Moreno's Mexican Restaurant - Review #1

Appetizer: Fresh made tortilla chips with salsa and guacamole
Entree: Chile Colorado Plate (#22)
Drink: Diet Pepsi
Dessert: Flan

Phil Pico, who was the photographer for the first review of Las Barcas and was present for the first review of Normita's Surf City Tacos has submitted his own review for Moreno's Restaurant in Orange:

Well, in celebration of several family birthdays today my family got together to celebrate at a long time favorite of my fathers, Moreno's in Orange. At first glance the place gives you the impression of old Los Angeles. There is ample parking and it's pretty easy to locate off of Chapman Ave. After parking a clue to finding the main entrance is to cut through the front patio.

Once inside there are several rooms available, so wait to be seated. The staff are very friendly and helpful. The atmosphere is reminiscent of Nana and Tata's house when a family function is about to begin. After being seated we had fresh-made tortilla chips with salsa and guacamole and ordered our drinks. Also on the table are a couple bowls of vegetables for those of you wanting to spice things up (muy caliente!). We placed our orders promptly, I chose the Chile Colorado (#22 on the menu), my nephew's fiancé chose vegetable-beef soup, and my niece's fiancé chose the Carnitas (see below). All combinations come with tortillas and your choice of soup or salad; I had the Albondigas soup and it was hot and quite tasty! For those of you who like Spirits my mom and dad had margaritas (fish bowl sized) and my sister had the sangria (topped with fruit).

Our food arrived before the first basket of chips was gone. The Chile Colorado was real good! The portions were large and I had to get a take-away box because I couldn't finish it all. My nephew and his fiancé were very impressed with the Vegetable-beef soup and I didn't hear my soon-to-be-nephew (Rob) complain once about the Carnitas. After the plates were cleared the staff arrived and adorned us with sombreros (the birthday people). They sang us a special birthday song and presented each birthday person with a complimentary birthday flan. We had a great time. My parents often go there for the morning brunch and rave about how good it is. The only drawback that I had about the whole experience was the Salsa. I asked a waiter for some salsa fresca and he replied they didn't have any (what?!). We stayed long after our food was gone and continued to socialize. We arrived at 4:00pm and were on our way out by 6:00pm.

Out of a possible five speedy G's I give Moreno's a four (salsa cost 'em a Speedy, sorry!)

UPDATE: Here's a slideshow of pictures from our other reviews on Moreno's. You can see our complete Moreno's coverage by clicking on the "moreno's" label below: