Olamendi's: Pop's Tacos and Sandwiches

Olamendi's: Pop's Tacos and Sandwiches 34320 Pacific Coast Hwy, Suite F Dana Point, CA 92629 (949) 429-2612 No online directory listings available yet for this restaurant. Official Site

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Having just found out about this yesterday (keep the tips coming, folks) and having my lunch plans for today change I was able to drive down to Dana Point a few hours ago and test the new Olamendi's restaurant: Pop's Tacos and Sandwiches (not to be confused with Pup 'N' Taco). Look for it off the Camino las Ramblas offramp on PCH in the shopping center with A's Burgers and Jack's Surfboards right by the Dana Point Bridge (UPDATE: found out it's called Doheny Park Plaza).

Run by the same Olamendi family who runs the Original Olamendi's in Capo Beach, Pop's Tacos and Sandwiches opened up five days ago and offers a beach-friendly Mexican menu (tacos, burritos, quesadillas, etc.) and several American-style sandwiches.

I have found Nemo

I like the fact that Olamendi's bottles their own sodas, which can be ordered along with other Olamendi's products from their gourmet foods website. Flavors are: grape, cola, hibiscus, and lemonade:

These are in real bottles that you need a can opener to get into; none of that wimpy twist-off stuff.

Another unique thing on their menu is ceviche tacos. Having never had one before I ordered one along with a fish taco. You can tell them what kind of toppings you want (sour cream, guacamole, etc.). Both were stuffed with as much meat and toppings that they could fit into their two corn tortillas each and the cool ceviche taco is an appropriate choice for a hot summer day.

If I had realized they had "Nachos Libres" on their menu I might've ordered those but those will have to wait until my next visit. If you're wondering what the reference is, here's some clips from Nacho Libre, the Jack Black film:

My usual ratings icon is a Speedy Gonzales:



And I have also used the Panchito:



But I think for Olamendi's: Pop's Tacos and Sandwiches I will use a new icon. Therefore they earn a four lucha libre mask rating:



Click here to see the complete photo album at .

Carl's Jr. Green Burrito Chicken Quesadilla

I haven't tried it yet but when I was leaving lunch at another place I saw this poster for a chicken quesadilla from Green Burrito.

Baja Kogi

Welcome to everyone coming from OC Weekly, Yelp, Food Frenzy, Midtown Lunch, and more. When you're done with this entry click around to find more great info on Mexican restaurants and food in Orange County. For starters, click here for the list of over 200 restaurants we have reviewed. For those from L.A., click through to our sister blog: Los Angeles County Mexican Restaurants.

Perhaps you couldn't make it to the Kogi BBQ truck for one of its few Orange County stops before it retreated back to L.A. County but if you're still craving Korean-prepared meat served Mexican style I was just tipped off today (thanks, Brooke) to the fact that the Baja Fresh in the Gelson's shopping center at Alton and Jeffrey in Irvine is now serving Kogi style tacos and burritos.

Available in Spicy Chicken or Korean BBQ Steak they are served in corn tortillas with kimchi and a sesame salsa roja with beans and cilantro lime rice on the side.

So far this is the only location that has the Kogi items. I suspect if they are popular we will soon see them at other Baja Fresh locations.

(Also, you can click here to read our complete coverage of Korean/Mexican fusion all at once. There's more than one place that has Korean tacos. You can also read about the new Baja Fresh look and concept at the Fast Food Maven blog. NEW: Read about Baja Fresh possibly changing from the use of the word "Kogi" to "Gogi" here and more on this subject at the OC Weekly.)

UPDATE: Here's a slightly better picture from the second time I tried these:

Baja Gogi

NEWER UPDATE: The transition from "kogi" to "gogi" is complete:

Chipotle Foothill Ranch

The new Chipotle opens on Friday, June 26. On that first day patrons will be able to get one free item. Maybe they'll have a huge burrito balloon like they did when the one in Lake Forest opened. And I don't know if it'll be the case this time but sometimes they have a soft opening that you can get into the day before the official opening.

More info at OC Weekly's Stick A Fork In It and OC Register's Fast Food Maven. Also, click the "chipotle" label below or the logo above for our complete Chipotle coverage.

Father's Day

Father's Day is coming up this Sunday and people are looking for places to take their fathers to eat. So far, the Matador Cantina in Fullerton is the only one that has let me know about a Father's Day special

It's Father's Day this Sunday (June 21st) and where better to celebrate dear ol' Dad than Matador Cantina with our Father's Day Brunch! Served from 9am-2pm, the menu includes fresh made-to-order favorites from our specialty Matador Omelet, made with three eggs, peppers, onions, tomatoes, chorizo and cheese topped with salsa fresca, Omelet de Marisco, with eggs, shrimp, crab, red peppers and cheese topped with green sauce to traditional dishes including Eggs Benedicto, Chorizo & Eggs, Pancakes, French Toast and more! It's also a great opportunity to indulge in our decadent dessert menu, which includes Enchiladas de Chocolate, Pastel de Zanahoria and Mud Pie Dulce de Leche. Plus, all Dad's will receive a special gift! The experience will be as memorable as it is delicious. Click here to confirm your reservation now!

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If anybody knows about any other deals leave a comment here or e-mail me at reviews@ocmexfood.com.

Taco Rosa June 2009 Specials

(Greetings to all the people coming from Nancy Luna's Fast Food Maven blog on the OC Register site. After you're done reading this entry click around the site for plenty of information about Mexican food and restaurants in Orange County. There's links all over to help you out.)

Taco Rosa 2632 San Miguel Dr Newport Beach, CA 92660 (949) 720-0980 Listing on Yahoo! Local Listing on Ask.com's Citysearch Official Site

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Taco Rosa #2 On the Irvine side of The Tustin Marketplace 13792 Jamboree Rd, Suite 42 Irvine, CA 92602 (714) 505-6080

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Normally I would've posted something like this much earlier in the month, but better late than never, I suppose. Here are pictures of the special items both Taco Rosa locations have for the month of June:

One thing they have started to do recently is serving a little teaser of soup (seen in photo above in the little blue-rimmed glass) with your customary complimentary bocadillo (appetizer). They don't do it all the time but I'm starting to see it more often. I had a chicken soup one time and a spinach soup another time.

Costillas de Puerco (Pork Ribs)

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Pork Medallions with Pineapple, Eggplant and Jicama

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Arroz con Leche en Naranja (Rice Pudding served in Oranges)

Click here to see the unedited photo album (13 photos) at .

Click here to read our complete, extensive coverage of Taco Rosa.

Del Taco New Menu Items

The folks at Del Taco have also sent me this press release about the Chicken Fajita Burrito:

Del Taco Introduces New Customizable Chicken Fajita Burrito

With four ingredient choices, you decide what goes inside!

(Lake Forest, CA) June 15, 2009 – Del Taco fans who need a burrito fix won't have to try hard to get exactly what they want when the No. 2 Mexican quick-serve chain unveils its new Chicken Fajita Burrito on June 15.

The new Chicken Fajita Burrito includes grilled marinated chicken, fire roasted fajita onions and peppers wrapped in a warm flour tortilla. And then the fun starts as customers have their choice of adding any two of four additional ingredients – sour cream, fresh salsa, cheddar cheese or guacamole.

"We're always looking for new ways to satisfy our customers with great taste and new products. With the new Chicken Fajita Burrito we are taking the be st part of restaurant style fajitas- choosing your favorite ingredients- and serving it on the go," said John Cappasola, vice president of marketing at Del Taco.

"Customization is the name of the game here. Our new Chicken Fajita Burrito continues the promise of getting what you want with delicious taste and everyday value," added Cappasola.

The New Chicken Fajita Burrito is sold a la carte, or in a combo meal paired with a side order of chips, freshly prepared salsa and a soft drink for a limited time.

Price and participation may vary.

About Del Taco
Del Taco, the Lake Forest, California-based comp any operates or franchisees more than 510 restaurants in 18 states. Del Taco offers a full range of made-to-order Mexican items such as tacos, burritos, quesadillas and American favorites including cooked-to-order burgers, fries and shakes. Del Taco uses fresh ingredients including hand-made salsa, fresh produce, freshly grated cheddar cheese, chicken grilled every hour and lard-free beans made from scratch. Additional information is available at www.deltaco.com.

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Del Taco's New Chicken Fajita Burrito
You decide what goes inside and what that says about you.

According to the Del Taco research team, a slew of clinical psychologists and dozens of cheerleaders, what you choose to put inside your Chicken Fajita Burrito says a lot about you.

If you choose cheddar and salsa, you like a little spice in your life but play it safe most of the time. You probably have your own bowling ball and play softball but only for the beer afterward.

If you choose salsa and sour cream, you are likely to be assertive, confident and probably a bit of a flirt. Our psychologist panel said you are probably not a slacker.

If you chose cheddar and guacamole, you are a quick decision maker with a clear vision but need to cut back on the you-know-what.

If you choose sour cream and cheddar, in that order, you know what you want out of life, and probably get it most of the time. You are not used to a disappointment- except in your love life.

If you choose guacamole and salsa, you seek adventure in your life and are proud of your independent spirit. Rock on!

What kind of guy appealed most to the cheerleaders? A man who ordered his Chicken Fajita Burrito with ALL FOUR ingredients!

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Del Taco Adds New Breakfast Items,
Offers Free Breakfast Taco Del Carbon with Meal Purchase

(Lake Forest, CA) July 20, 2009 – Celebrating its new breakfast items, Del Taco is encouraging customers to enjoy more flavor in the morning with a free Breakfast Taco Del Carbon with the purchase of any breakfast meal. In addition to the new Breakfast Taco Del Carbon, Del Taco is introducing a new Steak and Hashbrown Breakfast Burrito.

The Breakfast Taco Del Carbon, at 79 cents, is a corn tortilla stuffed with scrambled eggs, California chili sauce, chopped onions and cilantro.

The Steak and Hashbrown Breakfast Burrito, at $2.39, is a warm tortilla with scrambled eggs, marinated steak, hashbrown sticks, red sauce and grated cheddar cheese.

"Del Taco's breakfast menu already is quite popular with our fans," said John Cappasola, vice president of marketing at Del Taco. "The new Breakfast Taco Del Carbon and the Steak and Hashbrown Breakfast Burrito deliver great flavor at a great price and I'm confident our fans will love them as much as we do. We all deserve more flavor in the morning."


CLICK HERE for Breakfast Taco Del Carbon coupon.

Mi Casa - Review #2

Mi Casa 1231 W Chapman Ave Orange, CA 92868 (714) 633-9395 Listing on Yahoo! Local Listing on Google Maps No known official website.

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I was about to write our frequent guest reviewer Johnny Automatic recently asking him how everything was going since we hadn't heard from him in a while but he beat me to it by sending in this review of the lesser known Mi Casa, the one in the City of Orange.

A while back I reviewed Mi Casa in Costa Mesa. Now I'm writing about Mi Casa in Orange. Other than the name and that they both serve Mexican food, there is very little in common between the two places.

This Mi Casa was a burger stand that over the years began serving more and more Mexican favorites. Remnants of the old menu still survive. So this is a good place to go if your dining partner doesn't like Mexican food (but how could that be?!). So while you have a breakfast burrito they can have pancakes and eggs or while you have a chile relleno they can have a burger and fries.

First time I came here I had a special of the day. It was a chile relleno and enchilada combo platter. Both were quite good and served with the standard rice and beans on the side. I remember the enchilada sauce being nice and thick and flavorful, but on a later visit the sauce seemed wimpier. So maybe there is a little inconsistency here.

On another visit I had the al pastor burrito. I am a big fan of al pastor, the meat being marinated in spices usually over night. Theirs was as good as a lot of places but not among the best I have had. They have a small salsa bar and all the salsas were excellent.

This is a good place for a lunch stop if you're in the area. When I went there was nothing on the menu for over $7. So it is a very reasonable place for lunch. One of the fun things is eating in the half-indoor/half-outdoor dining area. There is years of treasures and junk collected here and it is fun to look at all the stuff while dining.

As the sign says, they are open all day serving meals.

El Buen Sabor - Review #1

Date of Visits: February 12 and 13, March 31, and June 1, 2009

El Buen Sabor 14141 Red Hill Ave Tustin, CA 92780 (714) 573-1112 Listing on Yahoo! Local Listing on Ask.com's Citysearch Official Site

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Details of my most recent meal at El Buen Sabor:

Appetizer: Chips and Salsa
Entree: Carne asada & al pastor tacos platter w/ rice and beans
Beverage: Lime agua fresca
Dessert: Mexican Pastry
Price: $8.89

Hidden away almost anonymously in the Stater Bros. parking lot on Redhill in Tustin El Buen Sabor offers traditional Mexican bakery items and catering for numerous special occasions and Mexican meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This will be mostly photos again until I catch up on my backlog.

Chips and salsa, with salsa coming in two varieties, hot and super hot:

Chile Verde

Chicken flautas

Aguas frescas:

They have different types of aguas frescas depending on when you go and when I went earlier today I had what I believe was my first lime aguas frescas. Best lime juice I've ever had, with the harsh aspect of the tartness removed and all the flavor remaining intact.

Carne asada and al pastor tacos

Click here to see the complete album (39 photos) at flickr.