Cinnaholic-Closed

Cinnaholic
101 W Imperial Hwy Unit C
Brea, CA 92821
888-530-1666


Cinnaholic is a vegan cimmamon rolls place.  They give vegans a nice alternative to Cinnabun.  They have a few location in the LA/OC area.  I went to their Brea location.  A small shop with tables along the wall and the counter on the left as you enter.  I seems like an ice cream place, but the smell of cinnamon rolls is all over.

One thing I notice, there is only a very small size, near the OC Health Department sign, that tells customers this is a vegan place.  If you didn't know this was vegan, you would never guess! 

They have a display with the name of the cinnamon listed.  But, what they don't tell you is that there is no special price for these cinnamon rolls.  The pricing is the basic $4.75 for the old school cinnamon plus 25 cents for the frosting and 50 cents per topping, each one had at least two toppings.  So each one was $6.   They are served warm.

You can also put as many toppings and frostings you want.

German chocolate- This was my favorite.  Lots of coconut and walnuts.  The cinnamon roll itself is very soft, a bit chewy, but good texture and it holds up to the toppings!

Apple crisp- Surprisingly very little apple flavor. 

Smores-this was very good, but the graham cracker texture and flavor were off.  I would get this without the graham cracker and put regular graham crackers instead.

Peanut butter and jealous- This was just ok.  The chocolate chips seemed off for peanut butter and jelly. 

Service was good.  But, they should tell you the cinnamon rolls displayed are priced by the number of toppings. 

Cinnaholic was fine, but just too pricey to make this a regular stop.

Elbows Mac N Cheese-Closed

Elbows Mac N Cheese
215 W Birch St
Brea, CA 92821
714-784-6613

Elbows Mac N Cheese might be where Berkeley Dog used to be.  Anyways, a new restaurant in the ever changing Birch Street dining and entertainment center.  There was a Red Brick Pizza and a Fatburger that also called this address home.

It's a fairly small restaurant with counter service.  There are tables as you walk in and the counter is along the back of the building.  There are also about 3-4 tables outside.

Regular sized blue box mac and cheese-$7.55, with American and cheddar cheese.  This is a huge portion size.  The macaroni was cooked perfectly!  The cheese sauce was kind of bland but it did cover the macaroni.  Now that well done cheese topping kind of threw me off.  But, overall an ok dish.

Greenbean fries-$6.95.  I don't know why greenbean fries aren't the new thing!  They are so good.  A nice batter covering the greenbeans!  I'm betting it's frozen, but these were very good.

Service is ok.  The girl who helped us was nice and friendly, but when we walked to the counter she just disappeared to the back.  She made eye contact with us, but still went to the back.  Not sure why, but at least say something before leaving us hanging at the counter.

But, what I found unsettling Elbows, is that the staff treated their job as if they were at home.  I saw staff members eating while on the job.  I saw staff members just sit at tables meant for customers and talk as if they were sitting around the dinner table. Whoever the manager is, they need to get their staff members to treat their jobs as a job, not a social network.

I wouldn't go back to Elbows again.  The main draw, the mac and cheese, was ok.  But, nothing outstanding.

Slapfish-Closed

Slapfish
3405 E Imperial Hwy
Brea, CA 92823
657-444-2291

Slapfish is a chain that recently came into the LA/OC market.  The Brea location opened in a new complex that includes a Whole Paycheck, I mean, Whole Foods, and other upscale restaurants and shops.

A friend told me to check out Slapfish and when I saw they had lobster rolls on their menu, I was going to give them a try!  The two places that I had lobster rolls were Knuckle & Claw and Lobster Grill.  They couldn't be more different!  Knuckle & Claw's lobster roll was served hot, while Lobster Grill's was served cold and more of a lobster salad. 

Fish and chip, $9.  They use hoki fish, which I think tastes a lot like pollock.  The batter was light and crispy.  The portion size was huge, well worth the $9.  The fries were great, still crispy on the outside and soft on the inside!

Lobster roll, $18.  A bit smaller than Knuckle & Claw's version, but also served hot.  This a good, with real lobster, flavorful, and very little to no fillers.  This wasn't a lobster salad!  The bun is better than Knuckle & Claw, but the lobster, which is what you're paying for, is a notch below.  But, still a good example of a lobster roll and a good price.

Service was good.  Orders are cooked to order, so expect a wait!  It's counter service and the girl who took my order was very nice.

I would go back to Slapfish, even if it is behind the Orange Curtain! 

Osaka Seafood Buffet-Closed

Osaka Seafood Buffet
200 S State College Blvd
Brea, CA 92821
714-672-9698

Osaka Seafood Buffet took over what used to be Bobby McGee's restaurant and night club.  Where will the 21 year old now go since Bobby's has closed.  They also took over West Coast Seafood Buffet in Hacienda Heights.  It's amazing as I look back on type of restaurants I have reviewed on The New Diner or The New Diner 2.  When I first started The New Diner, I reviewed a lot of Chinese buffets-many of which are no longer in business.  Now I prefer quality food over the buffets.  Though, I'm not opposed to going to buffets.

The seafood buffets costs $18.99 on weekends and includes lobster claws and Lobster Thermidor.  

Sushi-Crab meat, tuna, shrimp, and yellowtail.  All the sushi was ok.  Not the top quality sushi or even the freshest, but good for buffet.

Spicy tuna hand roll.  This was just ok.  The spicy tuna was a bit mushy, either it wasn't fresh or had been sitting on the buffet table for too long.

Sauteed mushrooms- very well cooked with some onions and soy sauce.  Nice earthy flavor.


Green beens- sauteed and welled cooked, not greasy.

Grill sea bass- this was just ok.  The bass was a bit overcooked and chewy.

Garlic shrimp- This was amazing.  Lots of garlic flavor  with red and green peppers added.  The shrimp was well cooked, pretty fresh.  I would get a to go order for just this garlic shrimp!

Snow crab legs- served warm and fresh.  Good amount of meat and not too salty.

Lobster claws-a bit tough and chewy, but I'm not expecting top quality lobster at a buffet.

Fried noodles- pretty basic fried noodles cooked with soy sauce and a small amount of veggies.

Shrimp cocktail- chilled and good tasting.  Cocktail sauce needed more kick.

Lobster Thermidor- I didn't eat the cheese part, but the lobster itself was chewy and not that fresh.

Service is good.  The plates were taken away promptly and refills were always coming.

Overall, a pretty good seafood buffet and worth the price if you eat a lot.  Somethings I would stay away from like the sushi, but the garlic shrimp is amazing!

Olive Pit Mediterranean Grill

Olive Pit Mediterranean Grill 

2445 E Imperial Hwy
Brea

714-529-3200

A friend raved about Olive Pit Mediterranean Grill and I wanted to see what this place was all about.  It's located in a very busy Wal-Mart shopping center in Brea and they do a great business for lunch; the place was packed when I went there.  You place your order at the counter and they bring your food to your table.  The menu leans toward Greek cuisine. 

Their wraps are all the same price, no matter what protein you get.  I got Chicken breast wrap, $9.54.  whole wheat flat bread, lettuce, marinated tomatoes, feta, rice, pickled red onions, tzatziki sauce and a choice of one side, I got hummus.  Honestly, the wrap was very average and very overpriced.  The ingredients were fresh, but there was a very small amount of chicken.  The chicken was fine but nothing special and certainly not worth the price.  I could go to many other places and get the same wrap for $3 less.

Service is pretty good.  The young lady who took my order was nice and friendly.  While waiting for my food I asked one of the runners what the menu item was, that he was taking to a table.  It looked very good; it was a build your own entree with .  He was nice and helpful too.

I know some people, like my friend, love Olive Pit, but then again some people have no taste, but what can you expect she is an Angels' fans!!  Sorry, I won't return to eat at Olive Pit again, unless my friend is buying since I won the wager.  I said the Angels won't win the AL West Division in 2012 and of course I was right!!  But, knowing my friend she'll take me for the $1 menu at a fast food restaurant.