Vietnamese Food at ……. A Diner? – Santa Cruz Diner – Santa Cruz, CA

This is the same thing that Guy Fieri said when he rolled into Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz Diner was recently featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives (DDD). It is a New Jersey-style diner on the main strip in Santa Cruz. When I heard that they not only had classic diner food but killer Vietnamese Pho (soup) and spring rolls I just had to check it out for myself.

I was up in the Bay area and decided it was as good a time to see what the deal was. My friend Nathan joined me on the trip. Nathan says he is a fan of the blog. That may be true but I do know he benefits greatly when he joins in on a Saturday Night Foodies’ adventure! It is safe to say we pigged out and made sure we tried a number of items. Some were outstanding and some were not. The place was packed and had a nice long wait by the time we left.

Vietnamese Spring rolls with Peanut Sauce 

We tried the Vietnamese Spring Rolls which came with a spectacular peanut sauce. The spring rolls are almost what you would expect, lettuce, rice noodles, shrimp and mint. Only difference was these had a little pork too. The star of this dish was the definitely the peanut sauce. This was not a store-bought sauce but had to be homemade. The sauce had a richness all it’s own with a little kick and some peanuts for texture. One of the best peanut sauces I have ever had, if not the best.

Sweet Coconut Waffle

Next was Nathan’s main course. Santa Cruz Diner offers breakfast all day long and there is a ton to choose from. So he made his own “Chicken and Waffles”. Sweet Coconut Waffle and fried chicken basket was his way of putting this together. Maybe in the future they will offer it as a single plate. It worked out well for us because I got to try some of it as well. The waffle looked like a Belgium waffle you would get in any diner except……. It was green! Yes, they added green food coloring to the mix. The flavor was unreal. It had some sweetness with a little touch of coconut. Little funky, little crunchy and super tasty!

Chicken Basket

The fried chicken basket came with fries. The chicken did not seem like something they did in-house. Actually I felt I recognized the style of frozen chicken from my old cooking days. Not bad but nothing special. The fries were nothing to write home about either. Everything was cooked correctly but that is about it.

Chicken Pho

I ordered the chicken Pho. This is made with homemade chicken broth, breast meat and the bowl was huge! Yeah, who would figure it? It came with all the fixings, basil, bean sprouts, fresh jalapenos, sriracha and hoisin sauce. Was this the best Pho I have ever had, no, but it was very good. Living in Orange County there is no shortage of spectacular Pho restaurants. That being said, this one could hold its own.

Biscuit and Gravy!

Last but not least, their biscuit and gravy. If you read this blog regularly, then you know I cannot pass up an opportunity to try homemade biscuits and gravy. They knocked it out of the park with this. The biscuit was big, spongy and perfect. The gravy was silky and very flavorful. I need to come back and just try some of their breakfast items. I bet the rest are just as good.

Well that was all we had. We almost had to be rolled out of there. If you are in the Santa Cruz area and don’t know what you want to eat or if you are looking for some good diner fare, make sure you check out the Santa Cruz Diner. They have a huge menu that should be able to satisfy any craving!

Share and Enjoy:

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Italian Triple D in the OC – Mama Cozza’s - Anaheim

Soon there will be two Diners, Drive-ins and Dives in the OC. We already visited Paul’s Coffee Shop sometime back and that has become one of my favorite breakfast stops. Now it was time to finally check out Mama Cozza’s in Anaheim. Neither of these have yet been show cased on the show but from what we hear it should be within the next month or so. If you were wondering how we found out about these upcoming episodes head over to FlavorTownUSA.com. If you are into Triple Ds then this site is your friend.


From what we heard from our server, the host of Triple D Guy Fieri has been back since the taping to bring his family. If you watch the show you know that is because he really likes it.

Mama Cozza’s is an old style Italian restaurant that is getting ready to celebrate their 45th anniversary next month. It is a little darker on the inside unlike the new style bright and airy places that are found everywhere. It was relaxing and we did not feel rushed.

We ordered their fried calamari as a starter. The calamari was nice and crispy. Good sized helping like everything they serve. It came with a side of Mama’s red sauce that is one of the better tomato sauces I have had from a restaurant. I like my recipe more but this was really good.

Fried Calamari with Mama's Sauce

Turns out both times Guy visited Mama Cozza’s he ordered their Linguini Domery. Picture a bed of linguini, clams, sausage and a red sauce. It was very fresh and had a ton of flavor. The chewiness of the clams along with the meatiness of the sausage were a perfect combination. I now know why he ordered it twice.

Linguini Domery

My dinner came with a Caesar salad and an egg flower noodle soup with spinach and chicken. The Caesar was nice and stinky because you have the option of having anchovies. Not just on top but we noticed them in the dressing as well. That is a very nice touch. Very few places do that anymore.

Caesar Salad with Anchovies

Egg Flower Noodle Soup with Spinach and Chicken

My wife Kim ordered the Eggplant Parmesan. Their Eggplant Parmesan is prepared like lasagna with lots of layers of breaded eggplant, mozzarella cheese and sauce. It had a fresh homemade taste that could convert non-eggplant lovers. I am sure she would order this one again.

Eggplant Parmesan

When we were done with our meal we were asked if we would like some complementary Anisette.   It is flavored liquor that tastes like black licorice.  Now that was a nice touch.  Nothing like a little after dinner liquor to finish off a great meal.

Anisette

Next time we go I want to save some room for dessert. There was what looked like a nice long list of delicious treats. They do big portions so make sure you plan accordingly. The service was very good. We enjoyed our dinner and will visit them again.

Share and Enjoy:

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Why can't Every Meal be Breakfast - Paul's Coffee Shop

Finally we made it to Paul’s Coffee Shop in Fountain Valley, CA. Paul’s will be a joint on an upcoming episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (DDD). The coolest part for me is finding places like this that have not yet aired. For some reason they are extra special. The only other DDD we have been to prior to it being aired was Dottie’s in San Francisco. Hey, now that I think of it that was a breakfast joint as well.

We got to Paul’s on a Sunday morning and the place was already busy with what looked to be regulars. That was a very good sign. The other thing we noticed when we entered was the large board with their specials. There were many tantalizing offers posted.

From what I can tell Paul’s is known for their fresh ingredients and the fact that they do not skimp on anything. Talking with our very friendly waitress Mary Anna, we learned that Phil, the guy who owns the joint is very proud of the product that he serves.

It took a little while to decide. Between the specials and their regular menu there was quite a bit to choose from. Kim ordered the chicken fried chicken with eggs, hash browns and a biscuit. Think chicken fried steak but with a pounded out chicken breast. It was huge and took up a plate almost by itself. It was cooked perfectly with a great texture and flavor from the crispy salt and pepper batter. The kicker was the chicken gravy, super silky and full of flavor. It was like liquid gold. Amazing!

Chicken Fried Chicken with Gravy

Scrambled Eggs and Hash Browns

I ordered a Loco Moco, which is a couple scopes of rice topped with a hamburger patty topped with eggs and finally smothered in a brown gravy. I used to get this all of the time when I lived in Hawaii. Very popular there with the locals. It is hard to find something that compares here on the mainland but this was a grand exception. The Loco Moco was exactly how I remembered it. The rice and eggs were cooked perfectly. And this gravy was just as good as the other one. As Guy would say Paul’s is off the hook!

Loco Moco

I have a feeling this will become one of our regular weekend breakfast adventures! You have to check this place out.

Share and Enjoy:

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Is there anything to eat in Denver? – Sam’s No.3

It has been a week or so since my last post.  I wanted to get this one out so I do not fall too far behind.  I am spending a couple of days in Denver this week.  I was lucky enough to get away for a dinner and check out a local favorite Sam’s No.3.

A buddy of mine by the name of Nathan joined me for this.  This is one of the few places that he wanted me to check out in Denver.  One thing that you may find a little weird is there are ZERO Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives in Colorado.  What is up with that?  You cannot tell me there are no funky joints around.  That is just not possible! 

Nathan and I headed out to Sam's No.3, which is in Downtown Denver.  It is in a very nice part of town on the corner of 15th and Curtis.  This is one of three of their restaurants in the Denver area.

 Sam's No.3 Downtown Denver

Sam’s is a diner that looks to be mostly known for their breakfast.  They have a full bar, good number of tables and some counter seats.   They call themselves a Mexi Grill and Bar.  The bar had a good selection.  I had a Patron Silver Margarita, which was pretty good.  Food wise they have a good-sized menu, breakfast was about half of it.  They had an impressive breakfast burrito selection.  I would guess there were 15 to 20 available.  In addition to breakfast they had entrees, sandwiches and a number of Mexican dishes.  They are proud of their hot turkey sandwich, their two-pound burrito and their green chili.

 

Both Nathan and I got burritos (not the two pounder) that were covered in pork green chili.  The chili was very good.  It is a tomatillo based with pork chili.  It reminded me to of a traditional Chili Verde.  Not spicy but with tons of favor. 

 Chicken Fajita Burrito with Pork Green Chili

Overall everything was good.  In the future I am planning to check them out for breakfast.  I have a feeling that will be incredible.  However if you are in the Denver area check them out.  Breakfast is key but I am told there will be a wait.  Dinner was not very busy for us but it was worth stopping by.

Share and Enjoy:

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•