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Orange County Restaurants
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Ebisu Ramen
March 9th, 1999
Ebisu Ramen is a Japanese restaurant in Fountain Valley. I don't know why this
place is popular with many Japanese natives because the food is NOT that great. In
fact I've been disappointed several times. Now that I'm living in Japan I can say
that it doesn't taste like real Japanese food or at least not like Tokyo food. The
one thing they do have I guess is variety. For example they may be the only place in
Orange County where you can get Okonomiyaki which for lack of a better description many
people call Japanese pizza. On the other hand I've had Okonomiyaki several times in
Japan now and Ebisu Ramen's isn't nearly as good as it is in Japan. If fact it outright
sucks here. Also the service is generally poor.
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Cheesecake Factory
March 9th, 1999
 You may have heard of them. They are also a national chain (or are they now
international). The thing that sucks about the Cheesecake Factory is that they don't
take reservations and they are almost always busy. On a Friday or Saturday night you
can expect to wait at least 2 hours.
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Harbor House
March 9th, 1999
 Harbor House is also open 24 hours. There is one in Dana Point and one in
Huntington Harbor both on PCH (Pacific Coast Highway). They specialize in omelets
which are actually not bad. They have a wide range of other foods too. They're
pretty good especially for a 24 hour place.
Directions: Simplest Directions. Take Warner west from the 405 until you get to PCH.
Like 5 or 6 miles. Turn right at PCH. Harbor House is on the left about
1 mile down PCH. If you see a tall water tower like structure (it's actually a
house) you've gone about 100 feet too far.
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Yaohan (now Mitsuwa)
March 9th, 1999
 Yaohan is a Japanese super market. They have stores all over the world.
Most of the Yaohan's have other stores inside in addition to the main super market.
For example the one in Costa Mesa has 4 fast food counters, a bakery, an small appliance
shop, a travel agency, a gift shop, a Shiseido counter, a Auto accessories store, a toy
store, a Japanese dinnerware store, a book store, a hair salon and a few other
things. It's a great place to visit. The food's not great but it's usually
passable.
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Fatburger
March 9th, 1999
Fatburger is also from L.A. Fatburger as in "Man! That's Phat!" I
love them with all 4 extras. Chili, Bacon, Egg and Cheese. Yum! The one
in O.C is in the Park Place area.
Directions: 405 to Jamboree, turn right from the exit toward Newport. Turn left at
Michaelson, the first light and left again at the next light which is into the Park Place
area
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Pho Mai Nguyen (the Catfish Place)
March 9th, 1999
 I've not been to many Vietnamese places but the catfish here is the best I've had.
It's great. In fact it's so good I could each just that as my only dish plus
some rice. My friend Neil introduced me to this place. Vietnamese style eggrolls are
also very good. You roll them in a piece of lettuce and then dip them in a semi
sweet reddish orange sauce. Yum! Another thing to try is the combination BBQ
pork and vermicelli
Directions: Going north on Brookhurst from the 405 you pass Hazard street. On the
right will be a long strip mall. That strip mall will end at a small neighborhood street
and the first restaurant in the next strip mall that starts on the other side of that
neighborhood street is the place.
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Dragon Phoenix Palace Chinese Seafood Restaurant
March 9th, 1999
This place is in the center of Little Saigon even though it's a Chinese restaurant.
The Dim Sum is pretty good there. It's served from I think 11am to 2pm.
You'll feel like you're in another country. It's best to get Dim Sum on the weekend
as there is more variety but it will be way more crowded
Directions: From the 405 go north on Magnolia. Turn right at Bolsa and left at
the next light. That light turns into a parking lot. The restaurant is on the
right on the second floor.
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Houston's
March 9th, 1999
Houston's is a national chain. The have a very small menu. Their two
specialties are (1) Their Spinach Dip which they claim was named one of the 10 best things
to eat in L.A. I agree. (2) Their ribs which they call knife and fork ribs.
These ribs are so tender you usually don't even need the knife. The meat falls right
off the bones with just a light push from your fork. Yes!
Directions: They are in the same center as FatBurger above. In LA
there is one at the Century City Shopping Center and another in Manhattan
Beach on Rosecrans a mile or two west of the 405.
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Tommy's
March 9th, 1999
Tommy's is somewhat famous in Los Angeles. They've become a small chain and there
are a couple in O.C. They make chili burgers and they are some of the greasiest
things you'll ever eat. They are extremely delicious but you can only eat them about
once every 2 months because they are so greasy. Tommy's is also open 24 hours.
I don't know how we did it but when I was in high school my friends and I could eat 4
double cheeseburgers from Tommy's each. Note, all burgers come with chili by
default. If you don't want the chili why are you at Tommy's?
Directions: There is one on Magnolia just a few buildings south of the 405 next to the
Family Fun Center. Click here
for others.
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[4 comments]
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Picnic Garden
March 9th, 1999
 This
is a Korean Style BBQ and it's all you can eat. At lunch time on a
weekday it's only 8$ and that includes soft drinks. At a Korean BBQ
you cook the food on a grill at your table. Since this is all you can
eat they've got bars (similar to salad bars) except they have lots of raw
and seasoned meats. There are sauces in the back as well as ready to
eat foods like eggrolls and fries.
One tip: Wait for the grill to get good and hot. If you put the cold meat on it
before it's hot the grill will never get hot.
Directions: Take Euclid north from the 405. They are on the Northeast corner of
Euclid and the first street past Mile Square Park.
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[3 comments]
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Rating Scale:
| 5 |
Exceptional. I'd love it. I
want to go there again and again |
| 4 |
Good food, good time |
| 3 |
It's okay. Not great but not bad. |
| 2 |
If I was hungry and there was nothing
else I'd eat here |
| 1 |
Even if I was starving I would not eat
here. |
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