Welcome To OC  presents Guest Blogger Craig Carbonniere, President|Orange County Coastal Concierge, with a timely post on a perfect holiday in Orange County.

The sun is shining on a chilly winter morning and the air is clean and crisp.  The family gets wrapped up in their scarves and is geared up and ready to drive up the coast to start your annual family holiday outing.  Don’t forget your sunglasses!  Although the temperature may seem brisk, this is a perfect beautiful morning on the Orange County Coast. 

 Alongside the famous PCH, you stumble across Nick’s Restaurant in Laguna Beach.  Nick’s is a small eatery serving Classic American comfort food.  My recommendation would be to order their Café Breakfast (2 Eggs, Hash Browns or Fresh Fruit and Toast) which is a great deal for $7.  Feeling a little daring?  If you feel like you’ve made the “naughty” list this year,try their exclusive Oatmeal Brulee served with fresh berries and topped with sealed caramelized sugar.   Imagine… breaking into a crunchy sugar shell before delving into the freshly made oatmeal. 

As you finish your filling breakfast at Nick’s you certainly need to “walk it off.” From the patio of the restaurant you spot Main Beach and the famous Laguna Beach Lifeguard Tower.   You decide to take a walk to the ocean and remember that you forgot to send out holiday cards for the season! There is no better place to take a family photo then in front of the Lifeguard Tower.  The tower has been themed for the holiday season with decorated wreaths.  Just like that-you can take the Christmas card photo off of your list.  On your way back to the car, don’t forget to stop by the Candy Baron.  The kids will think they’ve hit the jackpot walking into this dream of an unending variety of candy.  Take your time picking through yourfavorite flavors of Salt Water taffy, hard candies, imported chocolates and more!

Everyone is ready to go back in the car to explore further up the coast.  You’ve arrive in Costa Mesa, another hidden gem of the OC.  Your beach rendezvous has made you hungry and the cold weather tricks your stomach into wanting something spicy to warm you and the family up.  Santouka Ramen is where you can find the best spicy dish called Spicy Miso Chashyu Ramen. The broth is decadent with thin slices of pork cooked to perfection making this light lunch absolutely irresistible.  You take the family around to see the sights in Costa Mesa, perhaps even get a little jump on holiday shopping.

Shopping has been checked off your list as you’ve checked it twice and now everyone is ready for dinner.  You’ve already set up reservations to dine at Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen in the Downtown Disney District of Anaheim.  Starting off with an appetizer of Southern Garlic Cheese bread made with large slices of mozzarella sandwiched in between each slice of roasted garlic bread.  Squeezing a little lemon over the bread also enhances the flavor and heightens the experience.  Your family has never had garlic cheese bread like this before!  You have a variety of options for your main entrée from Pasta Jambalaya to a New York Strip served with truffle compound butter.  Don’t worry, there’s also a kids menu that offers items such as Cornflake Crusted Chicken or Macaroni and Cheese.  You skipped dessert at dinner and your family is wondering why?

Now, this is your opportunity to create one heck of a memory your family will never forget.  You surprise the family with something they would never expect.  Little do they know… you’ve pre-purchased tickets to go to Disneyland Park to spend the rest of your evening!  “We’re having dessert inside of Disneyland!” Suddenly, the cheers from the surprise are captured in your camera and you are headed off into the turnstiles of the most magical place on earth!  It is a winter wonderland as make your way to Blue Ribbon Bakery.  The sights and smells cinnamon and spiced pastries and desserts are tempting.  The family cannot take their eyes off of the giant cinnamon roll (they’re so big that everyone can share). A cup of freshly made hot chocolate or coffee to accompany it is the perfect match.  Now that you have your dessert, you grab a seat on a bench at the end of Main Street waiting for the Fireworks show and towards the end of the show you find that winter is truly here. 

Whether a Vacation or an annual family day, it is so much easier with proper planning. During the holidays it is difficult to squeeze all of your tasks in such a small amount of time.  From restaurant dining reservations to pre-purchasing theme park tickets, let Coastal Concierge of Orange County do that work for you.  Taking the opportunity to let us plan your events or itinerary can create more time you can spend with your family.

From our family to yours, Happy Holidays!

Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.
Harriet Van Horne

Creating an incredible dinner is an event that for most us just doesn’t quite happen.  But that doesn’t mean that we don’t recognize the importance of cooking beyond that basic need to fill our empty stomachs.  We know it can be so much more.  At the dinner table, real conversations can take place and we can get to know each other better.  We can connect or even reconnect with people important to us.  Cooking can be such a creative outlet. 

Happily, Antoine’s Café in San Clemente helps us to discover our inner chef.  Every month, chef and caterer Caroline Cazaumayou comes to Antoine’s to offer cooking classes, dinner, recipes, and wine.  Look at the epicurean delight that was the March class:

“Gourmet Mediterranean”

Menu
Steamed Artichoke with Lemon-Tahini Vinaigrette
Butterflied Leg of Lamb Stuffed with Spinach and Mushroom
Carrots and Apricots in Sherry Vinegar Glaze
Couscous with Currants, Zucchini and Toasted Pine Nuts
Tangerine Flan with Light Caramel

Call today to reserve a seat at the table: 949.492.1763.
Recipes, dinner and a glass of wine are included.
No corkage fee if you bring your own wine.

Mmmmm, don’t delay in signing up to create your own culinary masterpiece in April or in the months to follow!

Antoine’s Cafe

218 South El Camino Real
San Clemente, CA 92672
949.492.1763
www.antoinescafe.com

For more nice restaurants in Orange County, visit the Dining Guide

Valentine’s Day is celebrated by sweethearts around the world every February 14th.  Candy, cards, flowers, gifts, and candlelit dinners help to make this romantic holiday special.  But the original St.Valentine was not a particularly romantic figure in that he himself could not marry

According to legend there are three different persons thought to be the Valentine for whom we now celebrate this amorous holiday.  But most generally credit St. Valentine to be the priest who served during the third century in Rome. The emperor had decided that during this tumultuous time in history, single men made better soldiers than those with families. Therefore he made it illegal to marry, a decision in which Valentine took issue. He bravely disobeyed the emperor by continuing to perform marriages.  The emperor did not look upon this flagrant disregard for his power favorably and sentenced Valentine to death.

The custom of celebrating on February 14th was thought to have begun in England and France during the Middle Ages.  Half way through the second month of the year, the birds began to pair – a romantic notion. It was also suggested that February 14th coincided with the death of Valentine and thus it was celebrated in his memory. But either way courtly love began to flourish.  In England during the 17th century, cards between young lovers began to gain popularity and by the 18th century it was common for friends and lovers to exchange cards or hand written notes.

Fast forward to current times:

• 188 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine’s Day the second most popular greeting-card-giving occasion according to the research done by Hallmark.
• Valentine’s Day is the number 1 sales day for florists.
• There are 27,484 jewelry stores in the United States (in 2007)
• The best way to find the best restaurant in Orange County is to use OCRG’s Dining Guide

Happy Valentine’s Day!

It’s not too late to take advantage of this great offer in Newport Beach!

The City of Newport Beach, Southern California’s Premier Dining Destination, invites you to “Savor The Flavor” of the OC’s first and favorite Restaurant Week kicking off January 22 – 28, 2010. Close to 75 ofNewport’s finest eateries will participate for a full week in this citywide culinary celebration, serving up discounted price-fixed lunch menus at $15 or $20, and dinner menus at $25 or $35.

And for more choices in dining destinations, visit the OC Dining Guide!