FIVE CROWNS

Nothing says prime rib like the Five Crowns. NOTHING! Burger Boy is Birthday Boy this week, so we decided to take advantage of our $25 certificate, double VIP birthday points and complimentary birthday dessert. An even better deal than last month's Newport Restaurant Week.

Five Crowns has an old fashioned elegance and charm that we find very warm and inviting, right down to the fireplace in the main dining room. The food and the service are consistently good. We received a warm welcome and were led to our favorite table (table 24). Our server was professional and and informative; and per our request brought us lots of extra dressing for sweetie's Hearts of Romaine salad and my Cesar salad. I couldn't resist helping my wife finish her's. The Stilton Bleu Cheese dressing is to die for! The prime rib was, as usual, delicious and cooked to perfection. The Yorkshire popover, creamed spinach and mashed potatoes were all excellent. What else can I say. I think the picture speaks a thousand words.

This romantic evening with my sweetie pie was the perfect finish to an excellent birthday celebration. We left happy, full and with enough leftovers for lunch tomorrow. The 2 Tubby Tummys give tonight's Five Crowns experience an enthusiastic 2 thumb up!

P.S. Our third Tubby Tummy is feeling better and looking forward to rejoining us next week for Orange County Restaurant Week! Stay tuned.

RUBYS DINER-CORONA DEL MAR

Last day for our breakfast 2-for-1 coupon so we decided to scooby-dooby down to our favorite Rubys Diner on PCH in CDM. My sweetie pie and I were the 2 Tubby Tummys today because her mother was under the weather and decided to stay home to recuperate.
This is our favorite Rubys because the food and service are consistently good. The servers and manager are attentive without being intrusive. Nothing is ever a problem. Even when we ask for our breakfast potatoes "deep fried crispy".
I had the Really Big Breakfast and sweetie her usual ham and cheese omelet and also a huge hot cinnamon bun (big enough to share with Burger Boy!).
Every thing was delicious and Rubys Diner CDM easily gets 2 thumbs up from the 2 Tubby Tummys!

SAGE ON THE COAST

We've been to Sage (Eastbluff) several times and finally decided to try their other restaurant, Sage on the Coast. When we arrived, we got off to a rocky start. As we were being seated my sweetie pie felt something wet and sticky on her chair and on the floor beneath. Fortunately her outfit was spared and after the hostess got us another chair and wiped up the floor, we were finally seated. We ordered appletinis and soon the ladies were back in dining mode.
Our waiter, Cody, was a sheer delight. He was perky, upbeat, and genuine. He was very attentive and informative; and really seemed to enjoy his work. To start off, the ladies split the Asian beef short rib appetizer, which has long been one of our favorites. I decided to try the Barratta and Mozzarella pizza with leeks and mushrooms. Oh, it was so good. But I can't believe I ate the whole thing!
But I'm glad I did. Because the rack of lamb I ordered was itty bitty. Tender and lean, but itty bitty. I know Mary had a little lamb, but Burger Boy likes 'em bigger. Maybe they should move it to the "small plate" section of the menu. Next time I'll order the duck.
So, where's the beef? Why, it's on the ladies plates! Sweetie pie had the large Filet Mignon topped with Gorgonzola and her mother the bone-in New York steak special with sweet potato fries. Yes, Sage does sweet potato fries, and does them well; with a divine Dijon dipping sauce.
For dessert my wife had the "mini"warm molten chocolate cake with coffee ice cream and chocolate syrup. Just enough. Her mother ordered the Hawaiian chocolate chip bread pudding. Delish! I had the Old Fashioned Rootbeer Float with warm chocolate chip pecan cookies-so fresh from the oven I had to let them cool before eating!
People watching is always fun on The Newport Coast and Sage has a lively bar scene happening; and a nice fireplace in the heated patio dining area.
On the downside, my sweetie pies's steak was overcooked and her mother's "well-done" steak still pink in the middle. And I guess it's also difficult to cook those tiny lamb chops medium rare.

Final verdict: The 3 Tubby Tummys give Sage on the Coast two thumbs up.

AMERICAN FARMHOUSE GRILL

We're always looking for a fresh place to have a farm fresh breakfast. So, on a recommendation from our sister blog lovely love handles (http://lovelylovehandles.blogspot.com/) we decided to take a road trip to American Farmhouse Grill in Manhattan Beach. A little outside our grazing area, but when you're a die hard foodie, sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do! And we were not disappointed.

It's a darling old-fashioned place just dripping with charm. We had an excellent waiter. He was very attentive and extremely nice; and according to the ladies VERY handsome! He brought us our coffee, tea and juice and we were ready to order. My wife had the french toast with bacon and eggs and her mother the bacon and eggs with beans and ranch toast. I ordered the omelette with sausage and cheese, grilled asparagus and ranch toast. We all shared a side order of Portuguese Sausage.

The portions were large and the food was very fresh and served nice and hot. The french toast was just how my sweetie pie likes it-old fashioned style on thick egg bread with syrup. The eggs were cooked exactly as ordered, over hard, and the bacon was nice and crisp. My omelette was loaded with melting cheese and sausage. And the asparagus was grilled to perfection. We enjoyed the assortment of flavored creamers for the coffee and jellies for the toast.

On the down side, the beans were BORING! And the Portuguese Sausage was too lean and not spicy enough (if we want healthy we're not ordering sausage). Oh, and the toast was just OK.

Overall the experience was good enough to get two and 1/2 thumbs up from the 3 Tubby Tummys.

TALEO MEXICAN GRILL

The Taleo Mexican Grill has been our long time favorite "resort" Mexican restaurant. The service is consistently good and as my sweetie pie says "they know how to cook". The Carnitas is the chef's signature dish and the Carne Asada and fall off the bone Baby Back Ribs never disappoint. The Queso Fundido and the Guacamole are excellent starters and the Flan is the best around. New York and Ribeye steaks are sometimes specials and often available "off the menu".

Friday is Pozole night and sweetie's mother and I each ordered a bowl. It's moderately spicy and loaded with big chunks of tender carnitas. Yummy in the tummy! My wife ordered the steak quesadilla appetizer which was big enough for the three of us to share. On to the main course. Sweetie had the Cabo Salad- served with a whole BBQ chicken breast; and she added a side of their amazing creamy avocado vinaigrette. Her mother thoroughly enjoyed her favorite Smokey Apple Chipotle Chicken. And leave it to me, Burger Boy, to find an amazing burger in an unlikely place. The Taleo Cheeseburger comes with crispy bacon, avocado and jalapeno jack cheese. Big and juicy and served with my favorite skinny shoestring fries.I have been tempted to order it many times and finally gave in.

The 3 Tubby Tummys give Taleo Mexican Grill three thumbs up!
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OPAH

Burgers at a restaurant named after the Hawaiian moon fish? Oh Yes! And we'd do it again. The ladies had been here twice and I finally had the chance to join them.

We started off with the Shitake Chicken Lettuce Wraps with spicy mustard vinaigrette, which were good, and then on to the Thai BBQ Pork and Brie Spring Rolls, which were even better. Then came the main event-our half pound Kobe Beef Burgers. When our waiter Jimmy brought the plates to the table my eyes opened wide. What a sight! I had mine with Havarti cheese, bacon, and caramelized onions. My sweetie pie choose the cheddar and sliced red onions, while her mother opted for the gorgonzola. The ladies both upgraded to the sweet potato fries with a side of chipotle ranch dressing to dip. And they were in heaven! I had the standard shoestring fries, which were freshly cut, perfectly seasoned, and piled high. The burgers were hot and juicy and the beef lean and melt-in-your-mouth tender and cooked to perfection. The 3 Tubby Tummys give Opah three thumbs up!