*I look so serious in this picture. Notice how I don’t even need to look at where I’m aiming in order to get such a high score of 312,900, which would make me a Level 5 Ranger. (In all honesty, my score was something closer to 10,000, but there was a computing error and they matched my picture with somebody else’s score. Jean-1, Loser-0)
When my friend, Stephanie told me she could get me into Disney’s California Adventure Park for free, I was like “Get outta here!” When she said that we could get a 20 percent discount off of the food and 35 percent off souvenirs with her employee discount card, I said, “What the frick?!” When she told me I could get free wine and food at that theme park, I said “Oh my God! Like totally tubular!”
Okay, those weren’t my exact words, but I’m trying to convey my excitement for Disney’s California Food & Wine Weekends. This event will continue on the weekends until May 20th, so you still have a couple more weekends left to partake in this great event. (I’m going again in two weeks.) People get to attend cooking demonstrations and tequila, wine, and beer tastings for free (minus the price of the admission ticket – but you would pay for that anyhow). Line up about half an hour to 45 minutes before the show starts to get a ticket to hold a spot at a table.
I attended one wine tasting, where I got to sample Moon Mountain’s Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon and I even got an educational seminar on wine. I’ve always seen people stick their big noses in tulip-shaped wine glasses (like in “Sideways”) and swirl the wine in their glasses before taking a sip. I’ve always wanted to do the same with a sultry look on my face, but I can imagine myself looking like an idiot with a constipated look on my face instead. The man that worked at Moon Mountain taught us about the 4 S’s. See, Swirl, Smell, and Sip. After his demonstration, I felt more confident about faking my way into looking like a wine connoisseur at hoity toity events. The only upsetting thing about this event is that they don’t give you that much wine. I know it’s a free wine tasting and I shouldn’t be so greedy, but Stephanie told me they gave nearly full glasses last year.
I also went to a balsamic vinegar cooking demonstration. Keep in mind that at these cooking demonstrations, everybody gets a small plate sample of all the food they make. I was a little wary about this particular event because I thought they would give me a weak salad I could make on my own. But I was wrong, oh so wrong. I got some savory lamb chop seared in butter with a caramelized balsamic vinegar sauce, accompanied by a creamy bean salad. It was heavenly and everybody wanted more because we’re all greedy and Disney wet our palates…but it was just a teaser. Fox should make a special called “When hungry people who sampled delicious food that want more…attack…”It was still delicious and I’m salivating at the thought of it this moment.
Click here for more info about Disney’s Food & Wine Weekends
Filed under: Food
Oh delicious BBQ ribs, you’ve disappointed me so. I’m not sure if there’s going to be a 3rd Annual BBQ’n at the Autry, seeing as the 2nd annual one held on Saturday, April 14 in Griffith Park was a complete sham. I had dreams of chewing on tender meat falling off of bones slathered with thick BBQ sauce…Drool. What kind of BBQ ribs cookoff takes place where people aren’t allowed to sample the goods? Upon entering, there was a sign that said, “Due to L.A. County Health Code Standards, there will not be sampling or tasting offered by the 32 KCBS competition barbeque teams.” This is a quote from the event website: “Sample the tastes of Q’n competition and cheer on your favorite teams as they season, smoke, and sizzle their way to cash prizes.” Liars.
My heart sank when I found out this distressing news. Why did I even pay an entry fee to begin with? I had walked up to the competition booths in confusion and/or denial and saw slabs of meat still searing on the grill, but the competitors just fed it to their friends and families and let us stare at them and their copious bottles of BBQ sauce. Drinking BBQ sauce wasn’t want I was aiming for. I did see a woman wearing pink cowgirl pants with a matching hat as well as a random man wearing a Native American costume. Was that enough? No!
The festival did have three vendors selling ribs and people had to stand in line for an hour to get a plate of what I believe to be sub-par ribs. And I’m pretty sure the reason people stood in line was because they were just as upset about the festival and felt that they had better leave eating some sort of ribs (even if they sucked) so they could tell their friends and families. There’s nothing worse than coming back from a ribs cookoff empty-handed. I didn’t even bother waiting in line because that’s how sad it was. I ate a hot dog with beans because the line was shorter. I know, it’s sad.
So, I’ve decided to stick to the two rib places I know are awesome and have come to love:
Naples Rib Company
5800 East 2nd Street
Long Beach, CA
Phil’s BBQ
4030 Goldfinch St.
San Diego, CA
This is my present to you – the name of two amazing restaurants with great ribs. And this time, the lines for the ribs are real and not superficial.
If you want to buy your own ribs and barbeque them yourself, the best place to go is Bristol Farms. There are numerous locations all over L.A. Enjoy!
