Stuck in standby hell in John Wayne Airport, my prospects of getting to Las Vegas for a conference diminishing with each full flight of chicks in ass shorts and the bros they love, I decided to do something I had never done before at our lil' airport that can: eat lunch.
John Wayne's much-ballyhooed makeover has broadened the eating choices, with many local favorites such as Zov's and Jerry's Wood-Fired Hot Dogs. But I also wanted to get drunk. There was no way I was going to try Javi's, the son of Real Housewives favorite Javier's, and the Hobie Sandbar is a waste of space, time, and effort. I settled on the Anaheim Ducks Breakaway Bar & Grill, not so much because I'm a Ducks fan (I root for the Montreal Canadians) but because they had a hot dog with a frank from Mattern Deli–fabulous, big, and a steal at six bucks. The Breakaway also had a lengthy cocktail menu, with hockey-themed names–but the one that caught my attention was the Canadian.
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Maple syrup in a drink? When it's used to temper a jigger of Crown Royal, you better believe it! Throw in mint leaves and lemon, and you're left with something that tastes like a pancake–a tart, sweet, supple, slightly smoky delight. Even watered down (ask them to cut the H20 by half), the Canadian was a pleasant surprise. Not so pleasant was the price tag–$13, which I'm sure most John Wayne flyers can afford but not this poor Mexican. Regardless, if you need to get trashed to calm your nerves before a red-eye, or just like living life as a lush, a Canadian will satisfy like a Paul Kariya goal–oh, wait, that was a Ducks superstar of another generation…
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