Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog

Fortunata’s Oven at Inka Grill in Costa Mesa puts the emphasis on Rotisserie Chicken.

Finally discovered that it’s worth dining in or taking out at Rotisserie Chicken Inka Grill.

Our first bites included 1/2 a Chicken, Aji Sauce, Tortillas and Cilantro Rice.

Inka Grill reports to have “The Best Chicken on the Planet” and it’s certainly good, especially with their Aji Sauce (Serrano Chili Sauce).  All is deliciously spicy.  Reasonably priced and conveniently located, we’ll be going back again and again — We now see there’s more on the inside than the outside.  It’s a taste of Peru too.

It’s an exciting year at the Orange County Fair — More Culinary Arts Competition ribbons won.

In the 2nd Show, I happily accept another First Place Ribbon for my Snickerdoodle Scones and a Third Place Ribbon for my Blackberry Mascarpone Cheesecake.  And still delighted about the First Place Ribbon received for Blondies prepared for the 1st Show — I feel lucky.

Didn’t win anything in the Blog Post Competition on display above, but maybe next year.

Our Guest Blogger, Bonnie won a Second Place Ribbon for her professional table design.

And thought the above was adorable — Entered in the Crafts & Hobbies Competition is a mini replica of the Table Design Competition.  It’s rightly a First Place and Division winner.  Congratulations Donna!  The OC Fair is happening now through August 14, 2011.

Yeah!

Linked is Food Network Magazine’s compilation of the Best Pizza in each state — To see the magazines choices and learn which Pizza made the cut in your state, click here.  Pictured is one of our local favorites found at The Beachcomber in Newport Beach, California.

They say it’s not just another spot to grab an ordinary Burger — Bordello meets Burger Bar.

We finally tried one of Twenty Five Degrees raved about Burgers, the Number Three with Mezzo Secco Jack, Green Chilis, Chipotle and Avocado.  Be prepared, it’s pretty spicy.

The Sweet Potato Fries are good, though our batch was slightly overcooked this day.

We like the dark, cozy environment and the prices aren’t bad either.

Enlarge Menu for a better view — We’re going back to try a lot more.

Twenty Five Degrees in Huntington Beach is a cool place.

Hollywood is in the OC — Pink’s is at the Orange County Fair.  We crave their Chili Cheese Fries and must share them every visit, especially since they will only be in town until August 14th.  They’re one of the top rated CCF’s listed in our Chili Cheese Fries Comparison post.

Poorly perforated and disintegrating Paper Towels are getting on our nerves.  We’re going to start monitoring these issues to name the best and worst Paper Towels out there.  If they don’t tear off properly, sheets are wasted, and if they disintegrate when drying something or soaking up a spill, what good are they?  It’s time to identify and stop purchasing the bad ones.

Remember the Banana Experiment?  We recently tested Clearly Fresh Bags to see if they truly keep a Banana looking prettier for longer.  Well, um, I think I left the Banana in the bag too long.  While waiting for the bag-less Banana to turn black, as when ready for Banana Bread, the bagged Banana got a bit furry and developed a bed sore — Thus due to our poorly run experiment, we cannot form an opinion on the bags, but will advise not to keep your Banana in the bag too long. 😉 On a related note, reading this will make you want a Banana.

07/26/11 UPDATE:  Clearly Fresh recommends that Bananas be stored for up to 9 days.  Our Banana was stored in a Clearly Fresh Bag for 12 days.

Aerial view of the Orange County Fair happening now.

Pie Eating Contest (above) — Ever seen a Rib Eating Contest?

Beef Brisket Sundae from the Chuck Wagon.

Pork Ribs.

Chicken.

Pink’s Chili Cheese Fries — Love ’em.

Cakes entered in the Culinary Arts Competition.

Chuck Wagon Waffle Fries next to The Best Beef Brisket Sandwich at the Fair.

Unwrapped perfection from the Chuck Wagon.

Photography Competition photos on display.

The Pig Race Track.

Daily Cooking Demonstrations.

Wine Tasting in The Wine Garden.

Let’s Eat! (again) — Floral Design Competition results on display.

And much more at the OC Fair until August 14, 2011.

Cost Plus World Market is a terrific place to find unique food items.  We’ve previously reported about a few of them.  What would you buy with a $2,000 Gift Card?  YOU could win it and a trip to the Greek Theatre to see the Go-Go’s with (10) of your best friends.  Please choose ME or YOU.  I’d pick up several bottles of Champagne at Cost Plus and we’d be Beauty and the Beat on the way to the Greek.  Enter before July 23, 2011.  Good luck!

Seeing more on Day 2 at the Orange County Fair — Let’s Eat! is the theme.

Garden & Floral Competition results.

BBQ smoke in the air as the sun starts to set on a portion of the Fair.

Get there before August 14th.

It started with our favorite Beef Brisket Sandwich at the Chuck Wagon — We love it!

Admission and parking was FREE from Noon – 1PM.

It was the busiest opening day we’ve seen.

The results of the Culinary Arts Competition (1st Show) are in and my Blondies won a First Place Ribbon.  Cool!  It made up for non-placement of my Fancy White Chocolate Flags.

$2 Samplings are available every Friday between Noon – 4PM.

We had a sampling of the Australian Battered Potatoes — One was plenty good.

Waiting for Ribs.

Centennial Farm.

Tomato varieties for future reference.

The above table was entered in the Amateur Table Setting Competition.  We found it a crack up.  While most try to create something fancy or beautiful, this individual produced something (probably) more realistic and definitely comical with a Cat Food can vase and leftover Subway Sandwich napkins for to-go Pizza and basic Beer.  Brilliant but no ribbon.

Faces at the OC Fair — Cows, Goats, Pigs, Chickens and ours.  Chef Niece Bailee of Kids in the Kitchen also won a First Place Ribbon for her painting pointed out by my lovely Mom, Pamela.

It’s a beautiful thing to see FOOD Bloggers and others rally together to help another in need.  I haven’t met Susan, but I’m touched by the organization and Blogger participation to help her overcome cancer — Kick its ass Susan!  And the rest of YOU can (and should) buy something tasty during the Online Bake Sale, or something cool at the Online Auction.  Both happen on July 25, 2011, so mark your calendar.  Numerous Food Bloggers and companies across the United States and Canada will be donating the goods and all proceeds will help Susan win.  Here’s the link to more information.

Testing out Clearly Fresh Bags to see what happens (left the slightly greener Banana out).

Will the bagged Banana last longer, as shown to do?  If so, will it taste like an older Banana, though still looking spry?  Stay tuned to learn the results of our experiment.

He’s a Snooth Operator, Snooth Operator — YES, Snooth.  It’s YOU with Fast Food, a well paired bottle of Wine and hot date.  How about it?  Pack a tablecloth and one of the suggested bottles of Wine with a couple glasses and head to your favorite Fast Food Joint.

Order a Burrito at Chipotle, Big Mac at McDonalds or Fried Chicken at KFC, find a table, pop the cork, pour, sip and bite, until you get kicked out for bringing in alcohol.  Chicks will dig it!

Snooth helps one find better Wines.  Their suggested pairings for Chipotle Mexican Grill, McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken are linked above.  I dare you to dine in.  If so, send a photo and we’ll post it here along with future fast food pairings.  Thanks for the photos Snooth.  Cheers!

Keep tuned in WORLD, as recipes, homemade dishes, contests, food news, cooking tips, experiments, brand comparisons, product testing, and interesting fodder will continue to be reported here — And ORANGE COUNTY residents and travelers to/from the OC should pay special attention, as we’re soon adding a New Category and Blogroll, Orange County (OC) Food and Orange County (OC) Bloggers, respectively.  It’s slated to happen in early July.

Nibbles of Tidbits will carry on as a source for world inhabitants, and become a go-to for restaurant reviews, event information and topics of interest to OC residents and visitors.  If looking for something specific (worldly or local), before or after the additions, check the related Category or use our Search Box.  Much is readily accessible, if not immediately seen.  You know what I mean Jelly Bean?!  Interested in the Strips and Cheese in HB?  See here.

As previously noted, we attended the Chili at the Beach event in Huntington Beach.

It appeared to have a great turnout and the proceeds will be going to CHOC.

We had the opportunity to taste 21 different Chili’s for $15 – All participants are listed above.

One of the many decorated Chili booths (above).

Chili Score Card and just one of numerous Chili samplings.  We got to vote for our favorite.

The above was from Whole Foods, and below I don’t recall, but liked the Cornbread.

Don the Beachcomber was there representing well with a friendly booth.

Endless Chili.

The Sugar Shack had cute little helpers checking off Score Cards when dishing out the Chili.

Rotating bands played all day long at two ends of Main Street.

Kid’s area on Olive, paralleling Main Street — Loved the giant shark.

And since my friend is on the Board of Trustee’s at the International Surfing Museum, we luckily parked in their lot for the day.  Thank you HBISM.  If you haven’t been there in a while, major changes are happening.  It recently merged with the Surfing Heritage Museum and thus money is now available to make improvements.  Check it out.  Overall, it was a beautiful, uncomplicated and filling day at the Chili at the Beach event.

THE RESULTS:  The 2011 Winners were Duke’s Ohana “Uncle Matty’s Famous Pork Chili” for Best Tasting Chili, Aloha Grill Tiki’s for Most Enthusiastic Chili Team, and Chronic Jerky’s “Chronic’s Outhouse Chili” for Best Chili Name.  We’re somewhat in agreement, but must also mention that we liked the Chili from Gallagher’s, Baja Sharkeez, Killarney, 2nd Floor and Beach Pit BBQ.

Chili at the Beach benefiting CHOC Children’s Hospital appeared to be a success today.

It seemed like everyone was having a good time.

$15 got us a taste of twenty-one different Chili’s — Good for us and CHOC.

After that, we kicked it with Zimzala’s 7-Day a week Happy Hour and beautiful view.

More will be reported about both separately soon.

06/20/11 Update:  The link to more about the Chili at the Beach event is here.

Unsolicited recommendation, like most here — Kind Healthy Snacks are the best Fruit & Nut Bars.  It’s the clear packaging that got me to try them and the taste keeps me buying them each week.  Unlike many Snack Bars, you can see what you’re getting and it’s even better than it looks.  The pictured Almond & Apricot and Mango Macadamia are the two I eat most, but all flavors tried have been exceptional.  Kind offers a lot of combinations to choose from.

The Orange County BBQ Festival happened yesterday at the OC Fairgrounds.

It’s best to buy tickets online, so to avoid an extra line.  There’s a service charge, but it might be worth it — I personally have low tolerance for long lines.  Inside the event was better.

There were lines for some BBQ, but none were horrible and they moved fairly quickly.

I tried to keep track of what we were eating and drinking and its origin, but forget it.

There were too many BBQ’s and Breweries to remember and I needed an extra hand.

There was a lot of Brisket, Pulled Pork, Tri Tip, Chicken, Sausage, Ribs and Meatballs.

One serious BBQ team.

Though much looked good, it took a while to find the best BBQ, as some meats were tough, fatty and surprisingly bland.  And others were dry, but okay sauced.  Tender is imperative.

A neighbor, The Meat House was there serving the Beef (below) and Chicken.

I liked the name and look of Big Rick and the BBQ Chicks, but didn’t try their Brisket.

Never had trouble sharing a table with anyone and the sun came out.

Grilling.  Btw, I’ll never go on the background chair lift again — Did it last year and it’s scary.

We used tickets to receive generous servings of BBQ and Brew — It worked well.

And here’s Mr. BBQ, who won the Mr. BBQ Pageant.

He was sooooo funny and kept saying… It’s hard being this sexy.

An old-fashioned, new fangled Ice Cream Truck — There was a Car Show happening too.

Farmer John was there offering free Pork Sausage.

Bands were playing.

Pass the Sauce

Towards the end, Famous Dave’s was giving away free Pulled Pork, because they wanted everyone to know how good it is — We were full and out of tickets and thought their Pulled Pork was better than many others.  There’s a debate happening regarding their Pickles.

The Famous Dave’s Pickle debate will soon be reported and linked here.

It’s agreed, Famous Dave’s Pulled Pork is good and they served it to the end.  We appreciate that, since too many BBQ teams ran out of food way too early — Not cool!  We had plenty of food, though expected the option of more.  I planned to name the super early closers, but stopped caring when full, and didn’t separate the good business cards from the bad ones.

And then came The Rib Eating Contest…

The Ribs were weighed, documented and distributed to the contestants, who ate as much as they could within the allotted amount of time.  Each batch of Ribs was then re-weighed to determine who ate the most in pounds and ounces.  I had never seen it done in person.

We had a great spot — Thankfully it wasn’t too gross to watch.

The cost was $50 to enter the contest, but you take home the balance of the Ribs.

If you still want them?!

Time is up.

And the winner is… this guy, on the left, and last year’s winner is on the right.

IMPORTANT INFO:  The OC BBQ Festival is a fundraiser benefitting Kristie’s Foundation for critically ill children, and all proceeds go to them.  That’s a great thing.  Mark your calendar for next year’s event or make a donation at the link above.  The winner of The Rib Eating Contest donated his $250 prize to Kristie’s Foundation — Wow, that was a cool thing to do!

Have you seen the California Pizza Kitchen Original BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad Kit?

It’s sold at Costco, unsure if exclusively — And my Mom loves it.

She and Chef Niece Bailee of Kids in the Kitchen mixed it all together.

My thoughts… It’s not bad, but I don’t love it.  For its cost of $9-something, I’d rather go to California Pizza Kitchen to have the real thing, or make the Salad from scratch using my CPK Cookbook, as I did once before.  The Salad Kit comes with everything the Original BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad does in the restaurant, except Romaine — You’ll need to purchase and add it separately, which ultimately adds to its cost.

What do you think about it?

Some moments seem so long, but life is really quite short.  Cherish it.  The Crystal Cove Beach Cottages first appeared in black and white, and today The Beachcomber plays in color.

I’d been wanting to explore the Crystal Cove State Park Historic District, the Beach Cottages, and The Beachcomber for some time now, but hadn’t been sure how to get there.

I happily know how to get there now and you will too — It’s easier than you might think.

Park at Los Trancos (cliff side) and PCH to catch the shuttle down Crystal Cove (beach side).

The Beach Shuttle is $1.00 each way — It’s seamless and you’re suddenly there.

After drop off, you pass The Park Store and Visitor Center on the way to The Beachcomber.

The Beachcomber is on the sand, overlooking the Pacific — It was remodeled as a restaurant from an existing Beach Cottage and used to be called the Whistle Stop.

The Beachcomber at Crystal Cove also offers Beach Rentals.

Pictured above is a North Beach Cottage, part of the Phase II Restoration Project.

The Dinner Menu — Starters/Appetizers are the same on the Lunch and Dinner Menu, but the Entries change, as does the menu from season to season.  Blankets are always provided.

The Beachcomber Bar serves Appetizers and Drinks only.

We tried several specialty drinks including the Cucumber Mist Martini (pictured above), the El Morro Margarita, The Real Deal Margarita and the Black & Cran Martini.  All were freshly stiff and thoroughly enjoyed on the patio over a leisurely period.

We all recommend the Tunisian Pizza on Grilled Flatbread with Bleu Cheese, Smoked Bacon, Dates, Roasted Tomatoes and Basil.  It’s sweet, savory and delicious, as described.

On the Dinner Menu is Spinach Truffle Mac and other notable options.

And Center Cut Filet Mignon topped with a Bleu Cheese Gratin.

After consuming all, we played on the beach.

And thought about all that’s transpired here in days gone by.

Some Beach Cottages were constructed in the 1920’s with wood that drifted ashore, after a lumber ship capsized.  And many silent films were shot here, due to the area’s Tahitian, Hawaiian appearance.  It’s most apparent in B & W and appreciated in all colors.

View from the Rotating Exhibit Facility in sepia and color — Do you feel a difference?

Back in black (and white) and wanting to step back in time.

I talked to a young Lifeguard and so badly wanted to ask if he’s making $100K a year + extra for sunscreen, as recently reported, but didn’t inquire — Can’t blame him if it’s true.

Worked off the food with silliness and laughter.

Note:  Be sure to ask for parking validation before leaving The Beachcomber, so your parking is FREE.

Why not have a National Burger Weekend, especially if it saves people money?!  It’s 50% off through Groupon.  And Memorial Day Weekend is a good time for it.  Burgers are American and I’d love to buy one for a Veteran — Thank you and God bless you past and present soldiers.

Note:  The pictured Burgers are from Jimmy’s Burger Joint.

Albino Oreo Cookies modeled by a burglar — But for the name Golden Oreo, he probably wouldn’t have stole ’em and I wouldn’t have bought them.  For $1 a box, I had to try at least one.  And it’s a good quality Sandwich Cookie, but plain.  I prefer its dark, older cousin, Oreo.