Just Let Your Soul Glo!

Memphis Cafe is an OC cult favorite. Simple with kitchy decor, people swear by their gumbo. I have had it on a previous visit and it is, admittedly, a tasty treat. But this is not the Year of the Gumbo, although that is intriguing. This is the Year of the Burger and on my most recent visit to Memphis, it was all business.

Burgers. The Soul Burger to be exact. Beef patty, pepper jack cheese and chipotle aioli on a fresh bun. I sub'd the shoestring fries for a side salad (yes those are a sampling of shoestring fries from my co-worker's plate) and enjoyed it all with a draft Franziskaner Weissbier. Which by the way (please permit me a small sidenote), is it just me or can you order a Franziskaner everywhere these days? Don't get me wrong, I love it. Currently, you can find it in my garage beer fridge. But seriously it happened overnight. Last year you could only find it at BevMo and now you can order it at Applebees. I guess the brewer hired the right distributor because the beer is everywhere.

...so back to the Soul Burger. The chipotle aioli really made the burger. It was tangy, mild in spicyness and added just the right moisture to the bun. The burger was plated with a pickle, tomato and onion, but I will attest they were not needed. At first I missed the conventional set-up, but I actually enjoyed this stripped down version. It was just the right lunch size and it was a 4 on the messy scale (10 being so messy it requires a fork and knife). Overall a solid burger made even better with a good beer.

This was a great start to the Year of the Burger!

B

Memphis Cafe
2920 Bristol St.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 432-SOUL (7685)

The decision has been made...

The official draft for 2011 was conducted over a feast of Christmas Goose at The Ritz Restaurant and the food for 2011 is........................

HAMBURGERS.

2011 is the Year of the Hamburger. Check back here soon for reviews of the best burgers we can find.

We were ahead of our time

OC Weekly (who incidentally does a great job finding many hidden gems in Orange County, California) asked if 2010 was the Year of the Fish Taco. Of course it was, and you saw it here first!

Click here to read the article.

We know, we know...

Okay, so things got a little hectic and the posting fell off a bit. There are 7-8 reviews sitting and waiting for editing which will be posted by the end of the year. I also hope to go on a fish taco binge here at the end of the year and to check some of the recommendations that we received throughout the year.

Regardless, there have been several conversations in the last few weeks about 2011's selection for which food will be reviewed. Check back to see soon.

Chronic Tacos = Chronically Bad

I don't know why, but I have never been a fan of Chronic Tacos. I try their stores again and again thinking that it was just one underwhelming experience or location and I continue to be underwhelmed. Maybe CHRONICALLY underwhelmed.

For the sake of research, I braved the Chronic Tacos drive-through in Lake Forest (which replaced a place called Carmelo's or something that had vastly superior food). I ordered the Fish Fatty Taco and various other items for my family for lunch.

When I unrolled the corn tortilla, grilled fish, cilantro and onion, it looked anemic and sad. The tortilla had basically disintegrated (a fate which has befallen most of my meals attempted at Chronically Bad Tacos) making the rest of the taco unenjoyable. I will grant that I drove a few minutes home and didn't eat the food fresh from preparation, but many of the tacos reviewed here have made the drive without suffering similar fates.

My family didn't enjoy their meals either (not the first time). We have tried most of the menu and haven't found anything worth eating. I can safely say that this is a first for a Mexican fast food place. I clearly understand why all of the beach/bar rats in NB and HB love the Chronic Taco setups with alcohol and people watching, I just don't understand why anyone sober or not on the prowl would eat there.



Chronic Tacos is just like the star tattoo logo and name, a bad decision made in the late 90's/early 2000's that one would like to forget. Just like the number of OC hipsters who will one day be undergoing laser removal of the stars and other lame Ed Hardy style nonsense, I doubt that Chronically Bad Tacos will be with us through the next cycle of trends.

This just in, Wee Man from Jackass now has his own CT in Redondo. Look at this group and you decide if you think their tacos would be any good.




20 locations
Website

Daily Grill?

On Monday, I met a work colleague at the Daily Grill in Irvine for a lunch meeting. The last thing I expected to eat at the Daily Grill was Fish Tacos. My regular order at DG is an item on their Dinner menu, but not on their lunch menu (however, they will make it for you if you ask) - Joe's Scramble (three eggs scrambled with ground beef, spinach, onions, and mushrooms - heaven on a plate).

Listed under "Chef's Features" on a special menu printed on cardstock and handed out with the regular glossy menus, the first item was "Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos." The menu described two corn tolrtillas with pan-seared Mahi Mahi, cabbage, radishes, and cilantro tossed in a Chipotle Aioli. It was served with black beans and rice for $10.95.

It was a very good, and unexpected lunch choice that I would eat again.


Daily Grill
2636 Dupont Drive
Irvine, CA 92612

22 Locations

Baja Fresh

I have been eating at Baja Fresh since the mid-nineties when a location opened up in Westwood, California while I attended UCLA. One night a week, our fraternity would bring in Baja Fresh burritos for dinner and they were always a huge hit.

In 2002, Baja Fresh was sold to Wendy's for $275 million. These were the dark days for the chain when the fresh ingredients were replaced by a fast food model. The chain was sold to a private investor in 1006 for $31 million. There are around 300 locations operating today.

Despite having eaten about 100 burritos from BF in my career, I have never ordered their tacos. This weekend, I ventured out and tried one each of their fish tacos, one grilled and one "baja style." They were served in a combo with rice and pinto beans.

I found the grilled taco to be very good. The baja style fried one was not as good only because it did not stay crispy, it got rather limp and mushy. Both use mahi mahi and have cabbage, pico de gallo, and a "tangy avocado dressing."

A solid effort and if you get the grilled fish tacos, pretty good. Side note, at 250 calories/taco, they are a way better choice than my usual order, a steak burrito ultimo which has 950 calories.

Baja Fresh
Website