Kogi BBQ Mysterioso Rehash

Sometimes in this job, I mean hobby, you gotta go where the adventure takes you. Had faithful blog reader and one-time (so far) guest reviewer Eric e-mail this morning asking about meeting up for lunch. I said, "Name a place in Orange you want to go to and I might be able to go."

He said, "What's that place Nancy recommended to you?"

"La Casita. Let me call her and see if she can go too."

So I called up Nancy Luna, the Register's Fast Food Maven, and she said she was actually just leaving her office to go to a Kogi BBQ truck stop that happened to coincide with the opening of the new Yogurtland in Anaheim on Euclid. Ended up going to that and Eric, Nancy, and I are going to meet up at La Casita another time.

When I arrived the Kogi truck wasn't there but when that thing comes driving up everyone pulls out their camera to snap pictures of it. Somebody told me that Wing Lam of Wahoo's fame was there but I didn't specifically notice him. A line immediately formed and even though the truck arrived an hour and twenty minutes late it was still another 30-40 minutes before we got our food. I'm not complaining since because of some legal loophole they couldn't sell anything from their truck at this stop but gave it away for free. Each person got two tacos of their choice and their special little watermelon/cheese side dish that reminded me a lot of what Kantina used to serve. I was hoping to finally try their kimchi quesadilla or their rare-as-a-Bigfoot-sighting Hawaiian Jalapeño French Toast, but, once again, we were limited to two tacos this time. Again . . . not complaining.

Nancy and I also met up with "OrangeCountyGal" (@OrangeCountyGal on Twitter) and had her as our line buddy and she got to hear all our food blogger yammering about which companies and restaurants are good with working with food bloggers and which aren't and other various and sundry things that only a food blogger would care about.

Now Kogi is known for "tweeting" its locations but somehow this stop passed under the radar and didn't get officially tweeted by them, or unofficially for that matter. I happened to pick it up from Nancy's Twitter account and retweeted it on the @ocmexfood twitter account. Yes, it annoys me that Twitter has taken over the world but sometimes you can get good information from it.

Click here to read about my other Kogi encounter or here to read about all the Korean/Mexican fusion food in the county.

Jack in the Box Chorizo Sausage Burrito

There's certain things I've had it in my head that seemed to be too authentically Mexican to ever appear on a fast food menu, chorizo being one of them. Well, Jack in the Box has proven me wrong (although I was still the only person who predicted in the mid-to-late 80's, and predicted correctly, that the Jack clown would be brought back sometime in the 90's) by introducing recently a Chorizo Sausage Burrito. I tried one a couple weeks ago and it tasted just like the chorizo burritos my dad used to make, only slightly less homier and with the addition of hashbrowns.

I have tried to get on some sort of Jack in the Box press list so they can let me know when they release a new Mexican item. So far they have ignored me, and ignored my request to interview Jack Box (all I want to do is ask when they're bringing back the Super Nachos . . . and the Chicken Monster Taco in the red corn shell . . . and the Outlaw Burger . . . and the Club Pita . . . and the Pizza Pocket . . . and the Frings . . . and why every time I ask for extra lettuce on my two tacos for 99 cents I am always given less lettuce than the normal amount), but I still get e-mails from them from time to time about promotions Jack in the Box is running. Here's the latest thing they sent me. Should be good for any avid gamers out there:

When you hear the term "rip off" it's understandable that dastardly thoughts of injustice come to mind. UNLESS the rip off is occurring at Jack in the Box restaurants. That's right ... "Jack’s Big Rip-Off" is a new peel-and-reveal game that starts Monday, August 24th at Jack in the Box. Just order a large combo and rip the game piece off the drink cup for a chance to win free food, cool gaming prizes or one of FIVE Ultimate Game Rooms. Visit http://jacksbigripoff.com for details.

Click the following 'jack in the box' label to read all our coverage of Mexican-inspired items found at Jack in the Box.

Sombrero's - Review #1

Sombrero's Mexican Food 7006 Katella Ave Stanton, CA 90680 (714) 894-3542 Listing on Yahoo! Local Listing on Ask.com's CitySearch No known official website.

Enter starting address: Address City, State and/or Zip

Recently my wife (Mrs. Cheese Enchiladas) and I ate lunch at Sombrero's in Stanton. The restaurant is tucked on the end of a strip mall and most easily identified by the large MEXICAN FOOD signs. Inside the place has a 70's saloon feel to it. It's dated and funky with an odd selection of furniture. We were greeted warmly upon entering and the whole time we had great service. The guy up front was working very hard on making sure everyone was happy with their meals.

The menu has the typical things you'd expect in an old school Mexican place. Lots of combos, assorted burritos, some Mexican style salads and the usual Mexican appetizers. We were served chips and salsa right away. The default salsa is a tomato saucy, slightly spicy concoction with chunks of onions. It's pretty standard fare. The waiter asked if we wanted a hotter salsa. We said yes and were rewarded with fresh salsa verde that was really tasty and really hot.

Mrs. Cheese Enchiladas knew what she wanted right away as she saw a lunch special of two cheese enchiladas as we walked in. Our waiter told us they had a couple of specials that day, mole with costillas (basically pork spare ribs in small chunks) and chile verde with costillas also. These got my attention and I went for the chile verde. It proved to be excellent. It was obviously freshly stewed up with chunks of chile (you can see them in the photo). The heat level was nice and hot and pork ribs were succulent. The whole dish had really good flavor. Beans were also quite good as they weren't overcooked and had good flavor.

Our waiter and host told us they have "autentico" specials everyday including nopales, menudo and birria. Because of this I think Sombrero's is a great choice for pleasing a wide range of tastes. They have all the standard old school Mexican plates and mild salsa that many people expect but they also have some more challenging and, dare I say, interesting menu items for those of us who are tired of the "Don Jose" style Mexican food.

Oh yeah, the wife enjoyed her cheese enchiladas and said they were very good. But she confessed that the ones at La Siesta in San Clemente were her new benchmark. Guess we'll be back in South County soon.

Twitter Track This

In the year 2009 we are all beholden to the power of the almighty Twitter. Hence, this blog has a newly created Twitter account at http://twitter.com/ocmexfood. I'll be "tweeting" about all sorts of minutiae, trivia, ennui, drek, Twitter litter, picayunes, jots, tittles, iotas, knols, predictions, restaurant openings and closures, secret menu info, lunch updates and more related to Mexican food in Orange County and surrounding areas (such as our little sister, Los Angeles), basically all the stuff that's not going to end up on the blog but may still be of passing, ahem, earth-shaking significance—all in 140 characters or less.

If you follow us you will be followed back unless you appear to be a Twammer. We'll even use it to help keep you up-to-date on the OC Mex restaurants out there that use Twitter themselves. Follow us and maybe we'll get to as many followers as Ashton Kutcher has. If any aspiring graphic artist out there wants to concoct a Mexican-inspired Twitter graphic just let me know.

Souplantation Mexican Fiesta

Souplantation will be featuring a special Mexican menu from August 17 - 31 with eight special items to choose from. I haven't tried any of them yet except for the albondigas locas soup which is actually quite good; don't knock it till you've tried it. Special items are:

• Azteca Taco Salad
• Albondigas Locas Soup
• Spicy Southwestern Pasta Salad
• Pozole with Pork Soup
• Southwest Chipotle Focaccia

Now, three of those items you are unlikely to see on the menu of any Mexican restaurant but at least give the soups a try.

Buns & Torts: Naugles Lives On

Our other Naugles entries:

Naugles, RIP
Petition to Del Taco: Bring Back Naugles!
Naugles Bun Taco at Del Taco
Del Taco Orange Shake Reboot
Buns & Torts: Naugles Lives On

Or CLICK HERE to read it all at once. UPDATE: see here for information on a Naugles revival separate from Del Taco.

BT's Buns & Torts 1530 S Mooney Blvd Visalia, CA 93277 (559) 636-9066 Listing on Yahoo! Local Listing on Ask.com's Citysearch No known official website.

Enter starting address: Address City, State and/or Zip

You might wonder why I am mentioning a place in Visalia but it has some definite ties to a once prominent chain in Orange County. This has been mentioned in the comments of some of our Naugles entries before but Naugles lives on in a place called Buns & Torts in Visalia and is run by Jeff Naugle, who I believe is a nephew to Dick Naugle, the founder of the much loved Naugles chain. Buns & Torts really is Naugles but I believe they have to operate with a different name due to Del Taco owning the Naugles name now.

A faithful reader of our blog here, Eric, found out about this place during a conversation with me about Naugles and it just so happened that he was getting ready to take a trip with his family to Yosemite. On said trip he made a little detour off the freeway and found Buns & Torts and took a number of photos to share with us. Before he got back he e-mailed me:

Just wanted to let you know we had lunch at Buns and Torts in Visalia.........................it was awesome! we took a bunch of pictures that I will be sending to you when we get home..............it tasted just like the old Naugles that I remember.

When I talked with him after his trip he said that this place is "straight up Naugles," so Naugles fans should be sure to go there if they are in the area. Eric also e-mailed me this remark:

Buns and Torts................that visit will not be my last................I intend to stop there again the next time I get a chance.............it brought back some really great memories.

They even post Dick Naugle's famous motto that so many people have mentioned in the comments in our other Naugles entries.

Yes, they have the popular Mexican salad cup.

They also have hamburgers there (including the Ortega Burger) and a reviewer mentioned on their Yahoo! Local listing (see link at top of entry) said they are even better than In-N-Out.

Yes, they have red and green burritos.

I believe this photo is of the cheese burrito. Eric's daughter tried it and thought it was a quesadilla but the more she explained to me what it was like the more it sounded like the cheese burrito so many commenters in prior entries fondly remember.

Eric also confirmed that they have the old Naugles root beer shakes; if you don't see it on the menu then ask for it. We are still crossing our fingers that Del Taco will bring back the Naugles menu but until then keep in mind that Buns & Torts is authentic Naugles. Thanks to Eric and his family for accepting my commission to scout this place out and for sending all the photos in. The complete photo album can be seen here at flickr.

CLICK HERE for our extensive Naugles coverage, including, but not limited to, our petition to get Del Taco to bring them back.

Taco Tuesday

I've added some more Taco Tuesday info in recently. If you know of any place that should be added or if you have any updates for an existing listing please leave a comment or e-mail me. I will work legitimate information given back into the main entry. We try to keep the information up to date but can't make any guarantees.

1. Del Taco
3 Regular Tacos for $1.09/3 Classic Tacos for $2.09/(3 Chicken Soft Tacos for $2.09 on Thursdays - More Info) 3 - 11pm
2. Taco Mesa
$1.25 Tacos
3. Arribas Baja Grill
Fried Chicken or Shredded Beef Tacos, $1 each
4. Durango Mexican Grill
Tacos, soups, chips, salsas, more than 20 different items all for $1 ea.
5. Fresca's Mexican Grill
Crispy Chicken Tacos, 99¢
6. Avila's El Ranchito in Newport Beach
$5 all you can eat tacos and more
7. El Torito Grill
$1.50 tacos
8. Los Patios
$1 Tacos 4 - 9pm
9. World Famous Tustin Brewery
$1.50 tacos (try the shrimp!)
10. Rubio's
$1.25 tacos
11. El Torito
Dollar tacos from 4-10 in the cantina
12. Cantina Lounge
3-10pm: $2 for 3 tacos, $2 margaritas and tequila shots; DJ starts 6pm
13. Don José
$1.95 tacos 4-10pm
14. Alexa's
$1 tacos
15. Cancun Fresh
99¢ street tacos
16. Fred's Mexican Cafe (Huntington Beach and Laguna Niguel)
$2 Tacos + Big Beer and Margarita specials; starts at 4pm
17. Matador Cantina
$1.25 Tacos & $3 Coronas. Served 2pm-2am.
18. Las Golondrinas
All tacos ½ price on Tuesdays only
19. Newport Brewing Co.
$1.50 tacos , chicken, beef or fish
20. Rose Canyon Cantina
$2 Tacos......Chicken, Carnitas, Ground Beef, Shredded Beef 4 pm til closing!
21. Great Mex
$1 tacos and $1 drafts
22. Las Fajitas
chicken taco or beer battered fish taco/$2.49 each (all day)
23. Whole Foods
99 cent tacos
24. La Siesta (San Clemente)
$1.50 tacos (drink purchase required)
25. Flamingos
$1.50 dollar tacos (chicken and beef)
26. District Lounge (Orange)
$5 for all you can eat tacos, with chips salsa and condiment bar
27. Taco Factory (Tustin)
$1.29 Tacos every Tuesday. Choice of any meat
28. French 75
Click link to view several deals
29. Sabores Mexican Grill
$1.50 tacos 3 - 8pm
30. Baja Fresh (Mainplace Mall location only)
99 cent chicken tacos
31. Beachfront (Huntington Beach)
$6 all-you-can-eat tacos and more after 6pm
32. Fish House Market & Grill (Orange)
$2 specialty tacos
33. Tustin Ranch Golf
Dollar tacos
34. Tlaquepaque (Placentia)
99¢ tacos all day
35. Duke's
$2.50 fish tacos (fried or grilled) and $3.50 margaritas
36. Don Carlos (Fullerton)
99¢ tacos (beef and chicken crispy tacos and soft tacos of carnitas, shredded beef, chicken and al pastor)
37. Taqueria Guerrero Style (Westminster)
50¢ asada or pastor tacos w/ drink purchase; all day
38. Yucatan Grill (Seal Beach)
Several specials ranging from $1.95 to $2.95
39. Amorelia Mexican Cafe (Costa Mesa)
$1.50 tacos (seven types including potato tacos)
40. Las Brasas Grill (Costa Mesa)
$1.50 tacos
41. Taco Grill (Westminster)
99¢ soft tacos
42. California Fish Grill
$1.29 fish tacos
43. Taco Boy (Anaheim)
We have 85¢ tacos all day on Tuesdays!
44. Great Mex (Newport Beach)
$1 tacos
45. The Slidebar (Fullerton)
2 Tacos for $1
46. Casa Rangel (Anaheim Hills)
Good selection of $1 tacos every Tuesday.
47. Mi Casa (Costa Mesa and Rancho Santa Margarita)
$1 Street Tacos Carne Asada, Pollo Asado, and Al Pastor DRINK SPECIALS $3 Beers · $4 Margaritas · $4 Wells (4:00 – 9PM, Bar & Patio Only)
48. Native Foods Cafe
$8.95 for taco platter + 1 side
49. Sol Cocina
$2-2.50 taco deals; $5 guacamole and more deals (click on graphic below)
50. La Terraza (Santa Ana)
$1 tacos; Chicken, steak or veggie
51. On the Border
99 cent beef or chicken tacos
52. Sage Restaurant (Newport Beach)
$2.00 Gourmet Tacos All Night at the Bar
53. Cafe Rio Lake Forest/Costa Mesa
"Every Tuesday we are selling $1.50 tacos all day."
54. Cha Cha's Tacos & Tequila (Brea)
Half Off Tacos & Tequila All Night
55. Sandy's Beach Grill (Huntington Beach Pier)
$2.50 Tacos (call ahead to make sure they have the Taco Tuesday deal)
56. Milo's Cafe (Lake Forest)
$2 Chicken, Veggie, Tofu or Salmon Tacos
57. RAYA at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel (Dana Point)
$4 gourmet tacos (seasonal, check w/ restaurant before going)
58. Quiet Woman (Corona del Mar)
Click for PDF Taco Tuesday Menu
59. Flamingos Mexican Grill (Laguna Hills)
$1.50 chicken or beef tacos
60. El Matador (Costa Mesa)
Chicken, shredded beef or ground beef tacos, 2 for $3 all day
61. J. King Neptune's (Sunset Beach)
$1 tacos and $2.50 Margaritas 6-10
62. Olamendi's (Dana Point)
$3 Tacos PLUS $5 House & $7 Premium Margaritas
63. Bear Flag Fish Co. (Newport Beach)
$2 fish tacos
64. The Chippy (Irvine)
$6.99 for two taco platter plus chips and salsa (this place is generally open only during lunch hours)
65. Aloha Grill (Huntington Beach)
Mahi Mahi and Calamari Tacos are $1.50 from 4-7 pm Mon-Fri.
66. El Adobe de Capistrano (San Juan Capistrano)
$1 Street Tacos; $2 Crispy Tacos
67. Hapa J's (San Clemente)
Ahi Poki, Coconut shrimp, Kalbi short rib tacos • Check out their impressive Taco Tuesday menu
68. Los Cabos Cantina (Lake Forest)
$1 Tacos
69. El Conejito (Lake Forest)
4-8 PM; $1 tacos on soft corn tortillas only. Choice of ground beef, chicken, shredded beef, carnitas or carne asada
70. Posch Restaurant (Irvine)
$5 All you can eat Taco Tuesdays
71. Carlos Mexican Restaurant (Dana Point)
Crispy Beef or Chicken Tacos $1.25, soft Shrimp Tacos $2.25
72. Las Barcas (Huntington Beach)
"$1.25 Baja Style Tacos for Chicken, Carnitas or Shredded Beef or $.50 more for Steak; Also all beers are $1.99!"
73. Big Shots Billiards Bar & Grill (Lake Forest)
"$1 tacos, $2.00 Coronas, $3 well margaritas, D. J. and dancing 9 P.M. all ages welcome."
74. Jerry's Grille (Garden Grove)
99 cent tacos: chicken, al pastor, asada, carnitas
75. Slapfish (Huntington Beach)
$1 tacos plus other possible special tacos that can change from week to week
76. Azteca's (Fountain Valley)
99¢ tacos
77. St. Regis Monarch Beach (Dana Point)
$23 for an awesome flight of four tacos; Fresh Mahi with an achiote marinade, served on a corn tortilla, with cabbage, roasted jalapeno sour cream and mango pico de gallo. Paired with a Bikini Margarita.
78. The Seafood Zone (Huntington Beach)
$1 Baja-style fish tacos, $2 asada/chicken tacos, $2 Tecate, $3 Corona, Pacifico, & House Wine from 11am-8pm.
79. Tacos de Ojo (Huntington Beach)
$2.50 Street Tacos and Bean & Cheese Burritos
80. Pee Wee's Famous (Huntington Beach)
Chicken tacos (street vendor-style); $4.95 for 3 + chips & salsa and soda
81. Rubalcava's (Placentia)
75¢ tacos (same deal on Wednesdays)
82. Little Onion (Santa Ana)
$5 All-you-can-eat street tacos plus other specials
83. Super Turtle Tortas (La Habra)
$1 tacos all day
84. Holé Molé (Tustin)
$1 tacos all day
85. Pancho's (Orange)
$1 tacos
86. Taco de Ojo (Huntington Beach)
$2.50 Street Tacos
87. Ricardo's Place (San Juan Capistrano)
2 Tacos $1.95 with Drink purchase. 2 Tacos $2.75 without drink purchase. Beef, Chicken, Carnitas, and or Potatoes. 2PM -9PM
88. Carlito's Diner (Huntington Beach)
99¢ tacos
89. Wild Goose Tavern (Huntington Beach)
$2 tacos (fresh, made-to-order)

90. Rock'n Fish (Laguna Beach)
3 tacos for $5
91. Don Jacinto Pollo Grill (Santa Ana)
99¢ tacos; but you have to buy at least three (or four?) to get that price; carnitas, birria, al pastor, pollo
92. Newport Beach Brewing Co.
$2 tacos, or 3 for $5
93. Dos Toros (Downtown Huntington Beach)
$2 tacos from 2 - 9pm
94. Taco Factory (2 locations in Irvine)
99 Cent Tacos *Carnitas *Chicken *Pastor *Chile Verde
95. Ranch Enchilada (Yorba Linda
$1.50 - Crispy shredded beef, ground beef and shredded chicken tacos; $2.00 - Steak, Chicken, Fish and Carnitas Baja Tacos
96. Taco Boy (Anaheim)
85¢ tacos
97. Malibu Fish Grill (Huntington Beach)
$2 Tacos
98. Lou's Red Oak BBQ Grill (Huntington Beach)
4 Tacos (street-style) for $6, or $2 jumbo tacos
99. El Buen Sabor (Tustin)
99¢ fish tacos; 59¢ potato tacos
100. La Vida Cantina (Costa Mesa)
$3 for two crispy beef or chicken tacos; $5 mahi mahi tacos
101. Taqueros (San Juan Capistrano)
All Tacos start at $1.49
102. Los Tacos Ricos (Lake Forest)
$1.50 tacos from 4pm on
103. Cuca's Mexican Food (Foothill Ranch)
$1.50 chicken, ground beef or shredded beef crispy tacos; $2 carne asada, carnitas or fish tacos (presumably soft tacos)
104. Casa Ranchero (Ladera Ranch)
Street Tacos…$1.50 (Choice of Carne Asada, Chicken or Carnitas) 3pm - close
105. Reef's Edge Grill (Huntington Beach)
$2 Tacos; Mahi, Shrimp, Chorizo, Tri-Tip, Chicken Pastor
106. Lupe's Taco Shop (Huntington Beach)
$2 Fish Tacos; $1.50 TJ Tacos; $3.50 Shrimp Quesa Taco
107. Rudy's Mexican Grill
$1.25 tacos
108. Los Primos (Rancho Santa Margarita)
$6 for 2 grilled or fish tacos $4 for 2 hard shelled tacos
109. Back Bay Bistro
$2 Street Tacos and $4 Draft Beer
110. Cecilia's Tortilla Grill (Laguna Hills)
$1.99 tacos (Tuesday is also the only day of the week when you can get different flavors of tortillas for your tacos)
111. ParkStone (Newport Beach)
$2 tacos, 3pm to closing
112. Red O (Newport Beach)
"Enjoy $3 selected tacos all day & night in the bar/lounge!"
113. Rachael's Mexican Food (Irvine)
$2 shredded beef or chicken tacos

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Hurricanes Bar & Grill 200 Main Street Huntington Beach, CA 714-374-0500 www.hurricanesbargrill.com Taco Tuezdaze $1.00 Chicken or Beef Tacos $1.50 Shrimp Tacos $3 Margaritas $3 Coronas Bandito Package Get 6 Tacos and Pitcher of Margaritas or Pacifico Just $12.00 Ultimate Happy Hour Available On Main Menu 25% Off Entire Bill as Well 4-9pm Live Entertainment & Dancing 9:00pm to 1:30am No Cover! Drink specials are all day; Taco specials run from 4 - 10pm

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Photo courtesy of Jon S.

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Here's pictures of the Taco Tuesday at the Beachfront Bar and Grill:

It's supposed to be $6 even for all-you-can-eat. Make sure they don't try to charge you more than that.

Okay, so I didn't get much on my first plate:

La Salsa Mexico City Mondays

Beginning on Monday, August 10th, the La Salsa chain will start Mexico City Mondays featuring their Mexico City Tacos that we've mentioned before. The deal is chicken or carnitas tacos for 99 cents or a steak taco for $1.49. Also, some locations will have ice cold cervezas for $1.99.

Units with beer:

(128) Bella Terra: 7821 Edinger Ave. Ste. 110 Huntington Beach, CA 92647
(120) Esplanade Center: 341 W Esplanade Dr. Oxnard, CA 93036
(39) Five Points: 3987 State St. Ste. D Santa Barbara, CA 93105
(93) Auto Parkway: 1290 Auto Parkway, Escondido, CA 92029
(108) Carmel Country: 12880 Carmel Country Road Ste D-100, San Diego, CA 92130
(5) Beverly Hills: 9631 Santa Monica Blvd. Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Units w/o beer:
(111) Irvine Center: 8673 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine, CA 92618
(117) Clairemont: 9211 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. Ste. 106, San Diego, CA 92123

CLICK HERE for our complete La Salsa coverage.

UPDATE: Here's a picture of when I tried them at Bella Terra: