Del Taco Grand Opening - Ontario

August 22, 2008 · Filed Under OC Food News · Comment

Just wanted to let those of you that live in Ontario near Jurupa and the I-15 that there is a new Del Taco that officially opened up yesterday. I went there today to pick up some lunch and it was packed. The parking situation is going to be a little tough till they figure it out. But you get the same great Del Taco that you are accustomed to and it’s definitely in a great spot because there aren’t many choices around. I had a brief talk with the owner (Gary) and he was dressed in uniform helping customers and making sure people were getting their orders.

Del Taco
4850 E. Motor Ln.
Ontario, CA 91761

I’ve included a map for those that happen to be in Ontario and want their Del Taco fix!

View Larger Map

Tags: Fast Food, Inland Empire, Mexican

El Gran Burrito - Ontario

August 7, 2008 · Filed Under OC Food Reviews · Comment

: El Gran Burrito Chips and Salsa

: El Gran Burrito Chile Relleno and Taco Combo

: El Gran Burrito Chile Relleno

So I’m out in the fun, hot, dirt, hot, fertilizing smelling, HOT world of Ontario this week due to work so I’m doing an out from the Orange Curtain review this week as I try to not melt from the 100 degree heat of the Inland Empire.

Have you ever had one of those places that you go to out of convenience instead of the culinary brilliance of the food? Well that is how I feel out of El Gran Burrito. I’ve yet to experience a great or even good meal their, everything is just OK. It’s one of those places that normally you’d rate a 2 because of their runny beans and bland taste but you’d rate a 3 because you like Mexican Food and it’s just across the street.

Today I ordered the #4 combo, a Chile Rellenos combo with the substitution of a beef taco in place of one of the rellenos. The taco was a little greasy but the meat had decent flavor, the lettuce was fresh but there was very little cheese on the taco (yes I like my tacos gringo style!). I rarely order chile rellenos and having one today reminded me why I don’t. Now don’t get me wrong I’m sure there are some great chile rellenos out there but this one was pretty bland and just blah tasting. The rellenos was covered with a brownish sauce that I couldn’t quite figure out what the flavor was supposed to be. Included with the combo were some of the crappiest runny beans I’ve ever encountered, I should have remember to not order the beans but I forgot. The rice however is pretty good, it’s one of the redeeming factors of El Gran Burrito, although they don’t have any bits and pieces of veggies in them like some of the best places do. And of course to round out my Mexican meal I can’t forget to mention the free chips and salsa, chips are fried fresh there and the mild salsa has a nice flavor to it (medium is a tomatillo based salsa tastes a little more earthy).

Can’t really comment much about the service since you order, pay, then sit, but everyone seems nice there. Overall the place is clean; I haven’t had any issues with cleanliness today or in the past. For those that are interested they also have horchata.

Rating: (3 if you work right next door)

El Gran Burrito
4880 E Motor Lane
Ontario, CA 91762
(909) 390-4535

Tags: Inland Empire, Mexican

OCFB Review - The Taco Time - Orange

June 26, 2008 · Filed Under OC Food News · Comment

Hello as a contributor to the Orange County Food Blogs I wanted to the fans of Eat in OC know that I posted a new review exclusively over there for a hole in the wall Mexican Restaurant by the name of The Taco Time that is located in Orange.

Go check out my review!

The Taco Time
3209 N. Glassell St.
Orange, CA 92865
714-685-0051

Tags: Friends of EOC, Mexican, OCFB, Orange

Azteca Mexican Restaurant (Review #2) - Garden Grove

May 1, 2008 · Filed Under OC Food Reviews · Comment

Ok I’m updating my Azteca review, because the last one was too short and because we went there again last night.

First thing you notice when you enter Azteca is the plethora of Elvis memorabilia that adorns the walls inside. One would wonder where the connection of Elvis comes with Mexican food, but honestly who cares, it’s the King and Mexican food; two of the greatest things ever wrapped into one! Elvis music plays throughout which an Elvis movie plays on one TV, along with sporting events on their other flat screen HDTVs. This place scores a 5 on atmosphere alone, but it’s a restaurant so let’s leave the overall score up to the food.

In my previous review I mentioned that the Carnitas plate was terrific. In fact I believe their carnitas is probably the tastiest carnitas I’ve ever ordered. It was cooked to the point that it was juicy, but also had some crisp on the edges. But I didn’t order carnitas last night, no my friends I ordered Arroz con Pollo (Rice with Chicken), which is quickly becoming my favorite Mexican meal.

Our meal started with the typical Mexican fare of Chips and Salsa. The chips were unsalted, so I had to add some salt to taste. The salsa was a little bland, it needed something added to it, but it wasn’t bad, just bland.

Now on to our main course…

I must admit the only other Arroz con Pollo I’ve ever had before was from El Faralito in Placentia, which is to die for, so I had a good litmus test to gauge Azteca’s on. I was not let down on Azteca’s version of Arroz con Pollo. It was slightly different then what I’ve had in the past; it basically was just a bed of Mexican style rice along with some of their mouth-watering chicken, that’s it, nothing else; no sour cream, no cheese, and not even tortillas to eat it with. But that’s OK! It’s only like $4.75, you can order tortillas, and you have yourself a pretty good size meal, I even had enough to eat today as leftovers! Since I wasn’t sure of the size of my main dish I also decided to try one of the Garlic Tacos with shredded beef, they are the typical shredded beef taco topped with a good helping of their special garlic sauce. It’s a hit or miss depending on how fond one is with high levels of garlic, personally I enjoyed it and was happy to know that if I encountered a vampire I would be able to fend him off just by breathing in his general direction! My wife ordered a Chicken Azteca Burrito, with lettuce, tomatoes, and beans inside. It was a good size burrito with lots of melted cheese on top (I stole some of it to use with my Arroz con Pollo). She loved the burrito, probably her favorite burrito at a restaurant. Kelly is very picky with the way chicken is prepared at Mexican Restaurants because normally the chicken has very little seasoning, it’s the same problem she runs into with ground beef tacos, she likes seasoned meat, but that isn’t always typical with Mexican food.

Along with our drinks our meal was just barely over 20 bucks, not bad considering the amount of delectable food we were able to consume. Service was good, with our waiter getting my wife’s order right (she had produce added to her burrito), and also checking on us from time to time.

Rating:
Azteca Mexican Restaurant
12911 Main Street
Garden Grove, CA 92840
(714) 638-3790

Tags: Bars, Garden Grove, Mexican