#62 - Every Damn Thing at Mochi Cream

I ventured back over to Santouka Ramen earlier this week as I had been craving it for a few days and it once again delivered near perfection. But this time, after the meal, instead of a heavy, filled pastry of sorts that I found last time in the middle of an aisle being freshly cooked, I instead opted for Mochi Cream. According to OC Weekly's list, every damn thing there should be amazing, but holy hell are they pricey.

I briefly thought about opting for a 'mochido' - a mochi donut of sorts, but they were super tiny and priced at over $2 each. So instead I just went for a couple mochi ice cream desserts. I opted for the apple pie and chocolate banana flavors as they seemed like they would complement each other well.

There's really not too much to say about them. They were fine, still seemed a bit pricey at $1.80 - $2.00 a piece with no volume discount that I could see, but they just weren't anything special. I've had Mochilato a few times and, honestly, would prefer those mochi ice cream desserts to Mochi Cream. The ice cream at Mochi Cream just seemed like it was older, or had been sitting in the freezer at too low a temperature, while at Mochilato, they come straight from the case at the perfect temperature to eat right away and enjoy.

Next time I'll probably skip Mochi Cream, save my ice cream craving for Mochilato, and shop the Mitsuwa marketplace for some other dessert at a more reasonable price.

#9 - Pickled Egg at C4 Deli: Cure for the Common

Since errands took me over to downtown Santa Ana for lunch today, I checked my handy map and decided to visit C4 Deli: Cure for the Common. I thought I could knock out two items from my list, but looking back, I realized only the pickled eggs were on the top 100. The reason I thought there was another item was due to this recent review of the place by Register critic Brad A. Johnson. So, armed with that, I was ready to get some pickled eggs and a porchetta sandwich.

First off, this place's decor is downright awesome. I just love the whole feel of the place. There's a few tables up front which were occupied by businessmen and women on lunch and in the back is a long bar with two amply stocked tap stations. As for the beer, a great selection. A wide range of styles and many beers that I don't often see on tap at other restaurants around the area. I opted for a Boulevard Brewing Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale as I've had it from a bottle a few times but never on tap - the bartender assured me I'd like it more on tap than bottle (it tasted pretty much the same, but was still very good).

First up were the eggs. They have three types of pickled eggs - regular, smoked, and spicy. I just went with one smoked and one spicy as the smoked one was what the bartender recommended and I love spicy things. I started with the smoked and found it a bit harder than I would have expected it to be - very firm, but easy to cut through and eat. I've actually never had a pickled egg so I unfortunately don't have much to compare it to. It had a white exterior and looked like a normal hard boiled egg (I was half expecting it to be purple).

The smoked egg did have a slight hint of smoke and pickling to it, but nothing overpowering. It was tasty, but I was expecting just a bit more. The spicy egg also had about the same amount of pickling, but was devoid of any spiciness whatsoever. Work still needs to be done on that one. Next time I go, I'll get the regular egg, maybe the smoked, but probably not more than one. It's a nice little appetizer, but nothing to write home about.

Next up was the porchetta sandwich. With the rave reviews showered on it by Brad Johnson, I was expecting my mouth to be alive with flavor. While the bun for the sandwich was a good pick, it really didn't add anything to the sandwich. The porchetta was nicely cooked, still piping hot from the griddle (I'm guessing...maybe stove?), and the broccoli rabe was a nice addition. The aioli got lost a bit with the bitterness of the rabe, and the porchetta was also a bit muddled in the flavors.

While I'm definitely going back, I'll veer away from the porchetta to the reuben or the pork belly sandwich. Either way, they'll be accompanied by a good beer and a tasty chocolate chip cookie to finish the meal.

#69 - Chingaderas at Smoqued BBQ

I came in with such high hopes for these. I mean, they just sound down-right delicious - as they are described on the website, they are - cream cheese jalapenos, popper shrimp, and dates, wrapped with smoked bacon then flash fried and served with a spicy berry chipotle. But unfortunately, in practice, I just couldn't quite come to love them like I thought I would.

To start off, the flash frying of them is perfect. The breading is light and doesn't affect the taste of all the ingredients much. However, when you first bite in, you're greeted with a limp, seemingly raw bacon that is wrapped around the chili and shrimp. The description says the bacon is smoked, so in theory, it's cooked enough to serve, but the texture of the bacon just immediately turns you off and since it's so chewy, you can't easily bite through it so you end up pulling the chili and fillings out with the long strand of bacon.

If you can get past the bacon however, the rest of the jalapeno popper is pretty good. There's not too much cream cheese in there and you do get a bit of heat (a few more seeds left in the chili would have been nice). However, maybe because everything's all mushed together and the bacon kind of undoes the whole thing, I never even noticed the shrimp in there. Perhaps they were forgotten in my order? I don't know - either way, I didn't see or taste them at any point.

The highlight of the dish was the berry chipotle sauce. It complements the jalapeno popper nicely with a sweetness that really accentuates the whole dish nicely. I probably won't be having this dish again, but I may ask for the sauce on the side if I go for any other dishes at Smoqued in the future that merit it.

#94 - Coney Dog at LinX

When I started this list, I mentioned there were a few dishes I've already tried from the list, and while I didn't specifically rule out going back, I hadn't planned on trying them again unless I just happened to be there. On the way back from a recent shopping trip, my fiancee and I were trying to figure out where to eat and we briefly contemplated Haven, but eventually chose LinX. They always have great sausages and a good selection of beer (which is what I needed at that time).

So, here it is, the Coney Dog. While I'll usually omit raw onions or tomatoes when I purchase an item, I left the onions on here and they were a great addition. Combined with the snap of the dog and the chili, they add a welcome crunch to the dog. The bread (from OC Baking of course), was perfectly toasted and a great complement to the dog. There's really not much else to say. LinX just makes a great sausage.

Their frites are also quite spectacular. I did have one lackluster order, but every other time, they come out hot, crispy, and the diversity of the dipping sauces ensure a different experience each time. Sadly though, the buffalo wings they offered were a bit lackluster. They just didn't do anything to separate them from the crowd. Just get a dog, some frites, and a beer and you'll be in heaven.