Orange County
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52 Years And Counting – Mi Casa Mexican Restaurant Continues To Deliver
The Background
Mi Casa Restaurant is a much beloved Mexican restaurant that’s been a staple in Costa Mesa since 1972. Still going strong at age 51, the restuarant remains largely unchanged since it first opened its doors.
From its iconic front door to the red cushioned booths to the items on the menu, this is essentially the same restaurant from what I remember as a kid. It’s a very casual, sit down restaurant. While the menu largely remains intact and tastes exactly the same, which are both good things!
This type of longevity is impressive for a restaurant. The consistency of the decor and food can be attributed to the fact this is now in the 3rd generation of family ownership. Quite impressive!
The Experience
Whenever I come here to eat I always go to the Burro Room, which is the bar area. Here, you can enjoy the happy hour menu, which you can’t order from if sitting in the regular restaurant. There’s also a self-serve tortilla chip station (addicting!) and salsa bar in the Burro Room. Generally my go to order is a shredded beef taco and bean and cheese burrito wet (a la carte).
Something about Mi Casa, which I love, are the large portions and how much cheese they use. The shredded beef taco has a ridiculous amount of lettuce and cheese.
Lettuce and cheese are literally overflowing out of the taco. Every time you pick the taco up and take a bite cheese and lettuce comes tumbling out. The abundance of cheese and lettuce doens’t compensate for a lack of shredded beef. There’s a ton of meat packed into the taco. Juicy and tender, the shredded beef is definitely tasty. The hard shell taco is fresh and supremely crunchy. I always douse the taco with the Wicked salsa, which is the hottest salsa they have. Delicious!
The wet bean and cheese burrito is on the regular menu under the a la carte portion. Doesn’t look like it’s on the online menu but it’s at the restaurant. This is large burrito packed with refried beans and lots and lots of cheese and sauce.
The plate comes out piping hot and is a beautiful bean, cheese, and sauce mess once you start digging in. Mi Casa has some of my favorite refried beans. Rich, creamy, with plenty of flavor, they’re without a doubt quite tasty.
The Verdict
Serving large proportioned meals that are certain to fill even the heartiest of eaters, they don’t skimp on anything they serve you here. The prices are very reasonable for the amount of food you get.
If you’re looking for a good Mexican restaurant with chill and casual vibes, Mi Casa is the place for you. Having come here for many years it seems impervious to change (a good thing) and going there and enjoying a meal is always comforting and enjoyable.
Its been open for over 50+ years for a reason!
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Flavorful Spicy Garlic Ramen From Kashiwa Ramen! One Of Orange County’s Best Ramen Spots
The Background
Orange County is a hot bed for ramen with a ton of restaurants in the area. There’s a lot to choose from, so deciding on one place can be a daunting task if you start going down the rabbit hole of researching ramen spots.
During one of these recent ramen deep dives I came across Kashiwa Ramen in Costa Mesa. Voted Best Ramen of 2019 by OC Weekly, it wasn’t a ramen place I’d tried yet. Something that really stood out to me at first glance, was that they’re famous for chicken broth.
I haven’t seen too many places that offer a chicken ramen broth. Most places have the pork based tonkotsu broth so seeing a chicken broth was interesting.
A few different types of ramen on the menu also sounded delicious and unique,so this was a pretty easy choice to check out on this day.
The Experience
I got to the Kashiwa Ramen right around the time they opened, 11:30 am on a weekday, to avoid any potential lunch rush and walked right in. Nestled in the corner in the back of a large shopping center, there’s ample parking, especially at this time.
The restuarant itself is pretty small. I see how it can fill up quickly.
The two types of ramen that caught my eye earlier were: the Spicy Black Garlic (I’m sucker for all things spicy) and the Tsukemen aka Dipping Noodle. I haven’t seen much dipping noodle ramen options in Orange County. I’ve seen it on food vlogs but haven’t yet experienced it. Choices, choices, choices. Quite the food predicament of what to order. They also have a ramen + rice bowl combo which clearly I had to try as well.
The lunch rice bowl selection 
The actual order! I couldn’t decide which ramen to try so I asked the server which bowl was the most popular and they pointed out the Spicy Black Garlic. Sold! I also decided on combo-ing it with the Soboro Bowl. That poached egg was calling to me.
The Soboro Bowl
The Soboro Bowl came out first. A Soboro Bowl, for those that don’t know (including myself, I had to look it up) is a deep bowl dish of rice topped with a seasoned protein, in this instance ground chicken. Seasoned with a combination of soy sauce, mirin and ginger it’s generally topped with egg, this one being poached.
Pre Poach Egg break 
Sorry Mr Poached Egg, had to be done! 
Solid spoonful of Soboro It’s a deep bowl with a lot of ground chicken and rice. The egg was poached perfectly while the green onion makes the bowl “pop” with color. It’s definitely a nice looking Soboro Bowl!
Breaking up the egg and mixing it into the seasoned crumbled meat and rice provides a further richness and creaminess to the side dish.
The Spicy Black Garlic Ramen
Soon after the Soboro bowl came out the bowl of ramen followed. The ramen is topped with four pieces of grilled pork, half an egg, green onion, and wood ear mushrooms.
Anytime I get a fresh bowl of ramen the first thing I have to do is get a nice spoonful of that broth. I chose the swirl as my base broth, a combination of the chicken and tonkatsu broths, which sounded too good to pass up. A spoonful of the broth delivered a real jolt of flavor.
A rich flavorful bowl of ramen! 
Solid bite of ramen right here The garlicky, peppery flavor with a hint of smokiness, and spice from the homemade chili oil, strikes the taste buds all at once. It’s defintely one of the most flavorful broths I’ve had. The spice level was moderate. They bring out a side of the chili oil so you can adjust the spice level to your liking.
The wavy noodles were al dente and fresh tasting while the pork pieces were tender with great flavor. The wood ear mushroom provided a different type of texture and crunch to each bite.
The Verdict
Overall this was a very enjoyable lunch and quite filling. The menu has some intriguing options that are different than the usual Tonkatsu broth joints around.
The Spicy Garlic Ramen and Soboro Bowl hit the right spot for me and certainly have provided me more options to think about when I’m craving ramen in the OC.
I look forward to going back to try the Dipping Noodles along with another one of the rice bowls in the near future!
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A&J Restaurant in Irvine, CA Offers Authentic Taiwanese Dishes in Orange County
The Background
A&J Restaurant is a popular restuarant in Irvine which offers many traditional Tawainese dishes. I hadn’t eaten here before, so I was looking forward to giving it a try!
I met up with some family at 12:30 pm on a Saturday and the restaurant was packed. The restaurant isn’t too big and fills up quickly. The wait probably took about 20 mins for a party of five.
The menu is quite expansive. There’s plenty of noodle dishes, appetizes, as well as some soup and rice dishes to choose from.
My cousin suggested the Spicy Beef Noodle Soup and Pan Fried Beef Bun, so those were must tries for me. By the sound of it the Spicy Beef Noodle Soup is one of the most popular items on the menu.
We also decided to get an order of the Pan Fried Pork Dumplings and the Chinese Beef Wrap to share.
The Experience
Beef Noodle Soup
With the Spicy Beef Noodle Soup you get a choice between a thin or thick noodle. I opted for the thin noodle.
The broth is rich and flavorful, with just the right amount of heat from the chili peppers, which melds well with the base flavor of the broth. It will definitely get your lips burning but isn’t OVERLY spicy. The noodles were perfectly cooked and tasted quite fresh.
In addition to the broth, the beef is a real standout here. It’s extremely tender and full of flavor and really soaks up that delicious broth.
The Bok Choy and scallions add some nice crunch to the soup. A nice way to balance out the textures within the tasty soup.
Pan Fried Beef Bun
One of the standouts under the Small Plates section of the menu is the Pan Friend Beef Bun.
The pan fry gives the top and bottom of the bun a nice fried, crunchy, exterior, while the inside is nice and doughy.
The bun encases some seriously juiced up ground beef. After taking a bite the juice comes flowing out. It’s delicious!
The scallions inside the bun provide a nice crunch as well. It’s a good combination of subtle crunch from the exterior of the bun, then the dougy interior, juicy, flavorful beef, and added crunch from the scallions.
Dipping in chili oil and soy sauce, of course, is always a must for any type of bun and made this even more delicious.
Pan Fried Pork Dumpling
This is very much like the Pan Friend Beef Bun, just in a different shape and stuffed with flavorful, seasoned pork instead of beef. These don’t have the juiciness of the beef bun but the outside of the dumpling is nice and crispy while the inside is dougy. There’s a good amount of pork filling in these as well!
Chinese Beef Wrap
The Chinese Beef Wrap is a unique item on the menu. The outside of the wrap is crispy and flaky and inside is doughy with tender strips of marineted beef, scallion, and cilantro inside. This is somewhat similar to the beef bun and pork dumpling except the beef wrap is a lot flakier and has thinly sliced cuts of marineted beef. I liked the addition of the cilantro. It really complements the beef well.
The Verdict
I really enjoyed the food at A&J Restaurant. The standout for me was the Spicy Beef Noodle Soup. The soup broth, fresh noodles, and tender chunks of beef are really outstanding.
Since the beef bun, pork dumpling, and beef wrap are all somewhat similar I’d go with whatever you’re in the mood for on that particular day. You probably don’t need all three unless you’re with a large party to share.
However, if I had to choose only one of the three it would be the beef bun. What specifically stood out for me was the immense flavor from all the juice contained within it.
There’s so much more here I want to try too.
This is certainly a Taiwanese spot that warrants a stop when you’re in the Irvine area!
A&J Restaurant
14805 Jeffrey Rd, Irvine, CA 92618
http://website.uniquemobileapps.com/free/rios12345/west-coast
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Shin-Sen-Gumi A Southern California Staple For Hakata Ramen
The Background
I’ve been eating at the Shin-Sen-Gumi Fountain Valley location, essentially since it opened, back in 2000. To say that I’m a fan would be an understatement. Much like anyone’s favorite restaurant, there’s something about its ramen, atmosphere, and overall vibe that has kept me coming back for years.
Their specialty ramen broth is the hakata tonkatsu broth. Based off their website they evidently prepare the broth over a three-day period. They’re meticulous with how the broth is prepared and the broth is temperature sensitive. It goes through several processes and needs to be remain heated all day to maintain its highest quality.
They use an original Shin-Sen-Gumi noodle recipe for their Hakata-style noodles. These are not made in house, but are made daily for them by an outside noodle shop.
Shin-Sen-Gumi has a cental kitchen system. The ingredients are freshly prepared and transported to all 14 branches daily.
The Experience
As I’ve noted, I’ve been coming to this restaurant for 20+ years. Which is pretty insane to me. Time really flies. Correspondingly, there’s a comfort and familiarity in taking a seat here and getting a nice bowl of ramen.
The interior is pretty small. The main seating is a large bar that wraps around forming an L shape. There’s some tables lined around the outskirts of the room by the windows. It makes for a cozy atmosphere but can certainly get quite busy at times.
I always enjoy coming here during lunch. The lunch combos are filling for a very reasonable price. My go to has always been the C-Set: Hakata Ramen with a 1/2 Takana Fried Rice.
The menu has changed and expanded throughout the years but what keeps me coming back is the tonkatsu ramen.
When I first started coming here for lunch the Lunch combos ran from A-Set to D-Set. The options have grown through the years The Ramen
The tonkatsu ramen is topped with green onion and ginger and comes with a couple pieces of pork chashu. There’s numerous toppings you can choose from. I always get the bamboo, which comes out on the side. Lastly, I add in sesame seeds and a chili powder mixture to add some spice.
The broth has a deeply umami, rich pork flavor. It’s extremely satisfying and undoubtedly, hands down, my favorite ramen broth in Orange County.
You can choose the firmness of the noodes which are always fresh and al dente. These noodles are thinner which is a characteristic of Hakata ramen. You can add more noodles when you finish your first bowl, if you’re craving more.
The Fried Rice
The 1/2 portion of Takana fried rice always goes well with the Hakata Ramen. The stir-fried rice consists of leaf mustard, sweet and savory soy sauce flavored pork, onion and egg. I always add a little additional soy sauce to this as well. It’s definitely a tasty fried rice.
The Verdict
Shin-Sen-Gumi has been around for 31 years for a reason. It remains immensely popular and it’s food, at its core, by and large has remained largely unchanged from what I can taste. That’s a good thing! It’s consistency is certainly one of the reasons why its had sustained success. The Hakata ramen is a classic in my books and remains my favorite in the Orange County. That’s saying something considering the number of quality ramen options in the area!
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Burnin’ Mouth Brings Popular Nashville Hot Chicken To Irvine Spectrum
The Background
Nashville Hot Chicken is a spicy take on fried chicken that seems to get more and more popular with new restuarants opening up every year. 10-15 years ago I can’t really recall seeing too many Nashville Hot Chicken spots in Orange County. These days there seems to be quite a few.
Burnin’ Mouth at the Irvine Spectrum is one of the more recent Nashville Hot Chicken restaurants to open up in the area.
The Experience
Once you enter the restaurant you’re greeted by a few digital menus to order off of. The touch screen itself is easy enough to navigate through and select what you want. There’s no actual human interaction. That’s fine for most people but I could see it being problematic. If people have any questions about the menu there’s only one person manning the front.
Anytime I try a Nashville Hot Chicken spot I have to go with the chicken sandwich. I feel like that’s generally the item on the menu the restuarant is going to be most known for. Burnin’ Mouth calls their chicken sandwich the Coo Coo Sando. I grabbed the combo which comes with fries, and no drink which is kind of weird ($13.90).
There’s five different spice levels to choose from ranging from the lowest (Simple) to the hottest (Insane). I love me some spicy food but places are always different with how they define “spice”. So I played it safe and went with Ugly, which is the second hottest spice level.
The food came out pretty quickly and is a fair amount of food. The sandwich is a pretty decent size. It’s packed with coleslaw, crispy onions, a few pickles, and a large piece of fried chicken coated in spices and seasonings. The entire sandwich is oozing with a thousand island type sauce. It’s a really great presentation.
The piece of chicken had a nice crunch and had some spicy kick to it. Not overbearing heat but definitely a kick that I was a little surprised by. There were parts of the chicken that were a little dry and stringy though, which did take away from the overall enjoyment.
The brioche bun was nice and fluffy, the sauce very tasty, and the different textures with the cripsy onion, coleslaw, and pickles, all adding a diffent type of crunch and flavor with each bite. Overall a pretty delicious sandwich!
The fries were crispy with cajun seasoning sprinkled over the top. Definitely quality fries.
The Verdict
Burnin’ Mouth is a solid Nashville Chicken spot if you’re craving a spicy chicken sandwich. However, I can’t say it’s a place I’d go out of my way to go and get. While it’s pretty tasty, the dry, stringy parts of the chicken stood out to me. But if you find yourself out shopping at the Irvine Spectrum, it’s a solid place to stop by for a bite.
