The Hobbit - Things to Do in Orange County 65

So, you're looking for a special dinner for that special person?

Well, look no further than to The Hobbit in Orange, CA. This is probably one of the most special dinner experiences you will ever treat someone to in Orange County.

The Hobbit is a special little restaurant that's been around for some time. The owners transformed their house into a restaurant. Once you're here, you'll feel just like family.

The evening starts off by some cocktails with other guests if you get there a little early. You will need reservations to dine here, so as long as you made it, they will have a tab set up for you under your last name. Just go up stairs to enjoy some cocktails at the bar with other guests. When we were there, people were celebrating their anniversaries, birthdays, and just having a special dinner with good friends.

Once you have your initial cocktails, you are led into The Hobbit's basement - their wine cellar. They will welcome you with a glass of champagne and many many hors d'oeuvres. The hors d'oeuvres are served buffet style, so you are welcome to eat as much as you want. Of course, you do not want to over do yourself here because you came to The Hobbit for a 7 course dinner. That being said, all of the hors d'oeuvres are just awesome, and I definitely went for seconds and thirds.

Alongside your hors d'oeuvres, since this is the wine cellar, your main purpose here is to pick out the wine you want to have during your dinner. The staffs at The Hobbit will help you pick out some of the best wines from all over the world. Since we're no sommelier, we decided to go with the wine pairing option that they have for people like us.

Once you are done with this step, you are off to your table. The servers here are amazing, and the setting is also beautiful. You will definitely be in for an experience when you dine here. Our dinner started at about 7:30PM and we were there till about 11:30PM dining. There's actually an intermission between your meals since its so long. How about that for an experience?

Here was the menu that we had when we went.

1) Champagne & Hors d'oeuvres

2) Olive Poached Swordfish, Fava bean & Fennel, Quinoa Salad, Red Pepper sauce

3) Grilled Quail, Rissolee Potatoes & Braised Artichokes, Baby Leeks, Thyme Jus

4) Marinated Heirloom Tomatoes, Baby Rochet Arugula with Basil Vinaigrette, Goat Cheese

5) Sorbet

6) Garlic & Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb or Fresh Alaskan Halibut

7) Grand Marnier Scented Ice Cream, Apricot Compote with Almond Cake

Needless to say, we were quite full after the experience.

The Hobbit is definitely a place you want to bring that special someone for that special day in Orange County.

Be sure to make your reservations before you decide to go. And just as a final note, there is a dress code here just in case you were wondering.

The Hobbit

Website

2932 E Chapman Ave
Orange, CA 92869
(714) 997-1972

Old Towne Orange - Things to Do in Orange County 28

Spend an Entire Day to Look for your Favorite Antique – Old Towne Orange

When you enter Old Towne Orange, you’ll get the feeling that you went back in time.

There is a circular intersection on the corner of Glassell Street and Chapman Ave, and that is the heart of the Old Town Orange. On the four streets that cross the circular intersection are antique shops, restaurants, and cafes, all of which are extremely cute!

Old Towne Orange is known for its antique shops in Orange County. There are so many antique stores here, that it’ll usually take an entire day if you want to see it all. There are locals and people from around the globe that actually come here to purchase antiques!

In order for you to shop till you drop, I recommend getting to Old Towne Orange early in the morning since most of the stores close at 5-6PM.

Other than the antiques available at the Old Towne Orange, there are also stores that carry products that are actually new, but with a retro design. So if antiques aren’t your cup of tea, this maybe a good way to go. And even if you aren’t looking to buy anything, simply window shopping at the Old Towne Orange is fun because it feels like you are walking through a museum!

There were a lot of cute little items here that tickled my shop-a-holic heart. Although I’m not much of an antique person, when I saw the Fire King glassware here, I just couldn’t resist it. They are just so cute!

For lunch we ate at the Blue Frog Bakery. The bakery is a casual café, and they have great sandwiches and desserts. There are also other famous OC restaurants at the Old Towne, one notable being the PJ’s Abbey. This restaurant is truly unique as they renovated a Gothic style Victorian Baptist Church built in 1891, and turned it into a fine dining restaurant. The unique atmosphere makes it a great place for a date or as a formal get together. The Sunday Brunch is excellent here as well!

There is also a Cuban food restaurant that I love to go to.

Old Towne Orange is filled with cute stores including a retro barber and a children’s clothing store. You can spend your entire day seeing all of the antiques here at the Old Towne Orange. Highly recommended place in Orange County!

Old Towne Orange
http://www.otpa.org/

Parking: Free 2 Hour Street Parking