Rose Canyon Cantina and Grill - Review #3

Rose Canyon Cantina and Grill 20722 Rose Canyon Rd Trabuco Canyon, CA 92679 (949) 766-6939 Listing on Yahoo! Local Listing on Google Maps Official Site

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Voted Best Mexican Restaurant of OC 2008 by MyFOX LA Voters

During the Fire

Here's a place I reported on before. I went to this restaurant first in November 2006 with Chris and Kristanna, then, a year later, I went by myself when the wildfires were raging to obtain photographic evidence that it had not been damaged by the fire. Then I thought maybe I could go to the Rose Canyon Cantina as an annual thing every November. When I set out to go there earlier today I didn't know there'd be another fire going on.

I regrouped with Chris and Kristanna for this third trip and after we got out of an early showing of the new James Bond movie we were met with this smoky scene:

As we headed east on Katella towards Rose Canyon the smoke began to clear up:

Once we got on Santiago Canyon Road there was no smoke anymore to be seen in front of us:

Then we turned left at the biker bar on to Live Oak Canyon Road:

And we eventually arrived at Rose Canyon Cantina and Grill, which was happily untouched by any flames:

We started out by sharing the Queso Fundido, "A spicy Mexican cheese fondue blended with mild green chiles and served with your choice of corn or flour tortillas:"

For entrees Kristanna ordered the beef fajitas:

Chris the Carnitas fiend thought he ordered something with carnitas in it but didn't realize he had actually ordered a chicken taco and chicken flautas:

I, too, broke from form by ordering a non-Mexican entree, the "Beardslee Burger." This is a burger that Wendell Beardslee created when, in 1956, he opened the restaurant that later became Rose Canyon Cantina and Grill so it has some history to it.

Everyone was fully satisfied with their entrees and didn't really have any room for dessert. Expect another report next November but keep in mind this is a great place to visit and has been unharmed by the fires unfortunately raging around us even though we did see the smoke column again on the way back:

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Follow the "rose canyon cantina" label below to read about my adventure there the prior two years:

Rose Canyon Cantina and Grill - Review #2

Date of Visit: November 10, 2007

Rose Canyon Cantina and Grill 20722 Rose Canyon Rd Trabuco Canyon, CA 92679 (949) 766-6939 Listing on Yahoo! Local Listing on Google Maps Official Site

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After the Fire

While the wildfires of last month were raging the OC Register's Fast Food Maven Nancy Luna e-mailed me and asked, "What's the name of that place you reviewed out in Modjeska Canyon?" I gave her the name of Rose Canyon Cantina and Grill and she looked up their number and called them to see if they were safe from the fire. Co-owner Melanie Cox answered that they were alright even though they were somewhat close to the flames.

This got me to thinking that I wanted to get the word out that this nice restaurant in one of my favorite settings suffered no fire damage and they are still open for business, though I couldn't fault anyone for thinking that the location could've been burned up.

So I made my second trip out there, one year after my first trip. I did see some fire damage on the way but Rose Canyon Cantina and Grill is unharmed and ready to serve up some great Mexican food.

Another impetus for me going there again was that I had checked their website recently and saw that it mentioned that they had a few new menu items. That's usually a good reason for me to go back to a restaurant. My waiter pointed out what the new items were and one of the new items is called the "OC Fire Station 18 50/50 Soup" which, according to their menu, is, "A combination of our albondigas and tortilla soups and a favorite with the Crew from Fire Station 18." Very fitting to be eating the fire station crew's favorite soup so soon after the fire. Hey, if I can't be a heroic fireman I can at least eat like one.

Some of the other new items were shrimp enchiladas and spinach enchiladas, or you can combine them and get shrimp and spinach enchiladas. In sticking with the 50/50 theme I went for the shrimp and spinach enchiladas: "2 corn tortillas filled and rolled with spinach and shrimp, then covered with our salsa blanco especial and topped with melted jack cheese:"

And I enjoyed once again their wonderful flan:

The following picture is of the sign you don't want to see if you are trying to get there, but at least it gives you the phone number to call if you really get lost. If you use the Yahoo! Map feature above you can input the address of your starting destination and you'll get very accurate directions to Rose Canyon Cantina and Grill, as I did. They are simpler than you might think but once you arrive you'll feel comfortably removed from the hustle and bustle of typical Orange County life.

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CLICK HERE or follow the "rose canyon cantina" label below to read about my adventure there of last year (2006) and my third adventure there in 2008:

Rose Canyon Cantina and Grill - Review #1

Date of Visit: November 24, 2006

Rose Canyon Cantina and Grill 20722 Rose Canyon Rd Trabuco Canyon, CA 92679 (949) 766-6939 Listing on Yahoo! Local Listing on Google Maps

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NOTE (November 15, 2007): Rose Canyon Cantina and Grill was not damaged in the wildfires of October 2007. They are still standing and open for business. We will have a new review of them here in about a week with pictures taken after the fires. UPDATE: Click here for the second review. Or get a 2008 update by CLICKING HERE.

So, on the lazy day after Thanksgiving (not Black Friday for me) I called up my friends, married couple extraordinaire Chris and Kristanna, and asked if they would like to go with me to try out a Mexican restaurant in Trabuco Canyon. They said, "We were just about to go offroading in that area! We'll come pick you up."

So, we headed on out there winding through the 5, the 133, the 241, and more roads I can't even recall until we found ourselves deep in the country in an area that doesn't at all fit the typical Orange County suburban image. A handpainted sign indicated that Rose Canyon Cantina and Grill was just down the road and a right turn away. We knew we were about to find the spot. Unfortunately, once we found the restaurant another sign indicated that it was CLOSED:

Turns out that on Saturdays and Sundays they open at 11am but on every other day they open at 4pm. It didn't matter that the day felt like a Saturday to us, we were still there three hours too early. We felt like Dorothy and her traveling companions finally arriving in the Land of Oz and being told by the guard at the gate that Oz was closed. Fortunately, none of the trees on our way had been throwing apples at us.

Of course, the fact that they were closed allowed me to take many pictures of the exterior of the restaurant and the charming locale it inhabits.

The fact that we found the cantina closed also allowed us to go offroading in Cleveland National Forest for a few hours in Chris' Dodge Dakota. We found ourselves above the cloudline, saw mountaintops peaking out from the clouds, and even saw deer a couple times that, like Batman at Super Mex, were too elusive for my camera. That's why you have to go exploring yourselves.

When we headed back to the cantina via a different route we found a completely different sign pointing the way:

And the sun faces on the wall outside were now not just happy but bright and happy:

The autumn decorations were out in full force as we stepped inside before making our way through the restaurant to the heated outdoor patio seating:

The requisite chips and salsa were served:

The chips seemed like a peculiar combination between storebought and homemade, almost but not quite too greasy for my tastes. The salsa was unlike any I've had before, with a pungent, perhaps vinegary, component to it.

I ordered the salmon platter, with salmon that was very tender and flaky. It was served with mango salsa with my choice of black beans (over refried beans) and Mexican rice (over Spanish rice). I was tempted to try the halibut with pineapple salsa but that will have to wait until a future visit.

Kristanna made her own three item combo consisting of a flauta, a burrito, and a soft taco:

While Chris, the carnitas king of Orange County, once again ordered the carnitas platter, which he loved:

For dessert Chris and Kristanna shared the deep-fried ice cream. I couldn't touch it due to its coconut content but that didn't stop the other two from thoroughly enjoying it.

I ordered the flan which was cut like a slice of pie from a huge flan. As far as flans go this was the lightest and fluffiest I have ever tried.

With quality and overall intrigue of their food a little above average combined with an excellent, soul-purifying locale, Rose Canyon Cantina and Grill earns a very solid four Speedy Gonzales rating:



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