Tag Archives: chips and salsa

Fred’s Mexican Café

by Mikey

Yes it’s another review for a Mexican Restaurant; this one however has 2 great things going for it. Location and atmosphere. Fred’s is on the main drag in Huntington Beach and its got good food and a really great atmosphere for drinkin and hanging out. Only issue is stairs…….

Fred’s Mexican Café – Huntington Beach

Just like the Huntington Beach Brewery, Fred’s has a mass amount of stairs. Drunk people must be much more coordinated in HB cause stairs around here means drunks giggling, laughing, yelling, and then falling. Drunks need flat ground as they drink in herds and need flat space to sip from the well and run in the event of an ex or the police.

Once you make the assent up to Fred’s you’ll see that it was worth it. Half their seating has a great view of the nightlife below and they even have the place split in half with the serious drinkers on one side and the social drinkers on the other side. They have a fireplace which is beautiful but unnecessary for the alcoholic as we have internal heating systems that are triggered by the consumption of Vodka or Whiskey.

0808092332

Fred’s also has some pretty good music. Anywhere they play 80’s and early 90’s is good for me. I know Brian is more into Yani and old guys that play wood flutes but it was still pretty rockin.

They have a few beers on tap and my brother Alex and I ordered up a couple. I got mine in the huge ass Fred’s Glass which is great at the beginning but tends to get warm kinda quick.

I was the only one eatin tonight as my bro decided that beer, chips , and salsa is all that would be on his menu. I being A: a big dude, and B: a guy who writes for a food site tries to get food wherever I go. I ordered the carne asada enchilada plate.

First off their salsa is decent. It’s perfect for those alcoholics that like to graze while the drink with the heard. It’s not all that spicy but is still zesty and fresh tasting.

The enchilada was not too bad. The carne asada was good; it was cooked well and had a great flavor. The cheese is a bit bland and I would have enjoyed a more zesty and exciting sauce. It’s not a bad dish but it could use some life. Kick up the chili, the garlic, add some onion, cilantro, a little lime, anything to give it just a bit more life.

0808092335

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’d like to try a few more dishes there so I’m counting on you guys to head over to Fred’s and try it out. It’s a really great place to drink and I’d like to know how some of their other dishes play out. See if you can get them to put in an escalator.

Leave a comment

Filed under Huntington Beach, Orange County

Mama Rita’s Revenge

by Brian

So tonight, I was totally planning on doing a review on this Mexican restaurant that I went to last week.  But to be honest, it wasn’t that great and I was lacking the inspiration necessary to feign interest in the place.  Therefore, on a whim, I chose to make my triumphant return to Mama Rita’s in Newbury Park.

For those of you who haven’t read the Kitchen Nightmares debacle, check it out now before you jump into my post tonight.

mamas sign

So I wanted to originally go back to Mama Rita’s with the crew that we took to the Kitchen Nightmares shoot.  But conflicting schedules, plus the fact that Michelle had a baby in the interim (congrats, btw!), made it a luxury that I just couldn’t afford.  I walked into the place at around 7:45pm and was greeted warmly by the owner’s mother.  She offered me a table, but since I was all alone, I opted to saddle up to the bar. Continue reading

7 Comments

Filed under Newbury Park, Ventura County

Wasting Away at Margarita Villa

by Mikey

Any trip to Ventura should always include a trip to the Harbor.  There are a lot of restaurants to choose from, so over the next few months EatMeCalifornia will try to get you a good idea of where to go for the best views and the best food.  We’ve already given you the Seafood Broiler.  Now it’s time to spend some time at Margarita Villa.

Margarita Villa – Ventura Harbor

Margarita Villa is on the top deck, right above the carousel.  They have one of the best views of the Harbor and a great deck to eat and enjoy the view. Like most of the restaurants in the harbor, it has the hand painted walls, lots of windows and a full bar.  There are a few TVs to catch a game and they have a live band a few nights a week.  On this particular night there was a band and for the most part they played cover songs.  All I remember of the talent is a horrible rendition of Johnny Be Good.  I hoped the food would be better then the music, because I think I saw Chuck Berry crouched in a corner, ready to hit the lead singer with his guitar. Continue reading

Leave a comment

Filed under Ventura, Ventura County

The Biggest Freakin’ Mexican Restaurant Ever

by Brian

Hey everyone,

If you’ve been playing along at home, you already know Mikey’s boy Trent is a soccer star and recently discovered savant.  What you don’t know is that he went and did what every kid always does… he got sick.  That’s how it came to pass that the baton would fall to me to post this fine evening.  Lucky for me I skipped lunch.

Yolanda’s – On Los Angeles Ave. between First and Madera, Simi Valley

I’ve been wanting to go to this place for a long time, but just haven’t had the opportunity.  Well, that all changed tonight.  Since Yolanda’s is right on my way to the skating rink (yeah, i’m a nerd like that) I figured I just couldn’t pass it up.

yolandas

The first thing I noticed was that this place was huge.  I know it looks tall from the photo I took, but that isn’t the half of it.  They have a decent sized bar, big patio and two huge banquet hall sized dining rooms.  I think the only place that’s bigger is Los Toros, but that’s because they just kept annexing territory in their own attempt at manifest mexican food destiny. Continue reading

6 Comments

Filed under Simi Valley, Ventura County

The Inaugural EatMeCalifornia Dinner and a Movie

by Brian

For the second time in three days we are debuting a new column on the site. This one, unlike deadliest catch, is not going to be every week. What we are aiming to accomplish though, is to see one of the newest movies in theaters and then find a review to pair with it, hence the name “Dinner and a Movie.”

For our first attempt, I saw Crank: High Voltage.

Yeah, I thought he died in the first one too.

Yeah, I thought he died in the first one too.

Continue reading

3 Comments

Filed under Chatsworth, Los Angeles Area, San Fernando Valley, Uncategorized