Kat's 9 Lives

TP keeps raving about Wingnuts and is always trying to drag me up into her area to try them out. Recently they have had the 2 for $20 deal where you can choose from a wide list of dishes. I personally don't think it is that great of a deal because most of the dishes are under $10! So the real perk that you get is to get a drink for free and that is it. We came as a group of 3 so the deal didn't quite really work out that way. This is a pretty big place with lots of TV's. If MMP wasn't pregnant she would be drinking beer and eating wings that night. lol It's that kind of place.
MMP opted out of the deal since there were 3 of us and the numbers didn't quite work out. She got the 20 wings for $17.99 where you can only choose 2 flavors. After a long debate on the vast choices available, we kind of agreed upon Soy Ginger and Carolina BBQ. They were both unimpressive. I thought the Soy Ginger was bland and basically just wings soaked in bad soy sauce. The BBQ was not good either and wasn't anything different from normal bad BBQ. I will give them credit that the wings were juicy but without real flavor. Kind of felt bad for MMP since she ordered 20 wings that weren't even good.
The server recommended Honey BBQ for Chicken Strips so I decided to give it a try. How can you ever go wrong with FRIED boneless meat? Well... you can. It wasn't bad but it wasn't anything to write home about. The chicken was fried nicely but I didn't really care much for the sauce. At least they don't drench the pieces full of sauce and making it soggy. I will give them credit that at least the wings and strips are the same price.
TP chose to do the Kung Pao Wow Chicken Strips. I thought the sauce was just salty with a hint of spice. She commented that it is much better when they are on wings and taste completely different. We both decided to get Criss Cut Fries instead of the regular Propeller Fries. The fries were decent, but my favorite Criss Cut Fries is still from Carl's Jr. O=9
All in all, blech! I was sitting there the whole time thinking... why am I here... I am going to kick TP later... can't remember if I did... must kick her the next time just in case! lol Maybe we just picked the wrong flavors, but I am very skeptical now. I know they have 65 cent for each wing on Wednesdays, which seem like a better deal. Don't know how they will let you choose the flavors but I'd be willing to go back to test them out some more... but no high hopes. Man I need to go to Santora's to make up for this bad wing experience.

Wingnuts
3030 Harbor Blvd
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 434-7700

My last visit to Marche Moderne was horrendous but I decided to give them another try because PK wanted to do lunch somewhere nice and new... well to her. Maybe the 3rd times the charm. I will admit that this is a great deal in OC but I wouldn't want to come back based on their crappy service and management if it weren't for PK. Saturday lunch is 3 courses for $25 still. Since it has been a while, I decided I would lift the ban so that PK can try something new and exciting. One of our friends/acquaintances bailed on us but PK invited another friend to join us. We sat outside in the patio, which is much nicer than the crowded dining room. I do like that they offre fresh hot bread. My favorite is the Baguette because I am not a big fan of Country Wheat.
For starters offered they offered Antipasti with Parmesan Scone, Tapenade, Roasted Pepper, Pamplona Chorizo, Basil Emulsion, and Field Greens. The colors were beautiful and nicely presented. I liked the Parmesan Scone since I love cheese and it had a soft texture. This did remind me a little bit of the Red Lobster's biscuit... but not as salty or buttery. I have actually been to Pamplona.. the meat was decent but nothing special. Pamplona does offer delicious and better charcuterie. The Tapenade was actually pretty good and not overpowering. I didn't care much for the peppers. This was an intricate dish and photographed very nicely ^_^.
Lucky that I have PK as my plus 1 all the time! We get to share a lot of the food and try more dishes. Since we were waiting for her friend, I saw that they had an American Kobe Carpaccio Dungeness Crab Meat with a Truffle Remoulade and Herb Salad. To be honest.. they had me at TRUFFLE! ^_^ This all just sounded so delicious together and I asked if PK would like to share it with me... even if she didn't... I'd be all over it! lol The presentation and photos turned out really well. You could smell the aromatic flavor of the truffles, but it was mainly truffle oil... still good! The meat was thinly sliced and the texture was great. I am on the fence about the crab meat because it was more like a crab salad and a little tangy. Luckily it was full of meat so not too bad.
I got to try both dishes since I have my handy plus 1! The Brown Butter Eastern Skate Wing with Flageolet Beans, Fennel, Parsley Salad, and Chick Pea-Cumin Aioli. This dish was not very good because the sauce was bad. It reminded me of the horrendous scallop dish I had last time... ewwwwww. The skate was decently cooked but not quite the texture I am looking for. There was barely any fish in the dish. It was mostly beans that were soaked in the bad sauce. No Thanks! Pass!
The other main dish was Roasted Prime Flat Iron Steak with Cauliflower Gratin, Mustard Cream, Potato Chip, and Arugula. I thought the steak was cooked very nicely and had a great texture. The gratin was very good and cheesy. I definitely could do without the mustard cream, but this dish was much better. The components actually went well together and was executed well. It's actually rare that they do the main course well because it has always been that the appetizer excels.
For dessert they had a simple Tahitian Vanilla Panna Cotta with Palmier Twist. The presentation was very simple and almost too simple. This was a very very very bland dessert and not very memorable. You could not really taste the Tahitian Vanilla. The texture was soft but I definitely wasn't feeling it and everyone at the table agreed. Not the best way to end the meal.
All in all the appetizer I ordered was great and the steak was good. At least the service this time was not too bad, but they also weren't busy. Based on this visit I might be nice enough to overlook the last horrid incident. Who says I am not willing to give people or places a chance! All for the sake of PK... feel the love! haha Like I have said... their food is not bad, but beware that it is not very consistent. Still, for the deal... it's a good place to take people who want something new and modern.

Marche Moderne
3333 Bristol St
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 434-7900

I know the weather has been pretty cold in SoCal but that doesn't stop me from eating Piccomolo's Italian Ice Cream. TP, MG (Nickname TBD later), and I were out for lunner in the Woodbury shopping center. I happened to see the weird name Piccomolo and I thought about walking closer to see what it is... Then their sign caught my eye... "Today's Treat, $1.95 Scoop and Cone" Since TP went to the bathroom, MG and I just walked over to browse. We were full but the deal was good enough to overcome that feeling. TP was complaining about how stuffed she was, yet... she picked up a scoop too! haha **There's always room for dessert! ^_-**
**note: I love Alessi designs, sooo cute ^_^** It's obvious that this place does not get much business on the weekdays because their case, although full of choices, barely had any gelato. They all looked yummy and nicely presented so I took my time browsing and clicking. Looking back on the photos I wished I had tried the Watermelon flavored gelato since that slice looks delicious. MG and I tried a bunch of flavors. I didn't feel too welcomed to try the flavors since the girl working there had a sour expression.
Some flavors were good, some decent, and some were just bad. After a few flavor tastings, I just settled on Hazelnut, Nocciola di Diabeitque... I obviously wasn't paying attention because I didn't want to try many of the flavors and just chose a scoop so I can stop seeing the girl's sour expression. If you can tell by the Italian name... WHOOPS! I chose a SUGAR FREE gelato! The flavor was not too bad, but darn it... dessert is not suppose to be healthy! haha I feel jipped!!! Still I couldn't tell that it was sugar free.. the flavor was strong enough and sweet enough. So that is good that they offer this option because I can take my parents now.
They did offer some unique flavors too. TP got Guava and Pineapple. MG got the Tiramisu that was pretty alcoholy for my taste, which is how MG likes it ^_-. For the price and a quick grab near luner... not bad. All in all I would come back with the family for the sugar free option but I still think Tutto Amore Gelato is much more inventive, tastier, fun, and welcoming. See I am not cheating on Tim **looks around innocently**
Piccomolo : Italian Ice Cream
6412 Irvine Blvd Irvine, CA 92618
(949) 733-3373