And a very special Happy Mother’s Day to my incredible Mom in particular — She’s the bestest! The Cupcakes are from Sprinkles, custom made and adorned for sweet Marie’s (friend’s daughter) First Holy Communion, with leftovers as a M’s D treat with a Mimosa.
Our Guest Blogger, Bonnie recently visited and fell in love with the Savory Spice Shop located in Corona Del Mar Plaza. She talked to the owners, took photographs and tried unique spices. It’s all seen and reported about by Bonnie as follows…
The New Savory Spice Shop in Corona Del Mar is Hot!
Make your Next Dish Savory! is the theme of the new Savory Spice Shop located at 928 Avocado Avenue, in Corona Del Mar (in the Bristol Farms Shopping Center). The owners are the husband and wife team of Randy Morton and Laura Shute. Here’s what they offer:
400 herbs and spices ground fresh weekly
Over 140 unique hand-blended seasonings
Specially packaged gift sets, soups, sauces, dips and extracts
Available in amounts from ½ ounce to pounds
Everything is available for tasting
After a lot of taste testing, I finally settled on two different kinds of dip. The first is a Taco Seasoning which consists of: Masa Harina, salt, chilies, tomato powder, garlic, cumin, California paprika, onion, white sugar, Mexican oregano and allspice.
The other was recommended by Laura. It’s their Gran Paradiso Cheese Sprinkle Dip which contains a truly interesting combination of spices: Green bells (I have no clue what they are!), Parmesan cheese, salt, toasted sesame seeds, shallots, green pepper, parsley, cilantro and chervil.
Both have now been paired with 8 ounces of sour cream and left to marry over night in the refrigerator. Tomorrow they will be brought to the First Annual Nibbles of Tidbits Super Bowl Party for taste testing. We may blog about it later as an update here.
Apart from being bowled over by all the choices, around half way though my tour, Laura pointed out that not all “spices” are (only) for eating. For example, Frankincense can be lit like incense and is meant to smell like the inside of a Church — A different way to enjoy a spice. On a personal note, I was excited to learn that they carry Spearmint Extract. I have been looking for it over a year!
I must also do a shout out on the interior design, which Randy and Laura did all by themselves. I love the wide plank hardwood flooring, tin ceiling and the brick focal wall. They combine to give the store a warm, homey effect.
Most importantly, what I noticed most about the Savory Spice Store was the smell. On the day I was there the front doors were wide open, so I caught a whiff of it before I even got inside. It was such a wonderful delight — something you definitely need to experience.
Thanks for the report and photos Bonnie — I’m ready to hit the Savory Spice Shop.
I recently came across this Rhubarb Dry Soda at Bristol Farms — And first must mention that the Bristol Farms in Corona Del Mar Plaza is an amazing store. It’s a bit cramped when crowded, but I usually want to buy almost everything I pass by. This visit the Rhubarb Soda caught my eye. Have you ever seen it before? I hadn’t and rarely eat Rhubarb, but had to try it out of curiosity. And the verdict is… Next flavor please. I like the carbonation and flavor options of the Dry Soda Co. Sodas, but this flavor not so much. It’s described as refreshingly tart and complex, which is true, but it also tastes a bit like Grass and Dried Cherries. The initial taste isn’t good, but the after taste isn’t bad, if that makes sense. We’d like to try their Kumquat, Lavender, Vanilla Bean, and maybe Cucumber flavors next time. They also make a Juniper Berry and Lemongrass Soda. Overall, we’re excited to see such unique flavors. Bravo to the fun of that!
Newport loves its Dogs, so it’s a perfect location for the Three Dog Bakery. It’s a chain, but this one is in the Corona Del Mar Plaza in Newport Beach. It’s near Fashion Island, an outdoor shopping center that welcomes Dogs. It’s hard to go there without seeing one. The Three Dog Bakery ( I like to call it Barkery) bakes cute treats that are easily digested by Dogkind. I’m not sure, but this location may be their best franchise.
Related Links:
http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/?p=1013 – Three Dog Bakery in Lake Arrowhead
http://www.visitnewportbeach.com/member_details.cfm?id=354 – Corona Del Mar Plaza
I read that Bristol Farm’s Cupcakes had been voted a local favorite by some — I don’t recall by whom, but I finally tried one. I would usually chose a Raspberry over a Strawberry, but in this case the Strawberry was prettier. The Raspberry Lemon Cupcake looked like it had a mound of Play Dough and Mozzarella on top – HA.
The Strawberry Cupcake was okay — Not fabulous. I do love Bristol Farms. They offer many great things, but the jury is still out on the Cupcakes in comparison to others I’ve recently tried. Sprinkles Cupcakes is in the same parking lot at Corona Del Mar Plaza, and as of today I like theirs better. It’s all good.
Related Links:
http://www.sprinklescupcakes.com/
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