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!

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 23: The Idiot Box: 5 Unknown Shows I Enjoy

             I would like to thank all of you who gave me suggestions for blog topics. It means a lot to me to know that people are actually reading this. Today I am going to suggest a few television shows to you, the readers, that I really enjoy. So here is my list, in no particular order, of shows you may not know of but should watch.

• Supernatural- this is a show that my wife and I did not start watching until about two years ago. The show centers around two brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester, who hunt supernatural creatures (ie. vampires, werewolfs, demons, ghosts). Apart from the monster hunts in the individual episodes, there are overarching storylines that run throughout the show. Also, the show features a lot of classic rock music which I enjoy. The last thing I like about this show is the dialogue between the two brothers. There is a certain dry humor to the conversations that they have. This show really delves into the origins of the monsters and further explains the lore behind them.

• Being Human- this a SyFy Channel series based on the BBC original series. The show is about a werewolf, a vampire, and a ghost that all live together in a house in Boston. Together, the three of them are trying as hard as they can, to be less monstrous and become more human. The werewolf locks himself away during the full moon as to not hurt anyone, the vampire drinks blood from the hospital's donation bank where he works as a nurse, and the ghost is trying to find a way to move on. They each have their own individual struggles because of what they are, but they don't let that stop them from trying to be better. The second season of the show gets a lot more bloody as the vampire, Aiden, begins to drink live blood again and the werewolf, Josh, changes in the woods and eats a vampire. If you are squeamish about blood this may not be the show for you as there is a TON of it. It shows vampires feeding many, many times in this series. Other than that, my wife and I both really enjoy this show.

• Chopped- I miss not having cable specifically because of the Food Network, but mostly for this show. I love cooking competition shows, and this show is by far my favorite one. The show begins with 4 chefs who are eliminated one by one through three rounds until only one remains. The first round is appetizers, the second round is entree, and the third round is dessert. However, in each round the chefs are given a basket filled with mystery ingredients that they are required to use in their dishes. At the end of each round their dishes are critiqued by renowned chefs/restauranteurs. This show combines all the right elements: cooking, improvisation, and competition. It is everything that I loved about the old Japanese program Iron Chef tripled in intensity. A word of warning though, watching this show WILL make you hungry.
• The Aquabats Super Show!- I just finished season one of this show and it is absolutely hilarious! I have been a fan of The Aquabats for well over a decade and have been to a couple of their live shows. Any of you who have seen them live know why they are perfect for a television show. For those of you that don't, here is a breif synopsis: The Aquabats are a band, formed in Huntington Beach, that take on the personas of fake superheroes that they have created. The band wears costumes on stage and in between songs at live shows, they fight villains on stage, throw foods and beverages into the audience, play funny commercials on a giant screen behind the band, and encourage their fans to dress up with them. Their shows are by far some of the most intense I have ever attended. Their fans are insane and go completely nuts during their live performances. During their shows you will see mosh pits, circle pits, skank pits, and crowd surfing pool raft racing. The band has been shopping a pilot episode to networks for years but with the success of Yo Gabba Gabba ( created by the singer of The Aquabats), the band was finally able to get their show picked up. The only way I can describe the show is that it is like a crappier, cheaper, slapsticky version of the Mighty Morphing Power Rangers. The villains they fight on stage are feature in the show and the action is cheap and chessey. The dialogue is intentionally poorly written and delivered almost sarcastically most of the time. This show cracks me up and I am excited to say that it was picked up for a second season which is currently being filmed.
• Portlandia- I hate hipsters! So naturally a show that focuses on satiring the hipster culture would bring a smile to my face. Portlandia is a sketch comedy show on IFC (the independent film channel), but seasons one and two are on Netflix. The show features Fred Armisen (former SNL cast member) and Carrie Brownstein (musician and actress) as they embody different characters in the Portland area. This show is great! My favorite sketch so far is about this couple who dumpster dive for food, not because they are poor, but as a social/political statement about how wasteful people are. Not enough good things I can say about this show. Give it a try.

 

        What shows do you enjoy? Leave any suggestions you may have in the comments.

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.