{"id":534,"date":"2008-10-04T10:00:27","date_gmt":"2008-10-04T17:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.eatinoc.com\/?p=534"},"modified":"2008-10-04T10:00:27","modified_gmt":"2008-10-04T17:00:27","slug":"mini-cafe-santa-ana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinorange\/oc-food-reviews\/mini-cafe-santa-ana\/","title":{"rendered":"Mini Cafe &#8211; Santa Ana"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I visited the Mini Cafe in Santa Ana this morning for the first time and I&#8217;m already impressed.\u00a0 Tucked away in the corner of the Stater Bros. parking lot at Tustin Ave. and Santa Clara, right next to The Fling is the unassuming little cafe with its unassuming name.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_540\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-540\" style=\"width: 160px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a class=\"thickbox\" href=\"http:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinoc\/files\/2008\/10\/img_0107.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"540\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinorange\/oc-food-reviews\/mini-cafe-santa-ana\/attachment\/img_0107\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinorange\/files\/2008\/10\/img_0107.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"800,600\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Picasa 3.0&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1223110451&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"img_0107\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Outside Mini Cafe&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinorange\/files\/2008\/10\/img_0107.jpg\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-540\" src=\"http:\/\/www.eatinoc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/10\/img_0107-160x120.jpg\" alt=\"Outside Mini Cafe\" width=\"160\" height=\"120\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-540\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Outside Mini Cafe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Ask just about anyone that has lived in Orange County for the last 30 years to name their 10 favorite OC restaurants of all time and you are bound to hear the name <a href=\"http:\/\/www.disboards.com\/showthread.php?t=1444370\" target=\"_blank\">Belisle&#8217;s<\/a> come up more often than not, well Chef and I&#8217;m assuming owner Mario Gutierrez was once a chef at the famous OC restaurant.\u00a0 Of course Belisle&#8217;s closed many years ago, but it&#8217;s cool to see one of their cooks now runs his own little place.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_535\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-535\" style=\"width: 90px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a class=\"thickbox\" href=\"http:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinoc\/files\/2008\/10\/img_0099.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"535\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinorange\/oc-food-reviews\/mini-cafe-santa-ana\/attachment\/img_0099\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinorange\/files\/2008\/10\/img_0099.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"600,800\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Picasa 3.0&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1223108882&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"img_0099\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Inside Mini Cafe&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinorange\/files\/2008\/10\/img_0099.jpg\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-535\" src=\"http:\/\/www.eatinoc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/10\/img_0099-90x120.jpg\" alt=\"Inside Mini Cafe\" width=\"90\" height=\"120\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-535\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Inside Mini Cafe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When I say little, I&#8217;m not joking, there are only 6 tables, but size does not make a restaurant good I&#8217;m glad to say.<\/p>\n<p>It was breakfast time and I was on my way to one of my normal haunts when I decided to give some local love to a place I&#8217;d never visited, my only hope was that Mini Cafe would not disappoint.\u00a0 And not disappoint it did.\u00a0 First off the prices seem to be stuck in 2000, since I don&#8217;t know any other place you can get a<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_536\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-536\" style=\"width: 160px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a class=\"thickbox\" href=\"http:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinoc\/files\/2008\/10\/img_0100.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"536\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinorange\/oc-food-reviews\/mini-cafe-santa-ana\/attachment\/img_0100\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinorange\/files\/2008\/10\/img_0100.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"800,600\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Picasa 3.0&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1223109620&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"img_0100\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Mini Cafe breakfast burrito with potatoes and salsa&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinorange\/files\/2008\/10\/img_0100.jpg\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-536\" src=\"http:\/\/www.eatinoc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/10\/img_0100-160x120.jpg\" alt=\"Mini Cafe breakfast burrito with potatoes and salsa\" width=\"160\" height=\"120\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-536\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mini Cafe breakfast burrito with potatoes and salsa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>breakfast burrito with bacon cheese and potatoes<\/strong> for 3 bucks.\u00a0 The burrito wasn&#8217;t much different than the usual fare; grill toasted tortilla filled with 2 light and fluffy eggs 1 salty piece of bacon broken up, along with some melted cheese.\u00a0 On the side were some grill fried potatoes and a little cup full of <strong>salsa<\/strong>.\u00a0 The burrito wasn&#8217;t huge; it was perfect in size for what a normal person should really be eating.\u00a0 Too many times I run across a huge burrito that has no reason to be ate by one person that stuff my stomach with.\u00a0 But the star of the meal was the salsa, if I had to guess I would believe it was made from scratch because I&#8217;ve never tasted such a salsa from any restaurant, it rivaled the salsa (sorry chile) made by one of my friends moms.\u00a0 Even the peppers were roasted!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_537\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-537\" style=\"width: 160px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a class=\"thickbox\" href=\"http:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinoc\/files\/2008\/10\/img_0102.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"537\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinorange\/oc-food-reviews\/mini-cafe-santa-ana\/attachment\/img_0102\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinorange\/files\/2008\/10\/img_0102.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"800,600\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Picasa 3.0&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1223109831&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"img_0102\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Mini Cafe roasted pepper!&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinorange\/files\/2008\/10\/img_0102.jpg\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-537\" src=\"http:\/\/www.eatinoc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/10\/img_0102-160x120.jpg\" alt=\"Mini Cafe roasted pepper!\" width=\"160\" height=\"120\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-537\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mini Cafe roasted pepper!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I\u2019ll have to do more research on their salsa and ask about it next time.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m almost hesitant to review Mini Cafe since I don&#8217;t want to let the secret out about how good it might actually be.\u00a0 Expect some updates soon, when I&#8217;m able to visit them for lunch and dinner and breakfast and lunch and dinner.\u00a0 I think this might actually end up being another one of my favorites, but only time will tell.\u00a0 And as <strong>Chef Mario sez: &#8220;CHOW DOWN!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_539\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-539\" style=\"width: 90px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a class=\"thickbox\" href=\"http:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinoc\/files\/2008\/10\/img_0105.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"539\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinorange\/oc-food-reviews\/mini-cafe-santa-ana\/attachment\/img_0105\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinorange\/files\/2008\/10\/img_0105.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"600,800\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Picasa 3.0&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1223110415&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"img_0105\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Chef Mario from Belisle runs Mini Cafe&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinorange\/files\/2008\/10\/img_0105.jpg\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-539\" src=\"http:\/\/www.eatinoc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/10\/img_0105-90x120.jpg\" alt=\"Chef Mario from Belisle runs Mini Cafe\" width=\"90\" height=\"120\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-539\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chef Mario from Belisle runs Mini Cafe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_538\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-538\" style=\"width: 90px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a class=\"thickbox\" href=\"http:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinoc\/files\/2008\/10\/img_0103.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"538\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinorange\/oc-food-reviews\/mini-cafe-santa-ana\/attachment\/img_0103\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinorange\/files\/2008\/10\/img_0103.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"600,800\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Picasa 3.0&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1223110408&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"img_0103\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Most of Mini Cafe&amp;#8217;s menu&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinorange\/files\/2008\/10\/img_0103.jpg\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-538\" src=\"http:\/\/www.eatinoc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/10\/img_0103-90x120.jpg\" alt=\"Most of Mini Cafe's menu\" width=\"90\" height=\"120\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-538\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Most of Mini Cafe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Visit on 10\/04\/08 @8:30 AM<\/p>\n<p>[xrr rating=4\/5] &#8211; this could be raised with more data<\/p>\n<p>Mini Cafe<br \/>\n2370 N. Tustin Ave. Unit #C<br \/>\nSanta Ana, CA 92705<br \/>\n714-648-0891<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.urbanspoon.com\/r\/20\/245528\/restaurant\/OC\/Mini-Cafe-Santa-Ana\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Mini Cafe on Urbanspoon\" src=\"http:\/\/www.urbanspoon.com\/b\/link\/245528\/minilink.gif\" style=\"border:none;width:130px;height:36px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>[ad] <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I visited the Mini Cafe in Santa Ana this morning for the first time and I&#8217;m already impressed.\u00a0 Tucked away in the corner of the Stater Bros. parking lot at Tustin Ave. and Santa Clara, right next to The Fling is the unassuming little cafe with its unassuming name. Ask just about anyone that has [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[29,40,106,124],"class_list":{"0":"post-534","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-oc-food-reviews","7":"tag-american","8":"tag-breakfast","9":"tag-mexican","10":"tag-santa-ana","11":"czr-hentry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgNGWN-8C","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinorange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinorange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinorange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinorange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinorange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=534"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinorange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/534\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinorange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinorange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inocnetwork.com\/eatinorange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}