#2 Uni Spaghetti at Cafe Hiro

I honestly did not know what to expect coming here. My first question upon stumbling onto this dish was, “What the heck is Uni?” I come to find out that it’s sea urchin. My next question is, ” What the heck is sea urchin?” I think a picture best explains it:

So that isn’t what was on the spaghetti per say, but it was this animal’s gonads. Okay, it sounds gross, but I had an open mind coming in here and I hope you do too. Just order it!

I’m a huge fan of fusion restaurants, so I was definitely excited to partake of a Japanese-Italian dish. It came presented will smooth strips of al dente spaghetti, a very rich flavorful sauce, pieces of nori (seaweed), and dollop of wasabi. I’m not a fan of wasabi so I quickly grabbed a fork and transported the green blob to the table cloth, which was a bad decision because the waitress saw the whole thing and gave me the awkward eye. The dish itself truly embodied what a Japanese-Italian fusion should taste like: one element not overpowering the other, but instead joining forces to make sure my experience at Cafe Hiro was memorable.

It was a great dish, but I don’t think it should be #2 on the list. I would easily put the Strawberry Croissant from Cream Pan ahead of the Uni Spaghetti, but that’s the opinion of these taste buds. Prove me wrong.

Cruzade Rating: 7.5

Location: Cafe Hiro, 10509 Valley View St., Cypress, CA 90630, (714) 527-6090

#6 The Whole Sha-bang Shrimp at Boiling Crab

Too much is to be said about this dish. First of all, it’s one of the few items on the list that I have already partaken of waaaaay before I ever found out about the Top 100. Boiling Crab is high on the “Hype Chart” and deservingly so. The line to get inside and seated is beyond ridiculous. They open at 3pm on the daily and the hoard of hungry people are there even an hour or more before the doors open. If you’re planning to dine in, be prepared for an extensive wait. However, there is also the option of walking a couple stores down to the Boiling Crab To Go store and eating your food elsewhere (I’m speaking of the Brookhurst location exclusively).

So when the time finally arrives when you and your party are seated, your stomach is growling at you in a Navi-like tone, “You are like baby!”, and you may feel like ordering more than you can handle. I mean, you waited this long (probably 1.5+ hours) and you want to reward your patience with an absurd amount of food all at once. DON’T DO IT. Order a fair amount…and if you’re still hungry you finish that portion, order some more. Spread out your meal. There’s no rush because you’ll probably be there for a while. 😉

As for me, I usually go for 1.5 lbs of shrimp, and 6 pieces of sliced sausage. I’m not to big on rice. What?! An Asian that doesn’t want rice with his meal?! Impossible!

Possible.

I’m a fan of rice and all, especially with Filipino dishes because of the large amounts of salt in them. But when it comes to food at the Boiling Crab, I want to enjoy them solely without the distraction of rice. I want to enjoy as much as I can without filling up my stomach with those rice carbs.

So what makes the Whole Sha-bang Shrimp at Boiling Crab so amazing? Other than everything, it’s pretty much that Whole Sha-bang sauce, which is a mixture of their Rajun Cajun, Lemon Pepper, and Garlic Butter. I usually get it with no spice because I’m weak sauce and don’t like that fireball burning my taste buds. My friends usually get it mild, but I highly suggest not going higher than that because their sauce is pretty intense. The Whole Sha-bang sauce amorously drenches the shrimp, which are fairly large in size. Dip your shrimp in the salt/pepper with lemon mixture that they provide in containers for some extra lovin.

Tip: If you’re with a group, don’t order too many baskets of fries. I’d say about 4 people can share 1 basket. More often than not, fries are neglected once the other dishes come. Let’s be real now…you’re only munching on these potatoes while you wait for your shrimp.

Cruzade Rating: 9

Location: The Boiling Crab Brookhurst (714) 636-4885 13892 Brookhurst St. Garden Grove, CA 92843

#11 Banana Blossom Salad at Xanh Bistro

To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect coming here. The Vietnamese spots I’m used to going to are more on the “old school” side, as in traditional dishes like pho, vermicelli and rice dishes…that kind of stuff. So when I stepped into this restaurant and looked at the menu, I was quite surprised at the modern atmosphere and fusion-esque items on the menu.

So the reason why it’s called the banana blossom salad is because of the crunchy diced purple flower pieces that are from the end of a branch of bananas (wasn’t familiar with this before, but pleasantly surprised when I found out). Along with the salad are tender bits of pork, shrimp, veggies, herbs, and lime dressing. A nice addition that compliments the salad are the sesame seed crackers. I usually don’t go to a restaurant to order salad, but I’d gladly return to Xanh Bistro for this work of culinary art.

They have some great stuff in their menu. Here are some other things we ordered:

Sauteed Filet Mignon with Sweet Potato Fries

Fried Banana with Spicy Chocolate Sauce and Vanilla Ice Cream

Also, Coconut Creme Brulee (Not pictured because I scarfed it down once it hit the table).

Cruzade Rating: 8

Location: Xanh Bistro, 16161 Brookhurst St., Fountain Valley; (714) 531-2030;www.xanhbistro.com.

#14 Strawberry Croissant at Cream Pan

This has got to be my favorite dish on this list as of today. It’s simply amazing. I will update this post if/when a dish tastes better than this. This croissant is high in demand, and many times they sell out…so the best thing to do is to give them a ring to make sure they still have some in stock. There were a couple times I called beforehand and they said they ran out. With Cream Pan being all the way in Old Town Tustin, it saved me the drive there and worse, the disappointing drive home.

So for $2.60, what do you get? Sweet Perfection. Nothing less. Man…I fell straight in love after the first bite. The flaky triangle shaped croissant, the rich faintly-sweet custard, the sliced strawberries, and the grand daddy of em all: powdered sugar. If happiness were a recipe, these would be its ingredients. My goodness…just try it for yourself.

Word of warning: this can get very messy. Watch out if you’re wearing black clothing because of the excess croissant flakes and powdered sugar will find a way to attack you.

Cruzade Rating: 9.5

Location: Cream Pan, 600 El Camino Real, Tustin, CA 92780, (714) 665-8239

 

#18 Deep Fried Fish with Mango Salad at Thai Nakorn

I’m usually not a big fan of spicy…but for this this dish, I make an exception. I haven’t had many cat fish dishes before, so I didn’t really know what to expect here. But if I had to compare it to another fish, it would probably taste most like Tilapia (and I love Tilapia…just not the left over kind that you have to microwave. Fish is never as good when you reheat it). So the fried catfish was quite delicious by itself: soft, tender, rich, and moist. The real game-changer was the mango salad. I’m not too sure what exactly was in there but man…it was pack with flavor! It had a sweet/sour taste with a spicy kick to it. Combine that with the deep fried catfish and you’ve got yourself a winner! For the most part, fish dishes don’t fill me up, but the two large pieces were plenty to fill my stomach.

O and a word of warning, this dish is a surprisingly a bit pricey. $16 I believe? They didn’t include the price in the menu so be aware. 😉

Cruzade Rating: 8.5

Location:

Thai Nakorn, 12532 Garden Grove Blvd., Garden Grove; (714) 537-5011.

Thai Nakorn, 11951 Beach Blvd., Stanton; (714) 799-2031.

 

#24 Fish Burrito at Los Cotijas

This is where it all started: my first mission. This whole conquering the Top 100 Dishes in the OC happened quite spontaneously, to be honest. I was chatting it up with a friend and we were trying to find a new place to eat. No ideas came to mind, but then I recalled another friend sending me the link to the Top 100 article. Madness ensued…

Upon surveying the list, we realized that both of us were in the mood for Mexican food. Los Cotijas seemed the best option because it was relatively close to where we were at the time.

First and foremost: Los Cotijas is CASH ONLY. I’ll go ahead and state if and when other places are cash only also to help you out. 😉 I always carry at least some cash so this wasn’t a problem. The cashier was friendly and the service was relatively fast. It’s a pay first, food later kind of deal.

So on to the dish…

Living in California, I have become accustomed to heavily stuffed burritos. Therefore, I was surprised to see that this burrito was relatively light in appearance and in weight…AKA Lightweight (Ok that was a bad joke, but this is my blog so I don’t care! hahah) It was a pleasant surprise because for once it didn’t feel like I was lifting a dumbbell upon picking it up. So the burrito itself was quite simple: deep-fried fish, some veggies, and their special sauce. A great mixture of sweet and tangy. I do enjoy fish burritos in general because of their crunchiness and Los Cotijas was able to deliver with theirs.

Cruzade Rating: 7

Location: Los Cotijas, 11951 S. Euclid St., Garden Grove, (714) 636-3944

#29 Beef Panang from Thai Nakorn

My goodness. This has to be one of my personal favorite dishes in life. Hyperbole? Maybe. But, as of right now, I am definitely in love with Thai Nakorn’s Beef Panang. I enjoyed it so much the first time that I came back a second time knowing that I still have about 90 dishes to conquer on the list. It’s that good.

I’m usually so-so when it comes to curry. I don’t get all riled up when it comes to Indian curry, but Filipino Kare Kare is one of my favorites. I’ve had Japanese and Thai curry before, but it never really struck me as a “WOW” sort of food. I guess I’m somewhere in the middle when it comes to this food genre.

So what makes Thai Nakorn’s Beef Panang better than the average curry dish? I’ll gladly answer this question for you. Let’s start with the beef. It’s tender; easily cut with a fork because the beef chunks are pretty large. It is a huge food “turn off” when beef is hard because it is not cooked thoroughly. Yack. But Thai Nakorn does it right. Their beef is the deal-maker. The curry has a perfect combination of milkiness (from the coconut milk) and a nice hint of spiciness (not too high on the spicy meter, so it doesn’t take away from the entire dish). Rice is a necessity with this dish and you have to order it as a side. It completes the dish.

This has definitely become my “go-to” spot if and when I crave curry.

Cruzade Rating: 9

Location:

Thai Nakorn, 12532 Garden Grove Blvd., Garden Grove; (714) 537-5011.

Thai Nakorn, 11951 Beach Blvd., Stanton; (714) 799-2031.

#47 Corn Dog at Disneyland’s The Little Red Wagon

I would like to begin by stating that I am not a fan of corn dogs in general. I blame this for the corn dogs I’ve had in my childhood. My childhood corn dogs were derived from 2 sources. The first being Costco and the second, the dreaded elementary school cafeteria.

Costco corn dogs weren’t that bad. The fact that I had the power to control how hot I wanted my snack/meal made it a little more enjoyable. More often than not, however, the hot dog inside was cold or, worse, frozen. What a deal a breaker.

The elementary school corn dogs were an absolute nightmare. They were served  as mini corn dogs with peas and corn in a plastic tray, sealed with some sort of plastic wrap. Food was prepared early in the morning so by the time lunch time came around, the heat from inside the packaging caused condensation to occur within, which led to extremely soggy corn dogs. Soggy to the point that the hot dog was visible because the breading slid off. AHHHH!!! I dreaded the days they were served and opted for anything else available instead eating those monstrosities.

I know i strayed pretty far from the subject at hand to describe my horrible childhood corn dog experiences, but I wanted you as the reader to know that I am not accustomed to eating good corn dogs. So when I looked at the list and saw that one of the dishes was the corn dog from Disneyland, I knew I was in for a treat. I mean, cah man, when does Disney go wrong?

I was actually rather surprised that I never heard about the Disneyland corn dogs before. From what friends tell me, they’re rather popular because they’re pretty darn good. I’m an avid Disneyland visitor. I have a Disneyland Deluxe pass, and those of you who are friends with me on Facebook have probably seen me check-in to the park at least once. To be honest, I was excited to have this dish.

So I partially cheated with this dish. I didn’t have it at the Little Red Wagon in Disneyland. That line is always looooong. Instead, I had it at Award Wieners in California Adventure. Disney nonetheless right? Right!

So the corn dog wasn’t fancy-looking or anything. A hot dog, wrapped in batter, and deep fried to a crispy brown color. It was served in a basket with a side of either chips or fruits. Upon taking my first bite of the corn dog, I definitely appreciated the semi-crunchy bread batter which perfectly transitioned to the juicy hot dog within. I’m usually not a fan of the combination of sweet and savory in one dish, but I thoroughly enjoyed this corn dog.

I probably won’t get this item again just because I’m still haunted by my childhood corn dog experiences, but I do highly suggest ordering it if you enjoy this type of food. It’s good, but it’s just not my thing.

Cruzade Rating: 7

Location: The Little Red Wagon in Disneyland or Award Wiener in California Adventure

#68 Korean Beef Rib Sandwich at Kaffa

I love when coffee shops serve savory food. This coffee shop happens to be one of them. So although I was here for the sandwich, I opted to purchase some caffeine too. I opted for the white mocha. I’m pretty sure I told the cashier that I wanted the drink iced, but I guess she didn’t hear me, so the drink came out hot. The presentation of the drink literally made me feel all warm inside. The barista made a heart shape with the whipped cream. Made me forget that I wanted a cold drink to begin with, so I settled. I do wish, however, that the drink was a little sweeter. It was a bit on the bitter side. Take a looky at the dranky drank right here:

Now on to the sandwich…It was a little smaller than I thought it would be. Therefore, I was thinking that Kaffa was going for the quality over quantity route. Yes, it was delicious. The meat had a sweet kick to it, which was complimented by the grilled onions. I was definitely won over by the provolone, which is my favorite type of cheese. The bread wasn’t stiff but soft, which was also a plus because I hate it when bread cuts the roof of my mouth.  Overall, a delightful sandwich. Would I go here if I were craving Korean BBQ? No, I’d rather opt for an AYCE KBBQ in Cerritos or LA. Would I go here for coffee? No, I’m a sweet tooth, and most of their drinks are on the bland side. However, I would come back to snack on this sandwich. It’s pretty good.

Cruzade Rating: 7

Location: Kaffa, 424 S. Main St., Ste. K, Orange, (714) 978-1992; www.kaffainc.com

#89 Midnight Al Pastor Burrito or Taco at Taqueria Tapatia

Now I know this picture doesn’t really look appetizing. I blame the lack of light in the venue and the lack of flash on my Iphone 3GS. The huge plus about this place is that it’s open late. I went to the 24 hour one on 1st st. The other is supposedly open until 2AM. I came here around 11PM and was surprised that there was a good amount of business goin’ on. A couple families and some fellow late night snackers were also in the premises looking for a quick meal.

This dish was supposedly good as either a taco or burrito. I opted for the burrito because I was feeling rather hungry at the time, which was nothing new. The Al Pastor (Slow roasted pork) was nice and tender. It was a little saltier than I would have liked, but was delightful nonetheless. There was some rice in there and minimal veggies. I’m usually a proponent of a high meat:veggie ratio, but I felt a little overwhelmed with the surplus of al pastor in this burrito. I could, however, understand how this burrito would be delectable for anyone trying to get a meat fix, but I was not at the time.

I do suggest the melon juice as a drink. I LOVE Mexican joints that serve this stuff because it almost never fails. Taqueria Tapatia is on point with their melon juice.

Cruzade Rating: 6

Location: Taquería Tapatía, 202 S. Bristol, SanTana, (714) 972-9115; also at 1118 W. First St., SanTana, (714) 835-8168.