On Tuesday, while carpooling with a coworker to the Irvine Spectrum Center we noticed that a crew had a top of the Fox Sports Grill sign down. Jokingly I said “Another one bites the dust.”

Well, accordingly to the Orange County Register I wasn’t wrong. In addition to Fox, it looks as if the Fish Market is going/gone also.

It looks like Fox will need to update their website now with a picture of a location that is actually open.

It is kind of ironic due to the fact that last month I made a post in my personal blog when I notice a lot of bigger chain stores closing, while the little ones seemed to be able to stay open.

In the wake of the recent Starbucks announcement that they will be closing around 600 under performing company operated locations (this does not include locations inside grocery stores or book stores), many Orange County residents may be wondering how they will survive. Where will we go to get our Venti non fat soy 4 pump vanilla half double decaffeinated half-caf, with a twist of lemon?
Luckily for us, in addition to the 1300 Starbucks the that will remain open, there are many local coffee shops that may have been overlooked since Starbucks started popping up on every corner. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Kéan Coffee: Kéan Coffee is the brainchild of Coffeehouse pioneer Martin Diedrich (yes, the Diedrich’s Coffee Diedrich) and his wife Karen. The Diedrich Family has been involved with coffee for many decades and it shows. Not only do they roast their own coffee, in a roaster built by another of the Diedrich clan, but they believe in the whole coffee ritual, and it shows. The popularity of the location is growing. In addition to coffee and tea, one can get a variety of baked goods to go with their beverage. Kéan is becoming a popular location to meet up and chat, stop during a walk, or just grab a cup and go. Another thing that impresses me is the “community values” and environmental awareness Kéan sticks to, even before it became popular to do so.
  -Location and Hours: Kéan Coffee 2043 Westcliff Drive in Newport Beach, is open from 6 AM to 9 PM Sunday through Thursday and 6 AM to 10 PM on Friday and Saturday.

• Alta Coffee Warehouse: Hidden of 31st street in the Cannery district of Newport Beach, Alta coffee is another hidden jewel in orange county. Located in an old warehouse, Alta provides fresh coffee, tea, and food as well as atmosphere. Just inside the door to the right is the shelves of mugs that the “regulars” keep for their daily brew. Adorning the walls is an ever changing collection of art, showcasing a theme or particular artist for the length of the current engagement. Whether it be breakfast, lunch, or dinner, on can get a variety of beverages and atmosphere. Alta also has an tranquil outside patio that K-9’s and their owners can use to enjoy together, or one can keep an eye on their bike while reading the paper, etc… Alta also provides Acoustic, open mike, and folk nighttime entertainment.
  -Location and Hours: Alta Coffee Warehouse & Roasting Co. 506 31st St., Newport Beach, CA, 92659 (949) 675-0233 Mon-Thurs 6am-11pm Fri-Sat 6am-midnight Sun 7am-11pm.

• The Gypsy Den: One of the original tenants of The L.A.B. in Costa Mesa, The Gypsy Den is best described by Zagat’s Restaurant Survey as “If your aging hippie aunt opened her sitting room to strangers, it would resemble these two hangouts in Costa Mesa and Santa Ana, offbeat venues complete with early attic decor and arty habitues; the homespun soups, salads and sandwiches have a healthy bent, going way beyond the tofu-bean sprouts archetype.” I could not describe it better. The Gypsy Den has great, healty food, a warm environment, and excellent coffee and tea.
  -Location and Hours: The Gypsy Den Cafe @ the L.A.B. 2930 Bristol St. Costa Mesa, CA 92626 (714) 549-7012 Monday - Thursday 7:30 am to 11 pm Friday 7:30 am to Midnight Saturday 8:00 am to Midnight Sunday 8:00 am to 11 pm

These are just the local shops that I have frequented. I would love to hear your reviews and recommendations for Coffee shops in your neighborhoods. If by some smiting of the powers that be, your local Starbucks is closed down, be strong. Together we will survive the tragedy that Starbucks has handed to us to be caffeinated another day.

Fresh & Easy just introduced a new line of products and I suppose they think I’ll be impressed. I can only assume this new line was based on consumer feedback about their existing line. My wife went to pick up some hot dog buns for the camping trip (or as I like to call it, Jon’s Living Nightmare) we’ll be enjoying over the July 4th weekend. She saw the new bread product and flipped it over to read the ingredients. Well what do you know? High Fructose Corn Syrup and Partially Hydrogenated Oil are two of the first five ingredients. Barf.

I don’t shop at the F&E store because it’s convenient. I shop at the store because they offer vaguely healthy food that’s not laced with toxins, preservatives and little bits of cosmic doom. So why then did they choose to actively start making (and promoting) certain new food items that are jam packed full of hydrogenated corn syrup or bat guano or whatever the hell it is that they squeezed in there to appease the perceived masses? If I wanted to buy crap like that I’d shop at Wal-Mart.

Shame on you Fresh & Easy! If you can’t fulfill your marketing promise to provide me with easy healthy food choices then I promise you I will shop somewhere else. So just stop it already. The clock is ticking.

I sent them some feedback about their lovely new products and you can too by clicking here.

Being that I live in the Old Towne Orange sector of North County, I thought I would do a little series of posts on the many great places to eat in and around the Orange Circle Orange Plaza Square. I feel it is very important that we do our part to keep the small restaurants in business and preserve the great community Old Towne Orange has to offer us. Plus, most of them are WAY better than the big chains.
(more…)

Ever since my husband and I first started dating, going out to breakfast on a weekend morning has always been a nice treat. When we lived in LA and the Bay Area, we quickly found a couple of local shops to call our favorites. However, after moving to Orange County in 2002, we’ve been without “our breakfast place.”

Sure, there’s IHOP or even Denny’s, but we were used to mom and pop places, or at the very least, anything besides ginormous chains. Johnny Reb’s on Chapman is close enough and offers good breakfast fare, but I always feel like I need a shower or a change of clothes after eating there because you come out smelling like you took a dip in the frialator.

Then, a couple of weeks ago,  The Original Pancake House opened in Orange. Closer to us than Johnny Reb’s, plenty of menu choices, and there isn’t a thick scent of frying oil wafting about inside. They offer traditional egg dishes and a variety of different pancakes (bacon pancakes, anyone?), but they also have crepes and a few specialties like the oven-baked Apple Pancake and Dutch Baby. They have crispy thick-sliced bacon, and they serve a bottomless cup of Diedrich coffee with real heavy cream. While it’s still far from a mom and pop place, there is more of a neighborhood feel to it than the nearest IHOP, possible due to it being the only pancake place east of the 55. The prices aren’t all that cheap (we’ve spent as much as $40 for two there), but we like the food and the staff is friendly.

The downside? The wait can be long. Like, an hour or more long. This is probably because they’re new and, again, because they are probably the only pancake house east of the 55; sometimes it seems like everyone who lives in East Orange with a hankering for pancakes is there at the same time. Still, if you’re in Orange and love pancakes, definitely stop by sometime. I highly recommend the Dutch Baby!

I read the police blotter in The Register from time to time – mostly for amusement. The things people call the police about always strike me as pretty trivial. I mean, really. Why are we so are sex obsessed? You’ll see some common offenders. Teenagers having sex in a car, people skinny-dipping in the hot tub and the couple down the street forgot to pull the blinds during their lovemaking. All of the above warrant repeated calls to the police. Why exactly would a person care enough about any of that to actually dial 911?

Teenagers are supposed to have sex in cars; everyone knows that! And what if I did walk by some skinny-dippers in the pool? Well I always told myself I’d just keep on walking. My resolve was put to the test yesterday in the drive-thru at Wendy’s when the man in front of me overshot the pick-up window.

He got out of his car and began shouting at me to back up and give him room. I couldn’t really travel in reverse because there were people behind me. Basically I was stuck. Apparently the fellow in front of me didn’t care that I couldn’t back up and really let me have it. “Show me some respect! Back the f@ck up!” When I didn’t budge – and I am not making this up – he pulled down his pants, grabbed his junk and started yelling (even louder) that I needed to respect him and if I couldn’t do that, then I could at least respect his “big black dick”!

So… Um… Yeah… After wagging it around some more, hooting like a madman and playing helicopter in the Anaheim no fly zone, the guy pulled up his drawers and yelled “Next time you’ll think twice before you disrespect someone”.

Indeed.

Did I call the police? No and apparently no one else did either because I have been watching the police blotter. Sigh. I have so many questions. Why did he take out his wang? Why did he play the race card? [smirk] Why did he flee the scene without picking up his food? We may never know… The only thing this man’s naked outburst taught me was to be quicker with my camera-phone. Now that would have been an excellent viral video.

Today from 7am til 10-:30 pm, if you buy a medium or large drink, McDonald’s will give you one of their new chicken breakfast biscuits.

Then, from 10:30am to 7pm, they will do the same with their new Southern style chicken sandwich.

I can’t vouch for the taste or quality, but it’s free.  Sorta.

Recently I’ve been watching the Tony Bourdain show “No Reservations” on the Travel Channel.  If you aren’t already familiar with this fantastic show, Tony goes around the world seeking out the best local/ethnic/indigenous foods in a certain region or city.  They are almost never chain restaurants, and are usually locally owned.

He visited LA not too long ago, and wound up tasting some Mexican, Thai, Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles, and Philippe’s.

If he came here to Orange County, where would he go?  Is there any restaurant that is considered an “iconic” OC restaurant?   

Well, hopefully, anyway.

The Register reports that a grand jury has recommended that Orange County move to implement the letter-grading system for restaurants that are used every freaking where else except here.

I have no idea why this hasn’t already been done.  As consumers, it is our right to know the level of compliance with state standards at the places we eat. 

I think I have heard some lame excuses from people that the letter system is not ”business friendly” or some such blather.  Yeah, not business friendly only to those who get anything lower than a B, or maybe even anything lower than an A. Talk about an incentive to keep your kitchen and its environs clean!  You know, other than the whole possibly sickening your customers thing, which apparently isn’t enough for some businesses.

Just think, that whole Angel Stadium rat debacle could have been avoided altogether!  Once people saw a “D” rating, I’m betting they would have just eaten before the game.

I am very conscious of the letters displayed when I eat in LA, and I can’t imagine it would be different for anyone else.

Are you a teacher?

Do you like Chipotle?

Then today only (May 6, 2008) from 3pm to 10pm, flash your id showing you are a teacher, faculty member, or administrator and eat your tacos or burritos for free!

This is part of Teacher Appreciation week, and it’s nice to see teachers getting some love!

Have you done anything nice for the teachers in your life yet?