Los Golondrinas

When I had my first grown up job, and I could go to lunch anywhere I wanted because it was my dime...I would go to Los Golondrinas a majority of the time. This was 15 yrs ago in San Juan Capistrano..so you can imagine my excitement when I learned that they had opened a new location in Mission Viejo which is much closer to home.

Los Golondrinas has been around for over 25 yrs, and a big part of that success is their homemade tortillas which are made on site daily so that they are soft and fresh.  They also make their own chips, salsa and guacamole daily as well.

Most of the time  I get the Big Dave. It is made with 2 flour tortillas, your choice of meat, plus salsa, beans, rice, cheese, cilantro and tomato. I always get the carne asada...I like the fact that it's chopped in small cubes and cooked, so I get carne asada goodness in every bite. 

I have also had the Chile Relleno burrito...It has a whole chile relleno, stuffed in a tortilla with beans and cheese...It is so good. Personally, I also add some salsa to mine once I get it home, but other than that - it's very, very good.

Another good menu item is the Carnitas Quesadilla. The carnitas is so tender and moist. It was probably the best quesadilla I have ever had. The tortilla was cooked to a perfect golden color, which allowed me to actually pick it up and eat it without it folding over. As you can tell, this one was also very good.

The guacamole is excellent...it has chunks of avocado, onion and cilantro. It is a little on the spicy side, so if you don't like a bit of a kick at the end, get the sour cream instead.

I must give a shout out to the sweet tamales too. Had them for the first time, and thought they were wonderful. The cinnamon raisin was my favorite. It kind of reminded me of bread pudding, nice and sweet, with a good amount of raisins. I really like the texture of the tamale. It wasn't dry, like a lot of tamales you get. I also sampled the coconut and pineapple tamale. This was a nice tamale also, but I have to go with the cinnamon raisin.

The prices for the burritos are very good, but once you add a side of guacamole, chips and salsa, it can start to add up. It's a great fast food type place, but with better quality food. It's not the type of place that you would go for a "sit down" dinner.  They do provide a couple of tables, but most of their orders are take out.  They also provide party-type trays for office parties, special occasions, etc.  Call ahead and they will have everything packaged and ready for you to pick up.

I feel Los Golondrinas is far better food than Taco Mesa, which is also located in Mission Viejo. However, they do need to work on service with a smile.

They have 5 locations throughout South Orange County, so get out there and give it a try..

Big Bear Gourmet Coffee/Teddy Bear's Pantry...

I love the Teddy Bear Pantry.....stopped by there again this weekend to pick up my monthly supply of ground delight! They have over 170 different flavors of both regular and decaffeinated blends to choose from. They use only the finest Arabica beans and feature coffee from all over the world including Hawaii (Kona and Kauai), Jamaica (Jamaican Blue Mountain), South America and Africa. All the coffee is roasted and flavored on-site, so quality and freshness are guaranteed.

Although you can get a cup of coffee there (tea, hot chocolate or apple cider too, if you like), it is not a place where you pop in and get a cup of coffee, like Starbucks or Coffee Bean..It's a place that you go and get your coffee - whole beans or ground - to use at home instead of Folgers etc....The Teddy Bear Pantry/Big Bear Gourmet Coffee has by far the freshest coffee around with none of that burnt smell or taste like Starbucks coffee...At the Teddy Bear Pantry, you can actually taste the flavor of the coffee.

As if the quality of the coffee weren't enough, the customer service is superb.  We stop by about once a month to bring coffee back to Orange County and the same lady is behind the counter and we pick up the conversation right where it ended at our previous visit.  If you can't make it up to Big Bear, you can order online at www.bigbearcoffeecompany.com.  Once you try it, you'll never drink that store bought coffee again!

My favorites are Jen's Blend, Mountain Magic, Highlanders Grog and French Caramel....

Orange Blossom Honey

I have never been one to buy honey...I have maybe (and I mean maybe) bought 1 jar of honey in my entire life, until this past weekend.

While I was at the SoCo Farmers Market in Costa Mesa, I was drawn over by a local beekeeper giving out free samples of her honey. Of course I am not going to pass up a free sample, so I headed her way. The first sample the Bee lady gave me was her whipped honey....It was good, tasted fresh and light with a nice soft texture. But, nothing I just couldn't live without. Then she handed me another sample, this time it was the Orange Blossom honey. It was so good, I had never even heard of orange blossom honey before, but in 1.4 seconds, I was a fan. It has a nice beautiful golden color, with a delicate orange flavor.

I couldn't wait to get home to search the internet for different ways to use the honey.  Use orange blossom honey in many of the same ways that you would use regular honey...drizzled over cornbread, biscuits, baked brie, french toast, or ice cream topped with fresh berries. It can also be added to peanut butter sandwiches, maybe even throw some bananas on there. I can go on and on, but will let you use your imagination for this gem.

I highly recommend the Bee Ladies Orange Blossom honey. Listed below are some local farmers markets the Bee Ladies visit regularly.

Tuesday - Seal Beach 9am - 1pm and Brea from 4pm - 8pm
Wednesday - Fullerton 8am - 1pm and Chino Hills 4pm - 8pm
Thursday - Orange Circle 2pm - 6pm
Friday - Anaheim Hills Kaiser 10am - 2pm
Saturday  - SoCo in Costa Mesa 9am - 2pm


You can also reach them at 714-408-0018 or email at justpeachybees@hotmail.com

Fun fact - orange blossom honey is produced by putting beehives in a citrus grove during bloom.

Redlands Family Restaurant

I love what the Redlands Family Restaurant stands for, good home-style cooking at reasonable prices. Went there for breakfast today, the staff was friendly as usual and the prices are always great. I can see why this restaurant has been around for 25+ years. To me the Redlands Family Restaurant is like the original version of IHOP or Denny's with better quality food and a staff that actually cares about their customers.

My friend and I decided to order three things and have a table smorgasbord. We had the Eggs Benedict (which is a special that is only $6.99 and comes with a good size serving of homes fries), the stack of pancakes (which was only $4.99) and biscuits with thick country gravy (for only $3.99)....All three were large portions, everything was cooked properly, with fast and friendly service.

The Eggs Benedict - eggs were cooked perfectly, when I dug into them, the yolk was dripping down the sides..the ham was nice and thick and had a great smoked flavor. the sauce was good...The only thing I would change is that I would prefer that the English muffin was a little crispier to give it that added crunch.

Biscuits and country gravy - were excellent..biscuits nice and soft..not those day old stale biscuits you get at some places, that feel like they have been sitting in a warming box all week. These biscuits were nice and fresh, with warm country gravy poured all over the top....

Pancakes - they were good..I have had better, but they are just your local diner type pancakes with warm butter spread all over...They add powdered sugar on top which is a nice touch. I do love the fact that they give you a huge thing of syrup..not those little tiny cups where you have to ask for 4 more.

I love going to little local restaurants that have good quality food. Then you add great prices and friendly service..I am sold...So are all the other patrons who range from the local seniors who have been going there for over 20 years, to the local college kids from the University of Redlands that is a few blocks down the road. Stay tuned for part II of the Redlands Family Restaurant post, I will be sampling the lunch/dinner menu.

Redlands Family Restaurant

107 E. Colton

Redlands, CA 92374

Louks Food Truck...

It was at the 1st Annual OC Foodie Fest back in August 2010, when I had my first experience with Louks and it was love at first bite...When I was making my pre-Foodie Fest strategy of trucks to hit, Louks was not in my top 10...But as I was getting ready to leave the Food Fest, I had room for one more truck..That is when I decided to give Louks a try. I am so glad that I did as it ended up being one of my top 2 trucks of the event. I had the chicken gyro that was layered with big chunks of tender chicken, tzatziki sauce, tomato, onion and french fries...Yes, french fries. It was the perfect ending to a great day.

I have been dreaming of Louks ever since, and saw that they were going to be at the SoCo Farmers Market in Costa Mesa today. So I thought I would rekindle my love for Louks. Today, I had the chicken gyro (yes again) and the honey-n-feta fries. The gyro was as good as I remembered with the fresh pita and tender chicken. But, the star of the day was the honey and feta fries. Slightly crispy french fries, topped with feta cheese and warm honey generously drizzled on top. Perfection. I can see why the  fries are a top seller. I was also looking forward to trying their "Louks" (desserts) for the 1st time, but unfortunately they were not ready. It just gives me another reason to plan a date with the Louks truck.

If you are out and about and come across the Louks food truck, I would highly recommend that you stop. They usually have 2 food trucks out, so they can cover a good portion of LA and the OC. 
  
Check  out the Louks website http://www.loukstogo.com/

Dessert Wine - Under $10

Resplendy Muscat de Saint Jean De Minervois........ from Narbonne, in the south of France.

The name of this wine makes it sound very sophisticated and expensive.....however, I found it for under $10 at Total Wines (5 locations in California) and was nicely surprised.  This wine is deep yellow-gold in color with sweet notes of honey, almond and caramel.  I had been searching for a dessert wine that feels like dessert - one that is truly sweet and satisfying.  This particular wine delivered with its rich and full-bodied flavor.

This wine is too sweet to be served with very rich desserts. Instead, pair it with bittersweet desserts, fresh berries, dessert cheeses or a fresh fruit tart.