Sonny's Pizza & Pasta: From Out Of Nowhere!!!

Ohhhhhh hohohohohoho!!!! Sonny!! Where the hell did you come from, Bra?!?!? I had been hearing good things about Sonny's for years but had never made the trek down to San Clemente to try it for myself. Well yesterday, that changed!!!! I decided that I was going to make Sonny's Pizza & Pasta my Final Four food!! On a side note, what a terrible game!! I was looking forward to the moment all day when the beautiful combination of delicious food, an empty stomach, and an entertaining game all come together to form the most brilliant experience one can know.... OK, we'll throw alcoholic beverage in there too!! Ahahahahahahahaha!!! But that game was flat out boring and ruined what could've possibly been the most beautiful moment of my life! But I'm not complaining!!! All is well!!!! Ahahahahahaha!!!!!

Let me just say this, Sonny's pizza came from out of nowhere for me!!!! I mean, I was expecting it to be good, but I had no idea it would be this good!!! With each bite I took it forced me to ask myself a question, "could it be? Is it?" I mean I have been to Italy, New York, Chicago, Petrillo's in San Gabriel and Zacharey's in Berkeley and would say that I have sampled some of the finest pizza this world has to offer. But with each bite I dropped into my mouth I had to ask, "could it be? I mean, Could this be the best pizza I have ever eaten in my life?!?!" Now now, I'm not saying it is. But all I'm saying is that Sonny's Pizza made me consider that what I was experiencing might have been the best ever.... Oh what the hell am I saying?!?! Sonny's is IT people!!!!!!! It is the best pizza this world we live in will ever know!!!!!!! Period exclamation point!!!!!! I just can't deny it anymore!!!! I can't!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhh hahahahahahaha!!!!!!! The crust/sauce combination is what really makes this pizza special!!! There sauce is... (I've been staring at my computer screen for the past 15 minutes trying to think of a word to describe their sauce, and you know what?!?!?! There is no word!!! It is of such deliciousness that the vocabulary of the English language fails to encapsulate a fair description of the sauce at Sonny's!!!! Sonny's Pizza has conquered the English language!!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhh hahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!) Plus, their crust is super thin so after I decimated one of their large pizzas with basil, garlic, chicken, and tomato I had plenty of room to pound down one of their meatball sandwiches (which is also excellent), and my last box of thin mints!!!! (Damn I'm gonna miss those things!!)

The Nature Boy Ric Flair once said, "If you want to be the best, you've gotta beat the best!!! Wooooooooo!!!" For anybody out there who thinks they have a pizza better than Sonny's, well then you gotta come and take the championship belt, baby!!! Bring it on!!!! Ahhhhhhhh hahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!

Fuzzy's Taco Shop: Good atmosphere, Great food, Cheap beer!!

Simply put, this place is delicious! The food is absolutely awesome!!! Their chicken tacos are so incredibly flavorful that my head popped back in stunned pleasure as my taste buds encountered the combination of fowl, tortilla, veggies, and cheese!! But but but but but... the real joy of Fuzzy's is their vinegar based hot sauce!! What an absolutely unforgettable experience dousing and eating taco after taco after taco after taco after taco after taco after taco with their hot sauce!!! I mean it was unlike anything I've ever put on a taco!!! ... EVER!!!!!!!

Perhaps one of the most exciting aspects of Fuzzy's Taco's though is their atmosphere and cheap beer on tap!!!! Ahahahahahahahaha!!!! Now, I'm not talking about cheap as in bad, but cheap as in inexpensive! You can get a pint of Shiner for $3 and that's not even the happy hour price.... that's regular price!!!! Gosh!!! I loved the fact that in Texas beer on tap is so inexpensive!!! California is a g-dam ripoff when buying beer on tap!!! Sigh...

But I digress! On to brighter things! Fuzzy's has the feel of a bar, yet it isn't a bar!!! It's a fantastic taco shop that serves up cold beer at a good price! If I lived in Ft. Worth you can bet I would camp my ass at Fuzzy's and make it my local watering hole while sucking back tacos doused in their vinegar based hot sauce on a regular basis!!! Aboslutely unbelievable and brilliant!! We need places like this in California!!!! Now!!!! If we did, I would be there every day of the week!!! Ahhhhhhhhhh hahahahahahahahaha!!!! Good food, festive atmosphere, and $3 Shiners on tap!!!! I loved this place!!!! Nuff said!!! Ahahahahahahaha!!!

Hard Eight BBQ: Unlike Anything I've Ever Experienced!!!

I recently went to Texas for the first time and upon stepping off of the jet way into the Dallas/Forth Worth Airport the first thing I said to myself was, "Damn, there are a lot of fat people in Texas!" Hey, we can all get a little chubby and might carry around a spare tire, right?!?!?! Ahhhhhhhhhhh hahahahahahahahahaha!!!!! But I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about people in Texas being HUGE!!! Like GIGANTIC!!! The type of person you see and say to yourself, "Dude, I like to eat too, but push away from the table or mix in a salad every now and then!" That was the first thing I noticed. The second thing I noticed was that there were BBQ restaurants everywhere. And of course Texas is known for their BBQ! So when in Texas, do as the Texans do and eat some BBQ, right?!?! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hahahahahahahahaha!!!! Hard Eight was only about 10 minutes from where I was staying so I ventured over to Coppell to Hard Eight for lunch one day!!!! When I first arrived, the smell of the meat being blown about by the strong Dallas winds was overwhelming! I mean, I could've just sat in the damn parking lot all day and basked in the beautiful odor of charred beef and pork fat that Hard Eight was emitting! But I had to eat this stuff! When I got to the front of the line I ordered brisket, pork ribs, spicy sausage, mac and cheese, potato salad and cole slaw! I took a seat and simply put, I lost all control. I started to stuff the brisket into my face with reckless abandon! I lacerated my gums against a pork rib bone because I was tearing the meat off of and licking the bone uncontrollably!!!! And their sauce!!! Oh my goodness!!!! I mean, wow!!!! That's all I can say! Both their hot and regular bbq sauces were unlike anything my pallet had ever experienced! Incredible!!!! Their spicy hot sauce was a thinner, runnier type of sauce that definitely had a vinegar base to it! No joke, I took a small cup and started doing shots of their spicy bbq sauce!!! It was that good, people!!! Oh, and I can't end this review without mentioning something about their potato salad!! There was some sort of mustard base to it that made me just close my eyes and take a moment of silence! Eating the food at Hard Eight was a precious and holy moment! That's a fact!!!

Eating always brings about a euphoric feeling for me! However, this is perhaps one of the only times that when I finished eating this feeling of depression overwhelmed my soul! Why was I depressed you ask? Well, because when I looked down at my plate and saw that it was empty, I knew I would never have another eating moment like that in my life again! Not ever!!! And I know that I won't be in Texas again anytime soon to experience Hard Eight!!!! Uhhhhh.... That really saddens me (sniff sniff)...

In seeing all of the enormous people walking around Dallas, something occured to me while at Hard Eight. It was an epiphany really... My epiphany was this: I understand why there are so many morbidly obese people in Texas. It is undoubtedly because of places like Hard Eight! To be completely honest, if I lived in Dallas I would probably become enormously huge and fat as well as I would unhealthily frequent Hard Eight until my doctor put me on cholesterol meds!!! I will miss you Hard Eight! I long to see you again and will dream of you tonight when I sleep!!! When in Dallas, I only have one piece of advice for you: Bet the Hard Eight!, baby!!!! Ahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!

The Habit: I Get It!!!!

The Habit!!! When I first popped their double char burger into my mouth the initial thought that went to my head was, "I could easily eat these burgers five days a week and not get tired of it!" Truly, I understand why this placed is named The Habit as it is habit forming!!! Ahahahahahahahaha!!!! I had a double char burger, bacon burger and two orders of fries and the food was absolutely outstanding!!! Absolutely!!!!! I fear for The Habit's future because some greasy lawyer will probably sue this places ass off claiming they put some sort of addictive substance in the beef causing people to become fat! Well hey then, get down to The Habit and savor every second these burgers are around before some shyster takes them for all of their money!!! Ahahahahahahahahaha!!!!! Do it!!!!!! You won't regret it!!!

ChickPita Fresh Mediterranean Grill & ChickPita Express: Took me Back to the Streets of Tiberias!!!

A few years back I spent a couple of weeks travelling around Israel. Look, I don't have the kind of money to where I can eat out or stay in a 4 star hotel every night while on vacation! So, it's all about slumming it in hostels and eating street food to save money!! Ahhhhhh hahahahahaha!!! For two weeks In the summer of 2009 all I ate for lunch and dinner was falafal and chicken or lamb shwerma!!! I mean, that was it in terms of food! And you know what?!?!?!?! Never got tired of it!!!!!! EVER!!!!!! Not once while I was there!!!

I was feeling a little sentimental the other day, you know, thinking about my time in Israel and I started to long for that summer again!! Actually, I got a little teary eyed..... uhhhh hold on (sniff).... I uhhh.... I just need a minute here.... hold on....(deep breath, sniff).... OK, I think I'm good. Sorry about that. Anyway, what a beautiful and amazing country! And I just wanted to relive the summer of 09 for just a few short moments!! So I looked up Mediterranean food in the OC area, and this place came to the forefront!!! And let me just say.... ChickPita Fresh Mediterranean Grill did not disappoint!!!! Ahhhhhhhhh hahahahahahahahaha!!!!! I had the falafel, chicken shwerma, and extra pita and hummus. It was a celebration!!! When I bit into that chicken shwerma the spices that met my tongue immediately whisked me away and sent me back to the smells and memories of the Arab Quarter in old town Jerusalem, just as Mohammed was whisked up and made his midnight ride from Mecca to Jerusalem!!! I mean eating this food was a supernatural experience!!!!! Wow!!!!! And that falafel tastes exactly like what you will find on the streets of Tiberias!! That's a fact!! Now all we need is a way to get some Goldstar or Maccabbee to the States and we can have a sliver of a truly authentic Mediterranean experience!!!! Ahhhhhhhhh hahahahahahaha!!!!! C'mon, somebody knows what i'm talking about, right?!?!?!?!?! Right?!?!?!?! All I have to say to those who want to eat at ChickPita Fresh Medierranean Grill is... Lahiam To Life!!!!!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhh hahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!

Chicago's Best: The Best Kept Secret in all of OC!!!

I went to my friend Pamela one day who is a Chicago native and I asked her, "Hey uh Pamela.... Where can one find authentic Chicago food in Orange County?" Without hesitation Pamela replied, 'Chicago's Best in Irvine! That place is the real deal! I grew up in Chicago and lived there for many years. The hot dogs and Italian beef's are no different than what you will find in Chicago." OK well maybe she didn't say that word for word. I mean I can't remember everything people! Ahhhhhhhhh hahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!! But you get my drift, right?!
Let me just say, that I am absolutely honored and thrilled to be the first person on urbanspoon to review Chicago's Best! But at the same time, I honestly can't believe nobody knows about this place! This place has got to be on the verge of breaking through and absolutely exploding into an Irvine eating institution. And to be the first to review this place is humbling. When they're digging through the portals of time, they will see my name as the initial reviewer of Chicago's Best!!! This is hands down the greatest day of my life!!!! Ahahahahaha!!!!

Look, maybe it's because I'm a Chicago food virgin, but the Chicago Hot Dog here brought me to my knees! My one regret was that I got my food to-go and couldn't get back in line and order 6 more of those mothers! Jesus those things are good!! From the pickle to the seasoning to the bun to the link, it was absolutely perfect! OK, I'm going to drop a huge bomb here that people might get upset over, but here it comes... The Italian Beef Sandwich at Chicago's Best is better than Philippe's in downtown LA!!! There I said it!!!! You know what, it feels kind of good to say!! I don't regret it at all! You want to know why?!?!?! Do you?!?! Because it's a completely factual claim!!! I stand by that statement and will fight over it to the death!!!!!! To the death!!!! They say to pick your battles in life! Well saying Chicago's Best has a better sandwich than Phillipe's is a battle I will not flee from but will instead fight and fight and fight and fight and fight and fight and fight and fight and fight over!!!! You can believe that!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!! All I can say is that when I review a place on urbanspoon it's because the food there moved me! And I'm not talking about bowel movements people!!! This food spoke to my soul and captivated my heart!!! We may have arrived at the pinacle of human achievement with this place!! I truthfully don't know if there is any better we can do as a society than Chicago's Best!!! Evolution has ended!! We have arrived!! Make your way over to Main St. in Irvine and you'll understand what I mean!!! Boom!!! Ahhhhhhh hahahahahahahaha!!!!

Big O To Go: Old School!!

This place is straight out of 1976!! Actually, according to the owner, that's when Big-O To Go opened shop and began providing some of the finest quality pizza around!! This place is old school and it's awesome! They don't give you the pizza in a pizza box, but rather they wrap it in foil for you!! There's no fancy looking menu, but the menu you look at to place your order is the one they first had in 1976! This place is retro, has changed very little (if at all), and it's incredible! Oh, let us not forget that this pizza............ is amazing!!!!!!!!! Fresh quality ingredients make this pizza difficult to put down! In fact, I didn't put it down. If you must know, I ate an entire large 1/2 pepperoni mushroom, 1/2 sausage jalapeno by myself and I absolutely destroyed it!!!!! Absolutely!!!!!!!!!! And and and and... I ate a meatball sandwich on top of it! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!! Dude, their meatball sandwiches are fantastic and delicious in every square inch of bread, cheese, sauce, and meat they are served with!!!! I will absolutely go back to this place and pound and pound and pound and pound and pound and pound and pound and pound and pound and pound and pound and pound and pound and pound and pound and pound and pound until there is no room left!!!! Ahhhhhhh hahahahahahahahahaha!!!! A side note: It's right next to Royal Doughnuts... Do I even have to say it?!?!?!?! Do I even need to mention it?!?!?!?! Do I?!?! Well, I will!!!! After you pick up your pizza, you go to Royal and get 1/2 dozen doughnuts for dessert!!! And you know what?!?!?! That's what I did!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhh hahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!! Big-O pizza with Royal doughnuts for dessert is one of the greatest eating combinations you can experience in all of Orange County!!! Maybe in the country!!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhh hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!! Do this place and don't cheat yourself!! Do it now!!!!!