Club 33

Club 33 is a relief from the bustle at Disneyland, but accessible only by members (individuals or corporate) or guests of members. It's a high price to be a member, involving an initial fee ($10K+, I hear) and maintenance in the form of annual dues running into the thousands, so if you have a chance to go, take it!

An invitation to Club 33 includes a one-day park hopper ticket but requires you to dine at the restaurant that day (or the member will be charged for your ticket). The rules, given to you when you pick up your admission tickets, stipulate a minimum dining charge of a one-day one-park ticket per person ($76), but the menu states a minimum of $72. Either way, you will go well over $100 per person (with drinks) so it doesn't really make much of a difference.

It's been a long time since I've been an Annual Pass holder so I made the most of my day and spent nearly 14 hours at Disneyland/California Adventure. If you decide to do the same, you should mind the dress code and prepare accordingly. For dinner, the rules suggest collared shirts and trousers for the men, and informal dresses or pants paired with a blouse for women. While I witnessed people in suits and cocktail attire, there were also a handful in jeans and short-sleeved collared shirts. I decided to wear a simple slip dress that could go from day to night and had no problems getting in.

I did not have the chance to ring the doorbell like so many people here, probably because I had the first reservation slot of the night. The receptionist popped out and asked for all the 5:30-people and admitted them accordingly. The lobby on the first floor is a small room, where the receptionist takes your coat. Take the French lift to the second floor where the two dining rooms are. There's the formal dining room and a trophy room, both with their pros. The dining room has a view over New Orleans Square and a larger space. You can also access the balconies from here. The trophy room has more interesting decorations. Be sure to ask for a tour or just take the time to walk around. The overall space of the restaurant is small so be sure to avoid the busy waiters/waitresses/bussers.

Service, at all Disneyland restaurants, is pretty impeccable and it's no different at Club 33. The glasses never ran empty, the tables were cleared promptly (but you were never rushed), napkins were folded every time you got up, and the utensils were changed accordingly between courses.

For dinner, you had a choice of the Vintner tasting or some a la carte entrees and appetizers. I did the 5-course Vintner, which changes seasonally, and at that time was "Celebrating the World of Color":

#1 Forest mushroom vol-au-vent, spiced mango cream: I think this was my favorite dish of the night. The flavors of the mushrooms were strong but not overwhelming and the puff pastry provided an excellent flaky foundation.

#2 Rock lobster, tree ripened peach risotto, charred asparagus: The risotto was rich and dense with obvious peach flavors. Asparagus wasn't charred per se but it was a nice way to get in your vegetables for the day. The lobster portion was generous and solid.

#3 Braised Chateaubriand medallions, Maui onion consomme: Sadly, my entree fell short of expectations. It was a little on the dry side and also, I was getting quite full at this point.

#4 Cheese: There was a platter of three with accompanying toppings. My favorite was the brie with honey.

#5 I swapped out the lemon raspberry gateau for the chocolate trio (lava cake, hazelnut mousse, pot au creme): The chocolate was very, very rich and though dessert is my favorite course of any meal, I couldn't eat very much of it because I was bellyaching at this point. My choice of the three was definitely the chocolate hazelnut mousse, which was disguised as a bundt cake. The pot-au-creme had a strong espresso flavor and the lava cake was incredibly dense. Perfect for a chocolate lover.

I ended up staying around 2.5 hours at Club 33; I really wanted to watch Fantasmic from the balcony but the trees block most of the view. Overall, the dinner was memorable and I would love to come back and try the lunch buffet.

Club 33 (unofficial website)

1400 S Disneyland Drive

2nd Floor

Anaheim, CA 92802

Elise's Tea Room [Long Beach]

After conning Jun into a furniture run in the Valley, she graciously treated me to tea on my last weekend in Orange County.

At 3pm in the afternoon, we were the only patrons still left at Elise's Tea Room. The menu offered a variety of small entrees in addition to the standard tea sets, so we did the smart thing, which was order sparingly to share.

We started with chocolate chip and lemon scones, which may have been a haphazard decision on my part. While I had no objections to the chocolate-flavor, it wasn't the best choice for a tea pairing, let alone a first course. The flavors of both scones were unpronounced, though the texture was right on--served warm, they were crumbly without being overly dry. Jun and I both agreed that yellow food coloring did not make our lemon scone any lemony-er. The Devon cream, jam, and lemon curds were straight from your standard commercial vendor.

Our lunch consisted of two sets of sandwiches. The first was your standard tea fare of finger sandwiches. Our cucumbers were sliced so thin that we couldn't identify the staple at first, the apple-pecan could've been a dessert course for being so sweet, and the remainder were filling, though forgettable. We also opted for an order of the novel Salmon Pate Sandwiches, which would have been better if they were toasted for one minute less. Salmon pate is surprisingly light and un-fishy.

By the time we got around to choosing dessert, we could barely stomach the sight of chocolate cake (they were out of the lemon), let alone consider it for consumption. As such, we opted to try the petits fours and ended up scraping off the sugary fondant dressing. Even then, the layers of sponge cake and buttercream were nothing to write home about.

The tea room itself is large and airy, which has the benefit of keeping you from feeling trapped by the cluttered frilliness commonly found in tea rooms. There was a large assortment of loose-leaf teas to choose from, though you're limited to one selection per pot.

Elise's Tea Room
3924 Atlantic Ave.
Long Beach, CA 90807
(562) 424-2134

Mimi's Cafe [Fountain Valley]

The recent heat wave has taken its toll on my appetite. Last week, I passed up an opportunity to visit the much buzzed about Fraiche in Culver City. Yesterday, I threw away my rice bowl in lieu of gelato for lunch. A few days ago, I was so fed up that I was indifferent about a lunch at Mimi’s Café.

I’ve been avoiding protein, veggies, and generally anything that’s cooked. I feast on Ritz Crackers and to fuel my carbohydrate cravings, I looked forward to Mimi’s bread basket, complete with sweet carrot bread. I hadn’t noticed it before, but the bread is really oily, which does not meld well with the hot weather.

Despite my protests, I opted for the creamy Corn Chowder, which I had also remembered as being better. I figured that though it was a hot dish, at least I wouldn’t break a sweat from having to chew. It was too rich and one dimensional.

The Turkey Pesto Ciabatta was surprisingly acceptable bordering on good. The crispy lettuce and the bite of the pesto kept the melted cheese from overwhelming my already sweaty palate. Regardless, I only managed to eat ¼ of the sandwich before passing it onto my SO.

Lunch for two, under $10. Score.

Mimi's Cafe
18461 Brookhurst St
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
(714) 964-2533

Krazy Eddie's [Laguna Hills]

Everyone is quick to champion their local neighborhood coffee shop and Krazy Eddie's is truly worth the rave.

There's no doubt that the bagels here are good--thin and browned to a crisp, not to doughy, and slathered with a lean coat of cream cheese. As Goldilocks would say, "It's just right."

While a touch sugary, the Strawberry Cream Cheese is the best I've tasted yet. Made with fresh strawberries, honey, and brown sugar, its simple yet vibrant flavor is enough to brighten any bagel. And while the bagels hold their own , they wouldn't be stellar without the greetings that are chirped as regulars walk in from their morning commute.

I pondered the coffee thermoses and prepared to fill my cup when a member of the eager staff offered to make me latte. I couldn't deny his enthusiasm and was greeted by a "be happy" five minutes later. On the foam skimming my full-bodied roast was a smiley face reminding me to take my 6-hour traffic school in stride.

I never understood the allure of a daily coffee fix (I gave up the stuff after I realized that my annual thousand dollar habit was giving me the shakes), but when you spend everyday riding the elevator with the same nameless faces, it's nice to feel relevant to someone and some place.

If you're doing a drive-by and can't seem to find the place, look for a sign that says Donuts&Bagels in red and yellow type.

Krazy Eddie's Donuts
23052 Lake Forest Dr
Laguna Hills, CA 92637
(949) 454-0528

Lucille's BBQ [Tustin]

Lucille's BBQ - Your nonstop ticket to the 3rd circle of Hell

I typically take all steps to avoid chain restaurants (though I have a soft spot for Olive Garden), but I'll sometimes make an exception if warranted by the occasion. Today was such an occasion and Lucille's came to mind with a party of 10, a request for something fun, and a birthday in tow.

While there are locations throughout Orange County, we opted to try the Lucille's in the recently opened "The District" shopping center in Tustin. The chain doesn't take reservations, but we considered ourselves fortunate to arrive to only an hour's wait. With people shoved into every corner and lines just to get on the waiting list, we felt extra lucky when we only had to wait 45 minutes. A lesson in setting expectations.

We took a gander at the menu, but with our party size, the decision was pretty clear: Lucille's Super Feast--a behemoth of a meal that serves 10 people or more. As if that weren't enough, our greedy stomachs ached for a tease and we also ended up with strawberry lemonades for the table and a few appetizers for sharing.

I'm not sure if the description gives you an apt approximation of the amount of food, but let me show with pictures what words cannot describe.

LUCILLE'S SUPER FEAST (Serves 10+)
Feed the whole family for less! Choice of three racks of baby back, St. Louis or beef ribs and four half BBQ chickens, with your choice of two of the following: two pounds of hot links, two pounds of tri tip, two pounds of pulled pork, two pounds of rib tips or two pounds of beef brisket, a large tossed green salad, plus your choice of six sides. Served with one dozen homemade biscuits with apple butter, and your choice of one bottle of Lucille's BBQ sauce.
199.95

We knew we were in for it when our order of Spinach Dip arrived, but only until we were completely done for by the Onion Straws. I was surprised to see the tortillas glistening with oil, as I didn't expect them to be fresh. While the spinach dip itself was a little watery, its flavor was well balanced without falling prey to the creamy cheese base. The Onion Straws were a little soggier than I would have liked, though I slurped up the tangy and smoky BBQ ranch sauce it was served with.

Our salad came with a choice of three dressings and wasn't anything out of the ordinary for a green salad. I can't say the same for the biscuits, which were the size of my fists and dusted with a sprinkling of sugar. The killer was the apple butter, which is not only a commendable attention to detail, but also delicious in its every conception--just a touch of salt and a hint of spiced apple cider.

They say ignorance is bliss and in the moments that we waited empty-handed, we were humble, modest, and free from the temptations of excess. It was not long before we were tempted by the forbidden fruit.

Our waitress graciously informed us that all of Lucille's meats are smoked for at least 24-hours in what they call the "Smokestack." I've had better pulled pork and the ribs were a bit fatty for my liking, but objectively, the meats as a whole were well dressed, smoky, tender, and juicy. Barbecue lends itself well to bulk cooking and Lucille's has got itself a formula that works.

I've never been a big fan of meat straight-up, so with a choice of six sides, I seized the opportunity to make a meal of it. The corn was grilled to its tipping point and the kernels almost burst on contact with our mouths. The mashed potatoes were flavorful without the help of gravy and the mac n' cheese, satisfying. As simple as they are, these comfort foods can easily go awry--too greasy, too sweet, too mushy,too salty, you get the idea. But while portions are heavy, seasonings are dealt with a deft hand in an execution of restraint that is delicious.

Don't get me wrong. I've had better barbecue at the Hitching Post and I've had better truffle mac n' cheese. But Lucille's tickles my nostalgia in all the right ways. It's simple home cooking done right.

The end of our feast was marked by the heavy sighs of bloating, the clang of unnotched belt buckles, and the markings of gluttony. The evening sky cloaked us in its darkness and begged for mayhem befitting of a weekend night, but after stuffing ourselves like fat turkeys, we could only think to absolve ourselves till the next reckoning.

Lucille's BBQ
The District at Tustin Legacy
2550 Park Avenue
Tustin, CA 92782
714.259.1BBQ (1227)

Janus Bakery [Fountain Valley]

Janus Bakery - A lesson in how to give yourself a heart attack from being underwhelmed.

You could imagine my surprise at discovering that an Asian bakery lay only steps away from my SO's house on the corner of Brookhurst and Ellis in Fountain Valley. I drive by that Ralph's plaza daily and I went to high school right around the corner. How it managed to escape my radar, I'll never know. The fact that it did should have clued me into what was coming.

Janus Bakery is an offshoot to the popular Irvine J&J and while I haven’t been to its counterpart in a long while, Janus was bad enough to keep me away.

I was quite enthralled at the prospect of not having to drive all the way to Tustin for good sandwiches and built my lunch around a Dried Pork and Green Onion Egg. The bread was dry, but the sweet pork sung added both flavor and crunch to an otherwise boring egg patty. While there weren't any winners, this sandwich could have taken the consolation prize.

The breads and buns were large to the point of unsightliness and oozed grease even from the looks of them--you could see the gleam of fat glistening as the buns pressed up against their plastic shells. I know these things aren’t healthy, but I don’t need a visual reminder of the fat curdling in my body as I’m about to eat them.

My bad for buying a Cheese Bun that looked like a cheese-covered Loch Ness monster. I was looking forward to inhaling the ooey-gooey, fat-laden, 8” comfort food, but my side of heart attack didn’t even come with an eye-opening epiphany. The cheese was hard. It wasn’t even salty. And I wasn’t comforted in the least.

The Hot Dog Bun similarly lacked gusto and I could have done better wrapping a slice of Wonder Bread around Vienna Sausage straight from the can. These types of bakeries are usually able to deliver on the bun, even if the fillings are nasty as hell. But Janus’ dry and bland dough fell flat from start to finish.

Like any trained gourmand, I went straight for the coffee swirls in the Coffee Pound Cake slice. Bad move—imagine leaving your store-bought Starbucks Frappucino in the car on a sweltering day…and then having the bad idea to drink it. I didn’t think they’d stoop so low as to sell me spoiled food, so I kept going at the thing with an open mind. In case you’re wondering, no. It’s not an acquired taste.

At this point, you may be wondering what prompted me to write such a scathing review with biting wit? It’s so atypical of my style…

Worst, and I repeat, WORST of all, is the sour-faced woman working at the counter looking like she hasn’t be f*cked in ages. Even I couldn’t stand waking up to that face—and I had to endure it for all of five minutes.

And the pros? Everything is dirt cheap with most items ringing in under $1. They do have a good variety of sandwiches and there are also cakes available for purchase. If you’re the type who’s willing to settle for mediocrity, Janus Bakery is just the right place for you.

Janus Bakery
18279 Brookhurst St Ste 3
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
(714) 965-3088

Sprinkles [Newport Beach]

Luckily, there wasn't a long winding line when I arrived and I was only subjected to about 5 minutes of wait. But, that doesn't mean these cupcakes weren't selling like hot cakes. With each order, the number of cupcakes left waiting for purchase seemed to fall quite speedily. The cupcakes are featured behind a glass wall in perfect row, and the menu includes a long list of flavors but only a few are selected for sale each day, save the popular ones like red velvet or black and white, which are attainable every day.

The milk chocolate had a delicious milk chocolate cream cheese frosting that spread over your tongue with a lick. The cake itself was advertised as a dark chocolate cake which I did not get a hint of. The cake was light like that of a flourless cake. For once, I thought that I may have liked frosting over cake but further contemplation made me realize that too much cake would definitely be better than too much frosting.

The lemon coconut cream cheese frosting was equally smooth and although I enjoyed the subtle lemon flavor of it, it was overwhelmingly sweet. The shredded coconut was topped with sparkling granulated sugar, adding a crunch. The vanilla cake was almost indescribable; it wasn't moist, but it wasn't dry either. I think it can best be characterized as slightly dense and soggy. But whatever the description, it was unmistakeably a bland and imperfect cake.

I had high expectations for the red velvet as it has drawn the adoration of the public. The red southern-style cake was divinely moist and the cream cheese frosting matched the excellence of its base. However, it must be mentioned that I had managed to catch the red velvet right after it had been produced from the bakers oven, giving it an advantage over the other cupcakes. Toward the end, I started to get a headache from all the sugar consumption and I left some of the frosting untouched. Warning: the cake will make your tongue fuchsia as if you had just finished a cherry Blow Pop.

At $3.25 a pop, these are expensive cupcakes for the true addicts. Buying a dozen at $39 will save you $3 (almost one free cupcake). And while the decor of both the store and the desserts themselves are charming, the taste fails to impress me and I'm forced to conclude, from my first visit, that the accolade is near puffery. However, I'm curious about the other flavors and everybody deserves a second chance.

Sprinkles
944 Avocado Ave.
Newport Beach, CA 92660
(949) 760-0003

Cham Sut Gol [Garden Grove]

My friend made reservations for a table of approximately 10 and we all got the dinner special of all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ at $16.99 per person. It came with short and thin skinless pork belly, thin sliced beef brisket, pork BBQ, beef BBQ, chicken BBQ, egg pot, bean paste stew and thin rice cake wrap. There are more choices on the menu but we didn't heed the other pages.

Our table was immediately covered with an assortment of tapas from potato salad, to radishes, to chap chae, to broccoli. Then the waitress brought out a mountain of meat and just dumped it all on the steaming grill. She left us to cook it but would return occasionally to add more stuff. The egg pot was very much like that of chawanmushi except it wasn't as light and there were less "surprises" (I've always thought of chawanmushi as a treasure hunt where you find a shrimp here, and a vegetable there). The other dishes weren't unique.

All the meat just started to meld together and eventually they just all started tasting the same after I subjected them to this sweet soy sauce mixture. I had wanted more chap chae but it was reported that there was no more and the message was delivered with another helping of meat.

At the end of the the meal, you can help yourself to the self-serve ice cream cart, where you'll find big tubs of bubble gum, butter pecan and chocolate ice cream. It station itself doesn't look so sanitary, especially the bowl of water where the scoops are left. And the cone is the absolute worst ice cream cone I've ever had in my life; it tasted like cardboard.

Cham Sut Gol
9252 Garden Grove Blvd.
Garden Grove, CA 92842
(714) 590-9292