March 20, 2010. Irvine, CA — One of the benefits of being part of FoodBuzz, a great online food community, is the opportunity for food bloggers to test and taste new things through their Tastemaker Program. In May, FoodBuzz was looking for foodies to try Pick Up Stix. Pick Up Stix is an Asian restaurant chain that started in the neighboring town of Rancho Santa Margarita back in 1989. Today they are over 90 restaurants strong with locations in California, Arizona and Nevada. The Tastemaker program provided a voucher so we could sample some new items on the Pick Up Stix menu.

A few weeks back, I took a couple of friends of mine with me and went to the Pick Up Stix near our offices in Irvine. We got there about 1:00pm and found that it was pretty packed. They have an outdoor eating area that was equally full of patrons.

We all decided that we were going to each try something on their new Dragon Deal Menu. They have a selection of six different meals. We decided to try the New House Yakisoba Bowl, Beef & Broccoli Bowl, Orange Peel Chicken, Chicken Pad Thai and the Kung Pao Chicken Bowl.

The meals were wok’d fresh, no heating lamps here. Our meals came out pretty quick. We decided that we would all share out dishes with each other so we can each get a new taste.

It had been quite sometime since I had been to Pick Up Stix so it was nice to come back and try something new. The Kung Pao Chicken is always a favorite of mine. Tangy sauce, peanuts and chicken all served on top of fresh steamed rice. The Yakisoba Noodles had good taste but were a bit dry.

The Pad Thai was a favorite around the table as was the Beef and Broccoli. I have to admit that I’m not a big fan of Broccoli unless it’s in a Beef and Broccoli setting. Tender cuts of beef with bite sized florets of broccoli – fresh and still had  a good crunch to them.

The overall concensus at the table? A great value at $4.99 per bowl! There portions were just right and as you can see, we pretty much ate everything at the table!

I’ll have to return to Pick Up Stix to try some of their other entrees. The menu has changed alot in the last two years and it seems that they are definitely giving some of their competitors something to think about. Check out their menu online  and click to find the nearest location near you. If it has been awhile since you’ve been to Pick Up Stix, now is the time to eat there again.

Pick Up Stix
16163 Lake Forest Drive, Suite K
Irvine, CA 92618

With locations throughout Southern California, Arizona and Nevada!

www.pickupstix.com