Journey to Club 33: Part 2

             
               Part Two: My wife and I were so stoked to go to Club 33. We wanted to dress up for this special occasion. I bought a new tie specifically to wear to the club and my wife bought a  new dress. We were looking pretty suave I must say.

I clean up pretty well. Check out my mickey tie!

My wife in her new dress. This was taken outside our old house in Huntington Beach. What a hotty!

                 Once we were dressed it was off to the park! We arrived at the park and walked to New Orleans Square. We turned down Royal Street and got to the Club 33 entrance... we were pants peeing excited at this point. We stopped to pose for a photo in front of the entrance. The 33 logo plaque is behind my arm.

                   To get into the club you have to press a secret button next to the door and announce your arrival to the hostess. If you have a reservation they will push a button inside that allows the door to open. My wife pushed the intercom button and waited. After what seemed like an eternity we heard a voice asking if we had a reservation. My wife said yes and announced her name and that our reservation was for two. After a momentary pause we heard the magical buzz and opened the door. Once the door closed behind us the noise of Disneyland was silenced and we entered the magical realm of Club 33.

                    Upon first entering the club you find yourself in the lobby. Everything about the club is ornate and beautiful. The carpet, wallpaper, and artwork on the walls was personally picked out by Lillian Disney when she and Walt went antiquing in New Orleans. But the centerpiece of the lobby is a gorgeous antique french lift which takes you up to the main floor of the club. Before we took the lift upstairs we stopped for a photo op.

                     Once we got upstairs we were escorted to our table in the main dining room. Continuing with us taking photos of EVERYTHING we posed for photos with the menus.

I look WAY EXCITED!

My wife is adorable

 

                 On to the food! For lunch, you choose a main entree and there are buffet style appetizers and desserts. When I say "appetizers" I am not talking about potato skins, mozzarella sticks, or nachos. The appetizer buffet included crab legs, shrimp, lobster tails, California artisan cheeses, and fruit. Sadly, we did not get photos of any appetizers... sorry folks. The menu had a couple different choices but my wife and I ordered the same entree, a Chateaubriand fillet Mignon with Yukon gold mashed potatoes, baby heirloom tomatoes, and blanched green and yellow beans with a Cabernet Sauvignon reduction sauce. It was so delicious!

Even the plates have the 33 logo!

               That is part two of our trip to Club 33. In the next installment I will show you all the desserts we tried and take you on a photo tour of the club. Have any questions about Club 33? Leave them in the comments of this blog or send them to me on Twitter @ReelBigDork. Have a great day!

Journey to Club 33: Part 1

A few years ago my now wife, then girlfriend, and myself were able to experience something very magical. We were able to dine at Club 33. For those of you not in the know Club 33 is a secret and ultra exclusive restaurant inside of Disneyland Park. The idea for the club came about during the 1964-65 World's Fair in New York City. Walt was hired to put together some attractions for a few of the pavilions and noticed that many of the companies had exclusive VIP lounges set up in their pavilions. Walt decided he wanted to build a VIP lounge in Disneyland to entertain executives and visiting dignitaries. Thus Club 33 was born. Walt and his wife Lillian Disney went to New Orleans to go shopping for antiques for the club. But sadly, Walt died before the club was able to open. Instead of the club becoming a lounge for VIPs, it became an ultra exclusive club with membership open to the general public ( If you have $12,000-$15,000 a year and can wait for 10-20 years to become a member). The club is located in New Orleans Square at 33 Royal Street.

This small plaque adorns the door to get into the club.

My wife and I had been yearning to visit and dine here for years before we were finally able to. Only members of the club can let you in or make reservations to eat there. There are only 457 members of the club so finding a member is like finding a needle in a stack of other needles. For us, getting into the club was nothing more than a pipe dream. Every time we would pass by the door we would dream about what was inside. Then one fateful day, something incredibly magical happened that would allow us to realize our dream beyond our wildest imagination.
At this point in time my wife was working at a restaurant. She didn't normally work on Friday's at that point in time, but for some reason was working that day. She also was not cashiering that day but was hostessing instead. A customer came in wearing a shirt with a small Club 33 insignia embroidered on it. My wife sat him at a table and unlike what she would normally do, small talk with the customers, she engaged the gentleman in a conversation about his shirt. She told him she liked his shirt and his response was one of surprise, he was shocked that she knew what that was. She informed him that she did know what Club 33 was, due to the fact that she and her boyfriend were HUGE DISNEY NERDS!!! She told him that we had always dreamed of being able to go. He then told my wife that she was in luck as he enjoys making dreams come true.  He asked her to sit down at his table and slid a piece of paper across the table to her and asked her to write down her name. He then took out his cellphone and made the call. He gave the receptionist his member number and asked my wife to write down her phone number. He then asked what day would work best? My wife couldn't believe what was happening and just said "whenever is fine." He hung up the phone and told her he had just called and made a reservation for us at Club 33 for lunch. But there were two conditions; the first being that we pay our bill and please not charge it to his tab (He had done this before and the people had charged it to his account, what kind of a-hole does that!?) The second was that she not tell me and make it a surprise. My wifes excitement level skyrocketed. This was unbelievable, so many things had to happen to make this possible. She worked on a day that she normally didn't, at a station that she normally didn't, and engaged a customer more than she usally did. In the end she couldn't keep it a secret from me, the whole situation was so crazy that she had to tell me.

Part II Coming Soon! Here is a picture to tantalize you:

Nom Nom Nom: Jasons' gameday salsa

It has been a week since my last blog. I blogged a few times about food last month (places to eat and foods I like to buy), but ocassionally I do make food for myself so without further ado here is my recipe for delicious semi-homemade salsa:

Ingredients:
1-14.5oz. can of fire roasted diced tomatos
1- 4oz. can of fire roasted green diced green chiles
2- cloves of garlic
1/8 of a sweet yellow onion
1- bunch of cilantro
1- lime
1- jalapeno
salt
pepper
sugar

1.) Combine tomatos and green chilis in a bowl
2.) Add the juice of 1/2 of a lime
3.) Mince the onion and garlic and add to mixture
4.) Remove the seeds and membrane from the jalapeno (if you want the salsa to be hot, leave some of the seeds)
5.) Dice the jalapeno and add to the salsa
6.) Add 1 tablespoon of minced cilantro (You're almost done!)
7) Finally, add 1/4 teaspoon sugar and salt and pepper to taste.

Allow the flavors to marry for at least 4-6 hours before using. You can also add a few extra sprigs of cilantro before serving if you would like. Enjoy! Below is a photo of the end result. It is super delicious!

BAJL Day 30: Nom!Nom!Nom! Top 5 Favorite Foods

         As I have mentioned earlier, I am a fan of food. I like to eat delicious foods and try out new things. I even enjoy watching cooking shows on the Food Network. So today I am going to list out my top 5 favorite foods, in no particular order.
         1.) Bagels- I love them toasted, untoasted, with schmear, without schmear, and even used as buns to make bagel sandwiches. My favorite bagel sandwich is from Einstein's Bagels and had eggs, cheese, mushrooms, and asparagus. It was absolutely delicious.

         2.) Pizza- I have not had a pizza that I didn't like. The best pizza I have ever had was at Alcatraz Brewing Company, located at The Block in Orange. Besides the crust, white sauce, and cheese, the pizza was topped with Portobello mushrooms, carmelized onions and garlic, and sprinkled with truffle salt. Sadly, this pie is no longer on their menu. :(

         3.) Sliders- Little bite size burgers that are packed with flavor and strange ingredients. The best slider I have ever had is the Vietnamese Pork Slider from The Burnt Truck. This little food grenade contains Vietnamese spiced pulled pork, a carrot and radish slaw, a slice of a jalapeno, a slice of cucumber, and some kind of creamy garlic-mayo sauce. Besides that, the truck also has a traditional burger slider topped with a quail egg. The creaminess from the egg yolk really brings something to this burger bite and is far better tasting than the traditional slider without it.

                                                  The Vietnames Pork slider is on the left
          4.) Salads- Despite what you may think I do enjoy my veggies. My favorite way to eat my veggies is in salad form as I do enjoy them raw. My favorite salad is the Greek Salad from Paradise Garden Grill at Disney California Adventure Park. The salad contains romaine lettuce, kalamata olives, garbanzo beans, red onion, pepperoncinis, cucumbers, feta cheese, and comes with a warm piece of pita bread. Just thinking about this salad is making me crave one.

          5.) Chinese Take-Out - This a new one as I never wanted to eat Chinese food as a kid. I guess it really isn't Chinese food as all, since the only kind I love is Panda Express. Specifically, the sweetfire and orange chicken with chow mein from Panda Express. I could eat this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner almost everyday.

          Honorable mentions on this list include doughnuts, bacon, cinnamon rolls, and hot pretzels with cheese. What are your favorite foods? Let me know by leaving a comment on this blog or the link which brought you to this blog. Happy Munching!

BAJL Day 16: Nom Nom Nom: My Top 5 Favorite Local Restaurants in the OC

             I love to put delicious food in my head hole. I have made it a small quest of mine to find places locally that I can go to and get delicious food items. All of these locations are found in the Orange County area. So here is my list, in no particular order:

Bruxie- located in Old Towne Orange across the street from Chapman University, is a food stand that specializes in waffle sandwiches. There are savory and sweet varieties of sandwiches such as the fried chicken and waffle sandwich as well as a S'mores sandwich. My favorite is the Roasted Mushroom and Goat Cheese sandwich that has Chevre Goat Cheese, Fresh Basil, Arugula, and a Balsamic Reduction. I highly recommend this place. Here is their website

• The Original Pancake House- located in Anaheim, the Original Pancake House is my favorite place for breakfast EVER!!! They have the best bacon I have ever tasted. It is so thick, crispy, and salty. I have had most of the items on the menu and they are all delicious. But what I order the most and I would reccomend is the two egg breakfast but instead of regular pancakes I substitute sourdough flapjacks. I know what you are thinking, Sourdough flapjacks? Trust me, they are so good and are now my favorite kind of pancakes. You can learn more at their website found here

     

 Mexi-Casa- is a Mexican restaurant in Anaheim. I found this place thanks to my wife, who found it through her good friends family. This place has delicous Mexican favorites such as tacos, enchiladas, burritos, and taquitos. Plus, everything on the menu is super cheap. My wife and I took my parents to eat there and it cost us less than 25 bucks for all four of us including drinks and tip. It may look crappy on the outside but the food is amazing. I usually get the combo plate that contains a taco and an enchilada with beans and rice. Yum! The restaurant has no website so I will just post the physical address which is 1778 West Lincoln Avenue, Anaheim, CA 92801.

• The Burnt Truck- is a food truck in Orange County. I first discovered this food truck in Huntington Beach near my work. This truck specializies in sliders and I have tried most of them and they are delicious but one of their sliders stands out above the rest, the Vietnamese Pork slider. Just thinking about those things is making my mouth water. So much tastiness in such a little bite. If you ever try the Burnt Truck, make sure to get the Vietnamese Pork sliders. Below is a photo of the aforementioned slider that I like the best. To learn more and find where the truck will be visit here. 
• 
• Las Barcas- is a Mexican restaurant in Huntington Beach. I discovered this place after I first moved to HB and it is so yummy. This place is a real locals spot and the wait is usally pretty long, especially on summer nights. I love their burritos so much and I like to get the burritos covered in red sauce and have cheese melted over them. My favorite burrito is the El Grande with beef or pork. Next time you are on your way to the beach, stop by Las Barcas and have some delicious food. Learn more at their website.

 What are your favorite local places to eat? Post any suggestions you may have for places I should try. PS please excuse my poor formating. I am still new at this whole thing.