Ala' Al-Deen

Culinary Diversity is something that I feel everyone in the HD should implement into their everyday eating experiences. The ability to try something new will open many new doors into a thousand new worlds that you never would've experienced otherwise. Middle Eastern food is something that doesn't really sound glamorous compared to Thai, Italian, Chinese, and French cuisine. The scary part about trying something new is finding where to go to get it, Middle Eastern cuisine isn't something that's on every street corner in the HD. This type of cuisine requires effort and a little bit of investigating in order to find a joint that serves the food the way it is meant to be served. Ala' Al-Deen sits on the outer part of 7th street in Victorville, overshadowed by Bakers and the almighty Los Robertos Mexican Restaurant. It's outside appearance is mediocre at best, but the gold-mine of culinary treats inside are undeniably the HD's best kept secret!

After getting over the dull outside of the building, stepping inside of Ala' Al-Deen is actually pretty inviting. Beautiful floor tile, clean tables/chairs, and a huge menu equipped with large pictures make your new culinary experience a whole lot easier to get used to. The last thing anyone wants to worry about is questioning the cleanliness of an establishment, Ala' Al-Deen immediately wipes those thoughts from your head, allowing you to concentrate on what meal you'll be sampling on your culinary adventure into a new world of food!
The lady at the counter recommended I try the "Large Meal Sampler" to get a feel of what the restaurant and the Middle East have to offer. Understanding what you're eating is usually the best way to get someone to try something new, I will go plate by plate in the picture and explain each item so you guys understand Middle Eastern Cuisine a little more before you go out there and dive head first into the culture.

The top left Item is a paste known as "Baba Ghanoush", a Lebanese originated paste made of cooked/blended eggplant, olive oil, and various spices. This dish is eaten with Pita bread, just dip the bread into the Ghanoush and enjoy! I thought that this dish was addicting and fun to eat, the pita bread acts as a soft vehicle for the pasty goodness of eggplant and dark spices. If you're a fan of Hummus, you'll most likely love Baba Ghanoush.

The next item in the picture is the green dish known as "Tabbouleh", Tabbouleh consists of Bulger (wheat cereal bits), Tomato, Onion, Cucumber, chopped mint, chopped parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. This dish is also eaten with pita bread. The Tabbouleh tasted like an Italian version of pico de gallo. The parsley added a darker kick to the dish that helped my taste buds absorb the bright flavors of the tomato, lemon juice, and mint. The taste of the bulger wasn't strong in the dish, it mainly added a soft texture to offset the crunch of the cucumber and onion. The whole dish came together perfectly and was even better when combined with the Baba Ghanoush, it gave the Baba Ghanoush a well needed crunch!

The third dish on the plate is called "Hummus", Hummus is another type of paste made from boiled chickpeas, Tahini (sesame paste), garlic, olive oil, salt, and lemon juice. Hummus comes in many different varieties and can be found at your local grocery store, flavored Hummus is starting to become extremely popular in almost all grocery store aisles. The Hummus at Ala's had a strong lemon and garlic flavor to it, it was extremely addicting and forced me to order another pack to pita bread so I could keep enjoying the flavorful paste!

Overall the 3 starting dips were amazing! The large amounts of lemon in all of the dishes did an excellent job in cleansing the pallet and providing a light appetizer to prepare me for my main course! I could easily see Hummus replacing salsa at any party in the near future, that's how good it is!

The next dish in the sampler was the "Arabic Salad", the salad consisted of romaine lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber in a parsley accented vinaigrette. The salad was a little on the oily side, but the freshness of the cucumber and tomato helped overshadow that with huge garden-picked flavor! I liked the pita concept so much that I even used pita bread over a fork to eat my salad!
The main course was a huge sampling of Chicken, Steak, and Kefta. Kefta is typically made with lamb or ground beef, heavily seasoned, formed into a meatball or cylinder, and grilled. All of the meat on the plate came in bite-size portions to allow the diner to use the pita bread as your main dining tool of destruction! The meat was accompanied by a grilled onion, tomato, and a savory/buttery rice. The first thing I tried was the chicken, it immediately melted in my mouth and left behind a huge explosion of flavors. The meat had numerous seasonings on it that provided layer upon layer of huge flavors, all finished off with a perfect char from the grill! The steak was seasoned similar to the chicken and was cooked to a perfect medium temperature. The steak also melted in my mouth similar to a steak that's been marinated for over 24 hours! The Kefta had a very distinct taste to it that kept it's flavors on the fence between an italian meatball and a polish sausage. It had light and dark flavors that had my taste buds constantly confused, but begging for more! The buttery rice added as a flavor enhancer and added great texture to accompany the pita bread.
The glory of this huge offering of food was that it allowed me to combine different items to create different flavors and combinations. The huge flavors and seasonings in every dish left me feeling like this food had a ton of care and preparation in it. Every dish felt like it was perfected and executed just how the cook intended. The staff was also very helpful in explaining each dish and even offered me a sample of Falafel (deep fried chickpea mash/hummus), the taste was very similar to a hush puppy (but way better than a hush puppy) and left me knowing exactly what I would be ordering on my next visit! Ala' Al-Deen is easily some of the most flavorful food in the HD and has opened a gateway to a new world of culinary experimentation. If you've never tried Middle Eastern cuisine before, I highly recommend you take a chance and immediately head over to Ala' Al-Deen's, they are most likely going to be your new favorite restaurant! The "Large Meal Platter" easily feeds 2 and could be stretched to feed 4 people and came in at just over $30 with 2 soft drinks (I also ordered an extra pack of pita bread). Ala' Al-Deen is located at 14303 Seventh St. in Victorville.

Mama Carpino's

In all of the HD, Apple Valley houses 2 of the HD's top Italian restaurants. DiNapoli's and Mama Carpino's are arguably the top spots for Italian in the HD. Both restaurants are elegant, family oriented, and NOT Olive Garden. After reviewing DiNapoli's, it was only a matter of time before I headed to the crosstown rival for a meal fit for review.

As soon as you walk through the door of Mama Carpino's you'll immediately notice the dessert fridge and all of the decadent treats and pastries behind the glass. All dessert items are made in-house and can be purchased to-go if desired.

Mama Carpino's also offers a full deli equipped with various Italian meats and cheeses.

Immediately after we were seated our waitress brought us fresh baked bread accompanied by a plate of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The bread was warm, fluffy, and had a crunchy outer shell which had a strong flavor of italian herbs and seasonings.

We decided to start off with the Bruschetta appetizer. Bruschetta is what I like to call "Italian chips and salsa"! The Bruschetta consisted of bread slices baked to a hard crunch and a blend of tomatoes, oil, basil, and onions covered in parmesan cheese. If you're a garlic lover then this dish is screaming your name, the dish had a mild spiciness from the garlic and a strong garlic aftertaste to accompany the fresh tomato and basil undertones. The crunch from the crouton-like bread slices served as a perfect carrier for the soft garlic filled tomato mixture. If you order this appetizer while on a dinner date, make sure you bring some mints in your back pocket, that is unless your date loves the smell of garlic!
Our meals came with starter salads, I opted for the homemade raspberry vinaigrette dressing on my salad. The dressing was sweet and sugary, the olive oil in the dressing perfectly balanced out the sweet flavors to make the dressing taste like a sweet vinaigrette and not a dessert sauce. The salad was light and cleansed the pallet, properly preparing us for the main course.
Above is the Crab Manicotti, they basically just made one huge manicotti packed with crab chunks and various cheeses, the dish was drenched in a cream based italian sauce. The dish itself looked more like a large burrito than it did a manicotti dish! The lasagna sheet they used to wrap the crab mixture was a little undercooked towards the middle of the dish and was almost unmanageable to cut and eat at times. The crab portions in the mixture were very generous but some pieces tasted incredibly fishy compared to other chunks in the filling. The ricotta and other cheeses in the filling were very tasty but also tasted fishy in certain areas of the dish. The cream based sauce had way too much cream that easily took away from the other spices and ingredients in the sauce. The idea of the dish is great, but unfortunately it wasn't properly executed, I even questioned the freshness of the crab while eating the dish due to the overly fishy taste in certain chunks of the filling. I think a properly cooked pasta shell would've gotten this dish off to a better start too.
My wife opted for the normal Manicotti dish, her Manicotti tasted excellent. The pasta shells were perfectly cooked and the cheeses were warm and gooey. My only gripe with this dish is the sauce, it tasted more like a pizza marinara sauce than a pasta sauce. It worked with the dish, and that's essentially what matters, but it could've been better with a little more elbow grease in the making of the sauce.
Our friend Mike ordered the Chicken Alfredo, this dish was easily the best of our entrees. The noodles were soft, the chicken had great texture, and the sauce was creamy and had tremendous amounts of flavor. The Alfredo sauce easily stood out as the shining star in the dish!
Our friend and fellow blogger Monique (A Profound Muse Poetry) ordered the cheese ravioli. The cheese blend in the ravioli tasted great and the shell was warm and soft. Unfortunately the sauce was once again the only dull spot to the dish. While tasting Monique's ravioli and my Wife's manicotti all I kept thinking about was how the sauce tasted like the marinara dipping sauce that comes with fried cheese sticks. It just seems like the seasoning was off in the red sauce, maybe it was just an off day....
Pictured above is the garlic cheese bread side dish, this is also another pick for the garlic lover in the group! The bread was crunchy and held up great to the large amounts of garlic, butter, italian seasoning, and mozzarella cheese! This bread is a perfect accompaniment to any italian dish and adds an extra splash of flavor when teamed up with any sauce or pasta!

Overall Mama Carpino's offered a very pleasant dining experience with friendly service, a beautiful dining room, and a vast selection of meal choices. The execution of the dishes seemed to be lacking with undercooked pasta, under seasoned tomato sauce, and questionable crab meat. Despite the hiccups, Mama Carpino's is still a decent Italian restaurant that just seemed to be having an off-day. However, the Chicken Alfredo dish alone is more than enough reason to make a stop at Mama Carpino's! For our appetizer, 2 entrees, and 2 soft drinks the bill came in at just under $40. Mama Carpino's is located at 22010 Highway 18 in Apple Valley.

HDeats Exclusive: Paulina's/Hollad Burger off menu items!

Even though these places have already been reviewed on the blog, I feel that my recent off-menu discoveries were something that needed to be shared to people in the HD that wanted to try something new other than what's on the existing menu. Enjoy and don't be afraid to ever ask an HD establishment what their specials or off-menu items might be!

First off is Emma Jean's Holland Burger! If you ever go to Holland Burger with a small party, do yourself a favor and grab yourself a bar seat instead of a regular table. By doing this you'll be able to have a full view of the grill and an opportunity to watch Brian work his magic! You'll also be able to catch off-menu items being made that are usually requested by the locals/return visitors that frequent the Holland Burger. The "Slap Your Momma" burger was introduced to me by a friend that caught Brian crafting the burger on the grill, when he asked Brian what it was that he was creating, he replied "The Slap Your Momma Burger". The burger consists of a half pound beef patty, cheese, salsa, tri-tip, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, all on "Brian Bread" (thick sourdough with parmesan cheese and butter cooked into the crust, similar to texas toast). This burger will knock your socks off! The tri-tip is tender, the burger is juicy, and the home made salsa will finish off the entire dish with a spicy kick to the back of your tongue! Keep in mind that you can substitute any sandwich's bread for "Brian Bread" in your order, trust me, it kicks your burger/sandwich up to something beyond your wildest dreams! I also ordered chili cheese fries in the same visit, the whole been chili, melted cheddar, and thick fries equal a tasty and extraordinary side to any burger on or off the menu!
At my recent visit to Paulina's I found myself confused on what to order, I brushed through the menu numerous times and felt completely stumped on what to try this time around. I asked the waiter if they had any specials, he informed me of their current special of the month. The dish is a papaya and panko crusted tilapia filet with fresh pico de gallo. The dish included my choice of sides, soup, and tortillas. The tilapia was perfectly cooked and the fresh citrus/lime filled pico de gallo made this dish into more than breaded fish! The subtle aftertaste of papaya in the breading added a festive and upbeat taste to the flaky and tender tilapia filet. Halfway through the dish I decided to take the tortillas and turn the dish into fish tacos, filling them with beans, fish, pico, and salsa!

KC BBQ

Recently my work sent me to a training class in the Overland Park area of Kansas for 2 weeks. Upon landing at Missouri International Airport I told myself that I would not leave the state until I had some renowned KC BBQ in my belly. From the moment I stepped off of the plane onto KC soil is the moment that my culinary mission began. I understand that the subject of KC BBQ is irrelevant to this blog considering that the key subject of this site is HD establishments. However, I feel that if my readers are anything like myself, they wouldn't have a problem with me posting more pictures and descriptions of tasty food to hold them over until I get the chance to try out some new HDeats!

The first place I visited was in Olathe, KS. The establishment is called Oklahoma Joe's, the moment we walked in we were slapped in the face with a wall of trophies, plaques, awards, and ribbons of the owner's numerous competition victories. The air in the restaurant was smokey with a subtle undertone of hickory and paprika. The above picture is the ordering booth, at Oklahoma Joe's. You simply walk up to the counter, order your food, watch them pull your meat out of the smoker, cut it up, and pay at the register at the end of the booth. This process guarantees that your meat is fresh out of the smoker and hot on your plate!
I went a little bit overboard on my visit and let my eyes become much bigger than my stomach. My order consisted of a pulled pork sandwich, Brisket, half rack of ribs, texas toast, and an order of spicy slaw. Do yourself a favor and click on the image to get a full screen view, the food tasted exactly how it looked on the picture, AMAZING! The brisket melted in my mouth, the ribs pulled off the bone with a snap of the wrist, and the pulled pork tasted so good it didn't even need sauce! The spicy slaw tasted like cole slaw with chili powder, and the buttery texas toast was a nice change to the normal slice of white bread that almost all bbq joints out here include with a bbq meal. There were 3 sauces on the table: A vinegar base sauce, a tomato base sauce, and a spicy tomato base sauce. All three sauces tasted great and accented the dry rub tastes that were highly detectible in the meat. The vinegar base sauce seemed to accent the smoke flavor of the meat even more and created a dining experience that puts any California bbq joint to shame!
Next stop on the trip was the famous Arthur Bryant's in Kansas City Missouri. This joint was a little more of a "hole in the wall" than Oklahoma Joe's. The entire restaurant was a brick structure and the smell of smoke lingered in the air over a block away from the establishment! The first thing we noticed as we walked in was that there were pictures everywhere of presidents and celebrity visits to the restaurant. The inside looked a little more like a cafeteria with customers getting there food on trays with butcher paper and sitting down on plane white tables with fold out chairs. The ordering booth was the same as Oklahoma Joe's: order, watch it get pulled out of the smoker, pay, eat.
I went ahead and ordered a full rack of ribs with the hopes of anything close to the ribs I saw on the billboard! I wasn't disappointed, the ribs were easily the best ribs i've ever had in my life! The dry rub was caked on thick and the meat melted in my mouth while still leaving a crunchy crust from the dry rub. Arthur Bryant's also offered sauces on the table which I didn't feel the need to use on these ribs, they were perfect as is.
We also ordered a pulled pork sandwich, the "sandwich" consisted of a piece of white bread with well over a pound of sauced pulled pork completely covering it, and a piece of white bread on the side. The difference between this pork and Joe's pork is that the pork at Arthur Bryant's came mixed with the sauce already. The process of watching them pull the pork out of the smoker, cut it up with huge butcher knives, and mix with the sauce left my mouth watering. The pork was awesome, the sauce was a combination of spicy vinegar/sweet tomato with a hint of brown sugar. My bbq visits in California usually consist of either Famous Dave's or Lucille's in Ontario/Rancho, I always thought that those places must come pretty close to other BBQ town's products. I was terribly wrong, Oklahoma Joe's and Arthur Bryant's provided me with experiences that I doubt can ever be duplicated by any California establishments. They showed me that BBQ is truly an art form and that prep, love, and a good spice rub can take your food to a higher level than what you've ever had before.