BurntZilla - Irvine

14413 Culver Drive

Irvine, CA 92604

Hours 10:00AM to 10:00PM daily

After hearing a lot of good things, I was really excited to hear that Dogzilla and The Burnt Truck were coming together as BurntZilla. Went on a saturday night and the line wasn't too long, the employees were really friendly, and I loved the open layout of the store. 

I got the Golden Combo for $10 which came with a drink, choice of 2 dogs or zillas, and a side.  

Berry Tea (4/5): I loved the berry puree mixed in with the tea, it was a tasty and refreshing drink. 50 cents upgrade. 

Sloppy Joe Zilla (2/5): Meh this was just ok, I didn't really like it though reviews said it was good. 

Dogzilla (3/5): This was good, but the sausage was bordering on cold which made it unpleasant to eat. 

Carne Asada Tots (3/5): I upgraded to these since everyone was raving about it, but found it to be just average. $1 extra. 

Overall I would give BurntZilla a 2/5. The food wasn't as great as I thought it would be, and the fact that everything is served on a Kings Hawaiian bun makes me feel like I'm having too much sweet food for dinner. For $10, I would rather go somewhere else because my meal wasn't filling at all. If I didn't have a bogo combo coupon I would've left very disappointed. 

Gelato Paradiso - Laguna Beach

448 S. Coast Highway Ste A

Laguna Beach, CA 92651

Hours 11:00AM to 9:00PM 

Gelato Paradiso is one of my favorite dessert spots in Laguna. There's always a line here, but it moves pretty quickly and the smell of fresh waffle cones is heaven. I love that you can watch them make the waffles right in front of you, and trust me they are a must order. 

Panna Cotta (4/5): My favorite flavor, if you love cheese or tiramisu get this. Creamy and delicious. 

Cookies & Cream (3/5): This is your average cookies & cream flavor, nothing special. 

Tiramisu (3.5/5): Good, but if it had chunks of tiramisu cake in it, it'd be way better. 

Double Chocolate (3/5): Very rich chocolate flavor, not too sweet. 

I give Gelato Paradiso a 4/5 because their gelato is delicious and the employees are always friendly. Make sure you get the waffle cone too, $1 off when you check in on Yelp! Perfect snack for walking along the beach with. 

McCormick & Schmick's - Irvine

2000 Main Street

Irvine, CA 92614

Weekends 5:00PM to 10:00PM 

Came here for the first time since I had a giftcard and it was OC Restaurant Week. $40 came with a choice of an appetizer, entree, and dessert which is a pretty good deal for this place. 

Calamari (2/5): I've had much better elsewhere. 

Beef Carpaccio (3/5): Would've been really good it was served chilled instead of room temperature. 

Grilled Shrimp (4/5): Very tasty with a nice kick to it, polenta was bland though.

Coffee Crusted Filet (4/5): Cooked perfectly, vegetables were seasoned really well. 

Chocolate Molten Cake (4/5): Perfect dessert for the chocolate lover, very sweet. 

Churro Donut Holes (1/5): This is supposed to be the dessert they're known for, but it was very disappointing. Basically an empty puff with dipping sauces, not sure why it's called a donut hole. 

Overall I would give McCormick's a 3.5/5 because the entrees and chocolate cake were delicious. Service was friendly, but it took awhile to get each course. 

Vitaly - Costa Mesa

2937 Bristol Street

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Daily Hours 7:30AM to 10:30PM

Located at The Camp in Costa Mesa, Vitaly is a cute cafe that is known for their tasty gelato flights. I have tried several flavors and found the tiramisu flavor to be the best. I recently came back to try the food since they were participating in OC Restaurant Week. 

For $30, I received a glass of wine, a shot of espresso, an appetizer, entree, and two scoops of gelato. 

Filet Mignon Straccetti (4/5): strips of filet mignon server over a bed of arugula, baked potatoes, and tomatoes. The meat was tender and yummy, and I added a splash of balsamic vinegar which made it delicious! $18

Tomato & Basil Linguine (3.5/5): We also ordered a pasta on the side since Vitaly hand makes their own noodles. I enjoyed the light, simply flavors and the noodles were perfect. $14

Overall I would give Vitaly a 3.5/5. I would rate it higher, but for people looking to eat in it's a little confusing. You have to get the menu yourself, order at the register, find a seat, and wait. We waited awhile for just the drinks to come out. I also didn't like that they served our espresso with the wine, as it should be served last with the dessert. The food and gelato here is great though. 

R+D Kitchen - Newport Beach

555 Newport Ctr Dr,

Newport Beach, CA 92660

Hours 11:00 AM to 9:00-10:30 PM

Located in Fashion Island, R+D Kitchen is a great spot for dinner. It's a nice restaurant that's on the casual side so it's perfect for a date. I'm usually not too big on going out for American food, but I had to try it once I heard about how good their burgers are and how packed it gets. 

Cheeseburger (4/5): The patty was cooked perfectly and the burger was tasty. A little difficult to eat but they have toothpicks so that kind of helped. It's on the sweeter side, so people who prefer salty burgers may not like it as much. It would've been nice if fries were included with the burger. $14

Fries (2/5): They came out extremely salty so I had to ask them to remake it. Average skinny fries. $4

Overall I would give R+D Kitchen a 3.5/5. I really enjoyed the ambience of the restaurant, but the menu is very limited and on the pricey side. Also, when we first entered the restaurant there were three hostesses available but none of them bothered to help us even though they noticed us waiting. Customer service could use an improvement. 

Afters Ice Cream - Fountain Valley

18030 Brookhurst St

Fountain Valley, CA 92708 

Hours 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM 

After hearing all the hype about their Milky Bun, which is ice cream in a donut, I had to go and try it out for myself. Depending on what time you go, there can be up to an hour wait so you might want to go at an off time. I've been here three times so far and have only experienced a long wait at noon. 

Milky Bun (2.5/5): It was good for the first two bites, but then I found it to be very greasy and heavy. If you really love donuts I would say try it, if not, just stick with their ice cream. 

Jasmine Milk Tea (3/5): Nice creamy ice cream with a hint of jasmine tea flavor. 

Cookie Monster (3/5): Basically cookies and cream ice cream with blue food coloring. 

Milk & Cereal (5/5): I was pretty disappointed with Afters, but this flavor really made up for my first two experiences. Milky flavor with crushed corn flakes throughout and topped with more corn flakes (pictured above). It was absolutely delicious and my new favorite ice cream flavor! 

The price for a scoop of ice cream is $3.50 and $5.00 for the milky bun. I would give Afters a 4/5 just because they have Milk & Cereal. I also like that they have a lot of interesting and new flavors like Churro and Triple C. It might be difficult to find the first time because they only have a small sign that says ICE CREAM above their store, but it's right next to the Pick Up Stix in the plaza. 

Komodo - Venice

235 Main St

Venice, CA 90291

Hours 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM Daily

I love Asian Fusion food and have been wanting to try Komodo for awhile. They have three different combos for only $10, which is a pretty good deal. I decided to go with the Killer Combo, with comes with 4 tacos of your choice and a drink. You can upgrade to one of their specialty drinks for $1 which I highly recommend. I also added an order of their truffle fries. 

Komodo 2.0 (4/5): Pictured above, it is one of their most popular tacos that has all the corn on top. This was really tasty and the sauce they put on it is delicious. 

MP3: (4.5/5): If you like tater tots or texture in your taco definitely get this one. It comes with a crunchy tater tot and a quail egg on top. 

Signature (2/5): This is just your basic taco you can get anywhere. I would not recommend it since the other tacos are more unique. If you do get it, then eat this one first or you'll be disappointed. 

Lychee Lemonade (5/5); Delicious and refreshing, a must try! 

Truffle Fries (4/5): Good but nothing amazing, just your average truffle fries. 

Overall I would give Komodo a 4.5/5 due to their tasty flavor combinations and budget friendly prices. Go to the Venice location because it is much larger and less crowded. I went on a saturday for lunch and there was no wait.