Original Buffalo Wings (Irvine, CA)

This wings joint popped up in an Asian strip mall in Irvine. I'm pretty sure the owner may be Filipino because the old man calling the shots to all the college student wait-staff in Tagalog. Why is this important? It's not. I'm Filipino so I made this observation. It's my blog, so I blurted it on here for no real purpose.

Anyway, the reason the wife & I even came in was because it was a Tuesday evening and there was a sign on the window that said "All You Can Eat Tuesdays". So, we gave it a shot. The first thing I have to say about this place is that I think it's great that they kept it real by giving props on their menu to the original buffalo wing restaurant... Anchor Bar in Buffalo, NY.

Now to the details of this offer. It's $13.95 and comes with an unlimited side order (wife had fries and I had cole slaw), bottomless drink, celery sticks, carrots, blue cheese (or ranch), and 10 wings to start. The side order can even be switched up through your sitting. The 10 wings all have to be the same flavor per person. I went with Hawaiian Spicy and the wife went with Extra Spicy. Let me tell you, 10 wings may not sound like much. But when it's 10 wings per person, it can be pretty filling. After the initial 10 wings, you can either get another 10 wings or downsize to 6 wings. You can even change up the flavors each round.

We managed to each order one more round of 6 wings each. She went with Teriyaki and I ordered Original Spicy. The side dishes are nothing too special. They're just fillers really. For all we knew, the fries & cole slaw could have been from Smart & Final. Nothing wrong with that. They were just ordinary side dishes. The wings were always piping hot and quite saucy. I personally like my wings extra wet (that's Hooter's wings talk). So, I really enjoyed these wings.

In the end, our eyes were bigger than our stomachs. We were wusses and only made it to the second round. They have a sign that says the current wing leader is a girl who ate 96 wings in one sitting. Needless to say, we won't be breaking that record anytime soon. I would only suggest the all you can eat option if you can truly put a bunch of them down. For the wife and me, we took a second glance at the menu and found that we could have just ordered thirty-something wings and a side. That would have been cheaper than the all you can eat option.

Original Buffalo Wings
2750 Alton Parkway
Suite 131
Irvine, CA 92606



I'm from LA Trick!!!

Lucile's Creole Cafe

After a long night watching the best pound for pound Filipino boxer win his 7th title, we were looking forward to a hearty breakfast. Our Coloradan friend took us to Lucile's Creole Cafe. I know, creole in Denver? Crazy, right?

If you ever try this place make sure to get there early. The wait can be pretty long. Apparently, this place has a huge following.

Once we finally sat down, I noticed a couple things on the table. I'm not sure if they make their own stuff, but it looked like it. They have their own ketchup, hot sauce, and jams. I also noticed that each table had two flavors of jam, and the two flavors varied from table to table.

But, this had to be a first for us. Beignets as a starter? Doesn't get any better than this. Don't let the picture fool you. They were pretty huge.

The homemade jams on the table made these even better.

For brunch, I went with the Pain Perdu.

I guess New Orleans style french toast means baguette french toast. Watch out for the Louisiana sausage. It is incredibly spicy. I mean, it was like they added chili powder over the already spicy sausage.

I also ordered a side of grits. My eyes were bigger than my stomach.

The grits are incredibly buttery. I think a whole stick of butter was melted in them. I personally enjoyed it, but if you're not a fan of excessive butter, you might want to steer clear of this one.

The meals also came with these fluffy biscuits. From what we could tell, this really draws in the crowds.

I washed it all down with their Mocha au lait. This is their signature hot chocolate that is made with Belgian chocolate, and a shot of espresso.

Here's a shot of one of the egg dishes called Farmer's Eggs. It has Potatoes, onions, peppers, cheddar cheese, sausage and three eggs all scrambled together. To be honest, it looks gnarly, but it tastes great. It is also incredibly hearty.


Lucile's Creole Cafe
275 South Logan St.
Denver, CO 80209
(303) 282-6258
www.luciles.com



I'm from LA Trick

Ted's Montana Grill

Cruising around Larimer Square in Downtown Denver, there was something I noticed about the restaurants. They all closed up shop from 2:00pm till 5:00pm. Me being the Angelino that I am, I thought only Japanese restaurants did this. Luckily, we found this joint called Ted's Montana Grill. I know, I know... I'm in Denver... Why would I go to a "Montana" grill? When you find yourself aimlessly wandering the streets of a town you are unfamiliar with, and have a growling stomach... anything will do.

As we waited for a table, our friend (a Coloradan who was stuck at work) gave us a call to see what we were up to. I told her that we were inside this fine establishment we fell upon. She promptly replied "ewww". Not to be deterred, we headed to our table.

Apparently, this is a chain restaurant. But, this chain hasn't reached California, so it was all new to us.

The wife ordered the Bison chili.

We thought it was great, especially in the cold Colorado winter. It is chock full of ground bison, onions, beans, cheese, and jalepenos. To be honest, the bison is just as good as beef. If no one would have told me, I would have assumed it was beef.

I went for the George's Cadillac Bison Burger.

The waitress recommends going a little more rare than you are accustomed to with beef. So, I went medium rare. The reason being, that bison is much leaner than beef. It can get tough if you over cook it.

This burger was great. The bison was very juicy and flavorful. It tasted just like beef. The bonus is that it is considered "healthier" than beef. But, the bacon I had in there probably cancelled out the healthiness of the burger.

I'm not sure what our Coloradan friend was smoking. We had a great lunch. The meals were hearty and not too pricey. It's kind of like eating at a TGIF's at home.

Ted's Montana Grill
1401 Larimer Square
Denver, CO 80202
(303) 893-0654
www.tedsmontanagrill.com



I'm from LA Trick

Clemente Seafood

Here's a place that my brother in law found a while back. For years it was a cash only place. But, I'm glad to say they now take debit cards. This place is hidden in a little strip mall in Santa Ana.

They have the bottled Coca Colas. You know, the ones with coke that is made with real cane sugar... refreshing.

If there's anything you MUST have, its their grilled fish tacos. They are so tasty, yet so simple. You get a flour tortilla with grilled halibut, red cabbage, and Mexican cream (which is basically Crème fraîche). Just be careful, they do get drippy.

As a bonus, I ordered a baby clam tostada. It is a load of baby clams mixed with diced onions, cilantro, tomatoes, lettuce, and the Mexican cream. It sits on a crispy tortilla.

The wife had the 7 seas soup. It comes with diced onions, a lime wedge, and corn tortillas on the side. This particular soup comes with all 7 types of seafood the restaurant carries (halibut, shrimp, baby clams, octopus, crab (imitation... ugh, what can you do?), and what they call abalone type shellfish). The soup looks spicy, but it's far from it. It is actually more like a vegetable soup with all the seafood, and mildly seasoned with mexican spices.

This is basically our Lenten Fridays spot, but the pregnant wife craves what she craves.


Clemente Seafood Restaurant
124 W Macarthur Blvd.
Santa Ana, CA 92707
(714) 556-2815




I'm from LA Trick

Kitchen 24

About a week before the biggest fight of 2009, Nike decided to throw on a question and answer session with the Pride of the Philippines, Manny Pacquiao. It was held at the Montalban Theater in Hollywood.

After the event, the wife & I decided to roam the local area for a place to eat. Behind the theater (about 2 streets back) we found a place called Kitchen Twenty Four.

It is a modernized 24 hour diner.

As you can see, this ain't your run of the mill Denny's.

We started with the Smac & Cheese. I wanted the bacon, but the bosslady wanted something "healthier". "Fine," I said. "We'll have the Black Forest Ham".

Let me tell you, this mac & cheese was pretty incredible. I was a bit concerned with there being peas in this dish. In the end, they worked well in there. It made me think it was at least a little bit healthy. But, the smokiness of the ham is what really made this one a winner. Could you imagine what this could have been like with bacon? Chicks & their health conscienceness!

I didn't let the main squeeze stop me when it came to the entree. I was famished, and a salad wouldn't cut it. Enter the Chicken Fried Pork Chop.

It was exactly as described... a Pork Chop cooked like fried chicken. The batter was rather light, so it didn't consume the chop. The apples on the chop were great. Most places I've been, they do some applesauce type shenanigans. I dig the sweet and savory vibe. Accompanying the chop (it could have used an extra chop) were asparagus and mashed potatoes. The asparagus was your typical grilled asparagus. But, the mashed potatoes were interesting. They were really really dense. You know when you dig in to a typical serving of mashed taters, they can be fluffy? Not these. They were solid. It was almost like eating a skinned baked potato. It just made this dish all the more filling.

The wife went with a Grilled Veggie Sandwich on a French Roll. I can't tell you much about this one. To be honest, I didn't touch it. But, she did tell me that the cheese (slice of mozzarella, I think) wasn't melted. Apparently, the menu called for melted cheese.

This is definitely one of those joints you can hit up after a long night of partying on the Sunset Strip.

Kitchen Twenty Four
1608 N. Cahuenga Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 465-2424
www.kitchen24.info



I'm From LA Trick

Naga Naga Ramen

Last night, the wife decided to come along with me to my rec league basketball game in Alhambra. This is about 55 miles from home. What can I say? I love the game.
Anyway, it was a late game which meant we better find a place to eat afterward. We stumbled upon Naga Naga Ramen.

The decor is very conteporary. There are some booths mixed in with a bunch of bar height community tables. We got to sit around one of the two giant aquariums. It's kind of like sitting at a sushi bar, but replace the sushi bar with a huge tank. Does that make any sense?

We started with the sizzling squid. The calamari is sauteed on a hot plate with soy sauce, green onion, and seaweed. It wasn't quite what we were expecting. We were hoping to get something that would be less greasy than your typical fried calamari. This was still a bit oily for us. Don't get me wrong, the flavor was great, but the oil didn't have to be there. Maybe they should saute it, then serve it in a regular dish rather than leaving it in the oil.

For the ramen dishes, you get to pick the broth, noodles, and meats. I headed for the "Revolutionary Ramen" section of the menu. These are considered non-traditional dishes. This is the Beef & Kimchee Ramen. It has thin slices of beef, kimchee (spicy pickled cabbage), a spicy kimchee broth, and yellow curly ramen noodles (I would guess egg noodles). I enjoyed the fact that the soups don't come out boiling like in traditional korean restaurants. They serve it and you can dig right in. This soup was quite enjoyable. It had just enough of a spicy kick with out me having to worry if my ass will be on fire later. I think the beef could have been prepared a little better. It was almost shredded. How about nice slices of beef just like the menu suggested? They could take a cue from Vietnamese beef pho.

The wife went with the Seafood Tomyum Ramen, also from the "Revolutionary Ramen" section. This has the Thai Tomyum broth which is your typical lemon grass, hot and sour soup. It included shrimp, calamari, and imitation crab. I am not a fan of imitation crab. Why can't these restaurants ever get the real stuff? The imitation crab never looks or tastes like real crab. But, I guess that's a topic for another discussion. This also included the same curly ramen (I still think they are egg noodles). You can never go wrong with the Tomyum broth. It was interesting to see it served as a main dish. It's one of those things where you go to a Thai joint and have it as a starter. But, all it has is the shrimp, mushrooms, and lemon grass. And you think to yourself... I wouldn't mind having this as a meal. Naga Naga Ramen fulfills that wish.

They serve up great soups which really hit the spot on those chilly nights. If you're ever in the mood for something a little more than that boring Chicken Noodle (don't get me wrong, chicken noodle is delicious)... then head on over to Alhambra.


Naga Naga Ramen
46 W Valley Blvd
Alhambra, CA 91801
(626) 585-8822
www.nagaramen.com



I'm from LA Trick

Triunfo Tacos

For the past few weeks I've been on this street taco binge. I'm talking about those tacos you would get after a long night of debauchery in the clubs of Tijuana. You know, right before you crossed back over the border. So, I told my coworkers how I needed a street taco fix. But, San Diego was too far to go from Orange County during lunch. Luckily, one of my coworkers understood exactly what I was looking for.

She knew of a little taqueria not far from our office. It was great. The menu was simple. Pick the meat you wanted in your taco. That's it. All the tacos were $1.09.

I went for my personal favorite Al Pastor. Then got back in line for some Carne Asada, Cabeza, and Lengua. Every taco is topped with some chopped cilantro, onions, and salsa. They also throw some sliced radishes on the plate as well.

The Al Pastor was nicely marinated. If you don't know, it is marinated pork. It is a little spicy, but nothing too serious.

The carne asada is pretty standard issue. Nothing unique with their marinade. I think a little more lime juice would do them some good.

Now for the Cabeza (cow head). It was like eating the skin off the face of the cow. It was kind of chewy. I tried to see if there was any distinct flavor to the meat, but they pretty much douse this taco with a ton of salsa verde (green salsa).

The lengua (cow tongue) is soft and tender, kind of like a good steak. But, I think this meat is just boiled. So it basically takes on the flavor of the salsa.

For $1.09 per taco, I'll definitely be frequenting this joint at lunch times to come.
But, I'll be sticking to the Al Pastor.
There was one meat I have yet to try... Buche (chitlins, i.e. intestines). Maybe next time... maybe.

El Triunfo Taqueria

1840 S Standard Ave
Santa Ana, CA 92707

(714) 836-1990



I'm From LA Trick

Dave's Burgers

With so much drama in the LBC, its kinda hard to blog for the un-foodie...
That's enough of my freestyling for this week.

Here's a little background info on me. I grew up in North Long Beach. I used to take the bus from downtown all the way home after school. This bus route was simple. A long ride down Atlantic Avenue. Every day, I would pass this little burger shack that was located on the lot of a gas station. Today, I decided to give it a try.



The menu looks long, but don't get it twisted. It's all just burgers and hot dogs. The only equipment inside the shack are the grill and the cash register. There's no fryer to be found. No soda fountain either. Outside the shack are a chips rack and a cooler full of soda cans and bottled water.

The really interesting thing about this place is that "Dave" is actually two cambodian ladies. It's all good... I'm still in.

After a quick browse of the menu board, I go for a double turkey cheeseburger. I don't know why I went with turkey. Hell, I'm already having a bag of funyuns, a can of squirt, and am eating at a gas station on the corner of an extremely busy street corner. It looks like I have all my unhealthy bases covered on this outing.

The burger was awesome. The patties were seasoned well. The cheese was nicely melted. The grilled onions were perfect. They also threw in some lettuce, tomato, and a dab of thousand island dressing. There's something about super old grills. It's a lot like a good cast iron skillet. They give the best flavor over time.



As I sat at one of their community tables in the gas station lot, I noticed they have tons of regulars. These people would drive in and their orders would be waiting. There were even some people coming off the bus for their burger fix. No wonder this place has been around since forever.

If you're ever in the Strong Beach, California... Stop by and say hi to Dave (er, the Cambodian chicks). Their burgers are damn tasty. As their sign says, It is indeed Time To Eat!

Dave's Burgers
3396 Atlantic Avenue
Long Beach, CA 90755
(562) 424-3340


I'm from LA Trick