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.

LA TERRAZA MEXIAN GRILL in SANTA ANA CA

Being raised in So. Cali, I have eaten at many many Mexican restaurants.  Mexican food has to be my favorite of all food. 

So, I was excited to try La Terraza Mexican Grill.  It is located at 3605 S. Bristol in Santa Ana. 

You have to be looking for this place because it's tucked in the corner of a strip mall and hidden behind a Liquor Store.  It doesn't get much advertisement and you really need to know where it is or you are likely to miss it.

I went on Sunday around noon and not one person was inside eating when we got there.  This was a bit worrisome and normally not a good sign of a good place to eat.

We were greeted right away and told we could sit anywhere.  Drinks were brought out to us along with a basket of chips and salsa and a small plate of beans. 

The chips and salsa were good and I loved the beans as an added touch.

It was warm inside and I asked if they had A/C.  I was told they did but it was not on.  Yet, they quickly turned it on for me and the placed cooled right down.

The food came out super fast.  I went with my brother and we both ordered the same thing.  We got a beef taco and a cheese enchilada.  Rice and beans were on the side.

My brother actually wanted a chicken taco but found out the chicken was a mix of both dark and white meat.  Since he only likes white meat he went with the beef taco.

The taco was small.  But the taste was pretty good.  The meat was cooked in a flavorful sauce and they also put lettuce and cheese on the taco.

The enchilada wasn't bad but, it wasn't good either.  It was ok.  It was almost as if they used a can sauce and didn't add anything to it.

The rice didn't have much flavor which I've found is how a lot of Mexican restaurants taste.  The beans were pretty good though.

The cost was less the $7.00 so there isn't complain there.  The soft drinks are served in a can with a glass of ice handed to you.  I thought because of this they would charge for a refill but they don't. 

Several people did come in to eat while we were there. 

I thought the service was great.  I didn't feel rushed and by no means was the service slow either. 

I would go back here if I was in the mood for Mexican food and someone wanted to go here.  I don't think I would be the one to suggest it though as there are so many other great Mexican restaurants around.

I would give this place 6 1/2 out of 10 silver spoons. 

They do have Taco Tues where the tacos are only $2.00.

PHILLY'S BEST ~ SANTA ANA CA

Philly's Best first opened in Fountain Valley CA back in 1992.  The owners are actually from Philadelphia and missed having good cheese stake sandwiches.  So, rather then moving back to Philly, they did the next best thing and brought a little bit of Philly right here to CA.

There are now 24 locations in CA.

I went to the one located at 2801 W. MacArthur Blvd in Santa Ana, CA.

As soon as I stepped through the doors, I was greeted with a nice welcome by the staff.  While I was eating my sandwich there I noticed they did this to everyone that came in.

It gave a nice feeling of being part of a "family" or close neighborhood.  The friendly staff makes you feel very comfortable and like they are truly happy to serve you.

While they offer many different types of sandwiches, salads, burgers and other items, I was there for what made them famous.  The original cheese stake sandwich.

As soon as I placed my order the cook started right away to cook my sandwich.

 Philly's Best uses traditional Philly Style ingredients and offers chips, drinks, cakes and beer that we can't normally get here in CA.  They come from Philly.

The rolls are actually shipped in from Philly too.  They use genuine Amoroso rolls and I believe that gives them their wonderful taste that makes them stand out from other cheese stake places.

They also offer wonderful fresh pickles and hot peppers to enjoy while you are waiting for your sandwich or to eat on them.

I also ordered cheese fries.  YUM!

The stake was wonderful!  Lean, cut thin and cooked to perfection.  The cheese melted and mixed in with the meat and even soaked into the roll a little bit.

It was a wonderful combination.  As I took a bite I got the nice warm meat, melted cheese and soft roll.  It was like taking a little mini vacation in my mouth.

The cost of the sandwich was only $5.00.  A great deal!

The fries were topped with a creamy cheese sauce.  You get a large portion and plenty of cheese sauce.

They were good.  Very good in fact but really, nothing out of the norm for cheese fries.

The cost was $2.59 and were worth every penny.

I also got a regular size drink that comes with free refills for $1.89 which is a great price for unlimited soda.

Since I have never been to Philly, I have never had a Tastykake.  I have heard a lot about them and how good they are. 

I decided to try one.  I got the chocolate cupcakes with white icing.

For those in CA, we are used to Hostess (no longer in business) cakes, cupcakes and other snacks.

Tastykake are pretty much like Hostess cakes.  I do think they are a little better though.  First you get three cakes for $2.11.

The cake is lighter and a nicer flavor then Hostess cakes.  They seem moister and fresher too.

But, they are nothing to write home about.  They are still prepackaged snack cakes.  I don't know if I would get another one or not.

All in all, I loved Philly's Best.  I would highly recommend it if you are looking for a little bit of Philadelphia flavor.

Most people got their food to go but I would recommend you stay and eat it there if you have the time.  Read the sign on the wall and learn all about famous people and places in Philly.  Watch sports on one of their 3 TVs.  Or just enjoy the conversations going on around you.

I would give Philly's Best 8 out 10 golden spoons. 

MIMI'S CAFE in FOUNTAIN VALLEY CA

Mimi's Cafe is a chain restaurant.  Most of the time chain restaurants are good to go to when you want to grab a quick bite to eat and you know that you will get fair food, fair service and fair prices.

I do think that even though Mimi's Cafe is a chain restaurant, Mimi's Cafe is a step above the other local chain restaurants. 

They have a good menu with lots of options.  The food is good quality.  The portion sizes are nice and the decor is cute.

Most of the time's you will be greeted at the door by a staff member.  Today, we were greeted by the manager who was very friendly and welcomed us in with "Bonjour" which was a nod to the Parisian decor.

Our visit to Mimi's Cafe was in the morning so we enjoyed breakfast.  Breakfast has always been my favorite meal to eat out. 

The Cinnamon Brioche French Toast is a way to kick up the normal French toast.  Sort of like having a cinnamon roll and French toast all in one.  YUM!

It comes with bacon or sausage and eggs.  However, today we substituted the eggs for fruit.

The bacon was nice and crisp and the French toast was  cooked to a golden perfection.  The fruit was juicy and flavorful. 

Cost was $9.94.

We also ordered the Make your own omelet.  Our three picks were spinach, feta cheese and tomatoes.  It is made with three eggs so it's fairly large.  Served with red skin fried potatoes and your choice of bread item.

While it was good I can't say it was the best omelet I've had.  It was a tad dry.  I would say it was cooked just a little bit to long and the tomatoes had little to no flavor.  The potatoes were great though.

Cost was $8.99.

The food was pretty good but the service was WONDERFUL!  It started the minute we walked up to the door.  As I said, we were greeted and welcomed right at the front door.  This of course put us in a good mood right away.

As soon as we sat down our waiter was there to take our drink orders.  Shortly after he took our meal orders. 

Our food came out fast and we were asked several times if we needed anything and checked on to make sure our meal was to our liking.

 

We were asked if we wanted refills on our drinks.  Even the milk came with free refills.  Not seen in most restaurants.

 

On our way out, a young girl opened the door for us and wished us a good day.

 

I'm not sure of the name of the manager but I do think they have trained the staff to be friendly, knowledgeable, and on their toes.

 

I would give the food 7 out of 10 silver forks but the staff would get 10 out 10 silver forks.