Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which opened last year at both Disneyland and Disney World in Anaheim and Florida, respectively, was the largest themed land expansion in Disney park history, coming in at a whopping 14 acres. A collaboration between Disney Imagineering and Lucasfilm Ltd., the land recreated the remote planet of Batuu, with details including shops, interactive experiences and dining. But it only had one main attraction when it opened back in May; Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, an interactive motion experience where guests actually climb into the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon, was met with much fanfare. But it was always a prelude to Rise of the Resistance, which has been touted as one of the most interactive experiences in any theme park, ever. Rise finally opened last week, and for Star Wars fans it truly proves irresistible.

“Immersive” is a word that Disney PR uses a lot to describe the attraction, and it’s definitely accurate. What sets Disney apart from all other parks is the way their rides tell a story or follow a theme. No roller coaster or water ride goes unbranded. Rise of the Resistance has its own tale to tell. The 15-minute experience puts guests into the battle between First Order and the Resistance, by blurring digital and reality. There are screens that project our favorite actors throughout the ride, reprising their roles from the films. At the same time, the animatronics Disneyland is known for are there too, seamlessly merging media with the physical world. In this way, Rise of the Resistance is a descendant of the Ratatouille ride at Disneyland Paris and the Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure ride at Disneyland Shanghai. For those unfamiliar with those attractions, it’s also like a more animatronic-heavy, state-of-the-art version of the Transformers ride at Universal Studios.

Inside the new Rise of the Resistance ride at Disneyland (Star Foreman)

There are multiple “scenes” inside of the Resistance journey — and yes, a long wait in line is part of it. But as has been the trend with most big rides in recent years, a lot of that waiting is incorporated into the overall story. So what exactly is the story? (Spoilers ahead!)

After a devastating battle, the Resistance has fled with General Leia Organa to an undisclosed location. As the First Order and Supreme Leader Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) hunt the Resistance and their supporters, they set up a temporary outpost in the forested areas along the outskirts of Black Spire Outpost on the planet Batuu, where they are looking for new recruits to join their cause. That’s where you come in.

For more images of opening day, check out Irvine Weekly’s slideshow.

With Star Wars: Datapad, a land-wide interactive experience available through the Play Disney Parks mobile app, guests can choose to support either the First Order or the Resistance while moving through the attraction beginning at the start of the line. If you choose to help the Resistance, you’ll receive a distress signal from Finn (John Boyega) undercover on a Star Destroyer, and be able to help him and the Resistance in various ways while in line. If you are a First Order loyalist, you’re tasked with surveilling and reporting back on the status of Resistance supplies. If you don’t pick a side, you’ll get assigned to one randomly later on inside the attraction.

Inside the new Rise of the Resistance ride at Disneyland. (Star Foreman)

The first part of the queue for Rise of the Resistance is your standard Disneyland-style, line-meets-narrative walkthrough. You’re following a pathway that leads deeper into the forest toward towering cliffs and the remains of an ancient civilization. Guests pass through stone walls, pillars and tight corridors as they get further into the base, with military communications chatter and military plans seen and heard along the way. This leads to a briefing room where rolling droid BB-8 pulls up a hologram transmission from Rey (Daisy Ridley) to welcome the new Resistance recruits. She reveals a plan to reunite with General Leia at an off-planet location that must be kept secret from the First Order.

From the briefing room, guests are taken through an airfield, where they see BB-8 getting ready in Poe Dameron’s (Oscar Isaac) signature X-wing starfighter Black One. Then it’s onto a transport ship that’s piloted by animatronic versions of Nien Nunb and Lieutenant Bek, a new Mon Calamari Resistance officer. It’s also escorted by Dameron, who appears via screen, and other X-wings, but he is forced to leave and go for help when the transport and fighters are attacked by a First Order Star Destroyer. Guests exit the ship to find a hangar bay filled with 50 stormtroopers and a handful of First Order officers. The stormtroopers are not projections, but rather stationary statues. The officers are cast members. The giant hangar “window” (which is a projection screen) shows outer space as Star Destroyers fly by. This scene is one of the most breathtaking of the entire ride and getting the chance to take a photo in front of the room full of stormtroopers is a great gift for any Star Wars fan.

Inside the new Rise of the Resistance ride at Disneyland (Star Foreman)

And don’t be put off when the First Order officers on the Star Destroyer aren’t displaying the usual chipper vibes of most Disneyland cast members. Having to “get in line” for them is all part of the fun. As they separate guests into smaller groups to enter an interrogation cell, they even yell at individuals to line up straight.

Inside the interrogation cell you’ll see stormtroopers standing atop a balcony above. It’s honestly hard to tell at first if these stormtroopers are real or not. Then, Kylo Ren and General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) appear, and suddenly, Finn reveals himself to be disguised as a stormtrooper, instructing guests to board a hijacked First Order Fleet Transport — reprogrammed and piloted by an R5 series astromech droid — to travel to an escape pod.

Technically, this is where the ride actually starts. It’s the first time guests get to sit down (inside an eight-seat vehicle).  Nevertheless, it doesn’t really feel like waiting up to this point — a purposeful strategy that Disney has really pulled off with Rise of the Resistance. The trackless cars have the moving R5 droids at the front and the remainder of the ride features more digital media mixed with physical action, grand sets and animatronics. Guests come face to face with a docked TIE fighter, AT-AT walkers and turbolaser cannons, as well as stormtroopers firing blaster bolts and Kylo Ren with his signature red lightsaber. One particularly thrilling moment involves a motion-based Star Tours-type of experience unexpectedly followed by a free fall drop.

Opening Day at Star Wars Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland Park (Star Foreman)

For 64 years, Disneyland has been on the cutting edge of the theme park industry, setting a new standard modern-day guests have come to expect in exchange for increasing ticket prices. Rise of the Resistance definitely delivers on its ambitions, offering some of the most advanced, state-of-the-art technology that theme park fans or any thrill seekers could want, especially one belonging to a brand as beloved as Star Wars. The force has been with us for 43 years now and, thanks to Disney’s imagineers and Lucasfilm’s effects experts, it looks like it will continue to be for generations to come.

Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland, 1313 Disneyland Drive, Anaheim; open daily. Tickets and information at Disneyland.com.

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Irvine is quickly becoming on the best, most diverse culinary destinations in Southern California. Here are some unique dishes that can only be found within (or near) its borders!

CUCINA Enoteca

Italian restaurant CUCINA enoteca, part of the Urban Kitchen Group,opened its doors in 2011. Cesar Sarmiento, chef de cuisine of CUCINA enoteca in Newport Beach and Irvine, describes the eatery as “a modern kitchen, which is focused on creating dishes that bring together the seasonal bounty of Southern California while serving up new interpretations of Italian fare.” He continued, “at CUCINA enoteca, we’re inspired by the cultures around us, from Middle Eastern to Asian and Spanish, and we infuse a bit of those flavors into our Italian cuisine.” Try the squid ink linguini, consisting of muscles, clams, shrimp, fennel soffritto and arrabbiata. 532 Spectrum Center Drive, Irvine.

Kobe meatballs (Courtesy of Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse

Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse

Davio’s menu is inspired from Northern Italian cuisine and includes handmade pasta, seafood and, of course, steak. You can’t miss the Kobe meatballs. These are made with American Kobe beef, veal and pork. It actually takes three days to make these, and you can really tell. They’re so tender that they melt in your mouth; whether you’re a meatball connoisseur or you just really love meat, you have to try these meatballs. If meatballs aren’t your thing, or you prefer seafood, the second dish we recommend is the crab cake. It’s one of Davio’s signature dishes, consisting of lump crab cake that’s oven baked and topped off with a whole grain mustard sauce.18420 Von Karman Ave #100, Irvine.

(Courtesy of SAJJ Mediterranean)

SAJJ Mediterranean

What makes SAJJ Mediterranean so special? Everything is customizable. Try their Build Your Own Bowl (pitas or salads are also choices for your base) that can be filled with chicken or steak shawarma, pomegranate chicken, their signature falafel, or even shawafel (falafel and shawarma). After that, unlimited toppings and sauces, including hummus, cilantro mint chutney, tahini, tzatziki and peri peri are available for further customization. What should you absolutely not skip? Their chocolate hummus. Made with just six ingredients — garbanzo beans, tahini, cocoa powder, chocolate hazelnut spread, maple syrup and vanilla extract — it can be ordered with house-made cinnamon sugar-dusted chips or on its own. 6636 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine.

Creamistry

Creamistry, whose flagship store calls Irvine home, is an ice cream shop where everything, even the ice cream, is made to order by their “Creamologists.” Banana lovers should order the “Elvis Presley,” made with fresh banana ice cream, banana slices, Reese’s Peanut Butter sauce, real bacon and whipped cream. Not a fan of bananas? Try their Fruity Pebbles ice cream sandwich, a custom dessert made with two Fruity Pebble marshmallow treats. 3972 Barranca Parkway, Suite D, Irvine.

Le Diplomate Café

Le Diplomate Café is an old staple, having been open since 1995. The dish we recommend trying here is the chicken broccoli mushroom sandwich. It comes with oven-baked chicken breast, steamed broccoli and mushroom, all in a French baguette roll with a garlic sauce and cheese, grilled panini-style. “The garlic sauce is our signature sauce. We make [it] here, [in house],” says manager Lisa Park. The combination of the food mixed with this special garlic sauce definitely makes this dish one of Irvine’s best.  University Center, Suite B161, Irvine.

(Courtesy of Agora Churrascaria)

Agora Churrascaria

At Brazilian steakhouse Agora Churrascaria, the meat is cooked on an open fire and carved tableside by traditionally dressed gauchos — ranchers from the South of Brazil. Don’t miss out on their picanha, which is a top sirloin-cap, a prime cut that the restaurant specially orders. While picanha is a traditional Brazilian dish that is served at many Brazilian steakhouses, Agora Churrascaria’s stands out because of the quality of the meat. Another dish not to miss is something that a lot of Brazilian restaurants in the U.S. don’t serve: chicken heart. While it may sound a bit exotic to an American palette, we assure you that the dish is so delicious that it’s worth the commute. 1830 Main Street, Irvine.

Cha Cha’s Latin Kitchen

Cha Cha’s Latin Kitchen started off as tacos and tequila and has since evolved into a Latin kitchen. Everything is made in-house and from scratch with fresh, seasonal ingredients. Everything is made to order, and that goes for both the bar as well as the food. For seafood lovers we insist on the fresh seafood caldo, which is fresh fish, shrimp, clams, squid, saffron-tomato broth, herbs and toasted angel hair. One of their other top dishes is pretty common at other Latin restaurants, but not in the way that Cha Cha’s Latin Kitchen does it: the carne asada. A grilled, marinated skirt steak with roasted potatoes, poblano peppers and fresh chimichurri, this is one menu item not to be missed. 13126 Jamboree Road, Irvine.

Honey & Butter Macarons

At Honey & Butter Macarons everything from their drinks to their cookies and all the ingredients that go in them is made from scratch. This bakery has plenty of macaron options available, from their classic macarons to their dozen daily flavors, to rare flavors and character macarons. With so many to choose from, how does one pick the right flavor? We recommend the crème brûlée, one of Honey & Butter’s rare flavors. The bakers make the custard in house to produce a delectable buttercream. Be sure to try one of the character macarons; our favorite is the corgi. Shaped like the famous dog, it’s almost too cute to eat — key word “almost.” 633 Spectrum Center Drive, Irvine.

HiroNori Craft Ramen

While there are many ramen places throughout Orange County, what lands the ramen at HiroNori Craft Ramen on this list is its authenticity. The owners worked for ramen shops in Japan over the course of a decade and then traveled throughout the country eating a lot of ramen. So what two dishes should you be sure not to miss? The first would be their vegan ramen, which contains sesame miso broth, broccolini, tofu, corn, bean sprouts, soy meat, baby kale and chili oil. The second is a more traditional ramen, the tonkotsu ramen, which contains pork chashu, green onion, spinach, seaweed and bean sprouts. 2222 Michelson Drive #234, Irvine.

Bacchus Bar and Bistro

Bacchus Bar and Bistro in the Quail Hill Shopping Center, first opened in 2005. The first dish we’re recommending is the lamb lollipops, which comes with mashed potatoes and Napa cabernet reduction. The second dish is the filet mignon, which comes with mashed potatoes, wild mushrooms, carrots and Napa cabernet reduction. Seared quickly with woody herbs then finished in the oven to give the cut an exact medium rare, this dish is accompanied with fresh seasonal veggies that are sautéed in Chiaromonte olive oil from Apuglia in Italy. The addition of a Napa cabernet reduction brings an overall harmony to the plate that can’t be missed. 6735 Quail Hill Parkway, Irvine.

Arc Burger (Courtesy of ARC Food & Libations)

Outside Irvine

ARC Food & Libations

ARC is a “wood-burning American steakhouse and craft cocktail bar with on point ambiance and service,” says co-owner Marín von Blöm. You must try the ARC burger, complete with a 16-ounce patty that is ground sirloin, whipped duck fat and bacon lardon seasoned with garlic and herbs. Complete with a house-made potato cornmeal crusted roll and topped with red oak tossed in roasted garlic vinaigrette, pickled Fresno chilies, shaved red onion, heirloom tomato and a choice of Roquefort bleu cheese or Hook’s 10-year aged cheddar, this is truly a dish not to be missed. 321 Hyland Ave., Suite F, Costa Mesa.

Croque Madame (Courtesy of Moulin)

Moulin

Moulin, a French restaurant on the border of Irvine and Newport Beach, is O.C.’s portal to Paris. “From the moment you step inside, Moulin transports you to France with the smell of fresh baked bread, the sight of artisan pastries glistening in the patisserie and fresh chickens turning in the rotisserie, accompanied by the sound of people speaking French,” says proprietor Laurent Vrignaud. “It is an all-encompassing French experience unlike anywhere else in the county.” The “best dish” is really any of the artisan pastries from their patisserie, as well as the croque madame, which Vrignaud describes as “iconic.” 1000 Bristol St. N St. 10, Newport Beach.

Bosscat Kitchen and Libations

Bosscat Kitchen and Libations, located right next to John Wayne Airport, first opened in 2014. General manager Chris Daily describes the restaurant as a “southern style whiskey bar with a California twist.” Offering over 300 whiskeys, one popular drink that pops on and off the menu is the Kentucky Orange Blossom, made with Buffalo Trace whiskey. No doubt the Kentucky Orange Blossom pairs well with our pick: the 12-hour beef short rib. “We braise [the meat] for 12 hours and the meat is handpicked,” says Daily. “We do our own black pepper sauce glaze on scalloped potatoes with fried onion strings. It’s one of the four [dishes from] the original 2014 menu and it’s still on the menu. It’s an amazing dish.” We couldn’t agree more. 4647 MacArthur Blvd, Newport Beach.

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The first stop for this month’s culinary journey is Outpost Kitchen, located a hop, skip and a jump away from Irvine in Costa Mesa since it first opened in 2015. “As an Aussie native, I wanted to create a place that embodies the vibe of Australia’s popular beach cafes while celebrating the abundance of fresh, vibrant ingredients we have available to us in Southern California,” says owner and founder, Jay Lewis. “Taking inspiration from the 1970s beach cafes of Australia, Outpost Kitchen [is] a gathering place to enjoy art, music and community in an industrial, yet modern environment that pays homage to the laidback Australian lifestyle.”

Lewis explained that none of their food is frozen but made fresh. “In our scratch kitchen, everything is made in-house — the way it should be! We wholeheartedly believe in knowing the life story of the food that we put on our plates and that you put in your body. Our carefully curated menu honors locally sourced, seasonal, organic, non-GMO, fresh produce without compromising on taste, aesthetics or charm,” he says. “The decor consists of reworked vintage furniture from local craftsmen, recycled, reusable and compostable tableware. Outpost Kitchen welcomes guests with familiar feelings of a neighborhood meeting spot, the go-to place for clean, fresh food after an epic surf session.”

Real Avocado Toast

So what dishes do we recommend at this Outback Outpost? The first is the Real Avocado Toast, which sounds a lot more simple than it is. “When it comes to avocado toast, Australians do it right. Ours is named the ‘Real’ Avocado Toast for a reason!,” says Lewis. “We layer a toasted country loaf with perfectly sliced ripe avocados, harissa and peppadew pesto, crumbled feta cheese and Asian greens, finished with a squeeze of lemon.” It’s a running meme about how much millennials love avocado toast, so it’s definitely readily available throughout L.A. But Lewis is right, somehow Australians do it better because the mixture of flavors, especially the peppadew pesto and crumbled feta, combined with the delicious country loaf definitely makes this dish worth the drive! The second dish to dream about while sitting in traffic is the House Smoked Salmon. “This dish is as beautiful as it is delicious. It features our house-smoked Scottish salmon over a bold splash beetroot puree and plated with baby kale, roasted walnuts, avocado and perfectly poached eggs drizzled with house mustard aioli,” says Lewis. Again, smoked salmon is widely available throughout L.A., but something about the way it’s made at Outpost makes it worth every minute of the drive from L.A. to Irvine!

Veal anglotti, truffle jus,,black truffle, parmigiano

From Australia we’re going to travel halfway around the world (while still staying in Irvine) to Italy to return to Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse at Irvine Towers. We first visited back in April and it was so good that we had to go back, especially to try the new, seasonal menu items that weren’t available back in the Spring. While their Kobe meatballs and crab cake are still definitely worth the drive, two new dishes make the trek even more recommended. The first dish is their Veal Anglotti, which consists of the veal, truffle jus, black truffle and parmigiano. “We brought this seasonal item to the menu by popular demand. We have a veal pasta on our signature menu, but this one is more decadent with the truffle two ways — as a jus and shaved on top. The flavors complement each other perfectly,” says chef Istvan Toth. Indeed, the dish is definitely decadent but its flavors and texture are so good that it’s definitely worth the drive from L.A. to Irvine.

Affogato a la Rose

The other new dish is a unique alcoholic dessert that frankly is so delicious and unique that it’s definitely worth the drive to Irvine. The “Affogato a la Rosé” is a take on the Frozé. Davio’s version is made with two scoops of house-made peach sorbet, fresh raspberries and Rosé prosecco poured tableside. “It’s a dessert perfect for summer, and will be available through September,” says pastry chef Lena Huynh. If you’re a fan or Rosé (or sorbet), then you definitely don’t want to miss this dish which is literally eating Rosé-flavored ice cream. Since it’s only available for a limited time and is so unlike most other desserts, we thought it was worthy of revisiting Davio’s for our month series!  

Whether you’re looking for some veal, some great avocado toast or Rosé-flavored sorbet, once again it’s great to see how Irvine has really become a diverse and interesting culinary destination, even for our Angeleno friends up north.

Outpost Kitchen, 1792 Monrovia Ave., Costa Mesa; (949) 873-5123, outpostkitchen.com.

Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse, 18420 Von Karman Ave #100, Irvine; (949) 477-4810, davios.com/irv.

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For this month’s dishes worth the drive from L.A. to Irvine, we decided to spotlight a delicious Italian restaurant and a scintillating steakhouse.

CUCINA enoteca

Urban Kitchen Group

Our first stop for this week’s dishes is Italian restaurant CUCINA enoteca, part of the Urban Kitchen Group (UKG). “Urban Kitchen Group was founded by Tracy Borkum in 1995, one of Southern California’s most influential restaurateurs. [She’s] a highly regarded trailblazer and strong female voice in a predominantly male-driven industry,” says Cesar Sarmiento, chef de cuisine of CUCINA enoteca in Newport Beach and Irvine. “Her dynamic collective is credited with helping to blaze a trail for the emerging hospitality progression in San Diego and Orange County. Today, UKG’s multi-faceted full-service restaurants double as all-in-one wine shops and retail destinations, where everything from curated design items to award-winning wine selections are available for sale.”

The Irvine location is a spin-off of UKG’s flagship restaurant, CUCINA urbana, the San Diego location that opened in 2009. The Irvine location opened its doors in 2011, followed by Del Mar in 2013 and Newport Beach in 2014. “CUCINA enoteca’s core values craft the perfect dining ‘trifecta’ to offer guests exceptional food and superior service in imaginatively designed environments,” says Sarmiento. Sarmiento described CUCINA enoteca, the Irvine location, as “a modern kitchen, which is focused on creating dishes that bring together the seasonal bounty of Southern California while serving up new interpretations of Italian fare. At CUCINA enoteca, we’re inspired by the cultures around us, from Middle Eastern to Asian and Spanish, and we infuse a bit of those flavors into our Italian cuisine.”

In terms of which dishes we’re recommending specifically, the first is the Beet & Citrus, which consists of grapefruit, pickled kumquat, mâche, chili granola and labneh. “[The] O.C. is really a melting pot of cultural influences, and our menu is inspired by that. In the Beet & Citrus you’ll find eclectic ingredients used such as a Middle Eastern cheese called labneh and a chili nut crunch influenced by Hawaii and commonly used in poke, mixed with local area citrus such as grapefruit and kumquats. Our goal is to take these regional influences and create inspired dishes that take on a familiar Italian form,” says Sarmiento. The mixture of these flavors together really makes this dish worth the drive from Los Angeles.

CUCINA enoteca

The second dish is the Squid Ink Linguini, which consists of muscles, clams, shrimp, fennel soffritto and arrabbiata. “Squid Ink Linguini showcases the fantastic abundance of seafood we have in our own backyard, tied in with a bit of Spanish influence with the aromatic fennel soffritto,” says Sarmiento. “Each week, our team visits the farmers market in Santa Monica to source as many ingredients as possible from regional area producers.”

As someone who’s not a huge seafood eater, this squid pasta makes me rethink my food preferences because of how delicious all of this seafood is when put together. “Beet & Citrus Salad and the Squid Ink Linguini are two dishes that…perfectly define the versatility of CUCINA’s menu,” says Sarmiento.

We couldn’t agree more.

ARC Food & Libations

From Italy we move onto a steakhouse with a twist. ARC Food & Libations has delicious meat and a great atmosphere that definitely makes it worth the drive from L.A. Arc is a “wood-burning American steakhouse and craft cocktail bar with on point ambiance and service,” says co-owner Marín von Blöm (Marín’s husband is the co-owner and chef, Noah von Blöm). “The restaurant is dark and sultry, with scintillating fire at every turn. The perfect first date spot, we evoke dirty, sexy happiness.”

ARC Food & Libations first opened in February 2013. Since then, Chef Noah has received many awards, including best chef and best pastry chef in Orange County from the Orange County Register. The two dishes we’re recommending are definitely great examples of the quality that has won Chef Noah these awards.

The first is the Arc Burger. Sure, there are many places to get burgers in L.A., but what makes this burger worth the drive over you ask? “The Arc Burger is a 16-ounce patty that is ground sirloin, whipped duck fat and bacon lardon,” says Marín. “The patty is seasoned with garlic and herbs. [The burger contains a] house-made potato cornmeal crusted roll, topped with red oak tossed in roasted garlic vinaigrette, pickled Fresno chilies, shaved red onion, heirloom tomato and a choice of Roquefort bleu cheese or Hook’s 10-year aged cheddar. It is a massive burger!” Aside from the sheer size of the burger, the combination of these ingredients together really tantalizes the taste buds and makes this burger worth the drive from L.A.

The second dish is the Butcher’s Love Steak. Again, there are many places that offer delicious steaks around L.A., but Arc’s steak is fairly unique. “The Butcher’s Love is a 2 1/2 pound trussed ‘butcher’s cut’ with zero fat, just perfect marbling,” says Marín. “It is the outside loin of the ribeye, trussed and filled with herbed butter. We hard sear the outside of the steak to get the perfect crunchy crust and then the interior of the steak is butter-poached. It is served on a huge redwood burl board with our duck fat potatoes, wild mushrooms and seasonal veggies.” I’m a huge fan of steak, especially ribeye cuts, and the zero fat and perfect marbling of this steak makes it incredibly tender and definitely worth the drive from L.A.

Stay tuned next month for four new dishes that are so good they’re worth the fight in traffic from L.A. to Irvine!

CUCINA enoteca, 532 Spectrum Center Drive, Irvine; (949) 861-2222, urbankitchengroup.com/cucina-enoteca-irvine.

Arc Food & Libations, 3321 Hyland Ave., Suite F, Costa Mesa; (949) 500-5561, arcrestaurant.com.

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“Dumpling folding is an art, and Tim Ho Wan is the perfect place for an introduction to this,” says Tim Ho Wan Director of Operations Jeremy Liberman. “Our dim sum specialists create authentic Hong Kong-style dim sum that is made-to-order using fresh ingredients. Dim sum traditionally consists of lots of bite-sized and shareable plates. It’s a fast-paced, lively and modern dim sum-eating experience.”

Tim Ho Wan was first founded in Hong Kong’s Mong Kok district in 2009. “Cofounders and dim sum masters Mak Kwai Pui and Leung Fai Keung first met as head chefs in Hong Kong in the early 2000s,” says Liberman. “Bonding over their love for true noodle artistry, the two left their respective positions to open a restaurant of their own. Within a year of opening, it earned one Michelin star and a cult following for being the ‘world’s cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant’ at the time.”

Tim Ho Wan describes their philosophy as made to order dishes with the freshest ingredients. A decade after their first Hong Kong location opened, Tim Ho Wan now operates 46 different locations in 9 different countries, opening its first North American location in December 2016 in New York’s East Village.

So what brings the famous chain to Irvine? “Since the 1970s, Irvine has had a vibrant, growing and diverse population,” says Liberman. “This unique diversity, coupled with excellent educational opportunities, a growing tech sector and, of course, a healthy dining and retail culture make Tim Ho Wan accessible to the residents of both Irvine and the surrounding communities. We know the Irvine community will be thrilled to welcome Tim Ho Wan to its neighborhood. We believe there is a dim sum niche to fill in Irvine, as many often travel elsewhere to enjoy authentic and high-quality dim sum. We’re going to change that.”

Irvine customers will also be able to enjoy dishes that aren’t available at any other location. At each Tim Ho Wan location a “Regional Specialty” dish unique to that location is offered. Liberman says that two menu items exclusive to the Irvine location will be revealed at the restaurant’s grand opening. Tim Ho Wan Irvine will also be the first U.S. location to offer a takeout window.

Aside from the mystery exclusive dishes, Tim Ho Wan Irvine will of course offer customers the same delicious dishes that people love all around the world. “Tim Ho Wan is known for our world-famous BBQ Pork Buns, along with other specialties like Steamed Rice Rolls, Pan Fried Turnip Cake and Steamed Egg Cake,” says Liberman. “Traditionally, BBQ Pork Buns are served in a soft fluffy dough, however, we take ours to the next level with crumbly, flaky dough that’s the perfect mix of sweet and savory for a melt-in-your-mouth combination.”

While Tim Ho Wan may have started in Hong Kong, flavor and delectable food is universal, which is something that Liberman has observed when comparing American customers to Asian ones. “Our experience is that our American Tim Ho Wan guests are very similar to our guests in Asian countries. No matter where in the world we introduce our authentic style of dim sum, we have found the public response to be equally enthusiastic,” says Liberman. “We have actually found the American market has a great interest in our brand because it is authentically from Hong Kong with a more modern, high-paced and urban feel than some traditional dim sum houses. Of course our signature BBQ Pork Buns lead the way with instant recognition.”

That being said, there are still slight taste preferences that are more common in the U.S. “There are subtle differences in what our [American] guests order. For example, we sell more braised chicken feet in some parts of Asia than we do in the U.S., but Americans are very adventurous. We’re learning if it tastes good, the market will support it, and the American market has lots of good taste. We can’t wait to get started in Irvine!”

With the only Tim Ho Wan in the entire state of California, Irvine is certainly lucky to welcome the dim sum chain to its city. Dim sum lovers have been known to travel far and wide to taste Tim Ho Wan’s dishes, but for Irvine ones, they now have this affordable Michelin-starred restaurant in their backyard. As Liberman explains, “Dim sum literally translates to ‘to touch your heart.’ That’s exactly what our food does – it touches your heart with each bite you take.”

Tim Ho Wan
Diamond Jamboree Shopping Center
2700 Alton Parkway, Suite 127-131
Irvine, California 92606
http://timhowanusa.com

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The first restaurant we’re showcasing this month is Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse at Irvine Towers. Although the Irvine location has only been open since October 2018, it belongs to an already established family of restaurants with locations in Atlanta and along the East Coast. Their food is inspired from Northern Italian cuisine and includes handmade pasta, seafood and, of course, steak. “It has always been a dream of mine to open a restaurant in California … and what could possibly be better than being in Irvine? It’s very exciting for us to be here. We can’t wait to become part of this wonderful community,” says Steve DiFillipp, chef and owner of Davio’s.

Kobe Meatballs – Courtesy of Davio’s

The first dish offered at Davio’s that makes the drive from L.A. worthwhile is the Kobe Meatballs. These are made with American Kobe beef, veal and pork. It actually takes three days to make these, and you can really tell. They’re so tender that they melt in your mouth; whether you’re a meatball connoisseur or you just really love meat, you have try these meatballs. It’s mind-blowing to think that they almost never came to be. “In 1985 we didn’t have meatballs on our menu. No way, I said. Meatballs are an American invention; they’re not Italian,” says DiFillipp. “I didn’t want any of it in my upscale restaurant. … Fast-forward to present day, meatballs are acceptable in upscale restaurants. … Finally, I gave in and showed the guys how to make them like my mom did. Working together, we tweaked the recipe, substituting Kobe beef for normal ground beef. Today, we sell more meatballs than you can imagine.”

On weekends, you can also splurge on a $100 meatball, which is made of American Kobe Wagyu beef, black truffles and a molten center of truffle cheese and faux gras. It’s then topped with a champagne cream sauce and more shaved black truffles, and served with a glass of Barolo. Or if you’re on a budget, Davio’s still has you covered. During happy hour, which is 4 – 7 p.m. Monday-Friday and 5 – 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, American Kobe Beef Meatball Sliders are available for $9 on the Bar Bites menu. No matter if you get the Kobe meatball from the traditional menu, as a $100 meatball or in a slider, it’s a unique dish that’s so scrumptious, it’s definitely worth the drive from L.A. to Irvine.

If meatballs aren’t your thing, or you prefer seafood, the second dish we chose to spotlight is the crab cake. It’s one of Davio’s signature dishes, consisting of lump crab cake that’s oven baked and topped off with a whole grain mustard sauce. The combination of the crab meat with the mustard sauce really makes this dish special and worth the drive from Los Angeles.

Moving from Italy to the Middle East, our second restaurant, SAJJ Mediterranean, just opened its Irvine location last November in the Sand Canyon Plaza shopping center (their first location is in Santa Margarita). So what makes this Mediterranean restaurant so special? First, everything is customizable. That’s why our first dish to spotlight is their Build Your Own Bowl (pitas or salads are also choices for your base). Diners can choose to fill it with chicken or steak shawarma, pomegranate chicken, shawafel (falafel and shawarma) or their signature falafel. After that, unlimited toppings and sauces, including hummus, cilantro mint chutney, tahini, tzatziki and peri peri are available for further customization.

Chocolate Hummus – Courtesy of Sajj

Recently, SAJJ launched “lifestyle” bowls to appeal to various types of diets. “In the last year or so, we’ve watched as the restaurant industry has begun to adapt and change to meet the specific dietary needs and preferences of consumers, and while our offerings are already highly customizable to fit those needs, we wanted to take that one step further and make it easier for guests to order a bowl that fits their lifestyle,” says Zaid Ayoub, Founder and CEO of SAJJ Mediterranean. “Our goal at SAJJ has always been to serve fresh, healthy food fast, and the introduction of our new Lifestyle Bowls will fulfill every part of that promise!” Lifestyle bowls include a Paleo, Keto and Double Protein bowl. Essentially a make-your-own Mediterranean bowl for anyone’s taste or diet, it’s truly worth the drive from Los Angeles.

The second dish we want to spotlight is so unique that it can’t be found in most Mediterranean restaurants, making it definitely worth the drive to Irvine: chocolate hummus. That’s right, you read it right. It’s a healthy dessert alternative that is low in fat, sodium and carbohydrates – it’s only 240 calories per 6-ounce container. The dish is made with just six ingredients: garbanzo beans, tahini, cocoa powder, chocolate hazelnut spread, maple syrup and vanilla extract. It can be ordered with house-made cinnamon sugar-dusted chips or on its own. There aren’t many places in L.A. that offer this unique of a dish, so it’s definitely worth the drive to Irvine! All entrees at SAJJ are also served with complimentary lentil soup. Fries, pita chips, hummus, falafel and baklava can be purchased as additional sides. Traditional Middle Eastern beverages, like mint and strawberry lemonade, tamarind and a mint yogurt drink, are house-made and available to order as well.

Whether you’re in the mood for a culinary trip to Italy or to the Middle East, these dishes are so delicious that we recommend our Angelino friends up north come down to Irvine and try them. Stay tuned next month for four new dishes worth the drive from Los Angeles to Irvine!

Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse

18420 Von Karman Ave #100
Irvine, CA 92612
(949) 477-4810
http://davios.com/irv

SAJJ Mediterranean

6636 Irvine Center Dr.
Irvine, CA 92618
(949) 336-4404
https://www.sajjstreeteats.com/location/irvine/

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Our first stop is on the sweet side: Creamistry, an ice cream shop where everything, even the ice cream, is made to order by their “Creamologists.”

Photo courtesy of Creamistry Franchise, Inc.

“We use a liquid nitrogen freezing process. It’s negative 320 degrees, so pretty much right on contact with the milk base, it just solidifies and freezes,” says Creamistry Marketing Director Kenny Cho. “The instant freezing process is actually pretty crucial to the texture of the ice cream because it doesn’t allow for any additional air to get mixed in and it prevents the formation of ice crystals. So what you end up with is a really nice, creamy, dense ice cream product that’s kind of hard to imitate without a similar freezing process using liquid nitrogen.”

Definitely not your tub of ice cream from the grocery store, Cho’s description of Creamistry’s handmade ice cream is spot on and really sets it apart from any other ice cream.

Creamistry started when the founder went on a business trip to Korea in the early 2000s and saw a street vendor making custom ice cream by hand. That stuck with him and finally, in 2013, he and his wife decided to start experimenting with the concept. “Literally within their home kitchen, they tried the liquid nitrogen process and tested out over 100 different flavors. That culminated in opening the first Creamistry shop at the Irvine location in 2013,” says Cho.

Creamistry now has about 60 locations throughout the country (there are closer ones than Irvine around L.A., such as Beverly Hills and Koreatown, but since Irvine is the flagship store, we thought that’s worth the drive).

Not only is the ice cream custom-made, but customers can customize their own orders as well. “A customer can choose one of many bases. We have an organic cream base, our signature premium cream base and for any of our lactose intolerant or vegan customers, we also offer a coconut and cashew base. We do also offer sorbets as well,” says Cho.

Some of us can be easily overwhelmed with too many options, so if that’s the case, we have two recommendations for you:

Creamistry Creation Elvis Presley – Photo courtesy of Creamistry Franchise, Inc.

The first dish is one of their Creations. A “Creation” is a cup with layers of two scoops of ice cream, two toppings, sauce and whipped cream. Creamistry just launched a brand new Creation called the Elvis Presley, which is perfect for any banana lover. “We add the fresh bananas [to the milk base], we mix it up, we freeze it and scoop it right on the spot. [It’s] layers of fresh banana ice cream, fresh banana slices, Reese’s Peanut Butter sauce and real bacon. [It comes in a] nice clear cup with all those layers and topped with whipped cream,” says Cho. We can attest that it’s delicious.

The other dish is their Fruity Pebbles ice cream sandwich. Creamistry offers upgrades to customers, one of which is the option to turn their ice cream into a sandwich, a bowl, a brownie bowl, etc. While the opportunities to make a sandwich are endless, we’re recommending the Fruity Pebble one. “Think of it as a rice crispy treat but we make it with Fruity Pebbles instead,” says Cho. “So [it’s] a custom ice cream sandwich between two Fruity Pebble marshmallow treats. It’s pretty delicious and pretty visually appealing as well.” The marshmallow twist makes this an especially unique sandwich that’s definitely worth the trip from Los Angeles!

If savory, rather than sweet, is more your thing, then head on over to Le Diplomate Café in the University Center. Le Diplomate Café is an old staple, having been open since 1995. “It’s been here in the same place for over 20 years!” says Le Diplomate Café Manager Lisa Park. Its French-Vietnamese fusion definitely makes it a unique dining destination.

The first dish we recommend trying here is the Chicken Broccoli Mushroom sandwich. It comes with oven-baked chicken breast, steamed broccoli and mushroom, all in a French baguette roll with a garlic sauce and cheese, grilled Panini-style. “The garlic sauce is our signature sauce. We make [it] here, [in house],” says Park. The combination of the food mixed with this special garlic sauce definitely makes this dish worth the drive from L.A.

Le Diplomate Cafe – Courtesy of Lisa and Andrew Park

The second dish we’re recommending is one of three types of Vietnamese sandwiches served at Le Diplomate Café. This one is called the Bahm Mi. It has barbecue pork, pickled veggies, jalapenos and cilantro. However, there’s one other special ingredient that truly makes this sandwich as delicious as it is: the bread. “We bake [our] bread here, everyday. It’s more fresh and it tastes good,” says Park. Indeed, the fresh bread on this sandwich makes it stand out from just any sandwich. The Café also features a wide selection of coffee and smoothies to enjoy with your food. As Park said, Le Diplomate Café has decent prices and great food, and that alone can make a long trip worth its weight in gold!

Whether you prefer sweet or savory, ice cream or chicken, follow these recommendations on your next journey from L.A. to Irvine and your palette will definitely be thanking you. Catch us next month with four new dishes that we think can make the case for a trip down south!

Creamistry
3972 Barranca Pkwy Suite D
Irvine, CA 92606
(949) 777-6627
https://creamistry.com

Le Diplomate Café
University Center, Suite B161
Irvine, CA 92612
(949) 854-5161
https://www.shopirvinecompany.com/centers/irvine/university-center/le-diplomate-cafe/

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Our first culinary stop is for all the carnivores out there: Brazilian steakhouse Agora Churrascaria. Churrascaria is a Portuguese word for a place where meat is cooked churrasco style, also known as the “Rodizio” style, which is the specific way the meat is grilled. At the restaurant, the meat is cooked on an open fire and carved tableside by traditionally dressed Gauchos – ranchers from the South of Brazil. Agora Churrascaria is right next to John Wayne Airport and first opened in May 2005 by Choon Cho and Dan Kim, who owned a fashion company in Seoul, South Korea.

“[They] spent many years in Brazil where they developed a love for its people, its lifestyle and its cuisine,” says Front of House Manager Alex Coimbra, who is from South Brazil himself. “For many years the family owned and operated restaurants in San Paulo, Brazil. Those experiences inspired them to bring churrascaria-style to Southern California.” Coimbra describes the restaurant as having a “dramatic interior” and says it’s “very rustic with the river-rock lined walls.”

Photo courtesy of Agora Churrascaria

Agora Churrascaria serves 14 different kinds of meats for dinner and 11 for lunch. With so many options, we’ve helped you narrow down which two are truly worth the drive to Irvine. First is the Picanha, which is a top sirloin-cap. This is a prime cut that the restaurant specially orders. While Picanha is a traditional Brazilian dish that is served at many Brazilian steakhouses, Agora Churrascaria’s Picanha stands out because of the quality of the meat. “It’s served medium rare. It’s pretty tender [and] has a cap of fat around it so when it cooks, the fat melts in and it delivers to the meat a really nice and moist flavor,” says Coimbra. Indeed, the tenderness of the meat really makes Agora Churrascaria’s Picanha a dish worth the drive to Irvine, no matter how many Brazilian restaurants may be serving the dish in Los Angeles.

The other Agora Churrascaria dish worth the drive is a more unique dish that a lot of Brazilian restaurants don’t serve: chicken heart. While the dish is common throughout Brazil, many Brazilian restaurants in the U.S. don’t serve it. “I know that we’re probably one of the only [Brazilian] steakhouses in California that has chicken hearts,” says Coimbra. “It’s a marinated chicken heart and it’s grilled over our 100 percent mesquite wood charcoal and served right after [it’s] cooked.” While chicken heart may sound a bit exotic to an American palette, we assure you that the dish is so delicious that it’s worth the commute from Los Angeles to Irvine. All meat is available at a fixed price that includes the hot food as well as an extensive salad bar. Adult lunches are $32 and adult dinners are $54 (children 6-10 are half price).

Our culinary tour switches languages from Portuguese to Spanish for our second restaurant this month, Cha Cha’s Latin Kitchen. The first location opened in Brea in 2009 followed by the Irvine location in July 2017. “We started off as tacos and tequila and have since, over the years, evolved into the Latin kitchen because we have expanded a little bit more on the Latin cuisine, not just Mexican, but a little bit of Spanish and a little bit of South American,” says co-owner Peter Serantoni. “Everything is made in house, everything is made from scratch [and] everything is made from fresh, seasonal stuff. Everything is made to order, nothing is prepared. That goes for both the bar as well as the food. It’s a high labor type of concept because it takes a lot of people to pull that off on a daily basis, but we think it’s worth it and so far we have been blessed with a really strong, supportive guest base that keeps coming back and we’re very grateful for that.”

Photo courtesy of Cha Cha’s Latin Kitchen

Knowing that everything on the menu is equally fresh and made from scratch, what dishes should you go with? The first is for seafood lovers: the Fresh Seafood Caldo, which is fresh fish, shrimp, clams, squid, saffron-tomato broth, herbs and toasted angel hair. “Our Seafood Caldo is sort of a very hardy, rustic seafood stew, a stew only in the sense that there’s a lot of different types of seafood,” says Serantoni. “And it’s served on a bed of toasted angel hair, which is basically angel hair pasta that we bake in the oven raw so it gets a darker color and then we cook the pasta so it has a unique toasted flavor. And then we finish it off with fresh thyme and olive oil. It’s a very flavorful dish that looks good, tastes good and has a lot of variety within. You take a little squid with the pasta, you’re getting a little tomato with the clams and then you’ve got some nice seasoning and garlic shrimp in there. So there’s a lot going on and we serve it in a traditional Spanish clay dish so it keeps the temperature.” This kind of seafood dish is so full of flavor and not a common staple at most Latin restaurants, definitely making it worth the drive to Irvine.

The other dish worth the drive is pretty common at other Latin restaurants, but not in the way that Cha Cha’s Latin Kitchen does it: the Carne Asada. The dish is a grilled, marinated skirt steak with roasted potatoes, poblano peppers and fresh chimichurri. “We select our skirt steak, which we butcher, clean and trim ourselves everyday so it’s a very flavorful meat to start with. And then we put that in a marinade for 48 hours or so and let it really get a deep, rich flavor [before] we grill it,” says Serantoni. “For us, it’s all about the flavors and it’s highly flavorful. You’ve got the warm, creamy potatoes and you’ve got the fresh herbs and the oils and a little bit of a spice from the chimichurri. And then the steak itself is really highly flavorful as well. So it’s a focus on flavors.” Indeed, many Latin restaurants throughout L.A. have carne asada, but the way in which Cha Cha’s Latin Kitchen marinates the steak and pairs it with the spices and sides really makes it stand out and worth the drive to Irvine.

Hopefully one of these four dishes we spotlighted will hit the spot for you. And if they do, come back next month for four new dishes at different restaurants.

Agora Churrascaria: 1830 Main Street, Irvine, CA 92614, http://www.agorachurrascaria.com

Cha Cha’s Latin Kitchen: 13126 Jamboree Rd, Irvine, CA 92602, http://www.chachaslatinkitchen.com/

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MICKEY & MINNIE – (Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland)

10: Hidden Mickeys

This is ranked lowest on our list because it’s probably the secret that the most people know about. The Disney Imagineers purposely built the signature Mickey Mouse silhouette into most attractions and restaurants around the park. For example, on Star Tours, when C-3PO appears at the front right of the room, a small, bright white classic Mickey is on his right forearm near his wrist. If you don’t think you’d be able to spot all the Mickeys yourself, there are many blogs that can assist you in finding them.

9: Club 33

Club 33 is a private, members-only club in New Orleans Square. Unlike California Adventure, Disneyland is dry and Club 33 is the only place in the park that sells alcohol. Club members pay $10,000 a year plus a $25,000 non-refundable initiation fee, but there’s a 14-year waiting list to join. Members get early access to the theme park, free valet parking at the Grand Californian Hotel and full access to the Lilly Belle car on the Disneyland Railroad, a secret presidential car at the tail of the Disneyland Train named after Walt Disney’s wife Lillian. It’s reserved for V.I.P.s and special guests but if you arrive at the park before it opens, you can go to the Disneyland Railroad Station, wait for the opening announcement and ask one of the cast members to make a reservation for you to ride in the Lilly Belle train car.

MARK TWAIN RIVERBOAT – (Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland)

8: The Dominguez Tree

While there are many attractions still at the park that date back to its original opening, one fixture in the park even predates that. Above the Jungle Cruise in Adventureland, there’s a palm tree that belonged to the Dominguez Family, the family who sold their Anaheim farm to Walt Disney so he could build Disneyland. The family made one request: that their family tree, which was a wedding gift, remained untouched and live on as part of the park. Walt Disney agreed and the tree still stands today.

7: Captain the Mark Twain Riverboat

You’re the captain now! If you plan to ride the Mark Twain Riverboat, how about captaining it? Before you board, you can find a Disney cast members and ask to visit the wheelhouse. They’ll take you to the second floor to a door marked “Private.” Knock on the door and the captain will take you to a secret ladder that goes to the wheelhouse, where you can steer and captain the riverboat under supervision. You can ring the Mark Twain bell and sound its whistle too. When the ride is finished, you can ask for a certificate and sign the guestbook alongside all the people who have ever steered the Riverboat.

DISNEYLAND RAILROAD AT MAIN STREET STATION – (Scott Brinegar/Disneyland)

6: Morse Code Message at New Orleans Square Train Station

At New Orleans Square Train Station, you may or may not have noticed some random Morse code from the telegraph office next door. Most likely you don’t speak morse code and didn’t give it a second thought, but the message is actually from Walt Disney’s original dedication he gave on Disneyland’s opening day: “To all who come to Disneyland, welcome. Here, age relives fond memories of the past and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future.”

5: The Secret Food Menu

Throughout the park, there’s a lot of off-menu food that is available to order if you know what to order. This includes a “Galactic Style” burger at the Galactic Grill in Tomorrowland, which is topped with fries, cheese, bacon, onions and Thousand Island dressing. At the Golden Horseshoe in Frontierland, you can order a dish called Ice Cream Nachos, which is three scoops of ice cream topped with hot fudge, whipped cream and chocolate chips, all on top of waffle cone “chips.” One more example is the loaded tater tots at River Belle Terrace. Once again, there are blogs out there that can assist you in finding all the secret food throughout the park.

4: Walk In Walt’s Disneyland Footsteps Tour

Most people don’t know that a tour exists called “Walk In Walt’s Disneyland Footsteps.” A guide will take you to spots that are usually not available to guests including Walt Disney’s “secret” apartment in Main Street U.S.A., above the Main Street fire station. He and his entire family used the apartment from time to time and it has been preserved the way it was when they lived there, with a lamp in the window that’s always on in honor of Walt. You’ll get lots of interesting stories from your tour guide and ride the attractions that are still there from when the park first opened. You’ll even get an exclusive lunch on Main Street. Reservations can be made by calling (714) 781-TOUR.

THE MATTERHORN – (Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland Resort)

3: Basketball Court in the Matterhorn

Big Foot isn’t the only thing hidden in the Matterhorn ride! That’s right, in the backstage area of the ride, there’s a small attic space that has a basketball hoop. Cast members can play games between shifts or on brakes there while you’re screaming your head off on the ride.

2: Native Feral Cats

You may or may not have noticed a few feral cats when you’ve been walking around Disneyland. This isn’t just an accident: Disney spokespeople have acknowledged their existence. Some say that when Walt was alive, feral cats were first discovered in Sleeping Beauty’s castle so he decided to leave them be so they can take care of any rodent problems. Cast members have been known to actually care for these cats who, ironically, are there to kill Mickey and Minnie’s real life compatriots!

1: Doritos Were Invented In Disneyland

Frito-Lay owned a restaurant in Disneyland when the theme park first opened in 1955 called Casa de Fritos. In need of a way to salvage stale tortillas rather than just throwing them away, the restaurant began flavoring and frying them, turning them into what we know as Doritos. After the snack became a huge hit with Disneyland guests, Frito-Lay made Doritos into a national brand.

While we just scratched the surface of Disneyland secrets and picked our favorite ones, there are many more park secrets out there for you to uncover. If you haven’t explored any yet, then perhaps they’ll make this classic theme park fresh and new to hold over guests until Star Wars Land opens this summer.

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Don’t get us wrong, Irvine is not exactly a quick hop, skip and a jump from Los Angeles. Without traffic, the commute is still a good 45-60 minutes; but when is there ever no traffic? With traffic, it can be sometimes double that. However, with that in mind, some of the food in Irvine is so good that it can make up for the time it takes to get there from L.A. Therefore, Irvine Weekly decided to start a new monthly series spotlighting dishes that are worth the drive from Los Angeles to Irvine. Each month, we’ll spotlight two dishes from two different restaurants that we feel can only be found in Irvine. Some of these dishes are one of a kind and simply don’t exist up north. Others may be similar to other dishes found elsewhere, but something about the one in Irvine makes it different or more special than its counterparts.

To kick off our series, we’ve decided to spotlight three restaurants (six dishes total) that are so good, they should not only be enjoyed by those in Orange County, but are also worth it for those in Los Angeles to come down and enjoy. We have some sweets at Honey & Butter Macarons, some delicious ramen at HiroNori Craft Ramen and a unique brunch and dinner option at Bosscat Kitchen and Libations. Get out your stretchy pants and let us take you on a food tour of some of Irvine’s best dishes!

Photo by Anabelle Dimang

Our first stop on our culinary tour of Irvine is for those with a sweet tooth: Honey & Butter Macarons. Located in the Irvine Spectrum, this unique bakery offers something rare these days: hand-made everything. “Our drinks are from scratch, all of our cookies are from scratch, the meringue, almond flour, everything,” says Front of the House Manager Krysthel. And that’s been the case since the start, over five years ago, when the owners, Leanne and Pawel Pietrasinski, were selling their macarons out of an air stream in Costa Mesa. They were able to open the storefront in the Irvine Spectrum in 2016.

“When they just had the air stream, they would bake from home. It was mainly them two [and] maybe some other helpers,” says Anabelle Dimang, Back of the House Manager and Baker. “So now we have a little under 40 employees that make up the front of the house and the back of house, and to see the growth is just amazing.”

Honey & Butter has plenty of macaron options available, from their classic macarons to their dozen daily flavors, to rare flavors and character macarons. For those that may not know, macarons are cookies that originated in France. Not to be confused with macaroons, which are sweets made from coconuts or almonds, macarons are meringue-based and typically made with egg whites, sugar, almonds and food coloring. But the macarons at Honey & Butter aren’t your typical macarons. “We’re kind of a new take on macarons. [We’re] not the traditional French macaron,” says Dimang. “We don’t age the macarons because we like the freshness of the daily bake.”

Another unique aspect of Honey & Butter is their tie-in with pop culture and their themed events. “We’ve been working, especially in the past year, with a lot of marketing companies, so they’ll reach out to us to promote certain films that are releasing and they’ll provide giveaways, movie tickets, merchandise and we’ll create character macarons along with that theme,” says Dimang. “Different companies we’ve been working with are Atlus who have Persona 3 and Persona 5, Pusheen and Tokidoki. [We even work with] some independent artists and they collaborate. They sometimes do a store takeover.”

But of course the food worth the drive from L.A. is the macarons. With so many to choose from, how does one pick the right flavor? “If a customer is stumbling on their flavor options, we tell them to give us the options they like, whether they like tart, more subtle, more of a chocolate base, more sweet or less sweet,” says Krysthel. “When it comes to more sweet, we go with more of the cereal bases [like] French toast and Fruity Pebbles or Cookie Butter. But if they prefer tart ones, of course we’d recommend more of the fruity flavor types. And then our number one that we try to push out is always a rare item because we don’t have it too often and we don’t want our customers to miss out on the flavors.” Every week they rotate out about three rare flavors.

Photo by Anabelle Dimang

According to Dimang, because Honey & Butter is a small independent business, a lot of what they do at the Irvine location (as opposed to at “the lab” in Costa Mesa) is “research and development.” “Typically, if we feel inspired or come up with an idea for a flavor or flavor combination, we’re able to do some R&D as soon as that day,” she says. “It’s nice because our environment has a decent amount of creative freedom that we can test flavors out.” So with so many flavors, which two flavors do we most recommend?

The first dish that’s definitely worth the drive from L.A. to Irvine is the Crème Brûlée, one of Honey & Butter’s rare flavors. The bakers make the custard in house to produce a delectable buttercream. For the brûlée aspect, they sprinkle sugar on the top shell and torch it. “It adds the wonderful crunch texture and visual appeal,” says Dimang. “It’s a lot of our favorite.” Indeed, the cookie is able to perfectly encapsulate the taste of traditional Crème Brûlée.

The second dish worthy of the trek would be one of the character macarons, the Corgi. Shaped like the famous dog, it’s almost too cute to eat – key word “almost.” The Corgi macaron was created because the owners own two Corgis. “They are our unofficial mascot,” says Dimang. “Our character macarons are all batter-based. Batter is time sensitive and breaks down, thus we have to manage time well when creating character macarons and laying down the different details. The consistency of the batter needs to be taken into account, as well as certain parts of the character needs to dry before laying details if we want to achieve depth.” The rich sweetness definitely makes this a dish not to miss. In the near future, Irvine won’t be the only home to Honey & Butter: They’re currently developing another location at the SteelCraft Garden Grove.

Photo by Kirsten Gilliam

The next restaurant on our list is Bosscat Kitchen and Libations, located right next to John Wayne Airport. First opening in 2014, General Manager Chris Daily describes the restaurant as a “southern style whiskey bar with a California twist.” The story behind the inception of the restaurant is pretty unique as well: It all started when the owners were at another bar and got some less than hospitable service. “[They] ordered a Coors Lite and a shot of Jameson at a bar and the bartender was extremely rude and said we don’t serve that kind of stuff here,” Daily says. “And that sparked the idea of bringing old school customer service to a whiskey bar that does unique food and [has great] service. No matter if the guy’s wearing board shorts and a tank top or [if another] guy’s got a business suit on drinking a $50 glass of wine, the bartenders and the staff make sure everybody’s treated and incorporated into the conversation together. So it’s one big party, no pretentiousness, and that’s kind of the whole reason why the restaurant opened.”

Indeed, it is a big party at Bosscat, and for those who like cocktails, especially whiskey cocktails, it’s definitely a place to visit. Offering over 300 whiskeys, Daily says that the bar staff is very well versed and can make whatever you want. One popular drink that pops on and off the menu is the Kentucky Orange Blossom, made with Buffalo Trace whiskey. “If you took a Manhattan and an Old Fashioned and they had a baby, that’s kind of how it would be,” says Daily. “It’s Elderflower liqueur and sweet vermouth with a Kentucky Bourbon and a little bit of orange bitters and orange drops on top, served on a big cube.”

No doubt the Kentucky Orange Blossom may pair well with our first dish worth the drive from Los Angeles to Irvine: the 12 Hour Beef Short Rib. “We braise [the meat] for 12 hours and the meat is handpicked,” says Daily. “We do our own black pepper sauce glaze on scalloped potatoes with fried onion strings. It’s one of the four [dishes from] the original 2014 menu and it’s still on the menu. It’s an amazing dish.” We couldn’t agree more. Braising the meat for 12 hours really makes it a unique dish that is definitely worth the trek from L.A. And the sauce really makes this short rib dish different from short ribs you’d get in any other restaurant.

Photo by Kirsten Gilliam

The other dish is only available for Saturday and Sunday brunch but is truly worth the effort: Fruity Pebbles French Toast. “It’s cheesy bread that we incorporate fruity pebbles into,” says Daily. “We cut the [bread] up, stack the [slices] and we do a condensed milk syrup on top. And then [we put] fruity pebbles and fresh fruit on it. So of course [it’s] completely Instagram worthy.” The colors alone definitely make this dish Instagram worthy, but the condensed milk, strawberries and blueberries really make it tasty. As if the dish isn’t unique enough, the bread that’s used also sets it apart from a normal French toast dish. “It’s a fun play on a French toast. We don’t use traditional French toast bread, we use a little bit of a harder almost sourdough-y kind of texture with the condensed milk and the fresh fruit and everything,” says Daily. “It’s a very fun, unique dish to what we do. It’s been very popular on the menu for a couple of years”

The next dishes worth the drive from L.A. to Irvine belong to one of the best ramen places in the city, HiroNori Craft Ramen. First opening in May 2017, the restaurant is named after its two owners: Hiromichi Igarashi and Tadanori Akasaka. While there are many ramen places throughout Los Angeles, the reason why the ramen at HiroNori is worth the drive is because of its authenticity. As Igarashi explained, they have the “recipes and technique” to make truly great ramen. This comes from years of experience back in Japan. They worked for ramen shops in Japan over the course of a decade and then traveled throughout the country eating a lot of ramen.

“We traveled to eat ramen. I only had like 3-4,000 ramen, different kinds of ramen, but Nori has tried 6,000 ramen bowls and has all the notes that he’s been taking,” says Igarashi. “So we know all the good ramen shops all over Japan and we kind of combined all the good parts and then tried to find out what’s the best to sell to attract the people [of Irvine].”

Photo courtesy of HiroNori

What brought Hiro and Nori to the United States was the desire to show the American people what good ramen truly is. “[About] 15 years ago [mainstream America just started] knowing what ramen is. I tried their ramen and it was really bad but people were still enjoying it so that’s why we decided to come this country, to make the ramen shop,” says Igarashi.

So why Orange County specifically? “Orange County has a good diversity of culture all mixed, like lots of Asian culture, Latino culture and Americans,” Igarashi says. And while Irvine was their first location, they opened a second location in Long Beach in May 2018 (so yes, it’s probably an easier drive from L.A. to the Long Beach location, but since the Irvine one was their original restaurant, we still think it’s worth visiting). Soon enough, however, Angelinos won’t have to drive to either location, as there are plans for HiroNori to open in Los Angeles, as well as in San Diego and San Francisco.

So what two dishes are really worth it? The first would be their Vegan Ramen, which contains sesame miso broth, broccolini, tofu, corn, bean sprouts, soy meat, baby kale and chili oil. Vegan ramen is a bit rare, but it’s becoming more common. HiroNori’s stands out from all the rest for a few reasons. “The broth is a little bit unique. We make the miso base by ourselves and I see most of the bases [at other ramen restaurants are bought, not homemade],” says Igarashi. The noodles are also handmade (not in house though). “Lots of places try to make the vegan option but it’s not that good [because] they don’t have the knowledge [that we obtained in Japan],” says Igarashi. “But [for] our vegan [ramen], lots of customers are surprised it’s actually vegan [because] it’s extra tasty. I think we have a really good combination of all the vegetables to make the flavor.” We definitely agree.

Photo courtesy of HiroNori

The other dish worth the drive is a more traditional ramen, the Tonkotsu Ramen, which contains pork chashu, green onion, spinach, seaweed and bean sprouts. “[Nori is] from Hokkaido, which is very north, like 500-600 miles north from Tokyo and then I learned ramen in Tokyo and Yokohama,” Igarashi says. “Our Tonkotsu is more like Yokohama style, which I and Nori learned and we both like the style.”

Although the Tonkotsu Ramen may be heavily influenced by the Yokohama region, a lot of their ramen is so unique and tasty because it’s a mixture of all the ramen they tasted and studied throughout Japan. “[Our ramen is] authentic and also a little bit unique because we combine lots of different styles,” Igarashi says. “It’s not only from the one specific location but also other locations.” Irvine is definitely lucky that Hiro and Nori decided to bring all of their ramen knowledge to Orange County for our enjoyment.

Whether you’re a carnivore or vegan, prefer sweet or savory, are looking for dinner or brunch, or enjoy ramen or short ribs, there are definitely dishes worth the drive from Los Angeles to Irvine. And we’ve just scratched the surface of the culinary amazement that’s available in Irvine. Come back next month for four more dishes that we highly recommend as worth the trip down south. Los Angeles may have a lot of food options, but Irvine is definitely giving it a run for its money.

Honey & Butter Macarons
633 Spectrum Center Drive, Irvine, CA 92618
http://www.honeynbutter.com

Bosscat Kitchen & Libations
4647 MacArthur Blvd, Newport Beach, CA 92660
https://www.bosscatkitchen.com

HiroNori Craft Ramen
2222 Michelson Drive #234, Irvine, CA 92612
https://hironoricraftramen.com

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