[Aliso Viejo] [American] Chili’s Grill & Bar

Chili’s Grill & Bar
26631 Aliso Creek Rd
Aliso Viejo,CA 92656
(949) 448-9022
http://www.chilis.com

We went out to grab a fast and cheap dinner at Chili's right by our house. The $20 for 2 deal is great, not to mention I bought a $5 for $10 Chili's gift card from SaveMore.com. Now that's a even better deal!


Texas Cheese Fries (Half Order) ($3.99)
With applewood smoked bacon, jalapeños and green onions. Served with ranch dressing.

Texas Cheese Fries is probably my favorite thing from Chili's. I just have to order this EVERY time. The thick cut French fries was still soft in the middle. Lots of melted Cheddar cheese on top. With Ranch dressing dip, it was so yummy.

[Corona Del Mar] [American] Port Restaurant & Bar

Port Restaurant & Bar
440 Heliotrope Ave
Corona Del Mar, CA 92625
(949) 723-9685
http://www.portcdm.com

Last time I went to Port Restaurant, I enjoyed their food, especially the Curry Filet Pasta. The restaurant is on the expensive side. When I saw a $20 for $40 Groupon daily deal with Port Restaurant, I bought it thinking I could go back there with Dr. P for him to try since he didn't go with me last time. We looked over their menu, and decided to try their breakfast this time. Made reservation online for a Saturday morning, but apparently we didn't really need to because the restaurant was empty.


Coffee ($4.00) / Orange Juice ($5.00) / House White Wine ($9.00)

There's a cute outdoor patio area. It was a gloomy cold morning so we opted to sit inside. I asked our waiter about bringing pets to the restaurant, and he said we are more than welcome to bring our puppies to the outdoor patio next time. Breakfast at Port, then take the dogs to walk around CDM... sounds like a nice plan for our next visit!

[Cook] Spaghetti with Cauliflower

I love cooking. I like cooking from scratch with fresh produce and meat. But sometimes when I am short on time, I'm glad we have a Trader Joe's near us. Trader Joe's semi-prepared food is really convenient to make a quick and easy meal.


Spaghetti with Cauliflower

I made Spaghetti with Cauliflower. Trader Joe's was serving Lobster Ravioli at the food sample counter. I really like the sauce they used, and the lady at the counter told me how she made it. I decided to add cauliflower to the spaghetti. It might sound like a weird combination, but it turned out pretty tasty.

[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.

[Irvine] [Japanese] House of Shabu Shabu

House of Shabu Shabu
5394 Walnut Ave
Irvine, CA 92604
(949) 654-9400

It was a cold night. I wanted something hot and soupy. Shabu Shabu! Our favorite Shabu Shabu Bar is all the way in Santa Ana. We didn't feel like driving that far. Then we thought of House of Shabu Shabu in Irvine. We've been there once before. It was just alright. But that was a while back. Maybe they've improved?



They offer all you can eat shabu shabu now. It's $17.95/person if you just want regular beef, chicken and pork. For $24.95, you can order kobe beef, rib-eye beef and lamb. Some appetizers and sushi rolls also came with the all you can eat.

I Need 27 Hours a Day

I have been sooooo busy! I've been wanting to update my blog, but I am so short on time everyday. I remember when I was younger, I thought I had too much time. I was always bored and had nothing to do. Now I have so much to do and just not enough time. Do this happen to people when we get older?

I'm going to write a new post at least every other day.... This is a promise I'm making to myself now. :-)

[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...