regular pizookie but we actually ordered the mini ones.  They are about 1/2 the size of the regular ones and a perfect size for one.

 

I have to give the pizookie 10 out of 10 silver spoons!  There is no way these could be better!  I've had some at other places but they didn't have the wonderful flavor these do.

 

I will be going back to BJ's for sure.  However, I think I'll stick with the pizza from now on.   

 

 





MARIO'S IN HUNTINGTON BEACH

I have been going to Mario's for many, many years.  I have to say I have never been let down.  I've never received a bad meal here.

The staff has always been very friendly and helpful and even though I've gone with picky eaters before, the order always comes out as requested.

So, even before I walked in the front door, I had pretty high expectations and felt I knew I was going to enjoy my meal.

Every day they have specials that they write on a large board.  When I went one of the specials was for the #7 combo which is a taco, enchilada, rice and beans.  The cost was $7.75.

Since this is my normal order when I go for Mexican food anywhere, I am always happy to see this as the special of the day.

I got a beef taco, it was great.  A nice crunchy but not greasy shell packed full of shredded beef, lettuce, taco sauce and cheese.  I got it with the cheese enchilada.   It was packed full of cheese and has a great sauce on top.  It doesn't taste like someone just opened a can and poured if over the enchilada like I've had at some places.  This sauce is very good.

There rice is ok.  It's not a real strong flavor.  It does have a few vegetables in it but not over powering.

The beans are great!  They taste like they make them right there and not canned.  They top the beans with plenty of melted cheese.

Once again, I was not let down and would have to give my meal a 9 out of 10 silver spoons.

My niece went with me and ordered the one item combo and she picked a chicken flauta that came with rice and beans and they even gave her a side of guacamole with no additional charge.

She said it was very good and ate ever bite.  The chicken was nice and moist and the tortilla was nice and crunchy but the flauta was not at all greasy.

The cost of this meal was $7.70.

She gives this meal an 8 out of 10 silver spoons.

Liz also came to eat with us and she ordered her favorite, Caldo de Pollo with no tomatoes.  What this actually is a big bowl of chicken and vegetable soup.

The soup is very flavorful and has big pieces of fresh vegetables and large pieces of white meat chicken.  It is served with a bowl of rice that you can add to the soup or just eat as a side dish.

The cost of this meal is $6.70.

This is not really something I would even think about ordering when I go to a Mexican restaurant but after seeing it, I think I would order this on a cold winter day or bring to someone who was home sick with a cold.  It looked very good and seemed like a nice hearty homemade soup.

Liz gave her meal a big 10 out 10 silver spoons and said she has never had any better soup anywhere.

All meals come with warm chips and house salsa.  I have to say the chips and salsa are reason alone to come here.  They are the best around.

I know many people who have stopped by and just ordered some chips and salsa to go because they are so good.

The location for this restaurant is 18603 Main Street in Huntington Beach CA.

I highly recommend this place if you are in the mood for some good Mexican food.

I give Mario's 9 out of 10 silver spoons.

THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY ~ HUNTINGTON BEACH

Today's review is on The Cheesecake Factory in Huntington Beach CA. 

This restaurant is located at 7871 Edinger Huntington Beach.  It is found in Bella Terra off the 405 Fwy and Edinger.

When you walk inside, you will notice display areas full of different cheesecake.  Whatever you do, be sure to save room for cheesecake.  After all that is what they are famous for.

They have a nice decor with plenty of tables and booths inside as well as tables outside on their patio.

They have a super large menu with over 200 items to pick from.  It takes awhile to decide what you are going to order. 

I finally decided on the Evelyn Pasta.  I got the lunch size which was still a large portion.

It is Penne pasta with broccoli, oven dried tomatoes, roasted eggplant, artichokes, Kalamata olives, garlic and pine nuts.

This is such a great pasta dish.  Each bite gives a different taste as it is packed full of vegetables that provide a nice combination of texture and flavor.

I loved this dish!

I would give it a 9 out of 10 silver spoons.  I will definitely order this again.  This is the type of dish that will make you crave it again and again.

Our visit was on a Sunday.  I went with my sister and she wanted breakfast rather then lunch. 

She ordered pancakes, bacon and fruit.

She was very disappointed that the syrup was not the normal maple syrup.  It was very sweet and tasted like a butterscotch syrup.  The flavor was not good. 

She said the bacon was good but the fruit left a lot to be desired.  It was mostly apples and oranges and since it is summer time with all the great fruits out like strawberries, melons, grapes, pineapple, peaches and so on, apples and oranges was a big let down.

Plus, the fruit was cut up way to small.

She was very disappointed in her meal and said she would never order it again.

She gave it a 4 out 10 silver spoons.

Even though I was stuffed, I still ordered a slice of cheesecake.  There was no way I was going to go the Cheesecake Factory and not have cheesecake.

They have so many different flavors of cheesecake to pick from but I like my cheesecake plain.  No fruit, cookies, nuts or anything on mine.  Just good ol' cheesecake.

The plain cheesecake does have a very mild sour cream topping.  It also comes with wonderful fresh thick whipped cream.

This has got to be some of the best cheesecake I've ever had. 

I would give it 9 out 10 silver spoons.

Sadly, I can't give you prices because I didn't pay.  It was my sisters treat and I didn't see what the bill came to.

I would return to eat here any time, any day.  I would however, recommend that you order lunch or dinner items and skip the breakfast. 

KILLARNEY'S IRISH SPORTS PUB & GRILL

In the summer months on Tuesday evenings, Main Street in Huntington Beach is closed off to car traffic and a Farmers Market opens up.  Bands play music, vendors set up booths and a lot of people show up to shop and eat and just have a fun time.

I met up with a group of friends down there.  We decided we were going to eat dinner before we walked around. 

We had never gone to Killarney's Irish Sports Pub and Grill and so we decided to give it a go.

There were several people inside, eating and drinking up at the bar.  A few people were at the tables eating and watching sports on one of the many TVs they have hanging on the walls.

There is also an outside area to eat right on the sidewalk out front.  It's a great place to people watch while you enjoy your food.

However, we wanted to get away from the crowds outside and find a spot not so loud so we could talk and catch up while we ate.

As soon as we sat down we were greeted by a lovely young lady.  She handed us menus and got our drink orders.

The menu had a large variety and we all decided to try something different so we could see how good different items were.

Our drinks came quickly and she took our order.  Within a few minutes she returned with our food.

I ordered the Pastrami sandwich and onion rings.

The  sandwich had hot pastrami, melted cheese, mustard and pickles served on a French roll.

The pastrami was sliced way to thick.  It was lean though.  However, it tasted very very greasy.  It was so bad, I gave away 1/2 of my sandwich and only ate three bites off of the half I kept. 

The onion rings had little flavor and tasted mostly like grease also.  There was no onion flavor, even when I ate the onions without the batter on them.

I was very disappointed.  The cost of my sandwich was $7.99 before tax.  My drink (diet coke) was an additional $2.00.

I would give my meal a 2 out of 10 silver spoons.

Nick ordered a Chicken Club sandwich with onion rings.  He said it was a wonderful sandwich and even though I didn't care for the onion rings he felt they were ok.

He gave his meal an 8 out 10 silver spoons.

Liz ordered a grilled cheese sandwich and fruit for her side dish.

I almost wasn't going to include her sandwich in the review because, really I had never heard anyone say their grilled sandwich wasn't good.  However, there have been wonderful grilled cheese sandwiches so I agreed to include it.

She took a bite and made a face.  She didn't say anything at first and then she took another bite.  I asked her how it was.  She said it was bad.  It had very little flavor and what flavor there was wasn't good.

The bread tasted more like dry old bread rather then grilled/toasted bread. 

She only ate 1/2 of her sandwich and then said it wasn't worth eating the other 1/2.  She did like the fruit.  She said the fruit was fresh and full of flavor.

She gave her meal a 4 out 10 silver spoons.

Cherish ordered a Tuna Melt.  She took her first bite and then opened her sandwich and looked at it closely.  She said there were carrots in the tuna salad.   She did not like the taste and complained that tuna tasted like some off brand canned tuna and that the carrots gave it a super odd taste.

She did like the fries and said they were crispy outside and had a seasoning salt on them that was very good.

She gave her meal a 4 out 10 silver spoons.

I forgot to check on the prices of their meals.

We all agreed we would not go back there to eat.

It did look like a fun place to hang out if you were looking for a place to have a few drinks with friends and watch a game together.   Just eat before you go or only order snack food to nibble on.

All in all we gave Killarney's Irish Sports Pub and Grill  4.5 silver spoons and would not recommend this location to anyone we knew.

However, should you wish to try it out the address is 209 Main Street Huntington Beach CA.

PANERA BREAD ~ Santa Ana

I've been to Panera Bread several times.  It's one of my go to places when I want to get something quick, for a good price and I know the food will always taste the same.

The location I went to tonight was the one located on Bristol and Sunflower in Santa Ana.

I love this location.  The staff is always super friendly, the location is always clean and I can always find a seat if I want to eat there.

Tonight, I couldn't decide if I wanted to have something cold or something hot.  So I went with both.

I ordered the Cheese Tortellini Alfredo (my something hot) and it comes with a side salad or soup.  I ordered the salad (my something cold).

You get to choose between three salads.  Either Greek Salad, Cesar Salad or there green salad.

I went with the Greek Salad.  It came with lettuce, olives, tomatoes and cheese and had a light Greek Salad dressing on it.

The salad was ok.  Nothing to write home about.  But still it was crisp, cold and fresh.  Just what I was looking for.

The Tortellini is very rich.  The Alfredo sauce was very good.  It was creamy, very cheesy and full of flavor.  This was very good.

However, I ordered the large size and couldn't eat it all.  It's more filling then it looks.  So, I took half of it home.

Bread comes with it too.  A piece of warm, freshly baked baguette with real butter.  YUM!

The cost of this meal along with my drink and tax came to $12.94.  I think it is a very fair price.

I really enjoyed this meal.  I would get it again. 

I would give this 8 out of 10 silver spoons for the pasta but only 6 out 10 silver spoons for the salad.

So this meal gets a grand total of 7 out of 10 silver spoons.

I got a Steak and White Cheddar Panini sandwich to go.  I brought it home for my sister.

The cost of this sandwich with tax came to $8.71. 

She said she liked this.  Said it was still warm.  The meat was very tender and it had plenty of melted cheese on it.

However, the bread was very hard to chew.  Perhaps if it was on a different type of bread she would have been more enjoyable.

The chips were "just chips". 

She gives this a 7 out of 10 silver spoons.  She did say she would order this again but ask for it on different bread.

PACIFIC WHEY CAFE ~ Newport Beach

The Pacific Whey Cafe I ate at is located at 7961 PCH, Newport Beach, CA.

It is in a beautiful location with lovely views of the Ocean that is right across the street.

They are in a shopping center so it's a great place to get a bite to eat and do a little shopping either before or after your meal.

As you walk up to place your order you are greeted by a counter filled with yummy looking pastries, cookies and cakes.  All baked daily there.

The menu has something for everyone.  Soups, salads, sandwiches, pastas, burgers and hot dishes.  They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

 
I went for lunch and ordered the Pacific Whey Summer Salad.

This is a salad of field greens, Romain Lettuce, Dates, Carrots, Red Onions, Goat Cheese, Candied Walnuts, Strawberries and grapes.  Served with fresh Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette and a roll.

The salad was very good.  The mixture of fruit, nuts, cheese and different lettuce was a great combination.
 
The vinaigrette was very mellow and was not over powering like some can be.  All of the produce was very fresh and fully rip.  I hate when I order a salad and some of the produce (mainly fruit) is hard with no flavor because it's been picked way before it's ripe enough.

I can't tell you if the roll was good or not because I didn't eat it.  Not because I don't like rolls or because it looked like something was wrong with it.  I just wasn't in the mood for a roll so I left it on my plate.  But, it was the only thing left.  I ate the whole salad.

That being said, I did order the 1/2 salad.  This was more then enough for a lunch and was rather big for only being a 1/2 salad.  I was impressed by the size.  I believe a large would have been way to big...at least for me.

The price of the salad with a drink came out to a total of $8.11.  That included the tax also.  A very reasonable price.

There is a wonderful outside area you can eat at if the weather is nice.  There are table and chairs tucked under large trees to provide shade so you don't get to hot on a summer day.

Eating out there reminded me of eating at a great sidewalk cafe while on vacation.

Everyone that worked there was very friendly and helpful.  With fast service.

While you go up and place your order at the counter they do bring your food to you, come around to ask if you need anything else and also pick up your dirty dishes.

I don't think I could have asked for a better salad or better service.  I will be going back for sure and would be happy to recommend eating here to anyone.

I would give 8 1/2 out of 10 golden spoons.