orange county – Page 2

It’s Finally Fall at Sidecar Doughnuts

October 4, 2015Leave a comment

Sidecar Doughnuts is a dessert destination in Orange County, and they are gearing up for their next location in Santa Monica! In addition to their delicious selection of flavors, they have specials each month that are truly over the top! October’s flavors have definitely been my favorite so far!

Malasada with Blackberry Jam: Raised and filled with house made blackberry jam, and topped with a sugar sprinkle.

Hummingbird: Banana pineapple spice cake with cream cheese glaze and roasted pecans.

Pink Lady Apple: Raised and topped with a house made pink lady apple compote and quince glaze; finished with our signature pie crust crumble.

Pumpkin: Pumpkin spice cake topped with house made pumpkin glaze.

(not pictured)

Butterscotch Pot de Creme: Raised and topped with house made butterscotch creme, maple creme fraiche, and Jacobsen Sea Salt.

Chocolate with Sea Salt: Raised and topped with Callebaut chocolate glaze and Jacobsen Sea Salt.

What’s Cookin’ at the CulinaryLab?

October 4, 2015Leave a comment

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to tour the brand new CulinaryLab inside the popular Anaheim Packing House. This new addition turns the eclectic food hall into even more of a destination. The space is the brain child of a collection of chefs, bakers, cake masters, and other culinary masterminds. In addition to being a beautiful event space, this modern culinary experience transforms students into skilled industry-ready cooks, placing them in restaurant apprenticeships while they train to become chefs. This is especially fitting because Orange County is continually proving itself as a force to be reckoned with as far as food destinations go.

We were lucky enough to watch two demonstrations. One involved the preparation of locally caught tuna prepared two different ways, and liquid nitrogen ice cream.

Raw, locally-caught tuna cured with seaweed and topped with crisp veggies.

Bacon ice cream topped with maple nuts.

As you can see, this a multi-purpose space that will be doing great things! One of the first to look forward to is their dinner with Chef Mark McDonald of Old Vine Cafe. Click here to learn more and purchase tickets: http://bit.ly/1Pk4FEE.

For more information on CulinaryLab OC, visit https://www.facebook.com/CulinaryLabOC.

Fried Food Fest at the OC Night Market

June 14, 2015June 14, 2015Leave a comment

Two weekends ago, I went to the OC Night Market with my family at the Orange County Fairgrounds. It was filled with food, music, and PEOPLE. Seriously, so crowded.

First, we indulged in some french fries covered in crab and cheese. These were definitely a little indulgent. They were delicious, but too heavy to start out with.

This Horchata/Coffee concoction from Contra Coffee & Tea was GOLD. I love putting horchata and coffee together, and when someone is serving it, I have to try it! This definitely didn’t disappoint!

I was not expecting this Strawberry Lemonade to be this amazing! Seriously! This lemonade was not overly sweet, though I’m sure it had plenty of sugar. It was so refreshing; I wanted to try all of the flavors. If you are at a fairground that is serving Main Squeeze, do yourself a favor and indulge!

We also couldn’t resist the whole fried squid from Squid Roe. We opted for the spicy asian seasoning, which really wasn’t all that spicy. I enjoyed this because I LOVE squid; however, if you are sensitive or dislike a heavy batter, this is NOT for you.

This was a great way to end our fried food tour. The ice cream wasn’t too rich and the churro was perfectly crispy! Check out Ridges Churro Bar’s other flavors! It also made for a great Insta photo!

Between the food, art, and crowds, the OC Night Market is definitely a must-see! For more information and future dates, visit http://www.ocnightmarket.com/