3011 Harbor Blvd.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 825-0100

Hi everyone!  Julie and I both apologize for the lack of updates as of recent, but we both have been very busy with school related business as well as the holidays…but fear not thankgoditsfood fans!!!! We are back with a new review…and it’s a good one!

Say “hi!” to meat filled pastries from Argentina!!  Empanada’s are simply savory fillings within a soft chewy dough.  You can fill them from potato and cheese to spinach with cheese.  You can take a look at the menu posted below to see what type of empanada’s they serve.

When Julie and I came here, we ordered 4 different empanadas.  I believe they were potato and cheese, spinach and cheese, beef and peas with carrots, and chicken marinated in spices.

Our favorite of the bunch would have to be potato and cheese.  The dough was crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside.  The filling was warm and decadent, not to mention fatty!  This isn’t food for the weak hearted…it’s definitely Latin soul food.  The size of the empanada is about a little bigger than your palm and eating two will definitely fill you up.  My personal favorite was also spinach and cheese, but to be honest, it got gross after a few bites.  The spinach flavor was fine…it was the cheese that started to over power my taste buds.  The beef with peas and carrots was forgettable as it tasted like regular taco fillings…I’d have to say the same with the chicken.

It’s hard to describe exactly how empanadas taste unless you try it.  Its definitely something you can’t just get from a fast food joint and this warrants enough of a trip to try this place out.  Our advice though…just get the potato and cheese and avoid all the other flavors.  Although they are good, they can get redundant over several bites and you’ll lose interest.  Potato and cheese is the only one that will keep you eating…oh and yes, this place isn’t cheap either at $2.99 for an empanada.  For $2.99 you can definitely get better food elsewhere.

THe Glamour team were back with another bikini shoot request for their popular August issue.

Having exhausted the Dubai’s Locations and surprisingly denied permission at Wild Wadi,

The shoot eventually took a more interesting route with it being done with Al Habtoor’s winning Polo horses at the Arabian Ranches.  Needless to say the male dominated workforce witnessed a day worth remembering!

Crystal Palace’s ever-reliable goalkeeper Julian Speroni has been chosen in the Championship Team of the Week following his performance against Watford at the weekend.

Speroni helped Palace secure a sixth game without defeat by keeping a clean sheet against the Hornets.

We at FYP are delighted that he is finally getting some much-deserved recognition.

Link to the Football League’s story.

I am a bit fascinated by Jenny Sanford, first lady of South Carolina. After her husband disappeared on the “Appalachian Trail,” code for visiting his Argentinian soul-mate, she separated and launched her own career: trademarking her name to sell household wares, writing a memoir, and being interviewed by Barbara Walters as one of “10 most fascinating people of 2009.”

My favorite quote is this absurd political writer’s take on how Jenny is moving from first lady to political/business career woman: “She was always the driving force behind Mark Sanford, the engine that powers the car. Now the car broke down, and she’s on her own.”

Summary: Tati has lost his job. He now helps Silva, an old sculptor, for whom he collects trunks, branches and roots from the woods that he can use for his work. In exchange he gets a percentage for the sales they make among the few tourists who visit the old village’s market. Like the majority of the Argentines, Tati adores Diego Armando Maradona. The walls of his house are covered with fotos of his idol and he guards the ticket from the day he saw him in action like the most valuable treasure. Despite his dramatic financial situation Tati doesn’t lose his cheerful nature. Besides he has another reason for being optimistic: He has found a huge root whose silhouette he finds similar to Maradona’s and which he plans to hand over personally to Diego.

Resumen: Tati ha perdido su trabajo. Ahora ayuda a Silva, un viejo escultor, para quien busca en el monte troncos, ramas y raíces que puedan servirle para hacer sus obras. A cambio, obtiene un porcentaje por las ventas que logre realizar entre los pocos turistas que llegan al mercado del pueblo vecino. Al igual que la mayoría de los argentinos, Tati tiene adoración por Diego Armando Maradona. Las paredes de su casa están cubiertas de fotos de su ídolo y guarda como el tesoro más preciado, la entrada al estadio del día que lo vio en plena acción. A pesar de su dramática situación económica, Tati no pierde su espíritu jovial. Tiene además otra razón para su optimismo: ha encontrado una gigantesca raíz con una silueta que él encuentra parecida a Maradona, la cual intentará entregar personalmente a Diego.

Shelf location: 2  CAM

Summary: His entire life Coco has worked in a service station lost in the middle of Patagonia. The station is sold to a multinational organisation and Coco is fired. While trying to find another job, he tries to survive by making knives with handmade handles. He falls into dire straits but by chance he is thrown a lifeline when he is asked to fix an old car. The owner, herself in financial difficulties, offers to pay him with a dog. 

Resumen: Toda su vida, Coco ha trabajado en un estación de servicio perdido en el medio de Patagonia. La estación es vende a una organización multinacional y Coco han echado. Mientras tratando buscar otro trabajo, trata sobrevivir por haciendo cuchillo con mangos hecho en casa. Él cae en estrechos malos pero por casualidad él ha lanzado cuerdo de salvamento cuando le piden fijar un coche viejo. El dueño, ella en dificultad de economía, ofrece pagar el con un perro.

Shelf location: 2  BOM

Summary: The bar El Chino is where the walls are peeled yet the essence of the tango survives. Its veterans are emblematic, especially its creator, Jorge Garcés, the Chinese man. While he lived, the Chinese man summoned the diverse public, that were meeting in the place and his artists were of an authentic value, without disguises or commercial devices. Jorge, a filmmaker, as he was for years; his friends take it to the Bar el Chino. They know that this place is special to him.

Resumen: El Bar El Chino es un boliche de paredes descascaradas en donde se conserva la esencia del tango. Sus veteranos personajes son emblemáticos, especialmente su creador, Jorge Garcés, El Chino. Mientras vivió, El Chino convocó a diversos públicos, que encontraban en el lugar y en sus artistas el valor de lo auténtico, sin disfraces ni artificios comerciales. Jorge, cineasta, cumple años; sus amigos lo llevan al Bar El Chino. Saben que ese lugar es especial para él.

Shelf location: 6 BAR

Finally after more than one year that i wanted to try it, a friend of mine from Italy brought me to Gaucho. He loves meat and remembering some bad experience he had in London, i suggested him to go there: everyone knows is a good restaurant, a bit expensive but the meat it’s really worth the money!!!!

So we went in the one in Piccadilly and it ’s a really nice place to stay: on three floors, with candles lights and a horse printed style everywhere, you will have an amazing service, with your personal waitress explaining the meat cut, suggesting and taking care of you! Our waitress was brazilian, but she was speaking and amazing italian too and was really funny and professional.

Arriving at the table you will find already a little starter with normal bread, butter, a typical sauce but, the thing i loved the most was a little cheese bread too good to leave it there. After it, we ordered some red wine and the meat. Between all the different cut and types of cut, i choose a fillet of 250gr (the smallest) and i also asked for a special side order “humitas”, made of mashed corn. The meat was just delicious and they bring you that with 4 different sauces: mushrooms, mustard, something like peppercorn gravy and the best one, a Bernaise sauce. Of course i don’t know the name of that and all the ingredients in those, but they were all very good! The mashed corn had a really particular taste, never tried before and it was served in 2 little portions , rolled in corn husks. Really tasty and beautifully presented. Of course there was the possibility to try also some nice looking dessert, but i prefered to have just a coffee to close the meal. Maybe next time…. So for a gooood meat in London, go safe with Gaucho!

PS. Mamy con un mio amico di passaggio a Londra e che va pazzo per la carne, siamo andati in una catena di ristornati argentini qui a Londra…non ti dico che carne che fanno. Un po’ costoso il posto, ma ne valeva proprio la pena. Ho mangiato un filetto che si scioglieva in bocca e poi ce l’hanno portato con delle salsine ed un contorno di puree di mais particolarissimo!