[Mission Viejo] [Japanese] Sushi Zone

Sushi Zone
28251 Marguerite Pkwy #A
Mission Viejo, CA 92692
(949) 364-2878

We tried quite a few all you can eat sushi restaurants down in South Orange County. Sadly, we have been disappointed every time... until we found Sushi Zone.



Like all the other AYCE sushi restaurants in the area, Sushi Zone is also Korean owned. They offer a lot of rolls, but Dr. P and I enjoyed their traditional nigiri sushi the most.

[Mission Viejo] [Fondue] Simply Fondue

Simply Fondue
28719 Los Alisos Blvd
Mission Viejo, CA 92692
(949) 707-5200
http://www.simplyfondueoc.com

I bought dinner for 2 for $45 voucher for Simply Fondue from Travelzoo. 4 course dinner + 2 martini for $45 was a great bargain!


Pomegranate Martini ($12.00) / Espressotini ($12.00)

I enjoyed my Espressotini, but I thought it didn't have enough alcohol in it.

[Mission Viejo] [Japanese] New Shogun Restaurant

New Shogun Restaurant
25521 Muirlands Blvd
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
(949) 768-5800
http://www.newshogunrestaurant.com

Got my 2012 Entertainment Book. New Shogun was the first restaurant we wanted to go to using Entertainment Book. We went there last year, and thought the food was great.


Sake + Beer Set ($10.00)

$10 for 1 bottle of sake + 1 large beer.

[Mission Viejo] [Shabu Shabu] Shabu

Shabu
28715 Los Alisos Blvd
Mission Viejo, CA 92692
(949) 588-3225

We saw Shabu when we went to Simply Fondue in the same plaza. It was a cold day. We decided to give this place a try.



Half of the seats in the restaurant was already reserved. Luckily we got there early enough to grab to seats. They turned so many people away that night.

[Mission Viejo] [Food Court] Muscle Beach Lemonade & Hot Dogs

Muscle Beach Lemonade & Hot Dogs
555 The Shops at Mission Viejo, Sp #VC-05
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
(800) 321-8400
http://www.hotdogonastick.com

I went to the mall today. Ate lunch right before I went. I wasn't hungry, but thought I would walk around the food court just to see.



Muscle Beach (Hot Dog On A Stick) gotta be the busiest stand there. I saw too many people eating the hot dog, and just couldn't resist the temptation.

[Mission Viejo] [Japanese] Riptide Rockin' Sushi & Teppan Grill

Riptide Rockin' Sushi & Teppan Grill
27741 Crown Valley Pkwy # 325
Mission Viejo, CA 92691-6535
(949) 282-0182
http://www.riptidesushi.com

We always like teppanyaki. Not only the food is good, it's also fun and entertaining to watch the chef cook the food right in front of you. I saw a daily deal on Groupon for Riptide Rockin' Sushi & Teppan Grill. From their Yelp reviews, it seemed like it's a very Americanized Japanese restaurant. $20 for $40 was a pretty good deal so we gave this place a try.



The restaurant is huge. We were glad we had a reservation because there were tons of people waiting when we got to the restaurant. The bar area was small. Seemed like people were having a great time there. The loud rock n' roll music made this place really lively... kinda make you wanna party. haha...

[Mission Viejo] [Burger] TK Burgers

TK Burgers
24902 Chrisanta Dr
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
(949) 588-7200
http://www.tkburgers.com

Do you love daily deal websites as much as I do? It helps me save money dining out and I get to try new restaurants. I'll call that "killing two birds with one stone". haha... So after our didn't-get-so-full dinner at Yama Sushi, we decided to get dinner number two using another daily deal voucher I had. I got this deal from Plum District. It was $5 for $10 of food from TK Burger.



From outside, TK Burger looked like your typical neighborhood burger joint. You know the kind of burger joint that usually has the words "World Famous" in front of its name? Yeah, like that kind. But once we walked inside, we were like "wow this is a fancy looking burger place." The had beach party theme with lively rock music playing.

[Mission Viejo] [Japanese] Yama Sushi & Grill

Yama Sushi & Grill
27782 Vista Del Lago #C22
Mission Viejo, CA 92692
(949) 716-9262
http://www.yamasushionthelake.com

I bought a Groupon deal for sushi dinner for two at Yama Sushi & Grill. For $35, the sushi dinner for two includes one Samurai and one tataki maki roll, an 18-piece sashimi sampler for two, and one bottle of house sake ($75.75 total value). Sounds like a pretty good deal.



When we got to the restaurant, we realized we've been to this plaza before. We went to Tortilla Flats for lunch, and really enjoyed the beautiful lake view. We were hoping to have the same lake view at Yama Sushi.

[Mission Viejo] [Food Court] Muscle Beach Lemonade & Hot Dogs

Muscle Beach Lemonade & Hot Dogs
555 The Shops at Mission Viejo, Sp #VC-05
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
(800) 321-8400
http://www.hotdogonastick.com

Did you guys get the $5 for $10 Hot Dog On A Stick deal from Groupon a while back? I used to LOVE Hot Dog On A Stick when I was younger. I remember going to Arcadia Mall with parents when I was a teenager, and we always stopped by Hot Dog On A Stick to get lemonade and corn dogs. I haven't had Hot Dog On A Stick for years, and actually miss it quite a bit.



We were shopping at Mission Viejo Mall, and I remember there's a Hot Dog On A Stick in their food court. I didn't bring my printed Groupon.  But no problem, I found my Groupon using their cell phone app. The stand at the food court is called Muscle Beach Lemonade & Hot Dog, but it's still the same as Hot Dog On A Stick. This must be the busiest stand at the food court. There is a never ending line of people getting their lemonade.

[Mission Viejo] [Deli] Gandolfos New York Delicatessen

Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen
23981 Alicia Pkwy #120
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
(949) 581-3354
http://www.gandolfosdeli.com

I bought a $8 for $20 voucher for Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen from KGB Deals. I don't really know what exactly is New York style sandwiches, but I am curious to try. And $8 for $20 sounded like a good deal to me!



They have a massive menu. We, and the other couple who were there before us, stood there for a long long time deciding what to get. Everything looked good, which made it even more difficult to pick just one.

[Mission Viejo] [AYCE] Big Grill Mongolian BBQ

Big Grill Mongolian BBQ
28601 Marguerite Pkwy #A
Mission Viejo, CA 92692
(949) 364-5588

I finally started feeling better after pulling 4 of my wisdom teeth. Now I could somewhat chew normally, I want to eat eat eat! I wanted something all you can eat. I didn't feel like salad and soup at Souplantation, didn't feel like sushi either, then I thought of Mongolian BBQ. Did a search online and found Big Grill Mongolian BBQ not too far from our house.



The restaurant is bright and spacious. Even when there were full (it got full soon after we sat down), it didn't feel crowded. But when there were a lot of people in line, getting your food cooked might take a while. They only have one grill with two chefs working.

[Mission Viejo] [American] Paul's Pantry

Paul's Pantry
27409 Bellogente,
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
(949) 364-1088
http://www.paulspantrymv.com

I found Paul's Pantry from Groupon. Bought a $20 Groupon for $10 because breakfast is Dr. P's favorite meal, I thought he would love to try a new breakfast joint.



We woke up really late that day, and came to the restaurant around 1pm. By that time the restaurant was pretty empty. I think they close at 2pm. But I can imagine this place to be really busy on a weekend morning.

[Mission Viejo] [Fondue] Simply Fondue

Simply Fondue
28719 Los Alisos Blvd
Mission Viejo, CA 92692
(949) 707-5200
http://www.simplyfondueoc.com

I bought a Groupon for Simply Fondue.  The deal was $45 for a four-course fondue feast for 2 people (a $98 value).  The only other time I had fondue was at Melting Pot in Pasadena.  I remember the food was pretty good, but it was expensive to a point that I didn't think it was worth the price.



Ever since that time, we never really thought of having fondue again.  Well, we prefer Asian style hot pot or shabu shabu more than American style fondue.  But $45 for two people sounds like a bargain.  So we went to try fondue again.