Orange County – Page 6 – Insider Irene

Yelp Review of the Day: REPOST Gourmet Sandwich at Deli-Licious @Huntington Beach, CA

Published on August 14, 2013 by Insider IreneLeave a comment

Hi YuBargainRockstar Fans!

I’m excited to announce that my Yelp review on this Deli-Licious was selected as today’s ROTD (short for Review of the Day) for the Orange County spotlight. Woohoo! It’s a great honor and as my first ROTD, I thought I’d also repost my original entry for your enjoyment. This restaurant truly deserves all the credit in serving excellent food and outstanding customer service. Check it out if you haven’t done so already! – Irene

Sandwiches are the quintessential lunch food and while mom’s sandwiches are made with love, there’s something special about eating a gourmet sandwich from Deli licious (Yelp Review) in Huntington Beach. With over 300 reviews and a staggering 4.5/5 average on Yelp, I had to investigate the validity of these positive endorsements. And yes this definitely lived up to the hype.

I was looking for a cute shop, but after only seeing rows and rows of boring gray buildings I stared down at my GPS and realized that I missed the shop. Hmm… that’s peculiar. However, unlike many restaurants, this small mom n’ pop shop was located among the rows of gray buildings. This is definitely not the type of shop that you’d casually drive by and stop to check it out, because it was not visible from the street! Nevertheless the restaurant was pretty busy for a weekday afternoon. So I thought that it must be good if next-door-neighbors are frequenting this shop.

Upon looking at the chalk menu I decided to order their top seller “Sue’s Chicken-Avocado Caprese” while my girlfriend tried the same sandwich with a ½ southwest salad. Mmm… The ingredients used for the salad were fresh and crisp it was a solid choice for a mid-day meal. And the sandwich, wow… tender roasted chicken with sliced avocados, fresh mozzerlla, plump roma tomatoes, and a light lemon caper mayo all between a ciabatta roll. Mmm.. makes me hungry just thinking about it. I wonder if my mom could replicate this masterpiece. Hehe…

Additionally, I loved that it was also a nice sunny day and we had a lovely conversation out on the patio. Good food, great company, you really can’t ask for much more.

What’s inside your favorite sandwich?

XOXO

Rockstar

$6.95 AYCE Lunch Buffet @Vishnu in Irvine, CA

Published on July 9, 2013July 10, 2013 by Insider IreneLeave a comment

India is such an exotic country and their food is just as (if not more) intriguing. The bright colors and different spices make this culture’s food a fest for the eyes and stomach. So when I stumbled upon this little AYCE lunch buffet in Irvine on yelp, I could not have been more ecstatic, although the drive there was an adventure in and of itself! After driving loops around the industrial complex we finally found the restaurant- Vishnu (Yelp Review). It’s definitely a no frills joint, and we helped ourselves by loading up our sectioned styrofoam plate!

The selection was diverse with curries and other traditional Indian dishes. I’m embarrassed to say that my knowledge for Indian cuisine is rather limited, but I do know that each dish had it’s own distinct flavors and that the variety was incredible for a whopping $6.95 a person. I can’t even imagine how this is profitable considering the selection and how time-consuming it is to make all the items. I’ve been told that certain dishes take more than 5 hours to prepare, as it needs to simmer to allow the flavors to meld into one another.

I inquired with the owner about his business and was informed that it had only been opened for three months (!!!) but that he’d been in the catering business for well over 15 years. He’s done events as far as Reno, NV and the Bay Area, so I imagine that’s he’s your guy if you want an authentic Indian feast in the Golden State (and surrounding bordering states). The restaurant is only open Monday-Friday from 10:30-2:30 since evenings and weekends are reserved for catering gigs. Ah! It’s all coming together now.

Lucky for me this little shop is not too far away. Muahaha… delicious food for a fraction of the cost, although, I am curious about his catering options. So if you’re in the market for authentic Indian, Vishnu’s Restaurant and Catering’s got you covered.

What’s your favorite lunch special spot?

XOXO

Irene

Gourmet Sandwich at Deli-Licious @Huntington Beach, CA

Published on June 3, 2013 by Insider Irene3 Comments

Additionally, I loved that it was also a nice sunny day and we had a lovely conversation out on the patio. Good food, great company, you really can’t ask for much more.

What’s inside your favorite sandwich?

XOXO

Rockstar

Sushi Lunch Special @Hashigo Sushi in Huntington Beach, CA

Published on June 1, 2013June 1, 2013 by Insider IreneLeave a comment

Sushi is one of those food items that is so simple and so wonderful. Unfortunately, many of the quality sushi restaurants are also an arm and a leg, which is definitely not a sexy characteristic. But alas, a fair compromise for quality and price could only lead to one thing- lunch special, horray!

I discovered Hashigo Sushi (Yelp Review) through a fervent search on Yelp and let me tell you this little sushi shop was NOT an easy find. But after discovering it nested right in the corner between the Java Cafe and the Bank of America, I knew that this was going to be legit. But to my surprise, this literally hole-in-the-wall, was ultra elegant and super chic. Completely caught me by surprise and I was actually nervous on whether a lunch special here would even be a worthwhile investigation… it was, but I’ve definitely been in situations where the restaurant appearance and food taste did not share the same caliber of excellence. Yeah… not fun, but not the case for Hasigo Sushi!

I sampled the three cut roll special, complete with miso soup and salad for $10. It was a very filling meal and the presentation was impeccable. This is definitely the type of restaurant I would take colleagues or prospective clients to impress. Everything was just awesome and if you’re in the Huntington Beach area, this restaurant is definitely worth checking out!

What’s your favorite sushi lunch spot?

XOXO

Rockstar

BBQ Tri Tip Chopped Salad Lunch Special @Stonefire Grill in Fountain Valley, CA

Published on May 24, 2013June 1, 2013 by Insider IreneLeave a comment

It’s no secret that I love Stonefire Grill (Yelp Review) because of their fresh ingredients and expansive menu selection. But it’s also a destination that bargain hunters swarm to as they prepare large portions of food for a very reasonably price. I love taking large groups because the food is served family style and we’re able to sample many dishes with a low per person average cost. They also have a large seating area that makes it a popular spot after a team victory meal or office outing.

However, there are times when I just don’t feel like sharing and just want to indulge in a dish all to myself. My all time favorite dish there is the BBQ tri-tip chopped salad and it is amazing! The salad is topped with freshly chopped tomatos, roasted corn, carrots, black beans, red cabbage, cilantro and jack cheese then tossed with tortilla strips and Buttermilk Ranch. Mmm… makes me hungry just thinking about it!

And going during lunch for their lunch special is just twice as nice since this petite entree also includes a delicious garlic bread stick. For about $7, this healthy entree does double duty as a tasty value-worthy meal that’s good for you pocket-book and belly. There are several branches in the southern California region and if you haven’t paid them a visit, you’re definitely missing out!

Locations

What’s your favorite lunch spot?

XOXO,

Rockstar

8 Course Yelp Elite Tasting @Yori Modern Japanese Restaurant W/ Yelp OC & Friends

Published on May 19, 2013June 1, 2013 by Insider IreneLeave a comment

I confess that I have been spoiled rotten with opportunities to sample some of Orange County’s best. As I had mentioned in my previous post that I was invited to a Pre-Grand Opening for Yori Modern Japanese Restaurant (Yelp Review) in Brea, CA. It was such an amazing event, though I’m easy to please if free food is involved. 🙂

Usually on these events we are given the opportunity to bring a +1, but on this occasion our Community Manager, Ryan, pushed us outside our comfort zone and assigned us to tables to make new foodie friends. Shout-out to my table buddies Minh D, Sarah S, and Quynh P and to all my old Yelp friends Minerva, Rodney, Steve, and Craig. But let’s move on to why you’re really here- to see all the food porn!. Yum!

We started off with a Mango Ceviche and Shrimp Dumplings to kick off our feast. Mind you the first dish was to die for and I highly recommend diners to order this appetizer. So incredibly refreshing and the perfect dish to cool down on a hot summer day. Following these dishes included the Grilled Asparagus, Heart Attack, Udon Salad (my next favorite dish!), Tofus Burger, Seafoodyaki Roll, and Cod Misoyaki all of which had excellent presentation and were presented to us promptly.

UPDATE: WordPress is proving to be more difficult than I am willing to deal with today. So on today’s post I am going to upload all the beautiful photos of all the dishes. Once I become more comfortable with formatting I will further infuse my passion for photographer and journalism together. Sorry loves!