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. 

Le Diplomate Cafe

Awesome sandwiches (one of the best in the OC). The highlight of the this place has got to be the bread—because ultimately that’s what makes the sandwich. Although most would say it’s the garlic sauce, and don’t get me wrong, its awesome in its own right, but can be over whelming in excess. 

So if it's your first time go for the Chicken Eggplant or the Chicken Broccoli & Mushroom. With such a variety here I haven't picked anything I didn't like so you cannot go wrong here.

4237 Campus Dr

Irvine, CA 92612

Earl of Sandwich (Planet Hollywood)

In a city of sin this place is a god-send! Perfect price, perfect portion, perfect taste. If you're on a budget, looking for some post-club munchies or a hangover remedy this is the spot, open 24/7. Never mind the lines you'll occasionally run into, the service here is lighting fast and efficient. If you haven't unwrapped your first golden seal I would highly recommend the Full Montague and feel free to explore on from there, you just can't go wrong.

3667 Las Vegas Blvd S

Ste 760

Las Vegas, NV 89109

Rainbow Chard Wrap & Peanut Basil Sandwich

Admittedly I’ve never been the type to gravitate towards vegetarian options, luckily I managed to come across this recipe on Minimalist Baker. Always on the look out for intriguing and unusual pairings I could only help but be curious as to find out what something so unusually paired would taste like. 

Preparation is subjective as to how to balance out the peanut butter to basil ratio, I would start off with a small bunch. Another tip is to not too be zealous with the flax-seed otherwise it will pour out everywhere once you pick it up (I found out the hard way). So roll it up tight and seal it with some toothpicks, so that it doesn’t unravel all over the place.

Normally whenever I purchase basil for a single dish I’m always left with way more than I could ever want. Margarita Salads are wonderful, but not exactly the best way to use up all your basil, unless you plan to burn yourself out for a while. Luckily the site provide another recipe, that had 2 common ingredients that only requires just a small adjustment to create something else just as tasty, if not better (think dipping bread in sweet peanut sauce).   

Both make fantastic meals that are healthy and tasty vegetarian options that are easy to make at home or for on the go.