Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog

We finally got into Rao’s!  Obviously not Rao’s original Harlem location, since the wait is two years to never to get in, and California is a bit too far for a New York dinner reservation.  However, during our recent trip to Las Vegas we had lunch at Rao’s Caesars Palace.  We already booked dinner reservations elsewhere, but knew we had to make time and room for Rao’s Meatballs too.

We have Rao’s Cookbook and consider their Meatballs to be one of our favorite recipes.  We’ve made them on a few occasions, thus had to try the actual Meatballs at the restaurant.  They were equally amazing as expected and we are so happy to have the recipe.

The pictured dining room is a replica of Rao’s original location with handfuls of tables.  Fortunately Rao’s Caesars Palace built two identical dining rooms to offer more people the Rao’s experience, since most of us will never know the magic of Rao’s Harlem.

Rao’s outdoor patio is just steps away from Caesars Palace’s happening swimming pools, where we polished off our stiff Cadillac Margaritas.  We also had the pleasure of meeting Bubbles (pictured below), a special Host at Rao’s.  We first saw him sitting at the end of the bar and knew he was a kool kat.  For some reason we b-lined to him wanting to know his story, and was somehow transported to New York during our interesting conversation.  We initially didn’t know he was/is with Rao’s and now we’re excited to send our signed, framed photo (as instructed) to be hung amongst all the remarkable, nostalgic photos decorating their walls.  We’re honored and delighted to be a part of it.  Thanks Rao’s and Bubbles. 🙂

* The unrelated frog painting was approved as an entry into the OC Fair’s Fine Arts Category and was painted by my talented Niece Bailee of Kids in the Kitchen.  The frog’s eyes match the colors in the Rao’s photograph and both were on the table — Plus it looks cool and we always want to promote the fabulous Fair, as seen by Chef Lexi’s entry here.

While in college once upon a time, I waitressed at a Red Robin Restaurant.  I shouldn’t tell this next part, but I told ’em I’d waitressed before, but hadn’t — Sorry.  Luckily all went well and I still have friends whom I met there so long ago.  And now, several years after graduation and not eating at Red Robin, I met a long lost former co-worker there for lunch.  We were both happy to see that the BLTA Croissant Sandwich is still on the menu and it’s as good as we remember.  Also pictured is the Bleu Ribbon Burger, which we tried for the first time.  It was good, but unfortunately not great — It includes Chipotle Mayo, which sounds great on the surface, but seemed to overtake the “Bleu” aspect of the Burger.  Combined with an Herbed Bun, there are just too many competing flavors happening with it.  We give thumbs up to the management of the Santa Ana (Sunflower) location, as they appear to really care about Red Robin customers.  Business was booming this lunch day and management was walkin’ the floor making sure all was satisfactory.

Just got back from Las Vegas and although we didn’t eat at Beijing Noodle No. 9 at Caesars Palace, it’s definitely worth showing.  The entrance is truly amazing, as it includes aisles of giant fish tanks stocked with hundreds of large goldfish.  Just pick the one you want and they’ll get it out of the tank and cook it for you — Just kidding, that part is just for show.  They do, however, offer an authentic taste of Northern Chinese Cuisine.  We’ll have to test it out next visit.  This time we chose to eat at Rao’s and BOA Steakhouse and will be reporting about them shortly.  Las Vegas has too many great restaurants to choose from, not that we’re complaining.  Viva!

What a great bunch of people they have working for Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine.  We recently visited Roy’s in Anaheim at The GardenWalk.  Did you know that each location’s Chef Partner is trained by Roy Yamaguchi himself, yet is encouraged to infuse their own style and inspiration into Roy’s classic menu items?  We just learned that cool fact, which makes each Roy’s special in its own way, thus if you’ve been to one Roy’s, you haven’t been to ’em all.

Roy’s just kicked off its L.A. Ohana Tour, which will give guests the opportunity to experience the different taste variations each time they visit a new Roy’s location — The specifics are detailed in bullet points below.

During our first tour stop, we thoroughly enjoyed Roy’s Original Hawaiian Martini, which includes fresh Pineapple, SKYY Vodka, Stoli Vanil Vodka and Malibu Coconut Rum.  And we loved the flavors of the Ekolu Tuna Roll, the “Rim Fire” Calamari and the Sweet Corn & Blue Crab Crusted Barramundi, which was our favorite — It’s made with a Sun Dried Tomato and Wild Mushroom Anisette Cream Sauce.  If you’ve never tried Barramundi, you’re missing out.  It’s a sustainable farm raised Fish with sweet succulent flesh indigenous to Australia. 

And for dessert, Roy’s Pineapple Upside Down Cake with caramelized Pineapple baked with Brown Sugar Pound Cake and Coconut Ice Cream was the perfect finish.

Roy’s recently announced the launch of its L.A. Ohana Tour, a new rewards program designed for diners to experience the creative chef variations on popular menu items offered at each location.  From June 9th until August 31, 2010, guests are invited to visit (3) Southern California Roy’s restaurants to receive dining rewards and be entered to win an all-inclusive trip to Hawaii, where guests will enjoy a personal dinner with founding chef Roy Yamaguchi.

Your chance to win a trip to Hawaii starts with an inaugural visit to any one of Roy’s participating restaurants, as noted below: 

· At the inaugural (first) trip to any participating Roy’s restaurant, guests are awarded an Ohana Tour Card to present at the next Roy’s location.

· On the second visit, guests will receive a complimentary Chocolate Soufflé with the purchase of an entrée.

· At the third location, guests will receive a $20 Gift Card with the purchase of an entrée, plus an entry into the Hawaiian sweepstakes.

· Restaurants participating in the tour include Roy’s Anaheim, Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Pasadena, and Woodland Hills locations.

THEY SAY:  “In the Hawaiian culture, ‘ohana’ means family,” said Leiala Whattoff, V.P. of Training & Development, Roy’s restaurant. “We designed this tour to thank our frequent guests and encourage new guests to experience our exquisite food and the aloha spirit with their friends and family. By visiting three of our Southern California locations, guests will receive delicious rewards and the chance to win the ultimate dining experience in Hawaii.”

Nibbles of Tidbits will be heading to Roy’s in Fashion Island next for our complimentary Chocolate Soufflé.  Hope to see you on tour!

* We had hoped to post more food photos, but unfortunately didn’t capture the deserving quality of all aforementioned dishes.

StoneFire Grill is better than we remember — Ate there a few years ago, before Nibbles of Tidbits and don’t recall much, but after today’s lunch we can’t wait to go back.  The Individual Meal prices aren’t bad, especially since you get a lot of good food.  You order at the counter and they deliver your food, which makes it an efficient treat for lunch.  It’s comfortable and the service is excellent at the Irvine location.

All meat was beautifully cooked and the Sauce options pushed the flavors over the top.  Loved all Chicken and Tri Tip combinations and really like the Garlic Mashed Potatoes too.  We were excited to see the Cartwheel Salad as a choice with the Individual Meals, since the ingredients impressed us, but found the taste to be a little off.  Next lunch stop we look forward to much of the same and more.  They also serve up a lot of Garlic, YUM.

Upon each visit to Maggianos Little Italy, we’re amazed that they’re always so busy.  They still pack ’em in and we know why — Large portions, excellent Italian food, nice atmosphere, Sinatra music and great service.  This time we tried a couple new dishes, starting with the Pepperoni and Arugula Flatbread Pizza (above).  It’s a seemingly simple appetizer, but very tasty.  We’ll definitely get this appetizer again.

We also enjoyed the Veal and Mushroom Ravioli Al Forno, a Gnocchi and Shrimp Special, Sauteed Spinach and Strawberry Shortcake.  As usual, all dishes were fantastic.  We’ve never been disappointed after dining at Maggianos.  Click here to view other meals we’ve enjoyed in the past.

As previously noted, it’s highly recommended that you make reservations, if you don’t want to wait too long.  Even with reservations, we waited 20 minutes, which is fine with a Glass of Wine in hand.  Without reservations, the wait could be a couple hours on some nights.

Have you been to A Restaurant in Newport Beach?  It occupies The Arches original location.  We’re sorry to report that we don’t care for the name “A Restaurant” at all, but happily the menu, atmosphere and Happy Hour prices make up for it.  The bar lighting is irresistible too, especially during Happy Hour which starts earlier than most in town (3:00 – 7:00pm).  During that time ALL sophisticated appetizers and drinks are half off.  If trying to save, it’s the best time to treat yourself to A Restaurant food, since it’s a little on the pricey side.

Posted from top to bottom — We tried the Steak Tartar, which is rarely seen on menus these days.  We were excited by its offering, given that it’s been years since we had it.  And we shared the Chicken Liver Terrine.  We liked the creamy Pate, but unfortunately didn’t care for the Tartar, which was chopped too chunky and had too much Worcestershire mixed in.

We loved the Burger with Caramelized Onions, Blue Cheese, Bacon and Arugula that comes with French Fries, and the Flatbread with 3 Cheeses and Bacon is quite rich, but good tasting too.  It’s best to share these appetizers amongst as many as possible.

A Restaurant has A Market next door, which sells freshly baked goods, Wines, Cheeses, Sandwiches, Salads, pre-packaged gourmet foods and merchandise and more.  We couldn’t stop staring at the amazing Cinnamon Rolls.  Both A+ locations are worth frequenting.  Our recommendation is A Market for breakfast and A Restaurant for Happy Hour.

Direct to A Restaurant — They have one of the cutest websites we’ve seen.

I stopped in to visit a friend staying at The Balboa Bay Club & Resort — She decided to treat herself for a couple days while having work done on her house.  And for a couple hours I pretended to be on vacation too, even though it’s pretty much down the street in Newport Beach.  Pictured above is the entrance to The First Cabin.  We haven’t yet dined there, but admire its beautiful entry.

This visit we had appetizers on the outdoor patio at Duke’s Place.  Neither restaurant at The Balboa Bay Club & Resort is inexpensive, but valet parking is free with validation, and the basic items we tried were indeed more tasty than they are at other restaurants — Both in conjunction with the view help to sweeten the deal.

We like all the appetizers listed on Duke’s Place Cocktail Lounge Menu (even the Escargot).  This day we tried the Tempura Fried Crispy Spring Asparagus, which was made with White Asparagus and served with Lemon Garlic Aioli and Ponzu Dipping Sauce.

And we had the Panko Crusted Chicken Fingers — Although the Chicken Fingers look typical, the Chicken was fresh tasting, extra crispy and light, as it should be.

Click HERE for more information about The Balboa Bay Club & Resort.

Marie Callender’s Classic Combo — 1/2 a Turkey Sandwich, French Fries and a Cup of Soup for $5.99 is a good deal, although you hardly get any Fries.  I jokingly accused the Waiter of eating my Fries on the way over, haha.  It just looks funny.  It’s two ounces they say.  Perhaps one more ounce might look a little better. 

Aside from the lack of French Fries, I left full and satisfied.  The service is always good at the Marie Callender’s 17th Street location in Costa Mesa.  I love their Potato Cheese Soup with Tabasco.

Today we attended a Grand Opening Celebration for Sandy’s Beach Grill.  We didn’t want to miss it, since it’s pretty much on the beach and it was a beautiful day.  Sandy’s Beach Grill is the newest restaurant from TS Restaurants of Hawaii and California.  It now occupies the former Chimayo’s location in Huntington Beach (Surf City).  TS Restaurants is also the parent company of Duke’s, the restaurant upstairs.

Above is the view from the large outdoor patio next to the Huntington Beach Pier.  As guests at the celebration, we enjoyed the sights and a sampling of their menu, and our drink proceeds go to benefit the Friends of the Junior Guards.

Sandy’s Beach Grill specializes in Small Plates — All is meant to be shared.  They also offer a few “Bigger Plates” as well as Burgers, Sandwiches, Thin Crust Wood Fired Pizzas, Soups and Salads.  The menu has a nice variety to choose from.

Pictured from top to bottom we tried a good cross section of all — Grilled Shrimp Flatbread, Seafood Ceviche, Free Range Tofu Bites (Free Range Tofu, that’s funny), and Mini Fish Bites (exact name unknown).

From left to right below, we also sampled the Veggie Sandwich, Smoked Chicken Flatbread and Cajun Lamb Chops.  We like everything we tried, especially the Cajun Lamb Chops, Grilled Shrimp Flatbread and Pork Lettuce Wraps (not pictured).  We’re excited about the menu and look forward to going back to try more.

After consuming the above with a few Mischief Strong Ales recommended by the Bartender, the last photo shows our shadows waving from the pier.

Have you noticed that some restaurants inside Nordstrom are called Cafe Nordstrom and others are named Nordstrom Cafe Bistro?  And on Yelp it’s referred to as Nordstrom Marketplace Cafe.  Not all have the same name or exact menu either — Most items are the same, but some are different.  Whichever way, it’s one of our favorite places for lunch.

This lunch is from Cafe Nordstrom at the Brea Mall — It’s the Lime & Cilantro Steak Salad and Roma Tomato Basil Soup.  We’ve almost worked our way through the menu, thus only post newly tried dishes.  The Chili-rubbed Flat Iron Steak served on the Lime & Cilantro Steak Salad is cold, but we prefer it heated/hot on top.  It has a big flavor and tastes better warm.  The Roma Tomato Basil Soup is very good too.  More Nordstrom meals are linked above and here.

One of our longstanding favorite restaurants in Costa Mesa is Maggiano’s Little Italy.  It’s even better now that it has taken over the former Corner Bakery portion of the restaurant and built a much needed Bar and wait area.  It was way too small before and Maggiano’s gets busy.  Without reservations last Friday, we almost waited an hour and a half.  You can make reservations on their website or directly through Open Table — It’s highly recommended.

During this visit, dare I say that I had the best tasting appetizer in my life?!  It’s quite a statement, but Maggiano’s Grilled Steak Bruschetta is amazing.  It’s made with a Gorgonzola Fondue that’s topped with slices of Steak, Red Onions, Spiced Walnuts and Fresh Spinach.  The combination is superb and the Steak is tender.  This appetizer in on their “Eat A Dish for Make-A-Wish” special menu, whereas when you order from it Maggiano’s makes a donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation in your honor.  It’s truly a win-win situation.

We also enjoyed the Chicken & Spinach Manicotti (above) and the Italian Boneless Short Ribs (below) that’s served with Roasted Butternut Squash, Chard, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Garlic Herb Cheese & Couscous.  Both were terrific at the restaurant and for leftovers.  The portion sizes are always generous, which is another thing we love about Maggiano’s.

And had to have the Dessert Sampler too — All that you see is baked in house.  What a treat!

Note: Click HERE to view more dishes enjoyed at Maggiano’s Little Italy.

Funny story… A friend and I were walking around Corona Del Mar hungry one day.  First we learned all the restaurants we wanted to eat at didn’t open until 5PM, then remembered Zinc Cafe & Market.  We’d heard a lot of remarkable things about it, but still hadn’t been there.  Finally made it there and enjoyed looking at all the fabulous stuff — Cheese, Sandwiches, Soups, Salads, Pastries and Market Items galore!  We were paralyzed with indecision and also learned one must order food at the register, while staking out a coveted table at the same time.  All will be fine for another visit and the proprietors seemed friendly too, but we wanted to kick it and be served at the time.  Thus the story continues…

After another 5 or 6 block walk, we ended up at CoCo’s for ease, nourishment and familiarity.  And it was interesting to learn that CoCo’s Restaurant & Bakery is currently offering a Wine & Appetizer Selections Menu.  We were impressed with the progressive offerings and opted to try the Brie Appetizer Platter (one small Brie wedge served warm crusted with Macadamia Nuts and another topped with a Jalapeno Raspberry Sauce) and the Crispy Green Bean Sticks.   All sounded fun and good, but yuck — Sorry. 

The Macadamia Nut Brie was okay (mostly tasteless), and the other microscopic sized Brie wedge was stone cold, seemingly direct from the fridge with the flavor to prove it.  The Grapes didn’t look good and the Bread was sparse.  The Green Beans were tolerable, but better re-heated in my toaster oven until extra crispy, with real Ranch Dressing, instead of the lumpy version we were served at CoCo’s.  We laughed thinking about the quality Cheese and Bread we could’ve been enjoying at Zinc Cafe. 🙂

For years my friend has raved about the Parmesan Crusted Chicken at the Yard House, which I finally tried (above).  It’s served over Garlic Mashed Potatoes and a Sundried Tomato, Three Mushroom Sauce.  She’s right, it’s good, especially the Sauce, but I wanted a lot more of it.

Under the House Favorites portion of the menu, we also enjoyed the Penne with Chicken and the Summer Salad with Chicken from the lunch specials menu.  We always enjoy the food at the Yard House and have no complaints about this visit.  And we particularly like to go there during Happy Hour, when most appetizers are half price.

Past Happy Hours attended by Nibbles of Tidbits and more Yard House food photos are linked here.

Note:  We’re experimenting with a new-ish camera, thus the photos above are a little bizarre looking and don’t do the food justice.

Have you been to SideDoor yet?  It’s an English-style Gastropub in Corona Del Mar off Poppy and PCH.  You may not know about SideDoor until now, but if local you’re surely aware of the Five Crowns Restaurant.  It’s been in CDM for over 40 years.  Last year Five Crowns carved out a space to create SideDoor, which officially opened in November 2009.  It’s absolutely brilliant!  Just look for the red key hanging on the outside to find SideDoor.

We loved everything about this place and plan to go back many times.  It’s comfortable and stylish, serves amazing food, fun drink options and the service is well above average.  You’ll certainly have questions about the Cheese and Charcuterie and the servers will be able to answer them — We especially recommend Ben who is quite knowledgeable and cute.

In addition to the Cheese (Cow, Sheep, Goat & Bleu) and Charcuterie (Proscuitto, Salame & Bresaola) options, SideDoor’s Menu is impressive.  Our goal is to try everything.

We started with a Flight of Draught Beer — Favorite of all (this visit) was the Allagash Curieaux.  And we tried the Country Duck Pate, StilCheddar Mac’n Cheese and Fish’n Chips.  Also pictured is our neighbor’s Chicken Pot Pie.  We didn’t have it, but did try their Smokey Blue Cheese Potato Chips (not pictured) and really liked ’em.  Our pub table was a large shared one with nice, fun people, which added to the experience.

The Fish’n Chips are excellent, which is important for an English-style Gastropub.  Having been to England three times and dined in several authentic English Pubs, we think SideDoor holds up in many ways — We appreciate its lighting, colors, ambiance, feel, comfort and decor.

Pictured directly above is the GimmeMores, SideDoor’s version of S’Mores.  They’re assembled with homemade Marshmallows, rustic Bread and pressed Chocolate, similar to a Panini.  They’re different and surprisingly good.

SideDoor is long and somewhat narrow inside with several cozy dining spots — Tall tables, cubby holes next to fireplaces, couch benches, large chairs, or belly up at the bar.  It’s an extraordinary place I’d like to frequent and look forward to going back soon.  It’s bloody awesome!

A BBQ Burger at Islands Restaurant used to be called a Sunset Burger, but it’s now called a Mavericks Burger (pictured).  It also differs in that it now comes with Onions Strings (Island Reds) and Mayonnaise instead of Mustard.  We still haven’t had a bad Burger at Islands and would surely order this one again, especially since the Sunset is history.

Welcome to Irvine — The Lazy Dog Cafe.  We’re lucky to have you.  The Togarashi Edamame Beans (above) lead this post, because we think they’re the best Edamame in Orange County.  Wash your hands good before eating ’em, so you can lick your fingers.  Their smoky flavor is amazing.  My friend couldn’t stop talking about them, thus they made one of the biggest impressions.

The Lazy Dog Cafe at The Market Place in Irvine just opened a few days ago.  Nibbles of Tidbits happily attended a pre-opening sneak peek and we now report about a small portion of what’s on their menu.  To sum it all up, we were impressed with everything — The service, decor, friendliness, food and prices.  Here’s what we had… Trio of Hummus Dips which includes a Walnut Pesto, Sundried Tomato and Traditional Hummus served with Flatbread, Cucumbers and Tomatoes.

Spinach & Sundried Tomato Cheese Dip with Jack, Parmesan and Swiss Cheeses blended with fresh Baby Spinach, Garlic and Sundried Tomatoes.

Our sneak peek included a tour of the bustling kitchen and dinner with fellow Orange County Food Bloggers.  It was super fun to meet Scott from Foodie in Disguise and see Christian again from OC Mex Food.  And Griffin Eats OC posts another interesting report on The Lazy Dog Cafe.

Continuing with the food… We enjoyed the Cast Iron Idaho Trout that’s baked in a cast iron skillet with Sea Salt Roasted Vegetables, Baby Potatoes and topped with a Citrus Walnut Brown Butter Sauce.

Bacon Wrapped Coulotte Steak (best part of the Sirloin) served over Confetti Veggies and Mashed Potatoes with Burgundy Wine Sauce.

Mushroom & Onion Flat Iron Steak topped with sauteed Madeira Mushrooms and Onions, served with Mashed Potatoes and Confetti Veggies.

Beer Battered Fish N’ Chips made with Coldwater Cod and served with a Horseradish Tartar Sauce, Asian Slaw and French Fries.

Baja California Burger with Guacamole, Ortega Chilis, Jack Cheese and a Jalapeno & Lime Aioli with a side of Sweet Corn Salad.

The Bar Top is spectacular — I could stare at it all day, but probably wouldn’t get much accomplished.  Unfortunately I don’t remember the cool specifics about it, but ‘it ain’t no laminate’ on top.  We’ll ask our resident Interior Designer, Guest Blogger Bonnie to add a footnote about it.

Also pictured above is the Iceberg Wedge Salad, Chicken Tortilla Soup and a Cobbler — By the time the desserts came along, I was stuffed and had to get a move on, thus don’t have a clear report on the best part of the meal for some.  I sure wish I could take a bite now.

The view below is from the entrance looking into the bar.  It’s a big, cozy place with a menu to satisfy all tastes, even a dogs.

Dogs are welcome on the patio and even get their own menu upon request.  Not yet mentioned is The Lazy Dog Cafe’s Drink Menu — Who has time, fresh Mojitos, Margaritas, Lemonades and more, oh my.  I’ll go to The Lazy Dog Cafe anytime!

Tonight I learned it’s a real treat to have The Lazy Dog Cafe in your neighborhood.  One is officially opening this Thursday, March 4th at The Market Place in Irvine.  It’s large yet cozy, stylish and warm, hospitable to people and dogs, and offers a very impressive well-rounded menu.  We’ll be posting the full report of our tasty samplings soon.

* Pictured above is The Bleu Cheese New York and a Pizza going into The Pizza Oven.

The pictured meal is from the Bluewater Grill Seafood Restaurant in Newport Beach.  We love their menu.  It’s always hard to narrow down a selection.  This evening we decided on the Blackened Swordfish (above) and Pacific Sand Dabs with Beurre Blanc Sauce (below).  Both were excellent, although a larger cut of Swordfish would have been nice and perhaps some greenery on the plate would have looked better.  Other than that all was fresh and flavorful.

Bluewater Grill is also gearing up for Orange County Restaurant Week, which starts February 28th and runs through March 6th, 2010.  During that period, they’ll be offering this prix fixe menu.  It’s the best time to dine out, because you get more for your money at participating Orange County restaurants.  View the details here.

And we thoroughly enjoyed our bottle of Pinot Gris from King Estate.  We polished it off with our last bite of Sourdough and Butter, then went home and popped open a bottle of Champagne to celebrate the rain.

We like having lunch at Cafe Nordstrom and have previously reported about many of them.  Here we report about a two new (to us) Salads at Cafe Nordstrom at the Brea Mall.  Above is the Nicoise Salad With Salmon — At first we didn’t recognize it, since it truly is covered in herbs, as described “herbed roasted” Salmon, literally.  It looked a little weird at first, but was a good Salad overall.

We also had the Margherita Pizza, as some in the group must always have it, and an Artichoke & Chicken Salad with Goat Cheese, Kalamata Olives, Basil and more.  Lunch is always good and peaceful at Cafe Nordstrom if you beat the crowd.  On our way out there was a line of (10) or more, thus we always make a note to arrive early at certain locations.

* Photos are a little off focus and will be replaced following our next visit.

We still haven’t had a bad Burger at Islands Restaurant and we’re working our way through all of them.  This time we tried their Rincon Burger that includes Guacamole, Lettuce, Tomato, Swiss, Onion, Bacon & Mayo.  We subtracted the Onion, added a side of BBQ Sauce and Ranch Dressing for the French Fries and loved every bite of it all.  Our consensus is that Islands Restaurant consistently does Burgers right and we’re also happy about the refillable Fries.  Writing this makes me want a refillable Burger too. 🙂

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.

The restaurants and bars photographed for this post certainly aren’t all the restaurants and bars near and surrounding Newport Beach Pier.  We’ve previously posted others here and supplement them with this post.  It was a beautiful day in January and we did a lot of walking.  The Crab Cooker was our lunch choice this day, but we’ll eventually get around to the others.  Most of ’em we’ve already tried and some we haven’t.  The food available in Newport Beach is impressive.  If you’re looking for a specific food establishment, be sure to use our search box.  Many of the restaurants pictured below are within walking distance from the Newport Beach Pier and some are further down Newport Boulevard in Costa Mesa.

Shown above from top to bottom (l-r) is the The Old Spaghetti Factory, Charlie’s Chili, 21 Oceanfront Restaurant, Perry’s Pizza, The Blue Beet, O Cafe, Mutt Lynch’s, Matahari Mediterranean Cafe, Newport Beach Brewing Company, Mama D’s Italian Kitchen, Las Fajitas Restaurant, Pescadou Bistro, The Meat House (Opened 01/2010), Eat Chow, Mimi’s Cafe and Outback Steakhouse.

* Enlarge photos for a better view of the respective restaurants.