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Ate: April 23, 2006 Published: April 23, 2006 $$$ As seems to be our usual pattern with these reviews, after checking out a couple of smaller, out of the way places, we changed course. There was nothing either small or out of the way about the restaurant we chose this week. With a massive new building near the intersection of Highways 17 and 544 and an equally massive sign, California Dreaming is perfectly positioned to serve several hundred hungry patrons every day. We have, on occasion, visited other restaurants run by the same company behind California Dreaming, and we've never been disappointed. If there is a secret formula behind success in the restaurant industry, they seem to have found it. Would their newest venture live up to their past successes? This is what the two of us wanted to find out. We chose to review a large, high-traffic restaurant because, with Easter and Spring Break behind us, we felt like we could walk into such a place and get a table without a one to two hour wait. That is exactly what happened to us tonight, a friendly hostess seated us immediately and an equally friendly waiter came by quickly to take our drink order. So far, the evening was off to a good start. As an appetizer, we ordered some nachos, but instead of just your usual plate of nachos we decided to try their barbecue chicken nachos. The name in the menu had intrigued us, and when they arrived, they did not disappoint. A mound of tortilla chips served as the base for shredded chicken, diced red onions, cheese and sweet-smoky barbecue sauce. This was Mexican/southeastern fusion cuisine at its finest. This was a big meal and after our nachos, the waiter brought salads out. We are happy to report that California Dreaming does not serve mediocre, generic salads. Topped with uncommon niceties like chunks of hardboiled egg and chopped almonds, these salads were a nice departure from the usual. As if they needed any more help, our salads came with honey-drizzled croissants so flaky and addictingly good, the government should look into declaring them a controlled substance. Our main continued the chicken theme that had started with our appetizer. My lovely wife had ordered the restaurant's Southwest Chicken and Bacon Quesadilla. It was a massive tortilla filled to overflowing with meat, scallions and cheese. According to her, it was good, hot and crispy and definitely much better than average. Alongside her quesadilla, she was served a "loaded" potato. This is a baked potato where, instead of just butter, they include a large scoop of their own specialized cocktail mixture of butter, bacon, sour cream, cheese and chives. One bite, and you'll feel your arteries clogging, but you won't care because it tastes so good. My own dinner was their Knob Hill Chicken, which consists of a double breast of chicken layered with ham and Monterrey jack cheese. In one of the most intriguing presentations I've ever seen, the breast was de-boned and butterflied, but the two wing "chicken drummettes" were still connected to the breast, just begging to be ripped off and eaten by with the fingers. My chicken was very enjoyable and went well with my own loaded potato. If the managers behind California Dreaming have found the formula for restaurant success, it apparently includes things like good food and lots of friendly, attentive wait staff. This evening's experience for us was nothing but good, and well worth the trip. As a little warning, though, California Dreaming doesn't do anything halfway, and that includes their portions. When you visit their restaurant, plan on having lots of leftovers. |
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