Ramblings....: Some new eats...

So I’m on a weird new kick.

I feel I’m missing out on things. There seem to be all these rad places all around me and so many new places to try just in my own backyard and I’ve missed them!

Yes, I am aware I’m quite the social butterfly and do always seem to have a lot going on but it’s the same stuff. I feel like I’m getting bored with my usual routine. So – I seemed to have made a subconscious New Year’s Resolution. To try new things/eateries/etc. It’s cliché but fuck it.

I hit up a dive bar a few weeks ago to see my friend’s band play. When my bestie backed out on me at the last minute I usually would just say screw it and not go. But I still wanted to. I had told my friend I’d be there to see her hubs play and I need to just go. So I did! And I found a dive bar I didn’t even know existed. I had a lovely evening.

The other night I wanted to try a new restaurant. I had the day off (MLK Day) and wanted to go out to dinner. I just opened Yelp and started scrolling local restaurants looking for something I hadn’t been to. And guess what – A Wine Pub popped up!!! How the hell did I not know this was here!! And this is my point.

So, I’m going to start trying new stuff and blogging about it later so I can look back at the end of 2015 and think – “Holy Shit I tried a lot of new places!”. Fingers crossed. I get random ideas like this in my head all the time and don’t follow through. Let’s see how well I do here!

I have two new places to report on. First up is the Wine Pub I mentioned above. It’s in Orange and if you don’t know where it is you’ll miss it. There’s a little strip mall just past off the 57 freeway past Hooters on Katella Ave. It has like a Subway and a Rubios and tucked in there is Calivino. Go there. It’s just the type of place I dig! A lovely wine selection and a bunch of funky craft beers. My brother, his wife and I went and my brother who never likes to try anything new, loved it! I had a glass of a Santa Barbara Pinot Noir that was yummy. Actually I had two. Here’s a fun Instagram shot I took. Do you see the adorable centerpieces of wine corks:

Shane had one of those fancy beers that he dug and D had a white. We ordered appetizers of bacon wrapped dates and marinated olives. I will say I’ve had better bacon wrapped dates at other places but they were still good. The olives – amazing. I don’t even like olives but my brother convinced me to eat some because they were drowned in a tangy garlic something and they were delicious! In fact there were so many Shane brought them home and my whole car reeked of garlic which I totally didn’t mind. For dinner I had the house burger which was to die for. So good!!!! Shane got a pork belly burger which was friggin epic and he raved about it. See picture:

D got a spinach salad with chicken and said it was some of the best chicken she ever had. The fries were also delicious. Prices were reasonable and it was a great atmosphere. The place is small but very chic. I dug the high top tables and the wood work was very cool. Our waitress was super sweet and we had a great time. My only complaint was the selection is a bit small but I know more foodies places are like that. I will defiantly be going back!

Second restaurant to report on is Macallans. I was lounging at my dad’s house up in Fullerton this weekend visiting with my step brother who was in town. Dad lives right next to Brea so when the topic of an early dinner was brought up I piped in and suggested we go somewhere new. Shane said a new Irish Pub had opened up the street so we all jumped right on that. It’s in the downtown Brea area. When you walk in it’s beautiful. Gorgeous lighting displays, open and airy, lots of mint green décor and dark wood. It’s a cross between homey and hip bar. I loved it. We were seated at a round table which was awesome. I wish more restaurants had round tables. When there’s a big group of you it’s so nice to be able to look at everyone. The place is known for the fact that they have 200 different kinds of Scotch and Whiskey. I actually took a shot of the menu and sent it to a friend of mine who loooooooooooooooves whiskey.

Lori took this shot of Jon and I and I do believe it is frame worthy!! I miss him so much!!! I wish he lived closer!

They also had a bit of a small food selection and I opted for the burger. I mean – it’s fun to see whose got yummy burgers right? I ordered a Hahns Pinot Noir which I’ve had before and it was delish. My burger was just ok. I was hoping for it to be a bit more flavorful. It boasted of a pesto sauce and a salsa verde that I thought would give it a more flavor punch but unfortunately not so much. The fries were awesome. Jon got a Steak Fritas but he wasn’t too impressed. D was quite disappointed in her Mac & Cheese but the three who had fish & chips said they were good! So – a mixed bag. I’d return for maybe drinks and appetizers and defiantly atmosphere. The place is gorgeous and the staff was super friendly. We took a few family shots as we left since we’re never all together!