La Traviata (Long Beach)

Hello friends! Our (Nat and myself) Christmas eve adventure took us to La Traviata. Honestly I had never even heard of it, although it seems that many people really like it. We were driving around town in our new car. . . Natalie got a new Subaru Outback for Christmas and we stumbled upon La Triviata. We dove around the block, parked and walked to the restaurant. Upon entering, there is a wonderful feeling of warmth which is totally old world. It definitely reminded me of France or Italy with the wood work and lighting. I was really happy with the decor and there was no wait. We sat in the bar at a high table. I wasn't really hungry which was probably pretty good since the prices were up there. Definitely not your cheap night out. To add insult to injury we were a little dressed down compared to the rest of the dinners, but no so much so that we didn't want to eat there.

We ordered immediately and our waiter brought us two waters. They had no dark beers to offer, so I went with water. They did have an amazing wine selection, but because Natalie is pregnant and I don't drink wine there was no real appeal for us. We ordered Macaroni and Cheese with Golden Truffle drizzle, Wild Mushroom Flatbread Pizza and an order of Mediterranean Fries.

Lets start with the Mac and Cheese. Who knew that truffle oil on Mac and Cheese would make it worth so much? Who knew it would taste so darn good!!! Very impressed, not a huge portion, but excellent flavor and the right balance of sauce to noodle. Well done.

The Wild Mushroom Flatbread pizza was a little lack luster for me. The bread was so thin that it got soggy and floppy before it even got to our table and was hard to eat. It also came with onions which Natalie doesn't like so she ended up taking most of the toppings off. It never mentioned onions on the menu.

Mediterranean Fries are skinny French Fries with Feta cheese. They were good, but not spectacular.

In addition to the atmosphere there was a female vocalist performing Christmas songs to karaoke backing tracks. She wasn't very good unfortunately.

It was a lovely evening for us to get away and it felt like somewhere far away from home, which for us is a nice reminder of our time in Europe:)

Value: This is not a place you go to for large portions and cheap meals. The food portions are very small and fairly pricey, but the atmosphere really makes up for the lack of food. The cheesy singer who performed Christmas songs was also a let down, but I really like the feel of the place. The service was sub par, but they were busy and we looked poor. A little disheartening since their advertising card said they try to make every customer feel like a member of the family. 3 Stars.
Food Quality: If it were based solely on the Mac and Cheese I'd give it a ten, but the other items were only okay. Small portion size doesn't help. 6 Seconds.
Category: I'm going to classify La Traviata as a bistro, and I love the atmosphere. Very Old Style and I want to go back even if to hand out and have a beverage. La Traviata gets a 10 out of 10!

The Scoop. . .
Value: 3 out of 5 Stars. A little Pricey and not in a good way.
FQ: Amazing Mac ad Cheese! Okay other stuff. 6 Seconds (Out of 10)
Category: Bistro-Awesomeness! 10 out of 10!

Definitely going back, even if to satisfy a morbid curiosity!

Cheers!
Troy@BonVivant

La Traviata
301 North Cedar Avenue
Long Beach, CA 
90802-2818
(562) 432-8022 ‎

Baja Sonora (almost Bixby Knolls)

Hi Everyone! Don't say I never gave you anything for Christmas! Today, for your holiday pleasure I am giving you not one, but two awesome Christmas reviews! First on the docket is Baja Sonora on Atlantic which is technically not Bixby Knolls, but is on Atlantic past the 405 in Long Beach.

Natalie and I were Christmas shopping and we decided that we needed to get some food. We ended up going to Baja Sonora for dinner. We walked through the door and the restaurant was fairly full. We walked up to the counter but could not see the menu. . .Oops! The Menu is on the wall to the right of the register which is kind of a weird place for a menu.

We were both pretty hungry and I ordered a little more than normal so natalie could have some of my leftovers for her lunch the next day. I had a bean and cheese burrito with rice and beans, which came covered in red sauce. I also ordered the two potato taco plate which also came with rice and beans. In addition to all the food I ordered a soft drink and we hit the chips and salsa bar. Everything started all right:)

We ended up grabbing a seat in the main dinning area and I got some Orange Bang! and it was really creamy and good. I don't think I've ever had better, so there was an awesome plus for Baja Sonora! Natalie grabbed the chips and salsa. The chips were fully fried corn tortillas. I've always found this to be the laziest way to serve chips. I don't particularly care to break the chips myself, and there is always broken chip fragments left over that you can't eat. The salsa was also bland and lifeless. Seriously I almost started CPR, no flavor and runny like water. The Salsa Verde was better, but I wasn't thrilled.

Our food came out and I got a refill of Orange Bang! I decided to dig into the burrito first. Unfortunately another bland food item. The burrito was so plain that I was compelled to stop after a few bites. The beans were okay, but the rice was bland too! What a let down! The red sauce was everywhere and it wasn't very good. If I could describe the flavor, it was like water with too much paprika. I didn't even bother eating the tacos because I was hoping that they would be better than the burrito and Natalie could at least have a good lunch the next day.

They had a sign on the wall that said they were rated the best catering company of Long Beach. I really had to wonder who would cater from them with the quality of their food being so bad. We left and took a few mints to get the taste of Baja Sonora out of our mouths.

Spin it again!
Value: The portion size was good, the prices were average, the atmosphere was okay but the food was awful. I hate to say it but I think with food that bad the value goes way down. Haven't had food that bad in a while. 2 out of 5 Stars.
Food Quality: Portions were good, the food was bad. The only redeeming quality was the Orange Bang! If this food were to fall on the ground I would leave it there. . . 1 second rating. Which gives Baja Sonora the first ever one second rating.
Category: Pretty Generic Fast Casual Mexican Style Restaurant. 5 out f 10. Nothing really spoke to me to weed itself out of the pack of every other americanized fast casual Mexican food shack.

Recap. . .
Value: 2 Stars (out of 5)
FQ: 1 Second (Out of 10)
Category: 5 out of 10. Nothing Special, right down the middle.

So, if you want a good meal for a great price, do not go to Baja Sonora.

Cheers!
Troy@BonVivant

Baja Sonora
3502 Atlantic Avenue
Long Beach
(562) 981-1950

Hot Off The Grill (Fountain Valley, CA)

Hey Everyone. This will be the hardest blog to write. To most of us food is so personal. In America there is a connection with food that really amazes me. Natalie (my wife) and I have traveled all over Europe and I just can't describe American's and their desire to eat well. It's really unique. We have memories associated with food, special times, heck I even own a plate that is specially made for birthday meals only. The reason I bring this up is that last week, as many of you know I had to euthanize my best buddy Tips. He was an amazing dog and lived a long and very full life and in tribute to everything he gave to us we took him to breakfast on the last morning of his life. I'm writing this with tears in my eyes, he really was a special guy.
     We went to Hot Off the Grill in Fountain Valley and sat on the outside patio. They automatically get bonus points for allowing dogs on the patio. The waitress came up to us and asked us what we would like to drink. After we ordered our drinks she brought them out and we placed our order. I ordered the bacon and eggs with sourdough toast and Natalie ordered the same. Then I ordered the steak for Tips. Our waitress was so nice. She brought it out on a styrofoam plate and never questioned what we were doing, though she probably thought we were those weird "spoil your dog" people. When the food came out I prepared mine first. I like to place the eggs (over easy) on top of my hasbrowns, break my bacon into small pieces and place it on top of the eggs, then I mix them all together and salt and pepper them. After my food was prepared I cut Tips' steak into tiny bite size pieces and started feeding him a few pieces at a time. He was in heaven. Natalie and I were choking back the tears as we ate our food and Nat, for the first time in months (she is 6 months pregnant) did not finish her food. We gave tips some of her bacon (which he almost bit me to get at!) and a piece of toast. We paid and I took Tips back to the car and we took Tips to see some of his very favorite people. It was a hard day, but absolutely made better with kind service and an establishment who really wants their customers to be happy.

Honestly, I'm not going to rate the food, because I don't even remember how it tasted. Natalie and I are just grateful that we got to give Tips an awesome farewell. Thank you Hot of the Grill for letting me spend the final minutes with my Best Friend in Dignity and Style.

Cheers, but with a heavy heart. . .
Troy@BonVivant

Hot Off The Grill

9945 Warner Ave
Fountain Valley, CA 92708

(714) 593-3000

Miguel's (Corono, CA)

Hi everyone! We it has been one crazy December so far. I have many new restaurants to post for you, but I have been so busy that I really haven't had time to do anything. The first thing I have to say is thank you to everyone who has been reading this blog. I have actually made a little money writing for you, so my thanks go out to you all!
     So, I don't normally go out to a sit-down restaurant alone, but recently I was taking a class in Corona California and I had a lunch break. The class was right next door to Miguel's Restaurant, so I thought I would go in and have some lunch.

Miguel's Mexican Food Restaurant

I have never eaten at a Miguel's but I have driven past them from time to time and I was exited to try something new. This Miguel's has a really nice Spanish style fountain in the courtyard entryway and large double doors with a Spanish/Mexican feel to the architecture include the red roofed tiles. I walked through the door and was greeted by a young woman in a traditional Mexican Style Dress. She asked if I was dining alone and I told her I was. I inquired about bar seating, since I knew that it would be a little quicker and I could watch whatever was on the TVs. She told me it was open and I wandered into the bar and sat at a table for four right in the middle of the bar area. My server (the bartender) greeted me upon sitting, handed me a menu and brought my dink order within minutes. It was fantastic service. I looked over the menu and was stuck. I had to choose between the shrimp tacos (rice and beans) or the fajitas, so I thought I would put my waiter to the test. I asked him which he would recommend. Mind you that the shrimp tacos were $12 and the Fajitas were $14. There is a quality about a waiter who is honest even if the sale would bring more money to the restaurant or to him. He told me both were very good, but that he personally did not like shrimp. He then told me that if I was a shrimp person then I would probably enjoy them the most as most of his customers loved the shrimp tacos. I went with his suggestion and ordered the Shrimp Tacos.

Shrimp Tacos, Rice and Beans with Chips and Homemade Salsa

My food came out very fast. The plate was overflowing with food. As I do love to eat I was very happy to see all the shrimp (3 per taco) and the rice and beans. So, not wasting any time I jumped right in and before long my food was all gone! The Shrimp tacos were really good. The beans were perfect, not a huge fan of enchilada sauce on the rice, but to give it a little credit it was mild and not too bad. I paid for my meal and left a decent tip. I had my drink refilled twice and he was very prompt, courteous and genuinely seemed to care about his customer. If I get the chance I would definitely come back to this location again!

Give Us Da' Break Down!
Miguel's was not a high-end restaurant and the food was very simple but I felt it was a decent value. I'm never sure about a two taco plate for $12, but Miguel's makes up for the cost with excellent service, Good chips and salsa (which is a must!) and a pleasant atmosphere. I did not need to use the bathroom during my visit, so I can't comment on the cleanliness, but from what I saw the restaurant was very clean and nice. The portion was of ample size, and the bonus was three shrimp per taco and not two like some places. I give it 4 out of 5 Stars for value.
For Food Quality there was no doubt that the shrimp tacos were good, the beans and the rice were a nice complement. Like I said, I'm not a huge fan of enchilada sauce on my rice, but it wasn't bad and I understand trying to do something different for customers who have been eating American Style Mexican food for years! Portion was great and I had a refill on my chips at no cost. The salsa (homemade) was a bit thin and runny, but all in all a good food experience! I'll give it 7 Seconds!
Category: Miguel's is a Mexican Restaurant, so there are some things that one expects to see, like the red tiled roof and spanish style tile throughout. There was also the really nice dark rich tile floors and the bar was mostly wood and classic surfaces. All the staff wore a form of Stereotypical Spanish/Mexican Dress. To top things off, the TV had a Soccer match in Spanish. If you want the stereotypical Mexican/American restaurant come to Miguel's, 10 out of 10!

One More for the books. . . Tell us what we've won!
Value: I'd Come Back! 4 out of 5 Stars
FQ: Happy Camper, 7 Seconds.
Category: 10 out of 10. Reminds me of Arizona:)

Thanks for Helping Me Keep This Going!

Cheers!
Troy@BonVivant

Miguel's Mexican Restaurant
1920 West Frontage Road  
Corona, CA 92882
(951) 520-8911