Eat, Pour, Love - The Wall Restaurant Review Written by: Kristen Nichols

Eat, Pour, Love - The Wall Restaurant Review

Written by: Kristen Nichols

Sasaki Time was recently invited to taste the delicious food and drinks at The Wall restaurant located in Old Towne Orange, CA.  We were lucky enough to sample a wide variety of their food and drink offerings and had the pleasure of speaking with some of the staff about the restaurant’s style and philosophy.  The Wall’s menu offers the flavors of traditional street food combined with the shareable design of tapas.  Their Elote Fries have a great aesthetic presentation while maintaining the flavor of traditional street-cart elote.  The Wall is also known for it’s Frito Pie, the only restaurant in Orange County that offers it, and it’s own delicious housemade Choco Taco.  There is also a specialty gourmet burger that changes with each month.  The burger for June is the spicy Green Chili Crunch burger complete with a bacon and ghost pepper aioli.   

The Elote fries with carnitas are flavorful and shareable...although you may want to keep them all for yourself!

The Green Chili Crunch Burger, burger of the month for June, complete with a Bacon and ghost pepper aioli.  Delicious and spicy!

Frito Pie with an egg on top.  The Wall is the only restaurant in Orange County that offers it!

Freshly made Peruvian Ceviche!  So delicious I made sure to take the leftovers!

Housemade Choco Taco - served with Thrifty brand ice cream, a stout chocolate sauce, and a chocolate stout waffle cone shell!  Amazing!

Generally, I’m not a fan of donuts but these Boozy Crullers with candied bacon and a maple bourbon glaze were probably my favorite thing we tried all night!  Light and crispy perfection!

The Wall boasts 55 beers on tap, the most beers on tap in Orange County.  Currently the servers are doing the pouring but a self-serve format is currently in the works.  The Wall will soon be implementing an electronic wrist-band system that allows patrons to select, order, and have their drink automatically dispensed from the tap.  They offer beers and ciders in 5oz taster, 13oz, or 16oz pours.   Patrons can also assemble their own custom flights comprised of four 5oz tasters.

From left to right: Red Nectar - Humboldt, Raspberry Wheat - Alaskan, Shower Beer - Solarc, Shellmaker - Gunwhale, Chocolate Sombrero - Clown Shoes.  My favorite was the Shower Beer from Solarc Brewing!

The Wall is a casual and friendly place to catch-up with loved ones or just hang out and watch the game.  Grab your friends and family and visit The Wall located at 80 Plaza Square in Orange, CA.  You can also check them out on Instagram at @thewall_restaurant or on Twitter at @thewall_orange.  Thank you so much to The Wall for hosting us and giving us an exclusive look at their delicious offerings!  See you there!

Cajun Garlic Fries with Bulgolgi from Nguyen's Kitchen in Orange

Located near the Children's Hospital of Orange County is Nguyen's Kitchen. They offer Vietnamese favorites and some modern twists such as sandwiches, pastas, garlic noodles and rice bowls. But the reason I stopped in was to try their Cajun garlic fries and you can add bulgolgi on top of that to create the above masterpiece. The bulgolgi is tender and flavorful, the fries are crisp and tasty with Cajun spices and garlic. This can be a meal all by itself.

I washed this all down with a refreshing peach and lychee green tea. It's not overpoweringly sweet and the flavors of the peach and lychee blend in perfectly with the green tea.

Check out Nguyen's Kitchen at:

445 S. Main Street, Ste B
Orange, CA 92868

or visit their site:

nguyenskitchen.com/

Who Song and Larry's Awesome Sunday Brunch in Orange

My buddy Drew and I are making Sunday Brunch a monthly habit that we should just call ourselves the Brunch Guys! So this time we are at Who Song and Larry's in Orange. Let's see if this brunch should be a must-do on your list.

Starting with the photo above, the elote is a great sign we are in for an amazing brunch! The elote has several seasoning options but I went with the dunk in the bucket of butter, cheese and tajin!

There is a taco bar and there are three tasty options to choose from. You can get carnitas, smoked chicken or steak and bacon tacos. All three are amazing! My favorite is the steak and bacon as the steak is tender and blends well with the saltiness of the bacon.

There is also bottomless mimosas. The staff does an amazing job making sure your glass stays topped off.

There is a waffle bar and a carving station. The carving station has melt in your mouth tri-tip and two kinds of sausages.

There is also a wafflette bar where they make omelettes in a waffle maker. These wafflettes are large and can easily feed two people.

There is also a central station with all sorts of amazing dishes including garlic butter pasta, mahi mahi, sausages and more.

There is a seafood station with peel and eat shrimp, ceviche and oysters.

For an extra $9 you can get a glass of Grey Goose and head to the build-your-own bloody mary bar. So many options to make your perfect bloody mary.

Here is my creation. I think I went a little too heavy on the spices though.

It was time to make our way to dessert. The chocolate fountain has your usual marshmallows, rice krispie treats and strawberries, but they also add bacon. That's right you can make your own chocolate covered bacon.

The other dessert options include flan, fudge and pie. such a great way to wind down from all of the other food options.

And I didn't even get to the burrito bar, the menudo, the pozole and the chicharones.

Sunday Brunch is an amazing experience! Dare I say too many food options and amazing service make this a must for Sunday Brunch. Plus, they start at 9am if you want to get an early start with no crowds and take your time eating and drinking.

Brunch is $29.99 for adults and $12.50 for kids 12 and under.

To learn more check out their site:

whosongandlarrys.com

Restaurant Review: Brunch at Saddle Ranch Chop House in Orange

My friend Cheri and I headed out on our Sunday brunch adventure to check out Saddle Ranch Chop House in Orange! They serve brunch everyday from opening until 3pm so not just on Sundays!

Warm buttermilk biscuits and fresh jalapeno corn bread muffins are brought out! Both are pretty amazing! Such great flavors and there is nothing like fresh biscuits and muffins out of the oven.

And every single day before 3pm for $9.99 more and with a purchase of a meal you can get bottomless mimosas and bloody mary's! There are five different bloody mary's to try and seven mimosas to try. You can mix and match they will keep bringing them out to you! Above is the Texas BBQ bloody mary with a hint of bbq sauce and tequila! It has just the right amount of kick and really tasty! The mimosa is the strawberry blonde with strawberry nectar, champagne and orange juice! And yes, it is as delicious as it sounds!  

We both had the chicken 'n biscuits! A huge battered deep-fried chicken breast, eggs, served on a warm buttermilk biscuit, covered in a creamy bacon gravy, topped with green onions and served with a side of hash browns. This is one big meal! Everything here is rich and heavy! You will not leave hungry! All the flavors combine perfectly and that bacon gravy brings it all together! A fantastic dish and I will get this one again soon!

They management brought us out a Roast Your Own S'mores Platter. We had no idea where we would find room for this but we gave it our best shot!

Our waiter took the platter out to one of their outdoor campfire pits and we sat down to make s'mores! So here it is at 1130am on a Sunday and we are getting ready to make s'mores! How cool is that?

There is my first delicious s'mores of the morning! So good and so messy!

To end our meal, the girls at the bar made us each a gummy bear shot! Wow! Awesome service, awesome food and some awesome extras on the house! Cheri and I had a great time and will be back!

Saddle Ranch Chop House in Orange

20 City Blvd. West
Orange, CA 92868
(657) 221-3136
Monday-Friday: 11am-2am
Saturday & Sunday: 9am-2am

Restaurant Review: Linx Dogs in Orange!

Here is my fourth restaurant review of 2014! This is Linx Dogs in Orange! It is located near the Orange Circle on Chapman!

The sign says it all - artisan sausage, craft beer and Belgian frites! What more do you need?

With so many choices I was glad I was here with a small army to try a little bit of pretty much everything on the menu!

My buddy Derek went for the Double Down Burrito! A Huge double hot dog, chili con coney, applewood smoked bacon, pinto beans, four cheese, pico de gallo, and wrapped in a flour tortilla!

My friend Chris had the BBQ, Bacon and Blues Dog which combined a smoked cheddar bratwurst, bacon marmalade, blue-cheese-bacon aioli, honey mustard, honey BBQ, crispy onions on a potato roll!

This is the Sonora Dog which combined a grilled frank, applewood smoked bacon, pinto beans, grilled jalapenos and onions, trinity, and four cheese on a potato roll!

My buddy Anthony had a Curry Wurst which was a 1/3 pound knackwurst, curry ketchup, and frites!

I went for the beer flight which cost $12 for 6 4-ounce draught beers which you got to choose from their selection! They change out their beer selection often which is more than enough reason to go back and try new beers and try all of their various hot dog offerings!

I went with the two hot dogs for $10 combo and got a small order or the frites with the sriracha mayo for my dipping sauce!

The frites were perfectly seasoned with sea salt and fresh herbs! The sriracha mayo was spicy and went perfectly with the frites! My only regret was not ordering the large frites! Next time!

I got the T.J. Street Dog which combines a spicy polish, applewood smoked bacon, chorizo mayo, giardiniera relish, avocado, and cilantro on a potato roll. So many toppings! I used my fork to push the toppings down and they still spilled over into the tray the dog was served in! So many flavors but they all blend together so well! A great choice here!

My other dog was the Coney Dog which combined a griddled frank, chili con coney, yellow mustard, and vidalia onions on a potato roll! The chili con coney is not too spicy and the flavors here combined for one of the best chili dogs I have ever eaten in my life! I will gladly order this one again and again!

Great ambiance, great food and great service make for a great meal! Despite the massive amount of food that I ate, it wasn't heavy so I didn't feel lethargic afterwards which is always a plus! I can see this small place being packed at night for dinner but there is outdoor seating as well! So come early to eat and drink until you can't eat or drink anymore!

Linx

• 238 W Chapman Avenue
• Ste 100
• Orange, CA 92866

(714) 744-3647

linxdogs.com/

Ice Cream Soda Recipes: Orange Ice Cream Soda

 

Makes 1 serving

 

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons blood orange juice, fresh
1 teaspoon orange juice, for rimming
4 teaspoons white sugar
2 teaspoons white sugar, white for rimming
2/3-1 cup club soda
1/2 cup vanilla ice cream, large scoop
1 orange slice, garnish

Directions:

1 Rub orange juice on the edge of glass and then place the glass in white sugar to rim glass.
 

2 Set the prepared glass in freezer to chill until needed.
 

3 Next dissolve the 4 tsps of sugar in 6 tbsp of orange juice.
 

4 Pour the orange mixture into the prepared glass.
 

5 Add the club soda and top with ice cream.
 

6 Pour the remaining orange juice and sugar (if any - from rimming the glass) over the ice cream and garnish glass with an orange slice.
 

7 Serve with a straw and a spoon, enjoy immediately.
 

8 *Please use the same measurements for liqueurs as for juice.
 

9 * If using sodas instead of juice or liqueurs, please substitute the club soda with your preferred soda, (lemon, orange or grapefruit).

Source: http://www.food.com/recipe/orange-ice-cream-soda-218910

Restaurant Review: Spin! Neapolitan Pizza (Orange, CA)

I went with my friend Dyan to check out Spin! Pizza, the latest pizza place to open in the Orange County area! They took over the Bob's Big Boy location near the Century Stadium 25 in Orange!

They offer a great selection of wines!

Not only do they do pizza in red or white sauce but they also do flatbreads, salads, sandwiches, paninis and soup.

I love the look of this restaurant!

They have a great selection of beers on tap as well as in the bottle!

I went with a beer in a bottle. I got an omission gluten free beer! I have never had a gluten free beer before and I thought it was a nice, well balanced beer that paired perfectly with my white sauce pizza!

They also have a lovely patio area if you want to eat outside!

I started with a nice half caesar salad. Caesar salads are my favorite and there was a ncie balance of dressing. So many times there is either too much dressing or not enough, and this was just perfect.

Dyan went with their mini pizza and side salad or a cup of soup for $9.75. You get a 6 inch signature pizza or you can Spin! it and get any two toppings. I was surprised at the large size of the side salad. The pizza was the bbq di pollo and pineapple and was so tasty using Lucille's BBQ sauce! Oh, the owner of the Orange location is also the owner of Lucille's!

I got the Salsiccia con mela which is Italian sausage and apples with crushed glazed pecans with white sauce. The crust is coated with a roasted garlic olive oil glaze. The flavors blend so perfectly together. Just a fantastic pizza!

Spin! also offers a great selection of gelato. I couldn't decide and out waitress informed us of the small 2 ounce size cups for a dollar each.

We did out best to get through all 12 flavors but could barely get through eight. All of them were great but my favorites were the strawberry, the pistachio, the banana cream pie, the blueberry butter cookie and the white chocolate raspberry!

Great service, great food and great drinks make this a great restaurant that I cannot wait to return to!

Spin! Neapolitan Pizza

1623 W Katella Ave
Ste 102
Orange, CA 92867

(714) 633-7746

http://www.spinpizza.com

Hours:

Mon-Thu, Sun 11 am - 9 pm

Fri-Sat 11 am - 10 pm