Most of the appetizers at The Yard House are half price during Happy Hour, which is 3:00-6:00pm (M-F). It’s a great deal on good quality food. We got the Crab Cakes, Ham and Pineapple Pizza, Sliders with Bearnaise Sauce and French Fries, plus a Hefeweizen and Dirty Martini. We liked it all.
Related Links:
It was a Cake Making Competition among culinary students from The International Culinary School at the Art Institute. The participants represented a few different schools, including Orange County, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Texas.
The theme was America’s Best. On this first day of the competition we saw the makings of a Liberty Bell, Luggage, a Hamburger and French Fries, a Stadium, the United States, and a few others we couldn’t make out at the time.
And the winner is…
We didn’t see all the Cakes in final, but do have a picture of the WINNER. This picture was sent to me by one of its creators, Michael Hadobas, who is coincidentally the one piping the playing cards above. He did a great job on them. He and his partner Dorthy Sepcic made the winning Cake. As you may guess, they’re from The Art Institute of Las Vegas. Congratulations!
Related Links:
http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/?p=793
http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/?p=735
The event was touted as the 2008 Celebrity Food Show. It was heavily promoted and looked enticing, so I went with a friend. We didn’t stay for the Ace of Cakes Show because the food exhibit area was way too small. We had reservations to see Duff and the rest of the gang at the 4:30 show, but left before it started. The picture is from a peak at the 2:30 show.
We had arrived at 1:30 to first experience the Cake Making Competition and Food Exhibits, but there wasn’t enough to see to fill the time. Overall we weren’t impressed. It seemed more like a glorified swap meet or Costco’s on a Saturday, plus a fair number of vendors weren’t fabulous or even set up. And we saw way too many Salsa booths.
All didn’t seem worth the $25.00 entry fee — And no one even asked for our tickets. People were just wandering in and out of all the open doors. The pictures below are of a few items we sampled or purchased, and a couple displays that caught our eyes. The Cake Making Competition pictures will be featured in a future post, since it was the best part of the event.
Related Links:
http://www.celebrityfoodshow.com/
http://www.thesmokestackco.com/index.shtml
http://www.lacookiestogo.com/Lisa_Anns_Cookies_to_go/Home.html
Some flowers are edible, but these aren’t. This post is for the locals, but you can certainly enjoy the pictures. If you’re nearby it’s a fun find. Dahlias can be fresh cut from our Costa Mesa neighbor’s backyard from June to September.
Just point to the one you want and Mr. or Mrs. Banks will cut it for you. They’re located at 1589 Riverside Place in Costa Mesa, California 92627 – (949) 642-8107. The Dahlia prices range from $3.00 – $8.00 each. If there’s a ‘Dahlias Today’ sign out front, feel free to walk back to see the beautiful flowers. They’re gorgeous.
It’s at the Anaheim Hilton starting this Friday, August 15 through the 17th. I’m going on Friday and can’t wait. 🙂
I’ll be getting lots of pictures of the good stuff, so stay tuned.
Here’s a few links, if you’d like to go too.
http://www.fancyfoodmagazine.com/event.htm
http://www.localwineevents.com/Orange-County-Wine/event-192572.html
A Pulled Pork Sandwich and Cole Slaw, which may be my last meal this year at the Orange County Fair. Sadly it’s only open 4 more days, but I could possibly squeeze in one more visit.
Since 2008’s theme relates to Cheese, as in “Say Cheese” and the kind you eat, they’re carving up a large block for the entertainment. It was cool to see, but it also kind of grossed me out, because it had that shiny room temperature look about it.
I was going to try the Fried Spam or Fried Avocado, even though they didn’t sound good, but all had already been fried and were just sitting in the window. It wasn’t appealing. If I’m willing to try it I want it made fresh.
Related Link:
Since I’ve been writing about the OC Fair, I have to show the animals. We won’t talk about this blog and its relation to some of them. Let’s just admire the animals for their uniqueness and creation.
Centennial Farm has animals year round. After the Fair moves to the next town, you can still see some of them.
For more information – http://www.ocfair.com/ocf/
The Orange County Wine Society (OCWS) started with a group of independent Wine makers, but has grown and evolved to include those who simply love to drink it. The OCWS functions to enhance the knowledge of Wine-making (viticulture or viniculture) and the appreciation of Wine. They’re a fun group who voluntarily pour Award Winning Wines during the OC Fair.
This year $7.00 will get you a tasting of 3 Wines, plus the OCWS’s 2008 Wine Awards Book. And $3.00 will pour you a tasting of 2 Wines. TIP: You can get Cheese, Grapes and Bread from the Italian Restaurant outside the Wine Courtyard, all are shown below.
Related Links:
Orange County Wine Society – http://www.ocws.org/
Viticulture and/or Viniculture – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viticulture
Smoking Meats, Blooming Onions, Chili Cheese Fries, Sausage, Hot Dogs, Chicken, Smoked Turkey Legs, Grilled Corn on the Cob, Smoking Brisket, Kabobs, and a blur of Candy, respectively. 🙂
OC Fair Info – http://www.ocfair.com/ocf/
Some food is great and some just novel experiments. This day was a combination of both. We started with Australian Battered Potatoes with Cheese Sauce and Ranch Dressing. I had read that they’re loved by many, so had to give them a try — And we liked them too. The batter was cooked perfectly, but they can get heavy after a couple. I’d probably share them with a few people again.
These Smoked Pork Ribs had a generous amount of meat and flavor. They were definitely more than fair fare at the Fair. 🙂
And on a different note, there was the Fried White Castle Burger, which I won’t be getting again. My friend liked it, but it tasted way too greasy for me. Granted we had already eaten the above, but overall I don’t see its value — But it was fun to try.
The following pictures respectively relate to the three above.
Orange County Fair Info – http://www.ocfair.com/ocf/
It’s the Farm and Garden Competition at the Orange County Fair. The biggest and best of Fruits and Vegetables, miraculous food from the earth. Thank you God.
Grapefruit, Grapes, Carrots, Chili Peppers, Lemons and Zucchini.
Plums, the largest Pumpkin and Avocados.
The largest Zucchini, Onions and Nectarines.
Pumpkins, Beans and Cucumbers, plus more that’s not pictured.
OC Fair Information – http://www.ocfair.com/ocf/
This year the cooking / baking contests are rotating, due to lack of refrigeration and cost associated with same. It makes sense too, since the items are perishable and naturally breakdown. Last year some entries looked terrible towards the later days of the Fair. It was somewhat comical to look through the glass to see a shriveled up dessert and say to your friends — I can’t believe that won First Place – HA.
The Contest Categories on display this opening day appeared to be Fudge, Cakes, Scones, Biscuits and Breads. Next year I’m in. Registration begins in March 2009 — It’s the Home Arts Division.
There’s also a Table Setting Competition. The table on the far left won First Place, and the other two are my favorites. Check the link below to learn about more food related contests and competitions happening at the Fair.
More Orange County Fair Info – http://www.ocfair.com/ocf/
Centennial Farm grows stuff there all year round — It varies with the seasons. Right now, during the Fair they’re growing Lettuce, Pumpkins, Brussels Sprouts, and more respectfully listed downward.
Corn, Carrots, Turnips, Tomatillos and Grapefruit.
Gourds, Peanuts and Apples.
Plums, Peppers and Sunflowers.
Lettuce, Zucchini and Walnuts.
Artichokes, Kohlrabi, Onion and Eggplant.
Plus a lot more — It’s a dream backyard.
Orange County Fair Info – http://www.ocfair.com/ocf/
It’s definitely a FOOD FEST and I started with my favorite Brisket Sandwich at Texas BBQ. It’s the best. I make sure to get (at least) one every year. Here’s pics of the stand. It has a cow on top.
The food options appear never ending at the Orange County Fair. There truly is something interesting around every corner. This is just a small taste of 2008’s opening day, and the first of several reports regarding food at this year’s Fair.
Enjoy the Rotisserie Chicken, Kabobs, Roasted Corn, Smoked Ribs, Turkey Legs, Hamburgers and Sausage — And save room because there’s a lot more.
OC Fair Information – http://www.ocfair.com/ocf/
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