Happy Thanksgiving 2008!
From Mrs. DanGarion and myself Happy Thanksgiving to all our wonderful readers! With my holiday wishes I will share some pictures from our first Thanksgiving together back in 2005.
Black Friday, holiday food deals and specials - Fast Food Maven - OCRegister.com
Black Friday, holiday food deals and specials - Fast Food Maven - OCRegister.com
Just wanted to give a little love to Nancy over at the OC Register who put together a nice list of Black Friday and holiday deals on food. Highlights include extended happy hours at Charlie Palmers in South Coast Plaza, gift card discounts at various restaurants, and a free limited edition pint glass for every $50 in gift cards spent at BJ Restaurants.
Mimi’s Cafe Reopening Celebration - Irvine
Press release for Mimi’s Cafe remodel launch that is starting in Orange County. They are going to be installing full service bars and updating the decor.
MIMI’S CAFE BRINGS NEW LOOK TO IRVINE
Upscale Casual Restaurant Plans Reopening Celebration on 4030 Barranca Parkway
TUSTIN, Calif. (November 17, 2008) – Mimi’s Cafe, a collection of upscale casual dining restaurants, will celebrate the grand reopening of its Irvine restaurant with a series of community events. City officials and community members will attend the ribbon cutting on Thursday, November 20, while more than $3,000 worth of free gift cards and coupons will be offered to guests. Prior to the ribbon cutting, Wednesday, November 19 will be a day of delicious fundraising with a percentage of the day’s proceeds benefiting Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC). During these events, guests can experience the redesigned restaurant and sample Mimi’s Cafe’s new “Just Enough” – favorite menu items now available in smaller portions – and “Comfort Classics” prepared fresh daily from scratch.
“Mimi’s Cafe has been part of the Irvine community for many years. We are thrilled to share the enhanced Mimi’s Cafe dining experience with our loyal guests and new visitors.” said Tim Pulido, president of Mimi’s Cafe.
The Irvine location follows recent reopenings in San Bernardino and Laguna Niguel as the newly updated décor will eventually roll out to the 139 locations nationwide. The new design also includes a full service bar with specialty drinks including the Mimitini and Fresh Squeezed Margaritas.
As part of the Irvine reopening, Mimi’s Cafe will be raising funds for CHOC. “We are thankful for all of the years of support from Mimi’s Cafe. It’s a great way to get the community involved in a fun way,” said Zachariah Moonitz, manager of special events. Funds raised will benefit the Childlife’s program, which has aided hundreds of thousands of Orange County families.
To mark its official reopening, Mimi’s Cafe has the following community events taking place:
Wednesday, November 19
Food, Friends & Fun Day – Irvine guests can help give back to the community. With the support of the Small Guild, Mimi’s Cafe is donating 15 percent of the day’s proceeds to CHOC for everyone that presents the special flyer. To receive the flyer, please contact Jeanne Turner at jeannet@mimiscafe.com.
Thursday, November 20
Meet Me at Mimi’s – The first 75, 18-year-old plus guests at Mimi’s Cafe will receive free gift cards valued up to $100 beginning at 11 a.m. Other valuable offers will be awarded totaling more than $3,000 in giveaways throughout the day. Mimi’s Cafe West Coast director of operations, Steve Standlea; city officials, Nour Al-Hashimi and Amy Choo; and CHOC will participate in the official ribbon cutting at 10:30 a.m.
The Irvine Mimi’s Cafe is located at 4030 Barranca Parkway and restaurant hours are from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. For more information on Mimi’s Cafe, please visit www.mimiscafe.com.
About Mimi’s Cafe
Mimi’s Cafe is a collection of upscale casual dining restaurants with 139 locations in 22 states. Mimi’s Cafe is a unit wholly owned by Bob Evans Farms, Inc. a publicly traded company (NASDAQ ticker symbol BOBE) is known and loved for its full breakfast, lunch and dinner menus with high-quality, eclectic cuisine, unparalleled service and tastefully appointed décor.
About CHOC
Children’s Hospital of Orange County’s (CHOC) mission is to nurture, advance and protect the health and well-being of children.
Veggie Grill Pre-Grand Opening - Irvine
We had the pleasure of being invited to the pre-grand opening of the newest Veggie Grill location in Irvine. It was a reservation only meal provided to us free of charge! Although both Veggie Grill and Native Foods have been on our list to review, we just had never got around to dining there. I’m glad we finally made it, because the food was delicious and would have fooled most meat eaters. Their grand opening will be on Friday, November 21st, In celebration of the grand opening, the Veggie Grill will be donating 20 percent of restaurant sales to the Irvine Public Schools Foundation from Nov. 21 through Nov. 23.
We were able to sample a starter and two entrées, along with drinks, and some dessert. I’m going to do a little different then normal since this isn’t an official review due to the restaurant not being officially open yet.
Veggie Grill - Chill Out Wings ($6.25)
Veggie Grill - Santa Fe Crispy Chickin’ ($8.95)
Veggie Grill - Chipotle BBQ ($8.50)
Chill Out Wings ($6.25)
Bite sized chillin’ chickin’ with our tangy BBQ sauce. These were great, they had near chicken consistency, just a little softer then real chicken. The white sauce is the chipotle ranch.
Santa Fe Crispy Chickin’ ($8.95)
Crispy fried chillin’ chickin’, lettuce, tomato, red onion, avocado, southwestern spiced vegan mayo. Mrs. DanGarion commented that she probably would order it without the mayo next time, but she liked it. It had a lot of spiciness to it. The chickin’ had a little firmer consistency then the wings.
Chipotle BBQ ($8.50)
Shredded veggie-steak, marinated in our tangy BBQ sauce, with chipotle ranch, caramelized onion, lettuce, tomato. I liked this a lot the veggie-steak actually held together and fought me when I tried to bite it, like real steak would. My one problem with this sandwich is that it had a sort of cigarette smokiness to it that some people could be put off by.
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- Veggie Grill - Chill Out Wings ($6.25)
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- Veggie Grill - Santa Fe Crispy Chickin’ ($8.95)
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- Veggie Grill - Chipotle BBQ ($8.50)
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- Veggie Grill Enterance
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- Veggie Grill Counter
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- Veggie Grill Drink Station
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- Veggie Grill Sign
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- Veggie Grill Store Front
We didn’t get a picture of our dessert, which was carrot cake, but it was really good, the frosting had the perfect sweetness to it.
Rating: 
the Veggie Grill
The Irvine Spectrum
71 Fortune Drive
Irvine, CA 92618
Phone (949)727-9900
Koo’s Catering Truck - Tustin
This will just be a quick review of the Sweet Rice Pan Cakes called Hotteok from Koo’s Catering Truck in Tustin that is located just in front of Freshia Market. I’d heard about this truck from O.C. Weekly back when they had the cheap eats 2008 and tagged it as something I’d like to try out. Friday night after we had dinner at Mini Cafe in Santa Ana the Mrs. and I trekked down Red Hill to Koo’s. As we entered the parking lot I was expecting to see a catering truck, since I have seen pictures of said truck on Yelp, but instead of a truck there was a small cart that an Asian man and woman were sitting/standing at waiting for customers. I’m assuming they just use the cart now since it’s probably less expensive then a whole truck.
Koo's Catering Truck - Hotteok
Regardless I ordered two of the only thing they sell, Sweet Rice Pan Cakes and brought them back to the car for the Mrs. and I to try. The first thing I noticed is that although they didn’t appear to be hot from the outside, the pancakes were nearly molten hot inside! Mrs. DanGarion took the first taste and declared it inedible, she didn’t like the fact that the pancake tasted like it was undercooked. But she tends to be a little less adventurous then myself and can be picky about her sweets. I took a bite and I really enjoyed the chewy consistency. It’s hard to describe exactly how the pancake tastes since I’d never had something like it before, but the flavors were very familiar, a slight sweet brown sugar flavor and maybe just a little cinnamon. It’s probably not for everyone but I enjoyed the doughy rice pancakes and was happy to get to eat not only the one I ordered for myself but also the one that the Mrs. didn’t approve of!
My rating
Rating:
Mrs. rating
Rating:
Koo’s Catering Truck
14551 Red Hill Ave.,
Tustin, CA 92780
Their hours in Freshia Market’s parking lot are weekends only,
Friday 5pm-10pm and Saturday and Sunday morning to night.
Tacos Baja To Open In Santa Ana
Tacos Baja which claims to have the #1 rated fish tacos in LA will be opening up shop in Santa Ana soon. I’ve never tried the LA version of this establishment but I’m a big fan of fish tacos and can’t wait to see what the Santa Ana version tastes like! Tacos Baja will be located where JJs Hawaiian BBQ and Sushi used to be on Grand Ave. I will report back with the grand opening date once I receive word from the owners.
Tacos Baja Opening Soon.
Tacos Baja
Santa Ana, CA
2050 N Grand Ave
714 542 2665
Mini Cafe - Santa Ana (Review #2)
Mrs. DanGarion and I visited Mini Cafe in Santa Ana last night for dinner and it was once again a great experience. I don’t know any other place where one can order a combination of chicken and steak fajitas for only $6.25!
Mini Cafe - Combo Fajitas
I raved about Mini Cafe a couple a weeks ago when I tried them for breakfast and since then I’ve gone there on a couple other occasions, each time my experience has been as enjoyable as the first. I can’t understand how chef Mario can afford to keep his restaurant open with the prices he charges his customers. I had the combination fajitas which included beans, rice, and salsa ($6.25);
Mini Cafe - Combo Fajitas
no guacamole, cheese, or sour cream but trust me you don’t need them! Mrs. DanGarion ordered a cheeseburger ($3.50) and onion rings ( extra $1.00 to replace french fries). For our food and two sodas our total bill was just over $13. Other then at a fast food restaurant, I don’t know any other place where you can get two meals for such little damage. Not to mention this food is great! I saw the fresh chicken and steak tossed on the grill, along with the included veggies. The cheeseburger wasn’t anything to praise to the gods about, but it was just standard no frills flair which hit the spot perfectly for the Mrs. In addition to the food we ordered we even got a free appetizer as we waited for our meal; chips covered with some beans and salsa! (side note I usually catch up on my OC Weekly reading while I’m there, but I couldn’t because I had to savor our chips!)
Mini Cafe - Appetizer
Service was great as always, from my observation it’s a full on family run business, Mario, his wife, and their children are there at various times cooking, running the register, and serving food, and they always have a smile. Mini Cafe is the best bang for your buck that you can get in Orange County.
Visited on 11/07/08 for dinner at @6:00 PM
Rating:
Mini Cafe
2370 N. Tustin Ave. Unit #C
Santa Ana, CA 92705
714-648-0891
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