turtley "Eating my way to enlightenment =D"

Wandering around Ocean Beach, we were trying to decide where to eat when we came upon Hodad’s. I remembered reading something about it on Menuism (and a friend on Citysearch…boo!); we decided to dine at this loud and lively place. You seat yourselves, or you can be lazy and wait for someone to tell you where to sit. The atmosphere is… awesome: license plates from everywhere fill up the walls, often with amusing names; there is a car with a table inside it; a wooden bicycle; a baby doll in a wetsuit; and just cool decor. Rock music brings an energetic feel to the place, but it doesn’t seem to overpower your ability to hold a conversation. The service is also super good; our server offered samples of their 3 microdraft beers to my friends, the food came out quickly, and it was just very good.

Anyways, to the food. My friends absolutely loved their microdraft dark beer. I got a strawberry malt which completely obliterated me; it was wayyy to big. The burgers, though, compete among the best. Greasy, large, and oh so tasty. Beats out In n Out and other burger joints in my opinion. You can get them with bacon, veggy patty, or no patty at all (called the Unburger). Be sure to get it with fries, they are very good! The dark beer also apparently goes well with the burgers.

Bottom line: Great atmosphere and service, Great food.

The apples and oranges analogy (the analogy where they don’t compare at all) does not apply here at all. This place takes orange, and fruit to a new level. Their atmosphere is orange everywhere, complete with orange trees, giant orange signs, and well you get the point. The main point is that their dishes and drinks have a strong inclination towards fruitiness. You can order drinks with whatever fruit you want and however you would like to combo em (I got Mango, Peach, Pineapple. I may be remembering wrong though.)

The specialty of this place is Frushi, an eclectice combination of sweet rice and fruit (in sushi form). There are all types of frushi they offer, so just get whatever special they have for the day; you’ll be pleased (unless your just HATE fruit). The entrees were delicious. If you like French toast, then the Chai Tea French Toast is the way to go. It’s unique, in a bowl, and just wonderful.

So if you can never decide on apples or oranges, well pick Orange, because it has both! … but really likes orange.

Ahh, Vie De France, the only reason I ever want to go to South Coast Plaza. In between shopping, its the perfect place to stop for lunch or just a nice little pastry. The line for seating can be long, but they fortunately have a separate line if you just want to buy some croissants or non-entree dishes.

The one time I’ve eaten in the actual restaurant, the food wasn’t bad. I got the Quiche du Jour, which filled with all kinds of random vegetables. The salad wasn’t very good, though, since I got honey mustard and it was waaaaaay too strong.

In conclusion: eating in is nice, but stop by for the croissants, pastries, and other French bakery goodies!

Now some people might argue that my title is an oxymoron, since fast food is normally not very high quality. Lolita’s layout is similar to many of the mexican fast food places in San Diego (Roberto’s, Sergio’s, etc…), but differs in its quality. Lolita’s has acquired a devout following of people who make pilgrimage to it for the California Burrito and Carne Asada Fries.

Everybody loves carne asada fries, but there is something about the carne asada at Lolita’s that makes it amazing. The California Burrito is a little bit overrated, as there is too many fries in it. I personally try to get something new everytime, and it has paid off. I tried the 2-in-1 burrito, which is an epic burrito with 2 rolled tacos in a carne asada burrito. They also make a good tortas (though not nearly as filling as their burritos) and amazing chimichanga. Also, don’t forget to the red sauce/salsa; it is almost a requirement to take your food to the next level.

If only it weren’t so far from campus (i’m lazy)

Awesome! Somewhat expensive, but huge portions and great dishes. my favorite restaurant =D

From the outside, you know its a good restaurant. With flaming torches outside and a refined yet casual interior, Roy’s is a great restaurant. It had the best fish and appetizer that I can remember. Of course, such good food comes at a high price. If you’re willing to pay a lot for a quality meal, or want to take someone out for a fancy dinner, this place is perfect.

I’ve never been a big fan of bacon, but after ordering the cote est at La Note, my whole take on bacon changed. Ever since, I haven’t had any nearly as flavorful. La Note is notable (=P) due to its unique and original menu of breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Each time I ate there, it was a truly enjoyable breakfast, putting other breakfasts (like from Denny’s and such) to shame. A mere glance at the formidable menu for lunch and dinner gives me hope that it is even better than its superb breakfast (admittedly, I’ve only tasted a little of the lunch, and none of the dinner). A little more expensive though very worth it.

Peking Restaurant (or Little Beijing, as I like to call it) is the tastiest Chinese food anywhere. A small restaurant hidden in Garden Grove, Peking Restaurant is probably known to only a few (it wasn’t even on the site until I added it!). There are many gems on the menu, particularly the House Specials. If not sure what to order, feel free to ask the kind owner for whats good. She’ll likely suggest a few of the menu items that i have below. One thing i suggest is to over order, that way you have leftovers for when you go home and crave chinese food. =D