Things to Do in Orange County, CA!

Sugar n' Spice - Things to Do in Orange County 87

2011-08-28T00:47:00.000-07:00

If you were a fan of The OC a while back, this is one place you can't miss.

Sugar n' Spice in Newport Beach is the famous frozen banana joint that you need to check out at least once when you are in OC.

It is located in a lovely little street on Balboa Island. The place has been open since 1945, so you can feel a history when you're here.

Though they do have all kinds of ice cream, when you're at Sugar n' Spice, I suggest you try out their frozen banana. That's what they are famous for. And that's probably what at least one of you should try out. When we went, it was $2.50 for a regular, and prices change with the size of the banana.

They'll cover up the frozen banana with chocolate, and all kinds of other goodies as you see fit. You can choose from Oreo, almonds, chocolate sprinkles, peants, pecan crunch, and many more.

They also had regular ice cream bars and a cheese cake sundae. The Balboa Bar featured in The OC is a regular vanilla ice cream bar with chocolate topping with peanuts. It's pretty normal, but they told us it is one of their best sellers.

Well, if you're in Orange County, I suggest you go out for a little taste of history at Balboa Island's Sugar n' Spice.

Sugar n' Spice
310 MARINE AVE.,
NEWPORT BEACH,
(949) 673-8907

Native Foods Cafe - Things to Do in Orange County 86

2011-07-04T12:11:00.000-07:00

If you're feeling like a good healthy meal today, well, there's one place that I recommend in Orange County. The Native Foods Cafe inside The Camp in Costa Mesa serves up one of the best vegetarian meals around. They got a real hip atmosphere, but the best part about the entire restaurant is that their service is top notch. I'm in no means a hip kind of person, but they treated me really well at Native Foods Cafe.

Obviously, since this place is known for their vegetarian food, they do not serve up any meat. But you'd be in for a surprise when you taste how juicy their burgers and sandwiches are. If they didn't tell me that this place was vegetarian, I would have definitely been fooled.

I got the Portobello and Sausage Burger pictured right above. Got to tell you, this was one of the best burgers I've had in a while. The Portobello mushroom was extremely juicy, and their sausage (?) was extremely satisfying. Just writing about it and seeing its picture makes me crave one. Maybe I go back again tomorrow and get one. :)

We also got the popular Chicken Sandwich as well. Of course, it's not real chicken. We were told that the chicken was made out of imitation chicken. I'm no expert in imitation chicken, but it tasted better than chicken.

For both meals, if you decide, you can add some fries or soup with it for an additional charge. But when we went, since the Chicken Sandwich was it's daily special, they added the awesome sweet potato fries for free. Good deal!

And another cool thing here at the Native Foods Cafe is their drinks. They have cool drinks. I tried out the Watermelon juice, lavender lemonade, and the plumeria ice tea. All were awesome. They let you get free refills, so you can go on and try out their variety of drinks that they offer.

Native Foods Cafe also has an awesome dessert section as well as other foods like salads and pizzas. Unfortunately, we didn't get to try it out when we visited them last time. Give me a reason to go back.

Even if you're not a vegetarian, you will most likely enjoy their food, and then some. I really loved it, and I hope to go back soon!

Native Foods Cafe

2937 Bristol St

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

(714) 751-2151

Website

Mon - Fri: 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

Saturday: 11:00 am - 8:00 pm

Sunday: 11:00 am - 6:30 pm

Visit the Santa Ana Zoo - Things to Do in Orange County 85

2011-06-25T03:01:00.000-07:00

Living in Orange County, it's almost a daily thing to drive on the 405, 55, and 5 Freeway. But did you know right behind that freeway, there's a whole zoo that you can check out?

Where the 55 Freeway and 5 Freeway cross in Irvine/Santa Ana, there's actually a zoo where us OC residents can visit.

The zoo is actually pretty large considering its in the middle of the city. It's a bit hidden, but shouldn't be too difficult to find. It was fun to imagine that there's a bunch of animals behind that freeway wall off of the 5 freeway.

The Santa Ana Zoo is famous for their monkeys. They have a ton of monkeys here for you to see. And they're real cute.

The rumor is that the land owner here at the zoo is a big monkey lover, and the person lets the zoo operate as long as there are so many monkeys kept here. It's an interesting rumor, and maybe it's really true.

The zoo is a great place for families to visit. You can enjoy by checking out the variety of animals here. If you get bored, you can try to ride an elephant. That's a lot of fun.

After you ride the elephant, you can also ride the miniature train which runs around the zoo. That's also a big hit with the kids.

After checking out the zoo, I just couldn't get over the fact that there are so many animals living behind that freeway. It was a shocking experience for me since I've lived in OC for over 20 years, never knowing about the Santa Ana Zoo.

So next time you have time with the kids, I recommend you visiting the Santa Ana Zoo if you haven't already done so. It's going to be a fun experience for the entire family.

Santa Ana Zoo

1801 E Chestnut Ave
Santa Ana, CA 92701
(714) 835-7484

Mon-Sun 10 am - 4 pm

Adults (age 13+): $8.00
Seniors (age 60+): $5.00
Children (age 3-12): $5.00

MONDAY - FRIDAY AFTER 2PM
(excluding holidays)
Adults (age 13+): $4.00
Seniors (age 60+): $2.50
Children (age 3-12): $2.50

Portola Coffee Lab inside the OC Mart Mix - Things to Do in Orange County 84

2011-06-22T16:32:00.000-07:00

So, there's a new cool place to hang out in Orange County. It's called the OC Mart Mix. Located by the 405 freeway off of the Harbor exit. It's inside the huge furniture collection mall called the SOCO or South Coast Collection.

What I'm featuring today is the new hip coffee shop inside the OC Mart Mix. I'll be covering the entire OC Mart Mix at a later post pretty soon.

As explained a few times already, Portola Coffee Lab is a very cool coffee joint inside the OC Mart Mix. :) They are new and hip, and I say that because they have an awesome way of brewing their own coffee.

They use these cool siphon type of device to slowly brew their iced coffee each day. But keep in mind, there's only very limited supply, and the demand is high. So you'll be lucky to get a cup. When we went, they were still in the process of brewing it, so we weren't able to get a cup. They said, it takes 4 hours (?) or so to brew a batch.

Instead, the guys at Portola Coffee was nice enough to show off their latte art skills and make us a cup of cappuccino. Great cup of coffee!

They did also have an iced mocha using a house made ganache, so the mocha was extremely rich and chocolaty. I don't think I've ever had a mocha so chocolaty.

In addition to the awesome espresso drinks that they make, they also roast their own beans. So these guys are pretty serious about their coffee.

Overall, this place is pretty awesome.

So hope you can go check out the new hip hangout of OC Mart Mix, and have a cup of coffee at Portola Coffee Lab!

Portola Coffee Lab

The OC Mart Mix
3313 Hyland Ave
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Ride the Great Balloon for Free at the Irvine Great Park - Things to Do in Orange County 83

2011-05-10T18:18:00.001-07:00

Time always flies so fast, and though I always promise myself to post an article at least once a week, a month or two usually flies in between my Things to Do in Orange County, CA blog.

Well, this post is a really cool one.

Do you ever feel like riding on a hot air balloon? And what if I told you that the flight up is free? Hey, well in Orange County, this is possible to do.

At the Great Park in Irvine, you are able to ride on a hot air balloon Thursday through Sunday for FREE!!

Though this hot air balloon is free, there is also a catch. One is that it's popular, so if you go during the weekend, it can get difficult to secure a ticket. Two is that since it goes up to 400 feet, any kind of strong wind condition will stop the balloon from flying.

It actually took me three chances to finally get on the Great Balloon. First time it was the wind, second time it was packed, and third time was a charm. Your best bet is to call them before you go to see if they're flying, and if there is a lot of people waiting or not.

Upon arrival to the Great Balloon, you will enter the office to fill out a liability form. After you fill it out, you will get the ticket to the Great Balloon for free!

We went during the day on Thursday, and it was great. Perfect weather, and there were only 7 of us that flew on the balloon. So we got to walk around and talk to the other people on the balloon.

As I mentioned, this balloon goes up 400 feet, so it's pretty high. The view is wonderful from up there, so don't forget your camera. They also do a night flight, and the view up there at night must be very nice too.

All in all, this balloon is an awesome deal. It takes you up 400 feet above Orange County, and all expenses are paid for. The ride is about 10 minutes long, but that should be enough for you to enjoy the ride, and appreciate the beauty of the OC.

The Great Park Balloon

Webpage

Perimeter Rd
Irvine, CA 92614
(866) 829-3829

Thu-Fri 10 am - 3 pm
Thu-Sun 7 pm - 10 pm
Sat-Sun 9 am - 3 pm

Orange County Restaurant Week - Things to Do in Orange County 82

2011-03-03T03:20:00.001-08:00

It's that time of year again. OC Restaurant Week is up and running, and that means going out and eating for me. :)

I always enjoy OC Restaurant Week since we get to try out new restaurants for a great deal. It's always fun to go out and try out new places, get fed, and not have to pay a fortune.

One advice with the OC Restaurant Week, or the Newport Beach Restaurant Week is to go for lunch. Often times, many restaurants offer similar plates for lunch as they do dinner, but it'll cost you twice as much. We started out the OC Restaurant Week on Sunday, at Splashes inside Surf and Sand Resort, but they had almost identical menus for lunch and dinner. The only difference: $20 lunch vs. $40 dinner.

So go for lunch. You'll usually enjoy it more since you're not going to pay as much. And the sun is out to enjoy it too.

The OC Restaurant Week goes from February 27th to March 5th. So we just have a few more days to go. Be sure to check out their website for some cool places to dine at.

Here are my recommendations:

Antenello's

The Ritz

Well, hope you enjoy and discover some restaurants for yourselves!

Orange County Restaurant Week

Website

List of Restaurants

http://www.orangecountyrestaurantweek.com/Participating_Restaurant.html

Eat a Gourmet Burger at 25 Degrees - Things to Do in Orange County 81

2011-02-24T11:13:00.000-08:00

Ever since last year or so, the gourmet burger craze has been around in Los Angeles. Now, we can enjoy a gourmet burger here in Orange County as well. The 25 Degrees is a gourmet burger joint located in Hollywood, as well as downtown Huntington Beach.

We were impressed when we walked into 25 Degrees with its very cool interior. We went after 1PM, so there wasn't much people around, and we got to enjoy the entire restaurant to ourselves. The Gothic design looked very trendy and cool.

Here, you are able to customize your own burgers. But we weren't so decisive with what we wanted on our burgers that we decided to go with the #1 and #2 recommendations on the menu.

#1 consisted of onions, Gorgonzola cheese, bacon, arugula, and thousand island dressing. The burger was juicy, and it was really good.

#2 consisted of roasted tomatoes, prosciutto, and pesto sauce. The prosciutto was a huge chuck, and it felt like eating a gourmet double burger. It was a big delicious burger.

And of course, we can't forget the onion rings and the sweet potato fries here. Good stuff.

Now that you can enjoy a gourmet burger in Orange County, this place should be a must try on your list. Get a nice big burger and a nice cold beer on a Sunday afternoon. Should be a lot of fun.

25 Degrees （Twenty five degrees）

412 Walnut Ave

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

(714) 960-2525

Website

Walk around Mile Square Park - Things to do in Orange County 80

2011-02-23T14:36:00.000-08:00

If you're ever feeling like going on a little exercise, one popular destination is the Mile Square Park. As the name indicates, this park is a big square, and laid out in one mile sides. So if you walk all the way around the park, you walk a total of 4 miles.

Mile Square Park is a popular destination for people who want to exercise because they have a whole lot of things you can do. As I mentioned, you can walk or run the 4 miles. You can bike it. Riding a bike will allow you to cross inside the park which can be fun too. They have lakes and ponds.

Mile Square Park also has a tennis court, racquetball court, basketball court, and a little recreation center. It also has a full 18 hole golf course, and a driving range. Inside the park, you should be able to find casual volleyball courts and a archery area.

So all in all, this is a pretty nice place for fitness.

It's also a great place for a picnic, as you can invite your friends and family to a little BBQ. There's a bunch of sitting areas with grills available for a nice family enjoyment.

You can rent bikes, and also rent water bikes in the pond. It should be a lot of fun.

So the next time you want to do some outdoor fitness, or need a place to hang out with your family, you might want to consider Mile Square Park.

Mile Square Park

16801 Euclid

Fountain Valley, CA 92708

Website

Rent a Bike and Ride by the Beach - Things to Do in Orange County 79

2011-02-17T18:25:00.000-08:00

I've been living in Huntington Beach for over 25 years now. And last Sunday, I did something I've never done before - rented a bike at the beach.

This sort of spontaneous thing turned out to be a very nice time.

We went to Zack's Pier Plaza right next to the Huntington Beach Pier. They got all kinds of things you can rent. Like a beach cruiser and the quadricycle (car bikes). They also rent surf boards too.

For some reason, when we went, they had a special going on and we got the car bike for $20 an hour. I think it's usually $25/hour.

A one hour rental may seem short, but we rode all the way to the dog beach by the Bolsa Chica Wetlands, and actually had the time to come back to ride half way to Newport Beach.

It was a nice sunny day, and riding on one of these car bikes turned out to be a very pleasant cruise.

Riding on the car bike is also perfect for a date. You ride right next to your date, and get to talk while you cruise on down the pleasant rode. It's a lot of fun, and feels great as the ocean breeze hits you.

And if you have a family, you can rent a 4 seater car bike, and seat them in the rear. That should be a nice family fun since everybody gets to pedal.

Nice recommendation will be to bring a little picnic so that you can find a spot by the beach to enjoy a great lunch.

Since the car bikes tend to be a bit slower than regular bikes, if you feel like going the distance, it maybe wise to rent a beach cruiser and maybe ride down to Newport Beach or Balboa Island.

So next time the sun is out, and you feel like enjoying a beautiful day, go and rent a bike at Zack's Pier Plaza. You'll definitely have a lot of fun!

Zack Pier Plaza

405 Pacific Coast Hwy

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

(714) 536-0215

Punjab Cuisine of India - Things to Do in Orange County 78

2011-01-16T22:01:00.000-08:00

Do you ever get that craving for Indian food? Just want to chow down on some Tandoori chicken and curry? Well, here is an awesome place to dine in Orange County. One of my personal favorites.

Punjab Cuisine of India is one of the best places to go for lunch, if you're craving for Indian food.

At just $7.95 for lunch, you can enjoy an all you can eat buffet of curry, salad, samosa, and naan. It's a pretty awesome deal in this day in age. The lunch buffet is on everyday of the week, and on Sundays, you get a champagne brunch for $10.95. Not bad.

I probably go here once every couple months when I get this craving for Indian curries. Their curries are pretty awesome. I have no complaint. The Tandoori chicken is super tender, and their spinach curry is pretty killer too. I also enjoy their vegetable curry too. Very good.

With regards to their naan, you have a choice between regular or garlic. If you go with a friend, you can order both and share it amongst yourselves since they give you three pieces each.

Another nice thing about this place is that it's never crowded when I go. I never had to wait for a table, and there's usually only about one or two other guests with us. The food is awesome, so I take it this place is a well kept secret amongst the people in Orange County.

Well, next time you're craving for some curry, maybe you can check out Punjab Cuisine of India.

Punjab Cuisine of India

18687 Brookhurst St
Fountain Valley, CA 92708

(714) 963-6777

Website

Lunch Buffet: $7.95
Sunday Brunch: $10.95Publish Post

Mastro's Steakhouse - Things to Do in Orange County 77

2011-01-05T23:10:00.000-08:00

So you have a special night to plan? Or are you in the mood for a formal night out? Maybe you're craving for a quality steak and an awesome cocktail...

Well, here is one of Orange County's most popular and trendiest steakhouses - Mastro's Steakhouse. Located across the street from South Coast Plaza and right by the Orange County Performing Arts Center this is definitely a place where you can plan to impress your date.

Steaks here are world class. The cocktails are too. One of my favorite part of the night was enjoying their famous Lemon Drop cocktail. They serve it to you with dry ice, which makes the cocktail smoke. It's pretty cool.

The cocktails have a pretty heavy price tag though. My Lemon Drop was $18. Hey, but you're there to enjoy the night, and impress your date. $18 isn't that expensive then. And given that they actually give you an entire cocktail shaker worth Lemon Drop, you actually get seconds, and maybe thirds. All worth it!

A few of the things Mastro's Steakhouse is known for is their seafood and steak. We didn't go for their signature seafood tower, but went for the crab cake instead. Pretty good stuff.

And of course their lobster mashed potato. How luxurious can mashed potato be?

What I truly enjoyed is their signature bone-in ribeye. I think it was one of the best steaks I've ever had. Nice and juicy, and cooked perfectly. Delicious!

So, next time you need to impress someone on a special occasion, you know where to hit up. Mastro's Steakhouse should be on the top of your list!

Mastro's Steakhouse

633 Anton Blvd

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

(714) 546-7405

www.mastrosrestaurants.com

Food Truck Round Up - Things to Do in Orange County 76

2011-01-03T23:26:00.000-08:00

Lately, there is a big craze with food trucks. As an OC Foodie, I had to go check one out. My only experience in the past has been with Kogi BBQ. I heard that there are even better ones here in Orange County.

So every Wednesday, in the middle of Irvine, where there's really nothing but office buildings, there is a place where food trucks gather...

They call it the Food Truck Round Up in Irvine, and you'll find anywhere from eight to twelve food trucks here.

It's a pretty cool scene since I've never experienced anything like it before. You go there, and there is free parking. You walk around to figure out what to get. And order from the truck of your choice. It's a fun atmosphere since there are so many food trucks to choose from.

What makes the experience even more fun is that most of these food trucks serve fusion meals. Meals that you're not used to seeing. Like Kalbi Kimchee Quesadilla. Or the Carnitas Fries. And that's exactly what we got.

One of the most popular food trucks these days in OC is the Lime Truck. And after I ate their food, I knew why. It's really good. I mean really, really good. I regretted later that I didn't buy more. Pictured above are the Carnitas Fries and the Ultimate Taco. Awesome~~

There are other food trucks that we tried. The Asian Latin food truck. They had some good food here too.

We wanted to go for desserts too - they had ice cream cookie sandwiches and cupcakes - but unfortunately too full to do so at that point. So maybe next time.

Or, maybe you can go out and check it out for us instead. Here's the address!

Food Truck Round Up

18678 Teller

Irvine, CA 92612

Corner of Michaelson and Teller

P.S. Be sure to bring a lot of cash because not all trucks accept credit cards.

Bahn Mi Che Cali - Things to Do in Orange County 75

2011-01-03T22:53:00.000-08:00

Ever feel like a quick bite to eat in the middle of the night? And maybe you're craving for a sandwich. Not just any sandwich, but a Vietnamese Sandwich.

Well, here is the right place for you to go out and enjoy a little Vietnamese sandwich at three in the morning.

Bahn Mi Che Cali on Brookhurst and McFadden is open 24 hours long. You can go there anytime to get your fix of Vietnamese sandwiches, Vietnamese bread, or Vietnamese dessert.

At Bahn Mi Che Cali, you get quality sandwiches on the cheap. Check out these sandwiches below. They're $2.50 each, and when you buy 2, you get one free. Basically, it's three large sandwiches for $5.00. Subway starts to seem expensive after buying these guys.

They have a variety of different sandwiches ranging from chicken, BBQ pork, and egg. They're all pretty delicious. Just don't forget to take out the hot green pepper if you don't like hot foods. It'll burn you.

And of course, if they're giving away sandwiches for an awesome deal, they need to match that up with their desserts too. Yep. Buy two, get one free on their desserts too.

They're desserts were pretty funky. I liked it, but I think its somewhat of an acquired taste.

Come hungry. You'll leave pretty happy. And in the middle of the night too.

Bahn Mi Che Cali

15551 Brookhurst St

Westminster, CA 92683

(714) 839-8185

Roger's Garden During the Holiday Season - Things to Do in Orange County 74

2010-12-10T00:50:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite places to go in Orange County during the holiday season is Roger's Garden. This place becomes pretty magical during this time of year.

Located near Fashion Island in Newport Beach/Corona Del Mar, Roger's Garden is a very classy nursery. It's a place I like to frequent, but during the holiday season is when it becomes spectacular.

You'll see all kinds of cool plants here, and the Christmas decorations that they have on display are very very cool. It's a place where you're suppose to do some shopping, but I like to just go and walk around sometimes because its so beautiful.

It might be a good idea to go at around sunset so that you can enjoy both their nursery when there's some light, and all the lights on their Christmas trees when it gets dark.

As you can see, their Christmas ornaments are very special. You don't find ornaments this special very often.

This one above is a cute little cookie jar that they had.

And you'll see all kinds of Christmas trees decorated differently. This one was one of our favorites.

Roger's Garden is definitely a great place to go when looking for special gifts for your family and friends. Be sure to check it out this Holiday Season.

Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays!

Roger's Garden

2301 San Joaquin Hills Rd

Corona del Mar, California 92625

949-640-5800

Toll Free @ 1.800.647.2356

http://www.rogersgardens.com/

Open Daily 9am-8pm

Laguna Art Museum - Things to Do in Orange County 73

2010-11-29T17:00:00.000-08:00

Ever feel a bit artistic with the need to want to be creative? Orange County's art scene is most prominent in Laguna Beach. There, you'll find all kinds of galleries that you can visit to get inspired. And if the art itself is not enough, just visit the beach right by to get some inspiration from the West Coast's best beaches.

Also in Laguna Beach is a little museum called the Laguna Art Museum. It's not a huge museum. You can probably look through the entire museum in about 30 minutes if you rush it.

Oftentimes, the Laguna Art Museum showcases art created by local artists in Orange County. When I visited, they had the "Art Shack" exhibition. It showcased little shacks that were artistically created. I personally loved the exhibition.

The cool thing about the Laguna Art Museum is that it changes around its exhibitions pretty often, thereby allowing you to enjoy all sorts of art. If you're a local, it maybe a place where you may want to consider getting an annual membership so that you can stop by every so often to check out their new exhibitions. It'll also give you a reason to visit Laguna Beach.

I'm not sure if this is a common thing lately, but the Laguna Art Museum had an iPhone and iPod Touch App where you can download to get a more detailed explanation of the exhibition going on. I didn't try it out, but seemed like something pretty cool thing to be able to try.

Well, next time you feel like seeing some art to get inspired in OC, I recommend the Laguna Art Museum.

Laguna Art Museum

Website

307 Cliff Dr
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
(949) 494-8971

Admission: $12

Parking: Meter Parking on Street

Check Out a Five Guys Burger - Things to Do in Orange County

2010-11-23T22:08:00.000-08:00

Heard of Five Guys Burger? Some people call it the In-N-Out of the East Coast.

Recently, the Five Guys Burger has been setting up shop in Orange County. And as a guy that loves reasonably priced, tasty burgers, this was a "must" to go check out.

The menu at Five Guys Burger consists mostly of Burgers and Hot Dogs. But since you're here, why go anything else then a burger?

The cool thing here: a regular burger comes with two patties of meat. So basically, you get a double cheeseburger for ordering a regular cheeseburger. If you're on a diet, go with the "little" burger which only has one beef patty. I think for anybody trying out Five Guys for the first time, they should go with a "Regular" burger.

Prices for the burgers were: $4.49 for a Regular burger, and $3.49 for a Little burger. Check out their website or call the local store for the latest prices.

Another cool thing at a Five Guys Burger is that you can pick and choose from all the toppings available. And regardless of how much of it you order, they are all free. When you want all the toppings on your burger, just say, "All the Way."

Of course, I went "All the Way."

Here are the toppings available at Five Guys Burger:

Mayo, Relish, Onions, Lettuce, Pickles, Tomatoes, Grilled Onions, Grilled Mushrooms, Ketchup, Mustard, Jalapeno Peppers, Green Peppers, A-1 Sauce, BBQ Sauce, Hot Sauce.

Compared to In-N-Out, you'll definitely be pretty satisfied in terms of amount of food that they serve you. It's a lot of meat and toppings on a burger, and overall it's bigger than an In-N-Out burger.

I enjoyed a Five Guys Burger a lot.

Hope you go out and try out a Five Guys Burger in OC to figure out which burger you like more.

Five Guys Burger

18571 Beach Blvd

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

And a few more around Orange County...

(866) 345-4897

Website: http://www.fiveguys.com/home.aspx

Steamers Jazz Club and Cafe

2010-10-19T13:30:00.000-07:00

Ever want to go out and listen to some live jazz in Orange County?

Well, the Steamers Jazz Club and Cafe is the spot to go. Located in downtown Fullerton, Steamers is one of my favorite places to go in OC. During the day, they operate as a regular coffee shop & cafe. But at night, that's when things start to happen.

Every night starting at 8PM, there is a jazz performance at this club. The awesome thing is that they don't charge a cover on most nights. You basically get to enjoy live jazz performances for the price of coffee cheaper than Starbucks! While you're there, don't forget that they also have great deals on their food too.

It's good practice to try and get there a little early since you want to get a good seat up at the front. You might also want to order some food prior to the show starting since that way, things aren't too crowded, and will be easier to order. The cafe itself is pretty big, but the stage really isn't, so you'll end up being tightly squeezed in with others to check out their daily jazz performances.

The experience at Steamers is excellent. You get that jazz club feel that you may find in New York or LA. The cool thing is that you're right here in OC.

Places like the Steamers is a rare gem in Orange County, and it should be OC's cultural treasure. Be sure to check it out next time you're feeling like you want to listen to some live jazz music.

Steamers Jazz Club and Cafe

138 W Commonwealth Ave

Fullerton, CA 92832

714-871-8800

http://www.steamerscafe.com/

Sun-Thu 7am-Midnight;

Fri-Sat 7am-12:30am

Jazz:　Sun-Thu 8pm-Midnight;

Fri-Sat 8:30pm-12:30am

Visit Joshua Tree National Park - Things to Do in Orange County

2010-10-17T22:04:00.000-07:00

Though I know Joshua Tree isn't in Orange County, it is about a one and a half hour drive, so I wanted to post something about it.

Joshua Tree National Park is a pretty cool place. Filled with all kinds of funky trees, beautiful stars, and rock mountains, it really is a power spot where you can go and rejuvenate from all the daily stress. The Joshua Park National Park is a great hiking/camping/rock climbing spot, and you can walk through a variety of trails there.

We got to visit Joshua Tree this summer, and hiked through all kinds of trails in 106 degree weather. It was pretty hot when we went, so you will definitely need water, sun block, and a big hat to keep you away from the sun. You might want to go check out a swap meet in Orange County to buy a big farmer's hat for $4.

When we went, we stayed at the Spin and Margie's Desert Hide-a-Way. It was a cute little bed and breakfast (no breakfast though) type of hotel with only five rooms. The owners at this hotel did an awesome job with their hotel, and it surely is a place where you can re-energize from the daily hustle and bustle.

At night, the stars were amazingly beautiful since there really aren't any city lights in Joshua Tree. You can see all kinds of stars that you never knew existed above us. We went during a time when there were a bunch of shooting stars, so got to see a few of them while we were there.

If you're feeling stressed, or just want to get in touch with nature again, Joshua Tree National Park is one great place you go and check out. Only about an hour and a half from Orange County.

Joshua Tree National Park

74485 National Park Drive

Twentynine Palms, CA 92277

(760) 367-5500

http://www.nps.gov/jotr/

7-Day Vehicle Permit: $15

Visit a Brand New Whole Foods Market - Things to Do in Orange County 69

2010-10-15T00:36:00.000-07:00

There's something about a new market that you love. Everything is in order. Fully stocked. Clean. They're willing to give you a lot of free samples. And its just fun seeing a new grocery store.

There's a brand new Whole Foods Market in Huntington Beach. Just opened this week on October 13th, 2010. It is inside the Bella Terra Mall in Huntington Beach. This will be the third Whole Foods Market in Orange County. The other two are in Irvine and Laguna Beach.

I took some photos there since I like to see fully stock stores with aisles of products neatly stacked.

So here are some pictures that I took. I'm testing out a Flickr feature. New to Flickr still... I hope you like it.

I'm so glad to see the Bella Terra Mall in Huntington Beach is doing well these days. I've been a Huntington Beach resident for almost 28 years, and the old Huntington Beach Mall was one of my favorite spots to go when I was a kid.

Whole Foods Market, Huntington Beach

Inside the Bella Terra Mall

7881 Edinger Ave Suite 150
Huntington Beach, CA 92647 USA

Phone 657.200.4200

Store hours:
7am – 10pm Everyday

Visit a Sonic Drive-In - Things to Do in Orange County 68

2010-10-14T23:53:00.000-07:00

There is finally a Sonic Drive-In in Orange County. The Santa Ana one is a pretty convenient location since it is close to South Coast Plaza and Orange Coast College.

Anyway, visiting a Sonic Drive-In is pretty cool if it's your first time.

You drive-in to a little parking spot that is all yours, and order off of a "drive-thru-like" device. You can take all the time in the world since the order taker doesn't talk to you until you push the "ready to order" button. Of course, you can go to their website and check out their menu before you go, since what you see on the website is exactly what you'll see when you order.

http://www.sonicdrivein.com/home.jsp#/menu

Sonic Drive-In has a cool atmosphere since you order from your car, wait in your car for the food to arrive, and eat in your car. I guess we experience all this anyway at a normal drive thru, but the only difference is that you are parked and the engine is off. I guess that's what makes it feel different and a little special.

The food here is pretty good. Sort of a good fast food quality food. I would say it's comparable to a Wendy's or a Carl's Jr. We got the Super Sonic Cheeseburger and the Bacon Cheeseburger Toaster with a side of Chili Cheese Tots. Good stuff.

After we paid with a credit card, a cute girl in roller skates brought us our food in about 5 minutes.

What really impressed me at Sonic Drive-In was their drinks. They have awesome drinks! We got the famous Cherry Limeade and the Coke Blended Float. I have to say, I was a bartender in the past, and I'm pretty picky about my drinks; but these drinks were awesome. Especially the blended float. I'm sure it's just a coke float blended, but it was perfectly smooth, easy to drink, and extremely tasty.

Now, I really want to go and check out their shakes and malts as well since those must be awesome too.

Anyway, this seems like a pretty cool date spot that won't cost you a fortune. They're open late too - 12AM. I also want to try going on a rainy day since I like to hang out inside my car on a rainy day. It must be good drinking a shake and eating a burger in the rain in your car.

Since Sonic is a pretty new thing in OC, it's definitely worth a try!

Sonic Drive-In

3541 S Fairview St
Santa Ana, CA 92704
http://www.sonicdrivein.com

Valentine's Day in Orange County - Things to Do in Orange County 67

2010-02-13T03:30:00.000-08:00

So we're now in our Valentine's weekend. I'm sure all the guys out there have already made plans for your loved ones. But for those of you who are still in search of what to do for Valentine's Day in Orange County, here is a little list of my recommendations for a nice romantic meal on Sunday.

The Beachcomber in Crystal Cove: Good for a nice romantic sunset dinner right on the beach. You'll sure impress your date here.

The Hobbit: This restaurant is pretty special. A bit pricey, but the food is great. Be ready to eat for 3 hours here.

Garlic Jo's: Maybe not the best place on a Valentine's Day dinner, but the food here is great. With a lot of garlic, you will have a lot of energy after dinner.

Marche Modern: Kind of a nice little restaurant inside South Coast Plaza. This place got some hype after the Housewives of Orange County visited them. Its French food that they serve here, and its really good.

Basilico: Nice cozy restaurant perfect for a Valentine's Dinner. This is actually where I went last year. Good food, great staff. You need to get a bottle of wine when you dine here. Only downside is that they don't take reservations... Wait around at the Irish bar nearby until they call your name.

The Montage: World Class hotel resort in Laguna Beach. They have numerous restaurants here that are also World Class. Impress your date by taking them here with its great food and spectacular views.

Those are my picks. Hopefully, as I continue with this blog, I can post more pages with my other favorite picks as well. By the way, those are links up there to my posts about the place.

Reservations are required for all these restaurants for you to be smooth on Valentine's Day.

Hope you have a lot of fun!

Newport Beach Restaurant Week 2010 - Things to Do in Orange County 66

2010-01-20T03:38:00.000-08:00

It's that time of the year again. Newport Beach Restaurant Week is starting this Friday.

January 22nd - 28th, 2010.

http://www.newportbeachdining.com/restaurantweek/restaurantweeksplash.asp

I personally love this event. I know that they have the Orange County Restaurant Week, and Dine LA in Los Angeles. But this Newport Beach Restaurant Week just has a special aura to me. You sort of have this sense that it's a local city thing, and its nice to get to know all of the great areas and restaurants around Newport Beach.

Anyway, I just wanted to recommend a few things since this is my third time attending this event.

1. Go for lunch. Lunch is cheaper to go compared to dinner. You spend only $15 or $20 for lunch compared to $25 to $35. If you go with two people, it makes a huge difference in the total bill after you finish eating.

2. If you want to save money, be cheap, and just order water. Drinks tend to add to the total bill, and I'm not sure if you want to do that because part of the fun is being able to eat great food at a great restaurant for a great price. So just drink H2O. It's good for you, and its free.

3. Check out the lunch menu on the online menu feature they have on the event's official website. Some restaurants are a little cheap, or they just didn't want to put the extra effort to put up a good menu for you. They will only give you two courses, or count a soda as your first course. It is a suppose to be three course prix fixe menu, so when that happens, it is a bit disappointing. Of course, some other restaurants are extremely generous on their offering, and that's what I'm going to show you next.

Out of my experience, these are the restaurants that give the best deals for the Newport Beach Restaurant Week. Again, try to go to these places for lunch. Unlike the Dine LA event, the Newport Beach Restaurant Week allows you to reserve during the weekend. So you should be having lunch at these places this weekend.

Anyway, here are my recommendations. All of them are hyperlinks so just click on them to see my review.

I've tried all of the restaurants above with the exception of Tommy Bahama Island Grille, where I am going to kick off this year's Newport Beach Restaurant Week with. They are all worth your money and time.

Hope you enjoy it too!

http://www.newportbeachdining.com/restaurantweek/participating-restaurants.asp

The Hobbit - Things to Do in Orange County 65

2010-01-18T23:00:00.000-08:00

So, you're looking for a special dinner for that special person?

Well, look no further than to The Hobbit in Orange, CA. This is probably one of the most special dinner experiences you will ever treat someone to in Orange County.

The Hobbit is a special little restaurant that's been around for some time. The owners transformed their house into a restaurant. Once you're here, you'll feel just like family.

The evening starts off by some cocktails with other guests if you get there a little early. You will need reservations to dine here, so as long as you made it, they will have a tab set up for you under your last name. Just go up stairs to enjoy some cocktails at the bar with other guests. When we were there, people were celebrating their anniversaries, birthdays, and just having a special dinner with good friends.

Once you have your initial cocktails, you are led into The Hobbit's basement - their wine cellar. They will welcome you with a glass of champagne and many many hors d'oeuvres. The hors d'oeuvres are served buffet style, so you are welcome to eat as much as you want. Of course, you do not want to over do yourself here because you came to The Hobbit for a 7 course dinner. That being said, all of the hors d'oeuvres are just awesome, and I definitely went for seconds and thirds.

Alongside your hors d'oeuvres, since this is the wine cellar, your main purpose here is to pick out the wine you want to have during your dinner. The staffs at The Hobbit will help you pick out some of the best wines from all over the world. Since we're no sommelier, we decided to go with the wine pairing option that they have for people like us.

Once you are done with this step, you are off to your table. The servers here are amazing, and the setting is also beautiful. You will definitely be in for an experience when you dine here. Our dinner started at about 7:30PM and we were there till about 11:30PM dining. There's actually an intermission between your meals since its so long. How about that for an experience?

Here was the menu that we had when we went.

1) Champagne & Hors d'oeuvres

2) Olive Poached Swordfish, Fava bean & Fennel, Quinoa Salad, Red Pepper sauce

3) Grilled Quail, Rissolee Potatoes & Braised Artichokes, Baby Leeks, Thyme Jus

4) Marinated Heirloom Tomatoes, Baby Rochet Arugula with Basil Vinaigrette, Goat Cheese

5) Sorbet

6) Garlic & Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb or Fresh Alaskan Halibut

7) Grand Marnier Scented Ice Cream, Apricot Compote with Almond Cake

Needless to say, we were quite full after the experience.

The Hobbit is definitely a place you want to bring that special someone for that special day in Orange County.

Be sure to make your reservations before you decide to go. And just as a final note, there is a dress code here just in case you were wondering.

The Hobbit

Website

2932 E Chapman Ave
Orange, CA 92869
(714) 997-1972

Plums Cafe - Things to Do in Orange County 64

2010-01-17T03:19:00.000-08:00

If you're looking for a nice sophisticated place for brunch in OC, look no further than to the Plum's Cafe in Newport Beach. This place offers very good breakfast dishes with a lot of grace and elegance. Its like a brunch place for adults. At least that's the kind of feel I get.

Once you're here, do not hesitate to get yourself a glass of mimosa. This is a place for a nice morning cocktail. Without it, you won't get the full Plum's Cafe experience.

We got a couple dishes when we arrived here. (Alongside my bloody mary.) I always like to get one plate that's sweet, and one plate that's savory. And we share the two dishes between the two of us. That way we get to enjoy the best of both worlds.

So, we got the Northwest Berry Waffle and the Alderwood Smoked Salmon Hash.

Both were delicious. And as you can see from the pictures, the dishes here all seem to have vibrant colors that enhances your appetite even more. Both were prepared perfectly to my liking.

Plum's Cafe is a popular brunch destination in Orange County, so be sure to make reservations if you are going during brunch hours on the weekend.

Hope you get to enjoy the great food here!

Plums Cafe

Webpage

369 East 17th Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92627

Yum Cha Cafe - Things to Do in Orange County 63

2010-01-16T03:18:00.000-08:00

Do you ever feel like dim sum, but don't want to gather up all your buddies to gobble up all that good food?

Well, this place is for you. And I personally love this place!

The Ym Cha Cafe inside the My Thuan Market is "dim sum to-go." You can get all that good quality food for take out. And starting at only $0.99 a dish. Now how awesome is that?

I found out about this place from a good buddy of mine. It's like the super secret of Orange County in my eyes.

The place is sort of set up like a Chinese take out joint where you pick 2 items along with your fried rice and chow mein. Only difference is that you'll find dim sum food here.

All the goodness of fried sesame balls, shrimp dumplings, to whatever its called dim sum food. Everything you find at a regular dim sum, you'll find here. Awesomeness.

The food is good, and best of all, it is super cheap.

Check it out, I got all this food pictured above, plus a little more for only $13.81. 10 dishes total. Enough to feed two hungry people, or four regular people.

Got to say, awesome deal! You got to go check it out!

Yum Cha Cafe

Inside My Thuan Market
8900 Westminster Blvd
Westminster, CA 92683
(714) 899-0700

Things to Do in Orange County, CA!

Sugar n' Spice - Things to Do in Orange County 87

Native Foods Cafe - Things to Do in Orange County 86

Visit the Santa Ana Zoo - Things to Do in Orange County 85

Portola Coffee Lab inside the OC Mart Mix - Things to Do in Orange County 84

Ride the Great Balloon for Free at the Irvine Great Park - Things to Do in Orange County 83

Orange County Restaurant Week - Things to Do in Orange County 82

Eat a Gourmet Burger at 25 Degrees - Things to Do in Orange County 81

Walk around Mile Square Park - Things to do in Orange County 80

Rent a Bike and Ride by the Beach - Things to Do in Orange County 79

Punjab Cuisine of India - Things to Do in Orange County 78

Mastro's Steakhouse - Things to Do in Orange County 77

Food Truck Round Up - Things to Do in Orange County 76

Bahn Mi Che Cali - Things to Do in Orange County 75

Roger's Garden During the Holiday Season - Things to Do in Orange County 74

Laguna Art Museum - Things to Do in Orange County 73

Check Out a Five Guys Burger - Things to Do in Orange County

Steamers Jazz Club and Cafe

Visit Joshua Tree National Park - Things to Do in Orange County

Visit a Brand New Whole Foods Market - Things to Do in Orange County 69

Visit a Sonic Drive-In - Things to Do in Orange County 68

Valentine's Day in Orange County - Things to Do in Orange County 67

Newport Beach Restaurant Week 2010 - Things to Do in Orange County 66

Cannery Restaurant

The Ritz Restaurant & Garden

The Beachcomber at Crystal Cove, Part 2

Tommy Bahama Island Grille

The Hobbit - Things to Do in Orange County 65

Plums Cafe - Things to Do in Orange County 64

Yum Cha Cafe - Things to Do in Orange County 63