Lucky Chinese

This new, quick Chinese restraunt is located in the original Luigi's Pizza building on Walnut next to Tesoro (Circle 7 Days? I'm not sure what it is called now. When I was a kid living in that neighborhood, it was Jackpot). They have completely remodeled (actually, I think that they short-lived BBQ place remodeled) and have enclosed what was the open-air dining room. The menu is pretty typical for Chinese cuisine in our area, and we we're not expecting to be blown away. We were wrong.

We both went in, craving Egg Foo Young. It is something that each of us remember our parents preparing in our childhood, something simple and comforting, something bad for you and yet so tasty. We each ordered Egg Foo Young off the menu along with Chow Mein. The waitress smirked a little as we ordered, but took it down.

A bit later, she returns, pushing a wheeled cart with our order. Apparently, one order of Egg Foo Young and Chow Mein is actually a FAMILY SIZED order. Each of our servings were actually more than enough for us to share. There were 3 foo young patties in a rich brown sauce with chicken, and an enormous (pie plate sized) portion of savory chow mein, with crisp bean sprouts, delicious noodles and topped with chicken. We had enough food for a party of 6 on our table for the two of us. Needless to say, to-go boxes were required.

Even with the giant portions, the price was resonable, especially considering we purchased dinner for that night and lunch for the following two days!

Carlitos

On March 11th, James and I celebrated our nine-month-a-versary. That is, it was 9 month since our very first date. As we are planning our wedding for June 12th of this year, we relish celebrating each month we are together and can't wait until our wedding day. What does this have to do with local Mexican food, you ask? Well, Carlitos was the location of our first date and so on the 11th of March, it was our lunchtime destination.

James, being the predictable guy he is (at least when it comes to Mexican food), chose the fajitas.

Tina, lover of most dishes Mexican, was torn for what to order. The Arroz con Pollo is quite good--savory in its orange-y sauce, as it their chili verde (spicy and juicy, this is one of my all time favorites!!) but went with the Pollo al Crema. This creamy, rich sauce is loaded with mushrooms and sauteed onions, tender white meat chicken and served with Mexican rice, refried beans and tortillas.

Tremont Cafe and Creamery

Red Bluff now has a wonderful selection of good choices for a tasty lunch, and the Tremont is one of our new favorites. This place is located in the old Ry Del's shoes storefront, and was an ice cream shop briefly before it opened under this name.

The Tremont, in case you are unfamiliar with Red Bluff History, was a grand hotel on Main St. to the south of the Cone Kimball building. The white, stately structure featured massive columns and was a beautiful landmark. It the 1960's rush to make everything modern, it was torn down and replaced with the very non-descript (or, in my opinion, ugly) Peter Lassen Square.

Our first visit to Tremont was for ice cream. We each had two very generous scoops and our cost was around $6. Really reasonable!

We tried Tremont for lunch another day. And have gone back twice more since...

1st Visit: James: cheeseburger and fries
1st Visit: Tina: Breakfast
2nd Visit: James: Dip Sandwich
2nd Visit: Tina: Fish and Fries...great, flaky white fish, breaded with a light beer batter. Breading was crisp and not at all soggy. Their fries, we'd already discovered, are tasty and crisp, soft on the inside. The tartar sauce was good, with a strong dill pickle flavor.
3rd Visit: James: Cheeseburger and fries
3rd Visit: Tina: Fajita Salad (Chicken)...I think this salad is mis-labeled. Except for the fajita spiced chicken, this did not resemble a fajita in any way. I sort of expected caramelized onions and roasted bell peppers. That being said, the salad was quite good; chunks of white meat, crispy fresh greens, fried tortilla strips (made in-house), served with salsa and sour cream (I also requested ranch dressing). It was a VERY generous portion and I actually was unable to finish it.