Review of “Slapfish” Truck- Slapping the Food Truck Trout

I really love fresh seafood. Although if I want really fresh seafood, I have to go to an expensive restaurant where they call me Sir and scoop up my breadcrumbs between courses.  I like fancy smancy restaurant service, although I dont always want to sit through the two hour dinner experience to get a nice piece of fish. Another issue I experience with local seafood restaurants is their lack of knowledge and commitment around sustainable fishing practices.  

There I was innocently sitting at my desk contemplating lunch, thinking that I could totally go for a fresh  piece of fish. I came to the conclusion that I didn’t want a greasy fast food filet, nor did I feel like a $20 tab at a local restaurant. I went into Twitter to investigate the location of local food trucks and noticed a tweet from my friends at “SeaBirds Truck”. Their tweet indicated they will be at a new location with 5 other trucks, including a seafood truck called “Slap Fish”. I automatically loved the name because it reminded me of a 6th joke about self-gratification…but I digress.   

Before I left to the food truck lot, I visited their website and learned that they specialize in purchasing fresh seafood “directly from well-managed, family run suppliers of sustainable seafood” . I also learned that they take their sustainability pledge seriously by submitting their menu to the Aquarian of the Pacific’s sustainable seafood program for review. They had me at “fresh seafood”, but the rest was a big bonus…I’m having fish for lunch!

I asked the girl taking order what was their best item and she responded back with the standard response “everything is good” followed by “it depends how hungry you are”. I said “…blah blah ..just tell me two items that I really need to try”. She recommended the “PBLT” sandwich  (Pork Belly Lobster Tomato) and the “Fish Taco”. The whole menu looked good, the next time I will have to try the “Losticle” ( small lobster tail on a stick!)

The Pork Belly Lobster Tomato Sandwich (PBLT)

 

This sandwich starts with a toasted brioche bun and stacked with crisp lettuce, generous portion of lobster in a sweet mayo sauce, tomato and topped with crispy pork belly.This dish was “Food Porn!” This sandwich was so stuffe, I had a hard time getting my hands around this big boy. When I took a bite, the bread was fluffy, crunchy and guey all at the same time.

PBLT Sandwich (Pork Belly Lobster Lettuce Tomato)....you will make the O face too when you try it

When I bit further into the sandwich, the lobster and mayo gushed forward into my mouth and it was sweet. When I bit down and chewed on it, I tasted the savory and saltines of the pork belly and the freshness of the produce. It was a little bit of ecstasy in my mouth…I think I even pulled a little bit of an “O Face”. I would highly recommend this dish to anyone. I even liked how they garnished the paper bowl with a lettuce wedge and roasted red pepper, classy touch.

“Fish Taco”

Fish Taco with crispy fish, cabbage and two types of salsa...Amazing

When I received the fish taco I was like “Woahhhh that’s big!”  I noticed that he used a standard size flour tortilla to hold in all the ingredients and a toothpick to hold it all together. The fish  (Hake) was lightly battered and flash fried, giving its crust a light and crunchy exterior. The fish itself was  firm with a mild white flesh and a sweet and savory flavor. The taco was also stuffed with cabbage,cilantro, salsa verde, chunks of mild green chilis, and their slightly spicy tomato sauce”. My tongue was doing the happy dance in my mouth as the  sweet, spicy and savory all mixed together in a symphony of flavors. This was one of the best fish taco I have ever tasted,  It will be hard going back to a Rubios or Wahoos after this!

My final thoughts

I am very happy to discover the Slap Fish Truck.  I was eating high-end restaurant quality seafood at fast food prices, I paid only $10 for both dishes. This was an amazing price for extremely fresh seafood, made to order and using advanced cooking techniques. On my scale of 1-5, The Slap Fish Truck receive a 4.5 out of 5, a rare score on my scale. The food was amazing and even platted nicely. It is obvious that Chef Andrew Gruel and Jethro Naude take their craft seriously and bring the same professionalism to their food truck .  I will definitely recommend this Food truck to my friends and family. Good job guys…I will be back for more!

Visit their Website: http://slapfishsocal.com

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Review of The Uva Bar in Downtown Disney- Your Adult Disney Adventure Begins Here

Many foodies ask, is there a culinary pulse in the Disneyland Resort? The answer is a resounding Yes!  Many of my friends ask isnt Disneyland just for kids? I say NO! you havent learned how it make an Adult Disney Adventure. In this blog post, I will be providing one possible route to have a fulfilling  adult experience at the Disneyland Report..  You will find out by the end of this post how to feast like a suckling pigs and pull off some adult style shenanigans at the Disney resort.

Although the Disney Resort  has six noteworthy restaurants, this blog post will focus on a slightly more budget friendly experience, The Uva Bar. Like all good restaurants at the Disneyland resort, the only noteworthy restaurants are outside the Disneyland Park and inside the hotels /Downtown Disney.

The Uva Bar's Art Deco Theme shines the brightest at night

The Uva Bar is located in the middle of Downtown Disneyland, adjacent to the Build a Bear store.  If you were to casually read the menu, you might not give the Uva Bar a chance due to its limited menu. Although limited, Uva’s offering are seasonal, vibrant and perfect for a high-end casual meal. As a major plus, Uva bar serves up some really nice adult beverages 🙂

The Uva Bar is a  circular courtyard, with the Art Deco bar at the center and dining tables radiating out. Seating is on a first come basis, with a check in line at the entrance. On a non-holiday and non-convention weekend, you can expect a 5 -20 minute wait. The shortest wait I ever experience was 30 seconds and the longest was 40 minutes during the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) convention.The Uva Bar is the little brother of the Patina Group. It’s o.k. sitting at the kids table can be fun

The menu is seasonal and features “Bar Smacks”(appetizers), Entre Salads, Sandwiches and Burgers, Specialties and Deserts. The appetizers can vary widely in their portion size, so if you find something that attracts your eye, be sure to ask the waiter. We ordered two seasonal items (Tuna Tartar Tacos and the flatbread) and two semi-permanent menu items (Grilled Crostini and Manchego Cheese Salad).   Uva also features a very nice selection of  micro and craft beers, that also rotates seasonally. I ordered the “North Coast Blue Start Wheat” beer and Daniele ordered a glass of Zaca Mesa cuvee wine from their respectable wine list.  I did mention that we were doing an Adult Disney, which means that you eat well and develop a very nice buzz before entering the park (No adult beverages are served in the park 😦 … ).

Crostinis - Wonderfully executed flavors and textures

The first dish to come out was the Crostini, which was fingerling bread rolls coated in olive oil and roasted on an open flame. The crostini is then topped with a whipped ricotta, which had a lovely guey and viscous consistency. Attop the whipped ricotta was a series of oven roasted heirloom cherry tomatoes and drizzled with balsamic.. The dish had very nice aromatics from the roasted tomatoes and balsamic. When I took the first bite, the crostini was extremely crunchy and firm, although when I bit down , it was very chewy at its core. This combination of chewy and crunchy was a nice texture counterbalance.  The combination of the sweet savory of the whipped ricotta  paired  against the sweet acidity of the tomatoes and balsamic. I give this dish a 4 out of 5 on my scale,I would order it again.

Flatbread - Overall great dish with an excellent balance of flavors

The Flatbread’s seasonal flavor was a tomato base, with grated parmesan cheese, roasted yellow corn, grilled red onion, goat cheese and center cut bacon. The bread itself  was very thin in true flat bread style. The edges and parameter where very crispy and crunchy and the center was both crunchy on the bottom and steamy soft on the ingredients side.  This dish is also a study of opposing flavors. The sweetness of the grilled red onions, corn were opposed to the richness of the goat cheese. Additionally the saltines of the cheese and bacon was opposed by the sweetness of the corn, tomato sauce and canalized onions. The flatbread was excellent in flavor, but  the ingredients were spread a little too haphazardly such that each bite was like eating a completely different flatbread. This dish gets a 4 out of 5 on my scale, I would order it again and I will recommend it.

I purposely left this image rotated sideways, as that's what my blood pressure was like after eating it

The Manchego Cheese Salad was comprised on arugula lettuce, thinly shaved slices of Manchego cheese, apples, dates, walnuts and a walnut vinaigrette. I also added chicken to the dish.  Overall the presentation was well put together, although when I took my first bite, I had a hard time tasting any other flavor but salt. Sadly, it appears that the kitchen  double salted this dish on accident? My other complaint  is that the dates were too large and should have been at least quartered instead of served whole.. The walnut vinaigrette was lite and had subtle hints of walnut;a great dressing, but yet again the flavor was overpowered by the salt. I think this dish could have been fantastic, as the flavors in the recipe theoretically should taste good together. We ended up just eating the chicken off the salad, which was cooked and seasoned flawlessly. This dish was a shame.  If I had to go for a physical I would blow my blood pressure results as a result of eating this salad. I ordered an extra North Coast Wheat beer to purge my system of the salt and add a little accelerate to my adult Disney experience. This dish gets a 2 out of 5 on my scale, I should have sent it back.

Tuna Tartare Tacos– This was my favorite dish of the meal. It consisted of three crispy wonton pastries and quick fried into taco shells.The shells were light, with a clean flavor that didn’t take away from the star of the show, the tuna tartar. The shells  and stuffed with a seasoned Tuna Tartare and topped with fresh guacamole and micro greens. The tuna tartare, as per its name, is served raw. The consistency was partially cubed and partially macerated.  The Tuna and guacamole and had a very cool and smooth texture in the mouth. The flavor was fresh and light, with a slight hint of soy sauce.  After eating the three tacos I wanted to eat more; this is a sign that I really enjoyed it. This dish was a 5 out of 5 in my book, great culinary idea and execution.

My final thoughts

Overall eating at the Uva bar was a pleasant experience with good service and excellent food. With the exception of the Manchego Salad, the food  was extremely enjoyable and prepared with a lot a of thought placed on balancing flavors and textures. The location in Downtown Disney is a great place to meet with friends for a drink and a bit of food before heading into the park. After eating great food  you will feel be stuffed like a suckling pig; after downing several adult beverages you  will walk with a little swagger in your step. Next,  I recommend jumping on the monorail station located near the Rain Forest Cafe to make a quick jump in the park. Note, the monorail shuts down for about an hour after the fireworks show, so you may have to hoof it to the main entrance #epicfailure.

Overall I give the Uva Bar a 3.5 out of 5, meaning I will come back here again especially if I want something casual and with outdoor seating. Although a 3.5 also means that I might look at other options including going to some other restaurants in Downtown Disney. The only thing keeping me from giving the Uva Bar a 4 rating was the epic failure of quality control on the manchego salad.

Addendum: The Best Places in the Disneyland Resort to Eat and Drink like a Suckling Pig Before Going into the Park

Casual

• Trader Sams (located adjacent to the Disneyland Hotel- near the pool)- great for tropical drinks. Hint: Order your food in the adjacent quick service restaurant and they will deliver it to your outdoor patio table
• Uva bar (Downtown Disney)-  I think you read enough to get the drift

Formal Dinning

• Jazz Kitchen (Downtown Disney) – Order a mint Julip and try the Catfish
• Catal (Downtown Disney) –  Seasonal menu and consistently great Mediterranean inspired dishes Perhaps a nice bottle of a Central Coast California Meritage will put you in the right footing.

if you are feeling ritzy:

•  Napa Rose (connected to the Grand California Hotel) – A foodie’s Nirvana a bottle of wine is a must with this meal. You will leave with a smile
• Steakhouse 55 (next to Goofy’s Kitchen and inside the Dreams Hotel)- Order the rib-eye with a big red wine. You will leave fat and happy.

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Review of Ramos House for Weekend Brunch

This is a review of  “The Ramos House” a charming little restaurant set in an old wooden house in the historic San Juan Capistrano. Specifically the restaurant is located in the Los Rios district, the oldest residential street in California dating back to 1794.   The structure of the building is made of weathered shingles, reminding you of a house along a  lonely railroad track in a Clint Eastwood movie. Guests are seated in the central patio garden, which affords shaded natural light and views of the historic train depot. If you read my blog post about “The Vintage Steakhouse”, it is located just across the tracks.

   The sun was shining and there was a pleasant breeze coming in from the ocean, it was a nice day. The rustic setting is accentuated by their use of wood plank tables, mason jars for glasses and bunches of rosemary at the tables. The ambiance provides a feeling that you are away from the city.  

We showed up on a Sunday, looking for either a nice brunch for my Mother’s birthday. We were informed that on weekends, they only offer a set price brunch menu which includes your choice of  a drink (including mimosa), starter and main course for $35. This price seemed just a little on the high side, but decied to give it a try. The next question, could the food WOW! me enough to make it worthwhile?

The food served at the Ramos House can be described as Modern American Comfort Food with a Southern flare.  The Menu items are cooked to order and ingredients are seasonal. Based on the smells coming from the kitchne, I had really high hopes for the food.

The brunch menu includes a choice of starter, main course and beverage

Beverage (Choice of One):

• Coffee, Tea, Juice, Champagne, Etc

Starters(Choice of One):

• Small Plate of Smoked Salmon Lox w/ Herb Sauce & Toast Points
• Sweet Corn Hush Puppies w/ Sweet Pepper Jam
• Fresh Baked Huckleberry Coffee Cake
• Cinnamon Apple Bignets
• Caramelized Citrus Salad
• Small Soup or Salad

Main Course(Choice of One):

• Strawberry Basil Pain Perdu
• Wild Mushroom, Roasted Garlic & Sundried Tomato Scramble
• Smoked Bacon Scramble w/ Rocket & Caramelized Onions
• Smoked Salmon Lox w/ Herb Sauce & Toast Points
• Duck Hash w/ Wild Mushroom Eggs & Herb Sauce
• Flannel Hash w/ Fried Poached Eggs & Sour Cream Hollandaise
• Crab Hash w/ Bacon Scrambled Eggs & Sour Cream Remoulade
• White Bean Soup w/ Goat Cheese & Wild Mushroom Rillet
• Smoked Chicken Salad w/ Cranberries, Hush Puppy Croutons & Pumpkin
• Seed Buttermilk Dressing
• Mac n’ Cheese w/ Smoked Veggies & Lemon Gremolada
• Duck Cakes w/ Baby Spinach & Warm Mustard Dressing
• Spicy Crab Cake Salad

What We Ordered

Cinnamon Apple Bignets
This bignet dish came with four bite sized dark golden brown bignets served with a sugar sauce and dusted with powdered sugar. When you crack open the bignet, you can see that there are small pieces of apple speckled into the fried dough. When you bite into the bignet, the exterior is crispy from the quick deep fry; as you crunch down, the texture of the warm doughy interior erupts. As you chew further, you feel firmness and flavor of the baked apple chunks. The flavor of the bignet is sweet with a slight savory from the deep fry. The nose flavor is of baked green apples and fried bread. This was an extremely enjoyable dish  and had a good balance of flavors.

 

The Fruit and Panna Cotta

 This dish included grilled peaches slices, black berries, plums, blue berries and almond slivers – This was a simple dish but executed nicely as the low PH sweet cheese balanced well with the acidic berries and grilled stone fruit. A good light opening dish and was refreshing with eaten with the bignets.

 

 

 

 

Crab Cake Salad

 The salad had a nice bed of mixed greens including arugula, mezzula, watercress and mustard leaves giving the salad a little bit of a peppery bite . The salad appeared to be tossed with a very light vinaigrette, just enough to add body to the salad.  The salad was host to two medium-sized crab cakes. The crab cakes had a nice dark golden brown bread crumb crust and appeared to be relatively solidified together.The salad was then drizzled with a chipotle dressing 

Crab Hash w/ Bacon Scrambled Eggs and Sour Cream Remoulade.

This dish was presented nicely, although the menu name does not match the actual dish.  This dish is composed of scrambled eggs with bacon and stacked with two crab cakes (same ones on the crab cake salad), then covered in fried onions and a dollop of sour cream remoulade.

The eggs were cooked to perfection as they were fluffy and had a clean egg flavor that was accented by the salty bacon protein. The crab cakes had a great pan roasted crispiness on the outside and gooey softness on the inside.. The cakes were obviously made with real crab meat, although it appears that there was too much filler. This filler reduced the overall crab flavor of the dish. 

The Country Fried Chicken Salad

This dish had the same salad base of the crab cake salad but instead topped with two chicken loins, deep-fried in a butter milk and corm meal beading  (Southern home style).  The chicken was well seasoned and crunchy on the outside and juicy flesh. The salad was then topped with a generous drizzle of butter milk dressing. The dressing had a sweet butter milk flavor that matched well with the peppery salad and savory chicken  It was also served with two pieces of  soft and  fluffy corn bread. 

My Final Thoughts

I though that this was a charming restaurant with lots of character and very good dishes. Although, despite the good quality of the food, the  the brunch was over priced. The food just did not have enough WOW! factor to make me feel comfortable with the price tag. I give this restaurant a 3.5 out of 5, meaning it was a good dining experience and would come again, especially if I wanted to sit outdoors. Although, their set price on the weekend would act as a rate limiter for how often I dine with them. I would recommend this restaurant to family and friends, although I would explain to them what they should expect.

Some considerations before dining at the Ramos House

1. Parking can be difficult, I suggest you park across the tracks at the AMTRAK parking structure
2. This restaurant is not kid friendly (at all)- in fact they actively discourage families – If you show up asking for a kids menu, you are out of luck. Your 2-year-old will be charged $35 even if they just eat the scraps off your plate.
3. Since this restaurant is located on a patio,  it is subject to extremes of temperatures. For your comfort, blankets are available if cold and umbrellas help block the sun. Be sure to bring sun glasses.
4. This restaurant is on the railroad tracks, so expect momentary noise when the AMTRAK passes
5. The Brunch is expensive for what you get
6. You should try the bloody mary and get the scotch egg topper

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The Royal Cancun Resort Food and Wine Review: Tom’s Foodie Blog Goes on Vacation

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Review of a Business Lunch at The Daily Grill (Humus Trio and Blackened Ahi Tuna Salad)

Review of a Business Lunch at The Daily Grill (Humus Trio and Blackened Ahi Tuna Salad)

Today, I had a business lunch and had to choose somewhere quick and near the office. Based on prior experience, The Daily Grill in Irvine (Off Jamboree / Dupont)  is always quick and provides high-end fare. 

Daily Grill

 As expected, we were seated within 5 minutes of arrival and the staff was professional and prompt.

I ordered the “Humus Trio Appetizer” and the “Blackened Ahi Tuna Salad”.  The  appetizer consisted of a Kalamata olive flavored humus,  standard chickpeas humus and a roasted red pepper humus. The accompaniments included 6 triangles of pita, sliced cucumber and radishes for the folks attempting to watch their weight or gluten intake.  My first impression is that all three humus’ had a rich and creamy texture, yet

The Daily Grill Humus Trio

maintained a solid density. They sat on the plate like scoops of ice cream.

The Kalamata style humus had a purple hue and visible pieces of Kalamata olives speckled in the humus. It had a gentle smell of Kalamata and chickpea and a creamy mouth feel. The taste was a balanced savory of Kalamata and cream of the chickpea puree. The flavor was good, but I would not eat more than a couple bites of this one as it grows old after the fourth bite.

The Red Pepper Humus used roasted red peppers that provided a slightly sweet and smokey flavor and smell. as it was well-integrated into the body of the humus.The taste of the red pepper humus was actually intensified after I swallowed the humus.

The Standard Humus was well-flavored with mediterranean seasoning and reminded me of an old girlfriend you go to visit after a series of dates with strangers.

My main complaint,  not enough of the Pita on the plate. We ended having too much humus and not enough pita, a shame.  On my scale of 1-5, I gave it a 3. The score of 3 means I would order it again, but not sure if I would rush to call my  friends telling them that they have to try it.

The Blacked Ahi Salad was actually one of the better Ahi Salads that I have tried in a long time. The salad itself was a combination of mixed greens (a very good balance of sweet and pungent), carrots, red peppers, green beans and artichokes. I also noticed that there were Almond shaving in the salad, a nice touch. The dressing was an Asian Style Ginger dressing with a very pleasant flavor. For my preference, there was a little too much dressing on the salad.

  The star of the salad was of course the Seared Ahi Tuna. The sliced Ahi was seasoned with a generous dusting of paprika and lightly seared. The execution of the Ahi searing was near perfection with just a slight browning around the slices, leaving the flesh moist and naturally

The Daily Grill's Blackened Ahi Tuna Salad (Lunch Menu)

 segmented along the muscle segments. This was a very well done salad, balancing the size of the salad components to create a pleasant mouth feel and easy to consume. This second part is important for a business lunch, as you need the ability to speak quickly and swallow your food even quicker.

My main complaint of my experience today is that the  restaurant did not have the calories and nutritional information for the Ahi Tuna salad. I was provided a nutritional guide, but it did not include the lunch specials. I requested this information from the waiter, who did his best to work with the kitchen crew to calculate the calories. Unfortunately I had to leave before they could figure out the calorie count. I left my email with the Manager, who promised to email me with the calorie count. It is now 9:50 and have not heard back.  I will post tomorrow with an update if this was resolved.

UPDATE: 04/13 2:10 pm – I received an email back from the daily grill with the nutritional information. Although, I wish I would have read this before ordering, I am very pleased and feel appreciated that I received the calorie count. Base on how my email was elevated through the Daily Grill, it is obvious that they took this matter seriously. Thank you Daily Grill Management!

 

Daily Grill	Total Calories (kcal)	Calories from Fat (kcal)	Total Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)	Cholesterol (mg)	Sodium (mg)	Carbohydrates (g)	Dietary Fiber (g)	Sugars (g)	Protein (g)
Blackened Ahi Tuna Salad	1026	638	71	8	64	1495	46	15	18	53
Salad Dressing, Asian Ginger (2 ounces)	248	217	24	3	0	489	7	0	5	1

 

Overall good business lunch location with great food choices. Very fresh ingredients, professional staff and good ambience.