Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog

Pescadou Bistro gladly discovered during Newport Beach Restaurant Week.

Must have passed it a hundred times on Newport Boulevard and finally dined in.  It was a Wednesday when there is no corkage fee.  We didn’t know it until we saw patron after patron walk in with a bottle of Wine.  Next time I’m bringin’ a bottle too (most did), and won’t feel stupid — Always thought it awkward, but it’s smart when no corkage.  Who’s stupid now?

Enlightened is the word — We ordered from the restaurant week and regular menu, as many French specialties sounded good, and previously reported about Pescadou Bistro’s Paté.

Don’t have exact names of the pictured here, but confidently state ALL was a pleasure.

A toast with Wine on the tab, to the Paté, Salad with Wild Boar Salami and Gold Potato, Cream of Cauliflower Soup, Grilled Lamb Chops and “Gigot” Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb.  Santé!

And to one of the best desserts I’ve ever had — It doesn’t look all that, especially in the photo below, but DANG, it was taste-TEE and unfortunately not on their regular menu.  It should be.

Described as an Ice Cream Parfait with Candied Fruit and Red Raspberry Sauce, it was extraordinaire.  I hope to have IT again.  And Foie Gras, before the end of the year (preferably on a Wednesday) — It’s at Pescadou Bistro, until it’s banned from being sold in California next year.  I’m not keen on the politics of it and recommend the Bistro become a speakeasy for it.  There’s a lot more to say and write about it, but on a different blog.

Back to Pescadou — Stop in for dinner (only) ahead of passing it by.  It’s romantic too.

Once the site of a speakeasy during prohibition, The Blue Beet plays on.  And do you remember Sid?  More history about the place can be found here.  It’s a cool joint with good food and music.  One of our Guest Bloggers, Bonnie recently enjoyed their historic prices (currently offered on Thursdays) with her son and wrote the following: 

We went to the Blue Beet tonight for the “Throwback Thursday” specials that they are doing for their 100^th Anniversary.  Both Jay and I (and it seems like everyone around us) ordered the Beef Stroganoff, plus their “Gourmet” Mac ‘N Cheese.  I think it’s the most incredible deal I have ever gotten for a dinner. It was a full plate of Stroganoff on top of Mashed Potatoes and comes with a very generous side of Green Beans.

Although I didn’t particularly care for the Mac ‘N Cheese, it was a full bowl, along with two slices of Garlic Bread. With two Cokes, the meal for both of us came to $24.00 and I have enough left over for a full lunch tomorrow!!  Too bad I didn’t have my camera.

Menu offerings on Throwback Thursday:

Garlic Bread $1.95

Clam Chowder $2.95

Dinner Salad $2.95

BBQ Chicken Salad $4.95

Top Sirloin steak $5.25

Beef Stroganoff $5.25

Pork Chops $5.75

Steak Sandwich $5.75

Mac ‘N Cheese $3.95

Jay never had Stroganoff before, but he loved it!  He ate every single bite of it, along with the Mac ‘N Cheese and his Garlic Bread.  I highly recommend the place.  That’s my report for now.

Thanks Bonnie!  You better bring a camera next time — Above photo credited to a Yelper.

Celebrate Leap Year during Orange County Restaurant Week, February 26th – March 3rd.

Participating restaurants may be seen from a participating restaurant — Orange Hill.

Our Food Coloring Series kicked off with orange to spotlight Orange County Food Blogs, then explored shades of purple, yellow, green, blue, red, white, black, brown, and now PINK. 

Pink is sweet, tart and familiar to me — “All of her lovers all talk of her notes.”  Indeed they do, but we talk food here.  I’d guess that to be true in the lead photo too.  Pretty in pink.

Pictured is a collection of pink favorites and parallels — Continuing top down it goes.

A Pink Grapefruit Salad, Beet Juice as a dye, and a path I’d love to walk.

Beef (Rib Eye Steak), well qualified for the brown, red (when less cooked) and pink posts.

Have you tried Dragon Fruit?  I haven’t yet, but plan to.  How about you?

Not exactly my dream kitchen, but I like, especially the mixer I’ve yet to buy.

Lick?

I still eat Cotton Candy at the OC Fair.

Pink Lemonade for a Garden Party to reminisce with old friends.

Always time to donate $ to find a cure for a nuisance that ruins too many lives.

Watermelon Ice Cream Cake.

Part of the dining community under the wondrous sea.

Cupcakes made by our very own Kids in the Kitchen.

Cured salmon, another shade of pink.

Adorable miniature bites in pink — I always fall for tiny things.  They’re so cute!

A refreshingly beautiful Gelatin mold to see, couldn’t find the recipe.

Cheers to sharing Cupcakes and Milkshakes together.

Good morning — Eat at your own risk.

I see you searching for Valentine’s Day ideas and you’re in the right place — Open here.

Seemingly endless choices at Choices, The Buffet at PALA Casino Spa Resort.

Choices is decidedly our first choice of Casino Buffets, inched up after a second visit.

Too many items to accurately list, track and photograph, and too busy having fun making choices, but generally describe the captured — Our tastes included, from top down, Pork Tenderloin, Carved Turkey Breast, Lamb and Sausage, and well cooked Fish in a Sweet Sauce.

The Largest Shrimp Cocktail in the World — You’re allowed to eat all of it, if you can.

BBQ’d Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Chicken and Carne Asada to order, if you so choose.

Travel around the world while making choices at Choices — From Asia to Italy and beyond.

Lots of Pizza choices — Pepperoni and Jalapeno looked best to me.

Shrimp Fajitas in Mexico.

Or a good old-fashioned Sandwich exactly how you like it.

The decor is pleasant and the seating is comfortable.

One of the Pastry Chefs — He was nice and willing to assist, that’s all I know.

Spectacular Dessert Cases — It feels like you’re in a Pastry Shop to eat all you want/can.

One of each, to-go please, yeah I wish — Can’t eat all in one sitting and wish I had ’em now.

Pick any one, two, three, four, five, etc.

Have something custom made – A Banana Split, Crepes, Bananas Foster, Rootbeer Float, etc.

And the best part of the story is… We celebrated my Grandma’s 90th Birthday.

Happy 90th Birthday Grandma — We love you!  We won big this day just being together, and didn’t lose too much in the video poker machines.  It was a beautiful day out near Temecula.

On to the warning… Don’t order a Glass of Pinot Grigio — It’s $12.  That was a shocker when the Glass of Chardonnay was only $4.  We tasted both comparatively and will unanimously opt for Chardonnay next time.  The Pinot Grigio wasn’t $8 better tasting, especially at a Casino.

It/he/me (and a whole lot more) are at Choices Buffet at PALA Casino in beautiful northern San Diego County — Our endless dish report re our continuing Casino Buffet Tour is coming soon.

I’m beyond thrilled to know it’s easy to create one of my favorite Candies, Fruit Gems, also known as Fruit Jellies aka Orange Slices, when flavored Orange, like the first batch I made. 

I found a Raspberry Jelly Candy Recipe that I adapted to make the pictured Orange Gems. 

Instead of Raspberry Extract and Water, used in the linked recipe, I substituted Orange Zest and Orange Juice — Technically the Juice of 1 Orange plus enough Water to equal 3/4 Cup.

Orange Gem RECIPE In Short:  Boil 1 Cup of Corn Syrup with 1 Cup of Sugar and Zest of 1 Orange, and in a separate sauce pan boil 3/4 Cup of fresh Orange Juice with 7 Tbsps. of Fruit Pectin and 1/4 Tsp. of Baking Soda — Marry the two combinations, once boiled, and stir for a minute longer, then pour mixture into easily unmold-able pan (as shown).

Bendable, disposable aluminum pans work well for unmolding Candy.

Before dropping into Sugar, let Candy sit and set, loosely covered on the counter overnight.

Cut into strips, then squared gems and coat all sides in Sugar — Voila, they’re awesome!

They taste better than any I’ve purchased — If you love Fruit Gems, you have to make these.

All raved about them too — I made a second batch with Pink Grapefruit (below).

And a third batch with Blueberry Juice and Lemon Zest.

The Grapefruit Gems were superb, like the Orange ones, but the Blueberry Gems were comparably bland, and the Lemon Zest took over — Straight-up Lemon Gems would be good, or Lime Zest with Coconut Extract, the possibilities are endless.  All natural first. 🙂

More rivalry and revelry at Medieval Times‘ New Show, two years in the making.

It’s now showing at the California Castle with an upgraded utensil-free MENU.

Waiting to be called for the Dinner & Tournament with a Glass of Wine. 

Guests may also enjoy the Courtyard before the show.

And the Sword Store.

All then enter the theater to join their assigned (colored) team members.

We cheered for the Blue Knight — Can’t you tell by our lighting?

Menu — Though it reads Garlic Bread, it’s Focaccia Bread with Olive Oil and Seasoning.

The show begins with the most spectacular horse (below) — It’s gorgeous and talented.

It and the free flying falcon made the show for me.

Tomato Bisque — We liked its flavor.

The Oven Roasted Chicken was juicy, tender and easy to eat without utensils.

The Pastry of the Castle was warm Braided Apple Strudel.

It struck me that Medieval Times sure employs a lot of people — Why not support it?!

I was here about 15 years ago and it’s better than I remember, and a fun experience.

There’s much hospitality at Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament and the food is good.

Castles are found in eight states and two countries — Time to get into the 11th Century.

These are the moments I thank God I am alive, for what’s up, down, and around the corner.

A trickle of pink food coloring (series), while creating and collecting more — Pink Grapefruit Jellies and recipe coming soon, my second favorite Candy flavor after Orange.  I’m still riding the wave of accomplishment over the seamless preparation of delicious Orange Jellies.

Do you remember Orange Guy?  I thought he was so cute and wanted to peel him alive.  Well, I gave it a try and created Orange Dude, if you see what I’m sayin’ — It just happened that way.  The photos are minimized to tone down our rating.  Enlarge each for a better peek. 😉

What excites me most here are these Orange Jellies I made for the first time — They are absolutely delicious!  I will soon be posting more about them, along with an easy recipe adapted from another.  All pictured utilized one glorious Orange.  It’s a sexy, sweet thing.

Nibbles of Tidbits and company doing my kind of camping.

We also celebrated Bailee’s Birthday (Kids in the Kitchen) — The pictured Cake design is not recommended.  Don’t these things happen (lost a hunk) when it matters most?!  It tasted good, so I made the best of it.  It’s Chocolate Mountain Cake with an Orange Juice/Zest Glaze.

Unusually warm and extra beautiful in January on the South Carlsbad Cliffs.

Food, walks and painting rocks.

It’s mostly a rock beach now, after a storm a couple years ago.

Moments of branding wrapped in family time.

Christmas Crackers from Cost Plus — Wanted to try them.  A pop with jokes & prizes inside.

We had plenty of Dips, Salads, Chips, Coronas, Cactus Coolers and Mimosas at bay.

Talented Kids in the Kitchen — You’ve seen their work.

Simple eats to compliment all — Ground Beef Tacos.  The kind I grew up with.

Don’t you love the smell of a campfire?  I do!

Must have S’more ingredients on hand for these occasions.

Watching the surf with tunes and lazy dogs.

The sunsets were striking, like always, it seems — I’ve never seen a bad one.

Picnic tables are resourceful.

Playing games, flying kites, painting, taking pictures and eating — Ahhhh, free time.

Uniquely shaped rocks inspire — What’s its story?

Well wishes to your family in 2012 — Explore and eat together.

Enjoy all when and while you can.  Traveling mercies.

Enjoy the weekend — There’s much to report after a mini vacation.  Have a Cookie.

Have you visited Local Cuisine?  It’s an excellent resource to find the best restaurants in Orange County.  Search by restaurant name, cuisine type, city, zip code, or browse its specially selected list — Featured restaurants are voted on and off the Local Cuisine list by Local Experts, and I’m humbled to be one of them.  Our first meeting took place at The Playground.  Be sure to keep an eye on Local Cuisine for the latest and greatest restaurant additions and list of local food-related events, and create a profile and write a review, if you so choose.

Photo: Paté from Pescadou Bistro during Newport Beach Restaurant Week — More here.

A friend recently wrote…”Shelly, I just made this recipe and (if you like Brussels Sprouts) it’s SO DELICIOUS!  Just wanted to share it with you.” Thanks D, I do and you made me make them.

Mustard Braised Brussels Sprouts with Dijon and Shallots sounded good to me too.

I thought the cooking process was interesting, especially the beginning.  I like how the Brussels Sprouts are placed cut side down in Olive Oil undisturbed for 5 minutes — Most were golden brown.  Shallots and Broth are then added and all is cooked covered for 20 minutes.

The exact RECIPE is here.

Remove Brussels Sprouts, stir in Dijon Mustard until well blended, and cook 2 minutes more.

Pour the Mustard Sauce over the reserved Brussels Sprouts (add optional Parsley) and serve.

Okay, it was good, but surprisingly rich — I didn’t love ’em like these, but all is well amiga.

The Playground, what a find.  I knew I’d like a restaurant named The Playground.  It’s in Santa Ana off 4th and Spurgeon, near the Plaza Fiesta.  A group of us recently met there for an amazing Champagne Brunch, and spent time with its passionate Owner and Executive Chef Jason Quinn, who loves what he does and only offers the best — Impressive food and team.

Fresh, sophisticated, quality ingredients combined simply for superb flavor seems to be the focus.  And they don’t skimp on the aesthetics, as you see, the food is beautiful too.

Unfortunately I didn’t capture all well enough, but the posted photos start with Wagyu Beef.

On to an artistic Soft Shell Crab Roll and Wild Boar Belly (both shown above).

Benton’s Ham is added to many tasty dishes and is out of this world alone.

The Playground’s MENU will vary, as creativity and enthusiasm overflow.

Breakfast Hash with Brussels Sprouts above and a special Short Stack below.

A bowl of the freshest Shellfish with Whole Shrimp hangin’ out — Nice Broth.

Thanks for the Oysters too — Tasted freshness over and over again.

Unique offerings of Beer and Wine are available at the Bar or anywhere inside.

We met at The Playground as a fortunate group of Local Experts for Local Cuisine.

I’ll soon spotlight Local Cuisine to note the cool things about it, after the Cinnamon Roll.

Experimenting with Picnik Premium Photo Editing, available to all for FREE until April, when Picnik packs up for Google town — They’ll no longer be growing grass and cueing bird songs.  We’ll miss Picnik in the Spring, and hereby toast to them with a plan for a real picnic.  Cheers!

Its spot in Fashion Island (near Nordstrom) has gone through a few changes to become the Great Maple it is today.  I liked the Italian restaurants that preceded it and now appreciate the “Libations and Seasonal Plates” we had in the Bar this day — $5 Small Plates on Fridays.

It was Happy Hour time (4:00 – 6:30PM) and the start of Newport Beach Restaurant Week.

All deals were contemplated over a couple Black Lemonades, a seasonal drink special.

Bread in a bag with soft Butter, with a dash of Olive Oil, Parsley, Salt & Pepper, a nice touch.

Here for a quick bite on the way to elsewhere and do want to try the Moroccan Lamb Burger next time.  Today it was the Market Asparagus with Shaved Pecorino and Lemon Olive Oil.

Chorizo Picante Board and Aioli Mayo.

Creamy Polenta with Pancetta and Shaved Pecorino.

Great Maple:  Nice people, creative libations, a cool atmosphere and tasty seasonal plates.

Hi there said the Orange.  He/she/it sure looks friendly and it’s only an Orange Peel.  It’s funny how things come alive with eyes.  Does it look easy to create?  We’re going to give it a try.  I have the feeling it’s going to be harder than it looks.  We’ll see how it turns out and report in an update.  Check back to see if we’ve got the knack to create this Cracker Jack.  Try it too.

The camera took this photo on its own — Oranges and Tomatoes on the counter, a start.

Print this photo and tell the Theater it’s okay to bring in Candy, but don’t tell them I said so.

BLT+A-L on Toasted White Bread with the perfect amount of Mayo — It’s how my Mom always made it and how I do now.  It’s just right.  We rarely add the Lettuce and mostly opt for Avocado with the Bacon and Tomato.  It’s technically a BAT or BTA, a tasty Sandwich.

Bacon, Tomato and Avocado — Layer in that order on Toasted White Bread with Mayo.

The amount of Mayo is key, not too much, nor too little — Mayo oozing out the sides is gross and not enough is dry.  I didn’t want any Mayonnaise on it as a kid and my Mom would add it when I wasn’t looking.  She knew, and I now know its compliment, when properly applied.

It’s a simple, flavorful Sandwich that consistently hits the spot with a cold glass of Milk.

A comfort food for years — With leftover or microwavable Bacon, it can be made in a flash.

Umbrella optional, unless it’s raining.

Observing Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with a FOOD said to be one of his favorites, Pecan Pie.

I prefer the pictured Individual Pecan Pies and Pecan Pie Cake to any Pecan Pie I’ve made.