Tag Archives: chicken

Hacienda la Joya, Mission Viejo – First Review: We Kissed All the Tacos and We Liked Them

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[Total: 1 Average: 5]

No One Hit Wonder Here, They’re All Good!

Hacienda la Joya Mission Viejo Taco Tuesday Tacos
Hacienda la Joya Mission Viejo Taco Tuesday Tacos

Until visiting Hacienda La Joya, we’d been to taco places that had great carnitas tacos, and others that had great carne asada tacos, and still others that specialized in some other kind of tacos. But those specialty items were more often than not, one hit wonders. Typically, anything else on the menu paled in comparison to that one great item that made our mouths water and our bellies happy.

Hacienda La Joya has conquered the one hit wonder curse. We’ve eaten here many times, but haven’t reviewed it yet. It could be we are in disbelief that everything on the menu can be so good. It could Continue reading Hacienda la Joya, Mission Viejo – First Review: We Kissed All the Tacos and We Liked Them

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Red O – First Review: For Chicken Tacos that are Simply Irresistible

Braking for Tacos Says:
Taco Fans Say:
[Total: 3 Average: 3.3]

You Might as Well Face It, We’re Addicted to Tacos and… Chili Cheese Fritos?

Red O - Taco Tuesday
Red O – Taco Tuesday

You wouldn’t expect to find taco Tuesday bargains in the ritzy Fashion Island area of Newport Beach, nor would you expect to find a dozen extras to an ’80s music video, even if the latter wasn’t intentional. But you can find both if you know where to look. And the place to look is Red O. To be fair Red O doesn’t exactly offer the usual taco Tuesday cheap tacos, but at $3 a taco on a menu where most entrees hover in the $30-$40 range, it’s a steal for those looking for high end dining on a low end budget. Even better, their tacos are part of the regular Red O happy hour, so you can enjoy Continue reading Red O – First Review: For Chicken Tacos that are Simply Irresistible

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Rasta Taco (Laguna Beach) – First Review: When is a Taco Not a Taco?

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[Total: 1 Average: 5]

When It’s Not Just Another Taco

Rasta Taco Al Pastor and Chicken Tacos
Rasta Taco Al Pastor and Chicken Tacos

Tacos are tacos, right? Just a tortilla loosely folded in half and filled with some meat and a few toppings. I mean anyone can make ’em, can’t they?

Just like a canvas is a canvas… at least until someone applies a few brush strokes. Anyone can do that as well. But how many of those brush stroked canvases make their way into art galleries? Only the ones painted by truly gifted artists.

So, when a taco is created by a culinary artist, shouldn’t it be considered something more than a brush stroked canvas or a folded and stuffed tortilla?

Such is the case at Rasta Taco. Here, they are not creating your run Continue reading Rasta Taco (Laguna Beach) – First Review: When is a Taco Not a Taco?

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Emerald Lounge (Laguna Hills) – First Review: Seeking the Wizard of Ahhs at the Emerald Lounge

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Taco Fans Say:
[Total: 1 Average: 3]

There is No Ahhs and The Emerald Lounge is… Sapphire?

Emerald Lounge Steak Taco
Emerald Lounge Steak Taco

You’re out following the Yellow Brick Road, and decide to stop for the night. You pull your farmhouse off the to the side of the tornado you’ve been riding, find a nice independent hotel (a former Holiday Inn) in sleepy little Mission Viejo, make sure you didn’t accidentally park on any wicked witches, and decide it’s a good place to crash for the night. Not wanting to go back out, you decide to hit the Taco Tuesday right here in the hotel at the Emerald Lounge. Sorry, Toto. The tacos are going to taste like you’re still in Kansas, and the lounge isn’t Emerald.

To be fair, a moderately priced hotel lounge is not the place you’d expect to find great food, even by cheap Taco Tuesday standards. Hotel lounges in this price range are usually more about Continue reading Emerald Lounge (Laguna Hills) – First Review: Seeking the Wizard of Ahhs at the Emerald Lounge

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Hacienda on the Lake – First Review: Breaking the Chains of Suburban Dining

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Waterside Dining Without Soaking Your Wallet

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With a name like Mission Viejo, you’d think good tasting Mexican food in a full service restaurant would be easy to find. But it seems suburbanites in the sleepy little bedroom community of south Orange County, like their dining establishments like they like their houses: expensive, in a limited number of floorplans, and only available in earth tones. So, it’s no surprise, uniform and boring chain restaurants dominate the foodscape where cookie cutter is the rule of the day. There are exceptions to every rule, though, and today’s Continue reading Hacienda on the Lake – First Review: Breaking the Chains of Suburban Dining

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