Food in SoCal [food commentary]

Anyone who's not from Southern California knows what I'm about to say is completely true. Food in Orange County, California sucks balls. And the food that is good costs an arm and a leg. That being said, here are some places that either confirm or go against everything I just said. Enjoy.
 
Here is a short list of food places to avoid:

• McDonald's: How they went downhill in the past 5 years after going down hill for the past decade I'll never know. Cost-cutting measures, I'm sure.
• Carls Jr.: Food used to be okay. Now I don't go cuz they suck, and out of silent protest to their unwatchable commercials. The 'ad du jour' making the rounds on nightly tv is the guy shaking the cow with shaved nipples/udders. It's disturbing.
• New Panda (Santa Ana): Not a corporate place, but mediocre nonetheless. Even ma & pa operations can be bad.
• Sam Woo (Irvine, elsewhere): Very overhyped as a hole-in-the-wall chic Chinese place. When looking for good Chinese, you always want to go to the restaurants that *aren't* nice and fancy. Those are always the overpriced ones that spend more on interior designers than good chefs. Sam Woo isn't fancy, that's the attraction; they seem authentic. To be fair, they probably are authentic, their food just isn't that great.

Here is a list of some restaurants I like:
 
• Ameci's (Irvine, elsewhere): I really like their spaghetti. Their lunch specials are great.
• Fatburger (Irvine, elsewhere): They are expensive, and the one in Irvine isn't open 24 hours like their Los Angeles brethren, but the food is never bad. Just expect to wait while they cook it. It's best to call in your order from their online menu, then pick it up.
• Fukada (Irvine): For around $12-15 you can get a really good, authentic Japanese lunch that will fill you up.
• Wendy's: The chili is good, hamburgers are decent, and you can't beat the price. So when eating cheap, go to Wendy's! Try getting a spicy chicken burger with fries and chili. Dip the chili in the fries, it's good. Some dude once told me to try putting the fries in my shake! Being the adventurous daredevil I tried it. Not bad. Just be sure to get plenty of sauces, sometimes it's dry. Ask for the chili sauce in a packet.
• Chick-Fil-A: I don't know where these guys came from, but a friend turned me onto these guys. Really high quality fast food—all chicken-based. They have some delicioius chicken sandwiches and fries. Seek this restaurant out.
• Yoshinoya: I've had good experiences with these guys since the 1980's. I always get the spicy Chicken Teriyaki with no skin. A couple guys I know don't like this place. To be fair, every Yoshinoya I've been to has been different. It's usually the flavor of the sauce. I can get a meal for less that $6 that satisfies my hunger. I like it, it's my Blog, so there!
• The Crab Cooker (Newport Beach): Sometimes you have to wait in line to get in (a good sign), but it's worth it. Good seafood, and service. It's odd to go to a nice restaurant with disposable utensils and dishes, but I guess they didn't want to hire a dishwasher or something. A buddy who worked at a restaurant said disposable dishes mean higher costs in the long run. Well, anyway it's good food only a short walk from the beach.
• The Old Spaghetti Factory (Los Angeles, elsewhere): Interesting atmosphere. I thought I saw actress Lisa Hope from TV's 24, Line of Fire, and more recently from Commander-in-Chief when I went there (she's pretty in a Desperate Housewives sorta way). Anyway, I had Lasagna and some white wine. It was good, and the garlic bread was good too. Kinda expensive, around $15-20 depending.
• Oh Those Donuts! (Costa Mesa): They make donuts, sandwiches, etc. Their pastrami sandwich is good, the barbecue sandwich, not so. Atmosphere isn't something to be concerned about when eating this cheap. But for entertainment you can stare out the window and watch for the flashes of Traffic Enforcement cameras snapping away at cars that are unfortunate enough to be in the middle of the intersection when the light turns red (that's a $400 offense here). Fun stuff. Oh, and they're open 24 hours! Woo-hoo! A place in Orange County that's open past bedtime! Yesss! I can finally get some food if I'm a starving college student studying for finals and need replenishment for my aching brain!
• Del Taco: What??!!! Del Taco? Based in Irvine, they are also open 24 hours! Ohhh yess! Take that, New York! You have every food imaginable available 24 hours a day, and we have a small donut shop and a chain of taco shops. Oh, wait, that sucks. But you take what you can get. The restaurant has gotten slowly better. Sure their logos are shit, and their marketing is campy (Dave the Del Taco guy—recently seen as a rather likable fellow on TV's My Name is Earl), but if you want cheap Mexican food, and who doesn't, go to Del Taco. I am fond of their chicken Quesadilla's with plenty of Del Scorcho. (Do they still call it "Del Scorcho?" I'll check next time I go.) They even have breakfast burritos. They're miniscule, though.
• Sushi Boy: Major props to a Japanese place that's fast, cheap, and good. They really don't have any competition. Either go to an expensive Japanese place, or Yoshinoya (which I like just fine, but I go alone, cuz none of my friends like it).

I'll add more to the list when my carpal tunnel subsides.