Saturday, March 12, 2011

Morsels Bakery Truck...a 2nd helping...

So, I was able to track down the Morsels Bakery Truck again today...oh, how I love the Morsels Bakery Truck. I was tempted to get my favorite cupcake, the Lemon Blueberry, but I wanted to keep my word and work through the menu, and boy, I was not disappointed. Today's choices were the strawberry's and cream cupcake and the lemon raspberry cupcake.

The lemon raspberry cupcake was pretty darn good. It was a tad different than the lemon blueberry, as the raspberry was more of a raspberry puree between the cake and the wonderful cream cheese frosting. You could pretty much put the cream cheese frosting on anything and it would taste good. But, with the light cake, then the raspberry, all topped with the cream cheese frosting, it was a masterpiece. My only complaint was, the raspberry did not come through as much as I would have liked, but it was still a harmonious cupcake, and (I'm not ashamed to admit) I could eat 4 in one sitting.

 
Then there is the strawberry and cream cupcake. It was a nice light vanilla cake, topped with the cream cheese frosting and fresh strawberries, then drizzled with strawberry sauce.  Usually when you get a vanilla cupcake, it can tend to lack flavor, but not at the Bakery Truck's vanilla. You take that nice vanilla flavored cake and top it with pure goodness cream cheese frosting and strawberries, you are going to have an instant winner.


The girls in the Morsels Bakery Truck are always so nice and willing to answer any questions you may have. I love the Bakery Truck so much, I even bought 3 cupcakes to take over to my Uncle's house to pass the word along about how good this truck is. I am already planning what I want to have at my next visit...maybe the lemon coconut or the vanilla raspberry. I may have to get another lemon blueberry to wash them down with!


http://morselsbakingco.com/

Albatros

Visited Albatros the other day...having read so much about it on Yelp, I figured I would give it a try because there can never be too much good Mexican food. Albatros is a small local fast food Mexican restaurant in a little strip mall next to Lake Forest Lanes. The place is pretty bare and undesirable inside, but I am more focused on the food, than the paint color of the walls.

On our visited we had a carne asada burrito, a California burrito, and chips with guacamole and cheese on top.

The carne asada was good, the meat was cooked well and had good flavor, and was in a homemade tortilla. I like more fixin's in my burrito as this was about 75% meat, some onions and pico de gallo. I added some of the green salsa from their salsa bar, and it did add another depth of flavor to the burrito.


Ahhh, the California burrito, how I miss you. This burrito was packed with flavor. It was filled with carne asada, cheese, sour cream and some french fries, and again wrapped in a fresh flour tortilla. You need to come hungry to eat this burrito, because it is definitely a belly filler.


Not realizing how big the burritos were, we ordered chips topped with guacamole and cheese on the side. This could have been a meal in itself. The guacamole was nice and fresh and had good flavor and there were two varieties of cheese for even more flavor.


I enjoyed the food at Albatros, but not the environment as much.  When I return, it will be a to-go order. They have a large and extensive menu filled with everything you could image, I recommend you give this place a try, but make sure you bring cash, as they do not accept ATM or Credit Cards.

Albatros
23591 Rockfield Blvd #G
Lake Forest, CA 92630
(949) 859-9600

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Quest for the Best...Looney Donuts

I have driven by this donut store a few times and have wanted to stop in...but life usually gets in the way. However, the other morning, I actually made the stop and was pleasantly surprised.  The employees were very friendly - they actually said good morning to me, and the prices were very good. The 3 donuts below were only $2.60. The store was very clean, and they had a large selection of donuts from which to choose.
 
The maple bar was ok. The cake part was a little denser than some other maple bars I have tried recently. I could tell it was little too greasy, because the after taste was grease, instead of maple. The maple topping, is more like a maple cream (which I prefer), and not a thin layer of maple glaze. It was good, but I would have preferred more maple on top because the maple flavor didn't come through on each bite as I would have liked. Unfortunately, the taste of the grease was too overpowering.
 
 
The chocolate cake donut with peanuts on top, was five stars. The cake part was really moist and cooked to perfection. This donut had more of a chocolate creamy top, that was fresh and loaded - I mean loaded - with chopped peanuts. It is by far the best offering so far in my quest for the best chocolate cake donut.
 

 
The rainbow sprinkle donut was good. The cake part of the donut was fresh tasting, but was a bit dry. The glaze on top was very good though. Even with a drier cake than I would have preferred, the donut had a better overall flavor than the others that I have eaten.  
 
 
Looney Donuts, is a good place to stop for a morning donut. The staff is friendly and the prices are good.  I probably wouldn't order the maple bar again but, with their excellent selection, I will have fun trying all of the other donuts that this little shop has to offer.
 
Looney Donuts
7520 E Chapman Ave # C
Orange, CA 92869
(714) 771-7130

Thursday, March 3, 2011

D W Subs & Sub-Zeros

I have been going to D W's for over 20 yrs...I first discovered the place while I was a student at Esperanza High School. Now, I work 2 blocks away and visit for lunch as often as possible.  I get the added bonus of fond memories in addition to the great food.

I always order the Roast Beef Club..it comes with roast beef, lettuce, onion, mayo, bacon, avocado and of course my favorite, the Italian dressing...I love it, love it, love it....In a perfect world, I would be able to buy bottles of this Italian dressing to use at home. Every time I visit, I always say I will try a different sandwich today, but always end up getting my old faithful roast beef club.


Their garlic bread is also a good bet....it's topped with tomatoes and melted cheese and (of course) drizzled with the famous Italian Dressing... The bread is fresh and it comes to you all warm and gooey with the cheese melting on top. Perfection!


The owner, who works behind the counter 95% of the time, still remembers me from high school, and knows my order as soon as I walk in the door...



D W's offers at least 30 different kinds of sandwiches, the pizza sub and bomber are also very popular among those who visit.

I highly recommend this little sandwich shop. You might want to time your visit so that you miss the "rush" as the high school gets out because the kids like to order and then hang around - so it can become a bit crowded.

D W Subs & Sub-Zeros
5031 E Orangethorpe Ave
Anaheim, CA 92807
(714) 779-2618

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Quest for the Best...Donut World

I have grabbed some donuts from Donut World a few times and the donuts are always fresh. The employees (I am sure they are actually the owners) could use some customer service training, and the prices seem kind of high compared to a few other donut stores I have visited. In addition, they charged me 49 cents to use my ATM/Visa Card, without even telling me or having a sign that states that there would be a surcharge for debit/credit purchases.  The 3 donuts below were $3.19. But, lets get to the real bottom line, the taste of the donuts.

The maple bar is probably one of the best I have had recently, the dough is light, fresh, and soft. It felt like it was made 15 minutes before I walked in. The maple topping is more of a maple cream, and not the usual thin layer of maple glaze. It is really really good. You get that little hint of grease taste so you know you are eating bad. After eating this donut, I was satisfyingly full. The donut was so fresh, that the maple cream on top was still warm, so by the time I got to work, it was all messed up (which is a pet peeve of mine).


The chocolate cake donut with peanuts on top, was excellent. The cake part was really moist and cooked to perfection. This donut had more of a chocolate fudgy/creamy top, that was fresh and had the perfect amount of chopped peanuts.


The rainbow sprinkle donut was pretty good also. The cake part of the donut was fresh tasting. It wasn't too dense, and it had a good ratio of frosting on top. Nothing special, it is a rainbow sprinkle, but overall a good donut.


If you have a donut craving, I would recommend you stop by Donut World.

Donut World
27672 Santa Margarita Parkway
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
(949) 837-5308

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Quest for the Best...Donut Star

Two of my co-workers and I are on a quest to find the best donuts. It is our goal to try every donut store we can find, and see how their donuts stand up to the rest.  The Donut Star in Anaheim, Ca was our first stop on this journey.

I have been eating at this particular Donut Star since high school. The donuts are always fresh tasting, but there's nothing too special about them. The employees are nice and helpful, and the prices seem good compared to a few other donut stores I have visited. The three donuts below only cost me $2.35.

The maple bar is always a good choice because the dough part is light and fresh. You get that little hint of grease taste so you know you are indulging. I am not a fan of donut stores were the cake/dough part is not a little greasy. When I splurge on the calories and eat a donut, I want it to taste that way.  It has a light maple glaze on the top, that always looks prestine.


The chocolate cake donut with peanuts on top, was ok. The cake was a little crispy, like it wasn't as fresh or maybe it was a bit over cooked. But, the chocolate icing and chopped nuts (a lot of chopped nuts) on top were good. It did leave a little bit of a weird after taste though.


The rainbow sprinkle donut was better. The cake part of the donut was softer and fresher tasting. It wasn't too dense, and it had a good ratio of icing on top.


 This Donut Star is always a safe bet, for a good tasting donut.

Donut Star
5031 E Orangethorpe Ave
Anaheim, CA 92807
(714) 779-0662

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Morsels Bakery Truck

I was finally able to catch up with the Morsels Bakery Truck this weekend!  I have been looking forward to this moment since the OC Foodie Fest in Aug 2010.

At the OC Foodie Fest, I had the strawberry cream puff. The pastry was light and tasted freshly baked, not overly sweet. There were nice slices of fresh strawberry inside along with a hefty serving of whipped cream, drizzled with a little strawberry sauce. It was one of my favorite items at the OC Foodie Fest.

Today, we caught up the Bakery Truck at SoCo Famers Market in Costa Mesa. Our choices for today were the Lemon Blueberry cupcake and the Strawberry Banana cream puff.

The Lemon Blueberry cupcake was FANTASTIC, with a capital F. The cake was nice and light with a subtle lemon taste. It was topped with their signature cream cheese frosting and blueberries. The cream cheese frosting should be illegal, it is that good. All the flavors went together perfectly. I was tempted to go back and get another one, but figured I needed to exercise a little will power. You can see the before and after pictures.



The Strawberry Banana cream puff was also very good, with the light pastry, fresh strawberries and whipped cream that I remembered from OC Foodie Fest. The banana was a nice little twist to something that I already knew that I liked. I would have liked a little bit more strawberry sauce drizzled over the top, but it was still definitely very good.



So far, my first choice is still the Lemon Blueberry cupcake, but I look forward to tracking down the Bakery Truck again, and eating my way through the rest of the menu. Who knows what my next favorite will be......

http://morselsbakingco.com/