[Laguna Niguel] [Fast Food] McDonald's

McDonald's
27331 La Paz Rd
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 643-3326
http://www.mcdonalds.com

My favorite thing from McDonald's.


Fruit Yogurt Parfait ($1.00)

Who says money cannot buy happiness? $1 bought mine!

[Laguna Niguel] [Food Court] Whole Foods Market

Whole Foods Market
23932 Aliso Creek Rd
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 900-5830
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com

A new Whole Foods Market just opened near our house. Dr. P and I decided to go have dinner in their food court, and do grocery shopping afterward.



Our dinner was from the Asian food court section. Dr. P ordered Spicy Chicken Fun Noodle Soup, and I ordered Vegetable Fun Noodle Soup.

[Laguna Niguel] [Bakery] Corner Bakery Cafe

Corner Bakery Cafe
27221 La Paz Rd #K
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 425-8673
http://www.cornerbakerycafe.com

Quick dinner at Corner Bakery Cafe.


Mom's Chicken Noodle Soup
So good we serve it every day

I ordered a 1/2 soup 1/2 salad combo. Chicken Noodle Soup was a little bit too salty for my taste. It tasted like... can soup. I like the clear chicken noodle soup from Souplantation better.

[Laguna Niguel] [Bakery] Corner Bakery Cafe

Corner Bakery Cafe
27221 La Paz Rd #K
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 425-8673
http://www.cornerbakerycafe.com

Breakfast at Corner Bakery Cafe.


Avocado & Spinach Power Panini Thin
Made with fresh avocado and spinach, freshly scrambled eggs, parmesan and cheddar cheeses on thinly sliced whole grain harvest toast.

This thin panini is so simple yet very good. I want to make this at home! We love Corner Bakery's potatoes.

[Laguna Niguel] [American] Mimi's Cafe

Mimi's Cafe
27430 La Paz Rd
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 643-0206
http://www.mimiscafe.com

We've always enjoyed breakfast at Mimi's Cafe, but I've never tried their dinner before. I received an email coupon from them for dinner for 2 for $20. You get one shared appetizer and 2 entrees. The food seems to be French-inspired dishes.



I like the cute brick wall and fake balcony decor at Mimi's.

[Laguna Niguel] [Bakery] Corner Bakery Cafe

Corner Bakery Cafe
27221 La Paz Rd #K
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 425-8673
http://www.cornerbakerycafe.com

Dr. P and I went to Corner Bakery Cafe for a quick lunch.


Chicken Pomodori on Sourdough Panini
All-natural roasted chicken, fresh basil and spinach, oven-roasted tomatoes, and provolone cheese with pesto mayo.

He ordered Chicken Pomodori on Sourdough Panini. It was a very yummy sandwich with chicken, spinach, tomatoes, basil, and cheese.

[Laguna Niguel] [Japanese] Sango Sushi Restaurant

Sango Sushi Restaurant
27261 La Paz Rd #A
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 831-7287
http://www.sangosushi.com/Laguna.htm

Last time we went to Sango Sushi, we saw the poster for their $5 daily special. I wanted to try their Thursday special of Ginger Pork. I fell in love with Japanese Ginger Pork during my visit in New York City a few years ago. My sister, who was living in NYC at the time, took me to this small Japanese restaurant that she likes. I ordered Ginger Pork because it was their special that day. The dish was so good that we went back there 3 times during my one week visit. Too bad I can't remember the name of the restaurant. Wonder if my sister remembers?


Sauteed Marinated Ginger Pork with Bean Sprout ($5.00)

I was disappointed when I got my plate of ginger pork. This isn't how ginger pork supposed to be. The pork was supposed to be the thin sliced pork. It should look more like those beef + onion bowls kind of meat. But at Sango Sushi, it was thicker slices of pork loin (?). Also the flavor wasn't the kind of ginger pork I was expecting. It just tasted like sauteed pork with some ginger.

[Laguna Niguel] [American] Bistro K

Bistro K
30100 Town Center Drive
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 495-9101
http://www.thebistrok.com

I bought a 4 course dinner for 2 at Bistro K from Travelzoo.com for $59. It was a great deal, unless they try to cheat you by adding a ridiculous amount of MANDATORY tips on the bill. Last time we used a Travelzoo voucher at Gemmell's, similar thing happened. The food at Bistro K was amazing. But because of the mandatory tips that they forced us to pay, we probably will never step into this restaurant again.



We went to Bistro K on a Friday night. To our surprise, this place was completely packed with tons of people waiting. We were glad that we had reservation. The seating was tight. We were only a few inches apart from the tables next to us. When people get up to leave from the next tables, we actually had to move our table to make room for them to get out. They had a guy playing guitar and singing at the bar area. It was very lively with customers singing along with the singer. The music was really loud though. We had trouble talking and hearing each other over the music. So don't go there if you're expecting a quiet and romantic dinner.

[Laguna Niguel] [Bakery] Corner Bakery Cafe

Corner Bakery Cafe
27221 La Paz Rd #K
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 425-8673
http://www.cornerbakerycafe.com

I won a $100 gift card from Corner Bakery Cafe for entering their recipe contest. Yay! Dr. P and I went there for a light dinner.


Chicken Carbonara ($7.79)
All-natural roasted chicken, spring peas and linguine pasta in our creamy carbonara sauce, with applewood smoked bacon and toasted bread crumbs.

Dr. P ordered Chicken Carbonara. I always get this one when I feel like having pasta at Corner Bakery. The chicken is very tender. The carbonara sauce was tasty. This was a heavy pasta so you get full pretty fast. Dr. P said he would like it better without the bread crumbs.

[Laguna Niguel] [Japanese] Sango Sushi Restaurant

Sango Sushi Restaurant
27261 La Paz Rd #A
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 831-7287
http://www.sangosushi.com/Laguna.htm

If we want something Asian, fast, cheap, and close to home, Sango Sushi is always our first choice.


Spicy Beef Bowl ($4.60)

Dr. P got his usual sushi combo B. I wanted to try something different and ordered Spicy Beef Bowl. The sauce they used tasted like spicy teriyaki sauce. The beef was charbroiled. Great flavor and tender. Good amount of food for under $5.

[Laguna Niguel] [Fast Food] Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A
28201 Crown Valley Parkway
Laguna Niguel,CA 92677
(949) 448-8447
http://www.chick-fil-a.com

We got two free breakfast item coupons from Chick-fil-A. Free breakfast.... What a great way to start a Saturday morning!


Chicken, Egg & Cheese Bagel
A breakfast portion of our famous boneless breast of chicken, served between a slice of American cheese and a folded egg on a toasted, sunflower multigrain bagel.

Dr. P and I both picked Chicken, Egg & Cheese Bagel as our breakfast item.

[Laguna Niguel] [Cafe] Boston Market

Boston Market
27100 Alicia Pkwy
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 360-9860
http://www.bostonmarket.com

I used to work at a place that has a Boston Market right next door. I get their coupons in the mail quite often. There's also a Boston Market near our home. But for some reason, I just never try this place before. I heard that they have good rotisserie chicken. I thought it was about time we give it a try.


1/2 Rotisserie Chicken Meal ($7.99)

Dr. P got the Rotisserie Chicken Meal. The chicken was flavorful, but it sure was a small chicken. I still think Costco's rotisserie chicken is the best. The green beans and potatoes were good, but nothing too special about it. Same with the corn bread.

[Laguna Niguel] [American] IHOP Restaurant

IHOP Restaurant
23810 Aliso Creek Rd
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 360-0910
http://www.ihop.com

IHOP was one of the first restaurants my parents took us to when we first moved to United States. I've always enjoyed my time there, whether breakfast or dinner. I remember my mom's favorite dish to get for dinner was London Broil. I don't think they have it on their menu anymore. That was a good dish!



I was on their email list, and received a coupon for July 4th weekend. A Red, White & Blueberry combo special was for only $4.99. We headed there for a Saturday breakfast. If you go to any IHOP on the weekend in San Gabriel Valley, it's always full with long wait. To our surprise, this IHOP in Laguna Niguel was only about 3/4 full. Well, it was better for us because we got seated right away.

[Laguna Niguel] [Asian Fusion] Pick Up Stix

Pick Up Stix
27000 Alicia Pkwy #D
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 643-0779
http://www.pickupstix.com

Sister-in-law gave me a Pick Up Stix gift card a while back. It had been sitting in my wallet for a long time, and I almost forgot about it. I was deciding on a place to get takeout because I was feeling lazy and didn't want to cook. Good I found the gift card. I called ahead to place my order, and they told me it would be ready in about 15 minutes.


Firecracker Chicken ($7.69)
Our brand new dish Firecracker Chicken starts sweet and finishes with a spicy kick! You'll love it!

Firecracker Chicken was supposed to be spicy, but not really spicy. I guess nothing taste spicy to us anymore after eating so much Szechuan Chinese food. The chicken was tender, and slightly sweet. Portion was on the smaller side for this item for some reason.

[Laguna Niguel] [Fast Food] Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A
28201 Crown Valley Parkway
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 448-8447
http://www.chick-fil-a.com

I had never had Chick-fil-A until we moved down to Orange County. Why don't we have Chick-fil-A in LA? After trying their spicy chicken sandwich once, we were hooked! Chick-fil-A has became one of our favorite fast food restaurants (the other one is, of course, In-N-Out!). I've been to Chick-fil-A in The District in Tustin, The Marketplace in Irvine, and the one in Walnut near Mt SAC. Then we moved down to South OC, and the closest one to our house is located in Laguna Niguel. I have to say this is the best Chick-fil-A I've been to.



Service is always good at Chick-fil-A. But the Laguna Niguel location has even better than good service. Everyone is always friendly and helpful. The manager is always on site, and always seems to be so happy to be there. They have someone who walks around to offer people anything they need. They'll take your drinks to get refills for you, get you condiments, or help you take away trash.

[Laguna Niguel] [Chinese] Golden Dragon Chinese Food

Golden Dragon Chinese Food
27311 La Paz Rd #G
Laguna Niguel,CA 92677
(949) 362-4739

I tried Golden Dragon Chinese Food before when Dr. P was out of town, and thought the food was good. I told Dr. P about it. He said he would like to try the place, but somehow we never got around to it. After having lunch at Sango Sushi, we decided to go to Golden Dragon in the same plaza to get take-out for dinner.


House Special Chicken ($4.95)

House Special Chicken had tons of vegetables. Broccoli, carrot, celery, zucchini, mushroom, and water chestnut. the chicken was very tender. The stir-fried brown sauce was tasty. We liked it. Their egg roll was filled with cabbage and carrot. It didn't taste oily at all.

[Laguna Niguel] [Japanese] Sango Sushi Restaurant

Sango Sushi Restaurant
27261 La Paz Rd #A
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 831-7287
http://www.sangosushi.com/Laguna.htm

We haven't been to Sango Sushi for a while. We missed sushi and went to Sango for a quick lunch.


Sushi Combo B ($9.80)
Tuna with cucumber roll, tuna, salmon, shrimp, white fish, albacore, squid, yellowtail and egg

Dr. P ordered his usual Sushi Combo B with spicy tuna roll. It was strange that they put chili sauce on top of the roll to make it spicy this time. But it was still good. Every piece of sushi was fresh and delicious. Dr. P's favorite was yellowtail and salmon.

[Laguna Niguel] [Burger] Deemer’s American Grill

Deemer’s American Grill
27221 La Paz Rd #E
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 425-8770
http://www.deemersgrill.com

Ever since we tried Deemer's a few month ago, we were hooked. We came back a few times to get take-out for our burger and movie nights. I ALWAYS get the same thing, Napa Burger with yummy yummy goat cheese. One day we decided to go to the restaurant to have an early dinner over there.



The weather was nice, so we sat outside on the patio. This place got completely full around 6-ish. Lots of family with kids were here. We came here when they were first opened, and business was slow. Seemed like words got around, and people love Deemer's just as much as we do.

[Laguna Niguel] [Bakery] Corner Bakery Cafe

Corner Bakery Cafe
27221 La Paz Rd #K
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 425-8673
http://www.cornerbakerycafe.com

I signed up to be Corner Bakery Cafe's fan on Facebook, and they sent me a coupon to get a free meal as a thank you gift.  That was nice.


Pasta Combo ($7.69)
Your choice of a Cafe Sized Hearty Pasta with Caesar Salad or Mixed Greens

I've had their salad and sandwiches before.  This time I want to try something different, and ordered a pasta combo.  The combo came with garlic bread and Caesar or mixed greens salad.  The oily garlic bread was tasty, but it must have a lot of calories.  Romain lettuce in Caesar salad was really fresh and crisp.  Good salad.