Lemonade isn't only for the summer!

Lemonade isn't only for the summer!

Have you been to Lemonade yet? The fast casual restaurant with food that tastes and feels like something you'd make at home! 

They have options for all diets including vegan, gluten-free, etc. The best part is no matter what diet you're following, the food tastes fresh and delicious! 

I recently visited the Huntington Beach location to check out their new fall menu. Every season they come out with a few new dishes to add to their regular year-round menu to showcase what's in season, and I have to say fall is coming in quite yummy at Lemonade! New items include the following: 

Salads/Sides 

-Red Quinoa & Fuji Apples w arugula, sunflowers seeds and a white miso vinaigrette - a very refreshing grain salad with a bright dressing

-Israeli Couscous w roasted mushrooms, shaved Parmesan and a lemon truffle vinaigrette - this was MY absolute favorite and is returning for a second year - a MUST try! 

-Honey Roasted Carrots w rosemary and pistachio vinaigrette - really nice crunch with a light flavorful dressing. I'm not a bit fan of carrots but ate all of this! 

-Spicy Sesame Peanuts Noodles and Chicken w bell peppers, snap peas, cilantro, sesame seed and garlic crunch

-New Mexican Chile Roasted Butternut Squash w white corn, lime corn nuts, and scallion ranch dressing - great mixed texture salad with an almost curry taste to it. Great dish! 

Bowls, Land & Sea, and Sandwiches

-Backyard BBQ Brisket w butternut squash, charred corn, sauteed kale and queso fresco over mashed potatoes 

-Citrus Poached Salmon and Squash w crushed basil vinaigrette 

-Holiday Turkey Sandwich w turkey, Gruyere, arugula, pickled red onions, mustard aioli, cranberry relish on walnut cranberry bread - LOVED this, a Thanksgiving meal you can hold in your hands! 

Dessert and Drinks

Gluten-Free Vegan S'mores Brownies - Holy cow! These were insanely delicious - made with chickpea flour but if you didn't know it you'd think they were just regular ooey-gooey fudgie brownies! Loved them! 

Two new lemonades for the fall - the Active Charcoal and Maple lemonade which was really tasty. I know most people can't imagine eating/drinking charcoal but it really has a muted flavor and is supposedly really good at pulling the toxins out of your body. The other new lemonade is the Lavender Elder-flower lemonade (pictured at the top of this post) which I am sure you can imagine was as refreshing and light as it sounds. 

The stands outs for me were the Israeli Couscous and the Holiday Turkey sandwich - heck, they'd even go well together! ;) 

Be sure to check out the new fall menu on your next visit! 

Locations in OC include Huntington Beach (at Pacific City), Newport Beach (at Fashion Island) and Irvine (at Michelson & Jamboree). For more info or to find one of their other 28 locations, visit their website:  https://www.lemonadela.com/

New Restaurant/Brewery Review: Taps Brewery and Barrel Room in Tustin

Finally - a place dedicated to Taps Craft Brews! 

You're probably been to Taps Fish House and Brewery, the successful restaurant and brewhouse that started with its popular Brea location. Known for great food and just as much for its award wining craft brews, Taps newly opened 19,000 square foot Brewery and Barrel Room consolidates their full scale production while offering the public a new place in the OC to enjoy a beer and a bite! 

The new space in Tustin also offers a large tasting room with indoor and outdoor seating, a pool table, pinball machines, outdoor games and a permanent food truck serving up Taps "street food".  

Seriously something for everyone here and yes, it's pet-friendly as well as family-friendly. Built in an area surrounded by business complexes its really the perfect place to meet a friend after work or spend a lazy Sunday afternoon! 

What, you ask, is Taps "street food"?! Basically, it's 'beer-centered' bites that go with a nice cold glass of beer! While visiting recently I was able to try the following items: 

Bulgogi Masa Fries

Crispy handmade masa fries, kimchi, heirloom pico de gallo, lime crema

                                                              Truck Wings 

                                (your choice of buffalo style or citrus Vietnamese style)

                                 I tried the Vietnamese style w cilantro, mint and chilies

     

                                    Colonel Roman's Fried Chicken Sandwich

                     Y’all fried chicken breast, cider vinegar slaw, house pickles, truck sauce

                                                        Royale w Cheese 

                                    Smashed beef chuck patty, ‘Merica coalition, sriracha

                                 pickles, shaved iceberg, truck sauce, Martin’s potato bun

                                              Impossible Vegan Nachos 

                                  Crispy plantains, truck smoked impossible chili,

                                heirloom pico de gallo, avocado coconut cream, cilantro

While everything was tasty, the standouts for me were 1) the Colonel Roman's Fried Chicken Sandwich which was cooked perfectly crispy on the outside yet juicy on the inside. I also couldn't get enough of the vinegar slaw that was slathered on top of the chicken. A MUST try when you visit;  and 2) the Impossible Vegan Nachos - now, I'm about as far away as you can get from being vegan and admittedly I didn't expect these to be so spectacular but I gotta call a spade a spade when I see one! Topped with chili made from the impossible burger patties and drowning in the most delicious avocado coconut cream sauce - these were vegan heaven on a plate! 

Now, admittedly I'm not a huge beer drinker but I couldn't come to the new Brewery and not try the beers, right? I actually sampled several of the beers including the American Cream, the Irish Red, the Barrel Aged Boppledock, and the seasonal Pumpkin Ale.   

My hands-down favorite was the Pumpkin ale which I HIGHLY recommend you try before it goes *poof*!  I also I really enjoyed both the American Cream and the Barrel Aged

Boppledock and would order these again on future visits. 

If beer isn't your thing have NO fear for they also have a variety of other drinks including cider, red and white wine and even a few soju cocktails! Definitely worth a visit no matter what your drink of choice is! 

Taps Brewery and Barrel Room is located at:

 15501 Red Hill Avenue in Tustin. 

                         Hours

                         Mon-Thu 3pm -10pm 

                         Friday 3pm - 12am

                        Saturday 12pm - 12am

                        Sunday 12pm-8pm

Be sure to tell them OCFoodieGirl sent you! 

NEW Restaurant Review: Crepes Bonaparte in Fullerton

Now you can go to France (for a meal anyways!) in Fullerton at Crepes Bonaparte! Opened earlier this year, Crepes Bonaparte is making quite the impression on the local food scene in downtown Fullerton. 

Having 10+ years of experience bringing crepes to the French loving public in the OC and LA via their popular food trucks,  Christian and Danielle Murcia, the owners of Crepes Bonaparte finally made the jump to a brick and mortar shop. The shop is an order-at-the-counter style restaurant with lots of comfy seating on the patio as well as ample inside seating at a counter that runs the perimeter of the space. 

The staff couldn't be friendlier and are dressed in adorable french outfits and hats that mimic the waiters you see in Paris.  The cashier even greeted me in French which allowed me to use what little of my high school French I've retained. 

It's quiet a fun environment with a clear view of the crepe making station which allows you to watch the crepemakers cooking your crepes fresh on the authentic crepe griddle. You'll also see them slicing up your ingredients as they prep your crepes so there's no doubt at all that everything here is made fresh to order - very impressive!

As for the taste, well I've had crepes on the streets of Paris and I have to say Crepes Bonaparte may have been even better! ;)  I know most people think of dessert when they think of crepes but Crepes Bonaparte has four different savory crepes. They also serve their breakfast crepes ALL day so there's quite a few options here in terms of non-dessert crepes. 

No Joke Artichoke Crepe - soooo good! 

One of my favorite crepes was actually the SINFUL "No Joke Artichoke" with added bacon (trust me on this) - seasoned chicken with artichoke hearts, cheesy creamy spinach and some crunchy walnuts for added texture. You can't go wrong with this one!  I also tried the Caprese crepe which definitely hit the caprese mark with a delicious blend of tomatoes, pesto and garlic - YUM! 

The HazelberryAna

Of course, I was most anticipating the dessert crepes. They have quite a variety of dessert options including a monthly special crepe! They are most known for their HazelberryAna so of course I had to try it! It features fresh strawberries, sliced bananas and nutella, topped with whip cream and chocolate. - basically all your favorite things in one crepe. It didn't disappoint! 

I also tried the Bananas Foster as I'm a lover of all desserts bananas. Their version came stuffed with yummy mascarpone cheese, sliced bananas and cinnamon sugar then topped with whip cream and caramel. I'm not gonna lie - it  is a bit of a messy crepe as it all ends up as one big pile of bananas caramel and whip creme but boy is it a tasty mess! ;)

Bananas Foster Crepe

To go with your crepes, they also offer mimosas in many different flavors as well as French beer, wine and sangria. 

Crepes Bonaparte is located 115 S Harbor Blvd, Suite A, in Fullerton. They are right across from the large parking structure on Santa Fe. There are also some spots directly behind the restaurant although many of them are reserved for the adjacent business during the day hours so be sure to check the signage. 

Hours
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 11am-10pm
Wednesday: 11am-10pm
Thursday: 11am-10pm
Friday: 9am-12am
Saturday: 9am-12am
Sunday: 9am-10pm
AND of course their food trucks are still running at various locations which you can find on their website. 

For more info and to see the full menu visit their website: https://www.crepesbonaparte.com/

It's OC Decadence time!

                    Friday, September 21st at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts

If you're never been to the OC Weekly's Decadence Event this is the year you need to change that! 

One of the best food festivals in Orange County with over 40 of the county's BEST restaurants for this all-inclusive event! It's a great way to sample all those places you've been hearing about and/or grab a bite from one of your favorites.

This outdoor food & drink-sampling festival will also feature some of the best liquor, sodas and juices from local and national brands, along with signature cocktails from well-known restaurants. Expected to attend (so far!) is Samuel Adams, Sazerac Rye, Laguna Beach Beer, Twisted Tea, Angry Orchard, and Hubert's Lemonade will be serving. More to be announced!

All inclusive tickets are $65 for General Admission or $85 for early entrance with VIP tickets which comes with a few other perks including a VIP area and a VIP swag bag.

Get your tickets before they sell out for an evening of music, entertainment and modern ambiance at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Decadence is a celebration of self-indulgence and is sure to satisfy any sweet or savory tooth. 

Read more information and get your tickets at this link: https://www.ocdecadence.com/

Afternoon Tea at the W Cafe!

Anyone who follows me knows I am a huge fan of afternoon tea. I've visited countless tea rooms all over Southern California as well as many around the world, as I always plan a tea or two when traveling. I thought I'd visited all the restaurants that offer tea in OC so when I recently discovered that W Cafe in Newport Beach offers afternoon tea I knew I had to check it out!

For those of you not familiar with the W Cafe it's a Mediterranean cafe located on the border of Newport Beach and Costa Mesa on Westcliff Drive with indoor and patio seating. Opened 4 years ago by Chef Wais Omar, former food and beverage manager of the Balboa Bay Club, the W Cafe offers gourmet international food including lots of healthy vegan and gluten-free options too.  Currently, the W Cafe only serves breakfast and lunch but has quite a varied menu with both sweet and savory options. It's a very popular breakfast spot - well known for their donut french toast (yes, you read that right - DONUT french toast!) They also serve breakfast all day so if 2 pm breakfast is your thing this is the place for you. ;)

One nice thing about the tea that my friend and I both liked is that we each get our own individual selection of tea and tea pot.  Lots of tea places make you share when there are only two of you which I don't like as I prefer black teas and many of my friends like green or white.  We were also really pleased with the varied selection of tea from which to choose including black, green, herbal, white and even aryuveda 'wellness' teas! Your pot of tea is brought to the table with a variety of sugar cubes including the unique saffron and ginger cubes which I'd never seen before but added a hint of spice to our teas. It was also served with some lovely cinnamon & cardamom honey. They also bring you out the cutest sand tea timer to make sure your tea is brewed to perfection - another first for me, as I've never been given a tea timer but admittedly it did help to make sure our tea was brewed to the right darkness that we each preferred. 


Afternoon tea at W Cafe starts with a kale salad with berries, almond slivers and a delicious champagne vinaigrette dressing. It was the perfect start as it was light and flavorful and got our palettes ready for the decadent tea items.   

Once the tiered tea tray came out we couldn't believe how much food was included - every level was literally overflowing off the tray with yummy goodies!  At only $35 I have to say this is a really great deal. Most teas in Orange County are considerably more expensive and I've never seen one that always include this much food. 

The tea sandwiches weren't your typical run of the mill tea sandwiches. We were served four different tea sandwiches - Tomato Mozzarella w Basil, Cream Cheese Chive w Cucumber,  Smoked Salmon with fresh dill and red onions, and Homemade Hummus on Pita Bread.  They were all delicious and somewhat unique - even the cucumber sandwich had a sprinkle of spice which enhanced the flavor of the cucumbers. Being that W Cafe is a Mediterranean restaurant, it's no surprise that the homemade hummus on pita bread was one of our favorites. The smoked salmon with fresh dill and capers was also outstanding and worth mentioning. However, being that W Cafe is a Mediterranean restaurant it's no surprise that the homemade hummus on pita bread was one of our favorites. The smoked salmon with fresh dill and capers was also outstanding and worth mentioning. 

We moved onto the scones and petite sweets which came in quite the assortment. The scones came in blueberry, cranberry and cinnamon apple (my personal fav!) and of course, came with a tray of your typical yummy spreads like lemon curd, jam and cream cheese. 

Other sweets included light sponge cakes, pastries and fruit tarts. Delicious and more than we could eat after devouring the salad, scones and sandwiches. If you think afternoon tea at W Cafe is going to leave you hungry you're in for a bit of a surprise as we weren't even able to finish all of it and ended up taking the majority of our sweets to-go. 

To top off the tea and cleanse your palate in between the sweet and the savory there is a fabulous assortment of fresh fruit including strawberries, pineapple, grapes and lots more - some even drizzled with chocolate. It was a nice touch to be able to incorporate a little healthy fruit with our tea items. 

All in all, I was very impressed with the afternoon tea at W Cafe - the service was very attentive, it's a lovely space and the tea service left you not wanting much in terms of tea selection, presentation and quality. If you're a tea fan like me then I highly suggest you put W Cafe on your tea bucket list! 

The W Cafe is located at :

1703 WESTCLIFF DRIVE

NEWPORT BEACH, CA 92660

(949) 873-5242

https://wcaferestaurant.com/

It's in the same center as Gratitude and Haute Cakes with plenty of parking in the back and side of the center, which is unique for this area where parking can be a challenge. Also, because they have to prepare the specialty items for afternoon tea, you do have to pay when you make your reservation for afternoon tea. You can do this on the website. 

Note: W Cafe recently expanded to Irvine as a fast-casual concept in the Hoag Health Center/Urgent Care complex, located across Sand Canyon from Hoag Hospital Irvine and near Kaiser Permanente Irvine Medical Center.  While they do have a full breakfast and lunch menu at this location they do not serve afternoon tea at the Irvine location. It is ONLY available at the Newport Beach location. 

Your Taco Vendor Prayers have been answered!

SoHo Taco is the answer to your Taco Questions! 

I can't tell you how many people ask me for recommendations for a taco vendor for their parties and while I know of a few, there has never been one that stood out enough to recommend... til now. I recently got to try Soho Taco Catering and have to say this was a pretty special taco catering company. While they offer the traditional street tacos with the typical cilantro, onion and salsa toppings they also had so many other offerings that you don't typically see with your average taco vendor, but Soho Taco isn't your 'average' taco vendor.

The variety and quality of the fillings, toppings and sauces are a stand-out from other taco vendors. You can tell the recipes used to cook up the fillings were carefully crafted.  They even make their own fresh corn tortillas on-site AND can even can infuse them with different flavors like sun-dried tomatoes - who does that?! 

I also was so pleased to see that they had a vast selection of aguas frescas with so many unique flavors. If you're not

familiar with aguas frescas they are light non-alcoholic drinks made from fruits, seeds, flowers and even grains. The most popular which you've probably heard of is horchata, which is a rice water. Soho offers all the typical aguas flavors but also have some really unique flavors that tasted as refreshing as they sound including blood orange limeade, strawberry hibiscus and a special forbidden rice horchata. They don't offer liquor as part of their catering BUT they can provide a bar and bartender service which works out to a better deal for a home party anyways! 

One thing I also found unique about SoHo is they have a lot more than just tacos. They have a variety of appetizers that were all as equally delicious as the tacos, and a few had me

wishing they had a sit down restaurant where I could order them! Everything was delicious but I was really impressed with the red-snapper ceviche,  the skewered albondigas with chipotle sauce and the coctel de cameron served with a jalapeno avocado aoili and tequila cocktail sauce.

 

            

If you want to try SoHo Taco out before committing to them for your next shin-dig they have a monthly tasting party at their headquarters in Santa Ana where you can try all their food and drink offerings. This is great because it allows you to get a real feel for what it'd be like to have the chef's serving up the tacos and tortillas being made right in front of you. 

AND if you want to try them without booking a party, they also have a Food Truck that travels around OC with their delicious tacos! For a look at the truck's schedule check out their: https://www.sohotaco.com/calendar-soho-taco/

To book SoHo Taco for your next party or see about attending their next tasting, contact them at 714/793-9392 or see their website: https://www.sohotaco.com/