Kat's 9 Lives

When was the last time I had a macaron?? Okay, maybe it was only a week or two ago but I had a hankering for some good ole macarons.  I did some research and found a local cafe that offered heart-shaped macarons! Score! I drove out to ROCQ Café for a tasty lunch.  Don't bother calling because they were either too busy or they don't pick up the phone lines because I couldn't get anyone on the phone.  I wanted to make sure they still had macarons before I go.  Nonetheless, I took the chance and drove out for lunch.
They have a nice case of treats and pre-made sandwiches along with their quiches.  I wanted to try their macarons most of all so I had to pass on the other tasty desserts in the case.  There was a bunch of stuff to choose from their menu.  I really wanted to have some quiche but I already read the warnings from other diners about how it is more "bite-sized" than a full meal.  Boy, were they not kidding.  No fear, I always over order and make sure I get to try everything I want on the first go.
After a long debate, I decided to go with the Quiche Lorraine made with bacon and Swiss cheese, $6.95, that comes with 2 sides.  They will put the quiche in the oven for you and heat it up.  I thought the quiche had a nice crust and was tasty... but... man it is tiny.  Even my best bud thought it was small.  For lunch, I might need a few to fill me up.  The quiche was well made but I have to say that the ones you buy at the supermarket are almost the same, like Nancy's.
For the sides, many people recommended their Orzo Salad.  They were running low but I asked if there was more and luckily they had another batch.  I thought this salad was a bit too bland for my liking.  My best bud taste tested for me as a backup opinion and agreed that it was too light.  Some bites had a hint of onion that added a kick.  I think they needed a lot more bits of onion to stimulate my tastebuds.
All their sides are veggies so the choices for me were very limited.  For both orders, I got the same 2 sides.  I thought the Potato Salad was not bad.  They had chopped jalapeños embedded in every bite, which gave it a kick. 
What I thought was really tasty was the Tri-Tip Sandwich, $10.95.  The lady who took my order recommended it and I was a little skeptical because I hate overcooked meat.  This was actually very nicely seasoned and flavored.  The tri-tip was mixed with onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, and chipotle mayo.  I thought the beef was tender and everything came together in a nice bite.  There was a nice spicy after kick.
The only thing I would complain about this sandwich was because it was an oily mess.  I liked the chewiness of the bread mixed with the tenderness of the meats and vegetables, but after every bite drops of orange-reddish oil would drip down.  By the time I finished the sandwich, my entire hand was drenched in oil.  It was a bit much, but I didn't really mind it since I had a napkin and the flavors were very smokey and tasty.
Now onto the main attraction that brought me here... the macarons.  Call me a sucker but I love it when my food talks to me or comes in cute/funky shapes.  They have heart-shaped French macarons for $1.70 and normal circular shaped ones for $1.60.  Maybe I should have woken up earlier for more flavors because by the time I went, there were only a few kinds left.  I grabbed all the different varieties. 
To be honest, they were not bad but not great macarons.  The texture was a bit softer than what I like, but the good thing was that I could let it sit an extra day for the outer shell to firm up.  O=) I didn't quite like the chocolate mint because it tasted like toothpaste a little bit to me.
The heart was the most fun to eat and I enjoyed the rich chocolate flavor.  I love being a heart-breaker =D Oh I mean breaking the heart macarons in half to share with a pal.... right? lol
For lunch, they were actually pretty packed and seems to be a local favorite.  It's not a bad place to get away from work and to enjoy lunch.  They try to create a peaceful garden like feel.  Considering the area, it's nice to find a little cafe tucked away here.
All in all I enjoyed it but it was a bit pricey for lunch.  My total bill came out to about $30 and ummm that was all just for me! lol O=) Next door is Round Tables Pizza with an All You Can Eat Lunch Buffet for only $5.99 per person... hmmmmmm....
ROCQ Café
22722 Lambert St
Lake Forest, CA 92630
(949) 916-0722

Growing up in So Cal all my life has given me the wonderful opportunity to have delicious and as close to as authentic Mexican food outside of Mexico as possible. I don't know if Cafe Río would really be considered super authentic and definitely not a mom and pop shop, but to my surprise I actually really liked what I got. For the longest time I saw the corner of Rockfield and El Toro of a store under construction and bright vans with the Cafe Río logo parked there. It finally opened up recently and I had wanted to check it out since it seems like a pretty big space with vibrant colors. They had been in the back of my mind for a while but I haven't been in a Mexican food mood until recently when the age old question of where to eat came up again with MBA. I gave her the choices of Thai or Mexican and she chose to try out Cafe Río since it was new.

When I walked in, I was a little hesitant to find that it is a chain restaurant and resembled Chipotle. The food is mostly already prepared and the food is made in an assembly line. I felt like I was in Rubios almost with a few touches of other chain restaurants for the decor. Still, I was already there and had to try out the food. While we were in line I saw that they offered fresh made tortillas and there was a lady making them right in front of us. I had to video tape this down. The fresh tortillas looked yummy and were pretty tasty, but I am jumping ahead.
There were signs posted everywhere talking about the supposed famous Cafe Río Salad with Pork Barbacoa. I was taking a big risk since I just had salad for lunch and I am not easy to please when I have to ingest healthy food. O=9 To my surprise the salad was actually full of flavor and had a lot of bite to it. The salad comes in a large fresh Flour Tortilla that's toasted with Mexican Cheeses. They start off by putting Rice in. Then they start adding Pork Barbacoa, followed by tons of Crisp Romaine Lettuce, a few scoops of Pico de Gallo, a small scoop of Guacamole, Tortilla Strips, sprinkles a little bit of Cotija Cheese, Cilantro, and finished off by adding a slice of lime in. I opted out of the beans because I detest beans, but asked for it on the side so that MBA could enjoy them. You get a choice between Pinto and Black Beans. For the dressing you can choose between Creamy Tomatillo or Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette. The lady recommended the creamy tomatillo, which was very rich and flavorful. I would only recommend those who like sweet dishes to try the pork barbacoa because it is pretty sweet but full of flavor. It is like your typical carnita but sweet. All the components come together like a party in your mouth. There is a touch of citrus with a huge chunk of sweet, but all of it is balanced and toned down by the lettuce. The crispy tortilla chips and lettuce add a crunch and bite to the palate along with the soft tortilla that is flavorful by itself. Everything in the dish worked together. Even without the dressing they all exploded in flavor, but adding the creamy tomatillo helped take it to a new level. I am sure that dressing is super unhealthy because it was tasty by itself.
My only qualm is that the salad was so huge that I found it hard to mix all the components together without making a huge mess. Luckily all the components are good by themselves. I even brought the leftover salad home and shared it with my aunt the next night. She is now a fan and I think we will probably be going there for dinner tonight. They gave me a stamp card where you get a free meal after 10 stamps. If my family gets addicted, I am sure it won't be hard to get that free meal. O=P
While I was paying, I saw that they offered Fresh Fruit Frescas, Agua Frescas. I was so excited by the prospect because I had the best Strawberry Fresca in SF recently, which I will post soon. Ever since then I had been dreaming and thinking about when I can get something that good again and cheap too! Here it wasn't cheap nor pricey, $2.50 a cup. That day they had Papaya Mango Fresca so I thought to myself that you can't go wrong with that mix of flavors. Alas it was not what I had imagined it to be. The drink was fine but I didn't think it tasted anything like papaya or barely had any mango flavor. It tasted like a sour lemonade mixed with pineapple juice. I even left it out for the night and it went even more sour which really brought out the pineapple flavor. Even though I wasn't impressed by the drink this time around, I will probably try them again if they have another appealing flavor.
Another item that caught my eye was Cafe Río's Famous Tres Leches. One of my favorite new desserts these days is tres leches. I have been eating it from CA to FL these days. Mmm Mmm Good! How is it here? Mehhh. Not bad but nothing to write home about. The outer layer was moist but the inner layer was a bit flavorless and a lot drier. For $3.50 I can get better cake elsewhere, but if you are here already for the meal it would not be bad to add this on. They asked if I wanted whipped cream and I said yes, but then they said they were out... lame!

All in all I was quite surprised at how good that salad was and MBA really enjoyed it too. My biggest issue with this place is that it is poorly run. The people were friendly but some seemed like they didn't know what they were doing. Also, the food is served pretty fast because everything is pre-made. So why the long line?? Well, they only have one slow person working the cash register when they have TWO registers. All their people are busy doing the food but no one is there to take the money! Even when pick-up orders come they are rung up by the same register, which pushes back the customers waiting in line already. Not a very solid plan, but hopefully they will fix that snafu and run more smoothly. Still, I liked the salad enough to overlook all this and will be back soon to take the family.

Cafe Río
24312 Rockfield Blvd
El Toro, CA 92630
(949) 334-9292

On Saturday, Lil Bel and I hit the mall up. I hope she got the Prada sunglasses she liked. They looked wonderful ^_-. Since she has never tried the Nordstrom Cafe, I had to introduce her! I have been going to this place since High School. This time I decided to order something different from the first post. Just a friendly reminder, I have been to many different Nordstrom Cafes and they all vary slightly. My favorite one is still in Mission Viejo Mall. The service there varies, but the interior decor is always pleasant. It can get rather crowded on the weekends, but it's worth the wait.
As usual, I had to get the Roma Tomato with Basil soup with delicious extra Garlic Cheese Bread. They were actually out when I got there, so I had to wait a while to get my soup. It was a little annoying that they took a really long time to bring out the soup because it came with the sandwich. I couldn't really get a head start on the soup, so it got a little cold as I kept trying to work from one dish to the next. The soup of course was great as usual.
I decided to showcase the Pesto Chicken Panini. If you like sun-dried tomato and creamy pesto, then this would be perfect for you. The sandwich is always loaded with thinly sliced chicken breast. It's a very filling sandwich and goes great with the soup. The only thing I don't like about the sandwich is that after eating it for a while, it scrapes the roof of your mouth. It came with fresh made potato chips on the side. This is the best panini there in my opinion. It has the most flavor out of the three.
Lil Bel decided to try the Roasted Chicken with Roasted Vegetables. I have never ordered that dish, because I hate chicken with bones. To my surprise it was almost boneless. There was only a small wing bone still attached. The chicken was roasted to perfection and very moist. It was a little lacking in flavor, but very healthy. I liked the slight lemon flavor. There was a ton of roasted vegetables, which would be my Krytonite. Yuck! lol O=P I am a carnivore! I am allergic to all vegetables. O=) The dish was very filling over all. I had to help Lil Bel with her dish, which led me to take half my sandwich home.
To fulfill her sweet tooth, Lil Bel ordered the Crème Brûlée. They seemed to have forgotten it and I just told the server, she immediately brought one out without even checking to see we ordered one. I must say they were very trusting. They have pretty good desserts at this location. I have tried them all. The Crème brûlée that day was a little TOO creamy for me. It was very thick. The torched sugar made it taste a lot better. I wish they put different fruits, but I guess they weren't in season. Usually there's a wide variety of fruits and not just a lot of raspberries.

All in the food was good and solid. The service here varies. I like the mint chocolate strips they give you at the end so that you will tip them. I guess it's a smart ploy. The cafe is always nice and clean. I will most likely be back soon again with MBA, as I have made her addict of the soup. ^_~

Everyone raves about Zachary's Chicago Style Pizza and I finally headed over to East Bay with Ms. Lin and Ms. BumbleBee to try it out. I am sorry to say but I think it's WAY OVER-RATED. They were super busy as usual. You walk in to put your name down for a table and head on over to the counter to order the pizza because it takes about 30+ minutes to bake. The interior decor was nice. I loved the past paintings that won to represent the greatness of their pizza. It's a very homey classic feel. The funniest painting was the one with a Golem lookalike grabbing for his "Precious", the Zachary's Pizza.

Ms. BumbleBee started off the night with a beer, which I believe most people find great with pizza. I don't drink a lot and I am not a fan of beer so I can't comment on that, but I can understand that they would go well together. We decided to share the Caesar Salad. The funny thing was I think that was the best thing of the night. You know it's sad that I find a salad more delicious than a pizza with meat! That was some great salad though! It was just normal vegetables with a great Caesar sauce. The flavor was extremely strong and packed a punch. There were tons of crispy croutons that blended well with the salad. I think I would have had a better dining experience if I just ate the salad.

For our pizza we chose to add Mushrooms, Sausage, and Pepperoni as our toppings. The pizza came out piping hot. It looked the same as the pizza at Little Star Pizza. Sadly, it didn't taste anything like the pizza I had there. The only thing I liked about Zachary's was the amount of cheese that you would see stretching as you pull away each slice. They had tons of homemade sausage on the pizza, but I really didn't feel like there was any pepperoni. I think the back end crust at Zachary's was just bland and flavorless. The corn meal crust at Little Star Pizza was much better and adds a special texture to the pizza, instead of the lifeless Zachary's crust. It might just be a personal preference, but I can NOT recommend this place. I was barely able to eat the pizza, I only ate it because there wouldn't be anything else I could grab to eat in it's stead. =*( As for the sauce they use, I am not too fond of it because I found it a little too salty and overpowering but not in a good way. One way to tell if I don't like the food would be if I add a lot of side components to the dish. Normally I like to eat things as is to get the full taste of the food. If I have to add an excess of components to eat the food, then there must be something wrong. The pizza at Zachary's truly made me more appreciative of Little Star Pizza.
I had the left over pizza the next day and it was fine for a filler. Just to be clear, the pizza was not horrific and disgusting. It just wasn't what I thought it would be. Maybe it's the high expectations that led to a huge let down. I still think the pizza was better than Domino's, but I guess that doesn't say much. I'd go back to Zachary's for the salad, but not for the pizza. Even though I wasn't too impressed with their pizza, I would give it a second try. Maybe I was just not in the mood that day. Still, the pizza at Zachary's was better than the thin crust pizza at Little Star Pizza. I will give it at least that much credit. Hands down, Little Star Pizza was much better than Zachary's in the traditional Chicago Style Pizza. It's pretty obvious if you read this review. O=P

It's best to show up early to Burma Superstar as this place gets super crowded. We went last week and was seated immediately around 5:30PM. The place had a wooden furnish with many Asian decoratives adorned on the walls. Soon the place started to fill up and the noise level increased drastically. To start off the night, I ordered Thai Iced Tea and Ms. Lin ordered the Ginger Lemonade. The drinks were decent, nothing special. They were a little bit expensive, but the refills were only $1 each.Their most famous dish was the Tea Leaf Salad that was featured on Food Network. It's salad with imported Burmese tea leaves, tomatoes, lettuce, dried shrimp, fried garlic, sesame seeds, and peanuts. At first I asked for the dried shrimp on the side because I detest dried shrimp. In the end, I added it in because you really can't taste the dried shrimp since it was grounded so finely. It only added a fishier taste to the salad.To my surprise all the flavors worked splendidly together and you know it's rare for me to praise a salad. I loved the complex texture and flavor that the the tea leaves added. The nuts and components gave a wonderful crunch. This dish was the best of the night and the most unique. A definite must have! I probably will be back for the salad. We decided to try the Burmese Samusas with Chicken. They were Burmese raviolis filled with curry spices and potatoes. I prefer to eat samosas because they have a much better crust and filling. These were just curry potatoes and chicken stuffed in a wonton and fried. It wasn't anything special, if I knew I would have rather had another salad instead.Ms. Lin ordered the Platha as her carb. It's pan-fried layered bread. This reminded me of the Chinese pancake. It was good, but definitely not what we expected. We thought it would be more like a mix of roti and naan versus the Chinese pancake. I chose to order the Coconut Rice, which was aromatic jasmine rice cooked with coconut milk. The rice was extremely flavorful with a slightly softer texture. It really complimented all the dishes and brought out the flavors.For our main courses, Ms. Lin chose Chili Lamb and I chose the Garlic Chili Shrimp. The lamb was stir-fried with dried & fresh chili, onions, and basil. You cannot have this dish mild, it's made as is. This dish was spicy and a little bit more on the sweet side. The shrimp was wok tossed in a garlic infused oil and topped with toasted garlic. You can't make this dish milder as well, but it wasn't really that spicy. It truly was infused with garlic, which I love. I liked this dish because it was very flavorful with garlic, but it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Both dishes were solid and good, but nothing special like the salad. Can you tell I recommend the salad? O=PAll in all the service was friendly and the food was good. What really sold me on this place was the salad. Everything else is just good, but nothing too special. I don't know if I'd be willing to wait in this line for their regular food. If you don't go early, I'd recommend you to order take out and to definitely try the salad!

Burma Superstar
309 Clement St
San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 387-2147

MUCH BETTER this time around. I really wouldn't recommend this place for dinner because the price difference isn't worth it. You probably get the exact same amount of food at dinner as you do for lunch, but for a lot cheaper. They have lunch on the weekends too, so you go somewhere better priced for dinner.
I ordered the Seafood Salad Combination. It comes with an organic salad topped with seared albacore, yellow-fin tuna, & salmon served with a pepper onion dressing. This was very tasty and delicious, but a little salty. My friend was astonished that I ordered a salad! I would definitely order this again. There was around 6 pieces of fish inside the salad. I am a little skeptical on how fresh the fish was because the dressing was so powerful it can mask many things. Overall this was flavorful, but the best part was the side dish that came with it!
The Spicy Tuna-Don, chopped tuna with spicy mayonnaise on sushi rice, was great! It was simple but delicious, I actually really like this and I will be back some time this week just to get it again! I would not be willing to pay for this as a regular menu item. It was about $11 if you wanted to order that dish. The spicy tuna was not very spicy. All the flavor really comes from mixing the soy sauce and the wasabi into the bowl. The texture of the tuna was very smooth.
I have been craving Oyako-don for the longest time. So I decided to try this here. I didn't want the soup and salad so they took $1.50 off the price. It was good but I don't know if it was worth $7. I would recommend people to go to Mitsuwa for better value and taste. It was a little bland and really paled in flavor when compared to everything else I had. I guess it would suit those who like a light flavor. One thing I really liked was the brown rice, it really gives a different texture to the meal.
All in all, this time around I had a much better experience. I think this place is a hit or miss depending on what you order. Definitely come for lunch and not dinner because it wouldn't be worth the price difference for the combos. Maybe next time I will give the udon a try again. Overall the service was nice and food was good. It was a much better value than last time!

I know it is shocking for me to say I LOVE a salad since I am a carnivore and all. This is one of the rare places I go to just for their salads! My favorite Nordstrom Cafe is the one in the Shops at Mission Viejo. Each store has a different daily soup. Mine has the AWESOME Roma Tomato with Basil soup as there daily soup. I have gotten many people addicted to this yummy soup, you know who you guys are! ^_^ They also come with their delicious garlic cheese bread. I always ask for extra bread. If you are ever in Mission Viejo then you definitely need to stop by try a bowl!
A bowl of soup is never enough. I usually order a delicious salad or a tasty panini. Currently my favorite salad is the Parmesan Chicken Crusted Salad, which is a cobb salad. The chicken is always made to perfection in flavor, moistness, and crisp texture. My favorite use to be the Chicken Caesar Salad because they would have wonderful moist grilled chicken and their sauce as delicious especially if you add lemon. Their Chinese Chicken Salad is delicious as well. It is a colorful mixture of red & yellow bell peppers along with a variety of fresh crisp vegetables. The sauce is a little too sweet, but still great. They add delicious wontons on top. If you are a fan of blue cheese and fruit then you must try their Chicken Fruit Salad. The blue cheese really brings out the sweetness of the fruits.

Nordstrom Cafe also has delicious hot panini's. My favorite is the Chicken Pesto Panini. They always have a generous amount of moist grilled chicken, sundried tomatoes, cheese, & pesto. So delicious! The only thing about the sandwiches is that after a few bites they scrape the roof of my mouth, but they go swimmingly with the tomato soup!

As you can see I love this place and have tried almost EVERYTHING! I often try their specials too. Note that not all Nordstrom Cafes carry the same menu items nor do they taste the same even if they are the same items. Still I would give any of them a try and I have, that is why I know they are all different. All in all, they should be a good place for a light meal.