Restaurant Preview: Splitsville Luxury Lanes Downtown Disney Anaheim

Sasaki Time was invited to a preview of the new Splitsville Luxury Lanes in the Downtown Disney District at the Disneyland Resort. This retro 1950s looking bowling, entertainment and dining venue sits on what was once the home of The House of Blues but the building is brand new from the ground up! I already love the large windows and the patio area!

Time to dive into the menu!

We started with the spicy edamame that is steamed and tossed with sesame oil and chili sauce. There is a great kick to it as to be expected and yet finishes with the subtle sweetness of the edamame. Wildly addicting!

We also got the cheeseburger sliders. Now these sliders are pretty big and pretty tasty! Each of these nearly full-sized cheeseburgers are topped with lettuce, caramelized onions, tomatoes, pickles, special sauce and cheese! I admit these are fairly close to an In-N-Out burger. One can easily get full off of all three of these!

Vehicle Review: 2016 Mazda CX-9 Signature Edition

It's Jason from Sasaki Time and it is time for another vehicle review! This time it is the 2016 Mazda CX-9 Signature Edition! I took the gorgeous and stylish Mazda CX-9 on a trip to Northern California and some food adventures! Excited? Well, here we go!

Time to load up the luggage, a duffel bag and some snacks into the Mazda CX-9 Signature and hit the open road.

This is not your average soccer mom SUV. Powering this CX-9 is a turbocharged SkyActiv 2.5-Liter engine with four-cylinders. I averaged about 28 miles per gallon on the highway. Going up and over the Grapevine on my way to Sacramento was a breeze. It didn't even feel like the engine was working hard at all. The Sport version starts at $31,520 but the Signature edition that I tested with the real Napa leather, hand-carved Japanese rosewood interior, aluminum accents, a premium Bose audio system, solid technological and safety features is worth every penny of its $45,000 price tag.

The CX-9 Signature edition is a head turner. The long, sloping hood with that distinctly Mazda grill and smooth lines along the body and roofline make this one of the best looking SUVs on the market. I love the large 20-inch alloy wheels, heated mirrors, keyless entry, rain-sensing sensors and the power liftgate.

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Inside, the CX-9 Signature edition has a number of unique interior touches.  You get Napa leather, heated front power seats, real wood accents, even knee padding on the sides of the center console. The cabin is very comfortable as well as very quiet. You get two USB ports in the front and  a fantastic Bose audio system.

The interior continues with a well thought out dash layout. Gauges and controls are easy to read and to use. A central controller on the console helps you navigate the large infotainment display. You also get a Heads-up Display (HUD) with all the critical information floating right below my direct line of sight. Not only can I easily see my speed but all of my navigation information and even safety information such as blind-side monitoring. There are quite a few safety features as well including cross traffic alerts with backup sensors, variable cruise control, lane keep assistance, emergency braking and three rows of side curtain airbags. 

Now driving six hours to Northern California meant a few food adventures with my parents.

The first food adventure takes us to the Jackson Casino for this amazing dish of lobster claws for only $10. A delicious ginger black bean sauce and 10 lobster claws make this one of the best seafood dishes ever.

And no trip home would be complete without some spam musubi from my mom. As some of you know, my folks are from Hawaii and spam is the local favorite.

Back down in Southern California, I went to Cross Roast Eatery in Anaheim. They are trying to become the Asian Chipotle. You pick one of several Asian proteins such as the roast pork belly and roast duck that I chose for my dish above. You then pick the base, which I selected ginger rice, but you could pick ramen, or tacos or a baguette for instance. Then you get to pick your toppings and your sauce. An amazing experience and one I will go back to for sure. 

Halfsies is a new donut shop in Tustin. Here they specialize in amazing toppings for your donut. You get to customize your donut. The one on the right is dipped in maple glaze, then topped with granny smith apples and strawberries, cinnamon toast crunch, whipped cream, a nutella drizzle and finished with a sprinkling of cinnamon. The one on the left is dipped in a chocolate glaze, cocoa krispies, cookie crisp, the Grinch ice cream, a toasted marshmallow and a chocolate drizzle. Both of my creations were amazing!

So, after these food adventures, it was time to finish my week of driving the amazing Mazda CX-9 Signature edition. From the stunning good looks to the power of the turbocharged engine, the Mazda CX-9 is a winner. Add quality craftsmanship, a comfortable cabin layout and a bevy of safety options, the CX-9 deserves to be on your list of the top family SUV list this year.

Backstreet Brewery in Anaheim Encourages You to Drink Local!

My friend Danny took me to his favorite new brewery in Anaheim. Located near Anaheim Stadium where the Angels play, Backstreet Brewery has been brewing beer in the OC since 1998! I'll be quite honest, this was the first time I had heard of them!

Take a look at their variety of beer! With 16 beers on tap, how do you choose? So many amazing choices and they will even pour you a shot to taste!

If you select to do a flight, you write down which four beers you want to try!

Look at this flight! Such great color on the beer! I'm a fan of pretty much every style of beer and got their most popular beers! Each beer was full of great flavors!

After the flight, it was time for a pint! This is a pint of the End of The Rainbow Dry Irish Stout! A new favorite! A delicious coffee stout that goes down smooth!

I loved the End of The Rainbow so much that I went home with a growler!

Great service and great beer will keep me coming back for more! Remember to Drink Local!

Anaheim location

1884 S Santa Cruz St
Anaheim, CA 92805

http://www.backstreetbrew.com/

The Day We Destroyed a $60 Burger at JT Schmid's!

On an epic evening, four friends got together at JT Schmid's in Anaheim to see if they could take down an epic meal! A $60 six pound burger with four sides! Could we do it? Let's find out!

Here are the four sides! Tater tots, steak fries, sweet potato fries and shoestring fries! Man I can eat all those tater tots all by myself!

Here comes the burger! As soon as the burger came out people in the restaurant came over to take pictures of us and the burger! One guy commented that we had to get started because the restaurant would close in five hours! We would finish in less than 45 minutes!

Pay no mind to my crazy face! I think I was just making sure I wouldn't drop the epic burger! This was one of the juiciest, tastiest burgers ever!



Watch the epic time lapse video as we make short work of the $60 burger! We only left a few fries and some of the top bun!

Thanks to JT Schmid's for hosting us!

Hours of Operation:

Mon-Fri: Open at 11am
Sat & Sun: Open at 12pm

2610 E Katella Ave
Anaheim, C.A. 92806

Elado Mexican Style Ice Cream - Home of the Creamy Churro - Horchata Ice Cream and Churro!

My friend and I went to go and try a new ice cream place in Anaheim! Welcome to Elado Mexican Style Ice Cream!

They offer a variety of ice cream flavors!

Lots of amazing creations with their ice cream to choose from!

They have smoothies and all the ice cream is made fresh weekly!

Lots of creations with their sorbet to choose from!

Milkshakes!

The Pina Colada mixes pineapple sorbet and coconut ice cream with pineapple and sweetened condensed milk. So creamy and better than any other ice cream place that tries to make the same item.

The Creamy Churro has horchata ice cream and warm churro pieces and chocolate syrup. This is made to order and may take a few minutes to make but it is so worth it! The warm churro pieces melt the creamy horchata ice cream into this wonderful Cinnamon toast Crunch type of flavor!

A close up of the Creamy Churro!

Elado Ice Cream is located at 732 N. Anaheim Blvd. 92805

They are open 12-9 every day!

Vehicle Review: 2015 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring FWD

It's time for the first vehicle review of 2015! This time it is the 2015 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring FWD compact SUV! I was not planning on test driving this vehicle at the OC Auto Show last year but I am so glad that I did! This is a fantastic vehicle and perfect for driving the family around or just going out for a night on the town.

As soon as my foot hit the accelerator, I feel in love with this vehicle and so will you. The 2015 Mazda CX-5 handles more like a car than a SUV. If this is the soccer mom vehicle, then you better get two because dad will want to drive this one as well. Plus, with SkyActive technology, this compact SUV gets combined 27 MPG with 25 in the City and 32 on the highway. That makes this one of the best fuel economy vehicles in its class!

Sporty good looks make this SUV stand out! The Soul Red Metallic color of the vehicle helps the 2015 Mazda CX-5 stand out as well! The 19-inch alloy wheels are perfect!

The HID headlights are super bright and throw out enough light for four lanes of traffic. Driving at night has never felt safer with the road so easily seen. The side mirrors offer one of my favorite safety features, the Blind Side Monitoring (BSM) system.

Plush seats up front are roomy and supports your body while driving. Trust me, you will appreciate the sports designed seats when you test out the handling of the CX-5. The seats feel like they hug your body. Mazda takes its rich racing heritage seriously, even for a family vehicle.

The interior is large and spacious! All the controls are easily within reach! The 2015 Mazda CX-5 is in fact the only compact SUV to offer my favorite feature, the push to start button as part of their standard package!

The dashboard gauges are simple and easy to read.

The 5.8-inch color touchscreen entertainment/navigation system is handy. You also get a backup camera. Entertainment options include AM/FM radio, Pandora, Sirius, a CD player and to play any audio on your phone. The navigation system is powered by TomTom.

Climate controls are simply and straight forward.

Your rear passengers will find a ton of leg room waiting for them.

The smooth lines continue to the back of the vehicle.

Look at all that space in the back! There is more than enough room for groceries, or luggage or to carry whatever you want to.

You also have a full size spare tire.

Super easy pull tabs easily drop the second row seats for additional storage space. This is probably the easiest way to drop seats I have seen in a SUV.

You will want to take your 2015 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring FWD everywhere! It looks great at any venue, whether it is a night out on the town to take in the latest play or simply driving the kids to school.

Shopping at night at the South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa.

Dropping friends off at the airport or here at ARTIC (Anaheim Regional Tranrsportation Intermodal Center) in Anaheim. The lights can be changed to any color. This night the building is Orange as it was the night that longtime Anaheim Ducks player Teemu Selanne retired. He is the first Duck player to have his number retired.

Good night from ARTIC!

One of my favorite SUV's to drive! Great handling and performance in and around the Orange County area! Head-turning looks and fantastic fuel economy makes this the compact SUV for you and your family!

The 2015 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring starts at $25, 795 but my review vehicle came in at $30, 910.