Nino's (Bixby Knolls)

I'm back with another great find. Natalie and I went to Nino's for date night a few nights past and its time for me to review our experience for you, my adoring fans. Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but I still need to get you the lowdown on this wonderful dining experience.

I was not sure how busy they would be so I called ahead and made reservations. When we got there it was empty so we were sat and quickly attended to. Our server was nice and genuinely interested in our dinning experience, which is always nice. Not to mention he had awesome hair! The decor is totally Italy with wine grape motif, all the fixtures, and the stylistic painting and booths. It was a quaint Italian restaurant.

I wanted to have a beer, since I don't regularly drink during our date night i was going to go light and asked if they had Birra Morretti, one of the better Italian beers. Unfortunately they did not. But they did have another beer which I had never tried. When our server came out he said it was the last one. The beer he brought out was "Oro di Milano" roughly translated to "Gold of Milan". Coincidently, Milan was one of the few cities that Natalie and I did not go to while we traveled around Italy, so I'm not exactly sure to the authenticity of the label's claim. The beer was a rich golden wheat color and was fresh and crisp. I drank it straight from the bottle and I found that it was complimentary to the rest of my food. Since I was not planning on having several drinks, the fact that they only had one Oro di Milano was a good things because I could have ordered a few more. It went down easy and the price was right $3.75.

I ordered an Italian Sausage pasta with thick rottini noodles and mushrooms and Natalie ordered the Spaghetti and Meatballs. We also got an appetizer of fried mozzarella with marinara sauce. It was very good and came out looking familiar to crab cakes, large and flat. We gobbled them up! Our dinner was set down right as we finished. The food was so filling that we took home lots of leftovers which turned into a big mess. The leftovers were put into flimsy to-go boxes and leaked oil all over the car mat. Natalie was bummed out and told me her car smelled like an Italian kitchen for a few days.

Let's get down to the ratings!

Value: Overall, pretty darn good. Great vibe, very Italian with good food and a pleasant staff. We also got to meet the owner, and that is such a great quality of a local restaurant. Good price for a hearty amount of food. 4 Stars!

Food Quality: The food was good quality and seemed to  be made with care and fresh ingredients. The mozzarella was really good, but the main courses were pretty bland and lacked pizzaz. Good price point and really quickly prepared. 6 Seconds.

Category: This is your classic Italian Restaurant. 'Nuff said! 10 out of 10!

Summary:

Value: 4 Stars (out of 5)

FQ: 6 Seconds (Out of 10). Bland food. . .

Category: 10 (out of 10) Italian Sheek!

Verdict. . . Worth the trip, take a date and cuddle up in the booth!

Cheers!
Troy@BonVivant

Nino's Italian Restaurant

3853 Atlantic Avenue  

Long Beach, CA 90807-3505
(562) 427-1003

The Peppercorner (Long Beach)

Good Morning from the Peppercorner! This is the last post from Courtney's Visit and I'm excited that we're at the Peppercorner to eat breakfast before we send her home. If you are a long time Long Beach native then you'll know that this location has changed venues several times. The last time I lived in Long Beach this was the Americana Cafe or something of that ilk. It was okay as the Americana but it is pretty darn good as the Peppercorner. For the sake of the reader I am going to abbreviate Peppercorner to PC.

So, I ordered a veggie burger with fries and a side of biscuits and gravy. I wanted some breakfast, but I also wanted to eat a good veggie burger, so I splurged and ordered both. The food came quick and was good all around: as you can see by my two plates and what was left of Courtney's Bacon and Eggs. They were good too! All in all I really enjoyed the food. 

Let's talk Location. The PC is on a corner which makes its name cheeky. The wait staff is generally nice, but they don't really make you feel welcome, or wanted. They keep to themselves mostly. They have one big TV and it was on NFL pregame which is a bonus for me. The patio is nice and some people bring their dogs and they sit with them on the patio while they eat breakfast. The music was also pretty good. Seemed like something I might have picked from Pandora.

Da' Ratings!

Value: Cost to Portions was awesome. Clean, friendly (but not overly). Great Patio, but no real vibe inside besides lots of pepper shakers painted and put on mini shelves (they must really love pepper!) I give it 4 Stars.

Food Quality: It's hearty! Not supper flavorful, but I enjoy bland food sometimes. They get American Breakfast right on. The veggie burger is good too, so I can say good breakfast and lunch. Good food for good prices, right on point. 7 Seconds.

Category: American Cafe: Seems a little too big to be called a cafe. When I think Cafe I think intimate and small, PC has lots of room and a huge outdoor patio. The food is "dinner", not so much cafe. if you called this a dinner you would be more accurate. The artsy Pepper Shakers are trying to be cafe so that's where I'm going to rank it. Clean, friendly service and decent food. 7 out of 10.

The Round Up!

Value: 4 Stars (Out of five)

FQ: 7 Seconds (Out of Ten)

Category: 7 (out of 10)

Worth s try if you want some comfort food!

Cheers!

Troy@BonVivant

The Peppercorner

601 E Broadway
Long Beach, CA 90802

(562) 435-4030

Pizza Pi (Long Beach)

Hello once again from inside the mind of your Flogger (Food-Blogger)! I like that, sounds very cruel. I’m going to force these food ratings down upon you with poetic style! Well, maybe not so much, but I hope you enjoy them anyway.

Anyways, I feel like I should apologize for all the Long Beach Restaurants. It’s not that I only eat in Long Beach, but since Natalie and I have just moved in to the neighborhood we have been experimenting with the local cuisine!

After eating at Le Creperie, my dad said he wanted to eat somewhere cheap, where they had pitchers of beer and most importantly the Oregon-Stanford football game. So, I jumped on the ol’ i-phone to find a good pizza place to walk to. I knew about Broadway Pizza on Broadway, but that seems more like a to-go place or a lunch place so I stumbled upon Pizza Pi, which to be honest, I’ve passed a hundred times and never seen. We walked two whole blocks to get there. It was nestled into some Ivy with a nice covering of trees. When we entered it was nearly empty, it was only five pm, and we were very early for dinner. We sat and ordered some beers. They had a good selection and everything was available in pitchers. We first got a pitcher of Allagash White ,which was another Witbier and I was not impressed. It seemed to have a chalky residual taste. I drank my pint and was not happy with that choice at all. While we drank our beer our appetizer came out, the infamous Pizza Skin, which was a pizza with garlic sauce and cheese. It was awesome! So good I could have ordered three more. We finished that and were ready for another picture, but my dad, the number one lover of cheap tasteless beer, wanted a cheap tasteless beer! I suggested Pabst Blue Ribbon and he said that it was too bad to drink. He really confuses me sometimes, so he ordered a pitcher of Bud and I ordered a pint of Stone Brewery’s IPA. Generally I’m not that much of an IPA drinker, but I wanted to try it. For an IPA I found it less biting than some others with a much cleaner taste than say Sierra Nevada. It came out with our pizza, an XL Roasted Garlic with grilled chicken breast, sun dried tomatoes and sage. It was a choice that everyone at the table could enjoy.

We dug in and were soon too full to move. It feed everyone no problem. The game came on and we were all content just to sit and watch for a while. My dad said we could leave and he would stay, but he is directionally challenged and we stayed for a while longer. The service was great.

Give Us Some Ratings Already!

Value: Great value, cheap pizza for huge portions! The beer can get pricey, but they did have $8 pitchers of Bud. If you like Bud you really can’t complain. The atmosphere was a little dingy, but that is kind of what I like about a good pizza joint. Great food and beer selection. 5 Stars!

Food Quality: The food was good. I think if Natalie and I went there alone it would have been much better! When you are trying to compromise between five people who all have very different eating habits it makes it so that no one really enjoys the pie, but we made a great discovery with the Garlic Pizza Skin! Let’s give it a 7 seconds out of 10 with a side note, if we ate there with just the two of us, it would probably be higher than that. I’ll leave room for potential.

Category: Pizza Joint. Checkered table cloths, concrete floors, one big TV, lots of beer selections, kind of dingy. . . 10 out of 10. This is what I want in my pizza joint!

Take us to the Finale!

Value: 5 Stars!

FQ: 7 Seconds (out of 10)

Category: 10 (out of 10)!

Reminds me of my College Days in Baton Rouge! Yummy Pizza for a great price!

Cheers!

Troy@BonVivant

Pizza Pi

649 E. Broadway

Long Beach, CA 90802

562-437-0555

Le Creperie (Pine Ave Long Beach)

           Hello my dear friends and fellow foodies! Today I will let you into the mind of your second favorite food critic. I’m not sure who your first favorite is, but its best to be safe and humble. What is important to me is that you go to these places, try the food and then tell them you heard about their restaurant on my blog!

            So in that spirit, I am going to review the restaurant that started it all. You see, we were eating at Le Creperie on Pine street when the most amazing desert came out. I ate and died! It was so good. I took a photo and sent it out over Facebook. Not but a few days later Natalie was having a conversation with some of her co-workers and one of them suggested I create a blog about the places we ate and that I would be a good food critic. So, here we are, back at Le Creperie for a second round, just to make sure it lived up to the memories!

            One of the best things about living downtown in a large city is the close proximity to places. We walked one block to the $1 a night parking lot (5p-7a) to meet Nick and Lisa, Natalie’s brother and mom. From there we walked the three blocks to Le Creperie. Not knowing how crowded the Restaurant would be on a Friday night I had called ahead and made reservations. We were promptly greeted and seated and our waiter came out to take our drink order. She was on it. I delayed my selection so I could pick out the perfect beer to compliment my dinner. Last time around I ordered a “course”, which is four 4oz. bears for $11. It is a great value, but I ended up ordering beers that were not complimentary to what I ate. I was determined to order something that made my dinner even better. Our waitress brought out the drinks. Le Creperie has an amazing selection of beers from all over the world, plus a full service bar and a great wine selection. They really took their time in selecting the best choices in each category. My dad was disappointed that they did not have Natural Light, I’m being completely serious, but he settled for a Budweiser and was happy.

Depollo! Mmmmm Good!

            Everyone was so intent on getting their crepes that we did not order an appetizer. Three people ordered the Carbonara, a delicious grilled chicken breast in a light garlic parmesan cream sauce with pesto and bacon. This was the dish I ordered the first visit so I wanted to try something new, but I knew they were in for a treat. Two ordered the French Riviera (chicken breast, artichoke hearts, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese with a sherry cream sauce) and my mom and I ordered the Dipollo. Being that we live in SoCal, I believe they pronounce it De-Poyyo like it would be in Spanish, but in France I have a feeling it would be De-Polo. Either way, the crepe is a blend of fresh wild mushrooms and herbs in a sherry cream sauce. You can chose chicken, ham or turkey and I went with the chicken. I also had selected my beer. I decided on an Eclipse. For those of you who are not beer snobs, an Eclipse is a Blue Moon (a Belgian Wit) topped with half a pint of Guinness (Irish Stout). The combination is not as heavy as a dark beer and has the fresh crispness of the Belgian Wit. It was the perfect beer for the Depollo. I tell you, we were not disappointed. Those crepes were gone by the time I looked up from my plate.

            For our final course we ordered some Sweet Crepes. Most of us were pretty full so we decided to only order three for the table. Natalie swore by the Chocolate Chocolate (chocolate crepe with Nutella, strawberries, vanilla ice-cream and whip cream), Lisa wanted the Nepoleon (strawberries, vanilla crème brulee custard and a carmelized crust, vanilla ice-cream and whip cream) and the final selection was put in by Courtney who ordered the Latin lover (nutella, lots of bananas, vanilla ice-cream and whip cream). We all dug in. Here’s where I experienced my first issue of the evening. I ended up eating mostly the one I didn’t like. It had nothing to do with the crepe, I’m just not a huge fan of bananas on or in my deserts. My Mom monopolized the Chocolate Chocolate, which I should have known was going to happen, she loves her chocolate. It was not a big deal, as everyone enjoyed their evening and Natalie and I were championed for how good Le Creperie was.

Le Ratings:

Value: Portion to price is very comparable and I’ve always left feeling very full. The restaurant is the spitting image of cleanliness and the ambiance and décor are awesome. I was a little disappointed by the live music. The performers were singing out of key and they were sorely educated on how to use their Bose sound system. If you are going to spend $3000 on music equipment, please learn how to use it in every room. The service is very friendly, although at one point in our meal someone at our table (who will remain unmentioned) asked if all the male waiters were homosexual. I said it was possible, but asked why they thought so. They responded with, all their shirts have sparkles and are tight. Thought that was a funny tid-bit. To top it all off, Le Creperie has some of the nicest restrooms I have ever been in and they were spotless! Let’s give Le Creperie 5 Stars!

Food Quality: Yummy! I have yet to be disappointed. The food is delicious and worth the money. It comes out super fast and doesn’t stay on the plate long. It’s not inexpensive, but worth the price. . . 9 seconds.

Category: They call themselves a Bohemian Café, which is all well and good until you notice all the TV’s throughout. It is truly sad that everyone feels that there must be a TV in every corner of every restaurant. It is the rare case that we go anywhere that doesn’t have TV’s everywhere. I will comment on the awesome arch near the back of the building. It is lit from within and the blue glass marbles light up so wonderfully. I really enjoyed sitting near it. Bohemian Café or not I give Le Creperie a 7 out of 10.

Le Summary (Sorry about all the bad French!)

Value: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

FQ: 9 Seconds (out of 10)

Category: 7 (out of 10)

P.S. They also have locations on Second Street in Belmont Shores and a location in Chino Hills!

Cheers!

Troy@BonVivant

Le Creperie Café

130 Pine Ave

Long Beach, CA 90802

562-437-8648

Changes. . .

Well, it has come to my attention that the font I was using was a little hard to read, so I have changed it. If you would like me to repost all of the old posts in a new font, forget it, I'll do it without asking because I love you guys! Thank you for making this so fun! Over 100 hits already and its only been live for like barely over a week.


I've got two new places to try soon so there should be some fun reviews coming! Check out the two new reviews going up tonight!


Much love for all my foodie Friends!


Cheers!
Troy@BonVivant

Advertising!

Hi everybody! I don't mean to be an ad whore, but well I'm an ad whore! There are adds on my page. If you like what I'm doing, please go to these ads. It doesn't take long, but they help me support this blog. If it does well I can keep this up and supplement my expenditures on the dinners:) So, if you can, and if you love me, please visit the adds!


Cheers!
Troy@BonVivant

Rockin' Baja Lobster (Huntington Beach Bella Terra)

Hello my foodie friends! I hope this "flog" finds you all in good spirits getting ready for the Thanksgiving Holiday which is quickly approaching. I have to write this one quickly, because I'm going to try a Long Beach staple tonight with Natalie. We're going to Nino's in Bixby Knolls for date night. I will write more about that later!

So, for those of you that know me, I am a lobster and shrimp lover. It is a taste that I have grown into and I just can't seem to get enough. I first went to Rockin' Baja Lobster at the Oceanside Location and I have been coming back ever since. Well, it was an awesome discovery when my wife told me that we had our own Rockin' Baja Lobster right in the Bella Terra. So, needless to say I have been quite a few times since it has come to Huntington Beach.

I picked Courtney up from the airport (she had just flown in from Australia) and she requested some Rockin' Baja! Courtney and I jumped into the car and met Natalie there. We sat in the main dining area and ordered a round of water. I got a Sprite and we ordered the Queso Fundido for our appetizer. One of the perks of Rockin' Baja is the chips and salsa bar. I love the salsa verde, but they also have a great mango salsa. Really all of their salsas are good, so try them all. As I looked over the menu I noticed they had taken one of my favorite items off the menu. . . The Lobster Bucket! Arrrrrgghhh! I had to order the Shrimp and Lobster bucket instead. Not a huge sacrifice, but you hate to go to one of your favorite places and find your favorite item gone. It reminds me of when Islands used to have Moku Sticks, the memories!

Our food came out quick. We had barely finished the queso fundido before the buckets were on the table. I am very particular about how I eat. Before I eat anything I peel my shrimp and lobster tails (slipper lobster tails are small) and then I enjoy with clean hands. So I peeled all my shrimp and lobster and was a little disappointed to find some of the smallest slipper tail lobsters I have ever seen. The bucket is served with beans and rice, three corn or flour tortillas and butter sauce. I gobbled up all my food and was rewarded by my sister with some of her shrimp that she was not going to eat! We cleared the table and Natalie got half of her burger boxed up and we left really full.

Rating Time. . .
Value: I like Rockin' Baja and enjoy the service, food and atmosphere. The Bella Terra location is a little more hoppin' but it is still a laid back feeling. The restaurant is clean and spacious with a dinning area, a separate bar area and a nice heated patio for those crisp HB nights. The cost of the food is reasonable but not a place for a budget meal. 4 Stars.
Food Quality: Normally I can say that Rockin' Baja is always tops, but the small slipper tail lobsters this trip bummed me out big time! I might have had the last of the lobster tails, but seriously I just paid $30 for that bucket give me some good ones! All the other food was awesome and the Salsa Verde was particularly spot on this evening! This trip gets a 8 Second Rating.
Category: This is a newer category in food, the Contemporary Mexican Seafood Restaurant. Rockin' Baja pulls it off better than most. Surfboards on the walls, and bright vibrant colors makes this dinning experience a memorable one:) 8 out of 10.

Round Up!
Value: 4 Stars (out of 5)
FQ: 8 Seconds (Out of 10)
Category: 8 (out of 10)

Go and reap the shrimp and lobstery goodness. . .

Cheers!
Troy@BonVivant

Rockin' Baja Lobster
7811 Edinger Ave., Suite 100
Huntington Beach, CA 92647

Hole Mole (Long Beach) on 4th and Almond

Hello Everybody! I'm back again with another food blog or Flog if you're one of those word combining people! Today I am reviewing Hole Mole in Long Beach on 4th and Almond. Now I have been to all the Hole Mole's with exception to the one in Whittier, but this location is the best for many reasons. It is the largest location with an outdoor patio and large indoor dinning area. The Parking is sufficient, but if the lot is full then you can always find a spot right on 4th to park.

I ordered a shrimp burrito and a bean and cheese burrito. Now most of you are going, "Damn Troy! How can you eat so much?" To answer you, yes I do eat a lot of food which is why I have to work out so much, but I just don't get full on the shrimp burrito alone. The bean and cheese is cheap and a great addition to fill me up. Unless you specifically order a combo everything at Hole Mole is a la carte. So don't expect chips and salsa with every order, you have to order your chips and salsa separately.

Super Duper Positives about Hole Mole:
1. Huge Vegetarian Menu! If you are vegetarian then Hole Mole is the place to eat!
2. Super Cheap Menu! From $.50 cent potato tacos to a bean and cheese burrito for $2.29 everything is a great value at Hole Mole.
3. Tastes Pretty Good! The food here tastes good. Enough Said.

Some Things I Wish They Would Change:
1. Styrofoam Drinking Cups! Come on, seriously? Who uses styrofoam drinking cups for all of their cups? What happened here? Great Vegetarian Menu and Environmental Murderers at the same time.
2. Weird Bathroom at this location. The storage room is in the same room the bathroom is in. When my father in-law asked for Salt, the girl at the counter had to go into the restroom to get the salt. So not appetizing, luckily he didn't care!
3. Salsa is not very good in my Opinion. Yep, great food, weak salsa. . .

The Ratings:
Value: Good Value here. Lots of food for a little money. Clean for the most part and friendly service. 4 Stars.
Food Quality: I really like the food, but the salsa is not very good. 6 seconds.
Category: Fast Casual Mexican 8 out of 10. Really fits it's category. I just wish that they wouldn't store food stuffs in the bathroom closet!

Recap:
Value: 4 Stars (out of 5)
FQ: 6 Seconds (Out of 10)
Category: 8 (out of 10)

I say it's worth trying, just for the awesome retro video games at this location. (Tetris and Ms. Pacman)

Cheers,
Troy@BonVivant

Hole Mole
1327 East 4th StreetLong Beach 
(562) 437-0878

Ohana Bread Crumb Cafe (Huntington Beach)

Ohana or just "Bread Crumb" to the Locals

Hello Everyone! So I am taking a break from looking for gainful employment to write this food blog! I recently went to the Ohana Bread Crumb Cafe with my sister Courtney. This is a place I have been going to for years and I just recently went back and now I get to write about it. For the record this is a HB Local favorite and can sometimes get bogged down with customers. If you decide to go on a Saturday or Sunday morning expect a minimum thirty minute wait. Luckily for Courtney and myself we went on a Thursday mid morning and found plenty of empty tables. We were seated promptly by the guy that is always there. If you've been there you know exactly who I mean. He is the friendly gentleman that calls everyone "buddy", as in "OK Buddy?" or my personal favorite "Here you go Buddy".

We sat at a table by the cash register wall. One of the things I love about Ohana is that they are family owned and you know the people working there. Most restaurants have such a high turnover, but Ohana has had the same people working there for years. Feels like home which is why Ohana is such an appropriate name (Ohana means Family in Hawaiian).

Now to be honest I did not venture to try anything new on this trip. I ordered my favorite, the Hawaiian omelet with hash browns and toast.

The Hawaiian is an amazing blend of eggs, ham, pineapple, brown sugar and maple syrup, topped with a healthy dollop of sour cream. I'm also a big fan of the sourdough toast. The food comes out so fast that it feels like that have it ready for you, even on busy days. The menu is simple and easy to prepare which means you almost never wait for food at Ohana. All the drinks are served in mason jars and the refills are bottomless for that thirsty person in the group. You can sit inside or outside on the patio and there is always plenty of parking.

The food was awesome (as usual) and both my sister and I were glad we drove for breakfast (hour round trip). Our total bill was $24 with tip (18%). Great cost for the quantity and quality of food.

A couple of tid-bits. For some reason people have a hard time finding Ohana. It is on the Southwest corner of Beach blvd and Garfield, in the corner of the strip mall on the Stein Mart Side. Also, the bathrooms are a bit weird since they are located in the back through the kitchen. To access them you have to go outside and enter through the back of the kitchen. They are always clean and well maintained, but it feels weird to go in the back door of a restaurant. Just another way it feels like home!

The Ratings!
Value: Ohana has some of the best value for a breakfast place that I've been too. The food portions are huge (as you can see by my photo) and the service is awesome. The restaurant is clean and always hopping! I am proud to give Ohana Bread Crumb Cafe my first 5 Star for Value!
Food Quality: The food here always tastes amazing, which is why I keep coming back. I've never been disappointed with any of their breakfast items. Killer portions and great beverage service (I love the mason jars!) I think Ohana gets a rating of 10 Seconds!
Category: Although it is called a Cafe, Ohana is really only a breakfast restaurant. They are open from 7 am to 3 pm everyday, but their main items are breakfast foods (although they do serve some lunch items). They have a fun, surf/hawaiian motif with a little edge, on of the family members is a big MMA guy and he has some advertising up for a training gym in HB. I give Ohana 8 out of 10 for breakfast category. The MMA stuff is a little out of place, but don't let it deter you from this amazing eating experience!

The Wrap Up!
Value: 5 Stars! (Out of Five)
FQ: 10 Seconds (No Better Breakfast Food Out There)
Category: Breakfast Cafe 8 out of 10

Go Eat at Ohana and tell them you read that they were amazing on this blog!

Cheers!
Troy@BonVivant

Ohana Bread Crumb Cafe

19079 Beach Blvd
Huntington Beach, CA 92648

(714) 960-5051

Mosher's Gourmet (Long Beach)

Hello Everyone! I'm back and I have so much to write about. The latest restaurant we went to was Mosher's Gourmet. Let me set the scene, it was Sunday Morning and it was raining and really cold out so Natalie decides that she is going to ride her bike with me while I run. We left the apartment and went down to the beach for me to get my miles in. Daily goal 8 miles. About 6 Miles in Natalie starts getting really cold. She is shaking and shivering by the time we get to Mosher's for breakfast. I am warm because I've run a little over seven miles up to this point. It's still lightly raining and we place the bike out front and go in for breakfast.

The first thing you notice is the open dining area. As you walking in the door there are booths on the right and tables on the left, but it is very spacious with high cielings. I didn't want to walk through the whole restaurant so I sat in the first booth on the right. I was dripping wet mind you. Natalie went to the restroom to change into dry clothes. Once she came out we went up to the counter to order. They don't serve for breakfast, so don't pick a table and wait around for someone to come and talk to you, it won't happen.

I ordered bacon and eggs with hash browns and toast and Natalie ordered the pancakes with eggs. We both ordered hot chocolate with milk instead of water and this was where our whole eating experience went south. The kid taking the order became very confused. he didn't understand that instead of water you just substitute it for milk. He then proceeded to ask us how to prepare our hot chocolate. I asked him if they used powder for their cocoa and he said they did. So I told him to nuke the milk for 30 seconds and bring the packets and we would take care of the rest. The food came out and we were still waiting for our hot chocolate. I mentioned this to the server and he went to get it. The milk came out and he set the cocoa packets on the table with two stirring sticks. The milk was barely luke warm. I don't think he understood hot chocolate. I brought it back to get reheated. They put it in the microwave and the server told me he would bring it out to us. When it came back out it was half empty, they had boiled half the milk and the cocoa was everywhere.

Lets get down to rating.
Value: I'm not super stoked on Mosher's. The food, service and atmosphere left a lot to be desired. Considering that the server couldn't even understand how to make hot cocoa with milk and the fact that our bill was almost $25 before tips I would say I have to give it one star out of five for value. Sorry folks, not a great experience.
Food Quality: The food was okay as far as taste was concerned, but it wasn't warm when we got it and the hot cocoa was a joke, so I would say 2 seconds. This has less to do with the quality of taste and more to do with portion size (small) and price (high).
Category: This one is hard to place. It's supposed to be a gourmet deli, but as far as breakfast is concerned it doesn't really fit into any category. The decor is New York deli photos with a hideous color scheme and a very drafty room. Added to the fact that the service was not very good I would say 1 out of 10 for category which I'm just saying is delicatessen.

To wrap:
Value: 1 Star (out of 5)
FQ: 2 Seconds (Out of 10)
Category: 1 out of 10 for Delicatessen

I'm not saying I wouldn't try Mosher's for lunch if someone was paying, but I'm not spending hard earned dollars there again.

Cheers!
Troy@BonVivant

Mosher's Gourmet
300 West Ocean Blvd # B
Long Beach
(562) 432-6267

Sushi Wok (Laguna Woods)

Boy, what a week! Normally we eat out once a week, but this week we were going to eat out four times! Hooray! The third restaurant this week was Sushi Wok in Laguna Woods. We were down in south Orange County celebrating the birthdays of two of Natalie's family members, cousin Jay and Aunt Pam.

We all agreed to go out to dinner at a Chinese/Japanese food place that Jay and his girlfriend Leslie really enjoyed called Sushi Wok. It was a short drive from their house we found it easily even though it was tucked away in a strip mall. We entered and upon inspection, the sushi bar area was on the left and the dinning room on the right. The staff recognized Jay and Leslie and we were seated promptly. They both commented on how busy the restaurant was and that they had never seen it that full. We were a party of eight and there were two other parties, one of fourteen and another of eight plus the small tables with two, three or four.

The two waiters were running around like crazy, trying to accommodate the parties and we were left in the lurch. It took ten minutes to get our drink order in and then another ten to get a food order in. I can't begin to tell you how excited I was because I never get to eat sushi! Natalie is not particularly fond of sushi and I don't really care enough to go eat it alone, so this was a golden opportunity and she told me to go for it!

Leslie order two servings of Won Ton soup for the group. It was delicious. I was nursing my Kirin Ichiban Tall through the soup and the first plate of Appetizers, some tempura shrimp, egg rolls and cream cheese wantons. There was some conversation at the table about how most of the table had never had cream cheese Wantons. I was a little surprised.

Then the food started coming out. Let me explain what I ordered:
1 Crunchy Roll, which is a California Roll covered in Crunchy Tempura (a fried batter)
1 California Roll, shrimp or crab with avocado, carrot, cucumber and white rice wrapped in seaweed
1 Dragon Roll, Crab with avocado and rice topped with Unagi (Fresh Water Eel)
1 Double Shrimp Roll, Like a California Roll with Shrimp on top and shrimp in the middle
1 Spider Roll, Crab, white rice with seaweed and a spicy sauce
1 Cucumber Roll, Cucumber, Carrots, white rice wrapped in seaweed

If you are not a fun of uncooked foods, all of my rolls would have been ok. California Law says they have to cook Shrimp and Crab, so nothing I ordered was raw.

All the rolls came out except the Cucumber roll, which they forgot, but took off the bill. It was all amazing and the food was enjoyed by everyone. Our waitress kept telling us how we couldn't eat all the food we ordered, to which Natalie responded with gusto, taking it as a challenge! I ate more than I should have, and I almost had to be rolled to the car. Plus the three Kirin Ichiban Tall Beers. I was full like I've rarely been before. Sushi can be really expensive and I was prepared to shell out a hefty sum, but Jay beat us all to the punch paying before we even got to the restaurant!

Value: Like I said before Sushi is an expensive night out, easily costing $100 between two people which I have done before you even add drinks. The prices seemed average for the sushi. The Chinese food portions which some at the table ordered seemed a bit small. The service was painfully slow, but if they were busier than they've ever been I'll cut them some slack. They were polite and cordial. The men's room was not that clean with urine all over the floor. So, for value I give it 3 Stars.
Food Quality: The food was really good. The Spider roll and the Double Shrimp Roll were particularly tasty! Everyone commented on how good the food was and I personally ate way past being full, so I think it deserves a high rating. Let's Say 8 Seconds. I was very happy with the quality of the food!
Category: Sushi/Asian Food Restaurant. It was Asian style to the core. Behind the Sushi bar was a small Sushi Chef with a big knife. Good atmosphere, but the bathroom had weird Andy Warhol Prints that seemed very out of place. I mean, I like Andy as much as the next post modern art critic, but in a Sushi restaurant? 7/10.

Let all be warned, this was the earliest that Jay and Leslie had ever come to Sushi Wok. The restaurant is located in the heart of a giant retirement Community called Laguna Woods. It was packed to the gills with Senior and their canes and walkers. If you are 25-35 go after 7p, when the restaurant clears out.

All said, great food and a fun time. The aftermath is the proof!

Sushi Wok. . . Yum Yum!

Value: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

FQ: 8 Seconds (Out of 10)

Category: Sushi/Asian Food Restaurant 7/10

Cheers!

Troy@BonVivant

Sushi Wok

24371 El Toro Rd # D, 

Laguna Woods, CA

(949) 595-0808 ‎

Park Pantry Cafe (Long Beach)

Hello again! What happens when you are so busy that you can't find time to get groceries? Yes, that's right, you run out of food! That the was the situation in our home last week. So, being the awesome husband that I am, I woke my wife up for our daily workout and instead took her to breakfast. We drove down Broadway in Long Beach and stumbled upon the Park Pantry Cafe.

There is no greater competition between my wife and I than that of "Who Loves Breakfast More", so for us it is a real treat when we go out for a sit down breakfast. The atmosphere at the Original Park Pantry is nice, quaint and honestly like Cocoa's. The one unique thing I want to point out is that they have several single booths where there is only one space on each side of the table. We sat down and ordered, 

Natalie: Pull Apart Cinnamon French Toast, Bacon and Eggs

Troy: Biscuits and Gravy with a side of scrambled eggs

The food came out so fast and looked so good that we just dove right in! The drawback to the small booths was that there were several tables that are too close together. A woman was seated next to us and she got on her phone and I felt like she was at our table talking to us. She was so loud that we felt we couldn't talk over her. She finally moved across the restaurant but her voice still carried, thank goodness she finally got off her phone!

My biscuits and gravy were good, the eggs were nothing special and I finished my plate in no time. Throughout the whole meal Natalie kept talking about how amazing her french toast was. I was getting jealous because I did not pick the French toast but after having a bite she couldn't finish (yes I waited until she was full!) I realized I ordered the wrong items! We paid $19 plus tip and left full and satisfied.

Best Natalie Quote: "I wonder how you make pull-a-part Cinnamon French Toast?"

Value: The food portions were good and the service was good. The restaurant was clean and homey which is nice for a breakfast place. The booths might be a little too close together. I don't normally justify paying dinner prices for breakfast foods, but I'll make an exception once and awhile. The Park Pantry is a good exception. I give it 4 Stars.
Food Quality (FQ): My meal was good, not average, but Natalie's Pull-A-Part Cinnamon French Toast was awesome. My mind says to average the Food Quality Score, so I would give my food 6 Seconds and Natalie's Food 9 Seconds (Yes, it was that good!) Let's Go with 7 1/2 Seconds.
Category: Breakfast Cafe. This has all the makings of the perfect Breakfast Cafe, booths, home decor, servers in pastel colors. 9/10. The Only thing missing is an elderly woman baking a pie!

So, log this one in the record books! The food was pretty darn good overall, Value would be better if the food were a little less expensive or if the portions would have been bigger and as far as category, it's one of those places that sets the standard.

Value: 4 Stars (Out of 5)
FQ: 7.5 Seconds (Out of 10 and our highest Score to Date!)
Category: 9/10 (Reminds me of Grandma's Kitchen!)

Cheers!
Troy@BonVivant

The Original Park Pantry
2104 East Broadway, 
Long Beach, CA 90803-5705

(562) 434-0451

Buono's Authentic Pizzeria (Long Beach)

Welcome to the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony! This is the first official Bon Vivant Restaurant Review and the inaugural establishment is Buono's in Long Beach on Ocean Blvd. I first noticed Buono's while running by it one morning and knowing that my wife love's Italian food and Pizza I thought it would be a great place to try. Having just moved back to Long Beach I was decently familiar with the area so we decided to head over one night after my wife got off work.

We drove on Ocean from the East and did a U-Turn to park in the metered parking in front of the restaurant. We threw in a dollar which gave us an hour worth of eating time. Being a work night, that would be plenty. We walked past two other store fronts, one coffee shop and a wine bar to enter the restaurant. When we entered we were immediately greeted and informed it was open seating. The dinning room was empty and we moved to the back of the restaurant. We sat in a comfortable booth with a view of the soda machine (kinda weird) and the side of the buffet. The server was a young woman who came over and told us about the specials and the buffet. We were informed that the buffet was $9.99 a person and it was all you can eat, four styles of pasta and pizza with a salad bar. The buffet is every Tuesday through Thursday evening and the items change daily. We were also told that they run the buffet everyday for lunch. We looked at each other and both picked the buffet, not that I needed it!

She took our drink orders and went to fill them while we got up to go to the buffet. Now that my wife is pregnant she eats almost as much as me so it seemed like a pretty good value. The Salad bar selection was good as far as toppings were concerned, but only provided one type of lettuce, a cross between romaine and iceburg. They had several dressings and they were homemade and tasty. There were not four kinds of pasta but three, a bowtie alfredo with herbs, a chicken rottini with cheese and red sauce and last but not least a very hearty cheese ravioli. There was also a serving dish of meatballs, sliced in half. There was some minestrone soup (which I passed on), some fresh bread and two types of pizza: cheese and pepperoni.

Back at the table our drinks were waiting for us and we dug into our food. It wasn't a minute or two before our waitress checked on us. 

The food was average, salad being salad. The bowtie with alfredo sauce was meek and the ravioli was not very flavorful. The chicken rottini was alright and the bread was fresh and warm. The meatballs were good, but didn't fit with the pastas offered. The pizza however was very good, a little on the greasy side with big dough bubbles in the crust which you never find at the fast food pizza chains. The only thing I can complain about was that after Natalie and I went through the buffet line and gathered our desired pieces of pizza, they did not refill the pizza and the selection was left with nothing but a single piece of pepperoni.

After the meal we asked another server, our waitress was missing in action, if there was a better place to park and he said that they would validate at the parking garage behind the building. He brought us our bill, around $25 and we walked to the front to pay for the dinner. Our waitress had returned and was engaging our new waiter in some conversation so we waited a few minutes at the cash register. 

So, for the official first Rating!

Value: I'm going to say that the value was good. Four stars. The amount of food for the price was definitely worth the expenditure. The restaurant was very clean and the staff were friendly. Based on Value alone I would eat here again.

Food Quality: 4 Seconds. The food quality left something to be desired. It was average and my taste buds did not feel compelled to go back after my initial pass. If this food were to fall on the ground, after five seconds it would stay there forever!

Category: If you are to take Buono's by their title, they are authentic, but I did not see any hint of Italy in this generic Italian Restaurant. The Decor was modern confusion and the only thing authentic was the giant pizza ovens in the window. The servers did not have matching uniforms, there was no music and the giant TV with the football game on it did not scream Italy. The food was lack luster and the sauces were bland. 4/10.

So there you have it!

Value: 4 Stars (out of 5)

FQ: 4 Seconds (out of 10)

Category: 4/10

Stand By for the next Installation of Bon Vivant!

Troy@BonVivant

Buono's

250 W. Ocean Blvd. Long Beach, CA 90802 562-432-2211

The Ratings System!

As I said earlier I really want to lay down the ratings system so that people understand how I rate a restaurant. I want to qualify this with a note that to the reader: If you have a good idea for rating I would love to hear it. I am open to any and all suggestions. If I do not choose your suggestion, please do not get offeneded. I am a simple fellow, plainly put my system needs to be simple so I can actually apply it. So, here goes!

Value: The simple star system is going to have to work for now. If the restaurant has great value it will have 5 Stars. If it has good value 4, Average Value 3, Poor Value 2, and if I would not recommend it on a basis of value 1 star. At some point I would like to change this rating system to make it more my own, but for now it will have to do.

Food Quality: With the help of my beautiful wife we have created a unique system to let you know how awesome I think the food is. It is the 5-Second Rule System. Let me Explain. This system defines how long I am willing to wait after food falls on the floor before I won't eat it. How long I'm willing to wait determines the quality of the food in my opinion.

1-3 Seconds: The Food is Poor to Mediocre

4-7 Seconds: The Food is Average to Good

8-10 Seconds: The Food is Really Good to Amazing and I'm Definitely Coming Back!

Category: This is an arbitrary category, but I think it helps people in deciding where they want to go. How does the Restaurant fit into its category. Let's use an Italian Food Restaurant for Example. You Walk through the door and you immediately hear Sinatra playing in the background, the booths are deep and large and there is a very large man sitting in a booth with a beautiful woman. On every table there are candles in some sort of glass votive holder and each table has a dispenser of oil and vinegar and every table has a red and white stripped table cloth. The Maitre d' is dressing in evening attire and the waiter is wearing dark slacks, a button up white shirt and a black bow tie. This is the quintessential Italian Restaurant, even if it is slightly stereotypical. It would get a 10/10.

Now that I've defined the ratings I really need to get on it! I have four great new restaurants (at least new to me) that I need to tell you about. So without further adieu, as they say, on with the show!

Cheers,

Troy@BonVivant

Welcome to the Bon Vivant Blog!

Thank you if you are reading this, the first of the Bon Vivant Blogs. You may be wondering why I started a blog about food. Well, to be honest, I love food. My wife and I love to eat out and try new places. I'm always referring my friends and family to the various places we have tried and always on the lookout for new and exciting restaurants and venues. I want to make sure that this is not just a place for myself or anyone who comments to criticize a restaurant, there are plenty of food critics out there. The intention of this blog is to create an apples to apples comparison of different restaurants based on three major components:
1. Value: Does the restaurants food quality, service, cleanliness and price live up to its reputation and would I recommend that venue to my friends and family.
2. Food Quality: It would not be a food blog if I did not talk about food. My wife helped me develop a rating system that is designed to be in good humor while giving you information on how good the food is. Everyone has heard of the 5-Second Rule. You know the one where if your food has fallen on the ground you are allowed to eat said food if the time on the ground is less than 5 seconds. Our rating system is based off of that rule. I will explain in more detail later.
3. How it rates in it's Category: For example, if the restaurant is an Italian place, how does it stack up against other Italian places.
I hope this lays a good foundation for what's to come!
See you soon!
Troy@BonVivant