Tag: santa ana

Spending National Cookie Day with Chunk-N-Chip

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With all of the inclusive and outrageous food holidays, I love it when a food holiday comes along that reminds you why they are relevant and fun. National Cookie Day is one of those holidays.

I’m spending the holiday with Chunk-N-Chip in Santa Ana. They are a family owned small business that creates seasonal Craft Ice Cream Sammiches® with innovative ice cream flavors and oven-warmed cookies. In their words, their products are made with NO artificial whatchamacallits, and your sweet tooth can taste the difference!

Flavors like Chocolate Chip, Red Velvet, Matcha Green Tea, Brioche, and Snickerdoodle are par baked, so when you order your cookie or ice cream sandwich, they are warmed to order. While classics stay on the menu, they get creative each season. Currently, some of my favorites include their Pumpkin Cheesecake ice cream with gingersnap pieces, Berry Cobbler and Donut Bacon Brittle. Out of the cookies, their Apple Cider cookie is currently stealing the show! I’m sure all of the combos are killer, but their Berry Cobbler ice cream sandwiched between two Apple Cider Cookies was the bomb dot com. This sounds silly, but I always feel less guilty about eating sweets when they are fruit-flavored. I’m aware this makes no sense…

Their storefront is located inside the 4th Street Market in Santa Ana which makes this the perfect date destination. You can nosh on a few different cuisines, play board games on their patio while listening to live music, then finish off with dessert from Chunk-N-Chip!

For good measure, if your date doesn’t involve cookies, you still win. See below for Pumpkin Cheesecake ice cream goodness.

Saturdays at the 4th Street Market

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Ever since visiting the Anaheim Packing House, I am obsessed with open dining complexes! When I heard about the new 4th Street Market in Santa Ana, I couldn’t wait to go! When I heard there was a Portola Coffee Lab there, I knew I had to go there, NOW!

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Obviously, my first stop was Portola Coffee Lab. I ordered the Gaspar which is their version of a cortado. There is a reason that Portola has been chosen as Roaster of the Year. From the sourcing, to roasting, to brewing, everything is done with craft and care. Their goal is to serve only the utmost quality brewed beverages to their customers, and that they do! Click here to learn more: http://www.portolacoffeelab.com/index.html

 

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It’s okay. You’re allowed to drool. This was the second reason I needed to rush here! Long story short, Wagyu Chuck is 1 of several food stands in the market from Jason Quinn, the culinary genius behind Playground and Dough Exchange. After seeing the ‘Double’ on Instagram, I knew that I had to give it a try. It was like In-N-Out’s Double Double on steroids. The meat was of the utmost quality and the over-the-top cheese and sauce were absolutely FANTASTIC! I have craved this burger every second of every day since taking my last bite.

INSIDER TIP: I will be going back for the $14 burger, which takes up a mysterious blank space on the menu. Rumor has it, it is THE Playground burger.

 

 

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This fried chicken was easily the biggest surprise for me. This fried chicken could not have gotten more perfectly crisp on the outside and more perfectly moist on the inside. YUM YUM YUM! The first taste that hits the tongue is definitely cinnamon sweetness, but it’s immediately cut by the perfect combination of Southwestern spices. The coleslaw was perfectly sweet and acidic and a great accompaniment to the chicken.

Click here to learn more: http://4thstreetmarket.com/pfc/

 

This market has transformed Downtown Santa Ana and has given people a whole new reason to explore the burgeoning area. There are still several vendors that I need to try and I can’t wait to go back!

Click here to learn more about the 4th Street Market: http://4thstreetmarket.com/