El Torito Grill - Review #6

Date of Visit: February 23, 2008

El Torito Grill RSM 22322 El Paseo Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688 (949) 589-4164 Listing on Yahoo! Local Listing on Yelp Official Site

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UPDATE: This location has closed and is now called Mi Casa.

With so many people searching for information on "El Torito Grill in Rancho Santa Margarita" or "El Torito Grill RSM" I knew it was time to round up my El Torito Grill buddies, Chris and Kristanna, and make the trek out east down the 5, the 133, and the 241. I'd been to this location before when it used to be called Agave Mexican Grill. I'm not sure why Agave Mexican Grill went out of business. Maybe it just didn't have the name brand recognition that El Torito Grill has.

We started out with a basket of chips and salsa, the first time I've ever had chips and salsa at an El Torito Grill. We wondered if maybe they had got rid of serving the handmade tortillas with honey butter so we inquired and they brought us some of those too. They aren't pictured but we still got 'em and we still loved 'em.

I turned their special appetizer of the moment into my entree. It consisted of a lobster quesadilla, two carnitas tostadas (probably the best part of the meal), chicken tenders (yeah, that's not Mexican but that's what came with the plate), and, get this, a deep-fried beef tamale.

Chris the carnitas fiend veered slightly from his usual El Torito Grill order of the Carnitas Yucatan platter with an order of two carnitas tacos that he requested be made into burritos instead. What he ended up with was more like tacos that had been rolled up slightly but he said the carnitas meat was as good as ever.

Kristanna ordered the sizzling steak and shrimp fajitas. I forgot to get her opinion on them but they sure look good.

We didn't get dessert this time but we might've if their special dessert was anything different from what it was when we went to the Brea location back in November. Since it was still the deep-fried ice cream we went to a nearby bakery and got some Boston cream pie that was too rich to finish.

They were understaffed this evening and very busy but did a professional job handling the crowd. I still think of El Torito Grill as corporate but corporate done right. I just wish they would go back to a more frequent changing of their special dishes and respond to requests for information from the media. El Torito Grill maintains a solid four and a half Speedy Gonzales rating for the whole chain:



Read our other El Torito Grill entries:

• El Torito Grill - Review #1 (Mission Viejo)
• El Torito Grill - Review #2 (Irvine)
• El Torito Grill - Review #3 (Anaheim)
• El Torito Grill - Review #4 (Newport Beach/Fashion Island)
• El Torito Grill - Review #5 (Brea)

Or click on the "el torito grill" label below to read our full El Torito Grill coverage:

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El Torito Grill - Review #5

Date of Visit: October 20, 2007

El Torito Grill 555 Pointe Dr Brea, CA 92821 (714) 990-2411 Listing on Yahoo! Local Listing on Yelp Official Site

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Continuing my quest to cover every El Torito Grill in Orange County I went last Saturday with Chris and Kristanna (my regular El Torito Grill buddies) to what could be the oldest El Torito Grill ever, the one in Brea. At least Kristanna says she remembers it being there in the mid-80's, about ten years before I was aware of the El Torito Grill concept.

We started out with their excellent hand-made tortillas that come with honey butter and two types of salsa:

And we couldn't resist ordering the guacamole made tableside again, once again brought to a medium spiciness with a helping of queso fresco on top, served with round tri-colored chips:

Kristanna went for Combination #4 again, "Grilled Chicken Roasted Corn Enchilada, Mesquite-Grilled Steak Taco and Two Chicken Taquitos."

Chris, sticking with his love of all things carnitas, once again ordered the Carnitas Yucatan, "Roasted marinated pork topped with red onions marinated with habañero chiles and lime juice. Served with red and black beans, rice, avocado relish and sweet corn cake."

I went for one of their current specials, the Mesquite-grilled Salmon Quesadilla: "Fresh salmon mesquite-grilled with jack, cotija and cream cheeses, pineapple-mango relish, red onions, pasilla chiles and capers rolled in a grilled cilantro-jalapeño flour tortilla. Served with tropical and avocado relishes." Not your usual flat tortilla with melted cheese inside, this quesadilla is more like a cross between a . . . well, it's really more like a chimichanga that hasn't been deep fried.

Before heading over there I had read about their "Pumpkin Chimi" online. Made with "Spiced pumpkin, cream cheese, marshmallows and pecans in a crispy cinnamon-sugar flour tortilla served with dulce de leche ice cream, glazed pecans, cajeta, chipotle-chocolate sauce, crispy cinnamon-sugar tortilla strips and a dollop of fresh whipped cream," this is the dessert Chris and Kristanna shared.

I had wanted to order the Pumpkin Chimi myself but when I found out they couldn't make it without pecans I then ordered the deep-fried ice cream from their specials menu (it was on their specials menu in the restaurant but not mentioned along with the Pumpkin Chimi in the specials menu online). After I ordered it, the waitress-in-training came back to the table and asked if I had a nut allergy. While peanuts are fine for me I told her that walnuts, pecans, and coconut are out of the question. She then told me that the coating used for their deep-fried ice cream has walnuts in it and the waiter she was with showed me a cup of the coating. I then realized I couldn't get this dessert either. I should've thought to ask about it beforehand but I forgot but the waitress caught it and helped avoid a disaster. That's what I call personalized service.

When the two dessert items currently on their specials menu became out of the question I went for an old standby from their regular menu, the Molten Chocolate Cake, "Warm chocolate cake with a soft, creamy center drizzled with chipotle-chocolate sauce. Served with dulce de leche ice cream, strawberries and a dollop of fresh cream."

I like to say that El Torito Grill is corporate, but "corporate done right." My experience a week ago at their Brea location maintains a solid four and a half Speedy Gonzales rating for the whole chain:



Read our other El Torito Grill entries:

• El Torito Grill - Review #1 (Mission Viejo)
• El Torito Grill - Review #2 (Irvine)
• El Torito Grill - Review #3 (Anaheim)
• El Torito Grill - Review #4 (Newport Beach/Fashion Island)
• El Torito Grill - Review #6 (Rancho Santa Margarita)

Or click on the "el torito grill" label below to read our full El Torito Grill coverage:

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El Torito Grill - Review #4

Date of Visits: April 24 and 26, 2007

El Torito Grill @ Fashion Island 951 Newport Center Dr Newport Beach, CA 92660 (949) 640-2875 Listing on Yahoo! Local Listing on Ask.com's Citysearch Official Site

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UPDATE: This location has closed.

I mentioned before that I was going to go to last month's Newport Beach Film Festival but what I didn't know is that every NBFF movie I would end up going to would be at the Edwards Island Theater in Fashion Island so I was near the El Torito Grill there quite often that week. So I made two visits for dinner there that week, one after getting out of seeing John Wayne's The Sands of Iwo Jima and one before catching the screening of the documentary about the Orange County painter known as "Shag."

I was still trying to keep away from Mexican restaurants I'd never been to before but I've been to this one before without having reviewed it. And I'm always game to see what special items El Torito Grill might have so I popped in and tried out two excellent dishes from their specials menu that I've never had before: the Salmon a la Parilla and the Chocolate Crepes.

Salmon a la Parilla

"Mesquite-grilled fresh salmon with tropical white rice, pineapple-mango salsa, jalapeño-butter sauce, chipotle balsamic reduction and sweet corn cake."

On my second visit I kept things pretty basic by ordering the Combo #5 with a mesquite-grilled steak taco, grilled chicken roasted corn enchilada, steak pecos chimi, and sweet corn cake:

I got the chocolate crepes on each visit, but the picture turned out better the second time:

"Chocolate crepes filled with sauteed plantains and dulce de leche filling. Topped with dulce de leche ice cream, chipotle chocolate and vanilla sauce, cajeta, a fresh strawberry and a dollop of fresh cream and chopped nuts."

Sure it's corporate, but it's corporate done right. El Torito Grill earns a solid four and a half Speedy Gonzales rating:



El Torito Grill now has its own website separate from the website for the regular El Torito chain (see top of this entry for the link). This newly redesigned website now even allows you to check what specials are available before you head over.

UPDATE: Here's additional photos from subsequent visits:





Read our other El Torito Grill entries:

• El Torito Grill - Review #1 (Mission Viejo)
• El Torito Grill - Review #2 (Irvine)
• El Torito Grill - Review #3 (Anaheim)
• El Torito Grill - Review #5 (Brea)
• El Torito Grill - Review #6 (Rancho Santa Margarita)

Or click on the "el torito grill" label below to read our full El Torito Grill coverage:

El Torito Grill - Review #3

Date of Visit: January 27, 2007

El Torito Grill 1801 Katella Ave. Anaheim, CA 92805 714-937-1248 Listing on Yahoo! Local Official Site

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UPDATE: This location has closed.

Appetizer: Fresh-made tortillas with honey butter and two salsas
Appetizer #2: Tableside Guacamole w/ tri-color chips
Entree: Grilled Chicken Breast
Drink: Agua
Dessert: Peanut Tostada

Occupying a spot that used to be part of the regular El Torito chain, this brand new El Torito Grill is part of the Stadium Lofts structure in the new up and coming Platinum Triangle area of Anaheim near Angels Stadium.

As with my visit to El Torito Grill's Irvine location I went this time on a Saturday afternoon with friends Chris and Kristanna.

We started out with complementary hand-made tortillas prepared fresh on the premises with sides of honey butter and two types of salsa:

The guacamole was prepared tableside and was some of the best guacamole I've had in a long time. Fresh avocados mashed (but not too much) right in front of us with diced red onion added to it, fresh squeezed lime juice, brought to a medium degree of spiciness (as voted on by the dining party), and topped with a sprinkling of cotija cheese. I like my guacamole chunky and this was definitely chunky.

Kristanna ordered her entree from the appetizer menu, the Mexican platter comprised of "Chicken and shrimp taquitos, steak nachos, cheese quesadilla, tamarind barbecue ribs, tomatillo-avocado sauce and red pepper dip:"

Mexican Platter

When our entrees arrived Kristanna and I promptly dug into our respective dishes then noticed a few moments later that Chris was just sitting there looking at his food, El Torito Grill's signature Santa Fe Torte. Kristanna asked him what the deal was and he said, "It looks so nice I feel guilty eating it." Well, he did eventually eat it and found the eating to be as pleasurable as the looking.

Santa Fe Torte

I ordered the Grilled Breast of Chicken, "Tender, grilled breast of chicken served over grilled vegetables with orange-achiote sauce, chef's potatoes, crispy plantains, and sweet corn cake:"

Chris and Kristanna shared the Creme Brulee Cheesecake from the specials menu:

Creme Brulee Cheesecake

I ordered the Peanut Tostada with dulce de leche ice cream in place of the cappucino ice cream:

Peanut Tostada

The service during this visit was excellent with every employee willing to help with any of our needs and to answer any questions we had. All of my experiences at El Torito Grill have been of a consistently high quality. Their version of upscale Mexican dining at prices that don't make you choke on your creme brulee cheesecake earns them a solid four and a half Speedy Gonzales rating:



Other El Torito Grill entries:

• El Torito Grill - Review #1 (Mission Viejo)
• El Torito Grill - Review #2 (Irvine)
• El Torito Grill - Review #4 (Newport Beach/Fashion Island)
• El Torito Grill - Review #5 (Brea)
• El Torito Grill - Review #6 (Rancho Santa Margarita)

Or click on the "el torito grill" label below to read our full El Torito Grill coverage: