I can top this one. When I was writing about OC restaurants a very long time ago, an invitation came for a "Grand Opening" so I went.
Things were so bad that the kitchen was not yet in operation and the dinner was catered by a deli up the street.

If you say it ain't good, it ain't good. Tortillas, bread and rice should always be free. Though I've been noticing Chinese places charging for rice since the rice shortage a few months ago. What's Lola Gaspar's excuse?

Veggie Grill v. Lola Gaspar?!? No really, Veggie Grill v. Lola Gaspar?!? Come on, you've got to be kidding me! It's as though you are comparing Sizzler to Orange's Manhattan Supper Club. The Veggie Grill, no matter where you go, closes at 10:00PM! Apples and Oranges County (thanks god).

Is that what you want Santana to turn into, a place that rolls its sidewalk up at sunset? You can't be advocating the Irvinification of Santana. Can you? Gustavo?

That's what your review sounds like: Lola Gaspar is not Irvine enough.

And on the price of tacos, you–of all people–need to do your homework! Seriously, Gustavo, you know what a taco is worth these days. Good ones go for anywhere from a dollar to two dollars a pop. For Lola Gaspar to charge three dollars a pop, they'd have to give you something that the fly-by-night roach-coaches don't give you–and they do. Tell me, Gustavo, what do such roach-coaches give that Lola Gaspar does not? And beware, I ain't one of those damned loft "owners," so don't tell me "authenticity." Do the coaches give me Tecate? Do the coaches give me mojitos? Do the coaches give me sangria? Do they give me table service? Do they give me music? Do they give me a roof? Tell me that the booze and the table service, and the music, and the roof mean nothing.

I'll give you the over priced Tecate, but I won't give you the well aged Nicaraguan Rum and the properly toasted flatbread. I'll give you the too-loud-at-times music, but I won't give you the playlist! You ain't gonna hear that fantastic playlist at Veggie Grill–or any of your other easily repeatable locations.

Lola Gaspar is one of the reasons why I moved from Irvine to Santana–and the roach-coaches along the walk home only affirm my decision.

Alert: Welcome to the most-Mexican city in America! Lesson número uno--it's SanTana, not Santana; the latter is a great Mexican guitarist.

Segúndamente: Yes--Veggie Grill kicks Lola to the curb any day.

Thirdly: You obviously don't read this blog or my reviews enough. Faithful readers know that overpriced tacos is all I seemingly rail about nowadays, whether from taco trucks (go ahead and call them roach coaches, which just shows your biases) or high-end places. I tend to prefer taco trucks over restaurant tacos solely for the taste--my job is to tell people the best places to eat. I don't give a shit about authenticity--hell, I think Jack-n-the-Box tacos remain manna. I want good food, and Lola simply isn't. Oh, and all those extra perks you're willing to get reamed for at Lola for tacos? You can find them all at local taco trucks--just read my reviews.

IV: I included the other restaurants solely to compare on openings. All the restaurants I named sit in the upper echelons of Orange County food, and were there from the start. One of the few places that made its way up from the bottom is Taleo. But, again--charging for tortillas in SanTana? Shameful. Oh, and the flatbread? A bit soft.

Finally, what do you have against Irvine? Sure, the police are Gestapo and Bren is Satan, but culinary-wise, Irvine places second only to my beloved Anaheim. Wholesome Choice, Diho Bakery, Assal Pastry, China Garden, that Asian-restaurant Garden of Eden Edwin always raves about, and many, many others--wonderful. If having great restaurants means the Irvine-fication of SanTana, then come rescue us, Larry Agran!

The problem I have with your review is the way in which you compare Lola Gaspar to other establishments like Veggie Grill or the roach-coaches of Santana (which get alot of my tuition money these days): these are illicit comparisons. Lola Gaspar is not a vegetarian restaurant with bright lights that closes at 10:00PM in the middle of suberbia, and Lola Gaspar is not a roach-coach that sells cheap tacos without also providing Tecates, mojitos, sangria, table service, a good playlist, and a roof. Lola Gaspar is a place that stays open past midnight and serves, along with their tacos, Tecates, mojitos, sangria, tables and chairs, a bathroom, a good playlist, and a roof. As such, Lola Gaspar is a welcome addition to Santana. Now I've read your reviews (PS: did you get that postcard Señora Peña asked me to send you?), but I guess I missed you reviews of roach-coaches that serve Tecates, mojitos, sangria, roofs, or good playlists. Please, where are they? Ceteris paribus, you may have something, but the conditions ain't the same, so you don't. QED.

And the problem I have with your response to my thoughts hinges on your treatment of this notion of the Irvinification of Santana. I defined it quite clearly as a push to close up eateries by sundown, a push to eliminate an already impoverished nightlife. Again, you can't be advocating this kind of Irvinification of Santana, can you? Now, I can agree with you that "if having great restaurants means the Irvine-fication (sic.) of SanTana (sic.)," then it would be a welcomed effect, but I have to disagree with your definition of the Irvinification of Santana. Sadly, the Irvinification of Santana does not mean better food (rather, it means something like having a "Santa Ana Pub Crawl" that does not include Broadway Billiards or Rancho de Mendoz–but that's for another post). We who lovingly frequent roach-coaches here in Santana know that the Irvinification of Santana will be sold just as you have sold it, as a bringing of good food to Santa Ana, but we also know that, in reality, the Irvinification of Santana will lead to much less nightlife (as impossible as that sounds), and the demise of our much cherished roach-coach tradition. Thankfully, Lola Gaspar plays a positive role in our resistance against that Irvinification of Santana (even though the folks behind Lola Gaspar may disagree).

PS: I've so far resisted pettiness (like your embedded pepper video), but I can no longer resist. I love how you, Gustavo Arellano, Mr. ¡Ask a Mexican!, tried to school a reader into being politically correct about the naming of roach-coaches–sorry, I mean Vehicular Culinary Dispensaries. That's rich. My favorite "loncheria" is a mini-van in a grocery store parking lot selling tamales. I'd tell you which parking lot, but then I'd loose my favorite roach-coach. I bid you peace.

Illicit comparisons? Not at all. Again: read the context of how I make my comparisons. Openings. And what they tend to tell about the future of a place. I stand by what I wrote.

You're talking to someone who has covered the gentrification wars in SanTana for years. One can only hope SanTana would ape Irvine, because what Don Papi Pulido and his ilk propose is much, much worse. Lola is actually in line with this vision, but I'm not going to dwell on that charge unless they were taking money from the city, which they aren't. The only thing I care about in reviewing a restaurant is the food--not what it brings to a civic environment, or whether it has cool music. The food. And Lola's brings nothing in that regard to SanTana. If you want nightlife coverage, read our music section.

And, petty? Come on: that video is comedy GOLD. And true.

Final point: I asked the guy who runs the Pub Crawl about the lack of Broadway Billiards in the list. He said he asked the owner, who declined inclusion.

I'm going to have to go back to Lola's before I can honestly chime in with a review. On one hand, I welcome another restaurant to Santa Ana that's open until 2AM, not to mention open on Sundays. But my order never came as there were "ticketing errors" all night–something common when working out the kinks.

Also, I didn't care much that someone in my party was told to tell me to not take photos of the place–especially when I'm looking to promote their business via Yelp, Blog or Pub Crawl. It's not like they're competing with Pinkberry or anything!

I welcome this new addition to Downtown Santa Ana with open arms–a fitting successor to the Pangea Cafe.

And Alert, while I appreciate you noticing the Pub Crawl, please don't think I didn't send the "invite" to Broadway Billiards. I approached the owners (who refused to even shake my hand), told them of my idea, said I'm paying for everything out of pocket in an effort to promote Santa Ana, and was pretty much told to "fuck off".

So there. That's why BB isn't part of the Crawl. If you'd like to chat more, or have some ideas on how to promote OUR city, feel free to email me.

Wait, wait, wait: Lola's didn't let your party shoot shots, Ben? If a restaurant is so pretentious that they don't allow pictures inside, they can stick a fork in it—HA! Can't stand that crap. I remember how Mesa in Costa Mesa pulled that shit until business started going south. Man, even the Ritz-Carlton ain't that arrogant...

Nah, I still shot photos. The camera only turns off when someone decides to grab my gear, then I'll stop....to kick their arse ;)

Nonetheless, I'm happy that one of the owners expressed a great interest to participate in future Pub Crawls. Promoting the city in a positive light, that's what it's all about (as opposed to exposing outsiders to a bar that tells someone who wants to give them free promotion/traffic to kiss off).

Okay. I'm over it.

I never blog so sorry for the short response in advance. I went to Lola Gaspar last night (12/16/08) the food, drinks and ambiance was so good I googled it this morning only to find this review. It must have truly been first night jitters and they still claim they haven't even had a real grand opening. Two thumbs up in my book, I'm going back Friday for another carne flatbread, ceviche and sangria.

i too visited last night and had a grand old time with good food and wine. we had great service from our two bartenders.

couple of things though- yeah, they still don't have the whole menu. seems like they should be able to work that out by now or maybe print up some temp menus of what they DO have.

and secondly.. the ceviche is decidely spanish is execution. this is no mexican ceviche, i do not recommend.

the potato and shroom tacos on the other hand.. let me say that i know from potato tacos and these were outstanding. great great stuff.

just sayin'

Lola Gaspar doesn't seem to be anything other than a safe place for hipsters to enjoy their overpriced, wannabe Mexican foods. Let them get ripped off--I'll just enjoy better stuff at my local taco truck.

Santa Ana the most Mexican city in America????? I guess you have never been to El Paso, TX, Las Cruces, NM, or even South Gate, CA.

Not only have I been to those cities, I like those cities. Sorry: U.S. Census figures don't lie. Get with the program, Anon!

I don't mean disrespect, but I was born in Guadalajara, lived in Tijuana, Piedras Negras, raised in El Paso, Las Cruces, studied in Madrid, also lived in Barcelona, Galicia, moved to LA years ago, and now live in Santa Ana. My mother is Catalan and father is Mexican. Sorry to burst your bubble, but Santa Ana is far from the "MOST MEXICAN CITY IN AMERICA". I wouldn't use the US Census as a reliable source for my info, but that's just me.

And that's the funny part, Anon. Everyone knows the Census grossly undercounts, and still: SanTana is classified as the most-immigrant, most-Spanish-speaking (except for maybe Miami), most-all-whole-bunch-of-other-Mexi-stuff CITY (as opposed to town, rancho or some other farmland phenomenon) in the United States. At the very least, it's the largest city in the US with an all-Latino city council--even Chuco has two gabachos on their council

"Sorry: U.S. Census figures don't lie. Get with the program, Anon". " And that's the funny part, Anon. Everyone knows the Census grossly undercounts". Yet, you use this as your argument. Just because the city council is all Latino, it doesn't make it "most Mexican city in America". You look beyond that, in Huntington Park how many hipsters are there, or Southgate, El Paso???? Don't get me wrong, I love Santa Ana, again my roots are rich enough to be able to tell what is really Mexican and what is not. I walk down Broadway and Main and I love it. There is a piece of that there, but my issue is calling it the most Mexican city in America. I feel more in Mexico walking the streets of Pico Rivera or Boyle Heights than Santa Ana.

anon - who cares? its a food review. get a life.

The hipsters don't really live in SanTana, they drive up from Costa Mesa. Watch out on the 55-South late on Friday/Saturday nights-- they're all driving home drunk!! As a Costa Mesa resident that works in Anaheim at the Cheesiest Place on Earth, TRUST ME... I have to swerve around them on the freeway! They live in Costa Mesa and commute to a very impoverished neighborhood that has a few nice night spots because it's "hip" to hang out in bad neighborhoods. Fuck that.

Gustavo - Though it's an LA location, have you had Mexican food at either of the neighboring stands located in the Grand Central Market (Hill Street between 4th and 5th)? Their tacos are $2 a pop and one alone is a meal. In fact, a lone taco is served with extra tortillas because there is probably about a third pound of meat in just one. I prefer the stand closer to Hill Street. The meat is better as are the salsas/chiles.

Laurence: I have not!

Hey Gustavo - You should try Mariscos Puerto Esperanza in Orange. Chef Santiago Vallejo has over 20 years of experience and it shows. This is the best Mariscos I have had in the U.S. and possibly in Mexico. Service/marketing both need a bit of work, but the food is insane!

Cheers!

1724 N. Tustin St
Orange, Ca 92865

714-998-3599

Went to Lola Gaspar last night--sucked. Just like the title says.

Mark: I can neither confirm nor deny that I or Edwin have patronized this amazing place.

Just wanted to add my share about my first visit to Lola Gaspar. First of all, the decor was absolutely awesome. This is definitely a good spot to impress your date with. Whether you pick a cozy little booth or hang at the bar, you'll surely be immersed with the ambiance here. I tried the street duck tacos and they were quite delicious. The honeycomb butter with the warm tortillas were pretty good as well. I’ll admit that I was still a little hungry afterwards being that the street tacos are known to be rather small, but heck, I’d pay the money to enjoy these again. This only gave me a reason to order more food from the menu, and sure enough, I was impressed once more with the Oaxacan cheese chicken quesadillas. I found out that this place was inspired by a similar-type restaurant/bar in Spain so that explains the Spanish influence here. True, it’s not your normal street taco that you can grab at your local taco stand, but that’s because it’s not intended to be! C’mon you all. This is not your everyday bar so check this place for what it is instead of what you want it to be. This place only adds a unique flavor to the Spanish culture. Enjoy good food and get in the mood!

OFF TOPIC: Gustavo, here's what to expect at any of the stands at Grand Central Market. Photo taken this summer, prices may have gone up.

And to the Anons calling South Gate & HP the most Mexican cities in the U.S.: Thanks!

Chris: What it is is how I described it. You have a date, take her to Onotria.

Diego: Gracias for your pics. As for your second comment—typical propaganda from a southgatero...(is that what ustedes call yourself?)

So which taco truck openings have your reviewed? Thanks in advance.

Quick Query: The one I mentioned above, when they started a fish taco truck. A taco truck that used to park in front of Weekly world headquarters. And, though not a taco truck, my dispatch on the previous Ruben's Panaderia (now called Plaza Bakery came after just a week of business on their part. So what are you trying to drive at?

Gustavo, have you been to the Mexican street food vendors in Boyle Heights??? The place in downtown is right next the bar La Cita, and it is oooohhh soo good.

Gustavo,
I'm not sure what we call ourselves. A lot of us call South Gate "Sur Gate," so maybe Sur Gateros works? Idk. At least we're not Chuntington Park. Jejeje.

I just wanted to voice my agreement with the posters above in praising the tortas at the Grand Central Market in downtown LA. The carnitas ones at the stand in the south east corners of the place are incredible. They are worth getting grease on your work clothes and the heart damage they must cause.

re: OFF TOPIC: Gustavo, here's what to expect at any of the stands at Grand Central Market. Photo taken this summer, prices may have gone up.

HOLY *#&#^$! I wish I lived near there. Hell, I wish I lived/worked closer to the taco trucks in Santa Ana. I never get around to being able to eat at any of them.

Preach, Gustavo, Preach!

ANON YOU ARE A DOUCHE...I BET YOU'RE NOT EVEN MEXICAN..F U AND EVERYWHERE YOU'VE BEEN. DO US A FAVOR AND MOVE TO TUSTIN -IF I SEE YOU WALKING DOWN "LA CUATRO" IM GONNA KICK YOUR NALGAS!

Can SanTana get any wackier? Street Tacos at a restaurant? That's an abomination in sooo many ways! Mark this joint off my list of places to get a bite to eat in the city....

Gustavo.
I beg to differ with your assessment of the food at lola gaspar. The food is much more interesting and complex than anything served at the Gypsy Den, Memphis, Bistro 400, Jason's and the Crosby. I'm not at all saying that those places are not good, in fact I eat at most of them quite often and love them. I can't take your review seriously because of the following reasons.

-You mention Onotria and your list of favorites? Onotria has great food but it's price tag is a bit over the top especially for how crappy the ambiance is and interior is.

-You eat at the gypsy den all the time. Which I believe also charges for chips and salsa if you order them solo. Yes, Gypsy Den is less expensive but the quality of the food and the ingredients used are not even in the same league as Lola's. Did you know that the lobster on your girlfriends blt was alive in the kitchen shortly before it was on her plate? I guess you would rather eat at a place that uses lunch meat on their salads? If you went to gypsy den and had chips and salsa, two entrees and a couple glasses of wine it would be less expensive than what you had a Lola's but not by much. And you would have to wait 45 min for the server to bring your damn bill!

-It was the first night they were open! They warned everyone they were still slightly tweaking the dishes and that the full menu would not yet be served.

Lola Gaspar is hands down 100% better than the restaurant that was in that location before. The food, the ambiance, the drinks, everything about it is better.

Stop complaining that you don't get chips and salsa for free and be happy that someone even wants to invest money and hard work into our city at a time with the economy is on the brink of falling apart. I'm sure the salsa would be free if the chips were free. What is the point of free salsa if you don't get free chips? Even Taco Mesa charges for chips. Is it not a sin to charge for chips in Costa Mesa? Is Costa Mesa not Mexican enough to demand free chips?

You were spot on with one thing, Old Vine is Costa Mesa is incredible as well as Gabby's in Orange. Although I'm still very curious how one gets to write food reviews for the OC Weekly? And for some reason it seems that 90% of the time anything new comes up in Santa Ana that is a part of the redevelopment you find something to complain about. Your review of the Crosby gives the owners praise for what they pulled off but calls the food inconsistent yet once again you eat at the Gypsy Den? Are you kidding me?

Hope to see you around town.
brian

Brian: Let's go point-by-point:

*Just because food is "more interesting and complex" doesn't make it good.

*Onotria is not overpriced, considering the cuisine is excellent, and the chef subscribes to the Slow Food theory of cooking. Want cheap, good Italian? You'll have to read my column next week, or head over to Rufino's Ristorante in Anaheim.

*I don't care if a restaurant serves me meat freshly killed or suffering from freezer burn, as long as what comes out is good. Read my review again—my girlfriend liked the lobster, but it was cold because they left it sitting out for too long. And of course Gypsy Den would charge for chips—it isn't a Mexican restaurant, nor masquerades as one. Yet Gabbi's doesn't charge for chips, nor Taleo, both of which are much-classier joints than Lola Gaspar that can easily charge.

*Can you please reread the review? Seriously? I was upfront about me going to Lola Gaspar on its third day, and also put it in the context of other restaurant openings. I'm sorry, but don't open to the public unless you have your act together.

*Taco Mesa charges for chips because it's a taquería, and taquerías traditionally don't offer chips because it's rather redundant to eat tortillas with tortillas. The only people who order chips at a taquería are those who want some crunch in their meals or fools, and for the former, load up on the pickled carrots.

*"be happy that someone even wants to invest money and hard work into our city at a time with the economy is on the brink of falling apart."

HAHAHAHA. Please. I'm sure you think Mike Harrah is a swell guy. I'm happy with good businesses, and—for the purposes of this blog—great food. Lola Gaspar is neither.

*How does one get to write food for the Weekly? Simple: you find great food again and again, and tell it like it is to anyone who'll listen. I've been food editor at the Weekly for six years, with a reader satisfaction rate (at least of those who talk to me, and it's a lot of them) of 90 percent or so, so I must be doing something right.

*"it seems that 90% of the time anything new comes up in Santa Ana that is a part of the redevelopment you find something to complain about.

Want to provide proof for that 90% figure? Better be careful when bandying around numbers, 'cause they'll burn you. As any loyal Weekly reader knows, I'm opposed to SanTana redevelopment tied in to conflict-of-influenza-afflicted politicians or led by people who whine about too many quinceañera shops on Fourth Street, and guess what? There's a bunch of those folks roaming 'round town.

Really? I complain? Then why did I name a masseuse with his shop in the lofts across the Yost the best one in OC for our Best Of issue? Or anoint Rags as the best newsstand? Or, as food editor, given the green light on reviews in the plug for Jason's, Proof Bar, Tommy's Pastrami, and Bistro 400 over the years, or given love to the Pub Crawl, Mother's Market's pizza (even as I ridiculed them jacking up prices on Mexican food that isn't organic) and Tommy's Monday Night Football special? My gawd, that's virtually every new restaurant that has opened around the Artists' Village! And none of them are Mexican! And I said nice things about them! Can you explain that?

The fact remains: Lola Gaspar isn't good, nor is the Crosby for food. They might be great places to hang out, but that's not the point of this blog. Combine the best of both worlds, and you're at Memphis.

*not having complementary chips and salsa is one thing, but an informal guide to judging a restaurant serving Mexican dishes is to check 'em by their salsa - free or not. Usually, a bland array of salsas with too much tomato sauce and not enough sabor is harbinger of bad things to come later with the main dishes.

Brian - Would the Gypsy Den's continued presence in Santa Ana not fit your criteria for 'investing money in the city?' If so, you're hatin' on their food in defense of Lola Gaspar and are complaining against the supposed noble mission you upheld in the first place in trying to paint Gustavo as a reflexive hater.

Seems like Gustavo put forth a pretty decent list of nuances in his food critiques over the years in response to your characterization...perhaps people other than you can also form such opinions...

Gustavo, you wrote: "I'm opposed to SanTana (sic.) redevelopment tied in to conflict-of-influenza-afflicted politicians or led by people who whine about too many quinceañera shops on Fourth Street ... ." This was in reply to Brian's seeming claim that Lola Gaspar is a part of some capital-R Redevelopment Plan. Is it correct, to your knowledge, that Lola Gaspar is explicitly a part of some silly, city-initiated Redevelopment Plan? Put another way, I understand that you are opposed to Lola Gaspar for not having good business and not having great food, but are you also opposed to Lola Gaspar because it fits into that "redevelopment tied in to conflict-of-influenza-afflicted politicians" schema? Is the fear that Lola Gaspar is, in part, "what Papi Pulido proposes for his Renaissance Plan" (to quote your review)? Your reply to Brian didn't make your position on these matters clear.

Similarly, I'm wondering if your answer to my question for clarification might shed light on your using an image of Gaspar de Portolá. Is the claim that Lola Gaspar is serving the colonial role while Santana is playing the colonized role? If you are invoking the image of Gaspar de Portolá to insinuate that we residents of Santana ought to avoid Lola Gaspar because it is colonial (it is a Spanish themed bar, after all), then are you also implicitly claiming that we should avoid Ye Olde Ship too? My question put another way is this: am I to take your use of Gaspar de Portolá's image seriously, or as a joke? If I am to take your use of Gaspar de Portolá's image seriously, then can you please explain yourself.

I should mention that since your initial review of Lola Gaspar, I have eaten at four sit-down Mexican restaurants (where the music in the kitchen is the same as the music in the dining area), and I have only gotten tortillas when I ordered food requiring them, like a molé. The tortillas were not, as such, free. And I am not talking about Taco Bell or Acapulco. I can name names if you would like me to divulge the identity of these insulting, inexcusable, Santana tortilla sinners.

I'll end by sharing my frustration with your review of Lola Gaspar. I have been a loyal follower of your food reviews–until you came out against Lola Gaspar. You have a lot some good work in the past with your reviews of food, and I have followed your lead by patronizing the places that earned good reviews from you. But now that I have eaten at Lola Gaspar a number of times and I have not been disappointed once–not even once–I am beginning to wonder whether or not I should check out the other places you didn't like. How can you be right-on with your other reviews, and miss the mark here? Do I have good taste in agreeing with your good reviews, but bad taste in disagreeing with your bad reviews? Vexing. It makes me wonder if something else is going on.

Please enlighten me.

Yours,
Alert & Flummoxed

What an odd conversation. I wonder who understands what they read. The review was clear. Give them a couple months and try going to the place again. Crummy salsa, charging for tortillas, cold food and inattentive waitstaff are inexcusable. If the expensive tacos were good, then the cost would be worth it. I choose Gaby's any day.

This goes out to Edwin Goei -

"If you say it ain't good, it ain't good. Tortillas, bread and rice should always be free. "

What are you kidding me? Obviously, you have never ran a restaurant. All that would be free if us restaurants got it for free. But unfortunately, it costs us money. So when you order rice or extra tortillas for you order, your honestly expecting it to be for free? You are clueless. People like you should not have any opinion about what restaurants should offer 'for free'.

You want free, go to a fucking soup kitchen. Dont want to pay? dont order it.

What type of a person goes into a restaurant and says something should be free?
someone without class.... you

*written by a restaurant manager who has to deal with inept morons like this douche who think everything should be for free everyday

Hi Pat,

Such vitriol! Such language! I love it!

But don't be shy now: Please reveal which restaurant you manage.

Don't be afraid to proudly share with all the readers here.

Say it out loud: "I am "PAT THE FUCKING KING" and I manage (insert your restaurant name here) and I want to charge you for (choose one: bread/rice/tortilla chips)!!!"

Surely if you have these words for me, you are confident that there are plenty of "classier" people who'd love to visit and give you the money you deserve for the bread/rice/tortilla chips.

We're waiting.

Pat the effin' King: Any relation to Pat's King of Steaks? SO much better than xenophobic Geno's...other than that, slag off. Of course, after Edwin's brilliant comeback, you're probably sipping on cranberry juice (The Departed joke)...

Alert & Flummoxed: Point by point:

*You misread my point re: redevelopment. I was responding specifically to Brian's point about me not liking redevelopment. As far as I know, Lola Gaspar isn't tied to either redevelopment virus, and I never made such a claim—my issue with them is only their cuisine. As far as I'm concerned, if you ain't racist, getting subsidies and favors from the city, or buying your way in through greasing political alms, welcome to SanTana!

And the Papi Pulido mention? A joke of comparisons. Which leads to...

*Man, talk about reading too much into your tea leaves! I used the picture of Gaspar de Portola partly as a joke—can you name any other significant Gaspars in OC history besides Lola and Portola? I thought it was funny—born out of necessity: Lola Gaspar doesn't have a website from which I can swipe a logo. If you noticed on my preview of Lola Gaspar, I didn't bother with any image, which owes more to me being lazy (I always try to include an image with my posts). Colonialism? You're taking too many Chicano Studies courses! But, if you want to play that game, I say Lola Gaspar right now, if it doesn't get its act together, can very well be Abel Stearns.

*Name names! Name names! I'll slam them as well for not offering complimentary chips or tortillas, so what's your point?

*If you're not going to continue reading my reviews just because you don't agree with me on Lola Gaspar, that's your right, but you're acting like a diva. Shit, I shared in a previous post I don't like avocado, unless as a dessert. Stop the presses! 90 percent of the Mexican race can no longer trust my food reviews just because we disagree on a fundamental part of Mexican cuisine! Please. You want to waste your money at Lola Gaspar? Go right on ahead, but dozens of much-better restaurants are just minutes away. And I don't think you have bad taste for going to places I don't like—just bad judgment.

Don't forget that Gustavo doesn't like carnitas. But he loves chicharron.

Query for Gustavo and Edwin: How often do you rate an establishment on atmosphere, amenities, or location?

From reading your reviews over the years, such things seem to typically be of the "don't judge a book by its cover" mode - that despite a restaurant being in a strip mall between a tobacco shop and a laundromat, its great food. Why are so many people quick to judge this or any restaurant on (literal) appearances? Is the dining experience worth the admission price?

And free bread/chips/rice... what the flying fuck?!? How did that guy become a manager of anything? He's obviously not an owner though... the costs are calculated into the price of the food, douche nozzle. Kinda like the napkins and electricity.

Pat: To be more specific, I don't care for carnitas, and I can only take chicharrones in small doses lest I die of ecstasy!

The Weekly's criteria for a review: great food, and that's that. We'll talk about ambiance, location and the like, but only as an aside. If you want a beautiful experience, go to the Huntington Library. We, on the other hand, care for food.

The most shocking part of your review is that you have a girlfriend.

Whoa, Gustavo you really have to defend your opinion on these food blogs, and I thought the political blogs were active. 50 comments! Well done Senor!

I'll start with your recommendation on this one and leave it to the south county coastal hipsters to patronize Lola when they come to the risky SanTana to party. It sounds like a bar with tapas more than a restaurant from the comments here anyway.

I think the CHP should go fishing on the 55 for dui's they could help our state's budget woes with those hefty fines.

CHP does plenty of fishing on thursday, friday and saturday nights on the 55... northbound. They set up shop right at 19th st in Costa Mesa to pick up drunk bros on the way home from Goat and Chronic Cantina

Stacy: Oh, SNAP! Not only do I have a girlfriend, but she's smarter, more successful, AND hotter than you ever hoped to become in your childhood days!

Well, I saw a picture of you........ as they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Looks can be deceiving. Have you ever heard about my big...thesaurus?

The art there is simply fantastic. That alone would be worth a trip down to the OC.

Gustavo,
Your naitiviy really shown when you rag on a business for opening up one week late here in SanTana? When was the last time you opened up a business in SanTana? Just ask the Crosby boys and they will enlighten you as too just how business friendly it is around here. and how fast things get done. Of course, you can go to City Hall, if you are named Harrah, get a 30 Day Occupancy Permit and when it expires, stay open and sell liquor on City property and expose the City to Billions of dollars in liability. That is what we can all call a true Mexican City in American being run by Coconuts. Why not drop your "Ask A Mexican". It's really run it course with it's negativity. Time to earn a Literary Prize. Do your own follow up and investigation on just how things are really run here in SanTana.

CP: I've done many stories like those over the years. You can look them up! And how is Ask a Mexican negative?

Ok so i finally visited Lola Gaspar after mixed reviews on it ( more positive than negative) I was most curious especially since i heard the same chefs and management staff from Habana in costa mesa were behind Lola. So heres my review... the atmosphere and decor are truly amazing, very nice little touches everywhere. Now lets move to drinks the wine bar could be bigger but nonetheless i have no complaints on drinks. Moving onto food while i agree that portions are small, these are Tapas (little dishes) if you want to get full go to a regular restaurant.. my tacos on this particular night were yummy and i was able to taste the lobster as well which i must say was superb..for dessert i tried the velvet cupcakes and they were amazing. Prices are a bit pricy but if you think this place is too expensive maybe you shouldnt be eating at a place like this...may i suggest a dennys if you dont want any damage done to ur wallet? I think the quality of the food is worth it. I definetly will be going back...and by the way to Gustavo i read your endless post it seems to me that you just like to play devils advocate..i couldnt take your review to be serious, honestly it seems you wanted reactions cause ur so bored and need to keep writing responses over and over. I think one or two reviews will suffice now you've taken this into a whole different subject.

Lisa: My review was very serious.

notice the time Gustavio posted his reply to mine...looks like he's monitoring this religiously...again nothing else to do.

Lisa: I get paid to be an obsessive freak about comments posted to any of my blogs; what's your excuse?

Oh, geez. I'll never enjoy my 3-bite tacos there the same again. :( For the record, 5 bucks will get you a taco-trio after 10 PM now. Perhaps that will aide some of you in enjoying their delicious inferiority.

You know a critic is small- time when he can respond to nearly every blog response, especially responding to barbs about his personal life. Review a joint then maybe later, write an update but beyond that, the gratuitous defense reads as infant spittle. The idea of foodie culture in a Podunk like SA makes little more sense than the continued publication of Ask A Mexihack.

NB to anxious journalism students: book deals come easily.

Gracias for your comment, Mario! Your comment about food culture in SanTana shows your idiocy. And, as I told Lisa: I get paid to respond to ALL blog comments; what's YOUR excuse for leaving your comment?

You guys are all high. I've worked in Santa Ana's Civic Center for a year now and this is by far the best food within a 5 mile radius of downtown Santa Ana.

In response to my January statement that I had gone to Lola Gaspar several times without experiencing the disappointments you encountered, you, Gustavo, replied, "I don't think you have bad taste for going to places I don't like—just bad judgment." I thought I had good judgment, or at least judgment as good as yours, because of all of the reviews of yours I had appreciated. As I indicated above, I've eaten some of the best food in Orange County thanks to the points I've received from the OCWeekly–evidence of good judgment, no? Regardless, let me get this straight: a food editor telling me in a section dedicated to public comments that I have bad judgment because I have had different experiences? Really?

Well, it's been months now, and I still haven't encountered the problems you did. I imagine you'll say that it's because of my ongoing "bad judgment?" Well Sir, me and my tender tongue disagree.

If I based my judgments off of a singular experience as you seem to do, I'd've stopped reading the OCWeekly ages ago, no doubt–but I don't base my judgments off of singular experiences, and that's the only reason why I'll continue reading the OCWeekly–despite your having besmirched my judgment. So, please continue doing what you do best here, reviewing the best of what Orange County has to offer to eat, but please also don't tell me I have bad judgment because I disagree with you just because we've had different experiences.

PS: And thank you kindly, but I have not taken too many Chicano Studies courses.

Gee-zus, Alert! Months later, and you're still hurt about two words? Good for you that you like Lola Gaspar, but as long as they're advertising "street tacos," I'll pass. And as long as there are much better restaurants in Orange County, why you waste your time with Lola is a mystery to me—but that's your right! Give me Las Brisas de Apatzingan any day...

You guys are fun fun funny. But seriously, dates wrapped in bacon stuffed with blue cheese. Their paella-less paella (mussels, chorizo, lobster all in a cast iron dish served nice and spicy). Their Sunday afternoon brunch complete with old man singing the blues, the grill going, and the headiness flowing. Get past the street tacos and try something that doesn't offend your mind yet still manages to tease your palette. Or not. Whatevs.

You are correct, Las Brisas de Apatzingan is a fine place.
Thanks god there's some variety in Santana.

Also I'm gay and I like big chorizos. Pee pee poo poo.

Wow! You are all out of control! The place is just a terrible establishment. The food, the service, the prices, everything about it is rediculous. It's bad and that's that!

I'm truthfully pleased Gustavo Arellano doesn't like/come into Lola. The place is chill, the food is delicious, and the atmosphere is perfect. It reminds me of several pubs/restaurants I went to while visiting my Spanish friends in Barcelona's gothic quarter. Lola is something different and refreshing that Orange County desperately needed. And honestly, I am not even trying to put down GA or the review... but I am glad he wrote a negative review & it is now Google's first search result, because it keeps most of the riff raff from coming in. Oddly enough, it has had a positive effect on Lola from my perspective. But if you came to this online review, you want a OC Mexican food critic's advice... so take it, please.

I was in love with Gustavo's second review of The Crosby, and then came across this one of Lola's.
While I'm 99% sure he does not care AT ALL about what his reader's think of his articles, as apparent in his insults he throws at them if they disagree (???), I do think it would be wise of all those who enjoy Lola's to not get so worked up about what he said.
He went there ONCE. O-N-C-E.
One time. If he is going to make such a strong statement against Lola's after only ONE experience, vowing never to go again, then obviously his perspective is not in it's most valid state.

Sure, I've gone to places and had a bad experience, vowing NEVER to go again.
But if my job was to consist of reviewing these places, I would at the least, for the sake of validity, go a second time.
As he did with the Crosby.

No, I'm not making a suggestion to him that he should try again, it is quite obvious that if I did he may spit fire a heated retort calling me an idiot or something clever like that, but I am suggesting that fellow fans of Lola Gaspar and the food not take his ONE-TIME experience to heart.

They are obviously doing well with a strong customer base, I'm sure if anything this article made more people want to see what all the fuss was about and actually go there.
And most were probably surprised at their contrary experience.

I would also like to add to anyone who thinks Lola's serves tapas: IT DOESN'T.

The word TAPAS is no where in the place, or on the menu.

From what I've seen, the word has never been on their menu.
So if you go there expecting tapas....UH yea..you will be dissappointed because they've never served tapas.

The portions are small, yes, but tapas, no.

And as a fellow Mexican, sure the tacos cannot compete with real STREET tacos, but I'm not going to get hung up on it.
There are plenty of dishes worthy of trying besides the tacos...

Try the Gaspar Steak and Cheese, Smoked Bilbao flatbread or Butterleaf Market Salad (at lunch time only I think?) and you shouldn't be disappointed.

re: Most Mexican City in the U.S. comments.

Santa Ana Unified School District statistics:

Number of Students: 54,310 (K-12)

Geographic Size: 24 Square Miles

Student Racial/Ethnic Composition:
94.6% Latino
1.80% White
3.3% Asian/Pacific Islander/Filipino
0.6% African American
0.1% Native American
0.4% Other

Approximately 60% of SAUSD students are English learners. Spanish, Vietnamese and Khmer are the most common languages spoken at home.

SAUSD ranks as the number 1 port of entry for English language learners new to the U.S. statewide by Educational Testing Service.

Note that they list "Latino" and not "Mexican." Many of my Salvadoran & Honduran friends get quite upset to be lumped into a "Mexican" classification when they're not actually Mexican. Would you like to be called "Canadian" by Europeans?

94.6% Latino is not 94.6% Mexican.

it seems that gustavo doesn't respond when someone makes a good point?
he gets paid to insult his readers if they disagree? is that what he means when he says he gets paid to comment on his blogs?
can't quite understand that concept......but congratulations to him nonetheless!

Anon: Are you kidding me? I've been more than obsessive over responding to the same old song on this post. As for the upset Latino above: OC demographics note Mexicans account for over 75 percent of all Latinos in OC; in SanTana, the figure is higher. I stand by my exaggeration.

have you been back? try the banana pudding bread and duck with fries

It appears that you have placed a lot of effort into your article and I require more of these on the net these days. I sincerely got a kick out of your post. I don't really have much to say in response, I only wanted to comment to reply wonderful work.

There is certainly something in angling that tends to produce a serenity of the mind. Quote by Washington Irving

Seriously? I am coming to this debate a bit late as I do not live in lovely LaLa Land and have just recently be seduced by Lola's many charms. I think Lola's is a lovely place...comfortable, reasonably priced for what you get, staffed by pleasant people. My biggest problem with this review? What publication worth the price of the paper it is printed on allows a restaurant critic to review a place after ONE visit? It seems to me that G. has a problem with Lola's for one (or both) of two reasons: he doesn't like Hispanics that are not Mexican or he wasn't properly acknowledged as "someone of power" when he dined there (good critics like to dine anonymously, bad ones want to be "recognized").
So my advice...make your own decision, try Lola's, then decide.

Um, no on both. Me, someone of power? HAHAHAHAHA! Me, not like Latinos who aren't wabs? One of my favorite restaurant owners is Patricio Dillon, an Argie who makes damn good Mexican food over at Taco Adobe in Orange. By the way? Lola's still sucks, and the owners are jerks--you can look it!