Garden Grove Korean Festival - Garden Grove, CA

(Pictures for this review taken with my Canon Rebel XTi.

Here's one more time sensitive article before I return to my Canada series.

The Season 1 boxed set of Heroes has consumed my feeble little brain. Help me...)



Last week, Polar, a fellow OC Food Blogs contributor, emailed me a hot tip about something I'd never heard of before; the 24th Annual Korean Festival of Garden Grove. I was intrigued, particularly when my online searches turned up almost nothing about it. All I knew was that it was going to be held during the weekend, near the corner of Garden Grove Blvd. and Brookhurst.



Feeling adventurous, Cat and I set off in search of the festival after our Saturday brunch at the Magnolia Cafe. But, finding the Garden Grove Korean Festival was easier said than done. Garden Grove Blvd. was closed from Magnolia to Brookhurst for the festival's big parade. We ended up parking along a side street near the corner of Garden Grove Blvd. and Magnolia, and walking down Garden Grove Blvd. until we found the festival in a shopping center at the corner of Garden Grove Blvd. and Galway. Confused? We were too. For future reference, park in a side street near Garden Grove Blvd. and Galway, and look for a red sign with pandas on it. The pandas will show you the way to deliciousness.



Once we managed to find the closed off parking lot housing the Korean Festival, we were greeted by several long rows of bustling booths offering a variety of Korean food, goods, and services. The central food court was surrounded by booths housing everything from grocery stores to health care providers.



I scored a couple of tchotchkes, including a cute cell phone ornament from Korean fried chicken chain, KyoChon Chicken, which was marketing its new Los Angeles store. Wandering Chopsticks, another OC Food Blogs contributor, has written a review of KyoChon Chicken here.



As usual, I was mainly there for the food. Once we'd poked around a bit, Cat and I headed back to the food court where some of the most amazing sights and smells greeted us.


Bin after bin of kimchi (Korean pickles) made from a dazzling array of vegetables, all crusted with the fiery glow of kochukaru (Korean chili flake) seared the senses as they were bagged and sold to lines of eager customers. Stalls of home-style and hawker fare not normally seen in Korean restaurants filled the air with savory aromas. Pillowy lengths of fried fish cake, simmered in a rich broth and served on long skewers, reinforced my long held belief that no food on a stick could possibly be bad. A frighteningly red stew lured me like a moth to a flame. Piles of deep fried vegetable fritters, kimchi pork sausage, blood sausage, and jun (Korean savory pancake) tempted me with their greasy goodness. Cat practically needed to drag me away from the mandoo molds as they cranked out plate after plates of crispy cakes filled with sweetened bean paste. The Garden Grove Korean Festival is sweet torture for anyone on a diet.


The highlight of the festival is the parade held on the Saturday of that weekend. Although the focus of the festival is Korean culture, the exhibits in the parade represent the major ethnic groups which made up the city, including Asians, Latinos, and Caucasians. I saw a number of really great displays, although I was sadly unable to stay for the entire parade. Cat and I had an appointment later that afternoon. However, I'm definitely clearing the entire day next year to that I can enjoy the whole event.




The Annual Korean Festival of Garden Grove - Really interesting home-style Korean food that you can't get in the restaurants. The parade is a must-see event. All the local high schools, cultural groups, and politicians come out. I even got to see Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez.


Garden Grove Korean Festival
Between the corner of Garden Grove Blvd and Galway, and Garden Grove Blvd and Brookhurst.
Garden Grove, CA

Occurs mid-October of every year, around the 13th.

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The Catch & the 12 Girls Band - Anaheim, CA

(Pictures for this review taken with my Canon PowerShot SD800is. The Grove of Anaheim doesn't permit the use of dSLRs, so I did the best that I could, given the distance between me and the stage, and the limitations inherent in using a point-and-shoot camera.

I'm taking a quick break from my Canada series to post this time sensitive article.)

Last month, Cat began her new job as a lecturer at Irvine Valley College. Although she was initially brought on board for one semester, she found out on Tuesday that the college wanted her to stay on for the full year. We were both very excited. Cat absolutely loves teaching. It's her passion, and I'm happy to see her career taking off.



To celebrate, I decided to take her out for a night on the town. I'd gotten my hands on some tickets for the 12 Girls Band (Wikipedia entry) concert that night at the Grove of Anaheim. Since Cat had wanted to see them perform for quite some time, it seemed like a double stroke of good fortune. We had two extra tickets, so I invited Mama Bear and the Shire Nomad to join in the merriment. Of course, we had to take Ton-Ton. He looooooves the 12 Girls Band.



But first, we needed some food. Everything I'd read online told me that the pre-show dinner at the Grove was not something one should willingly experience. Instead, I selected the Catch, which was the closest restaurant to the Grove with a good reputation.


(Lions and pandas, oh my!)

Directly across the street from Angel Stadium, the Catch is a steak and seafood restaurant popular with local baseball fans and theater-goers. Even Angels players occasionally pop in for post-game celebrations.



During baseball season, the Catch is a frenzied hive of bustling activity as Angels fans fill the restaurant to capacity, trying to get a bite to eat before going to see a game. In the off-season, however, the pace is far more relaxed. Cat, Mama Bear, and I were able to enjoy an intimate dinner in peace and quiet.



Cat and I arrived early and in the mood to celebrate. We decided to start the evening off right with a few drinks. Since she was already pretty tired from a full day of teaching, Cat ordered a Virgin Mary with extra celery salt. The Virgin Mary was quite tasty; thick and rich with a peppery bite and a smooth finish. Sadly, the Catch doesn't normally use celery or celery salt, and couldn't find any in their kitchen. No matter how good it was, a Virgin Mary without that hit of celery just wasn't the same.



I picked up a Pomegranate Mojito for its sweet and sour kick. The refreshing blend of crushed mint, lime juice, sugar, and club soda was accented by a tart bloom of pomegranate syrup.



While we waited for Mama Bear, we enjoyed some bread...



... flavor-blasted up by an in-your-face blend of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and an amazing amount of minced garlic. I pity the vampire who walks in to the Catch.



I'd decided to order the Catch Ceviche for my appetizer when Mama Bear arrived. It's normally served with chips, but I requested cucumber slices instead.



While Mama Bear and Cat pored over the dessert menu and discussed their ordering strategy, Ton-Ton and I split the hearty mix of lightly poached scallops, shrimp, lobster, and crab marinated in a spicy tomato puree. The cucumber slices proved to be an effective foil for the seafood, providing a cool, cleansing crunch that counterbalanced the thickness of the lurid sauce.



The ladies decided to stick with just entrees in the hopes that they might have enough room left afterwards for dessert. Mama Bear, who has been hard at work studying for her civil engineering Principles & Practice Exam (PE/PS) decided to treat herself to the 8oz Filet Mignon, a simply seared slab of beefy goodness glistening with its own delicious juices.



To alleviate her guilt, Mama Bear also got a side of Blanched Asparagus. The heaping mound of meaty stalks was so large that if the restaurant had flooded, she could have lashed them together to make a crude raft.



Cat had taken the opportunity to read some of the restaurant's reviews, which were hanging in frames in the vestibule, while we'd been waiting to be seated. One of the professional food critics had raved about the Catch's Fish & Chips so effectively that she'd decided to order it. When it arrived, she found the parsley French fries (chips) to be delicious. Unfortunately, the fish was far less satisfying.

Although it had been fried to a beautiful golden brown, the meat was bland and unseasoned, needing every drop of lemon juice and dash of salt Cat was able to add. In addition, the review had led Cat to expect beer-battered fried fish. Instead, her filets were coated with panko breadcrumbs. Even though the pieces were crunchy and blessedly devoid of grease, they weren't the malt vinegar bearing vessels of deep fried fun she'd been expecting from traditional Fish & Chips.



My curiosity was piqued by a number of the interesting sounding fish dishes on the menu. I eventually settled on the Drunken Mahi Mahi. A good sized slab of mahi mahi had been rubbed with spices, blackened, and deglazed with tequila. It was served on an oozy pillow of tomato risotto and surrounded by three miniature lobster tostadas topped with Cotija cheese, guacamole, and fresh tomatillos. The tomato risotto, with its creamy sweetness and gentle flavor was my favorite part of the dish. While hefty and moist, I would have preferred it if the mahi mahi had been crunchier, with stronger seasonings to provide a better contrast to the tomato risotto. As it was, the uniqueness of the mahi mahi was swallowed by a sea of tomato and cheese.

The lobster tostadas were awesome, reminding me extremely kicked up Doritos. Liberace's Super Bowl snacks must have tasted something like this.



The ladies were too stuffed after their entrees to even consider dessert. Instead, we mosied on down to the Grove to meet the Shire Nomad and take our seats for the 12 Girls Band concert. As you can see, Ton-Ton was really excited.


Shining Energy, one of the songs they performed.

Formed in 2001, the 12 Girls Band is composed of classically trained female musicians who use traditional Chinese instruments to perform a blend of classical, pop, rock, and New Age. Their imaginatively crafted medleys challenge set notions about the sounds and harmonies Chinese instruments are capable of producing, pushing the bounds of Chinese music.


The concept is admittedly gimmicky. The girls are all in their twenties or early thirties and very pretty. While their use of traditional Chinese instruments is distinctive, many of the sounds they produce could just as easily be accomplished by a Western string orchestra.

However, let's not forget the skill factor. These girls are good; amazingly, blazingly good. It takes real talent to be able to manipulate Chinese traditional instruments into producing Western harmonies, a fact thrown into sharp relief during the concert by erhu player Zhan Lijun's virtuoso solo performance. This girl blew our socks off, taking us through though a dazzling river of sound as her instrument sang, chirped, warbled, hummed, throbbed, and soared. I've never had a musical experience that came anywhere close.


(My actual distance from the stage during the entire concert.)

After two hours, plus a call back and several encores, the girls finished to a standing ovation and thunderous applause. What a night!


The Catch - Good food and an excellent location. I highly recommend it if you're attending a show at the Grove, but avoid it during game night at Angel Stadium.


Bill:

Virgin Mary - $3.75
Pomegranate Mojito - $9.00
The Catch Ceviche - $13.00
8oz. Filet Mignon - $32.00
Blanched Asparagus - $7.00
Fish & Chips - $15.00
Drunken Mahi Mahi - $26.00


Flavor: B
Ambience: A
Service: A
ROI: C

Overall: B+


The Catch
1929 S. State College Blvd.
Anaheim, CA 92806
1-714-935-0101
Restaurant website





For those of you curious about the type of food served at the Grove, one of my table companions was kind enough to let me get a shot of his dinner. It's a fist-sized hunk of seared albacore tuna on a round of nori seasoned rice with a sesame miso sauce. The vegetable side is sautéed bok choy, and the tuna is topped with a Japanese seaweed salad. My new friend told me that the dish was excellent, and I had no reason to doubt him. The smell alone made me consider ordering a second dinner. However, $20+ a pop for something I could crank out of my own kitchen in few minutes didn't strike me as having a particularly good ROI. Sometime later this month or next, I'll attempt to recreate this dish and make the recipe available to you all. I promise it will take 30 minutes or less. Take that, Rachel Ray.

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Tropika & Getting to Richmond (Ton-Ton's Journey: Vancouver 2007 Part 2) - Richmond, BC [Eating]

(Pictures for this post taken with my Canon Rebel XTi.

Read the rest of Ton-Ton's Journey: Vancouver 2007.)

As bad as the traffic was getting up to the border, it was a thousand times worse on the BC-99, the main highway connecting Seattle to Vancouver. A head on collision had shut down the highway in both directions as police, paramedics, and a medical evacuation helicopter worked the scene. Our car was less than a quarter mile from the site of the accident when we ground to a halt. The hours passed while we watched the line of cars behind us get longer and longer until, out of desperation, some cars began cutting across the grass median to reach the southbound side and an exit to the trunk road. Others ventured the wrong way up an onramp in an attempt to reach an overpass that would also take them to the trunk road. Large semi trucks, unable to turn around on the narrow highway, were even backing up the onramp. After seeing a car high side itself on the median, I decided to try the other option. Luckily, a line vehicles fleeing the immobilized thoroughfare had formed at this point, so there was little danger of meeting someone trying to get on the highway.



It was a relief when we finally reached the River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond. However, we didn't have much time to explore. Ben and Suanne from Chow Times had been waiting in the lobby for over an hour with their sons, Nanzaro and Arkensen. It took another half hour to straighten things out with the hotel, which had managed to lose our reservations. I appreciate how patient Ben was during the entire affair. In an attempt to make me feel better, he told me, "Sometimes these things happen when you travel."



Once we'd dropped our luggage off in our hotel room, we were finally ready for dinner. To make up for keeping Ben and his family waiting for so long, I offered to treat them to the restaurant of their choice. Ben's pick was Tropika, a "Malaysian & Thai" restaurant in Richmond's Aberdeen Centre.



Tropika was a cozy restaurant with high ceilings and tall glass windows. It looked like it would be fairly bright and airy during the day. At night, the muted lighting and dark tones of the furniture created an intimate environment despite the bustle. Since my experience with Malaysian food was limited, I asked Ben, who is Malaysian-Canadian, to select the dishes for the evening. He did a great job.



The first dish we sampled was a heaping plate of Fried Hokkien Mee, a traditional Chinese noodle dish with egg, pork, shrimp, bean sprouts, and squid. I knew from regular visits to Ben and Suanne's blog that it was a favorite of Nanzaro and Arkensen's. Cat and I enjoyed the texture of the fried egg noodles, lightly coated in a savory sauce. Although Ben had warned her that they were spicy, Cat was found the noodles quite mild.



Next was the Hainanese Chicken, simmered in a rich chicken and pork broth, allowed to cool, then chopped and served with two dipping sauces. What I'd really wanted was Hainan Chicken Rice, which is one of my favorite Malaysian dishes. Cat is also very fond of it. Unfortunately, I hadn't realized that Hainan Chicken Rice at Tropika had to be ordered separately from the Hainanese Chicken and spent the entire meal waiting for chicken rice that never came. My own fault for not reading the menu more carefully. The chicken, however, was moist and succulent. Both the ginger and chili dipping sauces were good accompaniments.



We had to have at least one vegetable or our mothers would have been angry, so Ben ordered the Sambal Kang-Kong. Fresh Chinese water spinach (kong qing cai) was stir-fried in a saliva inducing blend of fiery sambal chilies and pungent shrimp paste. The punchy, slightly fermented flavor tasted truly Malaysian to me. I found it quite invigorating although Cat, who loves having water spinach stir-fried with garlic, was a bit taken aback.



The last dish we tried was the Malay Fish Head Curry Hot Pot. The head of some sort of large white fish had been deep fried, then stewed in a rich yellow curry of coconut mild and spices. The sauce was decent, especially when mixed with some steamed rice. I've a big fan of fish heads, particularly the cheek portions, so I really enjoyed picking this one over.


(A car playing a Sony demo parked in front of the hotel.)

After some pleasant conversation, we decided to call it a night. The boys had school the next day, and Cat and I were both exhausted from our long trip. When we got back to the hotel, we found it in full swing. Sony had just begun a two day dealer show hosted by the River Rock.



We tried to get into the demo, but you needed to be a vendor to qualify and there weren't any more passes available. I settled for taking a picture of Ton-Ton on top of the Sony sign.



The casino was really hopping, but we were too tired to play. Instead, we dragged our exhausted bodies up to our hotel room, collapsed in the bed, and passed out.


(View of the Fraser River from our hotel at night.)

Ben, Suanne, Arkensen, and Nanzaro, thank you for being so patient with us. We're very sorry that we kept you waiting for so long. Dinner was great fun and we hope to eat with you again when we visit Vancouver next year.


Read Ben's review of Tropika, Tropika in Richmond with ChubbyPanda, on Chow Times.


Bill (Currency in Canadian dollars):

Fried Hokkien Mee - $10.95
Hainanese Chicken (1/4) - $7.95
Sambal Kang-Kong - Seasonal
Malay Curry Fish Head Hot Pot - $14.95
Steamed Rice - $1.25/each


Flavor: B
Ambience: B+
Service: B+
ROI: B-

Overall: B


Tropika
Unit 1830, Aberdeen Centre
4151 Hazelbridge Way
Richmond, BC, Canada V6X 4J7
1-604-233-7002
Restaurant website


Other Locations:


Tropika
2975 Cambie Street
Vancouver, BC, Canada V5Z 2V7
1-604-879-6002

Tropika
1128 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC, Canada V6E 1B2
1-604-737-6002

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White Spot Redux, Northward Ho! (Ton-Ton's Journey: Vancouver 2007 Part 1) - Langley, BC

(Pictures for this post taken with my Canon Rebel XTi and my Canon PowerShot SD800is.

Read the rest of Ton-Ton's Journey: Vancouver 2007.)

When the time finally came for our yearly trip to Canada, Cat and I were more than ready. The burning itch to get away from our jobs, our home, and our responsibilities was almost too much to bear, and I couldn't wait to run off to the Great White North. My only concern was whether or not I'd be able to document all of the great food we were sure to eat. The answer was simple. I needed backup; backup other than my loving wife.


(Oh Canada...)

Cat is wonderful, but she eats like a bird and views my food blogging with a sort of fond tolerance. She likes food, but she's not in like with it. Or, as my friend the Family Man puts it, she eats to live while I live to eat. No. I needed a sidekick. Someone with the same appetite for food, the same obsession. I needed someone who shared my penchant for taking random pictures and who'd have three lunches in one day just to try three different restaurants.


(My Mini-Me.)

What I needed someone exactly like me, one-eight my size. Meet Ton-Ton the Panda, my eminently portable traveling companion and a new blog contributor. Whenever I go somewhere outside of California, I'll have Ton-Ton along with me. He likes food and adventures.


(Ton-Ton checks out our plane.)

John Wayne Airport is only a few minutes from our house, so we usually fly out from Orange County. You couldn't pay me to drive to LAX (Los Angeles International Airport), particularly during morning traffic. Three hour drive my butt.


(He never did get 14-across.)

The flight from Orange County to Seattle, Washington, only took two and a half hours, so it wasn't too bad. The airline hostess gave Ton-Ton an extra bag of peanuts. Everyone loves a panda.



Why Seattle? Why not fly straight into Vancouver International? Easy. Free car rental upgrade from my last trip there. Check out the sweet ride they gave me. I was on cloud nine. Besides, it's only an hour and a half drive from Seattle to Vancouver.



Or so we thought. I hadn't figured on the line at the border. Last year it didn't take us very long. This year, it took over an hour. We also hit some really bad traffic trying to get out of Seattle. I think they're putting in a new light rail system or something. In any case, I don't recommend crossing the border by land anymore. What a pain.


(Ton-Ton takes a turn.)

Once we were through that infernal line, we started looking for a place to grab a quick late lunch. A few bags of pretzels may be a decent breakfast for a small bear, but Cat and I were starving.



Whenever we visit Cat's relatives in British Columbia, the first thing we do is stop by a White Spot for some burgers. It's been a tradition in Cat's family for decades, and is one that I'll be happy to pass on to our kids. This particular White Spot was just outside of Cloverdale, which is where they film Smallville. I thought it might be fun to drive through the area and see if we could spot anything familiar. Yeah, not so much.



Since I've already covered the White Spot fairly thoroughly in my last review of it, I'm mostly going to let the pictures do the rest of the talking.


(Panda-sized menus.)


(Mmmm... Triple-thick Chocolate Milkshake. Sooo gooood...)


(Eyeing Cat's BC Chicken Burger.)


(Setting up his camera.)


(Locked, cocked, and ready to rock.)


(Bacon Cheddar Burger)


(Chicken Burger Supreme)


(Salad is better than fries.)


(Hunkering down to a Grilled Chicken Plate.)



(Time to move on.)

The White Spot - Not a bad bump in the road.


Read my first review of the White Spot.


19651 Fraser Highway
Langley, BC V3A 4C6, Canada
1-604534-1222
Restaurant Website


Other locations:
The White Spot claims over 60 locations in Canada. Previous attempts to establish footholds in the US have failed, although there's some hope if you live in a northern border state.

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