Tacos y Mariscos Sinaloa in Anaheim: No Me Gusta (Not to My Liking)

Being right next to Santa Ana, I was sure I could find a good Mexican place out in Anaheim. Well, I first tried to go to Gabbi's in Orange but after learning the wait was an hour for a place that actually looked like a tourist trap from the outside, we shifted gears and landed at Tacos y Mariscos Sinaloa in Anaheim. Sinaloa is a state on the Northwest coast of Mexico known for seafood as you can see from the restaurant's namesake (mariscos).


The margaritas were average, on the strong side but nothing to write home about. The guacamole was also average, not too flavorful but ok. I wish it had more kick but that came from the three salsas they gave us. One was a liquidy guacamole that was spicy; another was a roasted tomato salsa that was the spiciest and my fave and the last was a plain pico de gallo-like salsa that didn't have too much flavor.

Then again, I like everything roasted and charred although it's not good for me, so take that with a grain of salt. Chips were nice and warm. We got the shrimp a la Diabla and fish al mojo de ajo, which basically means drowning in garlic.

The shrimp in a spicy creamy sauce wasn't great. The sauce wasn't as creamy as it should have been and didn't taste like Diabla sauce.

The refried beans were like mush and tasteless, not to mention the rice.

Never thought I'd say this but the fish al mojo de ajo had far too much garlic on it for my taste.

The rice and beans were unremarkable and I actually had to remove some garlic chunks off the fish because it was excessive.

It had promise but didn't deliver much and I likely won't be returning.

El Gaucho Market in Anaheim: Chimichurri Saves the Day, er, Empanadas

Just as I was pleasantly surprised to see there was a Little Arabia in Anaheim, I rejoiced when I found an Argentine market that also sells empanadas nearby where I was staying. They were baked empanadas at that, even better than the fried ones.

I tried the ground meat, ham and cheese, the chicken one they gave me by mistake and the spinach one.

All of them were huge disappointments except for the spinach one.

The chimichurri sauce made everything better, of course. I drowned each bite with a generous spoonful of this amazing parsley, garlic and oil sauce.

The crust was great -- baked to a crusty golden brown. That wasn't the issue.

It was the filling. The ground meat was completely lacking flavor and don't get me started on the bland as water chicken. Even the ham and cheese, which should have at least been salty from the ham, was bland. No stringy melted cheese.

On the upside, the coffee was good. I had the cappuccino and it was very respectable.

I can't say the same for the service -- curt and really makes you not want to return. The only semblance of service was the "hasta luego" I got when I left. I would advise they save the "hasta luego" and start with "servicio con una sonrisa (service with a smile)."

I'm still searching for an empanada here that's as good as Julia's in DC.

Country Family Cafe in Anaheim: Decent Chilaquiles for Breakfast

I'm going to feature the eats from OC every day of the week -- the good, the bad and the ugly. Today's entry: Country Family Cafe in Anaheim. It's close enough to the hotel area but also far enough that it's not a zoo, as in tourist trap.

We wanted a low-key diner-type place for breakfast-y goodies and this place hit the spot. The vegetable omelet was just above average but the clincher was the chilaquiles.

Crispy tortilla chips topped with tomato sauce with cheese paired with scrambled eggs and perfectly browned potatoes and refried beans. I liked that the potatoes weren't oversalted.

I cleaned up my plate nicely.

Just don't expect the coffee to be any good, or the juice, for that matter. Ok, they could have used a better salsa too but let's look at the bright side.

Forn Al Hara in Anaheim: Excellent Savory Pastries + Zatar

When I found out I was going to be staying around Anaheim for a few days, I immediately went on turbo research mode. I knew there had to be more to Anaheim than massive amusement parks. I knew we’d be run down by tourists and convention goers alike but that didn’t deter my determination to find some good eats around there. I quickly learned that Anaheim is home to Little Arabia with many bakeries selling delicious shwarmas and baked goods that I couldn’t wait to sample. Then there was Little Saigon nearby. Ah…


The first installment of my OC excursion starts in Forn Al Hara in the heart of Little Arabia on Anaheim Blvd, just a five minute drive from the tourist trap area. It has an array of sweets and variations of baklava (pistachio or cashew, to name a few) and if you’re in for lunch, you can get one of the many zatars offered.

Zatar is like a flatbread or pizza and the traditional one comes with spices and sesame seeds. The helpful woman behind the counter recommended the vegetable zatar that is eaten rolled up. She couldn’t have recommended a better one for me.

I’m no vegetarian (the understatement of the century) but I loved the combination of the warm dough fresh out of the oven (and they have a nice one that would put any serious pizza joints to shame), freshly cut cucumbers and tomatoes that gave it a crunch and the kicker – roughly chopped salty, briny green olives that provide the flavor center of the sandwich. All zatars start off as the traditional one that has oregano, sesame seed and other spices on it.

I also tried some of the baklava that were good but I don't have too much of a sweet tooth so couldn't have more than a bite. Although not my cup of tea, I saw people buy boxes of the tiny baklava so they seem to sell like hot cakes.

Speaking of tea, another thing I liked about this place was the fresh mint it offers by the hot water dispenser for mint tea. It was a fine accompaniment to my zatar.

While not photogenic, here's what a zatar looks like. Delish.