Claim Jumper Restaurants

Claim Jumper is one of the few corporate-owned chain restaurants that I enjoy. The service there is always very good. Here is a special tip to all of my readers that I usually don't give; If you like to order food To-Go, then this is your place. They will never screw up a To-Go order because they go over everything with you before they bag it up. They sell all of their desserts To-Go as well, and have a beautifel display case for the desserts at the Valencia location. A full menu is available through their website; http://www.claimjumper.com/. I also reccommend visiting this site to take advantage of their online reservation feature that they have available at certain locations. You can access their website, and make dinner reservations with the click of a button.

My favorite dish hands down is the Oaxacan Style Sea Bass. It is AMAZING! The fish is always prepared beautifully, and is served with white rice, asparagus spears, tomatoes, and many other unique veggies such as okra. It runs $18.95, which isn't exactly the cheapest think on the menu, but it is well worth every penny. They also have a very impressive full bar, offering a wide selection of some beers that I do not see most places. I would stay away from Claim Jumper on Friday or Saturday nights if you do not like the crowds, but even when it is crowded, the food is still good.

The photo was lifted from this website; www.sangabrielvalleymenus.com/.../index.htm

The Egg Plantation

The Egg Plantation is one of my favorite places to eat breakfast that I have discovered so far in life. They are probably best known for their omelets. They have over 100 omelets on they regular menu, and many more on a separate menu where the employees get to design their own dish. The portions are enormous, and the prices are not too bad. It is the best place for breakfast near where I live to say the very least. It is located on Walnut street, which is just off of Lyon's Avenue in Newhall, CA. The small restaurant was once featured on a Food Network show called "Unwrapped." I have provided a link to view the video courtesy of The Egg Plantation's official website; http://www.eggplantation.com/. There is a button on the home page that takes you to the clip.

My favorite Omelet is an employee creation. It is called Randall's Omelet, and it has everything spicy in it. I urge people to steer clear of this dish if you have a sensitive stomach, but if not, enjoy! All of their omelets come with a potato or fruit choice, and a bread choice. I always get the sourdough roll, and I order a biscuit on the side. Their bicuits are to die for. They serve them with butter and honey, and they are too good to resist. The staff is friendly, and although the restaurant is small and cannot accomodate too many people, the wait time when it is busy is never too long, and the food always gets cooked quickly, and is served hot and delicious. Again, I encourage people to visit their site via an enclosed link and to look around at their menu, driving directions, and to watch the food network clip and read reviews. I hope the many more people discover this hidden gem, because it is worth a long drive just to eat breakfast here.

The Photograph can be viewd in it's original context at this website: http://flickr.com/photos/12806074@N08/2670760765

Olive Garden

The image was taken from the following website;

http://whitneymcd7.wordpress.com/2008/03/

This review will probably be the most average one that I have given so far. Everything about my experience at Olive Garden this week was just OK. I think that the economic struggles that America is going through definitely affects businesses such as restaurants. It seems this way to me because every time I go out on a Friday night in the past two months, I have not had to wait. Great for me... bad for business. Anyway, the story at Olive Garden was no different this week. It was fairly busy, but I did not have to wait. When it comes to the meal and the service, I would say that they were just average.

I ordered the Five Cheese Ziti al Forno, and while the food was good, it was not spectacular, and a little overpriced for what I got. Olive Garden isn't a cheap place to eat. If you are a party of two, and you plan on enjoying a bottle of wine, an appetizer, an entree, and dessert, I would bring a large wallet. One feature of Olive Garden is their interactive website. Their website allows users to put in their zip code in order to show the closest location to that area, and to give a more accurate menu to look at, because the menus at Olive Garden differ at their many different locations.

Their official website can be accessed through this link; http://www.olivegarden.com/default_f.asp

Chili's

This last week, I went to Chili's for dinner. I certainly wasn't having fun as their slogan might suggest that people do there. It was miserable. The service was slow, my beer wasn't cold, the food was cold, and looked like it had been microwaved. I remember eating at Chili's when I was a young kid and really enjoying it, but this last week, I had a dining experience far from enjoyable. Now, as always, I encourage folks to offer up their own opinions; you might have a wonderful Chili's experience in the near future. However, what I can tell you is that I was most certainly not impressed. I ordered the Buffalo chicken fajitas and when they were brought to the table, the plate was not sizzling and steaming as it usually does. Perhaps it was just an off night for Chili's, or maybe the restaurant is in serious trouble. This restaurant critic will not be going back to give them another try anytime soon.

A full menu is available at the Chili's website: http://www.chilis.com/

The photo was also taken from the Chili's website: http://www.chilis.com/

Kabuki Japanese Restaurant

Hello again fellow restaurant goers. This last week I went to the newest restaurant in the town of Valencia, CA. It is a chain restaurant called Kabuki. I was absolutely thrilled with my experience there. The location that I visited is in the brand new Bridgeport Marketplace in Valencia, and is only the second business to open its doors at this prime location. Although Kabuki is a full Japanese restaurant, with a very large menu, I go to places like Kabuki to eat sushi. I was surprised to find out that there was no wait time in the lobby at 7 pm. on a Friday night, however, as I walked further into the restaurant to take my seat at the sushi bar, I realized why- the restaurant is huge! There is plenty of seating at both the sushi bar and at tables throughout the restaurant.

I would recommend the SUNKISSED ROLL. It is a chef's special role with spicy tuna inside, and salmon and avocado on top. It is absolutely delicious and runs $9.95. Kabuki also offers just about every type of nigiri sushi that one could think of. All of it is fresh and delicious. The service was good, not great, but then again, this location has only been open for less than a week. Even if it means a short commute for you, I would recommend that everyone that enjoys this type of food check out this new Valencia hot spot.

For a complete look at the menu, you can check out the restaurants website; http://www.kabukirestaurants.com/

Image was taken from; http://www.flickr.com/photos/violet_peppermint/1289666185/

Elephant Bar Adventure

My experience this last week at the Elephant Bar was quite pleasant. The food was good, the service was good, and the overall experience was definitely worth the money. I would recommend arriving before 6 p.m. on a Friday or Saturday night because they will get very busy afterward, and you might end up waiting a while. So on to the food ... I found the the BBQ pork sandwich to be incredible, and at only $7.50, and served with a side choice, I would recommend this sandwich to anyone. Also, I would go with the expectation of having a few drinks, because they have an excellent full bar, and the atmosphere at the Elephant Bar is very conducive to having a great time. A full menu is available on the Elephant Bar website; http://www.elephantbar.com/ .

Photo was obtained from; www.fsici.com/clients.html

Mimi's Cafe Corporate Troubles

(Photo from http://www.mimiscafe.com/)

As soon as Mimi's Cafe went corporate, the restaurant started to go downhill. While they are still a profitable business, customers and employees alike are starting to complain about the food and the way that the restaurant is run. It is unfortunate to see a nice restaurant such as Mimi's to fall victim to Corporate America. While the owners of the company enjoy increased profits, the
employees(hosts, servers, cooks, etc.) continue to lose out on more
and more benefits and perks that they previously enjoyed, such as employee dining discounts. The customers at the restaurant are suffering as well, as a result of the corporate buyout. The quality of food that Mimi's Cafe uses is not the same as it used to be. They have switched many products in order to save money at every corner. Their lemonade, their fresh graded cheese, their salsa, and many other items have changed for the worse in order to save money. While the food at Mimi's continues to be mediocre at best, it is becoming harder and harder to enjoy any dining experience at Mimi's given these poor changes in management and quality.