Arnone's Little Italy - Orange

Hello it's DanGarion from Eat In OC again with a new restaurant review. We go to the Target in the city of Orange a lot. And there have been a number of times I've contemplated going to the "hole in the wall" Italian place right next to it, but never did. Little did I know that Arnone's Little Italy isn't a hole in the wall after all. Arnone's is located in a small strip mall in the same parking lot as Target, the amazing thing is that Arnone's is actually huge inside; it's as big as some chain Italian restaurants. It even has a full bar! When we entered we were immediately greeted by one of the owners, who greeted us saying, "Ah there you are, we were waiting for you!". I got a kick out of the comment; I like people with a sense of humor. We were seated immediately since it was still early there weren't many people eating dinner yet. Our waitress arrived shortly after us seating and took our orders. Mrs. DanGarion ordered the Penne Arrabbiata ($12.95), while I ordered the Spaghetti with meatballs ($15.95), something I don't normally get when I'm out). Each meal also comes with your choice of soup or salad. I went for the cream of bell pepper soup, while the Mrs. had a salad with vinaigrette. Along with entrees we got an order of garlic bread ($3.00). The cream of bell pepper soup was pretty good. I'd never had such a soup in the past, and the closest soup I'd had to something like it was Campbell's Soup, Cream of Chicken Soup. But this soup was a lot better than that. It had a light taste of cream with just a hint of bell pepper. The only thing I would have changed in it was maybe for it to be a little thicker, but it had a good not overpowering flavor that got me ready for my meal course. Mrs. DanGarion's salad was just a normal dinner salad, made with mixed greens. The garlic bread was very basic, fresh sandwich bread cut and baked with garlic butter and parmiggiano cheese, it wasn't over done which was good. My spaghetti was very good, fresh tasting meat sauce with hints of basil along with 2 juicy meatballs that were just a little smaller then a pool ball. The servings are huge, hence the reason I took nearly half of the pasta home with me. The Penne Arrabbiata was made with a spicy tomato sauce also mixed with herbs and garlic. My wife liked it but thought it was a little spicy. I had a taste and the spicy tasted like a hint of red pepper flakes that would linger and then catch up with you as you swallowed. They also serve rolls which are freshly made, didn't get a taste of them since we had the garlic bread. Service was great, both our waitress and the bus boy took great care of us and made sure our drinks were filled throughout our entire meal. The atmosphere doesn't make you feel like you are in a strip mall; they have done a good job to take you away into what could be a great family meal. I also found this commercial of their's online while I was researching them. Arnone's Little Italy - MySpace Page 2143 N Tustin St Orange, CA 92865 (714) 974-7411

The Taco Time - Orange

Yesterday I went to lunch at a local Mexican food establishment named The Taco Time. This isn't the same Taco Time made famous in the Saturday Night Live short. The Taco Time is a small Mexican mom and pop run restaurant located on the border of Anaheim and Orange in a small strip mall that includes both a pizza and a chicken teriyaki bowl joint. I'd passed by The Taco Time on numerous occasions and was curious to find out if it was the famous Northwest fast food establishment or something else. Fortunate for me it was something else, since I didn't really feel like having Taco Bell for lunch. As their menu says they are, "The Place where you find the Authentic Mexican food"; capitalization aside I so far have to agree. Since this was my first visit I went with the old standby and just ordered a burrito. WAIT WAIT WAIT, burritos aren't Authentic Mexican food!!!! Eh who cares, it's authentic enough for gringos like me, and honestly what's better then a large tortilla filled with various items and covered with sauce and cheese? So I ordered the "Special Burrito" ($7.99); a large tortilla filled with chicken, refried beans, and rice that was topped with red sauce and cheese and served with a dollop of sour cream and a scoop of guacamole. The chicken was very tender as well as lightly seasoned from cooking in possibly some light tomato based sauce. That sauce it was cooked in very well could have been the same sauce served on my burrito that has a nice light spicy flavor. The guacamole was fresh and was every bit as good as guacamole can be. The burrito was good and more then enough for lunch. My one complaint is about the chips served before my burrito arrived, they tasted like normal store brand chips, nothing was inherently wrong with them I just enjoy fresh made chips when I go to small hole in the wall Mexican restaurants. The salsa served with the chips was ok, could have used some more flavor but I've had much worse and wouldn't turn it down if they gave me a bunch for free to take home. Other things worth mentioning; They have a total of about 6 tables that fit 4 people at each, so it's not a very large place. I got there before 12 PM so I don't know how big of a lunch rush they get but considering the area (residential) they probably get some good dinner business. The restaurant was very clean and bright inside. I look forward to trying some more of their items. The Taco Time 3209 N. Glassell St. Orange, CA 92865 714-685-0051

Philly's Best - Santa Ana

Hi! I’m new here. The name is DanGarion and I run Eat in OC. I just joined up with Orange County Food Blogs and for me there was no better place to do my first review of than my favorite place to eat on Saturdays as I waste them away alone, while my wife is at work. That’s why I bring you my review of the Philly’s Best, located in Santa Ana on Tustin. Now I know the first thing you are going to do is groan and say, "This guy is going to review a run of the mill fast food chain!" But hear me out, this place has good food. I’d never eaten at Philly’s Best until I moved to Santa Ana, two years ago. I’d had cheesesteaks throughout the years and always enjoyed them, but I didn’t fall in love with them till I ordered my first one here almost 2 year ago. Today I ordered a cheesesteak along with an order of onion rings. The wait was about 10 minutes, which isn’t that bad since they do make your food to order. The cheesesteak was piping hot when it got to my table; I actually had to wait a minute to let it cool off. One thing I’ve been happy with is the consistency from visit to visit with the taste and freshness of my food. Another thing I like is that the meat isn’t too juicy so it doesn’t drain all out into the bread; I’ve had issues with the bread becoming soggy from other places I’d ordered cheesesteaks from. The onion rings are good, but only in small quantities. They have a very different flavor than most people are used to because of the beer batter. My only problem with them (which is why I usually only ingest small quantities) is that they tend to give me indigestion, but it’s usually worth it. Normally they only have ranch dressing for the rings, but they actually had BBQ sauce as well today. Overall my meal didn’t disappoint and let me more than satisfied. Other items on the menu include chicken cheesesteak, hamburgers, and various toppings for your cheesesteak. They also have some various Philadelphia famous drinks, chips, and pastries. Now on to a couple other observations I’ve made throughout the two years I’ve been patronizing this specific Philly’s Best. There is a note for their employees that any uniformed police and fire employees get half off their meal, I thought that’s pretty cool that a business has that type of policy. They also have specials during USC Football, Philadelphia Eagles Football, and Angels Baseball games. For the USC games they have $5.00 cheesesteaks and $1.00 Bud and Bud Light. During Angels games they have $1.00 Bud and Bud Light. I’m not a fan of Budweiser so it doesn’t bring me in, but I’m sure that it attracts some business. Lastly I’ve only gone to one other Philly’s Best, it was located in West Garden Grove, and it just didn’t seem the same while I ate my sandwich, there was just a different vibe compared to the Santa Ana location, so your miles may vary at other locations. Philly's Best 1804 N Tustin Ave Santa Ana, CA 92705 (714) 543-3311