Craft beers, local foods, artisan coffees - Orange County has been having its fill of niche businesses that get food and drink enthusiasts excited about their products but there are still a few segments missing. What about spirits? The answer is here now as Blinking Owl Distillery opens its doors and productions in Santa Ana. Brought into the community by long-time Santa Ana residents Brian and Robin Christenson, the distillery is the first for the county and already has highly lofty goals for itself. Named after a since-gone bar in the city called the "Blinking Owl Bar" which had a blinking owl sign, the new distillery is more than just an exciting new spirit producer but also a local spot for the community to host events, relax in a tasting room, and learn more about production through hosted tours.


The location of Blinking Owl is unassuming, set among residential houses and a few industrial buildings, but stepping inside, you realize just how aware they were of making an impression. The beautiful marble bar tops juxtaposed to polished metallic elements (mainly gold in color) along with black accents made for an elegant, stylish space.

"It's time for Orange County to have an opportunity like this. Robin did 90% of the design to be a mixture of chic, feminine, and masculine. The bottle was also specifically designed for both men and women with a tapered waist to make it easy for any size hand while still having a whisky bottle design 'prestige.'"

In addition to being visually appealing by design, Blinking Owl also works on carefully honing the craft of their products to be appealing in taste and make-up. Their license allows for serving up to 1.5 oz per person in the tasting room and selling up to three 750mL bottles per person daily. Those bottles could be of their organic durum wheat vodka, orange-infused vodka, aquavit, gin, and/or whisky - whichever fits customers' fancy. What is special about these spirits, however, is their production and sourcing. They mill, mash, ferment, distill, and age everything themselves to ensure quality. As for ingredients, the goal is eventually to be 100% Californian.

"Our take is to source as much California-grown product as possible. The white organic corn is from California; the wheat is Californian. Both are crucial to building a local crop mindset. In our aquavit, we use hibiscus which is the flower of Santa Ana. The orange flavored vodka uses oranges from the OC Heritage Museum. Our whisky is grown, made, and aged in California because it just makes sense here.

Why not make products that highlight our climate and seasons? We have an ideal aging climate with heat in the day and coolness in the night. The swinging temperatures are good for aging so our whisky is aging in half the time as somewhere else."

Now if you have never had aquavit, you need to try theirs. Robin informed us of how proud they are of how this Scandinavian spirit turned out and with good reason - it is delicious! The spirit is similar to gin but rather than using juniper as the primary botanical, aquavit is an amalgam of caraway, cardamom, and dill (along with many other botanicals). The Blinking Owl tasting room does allow for taster sizes but you might also want to give some attention to their cocktail capabilities there which are created by local mixologists.


The distillery is impressive and also manages to be beautiful for what it is. In addition to being perfectionists in their crafts, the Christensons also have an advantage by producing their spirits in the city of Santa Ana - the water. The city was named in 2016 to having the 4th best tasting water in the country so if that's the case, what happens when you use such an award-winner as your base? You get the smooth, clean, and beautiful bottles of vodka, gin, aquavit, and whisky that Blinking Owl makes. Now, if you don't make it to the tasting room to get a few sips in, don't fret. The distillery is well-ingrained in the Orange County dining scene and already has culinary professional friends clamoring for bottles to stock their bars. Soon enough, you'll be able to get swing a swig of their spirits.

"We take our product really seriously but not ourselves seriously. Let's get spiritual!"

Check out Blinking Owl at 802 E. Washington Ave, Santa Ana, CA 92701, making sure to plan for plenty of time for finding parking.

Photography by Duc Duong. More photos available on Facebook here.

What makes a dish bellissimmo may vary from person to person but one of the reasons why I fell in love with Italian cuisine - true Italian cuisine - is the appreciation in the simplicity of natural and curated ingredients for any plate. It isn't about smothering pasta in heavy tomato sauce (what a travesty!) nor covering every visible inch in Mozzarella; it's about paying attention to the land and its labors. Many regions of the country put forth dishes borne from agrarian communities so seasonality is the determining factor of what gets eaten, and we should pay attention to that detail.

Via Veneto in Santa Monica abides by this sentiment with rotating menus that can and will switch out monthly and/or more often depending on the produce. We were invited in one evening to experience their menu. I was extremely delighted to see creativity in the dishes but also an attention to what makes Italian cuisine beautiful - the ingredients.

We began our dining with an expansive plate featuring a beautiful arrangement of their Carciofini ($19 - farm baby artichoke salad) and a long artistic selection of the Tris Di Pesce ($24 - wild amberjack tartare, ahi tuna tartare, salmon tartare) starters. Finely shaven baby artichoke in the salad lent a tender texture that still maintained some bite from its own rawness. The addition of lemon juice in the mix gave the right amount of zestiness and tang to give the salad some complexity behind its simplicity. As for the tartare trio, they were an impressive treat, each furnished with their own blend of seasonings and herbs to best match the fish's profile. Particularly impressive was the amberjack not only because it is not a typical feature in restaurants in a tartare but because it was perfectly balanced.

Our entrees that evening were the Rombo ($46 - wild caught turbot, capers, Taggiasca olives, and heirloom tomato sauce) and Scaloppine al Limone ($36 - veal scaloppine and lemon sauce) with sides of Patate Novelle ($7 - Pewee roasted potatoes) and Spinaci ($7 - spinach). Another point of Italian cuisine that I really appreciate is how light the dishes actually are as compared to the Americanized version of Italian food which is typically heavy and can induce a food coma-like state. The fish was tender and hefty, punctuated by pleasantly tangy bursts of capers and highlighted by the savoriness of tomato sauce. The veal was quite thin and lightly breaded, balanced in its inherent meaty richness by the zest of its lemon sauce.

The end to a surprisingly filling meal gave no mercy as we were presented with a trio of desserts, each showcasing different styles to cater to a range of sweet tooths. This trio involved an affogato, panna cotta, and profiterole-like dessert, all of which proudly showed their unique merits whether it be the strong, robust coffee in the affogato or the perfect texture and jiggle in the panna cotta or the light fruitiness of the third. As the restaurant seemed primed for celebrating a special occasion, having a selection of various desserts would likely be the best way to go for your meals' finisher.


If you are on the hunt for a special experience with gorgeous food both in design and in taste which highlight the seasonality of its ingredients, I'd suggest giving Via Veneto at 3009 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90405 a try. Reservations are likely recommended here.

Photography by Duc Duong.

Lovers of Burger Parlor and its beginnings in Fullerton rejoice! The high-quality, tastebud-stimulating eats have expanded their way to a second location, this time in the midst of the Old Towne Orange hubbub. The genius creation of Chef/Owner Joseph Mahon whose culinary career has served him since he was 16 years of age, Burger Parlor and its success hinges on its commitment to its customers, the community, and product. The selection process of Orange for the second outpost of the popular location was a few years in the making but an extremely important decision to Mahon who stated,

"Being a part of Orange is a critical aspect for us so we do community outreach through various opportunities, all charity and directed to schools. We want the families, the people, and the fabric of the town to enjoy our experience together."

Open just a few months now, the Burger Parlor's second location in Old Towne Orange has already found plenty of guest traffic from its loyal fanbase as well as those who are walking through, experiencing what the historic area has to offer. It has been an organic growth that has proven just how much need there was for a unique menu of solid burgers and fries.


If you are familiar with the Fullerton location where the restaurant staked its first roots, you might notice the similarities with the Orange location: 100 year old exposed brick walls, an outdoor patio, two points of entry, and so forth. Part of that is a result of the lot chosen in Old Towne Orange but the other part is Mahon's hand in designing the spaces himself from the materials used to elevation drawings to the logo and story. There were some liberties taken in this heritage building including turning a previous office into a taproom and expanding the dining room capabilities beyond just a handful of guests. Add in the similar demographics from both cities and you'll find yourself a burger parlor's success.

Mahon himself has paid his dues in the culinary world for many years, most recently as the Executive Chef of Bastide, a West Hollywood Michelin-star restaurant that has since closed, and with posts in France, London, New York, and so forth. He has seen the rigorous actions of fine dining and infamous restaurants and worked countless hours in both independent restaurants and large corporations. With these struggles in mind, Mahon turned his attention to building his own burger spot once he and his wife moved to Orange County, a way to take ownership of every aspect of the industry and develop business know-how beyond behind the burner.

"I think that's why I get along with our kitchen team so well. I've been in their shoes. I can relate to them, talk their talk, and walk the walk. It's all about our team - having a culture of constant improvement and letting them make mistakes to learn from. We've maintained a core Burger Parlor team for 3-4 years instead of the typical "few months" in the industry."

"It's my job to equalize the marketplace and give our communities a quality burger place without cutting corners. They really want establishments similar to this."

Burger Parlor prides itself in its ingredients. The patties are antibiotic-free Nebraskan beef blended in-house from four cuts of meat. After much R&D, they've created a burger bun that plays the balance between being a brioche and Hawaiian roll. As Mahon puts it, they "take all the unnecessary steps and make them necessary" which is why their sauces are made in-house, their meats are blended by their own team, buttermilk chicken pieces are marinated for 48 hours before frying, and sides like onion rings and fries are sliced and fried to order. Though some guests may be okay with frozen or premade dishes, one of Burger Parlor's core values is to do it right and do it fresh with a "less is more" attitude when it comes to showcasing food's actual flavors.


It shows. After chatting with Mahon about more than can fit into this article and taking a behind-the-scenes peek at the making of an Orange-location-only burger, we sat down for some tastes. The flight of sides were up first, and their sheer quantities left us packing up a few boxes to take home.

We had to get some bites of the Sweet Potato Waffle Fries ($4.59 - served with honey chipotle aioli) - there is something alluring about that particular shape of "fry" that also serves a dose of nostalgia along with it. I can't remember where I used to have waffle fries as a kid but it was some fast food spot that was a treat. These were thick and hearty, a great match for the spicy-sweet aioli that came along with it. Our basket of the Half & Half ($4.39 - half fries with sea salt, half beer-battered onion rings) was formidable with the over-sized onion slices but we powered through their beer-battered shells and really enjoyed the sea salt on each well-done fry. Definitely some of the better fries that we've had before. To capitalize on that preference, the Kevin Bacon & Pastrami Fries ($6.95 - traditional fries, aged Wisconsin Cheddar, cheese sauce, bacon, housemade hot sauce, and pastrami) hyped the spuds to a whole other level with smothered heart-stopping toppings. The side order was good but I could only stomach a bite or two before needing to save room for the stacked, hefty burgers next.


Each burger patty is 6.2 oz in size and proudly sourced 100% antibiotic-free from Omaha, NE. The one we saw built in the kitchen was The Orange Plaza ($10.79 - Parmesan-grilled sourdough bun, smoked bacon, Fontina, caramelized onions, mushrooms, arugula, and chipotle aioli), an exclusive to the Orange location for Burger Parlor and a bit of tribute to the community there. All the fixings on here oozed umami and really suckered you in for bite after bite.

Even knowing that the beef was such a highlight of Burger Parlor, I just had to visit the Portland ($8.95 - marinated beets, fried Mozzarella, sprouts, arugula, pickled carrots, oven-roasted tomato, and herb sauce; can add or substitute crispy Portobello or grilled Portobello) burger because it was on their vegetarian menu. It isn't often that places make impressive vegetarian offerings for those herbivore friends that join you for meals but this was something else. I had mine with both the fried Mozzarella and grilled Portobello and ended up finishing the whole burger because it was that good. Savory from the herb sauce and "patty," peppery from the arugula, slightly tart from the beets and carrots, and crunchy from such fresh sprouts, this burger hit all the crucial elements and textures for an enjoyable and filling meal, vegetarian or not.

On the other side of the spectrum, Duc went meat-indulgent with the popular Smokey ($9.95 - smoked bacon, crispy onions, caramelized onions, Wisconsin Cheddar, arugula, oven-roasted tomato, and chipotle aioli) burger whose crispy onions made the burger topple over once served. We re-arranged as best we could so he could attempt to wrap his mouth around such a burger behemoth. It was juicy, it was pleasantly unctuous, and it was hearty. The verdict was that we had to come back for more.

It's a pity we haven't been to Burger Parlor before but knowing what we do now and having seen what this second location has to offer, we'll be sure to stop by for some burger and fry goodness. Congratulations to Mahon and his team on the expansion with more planned in the future! Visit them at 149 N. Glassell St., Orange, CA 92866 and 204 N. Harbor Blvd., Fullerton, CA 92832 to get beefed up on burgers done well.

Photography by Duc Duong. More photos available at Facebook here.

We were lured to The Recess Room when a mailed press kit came our way with thematically-appropriate accessories for the soon-to-open restaurant to debut in Fountain Valley. It had an "old school" vibe but more importantly beyond the initial pizzazz was the restaurant's origins, team makeup, and intriguing menu. Right away, we were tempted once we saw their list of dishes composed of ingredients creatively put together that we hadn't seen done elsewhere yet. Built from a team of childhood friends, The Recess Room has come to fruition under the guidance of Viet Pham, Chef Sergioivan Ortega (Social, Arc, Providence, Cucina Enoteca), and Mixologist Carlo Navvaro (Pure Nightclub at Caesars Palace, Wynn Hotel, Kahunaville at Treasure Island) among many others. Though not open yet, the restaurant did host us recently, and we were very much impressed by what will soon hit Orange County's restaurant scene. This is an opening you won't want to miss.


The restaurant's name is the restaurant's game. There is a vintage chic feel to the place, and the decor is curated from pieces of either existing nostalgic paraphernalia or commissioned hand-painted artwork in that style. Their accent lighting and marble bar tops adopt the style of 1920s big city joints to add a touch of swankiness to their bar which will feature 24 craft beers on tap, California wines, a wide selection of whiskeys, and cocktails made from in-house ingredients (bitters, shrubs, syrups, etc) and onsite herb garden garnishes. Their tables were formed from 100-year-old wood from a Kentucky tobacco farm, showing off a worn but comfortable feel to each panel, and even their ceiling is made up of redwood paneling to mimic an old school basketball court floor. We were especially interested in the hostess desk that you are forced to stare at when you walk in because it is a newspaper shear/paper cutter from Europe from the 1900s. Aside from the trip down memory lane, these pieces came together well to perpetuate the romanticism we have thrust upon the years of yore and perhaps to prime guests to the culinary experience they will soon have - one of working with seasonal ingredients and focusing on the base tastes of simplicity mixed with hard work.


We began our menu preview with a slew of their mocktails which were so impressive that one doesn't really require alcohol to be added (though it wouldn't be a bad thing). Not only are the ingredients important to note here but the names are also quirky as well. I started with the Recess Peaches ($6 - handcrafted peach shrub, apple cider, Saigon cinnamon, sage), an elegant drink that really felt autumnal in flavor. The mix of cinnamon, sage, and apple cider was enough to make you feel like you were drinking down a cobbler but the thick heft of their peach shrub brought it over the top; sipping on this for even a dessert wouldn't be such a bad idea.

Duc started with The Gatsby Mule ($6 - handcrafted ginger beer, sage-infused blueberry cordial, lime) as we were informed that ginger lovers would enjoy this. We were not disappointed in the slightest - this was a mocktail quite heavy on the fresh ginger taste but in the wake-you-up-well way. The blueberry cordial was just a way to add sweetness to something that was pleasantly spicy on the tongue. Next came the Roses Are Razz ($6 - raspberry rosewater cordial, elderflower, hibiscus tea, lemon) and A Periwinkle in Time ($6 - handcrafted lavender lemonade, coconut water), both drinks that seemed to glow brilliantly all by themselves. Their colors were captivating and bright, just as their tastes were. Perfect brunch drinks, anyone?


The menu is quite diverse and though the restaurant is not open quite yet, we wanted to share what dishes we could before the menu changes again. They anticipate it shifting every few weeks based on seasonality. I suppose that'll give you the opportunity and incentive to come back frequently. So even though there will be occasional changes, the experience is to remain static with the focus being on sharing plates with everyone else at the table. It's a social experience; it's "recess" for all! We had a few to begin with: Ceviche ($12 - Hokkaido scallop, rock shrimp, plantain chips, heirloom pepper, sweet corn, cherry tomato, guajillo chili), Wagyu Tartar ($15 - ribeye, roast chili flakes, tamarind, cilantro, shallots, lime, taro chip), and Portobello Fries ($12 - Pecorino Romano, buttermilk, chive, jalapeno crema, dijon aioli).

Immediately seeing that the "dippable" shared plates came with accompaniments other than tortilla chips and toast was refreshing. I liked how the ceviche came with plantain chips; it was appropriate in the cuisine sense but also matched each other well flavor-wise. The scallop and shrimp were plentiful but so was the liquid overall which we were a tad crestfallen over once whisked away; there wasn't a way to sop up the remaining juices once we had finished the solid pieces in the ceviche so it felt like a waste. Tart and tangy, this was a great ceviche to share.

Duc was particularly partial to the tartar and fries. We were both curious about the tartar once we saw "tamarind" as one of the ingredients and also glad that taro chips were the "vessel" for the beef. The tartar came out quite tender, and the tamarind combined with other Asian-inspired ingredients really turned this dish towards the Thai cuisine realm, an enjoyable change of pace from the typical tartar. It was sweet and acidic at the same time with plenty of savoriness to boot. If you needed more umami in your meal, the Portobello fries definitely pushed that agenda; these battered slices of what I can only see as being enormous mushrooms were perfectly fried and accompanied by tasty dipping sauces.


The shared plates kept on coming though, and our next round contained one of my favorites of the evening - their Beef Chicharron ($8 - beef tendon, trout roe, onion creme fraiche, chive, petite watercress, shin cup seasoning). The naming of the dish piqued my interest right off the bat as I am accustomed to chicharron being primarily made from pork; what would beef chicharron be made of? Then upon reading the ingredients, I was even more curious as it was made from beef tendon rather than belly/skin. What came out was extremely crunchy, well-made, and powerfully delicious. The process of making these treats was explained to us and sounded quite tedious but for good reason - they were a good product! The addition of trout roe turned on a nostalgic trigger for me as I was reminded of the "shrimp" chips I had growing up though it might not be for everyone. I'm willing to bet not everyone would tolerate fishy chicharron but trust me, it's delicious. They also dusted the pieces with their own housemade "Shin Cup" seasoning for good measure.

From the whole pack we tasted, the two that didn't fit our fancy to the fullest were their Beet ($12 - sangria beet, golden beet, strawberry goat cheese, and pistachio powder) and Bone Marrow Mac & Cheese ($12 - cali-cal Chedder, goat cheese, orecchiete, bechamel) which also each had their own great points. For the beets, the restaurant had whipped together their own balls of strawberry goat cheese which played nicely against the balsamic glaze drizzled atop the beets but that combined with their creative pistachio powder/dust did not elevate the dish to the same level as the other dishes. It ultimately was a beautifully plated dish of beet chunks. As for the mac & cheese, we thought the use of orecchiete was a fun touch but because bone marrow is not a full liquid/spread, it could not be evenly disbursed throughout the whole dish, leading to some areas that were just pasta in light cheese. That being said, the parts that the bone marrow did top off were excellent.


After all of those shared plates, we still had a few entrees to give a taste. The Recess Room does feature full plates for those wanting to go that route, and so we tried out their Veal Dumpling ($14 - tomato, garlic, marsala wine, creme fraiche, Parmesan) and Hue Dip ($14 - braised brisket, spicy lemongrass, jalapeno slaw, coriander, ciabatta, beer batter fries). The dumplings were hearty and just plain comforting. They were a more sophisticated form (by leagues) of the Chef Boyardee "comfort food" you might have had after a bad day at school, and they were generously filled with the veal. As for the hue dip, we were extremely curious about this as it is inspired by bun bo hue, a Vietnamese noodle soup that has an iconic and defining taste consisting mostly of lemongrass. The restaurant did a fantastic job at truly capturing the noodle soup's flavors into a sandwich form, and the concentrated "broth" dip you could dunk your sandwich into was superb. Oh and the fries? Fabulous.


After all of that, there was still space for dessert to be had but because of their extensively intriguing dessert menu, it took us a while to finally settle on the Tres Leches ($8 - Spanish sponge cake, condensed milk, Vietnamese coffee, strawberries). This was a moist cake that managed to also be light in weight of flavor while still prominently showcasing the Vietnamese coffee poured over it. It was devoured quickly despite our nearly-bursting stomachs by that point. What can I say? It was an appropriate end to the meal.

Overall, I can see that The Recess Room will do well. Located at 18380 Brookhurst St., Fountain Valley, CA 92708, it is in a highly visible spot from a highly trafficked street. This restaurant might even be the next hot new restaurant once it gets its community groove going. We are excited for when they open in the coming weeks and will surely return!

Photography by Duc Duong. More photos available on Facebook here.