BRODARD CHATEAU

PICTURED (top to bottom): Restaurant, Pork Spring Rolls, House Special Fried Rice, Shaken Beef, Filet Mignon on Skewers & Garlic Noodles, Brodard Chateau Vermicelli.

The 3 Tubby Tummys have been hearing good things about Brodard Chateau from a variety of different people, so we decided to see for ourselves what all the buzz is about. Brodard Chateau ( www.brodard.net ) is an upscale Vietnamese restaurant in Garden Grove with a friendly staff, good service and wonderful food

We started with the Brodard Pork Spring Rolls, which we heard they were famous for and should not be missed. Well, they were absolutely DELICIOUS and the dipping sauce is out of this world!

My sweetie pie ordered the Shaken Beef-cubed Filet Mignon sauteed with mushrooms and onions in garlic ginger soy sauce. This is their most popular dish, and we can see why- a definite "must try". Her mother had the Grilled Filet Mignon on Skewers & Garlic Noodles. Deliciously tender meat and sinfully good noodles. I tried the Brodard Chateau Vermicelli-with charbroiled shrimp, BBQ pork, chicken, grilled shrimp paste and egg roll. This dish is an excellent sampler of their wonderful cooking and comes with a great sauce on the side. We also ordered the House Special Fried Rice to share.

We came to Brodard Chateau with great expectations, and we were not disappointed. The 3 Tubby Tummys give tonight's Brodard Chateau dinner a definite three thumbs up!!!

CANTER'S DELI

PICTURED (top to bottom): Restaurant sign, Chopped Liver & Onions, Roasted Turkey and Stuffing, Corned Beef & Cabbage, Meat Loaf.

Today we planned a trip to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, but our first stop was to be for lunch at Canter's Deli- an institution in Los Angeles that continues a tradition of serving good food with excellent service at reasonable prices. The restaurant has been well maintained, and has a warm, cozy feel. As we walked in, we could not help staring at the wonderful array of fresh baked treats in the bakery case. The hostess took us to a comfortable booth and soon we were ready to order.

My sweetie pie and I both started with the Matzo Ball soup, while her mother had the Chopped Liver & Onions appetizer. We all agreed that Canter's has the best chopped liver around. Canter's serves "Thanksgiving Dinner Everyday" and that's what sweetie pie ordered- Roasted Turkey, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Stuffing and Cranberry Sauce. Her mother had the Corned Beef & Cabbage and I ordered the Meat Loaf. Ice Cream for dessert was included and really hit the spot. As we finished our meal, we saw a huge pastrami sandwich go by and vowed to return again to try one.

Our day was off to a great start and the 3 Tubby Tummys headed for LACMA with three thumbs up!!!

CLAIM JUMPER

PICTURED (top to bottom): Chicken and Baby Back Ribs, Blueberry Muffin.

Well, it's Saturday night and Burger Boy is working late, so the ladies decided to venture out on their own to our favorite Claim Jumper Restaurant (South Coast Plaza Mall) for a chicken and rib combo dinner. They were kind enough to bring me back some take out- also the chicken and rib combo (my favorite).

We hadn't been to Claim Jumper in quite a while; decided to give them a rest after a couple of disappointing experiences. Sweetie pie decided it was time to give them another try, and the ladies reported that CJ is back to their top form. Judging from my take out dinner tonight, I have to agree.

Tonight's Claim Jumper dinner, dine in and take out, gets three thumbs up from the 3 Tubby Tummys!

ORIGINAL FISH COMPANY

PICTURED (top to bottom): Restaurant Sign, Caesar Salad, Shrimp Skewer, Wild Alaskan Salmon, Wild Australian Barramundi over Pumpkin Squash, Lemon Blueberry Trifle.

Friday night and we're feeling "fishy", so we decided to head over to our favorite place place for fish- The Original Fish Company in Los Alamitos. The food is always good, the fish always fresh and the service consistently excellent. They also make the best Caesar Salad around.

So of course all 3 Tubby Tummys started with the Caesar Salad, with extra dressing on the side (their Caesar dressing is the absolute best!). Sweetie pie had her usual Shrimp Skewer and her mother had her favorite Alaskan King Salmon. Both were just as good as ever. I was feeling adventuresome and decided to try the special of the day- Wild Australian Barramundi over baked Pumpkin Squash. The fish was delicious (although the portion was smallish) and the squash surprisingly good-sweet and flavorful.

However, the best was yet to come! We decided to split one dessert three ways, and our server suggested a special (off the menu) dessert: The Lemon Blueberry Trifle-with fresh blueberries, lemon custard, sponge cake, whipped cream and I forget what else. It was so good, and big enough for 3. The perfect dessert after a great fish dinner.

The 3 Tubby Tummys swam away with three thumbs way up!

HAVEN GASTROPUB

PICTURED (top to bottom): Restaurant, Fritto Misto, Beet Salad, Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Short Rib Tacos, The Haven Burger.

Their website defines gastropub as "a British term for a public house that specializes in serving high-quality food" and the sign in the front window says "gourmet comfort food". The 3 Tubby Tummys are here to tell you that this place is definitely "as advertised"! Located in old-town Orange, the Haven Gastropub is a fun place to eat and spend a leisurely afternoon window-shopping.

I started with the Fritto Misto-halibut, calamari and assorted vegetables, all battered and deep-fried and served with a delicious chili-garlic aioli sauce. This dish is listed in the "snacks" portion of the menu, but is entree-sized and would have been enough for all three of us as an appetizer. Believe it or not, Burger Boy was already stuffed! My sweetie pie started with the Buttermilk Fried Chicken drumettes, served with orange-habanero BBQ sauce, and she was in gastropub heaven. These people really know to make excellent sauces. Her mother had the petite, but quite yummy, Beet Salad. She always loves a good beet salad.

On to the main event. At our server's suggestion, I tried the Short Rib Tacos, which were very good and loaded with moist, tender short rib meat. But the big hit of the day was the Haven Burger. Both ladies raved about their Haven Burgers, served with pickled red onions and St. Agur cheese. The burgers were accompanied by the house-cut seasoned french fries and housemade ketchup (yes-they make their own ketchup-and it's good).

The 3 Tubby Tummys give today's Haven Gastropub lunch three thumbs up!

MORENO'S

We had driven by this place on our way to other restaurants in the city of Orange, admiring the lovely patio grounds and the quaint building. One day we decided to stop in and give it a try. Since then, it has become our favorite "everyday" Mexican restaurant. The food here is consistently good, the portions extremely generous and the fresh, hand-made corn tortillas are the best we've ever had! The albondigas soup has also become a favorite.

Tonight my sweetie pie ordered the taco/chili relleno combination platter and her mother the steak fajitas dinner plate. I had my favorite wet burrito of all-time- the deluxe Chili Verde burrito with extra sauce and extra cheese (Oh Yeah! Burger Boy style).

Everything was prepared perfectly and the 3 Tubby Tummys left Moreno's tonight with three thumbs way up!

SIDE STREET CAFE

The Side Street Cafe in Costa Mesa is a darling little restaurant with a warm, cozy feel. It's very popular and has gotten some excellent reviews. My sweetie pie and her mother tried it a while back and were less than impressed. However, we decided it deserved a second chance.

Sweetie ordered bacon & eggs and substituted cottage cheese for the breakfast potatoes. She also ordered the "huge cinnamon bun loaded with frosting" as a starter. Her mother had the bacon & eggs/french toast combo, while I ordered the BASC omelette (bacon, avocado and sour cream).

Well, the food is OK and the portions adequate, but not quite the value promised in their promo. Sweetie pie's cottage cheese was a little less than fresh and her cinnamon bun never came.We had to ask for it after our entrees arrived. It was not quite "huge" and a little dry. Her mother's french toast was good but her eggs over hard had runny whites-Ewww! My omelette was smallish but tasty. With the orders they give you only one piece of toast and a tiny dollop of jam.
We had high expectations, but came away a little disappointed. Today's Side Street Cafe breakfast gets one and a half thumbs up from the 3 Tubby Tummys.

FIVE CROWNS (REVISITED)

I can hear it now-"Again with the Five Crowns. What's up with that, Burger Boy?". Well, to be fair, we felt we should do it again with all three Tubby Tummys on board; and our 20% off coupons (from January's restaurant week) were about to expire. Good prime rib? Of course! But so much more.

At our server's suggestion, we all had the Pride of the Crowns Salad with a Royal Blue Stilton dressing upgrade. Our server, Patrick, was the consummate professional-always there when we needed him, with extra dressing, extra butter, extra sauce. Made us feel extra special! And his recommendations were right on the money.

Sweetie pie ordered the signature Five Crowns Cut prime rib with Yorkshire popover, creamed spinach and mashed potatoes. A picture perfect plate, and just as delicious as ever. Her mother had one of her favorite Five Crowns dishes- the Potato Crusted Salmon with a creamy three mustard sauce. Her dish also came with seasonal vegetables, which included spaghetti squash-the hit of the evening. I was feeling adventuresome, and decided to try the Roasted Duckling. I had heard it was good, but this dish was beyond my expectations. I can still taste the crispy skin and tender meat melting in my mouth.

We were way too stuffed for dessert, but vowed to return again soon. Therefore, tonight's Five Crowns dinner gets three thumbs up from the 3 Tubby Tummys!

RASCALS TERIYAKI GRILL

It was a beautiful morning and we were feeling like Teriyaki, so we headed over to Rascals in Long Beach for a little lunch. We've had take out from here before, but decided to try dining in. The restaurant is very clean and fresh looking, with nice comfortable seating.

We placed our order, picked out a booth and soon our lunch was ready. We were not disappointed. The portions are more than generous and the Teriyaki sauce the best around. Sweetie pie and her mother both had the Teri Chicken Chinese Chicken Salad Combo, and I had the Teri Avocado Burger Special with a chili cheese fries upgrade. Rascals has the best teriyaki chicken around and beats all the competition in both LA and Orange Counties. And the burgers are superb.

Today's Rascals lunch gets three thumbs up from the 3 Tubby Tummys!

LUCCA CAFE

Our final stop on this week-end's OC Restaurant Week tour is the Lucca Cafe in Irvine (http://luccacafe.net/). Got a good write-up in Orange Coast magazine recently and is participating in the Golden Foodies Card program; so we figured we'd head out and see "what's the buzz". Well this place is promising, but..........

We all ordered off the $30 prix fixe menu. but they were not really discounting much off the regular menu prices. First course I had the Charcuterie Platter, sweetie pie the French Onion Soup and her mother the Belgian Endive Salad. All were "just OK". Second course I had the herb crusted free-range New Zealand baby lamb chops, which were good, but also as advertised (i.e. "baby"). My wife had the trio of handmade stuffed handkerchief raviolis, which were a lovely sight and really very tasty, but overpriced. Her mother had the hanger steak with shrimp and a crab cake-really a great surf and turf combo, but she had to send her steak back because it was not hot (barely lukewarm). For dessert, at or server's recommendation, we all had the signature Bread Pudding, which was "interesting".

Final verdict, the 3 Tubby Tummys give Lucca Cafe two thumbs up (and the Golden Foodies cards helped their score).

P.S. Bonjour, mes amis!! Sweetie Pie reporting here!!! On Friday, my mother and I went to Traditions by Pascal for their Restaurant Week luncheon delight. Though no photos were taken, all the dishes were as usual fabulous. Starting with the French Onion soup which is like no other;(I should know as I have this wherever it is served!) to the Beef Bourguignon. It was like being in "foodie" heaven. The ambiance of the room which is filled with the most beautiful roses down to the lovely server, it was a lunch "divine". Dessert was Oeuf a la Neige, which was baked meringue with vanilla creme Anglaise. A perfect ending to a more than perfect lunch. Tres Magnifique. Au Revoir.

PRIME CUT CAFE

The next stop on our whirlwind tour through Orange County Restaurant Week is the Prime Cut Cafe (http://primecutcafe.com/). My sweetie pie has been talking about this place for quite some time; but it took the $15 prix fixe luncheon to finally get the 3 Tubby Tummys to check it out. Hey! What a deal. Who knew! This place is right down the street from the Honda Center and I'm sure that even the Mighty Ducks will appreciate the 3 Tubby Tummys scoring a hat trick in their own backyard!!!

At our server's suggestion, we all had the old fashioned deviled egg appetizer. Devilishly Delicious! My wife ordered the Prime Rib Dip Sandwich and her mother and I both had the Bacon Blue Burger ( you know this one had Burger Boy written all over it!). All came with the house cut skinny fries which were fresh and seasoned perfectly. The burgers were really good; but the overall winner was the prime rib dip. The Au Jus was Audacious!

For dessert, the ladies both ordered the warm mixed berry cobbler with vanilla bean ice cream. Still just a big kid I guess, because I loved my milk & cookies. The chocolate chip cookies were big and fat and still warm out of the oven; and big enough to share with the ladies.

This is a great place with great food and service at a great price. Today's Prime Cut luncheon easily gets three thumbs up from the 3 Tubby Tummys.

ZOV'S BISTRO

The 3 Tubby Tummys are back to full strength and just in time for OC Restaurant Week. We couldn't resist heading out to our favorite Mediterranean restaurant, Zov's Bistro in Tustin. The Prix Fixe menu was filled with some of our favorite dishes. They REALLY know how to cook here and the service is consistently good.

The ladies started with the signature golden lentil soup and I had my favorite house cured gravlox. We could hardly wait for the "big plates" to come out. My sweetie pie had the Filet Mignon with "mac & cheese" and green peppercorn sauce. Her mother and I both had the Rack of Lamb with Gruyere potato gratin and roasted pomegranate garlic sauce- a Divine gastronomic work of art.

But it ain't over til it's over! You can't skip dessert when it's already included. The ladies both chose the warm pineapple upside down cake with coconut sorbet and caramel sauce; while Burger Boy here had the pistachio profiteroles-with pistachio gelato and warm chocolate sauce. A perfect finish to an amazing dining experience. We are still arguing over whose dessert was better. I've always been partial to profiteroles, and Zov's are the best!

You've probably already guessed that the 3 Tubby Tummys give tonight's Zov's experience 3 thumbs up!!!