Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog

Next month is March Mania at Chick-Fil-A.  What that means is… Visit a participating Southern California Chick-Fil-A on any Friday in March, keep your original receipt, then return with your receipt to receive the exact order FREE any day within the month.  For example, buy the pictured Nuggets and Sandwich on Friday, March 5th, then return any day after that in March for the same.  Pay nothing extra — Just save your receipt!

Why would you grab lunch elsewhere on a Friday in March?  One meal becomes two, thus four Friday meals become eight during March Mania.  It’s a super deal.

* I’ve been a long-time fan of Chick-Fil-A’s Chicken Sandwich with extra Pickles, Nuggets with all Sauces, Chicken Biscuit Sandwich and Cole Slaw.  They run a remarkable corporation, provide superior service and are closed every Sunday.  God bless Chick-Fil-A.

It’s true — 50 Forks Restaurant at The Art Institute of California, Orange County serves lunch to the public when school is in session.  To learn more, view details posted at Orange County Food Examiner.  It’s a small place, so it’s recommended that you make reservations to secure a table.  Here’s the telephone number to get right on it – (714) 429-0918.

In addition to having a freelance writing career, I’ve been a Litigation Paralegal for several years — And I’ve always gotten a big kick out of walking around the law office with my Coffee in this cup. 🙂 Fortunately I’m not abused by too many hours anymore, so the main point of this post is my excitement over Coffee that stays warm.  Yeah!  I no longer have to keep reheating it in the microwave.  This so-called Candle Warmer is working fabulously as a Coffee Warmer.  Although I cannot vow for its complete safety for this purpose, it’s been working well for me for 30+ days.  Use at your own risk.

*The identical looking product that’s sold as a Coffee Warmer usually sells for $12.99 – $14.99, and the pictured product sold as a Candle Warmer was only $5.00.

Continuing with our sampling of The Cheesecake Factory’s Small Plates and Snacks Menu, this visit we tried a few of their newest additions — Pictured are the Crispy Crab Bites ($6.95), Mini Corn Dogs (4.95) and Fried Zucchini ($3.95).

We loved the Crispy Crab Bites — The Creole Mustard Sauce that’s served with them is a perfect compliment.  The Mini Corn Dogs are made with Nathan’s Hot Dogs which is good, but we thought the batter was bland.  We  have no complaints about the Fried Zucchini and especially like the Ranch Dressing that’s served with it.  It’s another tasty combination.

We’ve had a lot of great meals at The Cheesecake Factory — You can see them all here.

To help raise funds for her daughter’s school trip to Washington, DC, one mother decided to make and sell Tamales.  She and her family first took orders from friends, co-workers, neighbors and others for homemade Beef, Chicken or Pork Tamales.  At $1 a Tamale, I ordered 10, 5 Pork and 5 Chicken.  It’s a win-win fundraising idea.  The mother and Tamale maker said it was a fun family bonding experience, but a lot of work.  Many said she should’ve charged more, thus tipped extra accordingly — She happily exceeded her monetary goal.  The Tamales were neatly prepared with nice chunks of meat and were thoroughly enjoyed by me.  And this Spring a little girl will get to join her class on a trip to DC.  It wasn’t easy, but all is good now.

Nibbles of Tidbits will be making an effort to dine out even more in 2010.  There’s a lot of deals happening and we’d like to take advantage of them.  As the Orange County Food Examiner, I previously reported about several unfortunate restaurant closures in 2009, along with a few dining out tips to minimize the closures in 2010.  Let’s do our part to help stimulate the economy by dining out more this year.  It’s a win-win situation and there will be less dishes to wash.

Note:  Photo is of the Tenderloin Carpaccio served at Fleming’s Prime Steak House & Wine Bar in Fashion Island (Newport Beach).

We’re excited about the retro priced Burger and French Fries ($2.70) we had for lunch today at Ruby’s Diner.  The service was excellent and the food was fresh and hot at the Irvine Spectrum location.  This should have been reported earlier, but you can get the same before the close of business today (only).  Maybe they’ll offer it again for their 28th Anniversary.

The linked list of 100 Snacking Tips to keep you healthy and satisfied without draining your wallet was sent to me.  It’s marketed towards college students, but I found it to have useful information that everyone could appreciate, thus it’s deemed worthy of being shared here on Nibbles of Tidbits.  Here’s to your health and wallet!

If interested, be sure to mark your calendar to try Taco Bell’s New Black Jack Taco FREE on Halloween.  After dark (6PM to be exact), Taco Bell will be giving away its spooky black shelled Taco – (1) per customer.  Since we’ll hopefully be enjoying a costume party during that time, we tried one on our own dime ($0.89 to be exact) and it’s not bad.  Three of us tried one this day and all thought it was relatively good.  Aside from the shell that doesn’t taste any different than a tan one, the Sauce makes it different and flavorful.  We may have another before its limited time expires.

If you’re going to eat out today and have kids, be sure to eat at one of these restaurants — They’re offering free meals to kids.  The options are great.  Enjoy.

Access information about Orange County Restaurant Week through the OC Food Examiner online.  And to see reviews and photos of previous Orange County Restaurant Week meals and cooking classes click HERE.  It’s a great week to dine out, now through September 19, 2009.

Just reported on Examiner is a collection of places to go for Taco Tuesdays.

During the month of September, Fleming’s Steakhouse & Wine Bar is offering a few great deals.  Be sure to stop in each Wednesday for a complimentary tasting of their Prime Burger Bar Menu.  They serve 5 Gourmet Burgers that you’ll get to try for FREE — Every Wednesday in September, between 5 – 7 PM, they’ll be serving a different mini version of each Burger.

Coca-Cola's New Aluminum Bottles

The answer to the above question is YES.  Enter a comment HERE on Nibbles of Tidbits to have a FREE case of the new aluminum Coca-Cola  bottles delivered just in time for your Labor Day Party.  Right now they’re only found in the hippest of places.  Could that be your party?

Coca-Cola announces the arrival of the new aluminum bottles.  The redesigned packaging incorporates the classic iconic Coca-Cola look in a stylish 8.5 oz bottle that serves to keep beverages cooler longer, while also offering the perfect taste and carbonation.  Varieties available include Coca-Cola Classic®, Coke Zero^TM and Diet Coke®.

The new aluminum bottles are currently available in select hotels and bars throughout Los Angeles, including SLS Hotel and a variety of bars on Sunset Boulevard.  In celebration of the upcoming holiday, we’d like to offer a mixed case (24) of these exclusive bottles to one lucky reader.

Anyone may enter to win by simply leaving a comment on this post.  On August 31st, we’ll randomly draw (1) winner from all who commented.  For better odds, you may enter/comment once a day.  GOOD LUCK.

Do you like a good Buffet?  If you join the Player’s Club at Valley View Casino, you’ll receive a FREE Lobster Buffet.  We joined the Player’s Club today and enjoyed a complimentary Lunch Buffet.  Steamed Maine Lobster and Alaskan King Crab is featured on the Dinner Buffet only, and Carved New York Strip (above) is featured during lunch.  Although I would have loved the King Crab Legs, there’s 275 items to choose from otherwise — We captured a few.

The service is good and we were so impressed with this carved Watermelon — It’s the best I’ve ever seen.  I can’t quite figure out where to start to accomplish this.

Buffets are fun, but sometimes the options can be paralyzing — One can only eat so much.  It’s best to have a plan for maximum satisfaction and least waste.  We started with a Salad plate, then an Entree plate, followed by a Dessert plate or two.

TIP:  To avoid a long line, it’s best to arrive at this Buffet right when it opens.  They added more seating, but it gets packed.

Valley View Casino Buffet INFO

MORE Casino Buffets reviewed by Nibbles of Tidbits:  Agua Caliente Casino Buffet in Rancho Mirage

This is a good Sandwich and the Bread is excellent for it.  We stopped in for a quick Italian Torpedo from Quiznos.  It’s only $4 — Love that.  And since I walk by a Quiznos a few times a week, I was bound to try one at some point.  It’s thinner than I thought it would be, which I liked.  And it’s made on very soft Ciabatta Bread, which makes a Toasty Torpedo tasty.  We highly recommend it.

First, thanks to ALL who entered.  I wish I could give each of you a $25 Gift Card to SONIC Drive-In.  It was my pleasure hosting this contest and I hope to present more great FOOD Giveaways in the future on Nibbles of Tidbits — Keep checking back.  Until then, this time the (10) lucky WINNERS are…

 
1.)  Katie D. (Reno, Nevada)
2.)  Shannon C. (Bondville, Illinois)
3.)  J (Bakersfield, California)
4.)  JC (Norwalk, California)
5.)  E-Dawg (Cypress, California)
6.)  Kristen (Gilbert, Arizona)
7.)  Erin DiCarolis (Melbourne, Florida)
8.)  Pam (Rancho Cucamunga, California)
9.)  Richard Halvorson (Graham, Washington)
10.) Andrea Bohn (San Clemente, California)

We’ll be contacting you to learn where to send your Gift Card.  It’s time to eat.  Thanks to all participants and sponsors.  It’s been fun.

Related Link: http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/2009/06/18/win-a-25-gift-card-to-sonic-drive-in/

Nibbles of Tidbits is giving away (10) $25 Gift Cards to SONIC Drive-In.  Have you ever been to one?  If you haven’t, we’re giving you a few reasons why you should — If you have (and many would say of course), we would like to give you a $25 Gift Card to enjoy your next meal there.  All can enter to win by simply leaving a comment on this post.  On June 25th, we will randomly draw (10) winners from all who commented.  For better odds, you may enter/comment once a day, but you can only win once.  GOOD LUCK!

SONIC Drive-In is now in South Orange County looking a little different after passing a few stepford regulations imposed by the City of Mission Viejo.  Although the exterior isn’t traditional, they’re serving the same food by carhops on roller skates.  I LOVE that about SONIC — It’s nostalgic and fun.

Although SONIC has been around for more than 50 years and has over 3,500 locations, I had yet to pass one during my travels, until its appearance in Mission Viejo just over two weeks ago.  This was my first visit.  You can consider the items below as potential prizes in the $25 on the 25th SONIC Gift Card Giveaway.

These days all fast food restaurants are working to serve healthy choices.  SONIC is serving a Grilled Chicken Sandwich on a Wheat Bun — It was one of the better ones I’ve tried.  We also appreciated the Fresh Apples with the Low Fat Caramel Dipping Sauce and a Banana as a Side option.  On their website is an itemized calorie meal builder, which can be helpful too.

A few of us gathered to try a lot of food and were happy to learn that Breakfast is served all day long.  The Texas Toast options are different — We chose the Bacon Cheeseburger Toaster, which comes with an Onion Ring.

And we had to get the Tots, since that’s one of the Sides they’re appreciated for.  The Tots were perfectly crispy, but we really liked the Onion Rings that are freshly battered each day.  They’re not frozen — That’s a good thing. 

We were completely stuffed after the Sausage Biscuit Dippers & Gravy, Frito Chili Cheese Pie Wrap, Turtle Pecan & Caramel Bundt Cake and famous Cherry Limeade (aka giant Shirley Temple).  In addition to what’s pictured here, there was more and we particularly loved the Banana Cream Pie Shake.  SONIC’s Drink options are crazy good.  How can you pick one?  We all left with three each, HA.  It appears many will drive for miles to eat at a SONIC.  One pictured below drove all the way from Connecticut.  Okay, she didn’t drive to California just for it, but she did pass many along the way.

Overall, I found SONIC Drive-In to be more than just a fast food restaurant.  It’s a fun experience.  You can sit on the patio or stay in your car parked in one of the Drive-In stalls, to be served by a skating carhop — Or just drive through.  They have a Happy Hour (2-4 PM), $1 Menu and more, but you’ll need to learn the rest from them.

FYI:  The SONIC Drive-In $25 Gift Card Giveaway closes at 11:59 PM (Pacific) on June 24th, 2009.  Enter a comment on this post NOW for a chance to win.  The lucky winners will be notified via e-mail on June 25th and we’ll mail out the Gift Cards the same day, or as soon as an address is provided.

Stop into any Häagen Dazs Store on Tuesday, May 12th to receive a FREE Scoop of Ice Cream.  See more details and find a store near you HERE: http://www.haagendazs.com/

Yesterday Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) offered a FREE New Grilled Chicken Drumstick to ALL (above).  And today El Pollo Loco (EPL) offered the public a FREE Drumstick (below) and Wing.  I was curious to try KFC’s new product so we went for the free Drumstick, and we already knew the taste of EPL’s Drumstick, but paid for this one for true comparison. 

But let’s just get right down to it, there’s no comparison — El Pollo Loco’s genuinely Grilled Chicken is hard to beat.  It’s got a lot of great flavor and it’s cooked on the better grill.  Isn’t it obvious from the photos above?  KFC’s Drumstick wasn’t bad — It was just bland and nothing special whatsoever.  I certainly wouldn’t go out of my way for it, but I would for EPL’s Drumstick. 

This OFFICIAL comparison reminded me how good EPL’s Chicken actually is.  Can another well-known fast food chain just jump in and expect much with just okay?  I think not.  I like Kentucky’s “Fried” Chicken much better than this Drumstick — KFC should stick with its Original Recipe and Extra Crispy, and come up with something better for this CHICKEN WAR.  El Pollo Loco is the WINNER.

Related Links:

http://www.kfc.com/

http://www.elpolloloco.com/

http://fastfood.freedomblogging.com/2009/04/22/kfcs-new-kentucky-grilled-chicken-vs-el-pollo-loco/18537/

There’s less than two hours left to receive a FREE SCOOP of Ice Cream from your local Ben & Jerry’s Store — But luckily ALL Coasters can get a $0.31 Scoop of Ice Cream from Baskin Robbins on April 29, 2009 to honor America’s Firefighters.  More information about both deals is linked below.

http://www.benjerry.com/scoop-shops/feature/free-cone-day/

http://www.baskinrobbins.com/spotlight/31CentScoopNight.aspx

Nibbles of Tidbits is currently in love with Häagen Dazs FIVE (Passion Fruit) — Hopefully that’s the next SCOOP. 🙂

Häagen Dazs FIVE: http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/?p=3670

For the locals, Orange County’s 1st Happy Hour Week is happening NOW until April 18, 2009.  After reading a few of the participant’s menus, we excitedly chose Bayside Restaurant.  The TAPAS they’re offering are fantastic.  It’s hard to decide what to get, because all 16 of them sound amazing.  I wish I had time to go back before the deal ends — Right now all Tapas are $5.95 (each).

From top to bottom, we shared the Smoked Scottish Salmon, with a Warm Blini, Lemon Aioli, Capers, Dill and Onion — Grilled Lamb Chops with Potato Puree and Mustard Sauce.

Bresaola (Air Dried Beef) Carpaccio with Arugula and Parmesan — And Medallion of Venison with D’Anjou (Pear) and Spiced Red Wine Sauce.  WOW, we highly recommend the Venison.  It’s so tender and flavorful.

As you can see, it’s high quality food for less than $6 — Carl’s $6 Burger PA-LEEZ give me a break.  Can someone out there PLEEEZ serve this through a Drive-Thru?

More about OC Happy Hour Week:
http://www.happyhourweek.com/

Bayside Restaurant: http://www.bistango.com/bayside.shtml

Kimera Restaurant • Lounge has little signage on the outside and its Complementary Valet Parking may be a little tricky to locate for some, but you’ll find it — And it’s truly worth finding.  The food is excellent.  We enjoyed all aspects of our meals, the Meats, Sauces and Sides.  All was top notch.

This evening we had the Chef’s Special which included Shrimp in a Beurre Blanc Sauce and Steak — Unfortunately I don’t have the eloquent description of the Steak and Sauce as it was presented by the Server, but all was cooked perfectly.  And we had the Boneless Pork Rib Rack Chop with Cremini Mushrooms, Soft Polenta and White Truffle Essence.  It was fantastic too, especially the Mushroom Sauce. 

Kimera is a pretty stylish place — The lounge appears to bring in a good crowd, but don’t forget the dining room.  It’s got a lot to offer too.  In fact, they’re currently offering a few incentives to enjoy the restaurant.  One is 50% Off Food on Monday Nights, a terrific value for high quality food.  I’m not sure how long that enticement will continue — Forever would be good.

And for Dessert we tried the “Birthday Cake” a la Mode with Banana, Strawberries, Chocolate Sauce and Candied Walnuts, YUM.  And the Flour-less Chocolate Torte.  I learned that Kimera’s operators and staff truly want you to have a great experience.  You need to get over there and treat yourself — I’ll be going back soon.

Kimera Restaurant • Lounge: http://www.bistango.com/kimera.shtml#

Cooking Demonstration at Bloomingdales: http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/?p=2888