EatMeCalifornia

by Brian | May 20, 2009 · 8:21 pm

Westlake Jack’s Makes a Mean Monte Cristo

Jack’s Deli in Westlake has been around for quite a while, but I’d never been there. I’d only heard the mixed review from friends and acquaintances. At least until last week, when I had two reliable sources tell me that Jack’s has two things that I love, good breakfast and a nice Monte Cristo.

For those of you who don’t know, the Monte Cristo is the king of sandwiches. You might have thought pastrami would have the crown, or perhaps the philly cheesesteak, or anything not from subway. But you’d be wrong. The Monte Cristo is a triple-decker ham, turkey and swiss sandwich, which is dipped in egg batter, fried a golden brown that would make Scrooge McDuck blush, lovingly dusted in powdered sugar and served with a side of raspberry jam. In essence, it is breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert all rolled into one.

Worth the heart attack? Um, Hell Yes!

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4 Comments

Filed under Ventura County, Westlake Village

Tagged as Breakfast, Chorizo, Deli, Fried foods, Jack's Deli, Lunch, Monte Cristo, omelette, sandwich, Scramble, Westlake Jack's

by Mikey | May 19, 2009 · 10:55 pm

Deadliest Catch – Deadline

by Mikey

So with the absence of Hells Kitchen and Brian’s new devotion to teaching the homeless how to make origami swans, I have now taken over the Deadliest Catch report. Sorry (mommom1) your attempts to have me banned from writing have only worked in Tularosa, New Mexico and don’t get a big head, they just went along with you because I once said Tularosa smells like mayonnaise. On to Deadliest Catch!

This episode labeled “Deadline” marks the last few days of king crab season. Up next is the Opilio season, which is an awesome time to watch this show. If you missed the first part of the season it’s a great time to jump on.

dc -6

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Pulled Pork = Tri Tip?

by Mikey

A new bbq joint opened up not too far from me, so you know I had to check it out. Plus, the place has my name stamped on it, so I had to find out if it was worthy to be a part of the Mike empire. I’m on the fence with this one folks. This place kinda left me confused, bewildered, and just a touch bamboozled.

Big Mike’s Smokehouse – In Ventura on Telephone Road near Saticoy

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3 Comments

Filed under Ventura, Ventura County

Tagged as BBQ, BBQ Pork, Burgers, catering, cornbread, garlic mash potatoes, Pulled Pork, Ribs, Sit-down, sweet potato, Take-out, tri-tip

by Brian | May 17, 2009 · 8:05 pm

‘Nardfest ’09 aka. California Strawberry Festival

by Brian

Did you know that there are like 80 billion festivals in California every year? Enough festivals to have one per person, per day, for about a century. But what makes the California Strawberry Festival so special that EatMeCalifornia would do a whole post on it? Not much, really. Mikey and I just needed to get out. Plus, I was upset that Mikey didn’t take me antiquing on the way home from SF last weekend.

California Strawberry Festival – In an undisclosed location near the University of Oxnard (Oxnard College)

(not as gay as it seems, yet still relatively gay)

As always, when considering an event Mikey and I ask one small but crucial question. Will there be booze? The answer in this case is a resounding YES. They had strawberry beer, (which was quite nice) strawberry margaritas, strawberry wine, strawberry champagne and a whole lot of other stuff. I would tell you about all of it, but I don’t wanna sound like that retard from Forrest Gump. That guy was retarded, right?

Anyway… Booze? Check. Food? Oh hells yeah! Here are a couple of the delicacies that we sampled on this fine Oxnardian day: Continue reading →

2 Comments

Filed under Oxnard, Ventura County

Tagged as Antiquing, BBQ, BBQ Pork, Beer, California Strawberry Festival, Fair Food, Free Glass, garlic fries, Hot Links, Kettle Corn, Meat on a Stick, strawberries, strawberry beer, strawberry festival, Trent

by Mikey | May 16, 2009 · 9:16 pm

Alaskan Style Pizza?

by Mikey

As you all know, B and I just finished up a trip to San Francisco to get my hoopty. On our way back down south I wanted to get B to this pizza place called the Klondike Café. It’s a cool little joint in the town of Arroyo Grande. They have some great pizza and a really great atmosphere.

Klondike Café – Arroyo Grande: Take Grand Ave Exit off the 101 North

klondike cafe

I’ve known about Klondike for a while. I used to live in Arroyo Grande for a few years and have a couple of good places we will be adding to the EatMeCalifornia map. Klondike Café is a stop you should definitely add. They are in the basement of a building on Grand Ave, in the little old town of AG. It’s Alaskan style pizza in a very cool tavern-like atmosphere. Continue reading →

4 Comments

Filed under Arroyo Grande, San Luis Obispo

Tagged as Alaska, Arroyo Grande, Arroyo Grande Strawberry Festival, Beer, crushed pepper, Gold Rush, Iditarod, Klondike, Moose Head, Musher, penuts, Pismo Beach, Pizza, PMS, reindeer, Sit-down, Spicy

by Brian | May 15, 2009 · 8:49 pm

Fiamme Puts A Fresh Spin On Italian

by Brian

What do you get when you mix classic Italian cuisine with a little bit of home-grown Cajun? The answer is Fiamme. This new addition to the Thousand Oaks dining scene went in where the old Alessio went out. In essence the menu has remained Italian, but the prices are better and the owners, Jerry and Liz, have added a little of bit of Cajun fun and flavor to the dining experience.

Fiamme Restaurant and Bar – On Thousand Oaks Blvd. in Thousand Oaks

There’s something to be said for eating in a beautiful setting. This restaurant is richly appointed and comfortable. The red hues and wrought iron, soft chairs and softer light make it a place befitting a fine Italian restaurant. As far as looks go, this place can compete with anywhere I’ve been in Ventura County, or anywhere else for that matter. Continue reading →

5 Comments

Filed under Thousand Oaks, Ventura County

Tagged as after work drinks, Alessio, Bell Pepper, cajun, Fiamme, Fiamme Restaurant and Bar, happy hour, Italian, Italian-American, new, Pepperonata, pork chop, Spicy, Stella Artois

by Mikey | May 14, 2009 · 11:07 pm

Hell’s Kitchen Finale!

by Mikey

Beware. There be spoilers ahead!

We have finally reached the end for Season 5 of Hell’s Kitchen and I gotta say, it’s about time. This has been a rough season to watch, mostly because of the lack of talent and the abundance of the mentally challenged. Let’s kick it off with a recap of last week.

I’ve learned my lesson with Hells Kitchen and didn’t bother posting a Hell’s Kitchen article last week. Knowing ahead of time that they always do the most to stretch it out, I thought it would be a wasted article and as usual (except for the time I jumped that rod iron fence in baggy shorts) I was right.

In the first part of the season finale Danny and Paula begin to design their restaurants. Paula is going for more of a bistro, while Danny seems to be leaning towards Danny’s fish and beer. Continue reading →

2 Comments

Filed under On TV

Tagged as Borgata, chicken, Danny and Paula, Dessert, finale, Fish, Fox, Gordon Ramsey, Hells Kitchen, monk fish, scallop, Seafood, season winner

EatMeCalifornia

Westlake Jack’s Makes a Mean Monte Cristo

Deadliest Catch – Deadline

Pulled Pork = Tri Tip?

Big Mike’s Smokehouse – In Ventura on Telephone Road near Saticoy

‘Nardfest ’09 aka. California Strawberry Festival

California Strawberry Festival – In an undisclosed location near the University of Oxnard (Oxnard College)

Alaskan Style Pizza?

Klondike Café – Arroyo Grande: Take Grand Ave Exit off the 101 North

Fiamme Puts A Fresh Spin On Italian

Fiamme Restaurant and Bar – On Thousand Oaks Blvd. in Thousand Oaks

Hell’s Kitchen Finale!