What You Didn’t Eat at Your Office Christmas Party December 17, 2006
Posted by starbright31 in Bougie, Food Memories.add a comment
I know, I know, it’s another non-review of something that you can’t have locally. But if you’re willing to spend a few thousand dollars on a 7-day cruise you can have a meal similar to this (but with even more choices of food).
I work for a cruise line that shall remain unnamed. Earlier this month, the company had a holiday luncheon onboard one of our ships:
Unlike other ship visits, this meal was a lot better than I expected. This luncheon included:
Baby green salad with shrimp
Prime rib
Christmas pudding (a.k.a. fruitcake)
Raspberry creme brulee
And the two moochers that accompanied my mom and I to this luncheon:
Great food! The prime rib was so huge, and it was cooked just the way I like it- still bloody in the middle. The only downside besides dessert (I’m not a fan of fruitcake or raspberries, but for those who do like them, I heard it was delicious) was the restriction on what drinks you could order. They offered us apple, cranberry, and orange juice, and iced tea, but no soda. If I slipped a twenty to my waiter, I’m sure I could’ve ordered something else, but oh well.
Fine dining in the Real OC June 15, 2006
Posted by starbright31 in Bougie, Mexican, Outisde Los Angeles.1 comment so far
Las Brisas
Location: 361 Cliff Drive, Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Type of food: Mexican
"The Real OC" is the tagline of the MTV show, Laguna Beach. I never thought I'd find myself in this city, let alone actually dine there. But after spending about an hour or two in this small coastal city, I can understand why so many rich people would be building their multi-million dollar palaces in the hills. When you're there, you feel like this is what Southern California's supposed to be like- quaint shops, picturesque beach view, clean streets, nice people, great restaurants.
I was enroute to San Diego, excited and anxious to watch one of my favorite bands that I've talked endlessly about on my blog, We Are Scientists. I was with my partner in crime for all W.A.S. adventures, Megan, and she suggested stopping in Laguna Beach since she knew the area well and used to visit her grandfather all the time there.
After finding out that her first choice of where to eat was closed for construction, Megan suggested we eat at Las Brisas. I was intrigued to go there mainly because of the view we'd be getting while we were eating there.
The view is the first thing Las Brisas boasts about on their website, and rightfully so:
It's a majestic view of the beach. And while this above is a view during sunset, here's what we saw during the day:
Although it wasn't 12:00 anymore, it was still busy outside and we couldn't snag a table at their outdoor area. But sitting inside was still great, and we could see the beach and we even saw dolphins jumping around.
But enough about the view, the food exceeded my expectations. It was moderately priced for a Mexican restaurant and very similar to what I'd pay at El Torito. And the ambience there is fantastic. The set up of their tables is formal, and you don't get tortilla chips as a starter. They had bread rolls, with the choice of cornbread or small rolls with bits of olive in it.
I ordered a combo of a halibut taco, spanish rice, black beans and a beef tamale was about $13.
Megan ordered a chicken tostada salad:
I couldn't get over the presentation of this salad.
And the food, as pretty as it all looked, was so delicious. I usually don't order fish tacos outside of what my mom makes at home and what they have at Rubio's, but surprisingly, the halibut wasn't too dry, and it was very flavorful. I almost always order tamales at any Mexican restaurant I go to, and this was also very delicious. The meat was tender, and the masa wasn't dry or bland. I was struggling to finish both my taco and tamale, and only ate maybe five bites of my rice. It was a very filling meal all together.
Service: 10 out of 10 – Our server was attentive and very polite. I was about to give a 69.5 out of 10 on this one, as she kinda flubbed with forgetting to bring the soup I ordered. But not only did she suggest to bring me one free of charge, she gave me one in the most perfect size for a sample of it. If I had this soup in a smaller cup, it would've been such a waste.
It was a chicken curry soup. I don't usually like food with coconut in it, but this wasn't bad at all.
Essential order: I would say that halibut taco was essential, but I have to say that I had the absolute BEST Arnold Palmer there. It's not that it's a hard drink to make, but what they offered me was perfect. They even gave me an extra bottle of lemonade too.
Price: Be willing to spend at least up to $15-$20 for yourself for lunch, and I'd say $30-$40 for dinner. It's not that the dinner menu was that pricey. I just imagine a perfect dinner there would be to get one of the $20+ entrees, appetizer, nice glass of wine, and possibly some dessert.
Thing to know:
- Expect a long wait time during peak hours, especially if you're set on dining outside.
