Feb 24

Sam’s Hof Brau

2500 Watt Ave

Sacramento, CA 95821

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Located near Country Club Plaza in Sacramento, Sam’s Hof Brau has been a Sacramento staple for many years serving up comfort food to the masses. Upon entering, you are directed into the cafeteria-style line to order your food. A large menu is up on the wall behind and above the servers. After reviewing the mouth-watering menu, I decided on what I wanted to order.

Today, I decided to order their world famous pastrami entree with mashed potatoes, stuffing, and mac & cheese. The pastrami was seasoned to perfection and tasted delicious. Each piece was tender and full of flavor. The mashed potatoes with gravy was a bit bland, but went well with the pastrami. The stuffing was OK, but I wish it tasted fresher. The mac & cheese was extremely bland and need a greater variety of cheeses and flavors, but it was fresh. The roll was basic and tasted just fine.

Overall, Sam’s Hof Brau did serve up some delicious pastrami, but the sides were a bit disappointing. On a return visit, I would probably either just get the sandwich, or try out other side choices. If you are in the mood for great cuts of meat, Sam’s Hof Brau will take care of your needs. If you never gave them a try, it is definitely still worth a visit.

Feb 20

Shabuya – La Mirada, CA

15028 Rosecrans Ave

La Mirada, CA 90638

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Located not too far from Anaheim, Shabuya serves up all-you-can-eat Japanese hot pot at great prices. On this late visit, we qualified for their $21.99 happy hour special. We had a full dinner menu available with 9 types of meat as well has a cool bar stocked with more seafood, noodles, and veggies. They offered various types of soup base, but we opted for the pork broth and miso broth. Shabuya is great because each person gets their own soup instead of having a communal soup pot. The pork broth did taste more heartier than the miso, but both were tasty. Also at the bar, a large sauce station lines both ends with various condiments. Service was on point from being seated to the constant requests for refills. Each refill was quickly executed and continued throughout the meal. Having tried most of the meat items, we decided that the tastiest pieces of meat were beef cuts of Wagyu chuck and Shabuya rib eye. Each piece cooked very quickly in the hot broth and tasted delicious when based in the spicy ponzu sauce. After many orders of meat, cooking ramen in the soup soaked in all the meaty flavors of the beef. Overall, Shabuya serves up delicious Japanese hot pot at excellent prices, especially during happy hour. If you are in the mood for hot pot and you are in Southern California, you must give one of Shabuya’s locations a try.

Feb 17

Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen – Anaheim, CA

1590 Disneyland Dr

Anaheim, CA 92802

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Located at Downtown Disney, Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen serves up traditional New Orleans’s style cuisine to visitors of the resort. We waked up to the hostess stand and requested an inside table for two without a reservation, and we were seated within 5 minutes. We were provided with menus, and a server came by to take our drink order and explained their specials for the day. After reviewing the menu, we were ready to order.

Today, we decided to order the NOLA spritzer, Louisiana crab cake, fried chicken and grits, and the pasta jambalaya. The NOLA spritzer tasted refreshing and fruity, but unfortunately refills were not complimentary. The Louisiana crab cake tasted fresh and contained many visible pieces of crab. The outside of the crab cake was nice and crispy and went well with the bed of corn and jam. The fried chicken and grits tasted healthy and were cooked to perfection retaining its juiciness while having the crispiness on the outside. The pasta jambalaya came with plenty of shrimp and chicken, and you can definitely taste the Creole seasoning all over the delicious pasta.

Overall, Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen serves up delicious New Orleans cuisine. Prices are reasonable, but portion sizes may seem a bit small, especially for the pasta. Service was on point for refills and check-ins. The annual pass discount did help bring down the total cost, which was very nice. If you are at Disneyland and want to have a great meal at a decent price, then Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen would be a great choice.

Feb 13

Sabrosada Fresh Mexican Food – Wesminster, CA

15681 Brookhurst St

Westminster, CA 92683

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

Unfortunately, the Sabrosada location down the street from the hotel closed for the night in Anaheim, so we decided to go to their next best location in Westminster. Having never visited Sabrosada before, we were unsure of the portion sizes of the items. After reviewing the menu online, we headed to the drive thru and made our order.

Today, we decided to order the carne asada nachos, California burrito, carne asada taco, and carnitas taco. The carne asada nachos were delicious and came with plenty of beef and toppings. Each bite tasted fresh and delicious. The California burrito also came with a lot of beef, but did taste a bit bland. I found myself adding a lot of hot sauce to add flavor. Both tacos were huge, but very messy. I liked how both tacos came with guacamole, which explains the higher cost. The tacos also needed more flavor, so plenty of hot sauce was utilized. I was quite surprised with the amount of carnitas in the taco as I found myself eating the carnitas itself as it was quite juicy and tender.

Overall, Sabrosada serves up tasty Mexican food at a great value, but some of the flavors were a bit lacking. I would advise against the California burrito and opt for carne asada fries in its place. The drive thru location in Westminster was convenient, but the walk-in location in Anaheim would be a much closer location. If you are craving some Mexican food and cannot decide between large chain fast food and independent local restaurants, then Sabrosada would be a happy medium.

Feb 10

Yogi Yogi – Buena Park, CA

5941 Beach Blvd

Buena Park, CA 90621

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

Located in Buena Park just outside of Anaheim, Yogi Yogi serves up unique Korean cuisine. When we entered the small restaurant, a server quickly seated us and provided menus. There were various items on the menu that we have not seen in other Korean restaurants, so we were excited to try some of them. After going through the menu a few times, we were ready to order.

Today, we decided to order the cheese combination topokki and egg roll. The cheese combination topokki came with various items including cheese-covered rice cakes, fish cake, blood sausage, dumplings, seaweed rolls, and boiled egg. We ordered the dish spicy, and they did not disappoint. The rice cakes were delicious and had an appealing texture. Having not tried blood sausage before, I did not know what to expect here. Unfortunately, the texture of the blood sausage was extremely weird and soft without any meat, and I could not bear to eat more than one piece. The dumplings and seaweed rolls were fresh and tasty. The boiled egg went well with the rice cake sauce. The egg roll was actually a mini kimbap style roll served on a platter. The egg on the outside went well with the meat and pickled radish dipped in sauce. Each bite was small and tasty, but the taste got old after eating a few pieces.

Overall, Yogi Yogi offers up some great tasting rice cakes, but the blood sausage really killed my appetite. The egg roll was good at first, but lost its tastiness quickly. Service was good as we received water refills and were attended to. Prices are decent for the amount of food received. If you are a fan of Korean rice cakes, then you should definitely give Yogi Yogi a try.

Load more