Fried chicken. Ice cream. Whisky. We don’t really believe in summer beach bods. But we definitely believe in living your best food life. Higher temperatures are coming, so you’ll be sweating those calories off in no time! You can find us on AM 830 Saturday morning, followed by some overdue “me” time at Pasea. We also want to give a shout out to Chef Gary Menes on his Michelin star awarded on Monday for Le Comptoir. Congratulations to him and all the other recipients
Rojo’s Chicken Pop-Up Is Back! – Santa Ana
Originally launched in August of 2017, Chef Roland Rubalcava was pretty busy working his other gig to do more than two Rojo’s Chicken appearances. Well, he’s back to give the fans what they’ve been craving. This Friday and Saturday from 5-9 p.m. (or until they sell out), find him back at Burritos La Palma bringing the heat! According to their Instagram page, folks should also be on the lookout for some secret menu items. You mean like dessert, Roland? We are going to safely assume cash only, since cash is king. 410 N. Bristol St., (657) 266-0575; @rojoshotchicken on Instagram.
OCAPICA Tastemakers Tickets Are Coming!
Save the 12th of September from 6-9 p.m. for OCAPICA’s (Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance) Tastemakers of Orange County Event. 25 chefs and restaurateurs will be bringing their smiles and good eats to all who attend. Held in the same location as last year, Costa Mesa’s Julianne and George Argyros Plaza will be lit with the likes of Chef Henry Pineda (Modern Filipino Kitchen by Aysee), Chef Ivan Calderon (Taco Mesa and Taco Rosa), Chef Shelly Register (A Market), Chef Lisa Dang (Brodard) and Chef Shachi Mehra (Adya). And congrats to Chef Shachi on recently celebrating five years in Anaheim! This event will sell out, so start monitoring their website for when they flip the switch. www.ocapica.org.
Baskin-Robbins Appreciation Event – Costa Mesa
Stop by this particular branch of the ice cream chain for some family-friendly fun. For starters, scoops will be going for only a buck-fifty. A DJ will spin some tunes, while folks can spin the prize wheel for other goodies. And yes, there’s even more for the kiddos. It all goes down Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. 1927 Harbor Blvd., Ste. D, (949) 645-8173; www.baskinrobbins.com.
Twenty Eight Whisky Night – Irvine
Looking for something to do this evening? Look no further than the chill patio at Twenty Eight. From 5:30-7 p.m. they will be featuring tastes from Macallan. And if you know your Macallan, then know a little birdie mentioned a Rare Cask sighting. Have a few tastes, chat it up with the rep pouring your liquid nourishment, and enjoy a selection of bites from Chef Jay’s meat-centric arsenal. Plus, you’ll be done before it gets dark. $35 per person, which includes parking structure validation. Cheers! 19530 Jamboree Rd., (949) 852-2828; www.twentyeightoc.com.
Wellness Weekend at Pasea – Huntington Beach
Being healthy isn’t only about the food that we eat; it’s the way we treat our bodies. Spend this weekend looking after number one with a boxing session, aura photography session, sound bath meditation and CBD seminar. A la carte pricing and all-day passes are still available. Bonus: Enroll in any session, and you receive both valet parking and access to the spa parties at the end of each day. 21080 Pacific Coast Highway, (855) 622-2472; www.meritagecollection.com/pasea-hotel.
SoCal Restaurant Show Shameless Plug – Anaheim
This Saturday morning, find us (me) on AM 830, as we’re interviewed by Andy Harris on the SoCal Restaurant Show. They will be kind of, sort of on location, broadcasting from Golden Road Pub down the street. Perfect timing, considering they are launching their new brunch this weekend from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. We’ll be live between 10:30 and 10:45 a.m. or thereabouts discussing our contribution to OC Weekly’s upcoming travel issue, plus a few other noteworthy topics. We apologize now if we’re talking while inhaling loco moco. 2210 E. Orangewood Ave., (714) 912-4015; www.goldenroad.la/anaheim.
Lessons Learned from Natural Products Expo West: Glory Bee
One of the best tastes we experienced at Natural Products came in a sample jar. The best way we can describe brown butter honey ghee is a mellow caramel. See, we used to pick out the caramel squares from our Halloween booty. Over the years, the sweetness level got to us. Having Glory Bee’s specialty spoonful gave us delicious flashbacks. So if you can relate to our childhood preference, then do yourself a favor and head to Sprouts. They’re the only ones that carry the stuff locally, unless you purchase online from the source out of Eugene, Oregon. www.glorybee.com.
A contributing writer for OC Weekly, Anne Marie freelances for multiple online and print publications, and guest judges for culinary competitions. A Bay Area transplant, she graduated with a degree in Hospitality Management from Cal Poly Pomona. Find her on Instagram as brekkiefan.