Kitchen Wench

Labor Day weekend was my first real experience with the Orange County and Los Angeles, CA area. It was sort of everything I was expecting to be, all dry heat and sprawl, palm trees and highways, dirty and slick, revolting and yet strangely captivating as well.

Mostly, it’s not for me. I knew that, but this trip definitely confirmed it. Lee and I booked a cheap flight to LAX, rented a car, and headed across massive highways to Fullerton to attend Inspiration Weekend (not related to Jesus in any way). Downtown Fullerton is pretty cute, but it’s surrounded by industrial office parks, strip malls, and miles of asphalt parking lots. As we rode along in our rented PT Cruiser, belting out what few lyrics we know of “The OC” theme song (“Californnniiiiyaaa, here we caaaaaa-uhhhmme!”), it seemed eerily quiet. No one was out on the street. They were all in their cars.

There are subcultures in America and there are regional cultures. I am fully aware of how stereotypical it all sounds, but I walked away with a strange sensation of being surrounded by a lot of flash, but little actual substance.

But, enough of the creepy surface details. The only real saving grace about the OC (for me, anyway), was the food.

Lee and I had some fabulous pho and tried the famous In N Out Burger, as well as Carl’s Jr. We also ran across a 24-hour drive-through donut shop with awesome apple fritters the size of my face, and a family-owned chain of taquerias.

Pho 88
1121 S Lemon St, Fullerton, CA
(714) 773-4022

I think this was some of the best pho I’ve had. Granted, I have not eaten enough good pho in my short life, so take that for what it’s worth. However, it certainly trumps anything I’ve eaten in Minneapolis or at Nam Viet in Cleaveland Park. Lee had the traditional beef broth and I had a combo with mock duck, beef, and cured pork. In both cases, the broth was phenomenal–you could really taste the star anise, cilantro, meat, and vegetable flavors. We finished it off with Thai iced tea and Vietnamese iced coffee. (Thai iced tea is this bright orange, sweet, soy milk-y concoction, while Vietnamese coffee is an ultra dark, cold-pressed brew served with sweetened condensed milk.) Perfect for a hot summer day, and the whole thing was under $30.

B & B Donuts
925 S Harbor Blvd, Fullerton, CA
(714) 879-9670

Personally, there is nothing like eating something greasy and terrible for you after a hard night of dancing. I mean, why not replenish all the calories you burned (x3)? Anyway, late night dining options in Fullerton are pretty bleak. It’s donuts or fast food, and the donuts are way, waay better. While the chocolate glazed was decent — quite light, with a little crunch, the apple fritter was momentous. It was like eating a giant baseball mitt of fried apple and dough. The fritter was fried to a deep brown. Crisp outside, chewy inside, with a nice coating of glaze, cinnamon, and big chunks of apple. I would <em>almost</em> go back to Fullerton just for this donut. Except, I have no reason to go back to Fullerton.

Taqueria De Anda
Multiple locations, CA
http://taqueriadeanda.com/

It only seemed right to seek out authentic Mexican tacos while in Southern California. DC apparently has a dire shortage of authentic Mexican food, so I think I will be savoring the taste of Taqueria de Anda’s tacos for some time to come. It went something like this: Alicia and Lee drive around OC aimlessly, trying to find a taqueria. Alicia and Lee can’t find the first taqueria listed on GoogleMaps. Luckily, we find Taqueria de Andra across the street. The inside of this place is pretty bare bones and maybe not that clean. We immediately take this as a sign that the food will be delicious.  And it is. We order 4 tacos, ravenously inhale them, then order 4 more tacos which are snarfed down with just as much gusto. Standouts include the carne asada, al pastor, and cabeza (aka steamed beef head–a little chewy, but served with a refreshing green salsa).

In N Out Burger vs. Carl’s Jr.

I guess In N Out is just one of these cultural food institutions that’s become such a, well, institution, that no one stops to notice that it actually isn’t that good. Lee didn’t believe me when I told him that you were supposed to order it “animal-style” (with pickles, extra spread, grilled onions, and mustard fried onto each patty). Perhaps if we had been aware of all the special “secret menu” options, the burger would have been more impressive. The fries were also pretty weak–the color was weirdly anemic, not very crispy, or flavorful.

Carl’s Jr., on the other hand, totally surprised me. The Six Dollar Burger was amazing. Firstly, it was huge. Secondly, the flavor was a cut above other fast food burgers. Rather that a limp, gray, flavorless patty, the meat was thick, juicy, and tasty. The other toppings (lettuce, tomato, onions, cheese) were very fresh and colorful. (As you may have noticed, fast food vegetables seem to be consistently pallid and flavorless.) Sorry folks, but I’ll take Carl’s Jr. over In N Out any day.