Recap: Final Thoughts

One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating - Luciano Pavarotti

As part of a food blog, there is no better quote to describe exactly what it is we do. This is a concept so simple yet true and to not take eating seriously and fully experience it, we would not be really experiencing life. Eating is something we must all do, it is part of our nature and there is no way around it. Then if this is the case, why not make it something we want to do? Food to me is something I absolutely love and it is the thing I look forward to most when I wake up. For me, this blog was a way to really savor food and get a chance to mesh food with my thoughts from a different perspective. In other words, it made me aware of not only the food itself, but how it tasted, how it was presented and how the atmosphere of a restaurant could influence how I enjoyed it. Being able to do a blog about eating delicious food was an amazing experience. It not only gave me another excuse to be able to stuff my face but it also allowed me to experience more of what life has to offer.

-Ryan Moo

This project was by far the best project I have ever had. This project was about my hobby and I enjoyed every second of this experience. I enjoyed going to new restaurants that I have never been before and I enjoyed the time spending with new people. It was great going out to eat with my classmates and writing down our opinions about the place. Each person contributed into picking a restaurant that was a different theme such as: Mexican food, Japanese food, American food, and etc. Even though the project did cost me some money on the food, I do not regret choosing to do this project with my classmates.

-Kevin Nguyen

Looking back on the journey we have taken on this food quest, it was extremely excited and fulfilling, especially to my stomach.  I got to taste different types of foods, some of which I had already tried and wanted my teammates to experience too, and some of which were restaurants I have always wanted to try, but never got the time to.  This project was a fresh of breathe air, because it gave us the chance to do something not because we wanted the grade, but because we wanted the experience.  All the restaurants we ate at were in the O.C., making it extremely beneficial personally because I know new restaurants to take my friends, family, and most importantly a special lady friend.  Ever since our first week, I have came back to Tranquil Tea Lounge three times, for my big sister, my brothers, and my special someone.  All in all, I had a blast doing this, and I would not hesitate one second to do this project all over again.  This is what I always say, some eat to live, but I live to eat.

-Robin Nguyen

El Cantarito

El Cantarito is a Mexican restaurant in the heart of Placentia, CA. For all those CSUF students, we highly encourage this place if you are craving some authentic Mexican food, and not that watered-down Taco Bell or Del Taco or Chipotle. This is extremely close by the CSUF campus, less than a 10 minute drive. It is not a franchise place, so therefore it has that home, family atmosphere to it. The service is excellent, almost always, you get seated as soon as you walk in, and you are met with some delicious chips and salsa. The variety of the menu is insane, and the beverage menu is also filled with all sorts of options. The prices are fair and the portions, well lets just say, you are not paying enough for the quality and quantity of the food. This restaurant gets the ok from us, and is highly recommended if you are craving some authentic Mexican food, because you know it is authentic when they serve menudo.

Testimonials:

El Cantarito was a great experience, from the delicious chips and salsa, to the tender and flavorful menudo. Everything was authentic and delicious. El Cantarito is a little Mexican restaurant located in the heart of Placentia, where some  of the best Mexican restaurants are located. The restaurant feels like a dive, a whole in the wall, with one waitress, one cook, and one juke box playing old classics. The food was great, very reasonably priced, and good portions of it. I would definitely love to go again to try their tacos on Taco-Tuesday. 

-Ryan Moo

El Cantarito Restaurant was actually a good Mexican food restaurant. It's located in Placentia, so it has to be hand-made fresh Mexican food. I ordered two soft tacos and a taquito. Both were delicious and quite fulfilling. They first started giving you chips and salsa. The chips were pretty big and thick which is not bad or anything. I still ate all of the chips that were available. This place to me would be a nice place for lunch. It just seems to me its more of a lunch type restaurant rather than dinner. I wouldn't mind coming here for dinner, but I rather go to lunch there since its near CSUF campus. Try out this place and you won't be disappointed. 

-Kevin Nguyen

This restaurant was a place that I recommended we try before we wrapped up our OC food adventures. I frequently go to this restaurant with my friends and family. It is a small, but extremely cozy place. To start it off, the chips were perfectly crisp, salted, and warm, while the salsa was made with the perfect amount of spice and flavor. I have tried many different items on the menu, but my all time favorite here is the chimichanga. It is fairly inexpensive, but it is intensely huge. This is probably the best chimichanga I have ever tasted, and it always leaves me with a full stomach. However, even though I have tried different options for food when I come here, but one thing I always get is horchata. It is a Mexican cinnamon, rice beverage. I have tried many different horchatas from many different places, but none is as delicious as the one offered here at El Cantarito. All in all, this place is great.

-Robin Nguyen

Grading:

Food & Beverage: A-

Environment: B-

Service: B

Overall: B

Glass of Horchata and the Chips & Salsa

Our entrees

Pasta Connection

Pasta Connection was founded in 1984. This is a family owned and ran restaurant at both location, so therefore it gives out a warm, at home, family feeling environment. This restaurant is a small, cozy place with delicious food. It is a mixture of Italian dining, Argentinean flavor, and classic American fare. Not only do they offer great Italian and Argentinean food, but also a wide selection of wines and New York style deli. Its wide variety of food selection makes this place unique. There are two locations, one in Costa Mesa, and one in Orange. Both locations offer the same unique and flavorful taste.

Testimonials:

One of my favorite things to eat in the world is Italian pasta and Pasta Connection has some of tastiest homestyle cooking out there. There store is very quaint, a small little mom and pop shop that serves the best traditional Italian, Argentinean cuisine I've ever tried. You can tell it's good when the owner is there to greet you on the way in and asks you how your meal was. Besides the charming atmosphere. They start you off with a basket of warm, flakey bread rolls with a side of butter and an herb oil that is just delicious. The menu is packed with different types of noodles and items that I can barely pronounce, and every one of them sounds amazing. This place is perfect for any meal on any day. I plan to try their breakfast one day soon. Overall I don't have anything negative to say and I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who enjoys a real good old- fashioned bowl of pasta.

-Ryan Moo

This was my first time coming to Pasta Connection and it was a different experience. The atmosphere was a home warmth feeling. The food portion is huge and the menu is big as well. I tried their pasta only because the title of their restaurant is Pasta. My pasta was alright, the expectation was not met. The people who I was with had a better meal than I did. I do want to come back though because their breakfast looks delicious. So my grade for this place just grading on the food  that I had and the service they had is a C+.

-Kevin Nguyen

I recommended this place to my teammates, because I know the taste of the food here is exactly what guys with appetites are craving.  This place was first shown to me by my father back in the day, and ever since then I have been recommending this place to all people that is craving some good Italian food. I have tried all sorts of pasta and pizzas here, but the best plate I ever got, and got again is the Pampa Steak. It is a scrumtious plate that offers a side of fries or a bowl of their original, famous spaghetti. The main entree comes with two medium size steaks with a layer of fat or skin on it, and a flavor and sauce to die for. All in all, I highly recommend this place for any occasion.

-Robin Nguyen

Grading:

Food & Beverage: A

Environment: B+

Service: B

Overall: A-

Some of our food selections.

Slater's 50/50 Burgers by Design

Slater's 50/50 is known as "burgers by design" and it is the newest brand of restaurant in interactive dining. The restaurant is a casual, laid back environment where you design your own gourmet burger. The menu offers five different types of meat with different spices, a wide selection of bread, twelve cheeses, thirty toppings, and twenty sauces. However, they are most famous for their 50/50 patty where it is mixed with 50% ground beef and 50% ground bacon. Also, this place is open till 2 a.m. where there is a bar perfect for sporting events. This place is recently open, and has only one location in Anaheim Hills.

A view of inside the restaurant.

A look at the famous 50/50 Burger.

Testimonials:

So this wasn't my first time at 50/50's and of all the times I've been there, the food has been great. It's the kind of place you can go to drink with friends and watch the game, while eating the burger of your dreams. They are known for their 50/50, which is a patty consisting of half beef and half bacon. Hungry yet? You can top off this good idea with another and add fried onion straws, pepper jack cheese, green chilies, and an egg over medium. This is a good burger place! They also have appetizers like fried artichoke hearts, onion straws, and my favorite, sweet potato fries. I'm a firm believer that anything fried tastes good and these appetizers definitely hold true to the saying. The only negative thing I would have to say is that the service wasn't the best this last time that I went, but other than that, I would definitely go again.

-Ryan Moo

This was my first time coming to Slater's 50/50 and the place wasn't that bad. It is a nice burger restaurant to go eat with friends during lunchtime or even dinner. I like how if you don't like whatever is on the menu, then you can design your own burger and name it. I designed my own burger and named it Prime Time burger. My burger was the messiest burger out of the group's burger and it was good. I didn't like how the "grilled" pepper was slimy. The burger was cooked perfect at medium rare, but what stole the show for me was their pumpkin sauce. That sauce was amazing when I was eating it with the sweet potato fries. It tasted like pumpkin pie for me. The service was nice and I would come back here once in a while.

-Kevin Nguyen

This was my first time here at this place. I heard many different, but great review for this place. I ordered the 50/50 burger that had a great patty, with different, tasty sauces, and topped off with fried egg. The sweet potato fries was also delicious. However, what caught my eye was the great selection of beer. There was over thirty different types of delicious beers. We came during the early afternoon, but I was just imagining how it would be great to come back at night time, get a burger and a beer and enjoy a sports game.  It seems like it would be a great time. I recommend this place to have a good burger, good beer, and enjoy a great sports game.

-Robin Nguyen

Grading:

Food & Beverage: B

Environment: B+

Service: B-

Overall: B

Cham Sut Gol Korean BBQ

Cham Sut Gol is every meat lover's paradise, a little piece of Heaven where the term all-you-can-eat literally means, as much meat as you can possibly ingest before the "food coma" sets in. It is a small chain of all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ restaurants with locations in Garden Grove, Rowland Heights, and Los Angeles. This is a Korean BBQ restaurantthat features a variety of meats set in different price categories, from the standard selection to the premium cuts. What does that mean? Unlike most all-you-can-eat Korean restaurants where you stand up and select your meats like a buffet, the meats you choose, from a menu, are brought to you whenever you'd like, as much as you want, through the touch of a button and your friendly host. This is a brilliant idea because now you can enjoy your delicious food in good company, without any distractions, other than what meat to order next! Of course it wouldn't be Korean food without all the "banchan," the delicious side dishes they serve with your meal. For those with a sweet tooth, if you can still breathe at the end of the meal, they have a variety of ice creams to choose from, which is always a perfect end to any meal.

These are some pictures of the food selection at Cham Sut Gol.

Testimonials:

Cham Sut Gol is basically everything I could ever want from an all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ restaurant. From the endless meats, the side dishes, delicious egg drop "soup" and the refreshing salad, everything was delicious. The price is pretty reasonable as well. During lunch with tax and tip it is around 17 per person, and for the amount that I can eat, I am very happy. The interior at the Garden Grove location was spacious and accommodating, perfect for small or large groups, and the host and hostesses were very friendly. To top it all off, they have ice cream from green tea to cupcake batter and back to rocky road. What more can I say?

-Ryan Moo

This wasn't my first experience coming to Cham Sut Gol. My first time coming here was at a birthday party and I thought it was a great place to go eat with friends. I suggested this place because the group agreed on eating Korean BBQ and the place wasn't disappointing. I ordered the $13.99 lunch buffet that came with all you can eat brisket, chicken, pork, ground beef, and it came with the side of a salad and soup. I'm not much of a pork eater, but I ate one piece of pork because it was on the grill. Besides the pork and ground beef, everything else was superb. A place where you can grill your own food is pretty fun in my opinion. After eating all you can eat buffet, theres FREE ice cream at the end. It's a great place and well worth spending if you are going with a date or friends. Beware though after eating all of the food, you may go into a food coma. Food coma is when you are sleepy after a fulfilling meal. This place is a 10 out of 10 gold stars for me.

-Kevin Nguyen

Throughout my eating career and life, I have been to many different Korean BBQ restaurants, but however, none are quite as fulfilling and a nice environment as this.  Yes it is a little pricey, but in my opinion it is worth it.  The side dishes were delicious, and the meat was of high quality.  To top it all off, the ice cream was self-served and a great way to top off a delicious all you can eat.  It was limited flavors, but great flavors, green tea and cupcake flavor.  I heard this place gets crowded at night time, so I am glad we went early in the day, and I can see how it does and can get crowded.  All in all, if you can afford it, I would recommend this place.

-Robin Nguyen

Grading:

Food & Beverage: A-

Environment: B-

Service: B

Overall: B+

Kaisen Kaiten Sushi Bar

Kaisen Kaiten Sushi Bar is not just another sushi restaurant, but a sushi revolution. This is a Japanese restaurant that serves both regular meals and sushi, but the special part of this is that the sushi is served on a revolving conveyor belt. It is located across South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, near Irvine area.  From the outside, it does not look inspiring, but just take one step in this place, and you will think otherwise. The moment you entered, you are immediately greeted in Japanese, and welcomed in. The inside is bright and modern, there are only four booths, but most of the seating is around the conveyor belt bar. From there you can order your food, and pick it up from the conveyor belt. Also in the meantime, you can choose from a variety of selections already on the conveyor belt. A simple, but revolutionary idea for dining, highly recommended, and the conveyor belt keeps going around and around.

 

On the left, shows the front and only entrance of the restaurant.  On the right, is a picture of the restaurant and the conveyor belt. The place is small, but extremely cozy.

Testimonials:

Above all Kaisen Kaiten was a fun experience. The concept of the rotating conveyor belt of sushi, the lively atmosphere, and the great service make Kaisen worth trying. The sushi here, as all sushi should be, was light and refreshing but still full of flavor. They have a great variety of sushi and sashimi. Everything on the conveyor belt was very reasonably priced from $0.99 to $3.50 a plate and you can order their specialty items off the menu as well. This place is perfect if you would like something quick, healthy, and affordable to eat or as a place to relax with a group of friends after a long day at the beach. Overall it was a great experience. The only negative thing I would have to say is that if your eyes are bigger than your stomach, the plates can add on fast.

-Ryan Moo

This was my first time coming here to Kaisen and the experience was mediocre at best. I wanted to eat some delicious sushi, but there were very few choices of sushi to order. This place in my opinion seems to be like a place to order the hand rolls rather than sushi. They always have a special on their hand rolls and it is at $1.25. I ordered the scallop hand roll, spicy tuna hand roll, and salmon skin hand roll. The scallop and spicy tuna hand rolls were good, but the salmon skin wasn't tasteful. A downside to this place was the fact that i had to remember what i ordered because the food comes to you by the conveyor belt. It is an intriguing idea, but still confusing to me if i don't remember what i ordered. Will I come back to this place that is next to South Coast Plaza mall? Its kind of hard to answer, but I if i can remember the way back to Kaisen then I'll drop by. I rate this place as 3.5/5 stars. 

-Kevin Nguyen

Well this was not the first time I tried this place. We were at a road bump when we were trying to decide where to eat, so I suggested this place. I knew we all would enjoy this place for the simple reason of a revolving conveyor belt serving you your food. It is an idea adapted and seen all over Japan, and I am glad to have finally found a place like that here in SoCal. The food was decent, not bad, not great, just good. From experience, $20.00 can completely fill you up, and the specials are always great. Whenever I come here, I only get the handrolls, just a personal preference. However, not only do you come here for the food, but also for the environment.

-Robin Nguyen

Grading:

Food & Beverage: A-

Environment: A

Service: B

Overall: A-

Some of our Food Selections.

Tranquil Tea Lounge

Tranquil Tea Lounge is a modern urban tea lounge and restaurant. It is located in the heart of Downtown Fullerton, and only in Fullerton. They have a tea menu that offers over 95 specialty and organic loose leaf teas. They serve sandwiches, salads, and desert while serving breakfast in the mornings till 11:00 a.m. This is an extremely laid back environment which is great for dates, meetings, or whatever your heart desires; it is a great venue for any occasion.  There is also a private room in the back where you can reserve and have small private parties. If you are looking to try something new, this is the place you want to be. However, if you are looking for just a kick it spot, this is also the place you want to be. So, if you have nothing to do on a Friday night, Tranquil Tea Lounge will be the perfect getaway.

Testimonials:

So this was my first time coming to Tranquil Tea. I've read the reviews and I frequently passed by it walking through the energetic streets of Downtown Fullerton, but I finally had an opportunity to give it a try. The atmosphere was, as the name suggests tranquil. Being there was pretty relaxing, a great place to just chill with friends or even get some work done. They have an $8.00 deal that let's you really experience the menu. I had the prosciutto, mozzarella, and arugala half sandwich along with a warm bowl of lentil and sausage soup, both satisfying. And for the tea that was included with the deal I had a Makena's Kiss served cold, a tropical green tea blend that was very refreshing against the strong flavors. Overall I would definitely not mind going again and I would recommend it to anybody who needs a place to just slow down and find tranquility.

-Ryan Moo

The moment I stepped foot inside tranquil tea, I was blown away. The inside of the restaurant was soothing. It is a great place to hangout or study for finals. The roast beef sandwich was exquisite and sweet because of the melted cheese. My "bora bora" drink tasted fruity with lemonade flavor. I give this place and the food a two thumbs up.

-Kevin Nguyen

This was not my 1st time coming here, because I had a friend that worked here prior and hooked it up. However, this time coming was a whole different experience, I enjoyed being there then I did before, maybe it just comes in age. I ordered the half sandwich combo which I got a roast beed sandwich, ceasar salad, and a sweet almond green tea. It was not the best ever, but it was extremely satisfying.  The tea tasted very fresh. If you are just looking for a place to kick it and have a relaxing time, I highly encourage this place.

-Robin Nguyen

Grading:

Type: Snack Stop

Food & Beverage: B+

Environment: A-

Service: B

Overall: B+

Overview of the Front of the Store. On the right is where they make the teas and store them.

This is a view of the back of the Store. It highlights the seating area, and behind the glass is the V.I.P. Lounge.