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Showing posts with label andrew acuna. Show all posts
Showing posts with label andrew acuna. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

OC Restaurant Week 2013: House of Big Fish and Ice Cold Beer by Andrew Acuna!

On Saturday afternoon I ended my OC Restaurant week experience by going to House of Big Fish and Ice Cold Beer in Laguna Beach. Getting there may be an experience in itself depending on what time of the day you head there. The restaurant in located off of PCH on the north side of the street with a parking area underneath the restaurant location that does validate the parking if you eat there.
After you park and head up to the restaurant the first thing that will catch your eye is the amazing view of the ocean. Once you walk into the restaurant you can either sit at the bar or wait to be seated. If you make reservations you may have a better chance to get an ocean view if you ask but no guarantees depending on how busy it is.
I made this trip to the restaurant with a few friends, with three of us getting the OC restaurant week 3 course beer pairing menu.

You have two appetizer choices: half scoop ahi poke or Thai glazed calamari.
After the appetizer you get a choice of either a caesar salad or a cup of clam chowder.
For your entrée you had three choices between hibachi salmon, Mac nut mahi mahi and 6oz filet mignon. And to wash it all down you get a choice of a draft beer. Well the original plan was to try one of each but after placing our order the waiter came back to inform us that the mahi mahi was out. So we ended up getting to hibachi salmons and the filet.

At first the service was a little slow but the waiter made that up to us by first apologizing to us and then explain to us that they where having computer problems with the order input process due to not being prepared for the restaurant week. Our food order got sent to the bar and our drink orders got sent to the kitchen. After our server figured out the issue he quickly fixed the problem.

For my beer I chose to drink a Stella and ordered the ahi poke for my appetizer, cup of clam chowder and the filet. The ahi was pretty good with an unique marinate, the chowder was a good size and the filet was cooked to order with a great marinate as well topping mashed potatoes and a side of vegetables. I tried the salmon which was also good but didn't care to try the calamari which I was told tasted good except for the fact that the sauce that was drizzled over it started making the calamari soggy after awhile.

You may also get bread with your meal only by request. I would defiantly go there again to try some of there other foods they have. Besides the small mix up at the beginning I can say it was worth coming out to try.

House of Big Fish and Ice Cold Beer
540 South Coast Highway #200
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Phone: 949.715.4500
Website |
Map

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

OC Restaurant Week 2013: The Anaheim White House by Andrew Acuna

This past Sunday I had the pleasure to dine at the Anaheim White House for the OC Restaurant Week. The cost for the dinner was 30 dollars per person which includes an alcoholic beverage and 3 course meal.
The way the dinner menu is set up it is great to go with a friend so you are able to try the most items off the menu if you share. The drink, appetizer, and dessert come with two choices and there are 5 choices for the entrée.
Both drinks are made with champagne one is mixed with Chambord that comes in a champagne flute and the other is mixed with vodka, Chambord, and pineapple juice served in a martini glass.

The ravioli formaggio came out with three good size ravioli's.
The contemporary greens came in an edible rice paper shell and was tossed in there world famous passion fruit vinaigrette.
For the entrée I had the hanger steak (below) and my friend had the pappardelle bolognese (above). Both dishes where great and well portioned.

 For the dessert the white chocolate mousse (above) was well made and the fresh berries (below) were actually fresh.

 You may even be lucky enough to meet Bruno the owner. 

 For most people 30 dollars for a meal might sound a little much but if you take a step back and look what you got for that 30 dollars you will realize that not only did you get to try an amazing new place but that you received a great selection of food. This was my second time coming to the Anaheim White House and both times were greatly enjoyed. From being sat down at your table with napkins with bow ties and everyone in there dining staff giving you that elegant presentation from the bottle of wines being poured to the presentation of all the food that comes out. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone that wants to have an amazing dining experience that is worth your money.

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Review of Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour Restaurant in Brea by Staff Writer Andrew Acuna



I don’t know how many of you can say you remember Farrell’s-Ice Cream Parlour Restaurant. Well, on Friday, I had the opportunity to dine at Farrell’s in Brea, for a VIP charity event for the non-profit Heroes and Patriots. 
As I stepped foot inside the restaurant I was immediately brought back to my child hood memories with the atmosphere. Every single person working was happy to be there, and the sound of people laughing and having a good time brought back those memories. Seeing that we were there for the charity event we were promptly seated. 
The girl that sat us was very cheerful and informed us that our server Nicole would be right with us. 
Nicole came very quickly and suggested a few fountain drinks, I started off with the Sarsaparilla and Jessica started with the Vanilla Coke. She quickly filled our drink order and returned to take our food order. I ordered under the Gourmet Pizzas “The Meaty Trio” which was topped with pepperoni, sausage and ham and Jessica ordered the Cobb Salad. When my pizza came out I was happy with the way it looked. It was a nice size with an even balance of the toppings. The crust had the right amount of crunch and it was complimented by the great flavors the toppings gave it. 
At this point I decided to try their Coke which the server brought out promptly Jessica also changed her drink to a Cherry Coke to which she says was the best that she has tasted. 
Jessica’s Cobb Salad was dressed like any other cob salad but it had a few surprises. The chicken was freshly cooked and the croutons were amazing with its fresh garlic and butter taste. We later found out that the croutons were freshly cooked daily. Jessica could not stop eating the salad to which I had to remind her we still had dessert coming. 
For dessert Jessica had the Caramel Nugget, both the hot fudge and caramel were hot and Spanish nuts gave it such a different taste, she loved it. I stuck with an Oreo shake, which was great.
There was a lot of history put into the look and feel of the restaurant. From the floor to the ceilings, there was such a unique look. The walls were covered in history with pictures and menus from the past. The dining area was a nice size which included a patio area for outside dining. The lights throughout the restaurant had nice stained glass lamp shades, which helped with the look.
There was three big screen TV’s displaying a slide show with new and old photos. 
One of the things Farrell’s is known for is the excitement brought with celebrating your dessert, I mean special occasions. Picture your dessert coming out followed by the beat of the drum and the cheer of the servers all dressed up in their pin-striped vests, old fashioned ties, and cane hats.
The restaurant was kept really clean, as soon the patrons left the table was cleared and floors were swept.

I had the pleasure of speaking with the one of the Managers Dana, The President Paul Kramer, and the CEO Mike Fleming. It was great speaking with each one of them, I learned a little from each of them. Mike was able to share a little about the founder Bob Farrell, who is now a motivational speaker with his “Give ’Em The Pickle”. Mr. Farrell had the opportunity to work with Walt Disney at Disneyland where he learned much about hiring, training, and motivating employees before he opened Farrell’s.


Farrell’s opens its doors on Monday December 26, 2011, 11AM to 11PM and is located on the corner of Brea Blvd. and Birch Street.

215 South Brea Blvd.

Brea, CA 92821

(714) 990-4FUN (386)



“Farrell's Ice Cream Parlours - the place where "old time memories for a new generation" are made every day.”