Craft beers, local foods, artisan coffees - Orange County has been having its fill of niche businesses that get food and drink enthusiasts excited about their products but there are still a few segments missing. What about spirits? The answer is here now as Blinking Owl Distillery opens its doors and productions in Santa Ana. Brought into the community by long-time Santa Ana residents Brian and Robin Christenson, the distillery is the first for the county and already has highly lofty goals for itself. Named after a since-gone bar in the city called the "Blinking Owl Bar" which had a blinking owl sign, the new distillery is more than just an exciting new spirit producer but also a local spot for the community to host events, relax in a tasting room, and learn more about production through hosted tours.


The location of Blinking Owl is unassuming, set among residential houses and a few industrial buildings, but stepping inside, you realize just how aware they were of making an impression. The beautiful marble bar tops juxtaposed to polished metallic elements (mainly gold in color) along with black accents made for an elegant, stylish space.

"It's time for Orange County to have an opportunity like this. Robin did 90% of the design to be a mixture of chic, feminine, and masculine. The bottle was also specifically designed for both men and women with a tapered waist to make it easy for any size hand while still having a whisky bottle design 'prestige.'"

In addition to being visually appealing by design, Blinking Owl also works on carefully honing the craft of their products to be appealing in taste and make-up. Their license allows for serving up to 1.5 oz per person in the tasting room and selling up to three 750mL bottles per person daily. Those bottles could be of their organic durum wheat vodka, orange-infused vodka, aquavit, gin, and/or whisky - whichever fits customers' fancy. What is special about these spirits, however, is their production and sourcing. They mill, mash, ferment, distill, and age everything themselves to ensure quality. As for ingredients, the goal is eventually to be 100% Californian.

"Our take is to source as much California-grown product as possible. The white organic corn is from California; the wheat is Californian. Both are crucial to building a local crop mindset. In our aquavit, we use hibiscus which is the flower of Santa Ana. The orange flavored vodka uses oranges from the OC Heritage Museum. Our whisky is grown, made, and aged in California because it just makes sense here.

Why not make products that highlight our climate and seasons? We have an ideal aging climate with heat in the day and coolness in the night. The swinging temperatures are good for aging so our whisky is aging in half the time as somewhere else."

Now if you have never had aquavit, you need to try theirs. Robin informed us of how proud they are of how this Scandinavian spirit turned out and with good reason - it is delicious! The spirit is similar to gin but rather than using juniper as the primary botanical, aquavit is an amalgam of caraway, cardamom, and dill (along with many other botanicals). The Blinking Owl tasting room does allow for taster sizes but you might also want to give some attention to their cocktail capabilities there which are created by local mixologists.


The distillery is impressive and also manages to be beautiful for what it is. In addition to being perfectionists in their crafts, the Christensons also have an advantage by producing their spirits in the city of Santa Ana - the water. The city was named in 2016 to having the 4th best tasting water in the country so if that's the case, what happens when you use such an award-winner as your base? You get the smooth, clean, and beautiful bottles of vodka, gin, aquavit, and whisky that Blinking Owl makes. Now, if you don't make it to the tasting room to get a few sips in, don't fret. The distillery is well-ingrained in the Orange County dining scene and already has culinary professional friends clamoring for bottles to stock their bars. Soon enough, you'll be able to get swing a swig of their spirits.

"We take our product really seriously but not ourselves seriously. Let's get spiritual!"

Check out Blinking Owl at 802 E. Washington Ave, Santa Ana, CA 92701, making sure to plan for plenty of time for finding parking.

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

"When I dip, you dip, we dip..."

Oh, not that kind of dipping. Though I'm sure they wouldn't object too much if you started dancing out of joy at Yojie Japanese Fondue. Downtown Santa Ana has just welcomed a new kid on the block in the form of Japanese cuisine and hip design. Yojie Japanese Fondue is a franchised restaurant that allows for local flair to shine through, and the location in Santa Ana has taken advantage of this with their layout and inclusion of local artists' work. If you're wondering what Japanese fondue is, the group refers to their shabu shabu and sukiyaki that way - the interactive dining experience of "cooking" your food yourself in a hot pot set on an inlaid burner.


Located right next door to the infamous Yost Theater, Yojie can be a fun pre-show dining experience or even after-show as it is open late in the evenings. Think fresh, quality ingredients and fun interaction while at dinner. They also have quite an array of sake to choose from and cocktail menu (not available when we visited). The seating wraps around the whole restaurant from front to back in bar-style with sleek, natural overtones likely to accentuate their ingredient choices. If you're interested in art, you'll be happy to know that local artists' work line the walls and eventually purchasable features will be showcased.


We were invited to preview the restaurant just moments before the grand opening. When it comes to options at Yojie, one choice is to go "swish swish" (shabu shabu) by cooking your protein and vegetable selections in boiling water before dipping those in the savory sauces they present. This seemed the more health-conscious route as it is simple but still flavorful depending on how you wish to dip each bite after it's cooked. The other option is sukiyaki which lets you cook your proteins and vegetables in a premixed "broth" made of a combination of soy sauce, sugar, and mirin. This style also presents diners with a fresh egg for additional dipping. Duc went this way as it is the sweeter of the two options.

The wagyu beef slices we both got with our meals were so marbled, we almost didn't want to cook them at all. However, they did perfectly release their fattiness into the broth and add a great mouthfeel to the vegetables already brewing in the pots. I also appreciate the generous amount of vegetables with each meal! The experience ended with raindrop cakes, a recent fad among dessert-seekers these days. Personally, we would have been just dandy ended with our tender wagyu beef and more of that sesame-based dipping sauce!

Find Yojie at 303 N Spurgeon St, Santa Ana, CA 92701.

Photography by Duc Duong. More 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.

And a big happy birthday goes out to....Chapter One: the modern local! The beloved downtown Santa Ana restaurant known for its cocktails, fabulous menu, and literature-themed design on top of a beautiful space recently celebrated its fifth anniversary in high fashion - with a whiskey dinner! Pairing up with Eric Strand, who is also known as The Whiskey Scout, as the educator/guide that evening, the restaurant held an exclusive ticketed dinner on March 19th that featured five courses specially constructed for the occasion paired with whiskeys that might never be tasted again outside of the context of the dinner. We were invited to partake in this fabulous event and were glad to glimpse spirits we'd never be able to otherwise.

If you've ever wondered what would prove a good vehicle to deliver deliciousness into your mouth, you've surely concluded that any kind of stuffed pastry makes that easily handheld. For your savory cravings, there is nothing like a convenient meat pie of any origin. In a behind-the-scenes experience we recently had with Chef Dave Larsen of C4 Deli in Santa Ana, their particular one was the Argentinian empanada, derived from the owner's family recipe and full of tasty goodness. Paired with housemade chimichurri and stuffed with plenty of filling, it hit the spot and we needed to see why.

One of the beauties of art is that its ever-changing nature constantly redefines what beauty is. Throughout history, whether as an aspect of culture or a representation of a practical part of life, art has served some type of form or function, and capturing its path throughout the years has constantly been on the forefront of people's minds. At the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, their newest exhibition, The Red that Colored the World, documents the history of the color red and all the parts of life that have been affected by this hue. With its debut also comes the reopening of the museum's in-house restaurant, Tangata, which was closed for renovation and has now opened with a brilliant new design from renowned Los Angeles-based designer Heather Aston. The redesign of the space also brought in a revamped menu featuring Pacific Rim-influenced dishes by Executive Chef Donald Harris, a menu we were eager to try and did upon invitation.

If weekend nights are the only times you go out for a good time, you might be missing out, especially when AnQi over at South Coast Plaza has unleashed Fashionably Early Wednesdays. These weekly bashes are partner to their Fashionably Late Fridays which celebrate good drinks, food, and company. The restaurant itself is laid out with several areas that mimic a lounge feeling so it seems only natural to incorporate other elements throughout the week. During this mid-week nights, experience not only their cocktails and bites but also the pulses from a live DJ spinning downtempo lounge music. We were invited to preview some of AnQi's offerings during these evenings, and it seems like a desirable place to bring a group together to.

The buzzwords in restaurants and the food industry these days are almost overwhelming. Catchphrases meant to draw consumers in are thrown around to the point of near irrelevance. I have always had some beef with the way that "natural" and "farm to table" have morphed (among other keywords and phrases) into very much meaningless adjectives. Is not most of the food we eat farm to table, in some sense? The food had to grow from somewhere after all. Well, in comes The North Left with their "Farm to Forage" dinners every week. Wait? It's not "farm to table" in the name? No, rather, these are dinners based on ingredients sourced from the farms and/or foraging whether via farmers' markets or from one's own foraging and growing means. Neat, we thought! Let's get some of that action! On July 2nd, we did just that (by invitation) and were blown away with the dishes we had that evening.

If you're going to get dolled up for a Broadway show, you better doll up your plate too beforehand. With the start of this year's Broadway shows at Segerstrom Center for the Arts today, Leatherby's Cafe Rouge is releasing their season's set of inspired themed menus per show. It's an innovative tradition of theirs and one that puts Executive Ross Pangilinan's artistry to the test as he examines each of the upcoming shows to determine what to fill the set list with. The installment of three-course menus is usually based on the music and characters of the shows to get patrons into the mindset and mood of the storyline before enjoying the performances. The selections are quite carefully curated and after I was able to preview some dishes from this series, they proved to be masterfully executed as well.

1421 W Macarthur Blvd, Unit G, Santa Ana, CA 92704
Pricing - $$ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine - Cajun/Creole
www.rittersskc.com

I feel as if I will be lambasted for the comments I am about to make in this post or even if people do not read them, they will look at the 2.5 star rating out of a possible 5 and seethe at me. Why is that? Well, all that I have heard from everyone that has been to Ritter's is the highest of praise for the food. They wax on about their favorite dishes and how flavorful everything is but yet, our experience there was much different. Finally tackling this restaurant from our list of places we *had* to try, Duc and I came in right at the opening one weekend, hoping to catch some good attention due to a smaller crowd. We had heard that it gets quite busy inside the spacious restaurant and wanted to beat any rush. We also figured that less chaos in the kitchen would hopefully yield a more thought-out product.

This post is part of a series Much Ado About Fooding is doing on farmers' markets - Duc and I plan to visit as many as we can, starting in southern California, to get a sense of what sets each apart, what drives communities to them, and what gems people should look out for. To keep track, bookmark the "Farmers' Market" category.

Social media has become such a strong part of our lives so when a farmers' market takes to the networks to announce its return, there is no doubt of success whether niche or not. Downtown Santa Ana, also known as DTSA, seemed to be well-connected to every other food-loving person I knew online so once word got out that a farmers' market was cropping up again, word really got out. The DTSA Farmers' Market is not only in the heart of the burgeoning hip food scene of Santa Ana (located in Spurgeon Promenade) but it is the home of several artisan food makers and produce-slingers that have already built a name for themselves outside of the market. Perhaps that's why I've been hearing so much about it - everyone else involved is tweeting/Facebook/Instagramming about it too. I finally had a free Thursday one day and ventured my way through DTSA to see what there was to rave about.

When the Little Sparrow first took flight in downtown Santa Ana, we heard from the murmurings of the food-lovin' community that it was a restaurant worth peeping at. On the corner of Main St and Third, this restaurant has joined the ranks of other eateries in the area working on reviving the food scene of the city. Vacant for more than 15 years, the building itself was the subject first of Co-Founder Naseem's thesis project as a potential business plan's location. Once that fictional business plan was done with academically, it became the subject of a budding reality for both Naseem and her husband (and other co-founder of Little Sparrow), Bruch Marsh. The restaurant was born to fill a void the couple thought Orange County had; it was inspired by a New York and San Francisco feel with a focus on community building and a design like a French bistro. The name Little Sparrow came from different sources but overall, is another way to symbolize the community Naseem and Bruce want their restaurant to cultivate.

If you know me closely, you would know that I'm not one to pay attention to jewelry or like adornments. However, when the practical and skillful beauty of Van Cleef & Arpels is in my face in the "A Quest for Beauty" exhibit, it's hard not to stare. I confess that I was not even familiar with the name despite its world renown; my apologies for not being as aware as I'm sure even the most closeted person is. Once I got a whiff of their importance in the history of fine jewelry today though, I was surprised to find such a stunning and well-curated exhibit in the small Bowers Museum located in Santa Ana. From October 27, 2013 to February 15, 2014, the iconic museum housed/houses a grandiose arrangement of some of the most astonishing pieces of jewelry (and certainly a rich history of those) both to showcase the beauty and remind guests of their presence. After all, February 6th will see a boutique opening of Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry at South Coast Plaza.

1621 W Sunflower Ave, Santa Ana, CA 92704
Pricing - $$$/$$$$ | Dining - Dressy, Dressy Casual | Cuisine - Indian
www.royalkhyber.com

[You can read my first review here]. Just a year ago, I wrote a review for this place, complete with poor looking pictures due to my lack of skill with food photography in dim lighting. We were more obnoxious this time around by bringing our LED light but seeing as we were one of the first in the restaurant that day, it didn't seem so intrusive. I know that the last time I wrote, I said that I wouldn't come back to this place but we decided to grab another deal (Groupon this time, was it?) and a buddy to come along just to give the place another try. After all, the last experience wasn't terrible - just pricey.


Well they hadn't brought down their prices from last year really but I think having dined out a lot more in 2012, my price tolerance has gone up. Has it gone up enough to accept "fancy" Indian food? Perhaps not. The food was fairly alright but I think I'll divert my Indian cravings toward hole-in-the-walls for the future. Our garlic naan was crispy and good but hardly garlicky enough. For an appetizer, we shared the Paneer Pakora (paneer pasande stuffed with tangy masala and coated in besan batter), a delightful treat of paneer with an extra zip from the masala beneath the coating.


Duc opted for the Reshami Chicken Tikka from the tandoor, apparently a menu item consisting of boneless chicken breast that had been marinated for 4-6 hours in a yogurt and spices before being cooked in the tandoor. He did like the onions quite a bit that was included on the hot skillet served before us but I think the meat itself was lackluster. It was neither excellent nor bad, so I wouldn't be advising against it but take a good look at the picture to know what you'd be ordering for yourself.


I didn't even realize when I placed my order that I ended up choosing one of the same that we had had before. The Methi Chicken Punjabi (chicken breast sauteed in a gravy of fenugreek, green chili, and yogurt served with rice pilaf and naan) caught my eye again this time and was once again my favorite for the evening. It was spicy in all the right ways, letting me know that it had some spunk but not too much to stop me from drenching my rice with it. The sauce was greatly flavorful and perfect for some naan dipping. Our friend ordered the Tulsi Coconut Curry Chicken (chicken breast in a coconut curry with fresh basil and served with rice pilaf and naan), a dish presented in a similar fashion to my own but widely different in taste. This one was sweeter and though still full of good spices, not as flavorful as the prior dish.


Out of curiosity, we decided to opt for the mango creme brulee that evening, and it was received with mixed reviews from the table. For some odd reason, the two guys were unable to taste the mango in this dessert while it was just about the only thing I tasted. Its fragrance seemed nearly overbearing to me too! Is there a study somewhere of the potency that a mango has on males versus females? Strange indeed. Despite there being a disagreement on just how apparent the mango essence was to the dessert, there was definite agreement that this was not creme brulee at all. It tasted more like a mousse underneath the overbearingly sweet crust. Think about how shocking that was! The presentation was executed well but the actual filling beneath the crust left us unsatisfied. Thus concludes my second and most likely last visit to the establishment (unless I have to go for a function). Sorry, Royal Khyber, you're fairly good but there are better for less dollar signs!

Photography by Duc Duong.

Main Place Mall, 2800 N Main St, Ste 1030, Santa Ana, CA 92868
Pricing - $/$$ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine - Vietnamese
http://www.saigondepho.com/

Who the heck decided that a phở restaurant should be chic and modern? It's all about the dirty, dingy hole-in-the-wall places that take cash only when you want good phở. So imagine my surprise when I was in Main Place Mall one day and saw a sleek red, white, and black phở restaurant inside (they caught me with their good design and color scheme!). I didn't go in that time but made note to return later for some scrutiny.


It looks nice inside. It really does. I'm not saying that should really be taken into consideration when judging a restaurant for its food but mentality has a lot to do with how you consume your food as well. It's a mind game! You amp up the atmosphere and maybe you'll trick your tastebuds into thinking you're about to eat the best thing ever. Anyhow, the menu had fairly standard Vietnamese fare but not in Vietnamese! In fact, Duc didn't even know exactly which phở dish was the one he always gets so he just asked the waiter if he spoke Vietnamese (yes) and ordered in that, hah.


To start off, we got their Thai iced tea which came in a long necked glass. It was decent. The condiments were at the center of every table in unmarked containers. I think they might assume too much about their customers. What if some have never had phở before? Oh well. They brought out the phở on these black square trays with individual plates for bean sprouts, lime, jalapeno, and basil. I was surprised to see that the basil wasn't as fresh as dingy phở places have.


Admittedly, despite the chic look and suspicion I had of a place that wasn't sketchy and made me fear for my life, the phở was fairly good. It was definitely priced higher than what I know better phở goes for but it's in a mall for goodness' sake ($8 a bowl). It's a quick fix for a craving. The broth wasn't as clean as it could have been (still greasy and with floating remnants of cooked meat) but it was definitely a good savoriness. The flavor profile was all there. Duc had gotten the rare filet mignon with meatballs ($1 more for meatballs...geez) while I got the rare filet mignon with well-done flank and tripe though I think my flank was missing. There was a lot of meat, thin and pliant in our mouths. The heat didn't stay long in the bowl (a good bowl of phở must be steaming throughout the meal!) and the noodles clumped together a bit at first but overall, a good bowl of phở if you're feeling a need to eat while shopping and can't take a drive down to Garden Grove or Westminster for cheaper and arguably better.

Photography by Duc Duong.

300 E 4th St Ste 101, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Pricing - $ | Dining - To-Go | Cuisine - Ice Cream

After I met a friend for some lunch in downtown Santa Ana, he asked me if I had had Mexican ice cream before. A little confused, I mentioned that I had had paletas before but he said that there was a place down the street that had the ice cream itself (not popsicle form). As the curious foodie, I agreed to head over.


It was a small little shop that was cash only and quite mom-and-pop. The majority of things were in Spanish and the clientele didn't really speak any English. We wandered over to the Mexican ice cream area (they sell other ice cream too in the first display - Thrifty flavors which are still good) past the paletas. I was very curious about the queso (cheese) one and tried a tad of that. Then I opted for the chongos (milk and cinnamon candy).


It was great! I quite enjoyed the rich, creaminess of the milk flavor that was very well flavored with cinnamon. There were also soft pieces of the Mexican candy in. I guess the best thing I could liken it to is if you had cookie dough ice cream but the cookie dough was snickerdoodle dough. Delish!