Soprano's - Costa Mesa, CA [Eating]

(Pictures for this review taken with my Canon PowerShot SD800is.

Apologies for the image quality of my later photos. Several members of our party got lost and arrived over an hour late. By time our food arrived, the light had completely faded. Out of respect for other diners, I don't use a flash, so I did the best I could with a nearby candle.

My little brother has submitted a t-shirt design to Threadless.com. If you can give him a hand and vote for him, I'd appreciate it. I wanna wear that tee!)



I love mom & pop restaurants. There's something about a family owned and operated eatery that expresses a warmth chain restaurants just can't convey. When the family in question takes pride in their establishment, it's a palpable emotion you can see in every place setting, feel in the air, and taste in your food.



Soprano's in Costa Mesa is an upscale Italian restaurant that somehow manages to combine the elegance and class of a fine dining establishment with the casual charm of a mom & pop operation. Tucked in the corner of a quiet residential neighborhood, it's incongruously placed next to a coin-operated laundromat. Once again, good food can be found in surprising locations.



The interior is a cozy affair, almost exclusively filled with locals in everyday attire. You don't see advertisements for it and it's not visible from any major thoroughfare. If you know about Soprano's, chances are you live nearby, you heard about it from someone who lives nearby, or both.


(Complimentary focaccia with an olive aioli spread.)

The obscurity is probably for the best. The food is so good, and Soprano's is so small, I don't want to make it any harder than it already is to get a table. This is one of my secret happy spots, and my favorite restaurant for Italian-American fare.


(BBlade, our own Chicago gangsta.)

In fact, the desperate pleas of an old iaido friend (second picture in the link, upper right) for a spot to host a last-minute reunion dinner was the only reason I shared Soprano's with him. I don't even tell friends about it. That's how much I love this place.



Can you blame me, with such luscious offerings as this Penne ala Vodka? Plump shrimp peep up through a springy forest of cylindrical noodles coated in a creamy vodka marinara. The pastas at Soprano's are always perfectly al dente and coated in robustly flavored, ethereal sauces.



Then there's the Lamb Shank, a ruggedly simple name for a simple and rugged dish. Two large, bone-in lamb shanks are braised in red wine and spices until the meat coyly slips apart at the brush of a fork. Each bite is coated with the gelatin-thickened gravy. Sides of sautéed fresh vegetables and fettuccini in marinara sauce are almost an afterthought, yet the vegetables are tender and the pasta is skillfully prepared. It's a wonderful dish when you're in a meat and potatoes mood.



However, the undisputed champion is Soprano's Cioppino, a massive tureen of fresh fish, shrimp, scallops, mussels, and other seafood frolicking in a savory sea of white wine, tomatoes, and herbs. Hiding just underneath the rippling surface, like the coiled tentacles of the mythic kraken, lies a generous mound of linguine cooked right in the flavorful stew. It's large enough for two people or one hungry panda.


(Balsamic vinegar and olive oil smiley face.)

So why am I choosing now to reveal to you the path to this palace of gastronomic delight? Because we're in a recession and our small businesses need all the help they can get. Now that I've made this supreme sacrifice, you're all honor-bound to eat at Soprano's. ... What, you're still here? Get moving!


Soprano's - A mom & pop Italian restaurant with the class of a high-end eatery and the soul of a neighborhood joint. I can't believe I told you guys about it!


Bill:

Penne ala Vodka - 1595
Lamb Shank - 17.95
Cioppino - 21.95


Flavor: A
Ambience: A
Service: A
ROI: A

Overall: A


Soprano's
2400 Newport Blvd.
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
1-949-645-8515

New York Pizzeria - Irvine, CA [Eating]

(Picture for this review taken with my Canon PowerShot SD800is.

I've been fighting off the flu for the past two weeks. Here's a little quick bite to ease me back into the swing of things.

The first introductory paragraph is the same in all articles in this series. Please feel free to skip it if you've already read it.

Read the rest of my Soul Pizza Series.)

My wife, Cat, is a staunch proponent of what she calls "soul pizza". It's her name for the type of unabashedly Italian-American pizza found in little neighborhood joints across the States. American GIs who returned from World War II had acquired a taste for Italian pizza during their tours on the European front, and made Italian-America pizza popular in the 50's as they sought out at home a dish they'd so enjoyed in Italy. Every city has one of these culinary time capsules, usually family-run and dishing up this simple, all-American favorite at very affordable prices. Timeless and comforting, these are local, mom & pop institutions with deep ties to the surrounding community. As Cat says:

Soul pizza is by definition not corporate pizza. Someone IN THE SHOP decided what the food was going to be like, and probably had to eat a lot of it if it wasn't very good at first. Having strict rules other than the one above regarding what can and can't be considered soul pizza seems inappropriately dictatorial, but the following are at least general tendencies of the species.

• The owner is around pretty often, and is likely to be doing some cooking/cash registering/schmoozing.


• The menu is straightforward and doesn't change much. No fad toppings and no side dishes with cutesy names. You can't get Cin-a-Min Curls or Fiesta Veggies at a soul pizza joint. You can have Sausage and Mushroom Pizza with Salad.


• The decor is somewhere between minimal and haphazard. If everything matches, it's because the owner just hasn't collected enough stuff yet.


• Somewhere in the place is a picture of the owner's kid, a picture by his kid, or his kid.

Located behind a church at the corner of Walnut and Yale, New York Pizzeria fits her definition of soul pizza to a T. It's a family-run neighborhood joint in the truest sense. Service is polite and friendly, but minimal. The decor is utilitarian at best. Yet, the restaurant gets regular business from a stream of local children on bikes, parents picking up a dinner for the family, and my wife and I.



What keeps us all coming back is the quality of the pizza. This place has the most ethereal pies in all of Irvine, with delicate, blistered crusts surrounding chewy, cloud-like interiors. The ratio between bread, cheese, sauce, and toppings is harmoniously balanced, each bite Zen-like in its simple perfection. However, the true mark of pizza mastery is the utter lack of grease. Unlike certain mass-market chains, New York Pizzeria's pizzas don't turn their cardboard boxes translucent and you won't need to blot up pools of lurid orange oil before venturing a bite. It's comforting, healthy food made fresh with care, and it shows.


New York Pizzeria - A delicious alternative for families on the go. Cat and I like going for lunch on the weekends. We order up one of the hefty medium pizzas and spend a relaxing afternoon reading the paper at one of the tables outside.

As a side note, the restaurant was recently robbed. Although the robber was caught, it's unlikely that they'll recover any of the money he took. Times are tough enough as it is for family-run small businesses. I urge all of my Irvine readers to stop by sometime this month and give New York Pizzeria a try. Support our local restaurants and help keep this great community establishment alive.


Bill:

Medium Pizza - $12.00


Flavor: A
Ambience: C
Service: C
ROI: A+

Overall: B+


New York Pizzeria
13925 Yale Ave., #135
Irvine, CA 92620
1-949-733-3434
Order online

Ray's Pizza (Soul Pizza Series) - Irvine, CA [Eating]

(Pictures for this review taken with my Canon PowerShot SD800is.

The first introductory paragraph is the same in all articles in this series. Please feel free to skip it if you've already read it.

Read the rest of my Soul Pizza Series.)


(Cheese Pizza and Sausage Pizza.)

My wife, Cat, is a staunch proponent of what she calls "soul pizza". It's her name for the type of unabashedly Italian-American pizza found in little neighborhood joints across the States. American GIs who returned from World War II had acquired a taste for Italian pizza during their tours on the European front, and made Italian-America pizza popular in the 50's as they sought out at home a dish they'd so enjoyed in Italy. Every city has one of these culinary time capsules, usually family-run and dishing up this simple, all-American favorite at very affordable prices. Timeless and comforting, these are local, mom & pop institutions with deep ties to the surrounding community. As Cat says:

Soul pizza is by definition not corporate pizza. Someone IN THE SHOP decided what the food was going to be like, and probably had to eat a lot of it if it wasn't very good at first. Having strict rules other than the one above regarding what can and can't be considered soul pizza seems inappropriately dictatorial, but the following are at least general tendencies of the species.

• The owner is around pretty often, and is likely to be doing some cooking/cash registering/schmoozing.


• The menu is straightforward and doesn't change much. No fad toppings and no side dishes with cutesy names. You can't get Cin-a-Min Curls or Fiesta Veggies at a soul pizza joint. You can have Sausage and Mushroom Pizza with Salad.


• The decor is somewhere between minimal and haphazard. If everything matches, it's because the owner just hasn't collected enough stuff yet.


• Somewhere in the place is a picture of the owner's kid, a picture by his kid, or his kid.

Hidden underneath the belly of a large office building across the street from UCI, Ray's Pizza fits Cat's requirements perfectly. Mock campaign banners proudly proclaim "Ray's Pizza FOR LUNCH" and "Bad Pizza is Bad for America!" A few old arcade and pinball machines are tucked away in corners. Framed photos, neon signs, and pictures drawn by children line the walls. Hand-made posters from Ray's neighborhood fans are up on the counter, and depict him as a trenchcoat- and fedora-wearing secret agent fighting off evil ninjas out to steal his pizza recipes. Local residents, college students, professors, and office workers are frequent visitors. Ray works in the shop almost every day and knows many of his regulars, including my wife, by first name. His daughter attends a dance class a few doors down, and can sometimes be seen hanging out at the shop after a lesson. In short, Ray's Pizza exudes a character instantly recognizable to anyone who grew up in America.



The menu is straightforward, without gourmet pretensions of any type. You won't find any Garlic Tandoori Tofu Pizzas or Meat-lover's Supremes here. Instead, you'll see traditional Italian-American pizza toppings; pepperoni, sausage, hamburger, Canadian bacon, bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, olives, anchovies, and tomatoes. Pizzas come in small, medium, and large sizes. The crust is crisp and honest, neither dripping with oil not drowning in sauce. This is simple, pure food, before mass-market fast food chains or faddish upscale restaurants warped it into something unrecognizable.


(Antipasti)

There are a few non-pizza dishes on the menu as well. Salads made with iceberg lettuce, cold cuts, shredded carrots and cabbage, tomato slices, pepperoncinis, and lots of mozzarella cheese. Spaghetti, another favorite added to the standard American repertoire by WWII vets, is cooked soft, piled, high, and smothered with tomato sauce just like mom used to make. Crusty rolls filled with cold cuts or the ever popular meatball sub (shown below) are available as part of "lunch" specials with chips and a drink that can be ordered at any time of day. You won't find a better breakfast anywhere, particularly if you're a panda suffering from a night of over-inebriation.

\
(Meatball Sub)

There are a lot of reasons that Cat and I like Ray's Pizza for a quick after-work dinner or a leisurely weekend lunch. The food isn't revolutionary, but it's hearty, reminiscent, and doesn't leave me groping for a defibrillator. The atmosphere is fun. I like playing the old arcade games and doing poorly on the Terminator pinball machine as our governor's face glares grimly at me from behind the faded plastic backing. Cat loves chatting with Ray, who calls her a "good girl", and cautions me to take care of her. The hand-made posters crack us up. Everyone is nice. It feels like home.

Ray's Pizza, and Ray, are part of our neighborhood. That's what soul pizza is: a sense of neighborhood.




Ray's Pizza - Vote early, vote often. Check out the website!


Bill:

Antipasti - 6.95
Meatball Sub - 6.50
2 Slice + Drink Special - 5.50
Small Pizza - 11.95
Medium Pizza - 12.95
Large Pizza - 14.45
XLarge Pizza - 16.95
$1.50 per topping.


Flavor: B
Ambience: A
Service: A
ROI: B

Overall: A-


Ray's Pizza
4199 Campus Dr # D
Irvine, CA 92612
1-949-854-5044
Ray's Pizza website

Mezzo Mezzo Italian Cafe - Huntington Beach, CA [Eating]

(Pictures for this review taken with my Canon PowerShot SD800is.)


("Caffe" is the Italian word for "coffee".)

The Italian panino (the singular form of panini) is a work of sandwich art. Meat, cheese, tomatoes, and herbs are enclosed in an airy ciabatta roll, pressed, and grilled until the crust crisps, the cheese oozes, and the herbs and meat release their lush oils. Rivaled only by the Mexican torta Cubana and its predecessor, the Cuban sandwich, a panino is the perfect cholesterol conveyance for the on-the-go office worker. When I need my fat, starch, and protein fix, I go to Mezzo Mezzo Italian Cafe in Huntington Beach.



Now, if you're looking for an easy way to give yourself a heart attack, there are a plethora of fast food options available that are cheaper and closer to hand. Despite its sinful ingredients, a panino isn't junk food. It's a harmonious melding of fresh, quality ingredients. Biting into the ooey gooey flavor orgy that is one of Mezzo Mezzo Italian Cafe's well made paninis is a sublime experience that no mass produced grease burger could ever hope to reproduce. The Italians are some of the most passionate lovers and eaters in the world, and they make a damn fine sandwich.



My favorite bit of hot Italian lovin' is the Panini Salsicca, with its double action combo of smoked sausage and smoked provolone. This is true food porn at its naughtiest. Oooh... That's a baaaad sandwich that needs to be eaten.



For those of a more PG-13 mindset, the Panini Cotto offers the Disney version of this Italian paean to hot pork goodness.

Personally, I prefer the Panini Stromboli, an uncensored, explicit bacchanal chock full of prosciutto, salami, pepperoni, and smoked sausage. Then again, I've always had a problem with plucky heroines who mature through the course of their adventures only to give up their independence by marrying the earnestly annoying hero, riding off into the sunset, and wasting the rest of their lives spawning his brats. Don't even get me started on the end to the last Pirates of the Caribbean movie. But, I digress.



If you're in complete denial, the Panini Tacchino with lean turkey is the sandwich your Puritanical heart craves. However, you might as well just get one of the vegetarian options instead. Wuss.



As a lighter option, the cafe also offers bruschetta, which misses the point entirely. But, if you decide to go that route, you could go a lot worse than their Bruschetta Pesto. Toasted slices of ciabatta bread are spread with pesto and topped with shavings of Parmesan cheese. Just don't ask them to hold the cheese of I'll be forced to hunt you down and beat you to death with one of Lidia Bastianich's cookbooks.



The Bruschetta Classica, with marinated tomatoes, is a more traditional preparation that's delicious in its freshness and simplicity. However, the real money shot occurs if you can get them to top the Bruschetta Pesto with the tomatoes for the Bruschetta Classica. There's a kick in the palate that almost, almost, makes up for the lack of pork products.



In the mood for something sweet? Try one of Mezzo Mezzo's authentic Italian confections, like this Cannoli filled with candied fruit and sweetened ricotta cheese. They're not fresh made. Gods, what I'd do for some fresh cannoli. But, the cannolis are pretty darn tasty nonetheless.



They've also got a freezer case full of Gelato for some icy refreshment.



My usual preference after some hot and heavy panino action is to settle back with a simple cup of something hot, like a Cappucino or an Espresso. Gotta go something to help that delicious grease digest.


Mezzo Mezzo Italian Cafe - Panini heaven.


Bill:

Bruschetta Pesto - 4.60
Bruschetta Classica - 4.60
Panini Salsicca - 6.25
Panini Cotto - 6.75
Panini Tacchino - 6.75
Cannoli - 4.75
Gelato - 3.25


Flavor: B+
Ambience: A
Service: C+
ROI: C

Overall: B


Mezzo Mezzo Italian Cafe
7251 Warner Ave.
Huntington Beach, CA 92647
1-714-841-1270