Pink's- Buena Park-Closed

Pink's 8039 Beach Blvd Buena Park 714-220-5084 Why the OC would want to copy LA, is beyond me. Ok, I know I rip the pretentious, jerk people of the OC but they have their thing. The OC is different than LA. So why they would want a LA institution, is beyond me. As readers of The New Diner know, I am not a fan of Pink's Hollywood. Yes, everybody should go there once to experience it but Pink's isn't a good place for hot dogs. Pink's opened in Knott's Berry Farm Marketplace, around Thanksgiving of 2009. They closed up, in January for some renovation or whatever. They reopened on Jan 30th. You do not have to pay for admission or parking to Knott's, if you want to eat at Pink's. There is a free parking for the marketplace, the same are where Mrs. Knott's Chicken dinners have been served!!! Mrs. Knott's restaurant is actually five years older than Pink's, having opened in 1934, compared to Pink's in 1939. I got the 10" stretch chili dog,$3.90, with chili, mustard and onions. The hot dog is pretty good with a nice snap, good amount of seasonings, and flavor. But the chili is bland, flavorless and they put too much of it on a hot dog, that it overpowers the hot dog. Ok you may ask, why then didn't I order a chili dog. Well Pink's doesn't ahve just a plain hot dog. They want to dress up every hot dog, instead of keeping it simple. Pink's should offer plain 10" stretch hot dogs, instead of the chili, which is a wasted. Service was pretty goood. Since this Pink's is fairly new and many people do not know about it, there are no long lines, like the Pink's in Hollywood. I wouldn't go back to Pink's. But knowing the pretentious, jerk people of the OC, they are going to love this place, since it will be the "in" thing to do.

Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant

Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant
8039 Beach Blvd.
Buena Park, CA 90620
714-220-5080

I have lived in the LA area since 1978 but I have never been to Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant. As readers of the New Diner know, I love fried chicken. So it's really surprising that I haven't gone to Mrs. Knott's.

So finally I went and I'm surprised I waited so long. Now the first thing that should be cleared up, you do NOT need to buy a ticket into Knott's amusement park to go to Mrs. Knott's. Also you do NOT have to pay for parking for Mrs. Knott's. All you need to do is enter off of Beach Blvd and go straight into the parking lot.

So I go into Mrs. Knott's and I am greeted by a very nice hostess. We get seated quickly. So things are off to a good start. Our orders are taken quickly. The menu says dinner is served starting at 4pm. The menu is wrong, dinner is served all day. Lunch is served until 4pm. So I ordered the light eater's chicken dinner. The light eater's dinner is two pieces of chicken, you can choose dark or white meat, corn, soup or salad, and mashed potatoes and gravy for $10.50. I got an order of creamy chicken noodle soup because another person in our party didn't want soup.

Before the soup and salad arrive they bring you fresh baked biscuits. Let me tell you they are great. Nice and flakey, with a crunchy crust. The best biscuits I've had in a very long time. The salad is your basic green salad. I know I keep saying somethings are fresh but really how the hell can a restaurant mess up a green salad? The soup was very nice and tasty. There were nice big pieces of chicken and the noodles were tender.

So then the chicken comes. I was very impressed. I started with the breast piece. The skin isn't anything to brag about. It wasn't crispy or flavorful. But the actual meat was sooo moist and juicy. It was great. Maybe the best fried chicken I've had. The wing was also tender and juicy. The mashed potatoes were creamy and tasted like real potatoes. If they are from a box, I'd like to know what box. The gravy was a bit bland but nothing a little shake of pepper couldn't help.

Service was very good. The server allowed me to take the soup after I asked the other person in our party if she wanted the soup or not. He was very helpful and we got top notch service. They have another person who refills all drinks. She came by a lot and we were not thirsty at all.

I was very impressed with Mrs. Knott's. So much so that I would go back again and again. They do have a take out place right next door to the restaurant. It only took me 29 years to go to Mrs. Knott's but it may not take me 29 days to go back. A great place!!!

Fuddruckers-Closed

Fuddruckers 7802 Orangethorpe Ave Buena Park, CA 90621 714-739-8801 Fuddruckers used to be all over when I was in high school. But they slowly closed down. I remember going to Fuddruckers and really liking their burgers. So I decide to go to the Fuddruckers in Buena Park and see if it's as good as I remember. Well sure enough it was great. I ordered the 1/3lb bacon cheddar burger, medium rare for $6.13. The meat was cooked perfectly and had very good flavor. The bacon was crispy and the cheddar added the perfect touch. But what I loved the the very fresh produce section. As you can see they have tons of toppings for your burger, fresh lettuce, tomatoes, onions, salsa, and your standard condiments were set up at the produce stand. I topped my burger with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, mustard, and mayo. I could put as much or as little as I wanted. I enjoyed going to Fuddruckers and would certainly go back. For you non red meat eaters there are other choices like a turkey burger, chicken and even a veggie burger. Fuddruckers beats Portillo's burgers, even though Fuddruckers burgers are about $2 more, by a mile.

Portillo's

Portillo's
8390 La Palma Ave
Buena Park
714-220-6400

I decided to go back to Portillo's. to try their burgers. I order a cheeseburger with no onions or pickles for $3.65. Again I waited what seemed like a long time for the burger. The burgers are 1/3 lbs and come with lettuce, mayo, and tomatoes.

The bun wasn't nicely toasted. The lettuce and tomatoes were fresh. But it went downhill from there. Parts of the meat were burnt and very dry throughout. The meat makes the hamburger and Portillo's meat has no flavor.

I have no desire to go back to Portillo's. A very overrated place. The hot dogs aren't good and their burgers are worse.

Amber Waves-Updated Review

Amber Waves
7675 Cresent Ave
Buena Park
714-995-1111

Amber Waves no longer serves this prime rib and crab legs buffet!
Ambers Waves is in the Knotts Berry Farm Hotel. Every Friday and Saturday they have an All You Can Eat Prime Rib and Crab Legs special for $18.95.

I have heard about Khoury's in Long Beach that has an all you can eat Prime Rib and Maine Lobster for $40 and the all you can eat prime rib and seafood buffet with crab legs as the highlight for $40. But this buffet at Amber Waves is half the price and I can't imagine either one of those places being any better.

The buffet has two tables. The first table is filled with cold items like salads, fresh fruits and peel and eat shrimp. The second table has the steam trays with mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetables, fried shrimp, King Crab legs, and Prime Rib. You help yourself to everything but somebody will crave the prime rib for you.

I like my prime rib on the rare side and this was perfect. Not the most tender but very good with good flavor. The au jus and horseradish added the right touch to the prime rib.

Then I started on the crab legs. They were warm at the steam tray but when I got my second helping, they were cold. The lady who was carving the prime rib, checked and noticed there was no water in the steam tray. She quickly filled it up and my third helping of crab legs was warm. The crab legs are huge and have a large amount of meat. Some places boil crab legs in very salty water. But at Amber Waves the crab legs are tender and not salty at all.

The buffet is served Friday and Saturday from 5pm-9pm. The cost is a steal!! I would most certainly go back and I enjoy every bite of prime rib and crab leg!!!!

There is a guard gate and it says $9 for parking but if you tell the guard you're going to Amber Waves for dinner, they do not charge for parking.

Update Feb. 9, 2010.




I went back to Amber Waves for the first time since 2006. I was both happy and relieved. I was happy because Amber Waves still has their prime rib and crab legs buffet. Though the price is $24.95, it is still a steal!!!




I was relieved because I heard that Amber Waves switched to snow crab legs. But as the pictures show, they are still King Crab Legs!!! They are still great!!! Some batches were a bit salty but huge pieces of tender, flavorful king crab legs!!!

A tip about breaking open king crab legs, kitchen shears or scissors are much better than those nut crackers; just make sure the shears are sharp. They will cut right through the crab shell.




The prime rib was also very good. If you want to get technical, this isn't really prime rib, it is a ribeye steak. The difference between a ribeye steak and prime rib, is that the prime rib is on the bone.

The prime rib was pretty tender and flavorful. But as the picture shows, there was a lot of fat in the portion I had. I didn't like the au jus, which was a thicker, gravy style, it was OK but I want a thinner au jus on my prime rib, not a gravy.

Service was a bit slow; it took a long time to get our drinks and for our table to be cleared. But the server was nice.

As long as Amber Waves is serving king crab legs, I'm going!!

Portillo's

Portillo's
8390 La Palma Ave
Buena Park
714-220-6400

I have heard so many things about Portill's a Chicago area hot dog place. When I heard they opened up their first location in Buena Park, I was going to make sure I went tried it soon after they opened.

So I go and I'm not impressed at all. As you first walk in there is a place to order to your left. So I go and wait there while a lady orders her food. When it's finally my turn, the cashier tells me this is an express cater orders only. So I finally get in the right line and wait behind a slow family of five who take forver deciding what they want. So after wasting about 10 minutes before finally placing an order, I order the jumbo hot dog and the Maxwell Street Polish for $6.20.

I move down the line to pick up my order. Portillo's has a window where you can see them make your food. So I wait and wait and wait. The girl behind me, while I was ordering, got her food before I did. Then the couple behind her, got their food. So I'm thinking what the hell is going on here. So I finally get my order. They write down your order on bags and then use the bags to put your food in. The guy preparing my hot dogs rips the bag where the order is written on, so he gets a new bag, puts the food in there, and then stuffs the torn bag 0n top. I figure the girl handing out the order would take the ripped bag out. But when she didn't, I threw the ripped bag on the counter. To say the least, I'm not happy with the long wait and terrible service.

My mood doesn't improve with the terrible food. I first try the Maxwell Street Polish. The polish sausage is nothing more than the Hilshire Farms sausage you buy at the local market. The sausage was overcooked, almost like beef jerky. The onions were almost black and they were cold. I could have made a better polish sausage at home.

Next I try the jumbo dog, Chicago style without the peppers. The hot dog lacked any kind of snap or flavor. The toppings especially the pickle were very fresh but if the hot dog is a bland, tasteless piece of junk, the toppings aren't anything.

I was very disappointed at Portillo's. I won't go back, terrible service, terrible food and prices are on the high side. The Orange Curtain still lacks a good place to get a Chicago style hot dog.