Jury Duty Lunch Hour

It was time to serve my civic duty (hip hip woo), but for my case the one upside was the fact that the courthouse was right in the middle of downtown Santa Ana. The reason so is that this is one of my absolute favorite spots to visit in Orange County (one of the only few). 

As to why I love this little section of the city, is that it tends to have characteristics of downtown LA, crazy I know. But just walking around I catch the vibe as I admire all the old buildings standing next to the new lofts were local artists reside right above a boutique shop, and all you have to do is turn a block and you're in the middle of a Hispanic shopping strip. See the likenesses? Or am I reading way between the lines?

My first stop was the recently opened The Grilled Cheese Shop: brain-child of the head chef of The Crosby (local hot spot). Aptly located right down the street from its place of origin, it bares similar characteristics of of it's night time counter part. The variety offered featured a set menu of house sandwiches, as well as the ever trendy build-it-yourself menu. The interior is fairly minimal and the small space bares only a couple stools to sit down, fortunately there's enough shelf space to lay your sandwich down. The Three Little Pigs  was a toss up against Dusk Till Dawn, although I don't think I could have ever made a bad choice, just read the menu. My only wish is that they offered The Crosby's phenomenal sweet potato fries, but I guess their stock will run out even before the The Crosby opens.

 While making my round trip back to the courthouse I only found it fitting that I grab some ice cream on a blindingly hot day. This brand new spot in particular just opened back in May and I've been watching it's business boom, especially with the nightlife crowd, I've seen some lines go down the street around 10 o'clock a couple times. Despite it's fresh appearance and pink flare, it's hole-in-the-wall (literally) appearance makes it look like it's been part of the neighborhood. Scanning the expansive menu, I had to choose to their Persian Saffron Pistachio, which emanated a delightful floral sweetness, reminiscent to a nougat confection Jamie got me from Paris. But in all seriousness tho, the amount of flavors they have is just not fair and on top of that it's cheap! I'm already regretting not buying a second scoop...

I find it amazing that it was only a couple years back when the artists village started settling in it's little corner. Resulting in the attraction of a whole new wave of businesses & gourmet restaurants. As such, I keep on discovering places I've never been too before, all ways kept intrigued.

The Grilled Cheese Spot 

318 5th st.

Santa Ana, Ca 92701

&

Tootsie Ice Cream

307 W. 3rd st.

Santa Ana, CA 92701

Something Something Prosciutto & Pesto

A few months back I mentioned to my co-worker that I was heading over to San Francisco, among the few stops and destinations he happened to mention was one sandwich shop in particular. What made this place so special to him was Prosciutto & Pesto sandwich that he exuberantly proclaimed was one of the best in the city. To this day, for the life of me I cannot even bring a single letter of that shop to the tip of my tongue. What makes it worse is that I haven't seem my co-worker in months! 

The only details I have is that it consists of a freshly baked Ciabatta, Pesto, some type of cheese (Gouda/Parmesan?), and "generous" helping Prosciutto. 

It's been a good while since my last trip to San Fran, and every now & then that idea of what that sandwich might have been still pops up. Yesterday I simply cracked and proclaimed that I must try and recreate it no matter what it takes!

Construction: In the rush of things I couldn't find any fresh Ciabatta rolls in the afternoon (go figure). But the next best thing came along, Half-Baked Panini Rustic Rolls that only need 8 minutes in the oven, resulting in a satisfying warm gold crust that makes you remember why bread is so good.  
Basic Pesto, Mozzarella (Gouda/Parmesan was mentioned, but I was too unsure and stuck with what I had at home), and Cherry Tomato's (sounded like a good idea) . 
As for Prosciutto, I know I said "generous" but I wanted to start off small and not too crazy (this is only the first one).  

Outcome? I can definitely say this will not be my last one, since I will be continuously be experimenting with this sandwich till I nailed my rough concept. 

Ever since I put that idea of a sandwich on a pedestal my mind will never be at ease, I must have the original. It may not sound special to most, but it's my obsession.  If anyone out there has any idea of what place I'm talk about, please let me know, both my mind and my palate will be ever so grateful. 

Backyard Birthday Barbecue

It's summer, it's time to grill, and it's someone's birthday,what a better way to celebrate!?!

Co-hosting this together with J. Kao was a whole lotta fun, and a tad nerve-racking at first, but that comes with the territory. She directed the event and I manned the grilling section for the evening.  Which, I will use as my excuse for the lack of photos later into the evening, aside from the fact that we where all slipping into food comas.

We started off the the afternoon with some simple grilled corn and some Zucchini Spears that where marinated in Lemon Olive Oil (from 41 Olive ) for a couple hours then sprinkled with some Garlic-Pepper just before they hit the grill.

I love Kabobs, but I loathe the process of meticulously sliding each an every bit onto the skewers for over the course of an hour and some change, oy. But honestly it was a labor of love that ended up being a hit, so that goes to show! Haha

The variety we feasted on are originally based from a issue of Men's Health issue I had lying around. Each  marinade batch is enough for 1.5 lbs of meat, which was luckily enough to make one skewer for each of us (9 in total).

-Lemon-Pepper Shrimp w/ Basil, Tomato, & Prosciutto- This one was the crowd pleaser, works well with just about any type of seafood. In a bag just toss 1/3 cup of olive oil + 1 tsp grated lemon zest + 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice + 2 finely chopped garlic cloves + 1 tsp salt + 1 tsp ground pepper.

-Teriyaki Beef w/ Pickled Ginger & Scallions: The grilled pickled ginger comes way out of left field with an unexpected savory profile along side the equally sweet scallions. Originally the types of cuts called for either Blade, Flatiron, or Skirt. I opted for Stew Beef chunks that came out surprisingly well, but one of my friends suggested using Ribeye, which I'll eagerly use for the next time. Same process as above, just toss together in a bag 1 tsp minced garlic + 1 tsp minced fresh ginger + 1/2 cup of soy sauce + 1 tbsp sugar.

-Curried Yogurt Chicken w/ Okra & Smokey Bacon- This one is my personal favorite, as I have secret love for all things curry, combining the complex flavors with the smokiness of the bacon has me sold. As for the type of chicken meat, I'm a thigh guy (boneless), dark meat is more flavorful. I believe you got the idea down, 1 cup full-fat yogurt +  1 tsp curry powder + 1tsp salt + 1/2 tsp ground pepper.

You can go ahead at let them sit in the fridge for a few hours but I did it for almost 24, which undoubtedly makes a great difference.

The Fig Margaritas where absolutely perfect for the warm evening, not too sweet, not too boozy. I just tweaked the tequila portions to 1.5 oz and switched out the sparkling water with sparkling limeade from Trader Joe's (in effect, it added any missing sweetness).

Watermelon Granita was provided in part by Jamie and when paired with some Sugar Cookies it made for a surprisingly delightful combination.

But after few hours of grilling, feasting, and imbibing I have to say there where still some more golden moments to come. One particular event involved the unwrapping of large teddy bear with its hands tied behind it's back (a sight to behold as it was getting carried away). While another was one of our random group discussions that started off about Oliver (the chubby house cat) resembling meatloaf, which turned into talks about the socio-economical impacts on nutrition, to deep space exploration, to Pokemon and somehow back to Oliver being plump. This stuff just happens, we're pretty weird when we get together. 

At the end of the day all I can do is exhale a deep breath of relief and satisfaction as it was time clean up, time just skips so soon on us.

 I would like to thank everyone that attended for coming and making this evening so special, everything you brought was especially delicious! And I would like to include one more Happy Birthday to Kelly, don't let that one year pass you. Hah

The Classic Daiquiri

It's hot, it's been hot and I've looking for something simple and cool to sip on that's not drowned out in fruit juice. It's a classic and to the point cocktail that's been getting a bad rap as another cheap blender mix along side the margarita. But I highly advise those to go and try the real thing.

The standard recipe calls for 2oz of white rum, 1oz lime juice, 1oz simple syrup. Just shake serve straight with a lime garnish.

I opted out with Cachaca (brazilian rum) and Agave Syrup (I used half the measurement because it's much sweeter). This principle is applicable to just about any combination, so go ahead, switch the base out with another spirit and experiment with the sweet and sour components!

Vitaly

I came here knowing that there's a new cafe in the OC area that has an awesome ambiance, great coffee served at rates that wont make you flinch. That and I finally get to field test my new camera (Lumix GF3)!!!!!!
Looking around  tend to notice that it's not only just a cafe, but also a casual little eatery that serves up an enticing array  of soups, sandwiches, salads, and charcuterie! On top of all of that they have an amazing array of gelatos and pastries. 

One thing that I tended to notice was that despite all of it's modern appeal, it tends to carry an old world feel.   I can't quite put my finger on it but I get the same I vibe that I feel when I visit an traditional shop such as Claro's over in Tustin.
The thing to be wary here is that it gets pretty crowded, so always be on the lookout for a free spot, otherwise lounge around The Camp and it's laid back scenery.   

2937 Bristol St

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

(Located inside The Camp)

Marilyn's Cafe

This place is a sanctuary after a long night on the town, because when the clock strikes 12am it’s time for $3.99 Steak and Eggs!!!!!!!

Seriously what can sound better than that? And if you’re thinking they’ll skimp at that price—oh no my friends you’re dead wrong! You’re getting a good sized slab (4oz?) with two eggs served your way, a heaping helping of hashbrowns, and glorious buttered toast (Eat it with jam or use it to sop up the yolk), it’s all the right components to absorb up all the booze in your system.

This place was so awesome, I try to come here every night I’m in town. I hear the wait for your food to be served here is pretty ridiculous, but most times I’m so far gone I can’t even tell. LMAO

(Photo Credit’s to J Kao)

The Tuscany Suites & Casino

255 E Flamingo Rd

Las Vegas, NV 89109