Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog

Seemingly free or not, there were times that I just couldn’t eat it — I didn’t want to use Knott’s Berry Farm’s All Season Dining Plan, though I had already paid for it.  Sometimes because the food just didn’t sound good, and other times because I didn’t want to wait in a long line to be greeted by a Knott’s employee with no sense of urgency.  They get paid no matter how many meals are served.

 

Knott’s Season Dining Pass (Report #5):  1/2 lb. Cheeseburger (above) and a Spicy Chicken Sandwich (below) from the Wilderness Broiler on the edge of Ghost Town.  It’s our first time trying the Spicy Chicken Sandwich.  It’s not as commonly offered as the Cheeseburger.  Speaking of, we may be on the verge of discovering that Knott’s Cheeseburger tastes the same no matter what restaurant it’s from.  It’s just called a Cheeseburger at the Grizzy Creek Lodge, but it seems to be the same, though the Grizzy Creek Lodge has a Condiment Bar offering more to put on a Cheeseburger, Sandwich and/or Hot Dog.  Outside the Wilderness Broiler there’s Yellow Mustard and Ketchup only, and neither sound right to remedy a dry Spicy Chicken Sandwich.

I suppose it’s called a “Spicy” Chicken Sandwich because it has Jalapenos on it.  That’s the only spicy part.  The Chicken didn’t appear or taste spiced in any way.  The Chicken Breast was relatively thin, large, well-done and crispy — The type that’s best smothered in Gravy and had with a knife and fork, not served on a small, equally dry Focaccia Roll.  Where’s the Chipotle Mayo or something like it?  Flavor needs to be added to Knott’s so-called Spicy Chicken Sandwich.  I wish I could report it’s better.  We like Knott’s, but it’s only April and I’m starting to realize that I somewhat dread its meals, though we paid for an annual Season Dining Pass.  Well, there’s more to try and test and we’ll continue to hope for the best.  Come back later to read about the rest.

March just started and we’re already annoyed with the lack of efficiency and under staffing at Knott’s Berry Farm restaurants, specifically those participating in Knott’s Season Dining Pass.  Lines are worse than I thought they would be.  The Cantina (above) needs more organization.  We joke that employees are told to ‘move slowly’ so not to hand out too many meals each day with the dining pass, ha.  Could it be?  Not saying that, just asking Knott’s to make things better, please.

We’re eating our way through Knott’s Berry Farm’s Season Dining Pass — The Chicken Tostada Salad (above) from the Cantina in Fiesta Village is my current favorite meal there, though I haven’t yet tried them all.  Pictured below is the Pepperoni Pizza and French Fries from Boardwalk Barbecue.  It was described as a Flat Bread Pizza, but appears more like a typical slice of Pizza, and with French Fries it’s quite heavy.  It would be better if the Pizza was served with a Salad.

All Knott’s Season Dining Pass Meals will eventually be pictured here on Nibbles of Tidbits — Check back once I stop eating the Chicken Tostada Salad.  Previous meal reports are linked here and here.

Our first meal with Knott’s Berry Farm’s Season Dining Pass was this mega Cheeseburger at Grizzly Creek Lodge in Camp Snoopy.  We each had one, though one Cheeseburger could certainly feed two. They gave us a lot of French Fries too.  Without the Season Dining Pass, the meal comes with a drink and costs $15.29.  We presented our Season Pass Cards and seamlessly received our meals.

The Cheeseburger here is quite thick and large as mentioned, and tastes a little like Salisbury Steak, or the Burgers I used to get in elementary school.  There’s something home-y about it.  It’s old school tasting and I kind of liked that.  It’s not the best Cheeseburger in town and we didn’t expect it to be, but it will suffice.  By the end of the year, we will have tried all items available with Knott’s Season Dining Pass.  It will be interesting to see if the Burgers at the participating restaurants are the same or different.  I hope they will be different, but I suspect they’re the same.  We will see.

Season Pass meals are shown with a red fork, spoon and knife in a yellow circle that’s circled in blue.

I like the large condiment bar at Grizzly Creek Lodge, but it may not end up being our first choice to eat, since it’s in Camp Snoopy and there were a lot of screaming kids inside there this day.  I may be more of a Cantina girl.  The year will tell and so will I.  It’ll be an adventurous time at Knott’s.

We just purchased Knott’s Berry Farm 2016 Season Passes and Knott’s All Season Dining Pass. For around $185 each, we get (1) Lunch and (1) Dinner every day in 2016 at Knott’s Berry Farm. There are no blackout dates.  What a deal!  We technically wouldn’t need to spend anything more on food or entertainment for the entire year.  We can go to Knott’s every single day and eat twice. There’s a (4) hour interval between meals.  Locals should seriously consider this as a good meal and entertainment plan, especially if poor and often bored.  We’re within biking distance and couldn’t pass it up.  We plan to try and report on the food at all participating restaurants.  There are seven.

With a Season Pass Dining Plan one can enjoy Lunch and/or Dinner at each of the following restaurants… Sutter’s Grill, Wilderness Broiler, formerly known as Bigfoot Broiler, Hollywood Hits, Coaster’s Diner, Boardwalk Barbecue, Cantina and Grizzly Creek Lodge — They are listed in the same order they’re pictured herein.  We barely photographed all of them before the sun went down.

Sutter’s Grill is pictured at top, as Matt points out, and its Season Pass Dining Menu is below it.

If you circle Knott’s Berry Farm clockwise from the front gate, you’ll find each of these participating restaurants in the same order they are presented here.  The Wilderness Broiler, also in Ghost Town is pictured next.  They’re grilling up Chicken Sandwiches, Cheeseburgers and Hot Dogs.

It’s hard to see the various menus here (better if enlarged), but they’re all somewhat similar.

Moving into Boardwalk, Hollywood Hits restaurant offers Pizza.

If wanting Pizza instead of a Burger or Hot Dog with Season Pass Dining, go to Hollywood Hits.

Each participating restaurant menu offers four Combos and a Caesar Salad to choose from.

Coaster’s Diner (below), also in Boardwalk is a cute place to eat.

Chicken Tenders and a Southwest Cheeseburger are offered here, differing from the other menus.

Boardwalk Barbecue (below), another participating restaurant is also in Boardwalk.

In addition to a Grilled Foot-Long Hot Dog, Cheeseburger and Grilled Chicken Sandwich, Boardwalk Barbecue offers a Flat Bread Pizza.  And then there’s the Cantina in Fiesta Village, the only restaurant where you can get a Burrito, Taco or Tostada Salad on the Season Pass Dining Plan.

The Cantina is pictured above and below.  Every restaurant offers a Caesar Salad too.

And finally there’s Grizzly Creek Lodge, the largest restaurant of all in Camp Snoopy (below).

It offers dining downstairs and upstairs, inside and out.

Once you have circled the park stopping at each of the participating restaurants on Knott’s Season Pass Dining Plan, there are no new menu offerings at Grizzly Creek Lodge, except for the large condiment bar pointed out by Matt below.  Though the menu items are somewhat repetitive, the deal is good, since each combo costs around $15.  Drinks are not included with Season Pass Dining.

A 2016 All Season Bottle can be purchased for about $25 for Unlimited Free Refills on drinks.  We didn’t purchase that.  I believe we’re allowed to bring a bottle of water into Knott’s (I need to confirm that), which will suffice since we rarely drink sodas.  We’d rather purchase a liquor plan.

We start our Season Pass Dining at Knott’s Berry Farm in 2016.

Check back to see what tastes best there.

If I’ve ever had Mrs. Knott’s Fried Chicken before, I don’t remember.  I should have, since I’ve probably been to Knott’s Berry Farm a hundred times.  I grew up nearby.  Most of the time there’s a long line and I don’t like long lines.  This day it was free and clear.  We walked right in the very day we resolved to stand in line for it — At Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant.

In one of several dining room areas — It’s fairly large inside and often full.

I came away thinking it could be the Hot Buttermilk Biscuits they stand in line for — WOW, they are good!  They’re warm and something special.  And I’m not one to get excited about Biscuits.

Soup and Salad is served with all Chicken meals — Mrs. Knott’s Famous Fried Chicken for us.

It also comes with the choice of Cabbage seasoned with Ham or Sweet Kernel Corn.

Though the Cabbage with Ham looks basic, it’s flavorful and rich — I’d get it again too.

We split a meal, like others often do, we’re told — It’s a lot of food for one.

Prices have changed in 70+ years — Today all is $16.99, and the same was only $0.85 in 1940.

We upgraded to all White Meat — It’s $3.59 more, perhaps $0.15 back in the day?!

We like the STAR with longevity too — Fried Chicken.  Okay, I’ll stand in line for all.

Shouldn’t they be offering Knott’s Jellies, Jams and Preserves?!  What’s up with the Smucker’s?

Last year we planted six Tomato plants in one raised bed and this year we only planted four.  Though we love an abundance of Tomatoes, we could hardly get to them.  It became a Tomato jungle we had to forge through.  They look sparse now, but we hope to have the same luck this year.

In our other raised garden, we planted Jalapenos, Poblano Peppers, Japanese Eggplant, Red, Brown & White Onions, Cilantro, Curly Parsley, Purple Basil, Lime Basil, Pineapple Sage and Thyme.

We’re seeing at least ten small clusters of Grapes growing on the old Grape vine.

We bought a two-inch Boysenberry vine from Knott’s Berry Farm last year and we’re happy that it continues to grow.  We hope to see Boysenberries on it some year down the road.

Matt has a green thumb, and especially a Pineapple green thumb — We have one starting above, one maturing below, and four others that we’re hoping will do something.  He’s grown several.

Wild Blackberries grow on the other side of the house — They’re great to have, but VERY thorn-ey.

Serrano Peppers grow throughout the year in a couple other pots, whether we want them or not.

Zucchini is growing in another corner of the yard.  I have not grown it before.

And Oyster Mushrooms are growing in the house — In a Mini Mushroom Farm we got from Home Depot.  We soaked its internal plastic bag in water for a day, cut an ‘X’ in the front of it and returned it to its box to grow.  Pictured below is five days growth.  It’s fun to watch them grow so fast.

For non-edible enjoyment, flowers grow in the side planter below.  We planted hundreds of miscellaneous flower seeds to yield a flower-grab-bag to surprise us all summer long.

I had the sign below made for our garden shed — FW stands for Freis West.  Most of the Freis live back East.  In Michigan and Wisconsin.  They’re Freis East and we’re Freis West (FW for short).

We’re also growing Meyer Lemons, Limes, Tangelos and Rosemary (not pictured) and tend to our gardens daily.  We’re grateful to see all grow and will share the abundance in a few months.

I’ve only heard good things about Porto’s Bakery & Cafe, so I was excited that they opened up one in Buena Park, off Beach Boulevard down the street from Knott’s Berry Farm.  It just opened last month. We attempted to go there a couple times, but the line wrapped around the building.

We finally went there recently and only had to wait in line for 15 minutes.

A large, beautiful space with indoor and outdoor seating was constructed for Porto’s in Buena Park.

On this day (and perhaps always), there were secondary lines.  Once inside, we were directed to one of two other lines to order food.  Each area included glass cases displaying gorgeous desserts and savory items — Cakes, Cookies, various Pastries, Croquettes, Empanadas, and much more.

I asked for (at least) one of each of the House Specialties listed below.

Though I ordered one of each of the House Specialties, I only ended up with most of them — One of each from the case below, except the Rellenito, because they were out of them.  Now we have to go back for the rest, plus more, which is fine without a line.  Matt (pictured at top) leaving with our sweet and savory boxes — A great moment.  We were eager to get home to try it all.

Our savory box below included a Ham Croquette, Cheese/Pepper Potato Ball, a Chicken Empanada, a Chorizo Pie, a Seafood Potato Ball, two Meat Pies, and two Potato Balls, because it is one of Porto’s specialties — Potato Balls filled with ground Beef and Peppers.  We each had to have our own.

We shared it all — And the Potato Ball was our favorite too.  The meat inside it is so well seasoned.

We also shared a Guava Strudel, Raspberry Kiss Cookie, Cherry Turnover and Mango Empanada.

I loved the Raspberry Kiss Cookie — It’s not the most dazzling dessert there, but it is tasty.

Porto’s closes at 7 p.m., but allows those in line at that time into the building to order.

Porto’s prices are pretty good too — There’s much more we want to try there.

Much is growing here this year.  It’s something I’ve always wanted.  An edible garden.  I want to grow everything possible to eat — Fruit, herbs, vegetables, berries, nuts, you name it.  It would be a dream come true. Though we’re unable to grow everything, it’s a better crop than last year.

Blackberries.

Pineapples.

Grapes forming on healthy vines.

Six different types of Tomatoes, four stalks of Corn, seven Walla Walla Onions, and three types of Sweet Peppers are growing strong, while Cesar the tortoise mows the backyard lawn.

Before (above) and after (below) in just weeks — Corn, Tomatoes, Peppers and Onions are taking off.

Herbs (Baby Basil, Oregano, Mint, Chives and Thyme), Jalapenos, Arugula, Fennel, Dill and various kinds of Lettuce are doing well in our other raised garden.  A couple seeds we planted I can’t recall.

Heirloom Tomatoes are starting to form — It’s a beautiful sight.  All looks healthy.

Boysenberries — We bought a Boysenberry plant from Knott’s Berry Farm and now see a mini berry.

Lemons — A staple for zest and juice in many dishes.

Strawberries — The birds or something else usually gets them before we do.

Too many Tangelos sometimes, but we appreciate the tree.

Two Pineapples are clearly visible with the potential for two more.

Spring is springing — We’re grateful for all that grows and lives.  Thanks to God.

If all goes well, we’ll be thrilled to show a bounty this summer.

Garden Update:  June 12, 2016 (check back for future updates and bounty).

I previously wrote the following SIDEBAR for a book that never got published, so I’ve decided to print it here on Nibbles of Tidbits.  It’s a short summary about FOOD in ORANGE COUNTY.

Orange County (“The OC”), California is more than one narrowly portrayed personality, as seen on TV – But we’ll focus on the food.  It’s a fine blend of many personalities, specialties and ethnicities. It’s a county made up of 34 diverse incorporated cities that span almost 800 square miles.  To associate Orange County with just one character, note or dimension wouldn’t be true.  But again, let’s get away from the gaggy OC television programs and back to its food.

Instead of one incentive to eat in Orange County, there are a multitude of motivations to enjoy a meal there.  From Aliso Viejo to Yorba Linda alphabetically, or San Clemente to La Habra geographically, you would be hard pressed not to find the best of your favorite dish there — The odds are in your favor and the payoff can be delicious.  One does not need to travel out of the county to find the best Steak, the best Taco, the best Fried Rice, or the best Fish, etc.  All can be found in the OC.

Many people still travel to Buena Park to stand in line for Mrs. Knott’s Fried Chicken, which has been served since 1934.  Since that time, the available food has evolved in such a way that there is now something remarkable for everyone.  The growth of the Hispanic and Asian populations in recent decades has significantly influenced its culture and food offerings.

Some of the finest Mexican food is here in almost every city — And who doesn’t love Mexican food?  The Asian cuisines are also well represented in Orange County.  Excellent Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Vietnamese restaurants can be found without roaming too far.  Sushi is also very popular.  One can voyage to the coastal cities, such as Newport Beach and Dana Point to take pleasure in its fresh Fish offerings and oceanfront dining.  Oh, I can’t leave out Italian food, since I’ve had the absolute best in this county.  And finally, Indian food deserves a most honorable mention, since Orange County is where I learned to love it.  The flavors are intense and the OC’s offerings are top quality.

Many great chefs appear to be venturing out in this direction making the choices even better.  Fondue restaurants seem to be popping up recently in a few locations throughout the county.  And Irvine is the the hub of the business district, which tends to entice some of the more sophisticated restaurants.

Orange County has more than its share of small hidden treasures and fine dining establishments.  This sidebar merely touches upon the various specialties in the OC.  As stated, Orange County doesn’t just have one draw — It has too many to mention here.

Related Links:

http://www.visitorangecounty.net/

http://egov.ocgov.com/portal/site/ocgov/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_County,_California