Our conversation inevitably turned to the somewhat infamous Kogi BBQ truck. For those not aware, Kogi BBQ operates taco trucks. Yes, exactly like the shady ones you see parked at construction sites. But what makes them innovative is that they’re quality, gourmet food and instead of targeting construction workers they drive around trying to serve up food to hungry, hip crowds like at clubs and other strategic spots. Kogi technically is Korean BBQ, but they serve a sort of fusion cuisine that is Korean BBQ mixed with Mexican favorites like tacos, burritos, quesadillas and some other taco truck fare like hotdogs and sliders.

My friend insisted that Kogi, like Pink’s, doesn’t live up to the hype and isn’t worth the long wait times in line. Well, it just so happened that I had been tracking their truck’s Orange County locations on their website and was planning on checking it out this evening.

This evening they were parked in Orange not too far from my house, we drove over to the location and had to find parking about a block away. We saw the truck and the impressive line stretching around the parking lot. As we walked over some guy yelled over to us “That’s some line for a roach coach!” Yes it was, but then how many ‘roach coaches’ do you know of with rabid followers who bring portable picnic tables to eat at?

After about a 30min. wait we got to the front of the line and I have to be honest, there were several times I had doubts, wondering if it’s really worth it. Was it really all it was hyped up to be? The aromas coming from their truck and the throngs of people told me this had to be the real deal. We ordered and I got the chicken tacos and the blackjack quesadillas and after about 15 more minutes we got our order.

In the case of Kogi, I have to again emphatically disagree with my friend. I can tell you Kogi lives up to it’s hype, it’s absolutely amazing, mouth watering, delicious BBQ. Yes, it’s worth the wait. Granted we only waited in line for 30min., I’ve heard of lines as long as 1 hour or more. I don’t know if I’d wait in a line that long for it, but I’d seriously consider it, so what does that tell you?

Kogi is yet again another example of one of my basic life lessons: If you’re looking for a good place to eat, you cant go wrong with the place that has the longest line. OK, you CAN go wrong, but very rarely. One of these days I’ll write about one of those places. In the mean time, hunt down a Kogi BBQ truck and chow down!

I’ve never been to an eating establishment that had that one characteristic and been disappointed! The Original Pancake house is no exception, and if you are in the area or within reasonable driving distance, the trek down to Yorba Linda is well worth it on a Sunday morning. And so is the wait, though it can be frustrating if you’re really hungry, which I usually am on Sunday mornings. I recommend you arrive early, put your name in, grab some bench and read through a complimentary newspaper.

Pancake House delivers on the failed promise of IHOP, namely a menu loaded with exotic and foreign breakfast creations. German pancakes, Swedish pancakes, Idaho potato pancakes, Belgium waffles, crepes… the list literally goes on and on! If you don’t believe me check out their website. We’ve visited Pancake House dozens of times and I’ve ordered something different every time and I haven’t made a dent in their menu. Everything there is excellent!

In particular I’m very fond of their apple creations (pancake, crepes or waffles), the potato pancakes and they have really good coffee and hot chocolate. The place is always packed and the service is brisk since they are trying to move so many people through. The prices are reasonable and you get a ton of food, you won’t walk away dissatisfied!

I ordered the half rotisserie chicken, which is sort of what Rosine’s is famous for, and that fame is well deserved. But in my opinion the main event at Rosine’s, and the whole reason for us going, is their amazing garlic sauce! If you drop by Rosine’s the garlic sauce is not to be missed. It’s creamy, whipped, sweet roasted garlic heaven. Most of the dishes come with a choice of sides, if garlic sauce isn’t enough garlic for you there’s garlic mashed potatoes, but I recommend the red roasted potatoes. Another favorite side that I can’t resist is the hummus. I consider myself somewhat of a hummus connoisseur and the hummus at Rosine’s is not the best I’ve ever had but it’s decent.

Rosine’s is one of the local establishments that is absolutely a must, if you’ve never been there make plans to go right now. The atmosphere at Rosine’s is a little bit upscale but intimate. If you’re looking for a good date restaurant this is a good choice, of course the whole garlic factor has to be taken into account.

After some pita bread and garlic sauce and amazing rotisserie chicken I was feeling much better and ready to tackle the rest of the weekend.

Our first impression was the atmosphere. Café Contigo is first and foremost a coffee house, so it has that community/hangout feel to it, and if there’s one thing Cubans know how to do well it’s community hangouts. The decor and ambiance is great! Weathered furniture, deep tones, great natural light and outdoor eating area mixed with wonderful, authentic music. They also have really great coffee table books of life in Cuba and table games like Cuban dominoes. I already knew I was going to like this place the moment I walked in.

Their Cuban Sandwich is authentic and delicious. The foundation of a great Cuban sandwich is really good, crusty Cuban bread, and I found out from talking with the personable staff that Café Contigo gets some of their baked goods (including bread) from Porto’s Bakery in Glendale. Those in the know, know that is a very very good thing! The empanadas at Café Contigo are also delectable, perfectly spiced and cooked. I dare you to only eat one.

If I had one criticism of Café Contigo it’s that their menu is kind of on the light side. The smoothies are not very authentic and they are missing the most quintessential of Cuban Batidos: Mamey. The lack of a Batido de Mamey from the menu was a glaring disappointment. They could also consider adding other sandwiches, Tostones and fried Yucca fries to the menu.

Still, this place was a great find and I look forward to returning and sampling more of their coffee treats and enjoying more empanadas!