SoCal day 3: Burnt Crumbs, Bosscat, & Classic Q

Headed to Burnt Crumbs for an early lunch since Tammy missed out on it last time. We were a bit early and they hadn't opened yet. 


So we headed to Irvine Spectrum Center which was on the other side of the freeway, to burn some time.

It was a few minutes before 10 am, so shops were barely opening.



Saw on the directory that there was a Hello Kitty Cafe so we stopped by to check it out. They were still setting up.


Just your average pastries dressed up in Hello Kitty fashion.


The box is an additional $2 or get it for free if you spend over $25....  -_-




Browsed around one of the shops and saw that they had Rick & Morty blind boxes. I was really hoping to get Ghost in a Jar, but ended up with Mr. Poopybutthole

Headed back to the cafe so that they can sucker Tammy into getting that box.

Made our way back to Burnt Crumbs




Spaghetti grilled cheese.

Great combo with the side of marinara. You have to eat it there, probably not as great if you get it to-go. It's so crispy.

Hand cut chips and fries.

Avocado toast: smashed avocado with house ricotta.

 Pretty good if you really like avocado.

Buffalo Chicken Toast: Sriracha Buffalo Chicken, coleslaw, & blue cheese.

Didn't know what to expect from this, but it was really good.

Roast Beef: shaved roast beef, provolone, arugula horseradish mayo, ciabatta bread.

I'm not a big fan of roast beef or horseradish, but this was pretty good. Horseradish wasn't too overwhelming, it had the right amount.


Headed back to our friends house to pack our things and hangout for a bit. Then we headed to Bosscat Kitchen & Libations since it's located really close to the airport and we wanted to be in the area early so that we could avoid traffic.



Cornbread Madeleines  with Huckleberry sweet cream butter. These were awesome.

House pickled vegetables.... I didn't like these that much.

Pulled Pork Hush Puppies: Cornbread battered pork, deep fried, Carolina barbecue mustard.

These were pretty good and had a nice texture. If you like cornbread then you'll probably like these.

Whiskey Okra: grilled scorched okra, Chinese sweet sausage.

These were okay also.

Spent the rest of our time at The Classic Q playing darts.

Taco Tuesday... Tacos were whatever.



Buffalo wings on happy hour.

That ends our trip. Just a quick getaway.

Next on the agenda is Bahamas... Trip report coming soon.

SoCal day 2: Universal Studios, Shin Sen Gumi, & Afters ice cream

There's was quite a bit of traffic so our navigation led us through mountain to get to Universal Studios.





Since we had annual passes from December. Thought we would put them to good use.







There's a Voodoo Donuts now at City Walk.


It was pretty dead at City Walk. I think it would be busier if they didn't charge a $20 parking free. They should do what Downtown Disney does and offer complimentary 2 hour parking.

Was meeting up with my friend Edwin for lunch and decided on Karl Strauss Brewing Co.




Beer Belly: Beer-braised smoked pork belly, grilled broccolini, poached Chino Valley cage-free egg, togarashi spice, and umami glaze.

Dish was pretty good, wish there was more pork belly though.

Double Truffle Fries: parmesan, chopped garlic, rosemary, white truffle oil, and truffle aioli.

These were good and you can't go wrong with truffle fries.

Spicy Shrimp & Grits: pan-seared shrimp, beer deglaze, sriracha butter, cilantro, broccoli avocado, roasted red pepers, and creamy habanero jack grits.

I've had grits maybe once or twice and I know I never liked it. So I was a bit hesitant when I ordered this dish, but I'm glad I did cause it was delicious.

The Beer-Brined Chops: French-cut pork chops brined in Red Trolley Ale. Garlic mashed red potatoes, sauteed green beans, broccoli, firecracker sauce, and spicey mustard sauce. This dish was also very good.

Forgot which burger my friend ordered.


It was our first time meeting Edwin's girlfriend Jacquelyn.

We eventually made out way into the park.

We mainly came in to see WaterWorld and to get some ButterBeer. We barely missed the showing and had to wait an hour for the next one.


So headed to Harry Potter World to get ButterBeer.


A friend requested that I bring back ButterBeer for her. I had a really nice glass bottle with a swing top, but they wouldn't allow glass into the park. So I bought a Doctor Who thermos at a souvenir shop at City Walk.



Supposedly there was an early preview event of Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts for annual pass members, but we didn't go cause we weren't going to stay that long.



Walked by Moe's Tavern and thought I would take a peek inside.

They actually have Duff Beer on tap.




I can't believer WaterWorld has been running for this long. I haven't seen the show for almost two decades.




After our ButterBeer and show we headed back to Fountain Valley to meet with some friends for dinner at Shin-Sen-Gumi Robata & Yakitori

They have happy hour on Monday & Tuesday for Yakitori


Fried cheese with fish roe.

Takoyaki

Pork Belly

Crab Croquette

Miso Pork Belly

Chicken hearts I think.

Quail Egg and Chicken liver

Chicken skin

Bacon wrapped quail eggs.

Bacon wrapped asparagus and more quail eggs.



Foie Gras



Chicken meatballs

Yellow Tail carpaccio


Tonkatsu

After dinner we headed to Afters Ice Cream which was located down the street.

I usually get cookie monster, but I tried their cookie butter and it was amazing. Got a scoop of it with Captain Crunch. Looks like I'm going to have problems deciding in the future.

Tammy got Furious Flan which was pretty good, but not as good as cookie butter.

They also have chocolate milky buns now, but my friend told me it was okay. Original is better.

That ends day 2. Tomorrow we have breakfast, lunch, and then head home.