Beginning Thursday, April 22 and continuing through the weekend, South Coast Plaza brings back the ever popular garden show to the home store wing (Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware and so forth). While my favorite thing to do is wander the display gardens and live vicariously thru them - I noticed a few of their Speaker Series topics were worth checking out. Below are their descriptions. Note: All presentations will take place on Level 1, Suite 102.
**Thursday, 12:30-1:30pm
Chef Lulu's Insights on Shopping the Farmers Market
Executive Chef Lauren "Lulu" De Rouen of Pinot Provence will share her passion for farmers market seasonal vegetables, fruits and herbs, and give tips on how to best incorporate them into home menus.
** (4/20) This description is not listed on the website. However, I verified that Chef Lulu is still scheduled to speak.
Friday, 2:30-3:30pm
Food Preservation-Making Food Last Longer After Harvesting
Delilah Snell, owner of The Road Less Traveled store, a locally-based certified green business and Master Food Preserver will demonstrate the various methods of making food last longer after harvesting. Learn about the history of food preservation, cultural significance and how it celebrates flavor and tradition. Tasting samples will also be available.
Saturday, 11:15-12:15pm
Growing Summer Vegetables: The Organic Way
Pat Welsh, Emmy Award winning garden guru, TV host, magazine editor, columnist and author of Pat Welsh's Southern California Organic Gardening, Month by Month explains how to choose, plant, harvest and grow all the best-known summer veggies and control pests and diseases without synthetic fertilizers or dangerous pesticides. Spectacular photographs demonstrate growing summer crops in raised beds or the ground. Loaded with tips, hints, garden timing, free fertilizers new techniques and old time secrets culled from a lifetime of growing edible crops.
(Book signing following the presentation)
Sunday, 11:30-12:30pm
Backyard Bees: Keeping Them Alive
Janet Andrews and Kelly Yrarrazaval, founders of Backyard Bees, started beekeeping as a hobby and realized the urgent public need to provide an alternative to honeybee extermination and now rescue bees from the most unusual places. They are bee advocates and enthusiasts who keep hives alive, actively pollinating and producing honey in local, lush Orange county gardens. Janet and Kelly will also discuss the importance the honeybees in our food system.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Thursday is the new Friday in Anaheim....at least for one day in May
I'm normally the one who retrieves the mail. More often than not, I find things I'd rather recycle. The grocery store ads are set aside, but I fail to plan my meals around them. We don't need to refinance my home or gain another credit card. I sort through envelopes of coupons, figuring out what I might (remember) to use next time I'm out. All in all, pretty counterproductive work.
One magazine saved from the circular filing cabinet this week was @HomeIN Magazine. A bi-monthly publication distributed throughout the county. It's mostly advertising, with a few coupons and maybe even an article or two sprinkled in for good measure. What caught my eye was a cover of seafood and pizza dishes. However, the best thing I read about was the 15th Annual Taste of Anaheim. Going on May 13th between the hours of 5:30 and 10:30 in the evening, The Shops at Anaheim GardenWalk will host over 50 restaurants.
Places to check out include many Disneyland Resort eateries (Cafe Orleans, La Brea Bakery, Storytellers Cafe), a number of popular chains (Lazy Dog Cafe, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, Ruby's Diner), as well as a few local faves (Slater's 50/50, K'ya, Foscari's).
Live bands are scheduled to perform, including Don't Stop Believin' - a Journey tribute band! You'll also find a silent auction benefiting both Canyon Hills Community Council and Leadership Anaheim. Pre-sale is selling at $35 ($40 the day of). I'm gonna try to score a volunteer opportunity (includes a t-shirt as well as admission for you and a friend).
One insider piece of advice is to start on the 2nd level of GardenWalk. Apparently, last year had Costco Gas-sized lines of diners hungry for the first restaurant they laid eyes on. Additionally, if you pay a visit to the @HomeIN Magazine booth and mention hearing about their article ~ there might even be somethin' somethin' for stopping by (I'm guessing a reusable bag?).
Free parking located on-site at Anaheim GardenWalk, which is always nice. Find the entrances off both Katella and Disney Way off the 5 freeway.
One magazine saved from the circular filing cabinet this week was @HomeIN Magazine. A bi-monthly publication distributed throughout the county. It's mostly advertising, with a few coupons and maybe even an article or two sprinkled in for good measure. What caught my eye was a cover of seafood and pizza dishes. However, the best thing I read about was the 15th Annual Taste of Anaheim. Going on May 13th between the hours of 5:30 and 10:30 in the evening, The Shops at Anaheim GardenWalk will host over 50 restaurants.
Places to check out include many Disneyland Resort eateries (Cafe Orleans, La Brea Bakery, Storytellers Cafe), a number of popular chains (Lazy Dog Cafe, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, Ruby's Diner), as well as a few local faves (Slater's 50/50, K'ya, Foscari's).
Live bands are scheduled to perform, including Don't Stop Believin' - a Journey tribute band! You'll also find a silent auction benefiting both Canyon Hills Community Council and Leadership Anaheim. Pre-sale is selling at $35 ($40 the day of). I'm gonna try to score a volunteer opportunity (includes a t-shirt as well as admission for you and a friend).
One insider piece of advice is to start on the 2nd level of GardenWalk. Apparently, last year had Costco Gas-sized lines of diners hungry for the first restaurant they laid eyes on. Additionally, if you pay a visit to the @HomeIN Magazine booth and mention hearing about their article ~ there might even be somethin' somethin' for stopping by (I'm guessing a reusable bag?).
Free parking located on-site at Anaheim GardenWalk, which is always nice. Find the entrances off both Katella and Disney Way off the 5 freeway.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
When music and food collide....
Your love is better than ice cream
Better than anything else that I've tried
And your love is better than ice cream
Everyone here know how to fight
~ Ice Cream by Sarah McLachlan
Better than anything else that I've tried
And your love is better than ice cream
Everyone here know how to fight
~ Ice Cream by Sarah McLachlan
That was my cake cutting song. A way to share my passion for food with my love of music. Musicians are closeted foodies. We've seen Foo Fighters and The Bravery host Top Chef. Moby's got Teany. JLo has Madres. I found a couple of examples of local artists who have the makings of a culinary crossover.
John Henry Copen & Boardwalk Ice Cream - Josh is a fan of John. Josh works at Boardwalk Ice Cream in Irvine Spectrum. For the past two Fridays, Boardwalk Ice Cream has not only sponsored John's performances by covering his stage fee, they bought dessert for anyone purchasing his CD. Utilizing Blue Bell ice cream, the gang at Boardwalk provide their take on the Balboa Bar (sans auto ferry). Couldn't decide on a topping, so I went for "everything".
For your viewing enjoyment, here's a link to John's vocal stylings.
OFFWHITE & Share Our Strength - Recently I volunteered at Second Harvest Food Bank. They are a local beneficiary for an event on April 23rd at the Island Hotel named Taste of the Nation, The Garden of Everything Good. A dinner and auction, 100% of ticket sales will go towards efforts to end childhood hunger. Featured restaurants include Bluefin, Break of Dawn and Studio at Montage Resort. OFFWHITE, a "Soul Rock" acoustical duo, will provide the evening's entertainment. According to their myspace profile, they describe their sound as, "If Lenny Kravitz was in Weezer and they took Green Day out for Chicken and Waffles" (as far as I'm concerned, that's a food reference).
For more information, including photographs from last year's event, click here.
It's a long way down
It's a long way down
It's a long way down to the place where we started from....
It's a long way down
It's a long way down to the place where we started from....
Saturday, April 10, 2010
A word about croissants
It all started in junior high. Westborough Junior High in South San Francisco, to be exact (circa 1988). We had to decide between Spanish and French foreign language classes. I went en Francais because big brother chose that path. Found out exactly what his reasoning was years later, but I digress.
Ms. Orofino was the lone French teacher. We used to practice our numbers by tossing a Nerf ball around and counting up. I only have good memories of her class. My favorites happened to be on Fridays. I don't think it was every Friday, so we'll just say every other. Ms. O lived near a bakery, and she would take boulangerie orders mid-week. We had our choice of either plain croissant, pain au chocolat or baguette. A couple of days later, we would end our school week lounging at our desk with fresh baked goods. I thought the chocolate ones were too bitter, and you needed butter to make the loaf really tasty. Hence my addiction to the croissant.
Over the years I've had my fair share of flaky goodness. These are my discoveries.
Costco: Neither here nor there. Best bang for your buck in the multi-pak. Even better when you can pop in the (non-microwave) oven for a few minutes.
Starbucks: This was my cornerstone for what I thought a croissant tasted like. Sure, it's mass produced like Costco. My POV was that I didn't have to worry about freshness - each was purchased individually.
Peet's: Only spotted almond flavored ones. WTF!? Maybe I went to a bad location?
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf: My BFF picked out a jalapeno cheese version without consulting me. While I am very "weak sauce", having that subtle bite of heat and creamy bit of cheese was a revelation. Then they split and toasted it. I was sold.
Champagne French Bakery: Noticeably different. More expensive and dense than all the previous ones. I was pleasantly surprised at how it tasted. While its buttery layers are a signature attribute, the less airy texture resulted in a more substantial product overall.
What about you?
Ms. Orofino was the lone French teacher. We used to practice our numbers by tossing a Nerf ball around and counting up. I only have good memories of her class. My favorites happened to be on Fridays. I don't think it was every Friday, so we'll just say every other. Ms. O lived near a bakery, and she would take boulangerie orders mid-week. We had our choice of either plain croissant, pain au chocolat or baguette. A couple of days later, we would end our school week lounging at our desk with fresh baked goods. I thought the chocolate ones were too bitter, and you needed butter to make the loaf really tasty. Hence my addiction to the croissant.
Over the years I've had my fair share of flaky goodness. These are my discoveries.
Costco: Neither here nor there. Best bang for your buck in the multi-pak. Even better when you can pop in the (non-microwave) oven for a few minutes.
Starbucks: This was my cornerstone for what I thought a croissant tasted like. Sure, it's mass produced like Costco. My POV was that I didn't have to worry about freshness - each was purchased individually.
Peet's: Only spotted almond flavored ones. WTF!? Maybe I went to a bad location?
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf: My BFF picked out a jalapeno cheese version without consulting me. While I am very "weak sauce", having that subtle bite of heat and creamy bit of cheese was a revelation. Then they split and toasted it. I was sold.
Champagne French Bakery: Noticeably different. More expensive and dense than all the previous ones. I was pleasantly surprised at how it tasted. While its buttery layers are a signature attribute, the less airy texture resulted in a more substantial product overall.
What about you?
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Ain't no such thing as a free lunch, but there are cooking classes!
What comes to mind when I mention Williams-Sonoma? Really good pancake mix. Seasonal rubber spatulas. The elusive pineapple logo. Free cooking classes.
Huh?
Yes, you heard me. The grandiose chain is currently offering three "Healthy Cooking" classes in areas I could certainly use assistance in:
One hour classes will be held on Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings in the month of April at the South Coast Plaza (Costa Mesa) location. Call to see if you need to RSVP. I found conflicting messages on the SCP Premiere newsletter and W-S website. Maybe I'll see you there.
SOUTH COAST PLAZA
Huh?
Yes, you heard me. The grandiose chain is currently offering three "Healthy Cooking" classes in areas I could certainly use assistance in:
- Seafood
- Vegetables
- Chicken
One hour classes will be held on Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings in the month of April at the South Coast Plaza (Costa Mesa) location. Call to see if you need to RSVP. I found conflicting messages on the SCP Premiere newsletter and W-S website. Maybe I'll see you there.
SOUTH COAST PLAZA
3333 SOUTH BRISTOL ST.
COSTA MESA, CA 92626(714) 751-1166
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Share Our Selves Wild & Crazy Taco Night - 4/22
Who doesn't love a good taco? Especially in this day and age when it's done a la food truck (i.e. Kogi or Taco Dawg,). The county has no shortage of places perfecting this portable lunch. For chain lovers, there's also local faves Baja Fish Tacos and Wahoo's. So when a non-profit wants to fundraise, what better delicacy to feature than this?
Costa Mesa charity Share Our Selves (SOS) provides free medical and social (food, clothing, financial aid, etc.) services to those in need of basic living essentials. Serving Orange County since 1970, it is a volunteer-based organization of over 400 individuals offering their time to assist those less fortunate.
The 17th Annual Wild & Crazy Taco Night will take place on Thursday, April 22nd at Halecrest Swim and Tennis Club. Over 20 chefs will be present for a little friendly kitchen competition. Who? I thought you'd never ask:
Proceeds from the event benefit the SOS Orange Aid Project. Founded in 1992, Orange Aid retrieves excess food from local food vendors and distributes to those lacking food security.
Tickets are $60 for general admission and $150 for VIP, with part ($35 and $100, respectively) of your ticket being a tax deductible donation.
Costa Mesa charity Share Our Selves (SOS) provides free medical and social (food, clothing, financial aid, etc.) services to those in need of basic living essentials. Serving Orange County since 1970, it is a volunteer-based organization of over 400 individuals offering their time to assist those less fortunate.
The 17th Annual Wild & Crazy Taco Night will take place on Thursday, April 22nd at Halecrest Swim and Tennis Club. Over 20 chefs will be present for a little friendly kitchen competition. Who? I thought you'd never ask:
- Bert Agor, Ruth's Chris Steak House
- Bill Bracken, Island Hotel
- Dennis Brask, Five Crowns
- Paul Buchanan, Primal Alchemy
- Victor Cabral, Orange Hill
- Ivan Calderon, Taco Mesa/Taco Rosa
- Yves Fournier, Andrei's Conscious Cuisine
- Mark Cleveland and Tanya Fuqua, Avanti Cafe
- Manuel Gonzales, TAPS Fish House & Brewery
- Alan Greeley, The Golden Truffle
- Scott Green, Salt Creek Grill
- Chris Hutton, The Catch
- Carlito Jocson, Yard House
- Louie Jocson, Pacific Prime, Inc.
- Michael Kang, 5'
- Jason Kordas, Jason's Downtown Restaurant
- Rachel Klemek, Blackmarket Bakery
- Chad Krahling, Hilton, Costa Mesa/Orange County
- Marco Mariselli, Stella's Serious Italian
- Alessandro Pirozzi, Cucina Alessá
- Deborah Schneider, Sol Cocina
- Don Schoenburg, The Lido Deck Restaurant & Wine Bar
- Paul Squicciarini, Culinary Concepts
- Vartan Vbgaryan, A Restaurant
- Marco Zapien, Melissa's Produce
Proceeds from the event benefit the SOS Orange Aid Project. Founded in 1992, Orange Aid retrieves excess food from local food vendors and distributes to those lacking food security.
Tickets are $60 for general admission and $150 for VIP, with part ($35 and $100, respectively) of your ticket being a tax deductible donation.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
OC Restaurant Week 2010 recap (1 of 2)
3 days, 4 very different venues.
Sunday (or as I refer to it, hotel day)
Dining with friends is always fun. Dining with foodies is even better.
I started the day meeting up with five individuals I met through Chowhound, Yelp and other fellow food bloggers. Our destination: 6ix Park Grill inside Hyatt Irvine for California cuisine.
An airy dining room, we were seated at a pub table large enough for eight of us. 6ix Park offered multiple dining options for both lunch and dinner. Between parking validation and included beverages, this was one of the best deals in town.
Half of us chose the same daunting sandwich - an English club. I think it was the allure of fried egg that enticed us. We even had the option of fries, fruit or salad to round out our meal. A very filling option that kept us content at $10. The rest were split between the many other choices. Pulled pork loin with a bourbon BBQ sauce. Kobe beef burger plus a hint of truffle. Shrimp tempura salad (overly) coated in a wasabi aioli. (I'm pretty sure the club won out, though.)
____________________________________
Dinner led me to St. Regis in Monarch Beach and Michael Mina's Stonehill Tavern.
Jackie and I met promptly at 7:30. I've dined here maybe three times in the past, but was curious to experience what Restaurant Week would offer. I requested one of their four booths on OpenTable, which was (surprisingly) granted. Between the vertical glass wine racks and 80s/90s pop Muzak, this would be an upscale girl's night out.
For the first course, the listed watercress salad was instead a Caesar. The fresh anchovies and Parmesan crisps were sharp, mellowed out by the lightly sauced hearts. J's tuna tartare was a little unusual with pine nuts, but overall tasted great.
Next I went for the jidori chicken. I don't normally order chicken in a restaurant (too many "dry" experiences), however, I knew this would be different. Besides having wonderful flavor, there were both trumpet mushrooms *and* onion rings included in my dish (neither were listed in the description). The mac was al dente perfect, and broccoli made it quite the healthy meal. J's Tasmanian Ocean Trout resembled salmon in color, but the similarities ended there. It was fulfilling and accompanied by cauliflower puree.
For a $39 3-course meal, the dessert course was exceptional. J opted for the root beer float. With a mock chocolate straw and sassafras ice cream, she alternated between slurping and chewing on their chewy homemade chocolate chip cookies. I eagerly ordered the pumpkin donuts and was very impressed with what I was served. Bits of pecan praline made for a crunchy topping. Butterscotch gave me something saucy for dipping. My donuts were moist and rich with flavor. Quite possibly one of the best desserts I've ever tasted.
Sure, we spent another $30 on drinks and a side of fries. I'm sure it prolonged our meal. We wouldn't have it any other way. South County never tasted better.
next time ~ dining with celebrities
Sunday (or as I refer to it, hotel day)
Dining with friends is always fun. Dining with foodies is even better.
I started the day meeting up with five individuals I met through Chowhound, Yelp and other fellow food bloggers. Our destination: 6ix Park Grill inside Hyatt Irvine for California cuisine.
An airy dining room, we were seated at a pub table large enough for eight of us. 6ix Park offered multiple dining options for both lunch and dinner. Between parking validation and included beverages, this was one of the best deals in town.
Half of us chose the same daunting sandwich - an English club. I think it was the allure of fried egg that enticed us. We even had the option of fries, fruit or salad to round out our meal. A very filling option that kept us content at $10. The rest were split between the many other choices. Pulled pork loin with a bourbon BBQ sauce. Kobe beef burger plus a hint of truffle. Shrimp tempura salad (overly) coated in a wasabi aioli. (I'm pretty sure the club won out, though.)
____________________________________
Dinner led me to St. Regis in Monarch Beach and Michael Mina's Stonehill Tavern.
Jackie and I met promptly at 7:30. I've dined here maybe three times in the past, but was curious to experience what Restaurant Week would offer. I requested one of their four booths on OpenTable, which was (surprisingly) granted. Between the vertical glass wine racks and 80s/90s pop Muzak, this would be an upscale girl's night out.
For the first course, the listed watercress salad was instead a Caesar. The fresh anchovies and Parmesan crisps were sharp, mellowed out by the lightly sauced hearts. J's tuna tartare was a little unusual with pine nuts, but overall tasted great.
Next I went for the jidori chicken. I don't normally order chicken in a restaurant (too many "dry" experiences), however, I knew this would be different. Besides having wonderful flavor, there were both trumpet mushrooms *and* onion rings included in my dish (neither were listed in the description). The mac was al dente perfect, and broccoli made it quite the healthy meal. J's Tasmanian Ocean Trout resembled salmon in color, but the similarities ended there. It was fulfilling and accompanied by cauliflower puree.
For a $39 3-course meal, the dessert course was exceptional. J opted for the root beer float. With a mock chocolate straw and sassafras ice cream, she alternated between slurping and chewing on their chewy homemade chocolate chip cookies. I eagerly ordered the pumpkin donuts and was very impressed with what I was served. Bits of pecan praline made for a crunchy topping. Butterscotch gave me something saucy for dipping. My donuts were moist and rich with flavor. Quite possibly one of the best desserts I've ever tasted.
Sure, we spent another $30 on drinks and a side of fries. I'm sure it prolonged our meal. We wouldn't have it any other way. South County never tasted better.
next time ~ dining with celebrities
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
