Orleans Corner

The is a new establishment that opened across from my work area a few months ago. When it first opened, the food was good and the prices were decent. But it seems that they have changed the chef and increased the price. The owner is friendly and always looking for feedback but the servers are not the most attentive.

The po-boy lunch special may be the best option.

My sister and I came for dinner. When we got in at 9pm, no one was there to greet us. There was only one other family having a birthday dinner. We waited a good 10 minutes before someone finally came out to get us seated with menus.

Sis got the pound of shrimp and I got the macaroni. My sis also got the clam chowder which was not very thick and was lukewarm. That seems to be a big problem of this place. I got the crawfish chowder for lunch one time and it was lukewarm.

They also have sweet tea but I didn't think it was very good.

The shrimp is comparable to that Bubba Gump place. However, I think for the price, Boiling Crab is better. The macaroni was alright, nothing to rave much about.

I had a coupon for buy one, get one entree 50% off with drink, so it was quite a deal.

The place is also known for its alligator bites and frog legs which my cworker is a fan of. When we first went a few months back, they did not have the permit in place to get the alligator shipped, but it seems like everything is in place now.

Come here to get your frog legs and alligator bites!!

Market Broiler

Last night, I had dinner at the Market Broiler at the Block in Orange.

The person I was meeting was already sitting inside and I thought if I gave them the name they could lead me to the table, but they don't take reservations.

It looks like a semi fancy place, but I wasn't all that impressed. It has a bit of a fishy smell, but I suppose that's only expected, being known for fish.

Well I ordered a Mac and Cheese by itself. You have the option of having it with shrimp for double the price.

It's too cheezy! It didn't say in the menu, but I could definitely taste and feel all 3 different cheeses- Cheddar, Parmesan, and Mozarella, I think. It was almost as goopy as the broccoli and cheddar chowder I had the night before. Just awful! I told a manager looking guy and he said most people say that aren't enough cheese.

I prefer Yard House's mac and cheese with bacon bits and bread crumbs. BJ's is so plain. But I suppose you get what you pay for. The Mac and Cheese was only $7.95.

The bread is ok; this bread had more garlic and butter than the corn/ garlic pizza I had at BJs.

Service was a bit off as in the waitress came with the bill about halfway through eating without asking if we wanted desserts or anything. I was really curious about the creme brulee, but oh well. And the crazy thing was after it was paid for, she asked if I wanted a box and I said no, I didn't like my meal enough to want to take it home to eat and she apologized and asked why I didn't say something before she ran the card. But why was she in a hurry to give us the bill? Aside from that, she was nice and friendly.

I don't think I'd come back to this place. It's good if one likes seafood and fish. They don't have a good selection of much of anything else. And it's definitely not the bother to have to drive to a mall like place. It must have been prom night last night because some teenagers all dressed up walked right in front of me in the parking lot and they weren't walking like they were crossing the street, but walking like they were one of the cars...so annoying!! They would have had to see me with my lights flashing at them and everything. Ugh! Malls, hate them.

One plus for the restaurant is that they do serve bread before the meal, nice piping hot bread with butter!

Yard House

After the free Screenwriting Workshop at the Newport Beach Festival, located at Fashion Island, my friends and I had lunch at the Yard House. I got the Macaroni Cheese squared. They got the BBQ Bacon and Cheese Burger and the Crab Cake Club Sandwich. No complaints, so I assume all the dishes were good. Maybe because all the dishes had bacon. Service is excellent, as usual with friendly staff. One friend wanted steamed veggies instead of french fries that come with the sandwich so they were happy to make the substitute with no extra charge.

The Mac and Cheese had thick slices of bacon and chicken with truffles. It is one of the best Mac and Cheese I've had. However, this time around, I felt they might have overdone it with their truffle oil.

I don't approve of their Creme Brulee. It is mushy, but not very creamy and not brulee'd much, with bananas and chocolates, a combination I'm personally not too fond of.

Yard House never gets old. There are chains all over including Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Rancho Cucamonga and Pasadena, so you should have no excuse to not have dined at one.

K'Ya Bistro

Make sure to book reservations in advance for K'Ya Bistro. At approximately 7pm, we decided to have dinner there at the recommendation of the art gallery director's suggestion. The art gallery is located directly across the street and the fellow's name was John, enthusiastic about Chinese art. We put our names down, but our names didn't get called until 9pm.



I ordered the Macaroni and Cheese and Coq au Vin. Brian Boitano had made Coq au Vin on his show and I had wanted to try it since having seen that episode.

The Mac and Cheese was wonderful, not too cheesy with crunchy bread crumbs on top.



The Coq au Vin was interesting. The meat was very tender. It's meticulously created, but not being a huge fan of red wine, I wasn't able to finish it.



And finally, the creme brulee was amazing with the right amount of brulee and creaminess, topped with fresh berries and a sprig of mint.

I highly recommend this restaurant and would love to return! Service and food is excellent; ambience has a ritzy feel to it with many people dressed up for dinner, as is typical of the OC area, especially in Laguna Beach. The price is unbeatable for such an elegant cafe.

Next time, I want to go during the day to get the amazing ocean view I hear about.