Whiskey, whisky, risky. However you want to spell it, source it, sniff it, taste it, you can find your fancy at the Multnomah Whisk{e}y Library in Portland. We missed coming here on our first visit to the city but my next venture out there pushed this to a top priority. I have just been recently learning (past handful of years) about the spirit but once I walked into the Library, I was floored by the volume showcased and the quickly-crushing realization that I knew absolutely nothing about whisky. And these walls only featured the types that made their quality control cut! It was undoubtedly impressive, and I'd rather liken their whiskey menu to a tome than any menu.


Before one walks into the main room, a few steps of dimly-lit wooden, creaky stairs set the mood. Will you soon step back into time a la Hollywood style? I timidly opened the large door to find brick walls, hushed conversations, plush leather booths, and bottles and bottles of captivating spirits lining shelves along more than one wall. A slide ladder had been installed to allow the bartenders to scale the many choices to select from - a library indeed. As a single adventurer, I got a seat at the bar under the knowledgeable care of Kyle and spent the next who-knows-how-long flipping through menu pages to see what was offered. A crisp, balanced, Old Fashioned ($11 - Old Forest Signature, Demerara, angostura bitters, and Peychaud's bitters) was tiding me over as I explored the selections - the best I've ever had actually.


When I finally arrived at a decision, it was really not my own but my confidence in Kyle's expertise. He suggested a flight and gave a varied selection to expose my palate to comparisons between styles from which I made an additional choice thereafter. I also followed my drinks with food as the library does offer a menu put together by Chef Ben Grossmann. Beef Tartare ($16 - anchovy, dill, mint, flax seed, and potato cracker) was a veritably fine starter, properly fresh and balanced by the pungency of salty fish and strong herbs. Knowing that I was intimately involved with glasses of alluring spirits, I had to add on a rich order to combat alcohol content - the Mac & Cheese with Braised Oxtail ($15 - three aged cheese and strozzapreti) did the trick and was luxuriously savory in its own right.


The poisons of choice that evening were Knappogue Castle 12 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey, Balvenie 12 Year Old Doublewood Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Sour Mash Bourbon Whiskey, and Glenfarcas 12 Year Old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky. A proper analysis on each, you will not find here as I am still a beginner explorer of whiskies but know that Kyle made fabulous choices to demonstrate stylistic differences and shared detailed information about each pour. It is an experience you have to immerse yourself in on your own, and it was apparent that this will be a frequent Portland stop whenever I'm in the area.

If you are heading that way and have more than yourself in your party, I'd recommend a reservation. Find Multnomah Whisk{e}y Library at 1124 SW Alder St. Portland, OR 97205.

Main photography sourced from Multnomah Whisk{e}y Library.

Have you indulged yourself into the frozen yogurt trend yet? If not, you might want to if you are a Nintendo fan. Yogurtland has powered up with Nintendo to present some character flavors that might tempt your tastebuds. We've tried a few that have been releasing the past few weeks, and they certainly have their appeal.

Whether it's Mario's Chocolate Gelato, Luigi’s White Chocolate Pistachio, or Toad’s Rocky Road that bring your tastebuds into the Nintendo adventuring universe, you can be excited about several aspects of this promotion. For one, there is an ongoing sweepstakes that refreshes every week that can win you a grand prize of a Wii U system and one free year of Yogurtland desserts!


If you don't manage to win, you could still snag the perk of a Nintendo-themed spoon with every purchase whether you get Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Bowser, or Princess Peach. From July 1st to September 8th, you can indulge in the flavors released on special dates and collect all of the limited edition spoons. Additional examples of flavors include Gooba's Iced Coffee, Yoshi's Honeydew, and Donkey Kong's Banana Cream. Check them all out at www.yogurt-land.com during this 10-week promotion.

Images courtesy of Yogurtland.

The highly anticipated Los Olivos Marketplace in Irvine opened a few months ago near Irvine Spectrum, bringing with it some beloved businesses and a gem that grew its loyal followers from a first location in Dana Point - Angelina's Pizzeria Napoletana. We were invited in to try out their brunch menu but fell in love with the way that Executive Chef Sandro Nardone approaches the entire menu, not just his pizza. While there were some dishes that certainly portray his creative freedom as a chef, for the most part, the array of food at Angelina's is true to southern Italian cuisine and reminded me of the summer I spent in the country itself. The focus on ingredients' true beauty and inherent goodness made for simple dishes that stood proudly delicious in their own right.


Before you approach the menu, however, you are met with a sophisticated interior design that makes one wonder if they really stepped into a pizzeria or a fine dining restaurant. Earthy oranges and seafoam turquoise accents gave color to the mixed media furnishings and walls. Artistic light fixtures and expansive windowed walls contributed the brilliance of natural light (with a little help) and washed the restaurant with an open air feeling. If you explore further towards the back, you'll spot the 900°F almond-wood-burning ovens outfitted with glazed deep blue and gray tiles. Frankly, the restaurant is beautiful, and we hadn't even seen the menu at this point yet.

"The biggest thing in the United States is the use of butter; we use very little of that. All my dishes are based on original flavors so we use extra virgin olive oil. It gives ease to digesting and allows ingredients to show. I try to get chefs to cook with olive oil because to me, that's number one in the world. I could just live on olive oil and bread. Going back to being simple is the best."

We spoke with Chef Nardone openly about how he composes his menu and praised the refreshing lack of novel-length dish descriptions. His own experience as a chef has been built upon the philosophy of simplicity and sincerity, trusting in the techniques of old and adherent to the beauty of traditional; as he puts it, "old people are never wrong." Some restaurants do try to load up on flavors and ingredients on one plate, masking what the focus point of the dish actually is, but at Angelina's, this is not the case.

"What I'm trying to do is something easy with high-end ingredients where you can taste what your eating. That's my philosophy."

We cheers-ed to that sentiment with a Bellini ($6) off the brunch menu, seasonally apt with a white peach base.


If I could have found the stomach real estate, I would have had every one of the salads on Angelina's menu because each of their descriptions tempted me for various reasons. Most importantly, they were apparent in their balance of flavor profiles and highlighting of rich produce. We landed on the Angelina Salad ($10 - wild arugula, fennel, orange, pine nuts, Gaeta olives with pits, and Sicilian white raisins) and Insalta di Polipo e Gamberi ($18 - grilled octopus and Mediterranean shrimp with wild arugula, roasted potatoes, red onions, and heirloom tomatoes drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemons). The namesake salad was composed mostly of the wild arugula whose peppery nature played well with thinly shaven fennel and juicy orange slices. The olives were slightly distracting as they had not been pitted but because of their bold flavor, this practice of spitting out the pits once you got to one gave the moment a necessary stopping point to let the brine wash over your mouth. It certainly was a simpler salad than the second one which ultimately was my favorite for the meal as both the octopus and shrimp were grilled to perfection. They were complemented very well by 1/4" cubes of roasted potatoes which added a lovely texture to each forkful, and of course, heirloom tomatoes made for bright bites.

We also augmented the start with their Capesante su Carpiccio di Mango Aria di Lime e Pepperoncino ($32 - pan-seared scallops on mango carpaccio, vanilla extra virgin olive oil, and pepperoncino) which had a very intriguing description at first glance. Chef Nardone did create this one entirely as it is not a traditional Italian dish, and its conception was meant to represent summer. The sweet crispness of thinly sliced mango was tart and playful, uniquely brought to the forefront of your palate once the spicy pepperoncini hit your tongue. The heat of the pepperoncini spun out a pleasant buzz in the mouth without being painful, and the inclusion of "air of lime" as foam presented the slight bitter zestiness of the citrus.  All of those pieces were married together by the large, perfectly seared scallops that were seductively soft and rich in natural flavor. What a delight of a dish.


A chef first and foremost, Chef Nardone intended to make a high-quality pizzeria when he first started that had respect for ingredients and tradition. Having had family in Orange County whom he visited frequently, he found the area severely lacking in good pizza so wanted to meet that need with perfection but not the presumptuous feeling of a three-star Michelin restaurant.

"This is the way pizza should be done. I didn't invent it but it's straightforward. This is pizza from the 1500s/1600s. I have tried to change the dough fermentation to get it to be lighter and easier to digest for people BUT I didn't invent anything."

As you might have experienced, there are multiple styles to pizza. Angelina's features Neapolitan pizzas which means that it needs to be made in a certain manner with certain ingredients (fine wheat flour, San Marzano tomatoes, etc) and cooked in a particular way (60-90 seconds through a high-heat wood-burning oven, typically ~900-905°F). This results in a thin pizza pie with an elastic, bubbly crust topped with a few ingredients. We love the style and what is produced by blasting such a creation in high temperatures.

The first option we tried was because of the brunch menu - their Breakfast Pizza ($14 - Mozzarella di Bufala, egg, and choice of sausage, guanciale, or spinach) on which we chose guanciale. This personal-sized pizza comes with a house side salad which was very tasty on its own as a combination of mixed greens and light vinaigrette. Aside from the expertly formed dough, the pizza found great favor with us because of its use of such rich cheese. You can taste the difference in a Mozzarella made from buffalo milk - it is creamier by far and much more luscious; melted in a quick-fired pizza, its silkiness felt just right with the savory runny egg and salty, crunchy guanciale.

The Diavola Pizza ($16 - choice of mild or spicy salame Napoletena-style, Mozzarella di Bufala, San Marzano DOP pomodoro sauce, and fresh basil with pepperoncini oil on spicy salame choice) with spicy salame came out much larger than the breakfast version, featuring the glory of heat associated with diavolo sauce. Again, the type of Mozzarella used on the pizza made a world of difference in how every piece came together but their umami-laden pomodoro was what stood out to me. Savory-sweet, tangy, and rich, the San Marzano base is a treasure.


Now when we thought we were done, we realized that we were wrong because Angelina's also takes pride in its desserts. An interesting one to end with if you don't want to dive into that deep end of the menu is to cap off your meal with their Cocoacchino ($6). As coffee tends to round out Italian meals, this one plays on the custom and adds in the element of Nutella, the hazelnut chocolate spread that Europeans know and love. The mug is coated in the decadent spread before espresso is added. Put this one in your books as a must-try.

Other treats that morning included a Nutella Pizza and Tiramisu. Whereas the menu does have a Nutella calzone as part of the breakfast section of brunch, this pizza version of Nutella loving allows for sharing (you really have to) and seeing the entire spread laid out. Slices of strawberry and banana make it less cloying, and the generous scoop of vanilla ice cream unsticks the slices from the back of your throat from all the chocolate. Surprisingly, it wasn't too sweet of a dessert and therefore a good option for a large party. It was enjoyable but the tiramisu was on a definitively different level.

"Real tiramisu doesn't have liqueur so I make it without. I made it the same way as we make it there and don't add sugar to the espresso. We use the sugar already on the ladyfingers. In the beginning, people told me that everyone wants the sweet stuff but I said no. You have to educate people."

Every component of the tiramisu was balanced. Many restaurants fail to keep the iconic dessert from becoming soggy but Angelina's has made their tiramisu into a piece of art. The right ratio of espresso to ladyfinger to mascarpone to cocoa powder to even powdered sugar graced the black slate that arrived. You, dear reader, need this in your life.

As a whole, we cannot stress enough how much we did enjoy our time at Angelina's; I felt my face light up as we spoke to Chef Nardone and tasted his food because it made me think fondly back to my time in southern Italy and reminded me of why I love the Italian cuisine and culture. If you need to find this sincere establishment, they are located in the Los Olivos Marketplace at 8573 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine, CA 92618. We also hear that they are up for "Best Italian" in Orange County for the upcoming Golden Foodie Awards so if you enjoy them, a vote should probably be thrown their way for that honor.

I'm excited to return to see more of their menu. We had gone in for their brunch hours (Saturday & Sunday from 10AM-3PM) but they do do full lunch and dinner throughout the week. If you're interested in the brunch though, there is an a la carte menu but their Social Brunch seems quite the steal as well - for $30 per person at a two guest minimum, you can do a family-style meal with choice of one pizza for the whole table, two entree plates, and a shared carafe of bellini or mimosa. If that's not a great way to start your weekend, I'm not sure what is.

Photography by Duc Duong. More photos available on Facebook here.

(Today's post is written by Duc Duong)

Lately, I've been on a jerky making kick and most recipes call for liquid smoke to add that smoky flavor. I felt liquid smoke had too flat of a flavor profile. So, I opted for recipes that call for smoked paprika because resulting batches would get not only the smoked flavor but also sweet (with a tad of spicy) flavoring from the paprika.

Just like with saffron, I wanted to understand this ingredient better since I use so much of it in my own beef jerky marinades. Initially, I was only familiar with three types of paprika: the regular kind, the smoked kind and the 2006 film.

Here's what I've learned about paprika the spice!


Paprika is a spice made from air-dried fruits/pods of the chili pepper family of the species Capsicum annuum. It can range from mild to hot, and flavors also vary from country to country but almost all the plants grown produce the sweet variety. The sweet paprika is mostly pericarp (the fleshy part of the fruit) with more than half of the seeds removed. Hot paprika contains some seeds, pod, and stalks. Counter to what I expected, the hotter a paprika happens to be, the less red it will be. By far, the hottest paprikas are brown to yellow in color, and coloration is a great way to distinguish powdered paprika varieties.

Regular or plain paprika
Most of the paprika sold in grocery stores is simply labeled "paprika." Its origins may be Hungarian, Californian, or South American, and it is sometimes mixed with other chilies like cayenne. This paprika tends to be neither sweet nor hot and is a suitable garnish for things like deviled eggs or wherever you want some color.

Spanish paprika (better known as pimentón)
Paprika in Spain goes by "pimentón" and it ranges from sweet to hot:

• dulce (sweet and mild)
• agridulce (bittersweet and medium hot)
• picante (hot)
• pimentón de La Vera or smoked paprika (deep, woodsy flavor)

(In Spain's La Vera region, farmers harvest and dry the chiles over wood fires, creating pimentón de La Vera. It could only be called "pimentón de La Vera" if it's from this region; otherwise it would be simply be "smoked paprika" which is not as valued as pimentón de La Vera)

The Hungarian varieties are more robust and considered superior. The Spanish varieties are sweeter and milder. Most tables in Hungary are set with salt and hot paprika (not black pepper) shakers. Hungarian agricultural authorities fiercely guard their plants and seeds and twice as much acreage is devoted to peppers as any other crop.

Due to the favorable climate and geographical conditions, Hungarian paprika has a bright red color and a distinctive rich flavor that allowed Hungary to become one of the leading paprika producers in the world.

The eight grades of Hungarian paprika are

• Special quality (különleges) - the mildest, very sweet with a deep bright red color
• Delicate (csípősmentes csemege) – color from light to dark red, a mild paprika with a rich flavor
• Exquisite delicate (csemegepaprika) – similar to delicate but more pungent
• Rose (rózsa) – pale red in color with strong aroma and mild pungency
• Pungent exquisite delicate (csípős csemege, pikáns) – an even more pungent version of delicate
• Noble sweet (Édesnemes) – bright red and slightly pungent (the most commonly exported paprika; usually marketed as Hungarian sweet paprika in the US)
• Half-sweet (félédes) – a blend of mild and pungent paprikas; medium pungency
• Strong (erős) – light brown in color, the spiciest paprika

I also looked a little bit into growing and making your own paprika. Turns out it's more time efficient to let the professionals do what they do best. You basically need to start growing your paprika crop a year before you want the powder. Other than the growing time needed, the air-drying and actual yield qualifies more as a fun home project for educational purposes but not something to do regularly.

So there you go! Next time a recipe calls for a specific type of paprika, you'll know the difference! Personally I want to try some genuine pimentón de La Vera in a future jerky marinade. Cheers!

All photographs were sourced from Wikipedia's public media domain.

Build-your-own fast casual restaurants have easily elbowed their way into our lives, meeting the needs of people who want to love what they decide to spend money on and not waste time. It isn't a surprise that pizza, one of America's favorite types of food, dominates this trend with several chains around giving guests the ability to top their own round of pie. Pizza:90 in Irvine and Riverside takes the concept a little further by employing the strength of a 900° oven to blast your pizza choice from just-layered to done in 90 seconds. We were invited in for a few slices and to check out what made this one stand out from other restaurants.


Pizza:90 first piqued my curiosity because of their ingredients. Though it is a fast casual concept that has guests coming in and out rapidly, they don't skimp on quality of the ingredients they have decided to use. Considering the price point, the restaurant gives diners a bang for their buck. Dough is mixed together daily in a tasty amalgam of extra-virgin olive oil, water, yeast, and 00 flour, the finest flour around. These batches are proofed for 13 hours before being worked with. I got to play with a little round of it myself, and the pliant dough had an exciting springiness to it as I worked out my week's stress playing with the thing. Just a tip if you're bringing kids here - you might be able to keep them distracted by getting a small portion for them to play with!

The dough is obviously cared for which is something you want as your base and food delivery vehicle. For just $8.99, you can "make it your way" by picking how you want your pizza to build whether it use San Marzano tomato sauce, fior-di-latte Mozzarella, or nutless pesto sauce for the base (red, white, and green pizzas, respectively). Next up, add your vegetables from their numerous choices including the likes of hot Calabria peppers, cherry tomatoes, jalapenos, artichokes, mushrooms, and more. Proteins span the gamut of anchovies to ground beef to pepperoni but what really interested us were the selections of Italian favorites as well such as pancetta, guanciale, and bresaola. It's obvious they care about bringing in true Italian products here. Cheese options include smoked Mozzarella, mozzarella di bufala (+$2), Pecorino, and even a housemade Kalamata olive goat cheese.

Once you've made all your choices, round it all out with some draft craft beers, wine, or imported Italian soft drinks. Personally, I needed to sip myself some blood orange goodness so the imported soda was my choice, and it was tasty.


Now, if you aren't up for making your own pizza, you can choose from their recommended combinations which is what we did. We tried the Four Cheese ($8.99 - fior-di-latte Mozzerealla, Fontina, shaved Parmigiano Reggiano, Blue cheese crumble), a thick pizza with plenty of umami loaded on top. The Carnivora ($8.99 - crushed San Marzano tomato sauce, fior-di-latte Mozzarella, Italian sausage, Soppressata salami, Genoa salami, guanciale, italian ham, Pecorino Romano) represented its name well but the entire smothering of the dough with meats did cause the pizza to get soggy. Because Neapolitan pizza is typically made thin, such heartiness can prove a problem; however, it is definitely made to satisfy the meat lover.

I personally enjoyed the lighter pizzas we got to try out: The Queen ($8.99 - crushed San Marzano tomato sauce, fior-di-latte Mozzerella, proscuitto di Parma, arugula, shaved Parmigiano Reggiano) and Pesto Geno ($8.99 - basil pesto sauce, fior-di-latte Mozzarella, proscuitto di Parma, shaved parmegiano reggiano, balsamic glaze), both of which were quite similar overall but with different bases. The Queen was my favorite as it was loaded with the fresh pepperiness of arugula and salty, savoriness of prosciutto. The crust was spot-on for this one, and the lack of heavy sauce kept it crunchy. The Pasta Geno garnered just about the same feedback in regards to its ingredients but the lack of red sauce made for an interesting substitute via pesto. We really enjoyed that part though the glaze made it a tad sweeter than preferred.


Pizza:90 also carries other food items. We tried their  Meatballs ($3.99) which were quite lovely and a delightfully umami-laden start to our meal. I also tasted the The Market salad ($5.99/$8.99 - baby spring mix, pear, apple, Blue cheese, toasted walnuts, and honey champagne dressing) which was surprisingly very filling and balanced well. It would have been even greater had adding chicken been an option and subsequently added - I'd definitely eat that for a lunch! They had other salads such as Caesar, Caprese, and a make your own option but the "The Market" one was the heftiest of the group.

To finish the meal, we bit our teeth into Pizza:90's S'mores Calzone ($5.45), wedges of pizza dough folded over and filled with Nutella, cookie butter, marshmallows, and more. These were delighfully satisfying "end of the day" bites without a doubt. If you are searching for other types of desserts, try their imported cannolis or tiramisu.


The Orange County restaurant location for Pizza:90 is in Irvine - find them at 5365 Alton Parkway, Suite 1, Irvine, CA 92604 and get your pizza pie in seconds! Another location resides in Riverside so you can be sure you can get it while traveling in that direction.

Photography by Duc Duong. More photos available on Facebook here.

Long Beach, Long Beach, Long Beach - you are a treasure chest of restaurants, plenty of which are in close proximity to another, making it difficult to decide on where to go when a nearby sign so temptingly calls out with, "Amazing food here!" That being the case, we've visited The Federal Bar several times before, starting in 2013, because it's guaranteed to be a fun time from the old bank and era decor to the craft beers to the hearty, satisfying food. However, with so many other joints popping up in Orange County over the years, it's been a while since our last visit so we jumped on the opportunity to see what's new on their lunch menu when an invitation came.


I wanted to take a peek at what they had in the realm of salads since that's usually what I crave for lunch. Of all the dishes we tasted, the Fried Brussels Salad ($11 - spinach, blackened shallots, roasted spiced pears, goat cheese, toasted almonds, and balsamic reduction) ended up being Duc's favorite as every component satisfied every bit of what he deems a solid plate. We really enjoyed the textural juxtaposition of wilted and crisp spinach as certain leaves were subject to the warmth of roasted Brussels sprouts and balsamic dressing. When it came to flavors, the dish played well by gliding from comforting sweet pears to fresh goat cheese to savory nuttiness to crunchy raw greens. With all of its components, this salad could definitely stand on its own for a full-blown meal.

If you'd rather lighten up during lunch but still grab a salad, perhaps their Feta Chicken Salad ($15 - romaine, chickpeas, cranberries, olives, Roma tomato, cucumber, red onion, Feta, and oregano lemon vinaigrette with naan) would fit your fancy. Think "chopped salad" in style but with extra sweetness via cranberries and saltiness from the cheese. We found the chicken to be a tad over-seasoned here which was slightly distracting from the rest of the ingredients; however, it was still a solid dish to dig your fork into.


If not salad, sandwiches and burgers are the other common go-tos during lunchtime, and The Federal Bar does a great job of nailing down what makes classics classics before throwing in their own flair to elevate the meal. One bite of the Turkey Club ($12 - smoked turkey, pepper bacon, spinach, tomato, mayo, and mustard served with house salad OR kettle chips; add $2 to substitute for fries) made us appreciatively nod at each other at a well-made sandwich. Stacked tall and proud, each half was bounteous in its ingredients and bold in flavor. We especially enjoyed the thick slabs of pepper bacon that added the right amount of saltiness and fattiness to the sandwich.

The other plate that deserves a nod is a burger done well - The Federal ($13 - garlic chips, smoked Cheddar, Bibb lettuce, black peppercorn aioli, and balsamic onion on a milk bun). It is smoky and very savory but also oozes with craveworthy, unctuous cheese and aioli. This bad boy comes served with a choice of house salad, house fries, or kettle chips but the choice is clear: if you're going to indulge, indulge. The crunchy, garlickly fries are a fantastic accompaniment to the heft of their burger.


The lunch menu at The Federal Bar is not shy of appetizers however. When you're out and need something shareable with your group, you might want to take a pick at the Short Rib Poutine ($15 - house fries, short rib, gravy, Mozzarella, and scallions; add a free-range egg for $2 more). It's nearly over-the-top to be honest but that's why it's not your full meal. Pull your fry away from all of the cheesiness and delve into the rich, smoky short rib that generously tops the whole dish. It certainly is not for the faint of heart, and we had a hard time working on it ourselves. Worth it though? You definitely need to love cheese and fries. Wait, who doesn't?

Look for The Federal Bar at 102 Pine Ave, Long Beach, CA 90802 and let us know what you think!

Photography by Duc Duong. More photos available on Facebook here.

If you have lived in Orange County any number of years, you might be familiar with Benjies Deli which has been established in the Tustin/Santa Ana area since 1967 and is still family-run/owned to this day. The New York style deli now operated by Lloyd and Noriko Weinstein is known for traditional deli dishes such as their matzo ball soup, pastrami, latkes, triple-decker sandwiches and more. It also has been home to an bar/lounge called The Bamboo Lounge for a number of years but while the charm of an old-school New York style deli and restaurant can sustain itself through nostalgic romanticism alone, the needs and wants of weekly bar visitors will change over time. Enter Avenue K, the newly revamped bar at Benjies which pays homage to the restaurant's origins while keeping a fresh look.


Benjies' founder Stan Weinstein was born and raised in Brooklyn where he lived in an apartment on Avenue K, the same street where current owner Lloyd Weinstein grew up. As a nod to that origin and to modernize the New York feel, the bar has adopted this theme and proudly shows off old photos on the walls of the Brooklyn neighborhood.


We visited Avenue K during a friends and family pre-grand opening evening to see the renovations. The family had really pulled together (Lloyd's sister, Alisa, is now the general manager at Benjies and Avenue K) to give the previous Bamboo Lounge a facelift through their own manual work. Save for a few pieces of furniture, the remodel was done by hand by the Weinsteins themselves including the wood paneling on the walls and the arrangement of key pieces of furniture. They mounted monitors, installed lights, and much more in the weeks it took to redo the bar but that dedication really shone through in the fresh look of everything juxtaposed to the era-driven deli section. We could see it being a great change to the legacy of the restaurant and one that will welcome more people to understand what Benjies is all about.


If alcohol is on your mind after all of this backstory, fret not. Avenue K certainly carries some great drinks and satisfying bar food. We were especially fond of the Reuben Fritters ($7), delicious fried balls of pastrami and cheese. In fact, their bar menu has an emphasis on pastrami and seeing as that is one of their shining stars at the restaurant, we'd recommend you get in on those menu items (pastrami sliders, anyone?). For drinks, you can find yourself looking down the glass at a specialty cocktail or cheers-ing pints of local craft beers. Avenue K also has its own proprietary beer called "Avenue K" with a custom tap handle. Give it a try; it's a red ale brewed by Backstreet Brewery in Orange County that makes for easy drinking.

Find Avenue K in Benjies Deli located at 1828 N. Tustin Ave, Santa Ana, CA 92705 and let us know what you think. A big congratulations goes out to the Weinsteins for their renovations and their soon-to-come 50th anniversary!

Photography by Duc Duong. More photos available on Facebook here.

Brace yourselves for another warm summer in southern California, and head towards the beautiful Laguna Beach for a mixture of food and sunny fun. The beaches are already bustling these days as people flock to the sand, with many opting to stay ocean-side at one of multiple resorts in the area. Surf and Sand Resort is definitely experiencing their busy season now, and with a full-fledged bright summer menu, their resident restaurant, Splashes, is hustling under the direction of Executive Chef Ron Fougeray who brings creative combinations to the table. I got to take a few bites from the season's menu which highlights the great seafood we can get here in Orange County and pairs well with a glorious beach view.