Eureka: How UCI got cool.

Okay, I don't know if it will make UC Irvine cool, but this new chain called Eureka is exactly what the campus needed.  Although the pub has been voted best bar in Orange County by OC Weekly, Eureka caters to the community not just students.  As much as I love the pub, it does make me feel like I am trying to relive my glory days.  Eureka doesn't judge me.

the cowboy: bbq burger

Gyu-Kaku: the gift that keeps on giving.

I first attended this glorious restaurant in LA.  It was new and all the rage when I was in high school.  Unfortunately, that was quite a long time ago.  Anyway, this place is still a fun spot - especially during happy hour.  So when I was trying to think of a place to grab dinner at 8:00 on a Friday, I thought why the heck don't I try this place out again?

An odd place for a happy hour.

Good Morning Gents and Ladies.  It's my favorite day of the week - Thursday.  Why you ask?  Well once upon a time it meant the start of the weekend: toga parties, bar crawls, etc.  Now it is one more day to the weekend, but I can see the light; I am finally happy that the weekend is so close; and I am not exhausted from an entire week of work.  Plus Friday is really just a short work day anyway right?  (Sorry work, I am absolutely kidding about that...)

Things to do This Weekend

Sorry I have been MIA again, a packed schedule at work plus a long weekend in San Francisco (post to come soon) means I have zero time for an outside life...and then I got sick.  However, this weekend is too packed with good stuff not to let you in on it.

1.  The Copper Door (one of my favorite bars in the OC) is FINALLY serving food.  If you love craft beer, this bar is a must.  Although dingy, dark and probably dirty, the vibe is a fun underground club with lots and lots and lots of beers on tap.  Their new menu is American- cuisine and currently all items are priced under $10.  Can you believe there is such a place??  Anyway, I am dying to go check it out.

2.  The new Irvine Improv opens with Umami Burger.  Irvine Improv has always been a little low brow, especially when you have to spend money on 2 items of either a horrible cocktail or really bad food.  However, fret no more.  Umami Burger will be served at all shows, beers are actually fairly decent, and if you fancy girl, they have bottle service (I mean really?).  The Improv also has opened up in a new location at the Spectrum, so hopefully it is bigger and better.  I am checking it out this weekend so I will let you know!

3.  Costa Mesa Restaurant Week!  Although restaurant week is not always my favorite, it is a great way to try places you normally cannot afford.  And Costa Mesa has some of the best restaurants in the OC.  Check out the selection here: http://www.travelcostamesa.com/costa-mesa-restaurant-week/.  It starts today and only lasts a week, so plan your meals accordingly!

4.  Orange County is hosting its own music festival this weekend.  The Pacific Festival is being held at the Dunes this Saturday.  If you didn't catch Holy Ghost at Outside Lands this past weekend, they will be finishing up the night.  Tickets are $75.

Hope the weather is great this weekend, because we have a lot of things to do!

A hidden treasure.

I have been trying to follow as many blogs, websites, people, newspapers, etc. as I can lately to learn about the new restaurant openings, closings, and OC events so that I can 1) attend obviously, and 2) try to let you know about it!  So when Stick a Fork In It mentioned a new spot called Fireside Tavern I was so excited to try it.

Reverse Happy Hour is the ISH!

As we know, I have a big thing for sushi - HUGE.  So when my friends mentioned reverse happy hour and on a weekend nonetheless, I ran to Tomikawa as fast as my feet could get me there.

crunchy salmon roll with spicy tuna

A great lunch spot, dinner, and even drinks.

3-Thirty-3 was always a place I avoided in college because it is where the "old people" went to hang out on a Friday night.  Well apparently now I am that "old" person and I am definitely hanging out there on a Friday.

 

build your own burger and sweet potato fries

 

Something fun for the weekend!

If you haven't noticed by now, I enjoy drinking wine.  So when my friend asked if I would try the wine tasting at Hi-Times, it was an easy yes.  Hi-Times used to be this place that I would drive "all the way out to" in order to get our cheap booze  in college (think Popov and Jose).  Well now its where us fancy pants can get craft beer, fancy liquor and the largest assortment of wines I have seen in a store in Orange County for decent prices.  Thank god times have changed...

Happy Hour at Scott's

Once a location I never thought I would enter, I found myself at Scott's for happy hour before Book of Mormon.  I was pleasantly surprised.  Although my friend refuses to go here (there was a health code violation issue, and lets just not go into it right now), my Aunt and Uncle wanted to grab drinks and then head to the show.

salmon spring rolls

BEER! UNLIMITED! (do not disturb me)

This Saturday, Newport Beach will be hosting its very own Craft Beer Festival.  Yes, you read that correctly. 

Tickets are $35 for GA.  (VIP sold out)  All tickets receive unlimited beer samples from all the breweries as well as access to the 3 major bands performing.  There will be around 25 breweries with favorites including Stone, The Bruery, Smog City, Eagle Rock, Pizza Port, among others.  There will also be live music including Joshua Tree (Southern California's Premier U2 Cover Band), Y Luv (melodic indie rockers hailing from Los Angeles), and False Puppet (young energetic rockers from Santa Barbara).  I don't blog music so you can't judge me on those bands.  Party starts at 6:00 PM until 10:00 PM, which is more than enough time to get your significantly hammered.  Make sure to take a Lyft or Uber home.

Taco Tuesday at Sol

Or should I say Slow.  Granted we had a party of 14, BUT STILL!!!! We had reservations and it still took 30 minutes to sit down.  I mean, if you can't seat us for that long at least offer us a drink.  It was an hour before we even got our orders in.

An adventure in wine tasting.

I was born to drink wine.  Okay not really, but I did study abroad in Paris and then moved to SF, so I have had some good quality time learning to drink wine.  While I may have started off on the $2 buck stuff, I know how an annoyingly picky palate.  (What a snob, right?)  The one thing I will say that SoCal cannot do is produce great wines.  Fight me if you want.

 

4 reasons to C4

Santa Ana is the hipster mecca of OC these days.  When I found out a new sandwich shop had arrived I was overjoyed.  San Francisco had more delis in one district then South OC has in its entire vicinity.  C4 is definitely a welcoming sight!

Just a few things...

There isn't too much going on this weekend in OC, but there are some cool every day happenings that you should check out.

First of all, did you know there was a "brewery" right next to one of the fanciest malls in the OC.  Karl Strauss is located right next to South Coast Plaza and serves beer and food everyday.  But on Thursdays they have their special "Cask Night."  Four dollar cask beers starting at 5:00pm until they run out.  Because these are special beers and small batches, these are typically things you can't find at the grocery store.

Happy hour is my favorite hour...

After a grueling three weeks of torture at work, and with many more weeks ahead of me (what like 45 years or so?), my fellow first year and I decided we deserved a celebration for once. And we chose the classiest of places, Seasons 52.

In the bar area, snag a booth in the back and enjoy the people watching.  The happy hour deal is unreal here.  For $15 you can choose a flight of red or white wine, a flat bread of your choice and then you get to choose a full glass of the wine you like best.  But if you want to be fancy, get the $20 premiere wines.  I promise you won't regret it.

Cocktails anyone?

I've blogged A LOT this week.  Maybe too much for your liking.  But one last post and I will leave you with a wonderful (hopefully rainy) weekend.

This Sunday starts the beginning of OC Cocktail week.  Yeah I write a lot about booze.  Sorry...wait no I'm not.  I'm young, don't have kids and like my booze.  The deal with OC Cocktail week is that for $20.14 you get cocktails paired with appetizers and small bites.  (See being safe with the munchies!)  For example: Wild Goose has a cocktail of your choice, a starter, and an entree for only $20!  To be honest, this might be even better than restaurant week! Whose up for happy hour???

Beer is my Boo.

I have a love hate relationship with craft beer.  I love how good it tastes, I hate how bad it makes me feel the next morning.  For those that don't know, craft beer means it comes from a brewery that makes a limited supply of that type of beer.  That's it, but apparently it's the trendy thing to do.

beers on beers on beers

I have a problem.

It is my addiction to sushi.  Seriously, isn't this like the fourth place I wrote up?  Sorry people, I will try other places, but I need some more recommendations! (Comment and let me know where I should be eating or drinking at or maybe doing some more educated like visiting an art museum...)

Anyway, I found another hole in the wall place - Kaisen Kaiten.  This means decent prices and usually just okay sushi.  Wrong, wrong, wrong.  This fish is super fresh.  And unlike other places I have mentioned, the sushi chefs are actually Japanese.  The waitresses have to wear horrible kimonos and the place is technically a revolving sushi place and it smells horrible inside, but believe me when I say its worth it. 

This place does the "pay by the plate" deal, where they stack your plates at the end to determine what you ate.  I don't recommend anything on the revolving sushi.  It's gross and its for amateurs.  Sorry it's the truth.  The real deal is ordering from the menu.  I recommend the yellowtail and tuna as always, but the hand rolls are the real specialty.  A lot of sushi places have hard, crunchy hand rolls.  Here, they do it right.  You get out of there for a decent price and they have beer happy hour specials Monday-Friday.  Luckily its around the corner from my house...thank you god.

Hot damn it's Happy Hour!

The best hour of the day is clearly happy hour.  I mean it IS always happy.  And because it is Thursday, we have to start off the weekend right.  And what better way then at a classy joint with cheap prices and great food.

Steak, calamari, drinks, yes please!

Happy Hour Hump Day

It's time for a refreshment! 

We made it halfway through the week, and now we need a little something extra to make it 'til the weekend.  Try The Cannery.  This Newport Beach spot will perk up anyone's work day.