Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog

Have you ever been to The Hobbit?  It’s a restaurant and unique dining experience in Orange that has nothing to do with the novel, movie or Hobbit character, whew — At least I didn’t see any visual cues of it, though didn’t ask the origin of its name.  Regardless, it’s simply a great place to possibly have the best meal of your life, if you have a few hours to spare.

After years of hoping to dine at The Hobbit, my husband took me for my birthday, another reason why I married him this year.  Dining here could be an annual occasion, he may be afraid to learn, as it’s not inexpensive, but worth the time and money — It’s a good value, I think.

We’ve arrived — Who and what’s behind the door?  Looks like a speakeasy slot, I like it.

We started with a Glass of Wine and seat in the Bar (above) — The Hobbit experience starts with an optional drink in the Bar, or in one of the other sitting areas inside or outside.

After orientation of the Bar and various rooms within an old converted house, all head downstairs to the Wine Cellar for Champagne & Hors d’ Oeuvres (included in a fixed price).

You may eat and enjoy as many Hors d’ Oeuvres and drink as much Champagne as you like.

The photos don’t do all justice – Each Hors d’ Oeuvre was exceptional, delicious and top notch.

Busy trying everything while I could (about ten dishes over and over again), I didn’t take notes — Amongst other dishes, they offered a smooth Liver Pâté, Steak Tartare, Beef Saté, Caviar, etc.  I’m personally not a big Caviar fan, but appreciate their generosity.

I loved The Hobbit’s Steak Tartare — It was perfectly chilled and fresh.

If you like, while in the Wine Cellar, select a bottle of Wine to have with dinner.

The experience continues upstairs, from the Wine Cellar at a privately assigned table.

It’s romantic too.

Even the Bread Roll was extra special, with a lot Herbs.

The Hobbit meals come with an ever-changing menu/program, with intermission and all.

Your menu will most likely be different, but ours included Seared Loin of Lamb with Organic Red Quinoa and a Tart Cherry Reduction (top photo), Butter Lettuce with Roquefort Dressing and Port Poached Pear (directly above), and Wild Mushroom Stuffed Filet Mignon (below).

Almond Cake, Apricot Ice Cream and a Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse (below).

Enlarge photo with menu (above) to view descriptions of all dishes.

During intermission that’s followed by Sorbet and the main entrée, we visited the kitchen and enjoyed our Wine on the outdoor patio, while hoping to make room for more food.

We toast to the Chefs and owners of The Hobbit — We LOVED our meal and time there.

Make another reservation for me, PLEASE!

I’m not sure where the baby shower idea and photo (above) originated, but think it’s adorable, thus post it here along with my favorite bridal shower FOOD idea (below).

More baby shower food ideas are here — More about my Cupcake Bridal Shower Cake is here.

We love to build our ideal Pizza for a fair fixed price and can now do it at Blaze Pizza.

Tell them exactly what you want on your Pizza and they’ll make and blaze it for you.

Pick a Sauce, Cheese, Meat and/or Vegetables, or mix a few, several, or all if you like.

Blaze Pizza offers Kalamata Olives, Pineapple, Roasted Garlic and Red Bell Peppers, sautéed Onions, Jalapenos and Artichoke Hearts, all my favorites, and more than what’s shown here.

Its Thin Crust cooks fast and we realize we like Blaze Pizza slightly better than its local competition, Pieology, which has nothing wrong with it, but Blaze fires ahead in flavor.

One just opened in La Habra and others will be opening soon throughout Southern California.

The Pizza above was made with 1/2 Classic Red Sauce & 1/2 White Cream Sauce, and the other (top) was made with a Spicy Red Sauce and various toppings — We want another.

It was great to be back at Alegria Cocina Latina in Long Beach.  I have old memories there.  It’s probably been over 15 years since I’ve been to Alegria and it looked just as good, if not better than I remember.  It has new owners who continue to care for and enhance it.  I’ve always liked the bright, multi-colored tile floor, stylish bar and outdoor patios, and their Sangrias of course.  Nobody does them better! A lot of care and time is put into making them.

They offer a Red, White and Seasonal Sangrias all the time.

Alegria’s cuisine is a fusion of Spanish, Mexican and Latin American flavors.

A portion of Alegria’s patio is above and one dining area is set for a large party below.

We tried a few dishes, including Paella Valenciana (top) and Ceviche De Cameron (below).

I liked the Red Sangria best and the guy looking at you below liked the White Sangria better.

They also have a Flamenco Stage with a band and dancers – You can watch, or dance too.

The Humitas Chilenas (below) was different and decadent — It’s a Homemade Sweet Corn Tamale Soufflé with Shrimp and a Cayenne Cream Sauce.  I’d have it again next visit.

We enjoyed the El Gaucho too (below) — It’s was quite flavorful and tender.

And it’s literally called… El Grande Final! (below) — A platter of Alegria’s bite-sized desserts.

My favorite was the Capirotada — Their Bread Pudding with Fruit and Nuts.

And yet in another room (below), a painting class was taking place — Very cool.

It’s an occasional gathering at Alegria put together by Brushstrokes and Beverages.

Pine Avenue has a lot to offer — New restaurants, long-time beloved ones and more.  Alegria included, there are countless reasons to spend time in Long Beach.  LOVE the LBC and miss it.

From a Potato Contest I’ve learned to appreciate Ground Turkey, and other dishes I wouldn’t choose to make — At least there’s that, since my photos haven’t produced many wins.

* The pictured is not an official entry in the contest. The chosen ones are much better, I think.

We rented a Luxury Electric Boat from Newport Fun Tours and cruised the Newport Beach Harbor with plenty to eat and drink for 90 minutes — You may have seen them on Groupon.

A Cheese Platter doesn’t come with a Newport Fun Tours cruise — We brought it and the Grey Poupon too, just in case anyone asked for it, plus it goes well with a fabulous Cheese Platter.

Balboa Fun Zone view (below) from our Luxury Electric Boat — Well, I really wouldn’t call it luxury, since our boat was a bit used looking, like an old water limo, but it ran well for us.

The day was cloudy, brightened with Cheese, Wine and cute, smiling serving utensils.

I made the pictured Cheese Platter with 5 kinds of Cheese, Salami, Crackers, Pecans, Grapes from our garden, Kalamata Olives and Roasted Red Peppers, Peperoncinis and Pickles, with Mustard on the side — A couple seagulls landed on the bow wanting some.  Negative, sorry.

Wine and snacks are sold at Newport Fun Tours check-in, but the options aren’t this good.