Eat a Gourmet Burger at 25 Degrees - Things to Do in Orange County 81

Ever since last year or so, the gourmet burger craze has been around in Los Angeles. Now, we can enjoy a gourmet burger here in Orange County as well. The 25 Degrees is a gourmet burger joint located in Hollywood, as well as downtown Huntington Beach.

We were impressed when we walked into 25 Degrees with its very cool interior. We went after 1PM, so there wasn't much people around, and we got to enjoy the entire restaurant to ourselves. The Gothic design looked very trendy and cool.

Here, you are able to customize your own burgers. But we weren't so decisive with what we wanted on our burgers that we decided to go with the #1 and #2 recommendations on the menu.

#1 consisted of onions, Gorgonzola cheese, bacon, arugula, and thousand island dressing. The burger was juicy, and it was really good.

#2 consisted of roasted tomatoes, prosciutto, and pesto sauce. The prosciutto was a huge chuck, and it felt like eating a gourmet double burger. It was a big delicious burger.

And of course, we can't forget the onion rings and the sweet potato fries here. Good stuff.

Now that you can enjoy a gourmet burger in Orange County, this place should be a must try on your list. Get a nice big burger and a nice cold beer on a Sunday afternoon. Should be a lot of fun.

25 Degrees （Twenty five degrees）

412 Walnut Ave

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

(714) 960-2525

Website

Rent a Bike and Ride by the Beach - Things to Do in Orange County 79

I've been living in Huntington Beach for over 25 years now. And last Sunday, I did something I've never done before - rented a bike at the beach.

This sort of spontaneous thing turned out to be a very nice time.

We went to Zack's Pier Plaza right next to the Huntington Beach Pier. They got all kinds of things you can rent. Like a beach cruiser and the quadricycle (car bikes). They also rent surf boards too.

For some reason, when we went, they had a special going on and we got the car bike for $20 an hour. I think it's usually $25/hour.

A one hour rental may seem short, but we rode all the way to the dog beach by the Bolsa Chica Wetlands, and actually had the time to come back to ride half way to Newport Beach.

It was a nice sunny day, and riding on one of these car bikes turned out to be a very pleasant cruise.

Riding on the car bike is also perfect for a date. You ride right next to your date, and get to talk while you cruise on down the pleasant rode. It's a lot of fun, and feels great as the ocean breeze hits you.

And if you have a family, you can rent a 4 seater car bike, and seat them in the rear. That should be a nice family fun since everybody gets to pedal.

Nice recommendation will be to bring a little picnic so that you can find a spot by the beach to enjoy a great lunch.

Since the car bikes tend to be a bit slower than regular bikes, if you feel like going the distance, it maybe wise to rent a beach cruiser and maybe ride down to Newport Beach or Balboa Island.

So next time the sun is out, and you feel like enjoying a beautiful day, go and rent a bike at Zack's Pier Plaza. You'll definitely have a lot of fun!

Zack Pier Plaza

405 Pacific Coast Hwy

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

(714) 536-0215

Check Out a Five Guys Burger - Things to Do in Orange County

Heard of Five Guys Burger? Some people call it the In-N-Out of the East Coast.

Recently, the Five Guys Burger has been setting up shop in Orange County. And as a guy that loves reasonably priced, tasty burgers, this was a "must" to go check out.

The menu at Five Guys Burger consists mostly of Burgers and Hot Dogs. But since you're here, why go anything else then a burger?

The cool thing here: a regular burger comes with two patties of meat. So basically, you get a double cheeseburger for ordering a regular cheeseburger. If you're on a diet, go with the "little" burger which only has one beef patty. I think for anybody trying out Five Guys for the first time, they should go with a "Regular" burger.

Prices for the burgers were: $4.49 for a Regular burger, and $3.49 for a Little burger. Check out their website or call the local store for the latest prices.

Another cool thing at a Five Guys Burger is that you can pick and choose from all the toppings available. And regardless of how much of it you order, they are all free. When you want all the toppings on your burger, just say, "All the Way."

Of course, I went "All the Way."

Here are the toppings available at Five Guys Burger:

Mayo, Relish, Onions, Lettuce, Pickles, Tomatoes, Grilled Onions, Grilled Mushrooms, Ketchup, Mustard, Jalapeno Peppers, Green Peppers, A-1 Sauce, BBQ Sauce, Hot Sauce.

Compared to In-N-Out, you'll definitely be pretty satisfied in terms of amount of food that they serve you. It's a lot of meat and toppings on a burger, and overall it's bigger than an In-N-Out burger.

I enjoyed a Five Guys Burger a lot.

Hope you go out and try out a Five Guys Burger in OC to figure out which burger you like more.

Five Guys Burger

18571 Beach Blvd

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

And a few more around Orange County...

(866) 345-4897

Website: http://www.fiveguys.com/home.aspx

Visit a Brand New Whole Foods Market - Things to Do in Orange County 69

There's something about a new market that you love. Everything is in order. Fully stocked. Clean. They're willing to give you a lot of free samples. And its just fun seeing a new grocery store.

There's a brand new Whole Foods Market in Huntington Beach. Just opened this week on October 13th, 2010. It is inside the Bella Terra Mall in Huntington Beach. This will be the third Whole Foods Market in Orange County. The other two are in Irvine and Laguna Beach.

I took some photos there since I like to see fully stock stores with aisles of products neatly stacked.

So here are some pictures that I took. I'm testing out a Flickr feature. New to Flickr still... I hope you like it.

I'm so glad to see the Bella Terra Mall in Huntington Beach is doing well these days. I've been a Huntington Beach resident for almost 28 years, and the old Huntington Beach Mall was one of my favorite spots to go when I was a kid.

Whole Foods Market, Huntington Beach

Inside the Bella Terra Mall

7881 Edinger Ave Suite 150
Huntington Beach, CA 92647 USA

Phone 657.200.4200

Store hours:
7am – 10pm Everyday

Bagelmania - Things to Do in Orange County 58

Who said you can't get a decent bagel in Orange County?

Well, I've been to New York to try out their famous bagels. And I got to say though there are really good ones up in New York, Bagelmania is up there with the big dogs when it comes to bagels.

I've been coming here since I was a kid because I used to live by this place. It's in Huntington Beach, and I think they just recently opened up another store right by Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa. Anyway, the one in Huntington Beach is the original Bagelmania.



On top of the usual, onion, blueberry, rye, and everything bagel, Bagelmania offers crazy alternatives like the Hawaiian Bagel, Italian Bagel, and the Mexican Bagel. They are all very hearty with a lot of cheese and sauce, and all are delicious.

I love to go here to get the bagels just plain. Their cinnamon raisin bagels are awesome, and I can eat 2-3 of them at a time. When I'm feeling like endulging a bit more, I get some of their cream cheese or get it in a sandwhich. All are just awesome.

Checking out their site, it looks like its been voted #1 bagel in Orange County by MyFox Los Angeles in 2008. And I believe it. The bagels here are better than a lot of the bagels in New York.



So anyway, next time you have the cravings for a very well made New York bagel in Orange County, you know where to go.

Bagelmania
8861 Adams Ave.
Huntington Beach, CA
(714) 965-5637

Weekdays, 5:30 a.m.ー5:00 p.m.
Weekends, 6 a.mー3:00 p.m.

Basilico's Pasta E Vino - Things to Do in Orange County 52

Looking for a nice intimate setting for an Italian dinner?  Well, a nice place to visit is Basilico's Pasta E Vino in Huntington Beach.  I got to visit this place for Valentine's Day.

Basilico's has been around for quite some time in Huntington Beach.  I would guess around 10 years at the same location.  I live real close by the place, and have visited them several times, but this was finally the time I got to dine there.

Why was it so difficult to dine here?  Well, first of all the wait.  They are an extremely popular Italian restaurant in Huntington Beach, and their place is tiny.  It may seat only about 15-20 people max at a time, and its always packed.  The wait to dine is usually about an hour, and they take no reservations.  Hence, the difficulty dining at this wonderful restaurant.

This year, we went prepared.  We expected the wait to be about an hour (in actuality it was 50 minutes) and brought our blankets, newspaper, magazine, books, and a Nintendo DS so that we can keep ourselves occupied while we wait in the car.

And finally, after the hour wait, we were able to get in to dine.  It was sure worth our wait.  

By the way, sorry about the pictures.  Since its really dark inside, my pictures didn't turn out very well.  But hope you get an idea of the place.

Okay, so about the dining experience.  First of all, Basilico's is pretty famous for its bottle wine practice.  Since a bottle of wine here is relatively inexpensive ($15-$20 a bottle) it is recommended that you get a bottle with your date, and dine slowly at the restaurant.  That's exactly what we did, and we got a bottle of Mondavi Chardonnay for $20, and dined like we were Parisians.

We first got the Fried Risotto Ball for appetizer which was delicious.  It complemented our Chardonnay very well.  You of course get your bread and butter, so we enjoyed our appetizer, bread, and wine as we waited for our entrees to arrive.

For entree we got the Seafood Linguine and the Fettuccine Alfredo Milanese.  The Seafood Linguine was good, but it was a bit overwhelmingly "Herb-y" for me.  I think they put in too much Italian parsley, and it wasn't the usual Seafood Linguine that you get at Italian restaurant.  But who knows, maybe this is the authentic version.  

The Fettuccine Alfredo Milanese was superb.  I usually don't like Alfredo sauces too much since they are usually very heavy in cream, and after a few bites, I get a little bored of the flavor.  Not here.  The Alfredo Milanese here was just superb.  Mmmm...  The sauce was creamy, yet for some reason not too heavy.  The pork in the Milanese was cooked perfectly.  Very thin, and tender.  You eat the pork and the pasta together, you are just in heaven.  And drink some of your Chardonnay afterwards, you will fly again to heaven.

So the meal was wonderful.  We got Tiramisu for dessert, and life was good.  I had a wonderful Valentine's Day thanks to Basilico this year.  Hope you can go visit them too.

Oh, I forgot to mention this, but if you don't like to wait an hour before being able to sit down, you can actually write your name down, and go on over to the Irish Pub in the same mall for some drinks.  The pub is called Fitzgerald's and they will actually give you a call at Fitzgerald's when your seat is ready.  That way, you can keep yourself busy and entertained before your romantic dinner.

We didn't know about this, so we waited  for an hour in the car.  Next time, we'll be drinking at Fitzgerald's before.

Basilico's Pasta E Vino
19171 Magnolia St Ste 1
Huntington Beach, CA 92646

Huntington Beach - Things to Do in Orange County 33

Shopping, Dining, Sports, and the Beach – The Surf City, Huntington Beach

Huntington Beach is the Surf City of Orange County. During the summer, tourists and surfers from all over the globe come here to compete in the annual surfing competition. It is always a popular destination for locals and tourists alike, and there are events going on all the time. Huntington Beach offers a wide variety of other beaches including a Dog Beach and a RV Park for camping by the beach.

On Main Street, you’ll find all sorts of surf brand shops, restaurants, bars, and cafés. Huntington Surf and Sport (HSS) by the pier is the icon of Huntington Beach. The HSS logo T-shirts are one of the locals’ favorites. Jack’s across the street is also another popular surf shop.

The Huntington Beach Pier is one of the most modern piers in OC. It is a great place to hang out to watch the surfers catch some waves. There is a Ruby’s at the end of the pier where you can enjoy fine burgers and great shakes with an awesome view. There are dolphins swimming around the pier at times and the endless miles of the ocean view is stunning. The kite store along the way is also a sight to see on the Huntington Beach Pier.

When you are visiting the pier, a great time to visit for a dramatic experience is to go around sunset. To see the sun setting into the ocean from the pier is very romantic and beautiful. It is amazing to see how the color of the clouds change as the sun sets.

To the South of the pier, there is a section of the beach where you can enjoy a bonfire. So during the summer, you’ll see a lot of people enjoying a barbeque and roasting marshmallows at this section. With the bonfire, you can enjoy hanging out at the beach until the curfew at 10PM.
Lately, Huntington Beach is become a hot tourist destination, and Hyatt has recently built a beautiful resort off its coast. The Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa is a personal favorite of mine with great restaurants and an awesome view.

Surf City Huntington Beach is the next big spot in Orange County!

Huntington Beach
http://www.ci.huntington-beach.ca.us/

Parking: $0.25 every 10 minutes. Public parking available on Main Street and by the coast

Golden West College Swap Meet - Things to Do in Orange County 16

Find Anything from Junk to Vegetable to Treasure Here at the Golden West College Swap Meet!

As mentioned previously, Orange County frequently uses the parking lots of its Community Colleges to conduct swap meets over the weekend. The swap meet that is held every Saturday and Sunday at Golden West College is one of the largest ones out here in OC.

I personally like to come to the Golden West College Swap Meet to buy some fresh vegetables here. You’ll be delighted to see super fresh vegetables here that taste very good! They are priced so low that it becomes hard to go into Ralph’s to buy your vegetable once you get used to buying here. Aside from the vegetables, the cut flowers here are very economical here as well. And if you’re looking for an experience, you can usually find a vendor that sells coconuts for you to enjoy the coconut milk from. Only a $1 each!

The characteristic that I notice when I come to the Golden West College Swap Meet compared to others is that it feels like there are a lot of, for the lack of better words, junk items here. You tend to see a lot of vendors out here selling used household goods, and I always wonder to myself, “hmm… I wonder who buys them…” :) But this is what makes this swap meet a very interesting one to come to.

I’m sure you’d be amazed at some of the items for sale here, and if you have the eye for it, you can probably dig up some treasure or antique for pennies on the dollar here as well!

At the swap meet, you can also find brand new toys, clothes, shoes, and perfumes. You can also fin used furniture, electronics, tools, and clothes, as you can practically find anything you need at this swap meet.

Many of the vendors and patrons at the Golden West College Swap Meet tend to be Latinos, so you’ll be delighted to see the energy that they bring. And because little Saigon and Korea Town is close enough, the swap meet always has an international twist to it.
Enjoy the international flavored Orange County Swap Meet every Saturday and Sunday at the Golden West College! It’s an experience you can’t miss!

Golden West College Swap Meet
15744 Golden West Street
Huntington Beach CA 92646
http://www.goldenwestswapmeet.com/

Admission: Free

Open Saturdays & Sundays 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., rain or shine.

Huntington Beach Dog Beach - Things to Do in Orange County 6

Go to the Beach with Your Dog- The Dog Beach at HB

If you love dogs, you’ll love this beach. It’s the Dog Beach in Huntington Beach. Located a little north of the Huntington Beach pier, this is one of the only places where dogs can be free to enjoy the waves at the beach.

Parking here can be limited at times, but with two lots, you’ll usually be able to find a spot. The parking meters will set you back a quarter ($0.25) for every 10 minutes, so be sure you bring a lot of change when you decide to come here.

This is one of the only dog beaches around in Orange County, so during the weekend, there are dogs everywhere! Look around and all you see are dogs all over the place, running around in joy. Sometimes it feels like there are more dogs than people because a lot of owners bring 2-3 dogs to the beach.

I personally live with six cats at my house, but when I get to the dog beach, I become a complete “dog person.” The dogs here are adorable, and they just have that loving feeling that cats don’t display very much.

It’s also amazing to see that all these dogs are never afraid of the waves that come crashing in. They jump into the water with joy to catch that Frisbee or the tennis ball. And with a lot of surfer’s in the area, you’ll see a collaboration of dogs and surfers here as well.

The dog beach allows you to free the dogs without any leashes, so you can walk freely with your buddy. Just be sure to be responsible and clean after then so that everyone can enjoy the beach.

Huntington Beach also has a lot of hotels where you can stay with your dogs and restaurants where you can eat with you dogs. Whether or not you have a dog, I recommend you to go visit the dog beach to see all the wave crashing and surfing dogs that are there. I guarantee after you come here, you’ll want to get your own dog to teach it surfing on the coast of Huntington Beach.

Huntington Dog Beach
21100 Pacific Coast Hwy
Huntington Beach, CA 92648
http://www.dogbeach.org/

Charter Centre Cinemas - $3 Movie Theater - Things to Do in Orange County 4

Movies for $3, Anyone? Go to the Charter Centre Cinemas!

Are we all feeling the pinch these days? Movie tickes are easily over $10 these days, and going up each year!

Well, here is Charter Centre Cinema to the rescue. At this theater in Orange County, you can watch movies that are just a tad old (about a month or two into its opening) for only $3 everyday! And the even better news, if you go during matinee, movies are only $2!!

The movie theater play about seven movies each night, so you will have enough to choose from. This theater is a great place to go if you just happen to miss that movie you wanted to see. You'll be able to catch it here on the big screen. Of course, the theater is also good for families and people on a budget as well.

And let me give you one more good news... Here, hot dogs are only $1 each!! So if you go before 6PM, you can catch a movie and get a hot dog for only $3. Drinks and popcorn also come with an unlimited refill deal which is very nice.  A very good deal in OC.

For showtime, please visit their website.

Charter Centre Cinemas
7822 Warner Ave. Huntington Beach

http://www.regencymovies.com/main.php?theaterId=7