Julie and Julia, Huntington Beach Dog Beach; 06.26.11

Ah, Huntington Beach Dog Beach.  It's like Disneyland for dogs.  The address is 100 Goldenwest St., in Huntington Beach, CA.  It's a strip of beach along the PCH between Seapoint and Goldenwest.  The best way to get there is to take the Goldenwest exit off of the 405, and take it all the way to PCH.  I usually take the Beach exit, and make a right on Beach, right on Main, right on Yorktown, and left on Goldenwest.  Having lived in HB for a year, there is a comfort in familiarity.  And it's always nice to drive by the usual places that B and I used to frequent to along Beach Blvd.

The HBDB has a volunteer organization that helps keep the beach clean with ample trash cans, and poop bags.  There is also a stand on either end of the dog beach that volunteers set up every weekends for the dog owners to purchase sweatshirts, toys, etc.  If you need a tennis ball or a lap of water for your doggie, you are more than welcome to help yourself.  I on the other hand, had the need to refill my parking meter today, so I asked for a dollar change in quarters with the nice man on Goldenwest's stand, and he happily obliged.  I also used him before to give a set of Audi keys that I found in the sand on my way in to the dog beach.  And when  I checked with him on my way back, he said that someone did claim for it.  Dogbeach.org is their website.  If you appreciate HBDB's work, you can donate through there. 

Tico had a lot of fun with me throwing out his ball towards the water.  And when B caught up with us an hour later, I got a chance to soak up a little bit of the sun, and get caught up on my latest issue of Sunset magazine.  I love this issue.  It has a great recipe that looked very fresh and filling, called 'Garlic-basil grilled chicken with Caprese salsa'.  There is also a picture of a nice plate of yellowtail drenched with soy sauce, olive oil, and chili's.  It looked so good I wanted to lick the page.  So for lunch, I suggested to B we hang out at Seacliff Village's food court, so he can get some BRC burrito, and I can get a modest plate of yellowtail at the Sango Sushi next door to it.  Along with a plate of yakisoba and the Sunday breeze, it was a great way to enjoy the day, with the dog right under our table.

I love eating.  I wish I could eat Chinese food every day.  But if I do, I'd be twice my size in no time, no doubt.  Case in point, is this week.  I gained between 5 to 10 pounds since I ate out this week more than I have done in one single month because of my birthday.  Bea and I drove to Corona one day, an hour plus from my house to get a little spa day at Glen Ivy, where we picked on a BBQ chicken salad and mixed green salad.  Glen Ivy's admission fee is $46 on weekdays, and about $50 on weekends.  It is free on your birthday, so here we are.  This resort has pools in every corner, like the mineral pool, the lounge pool, and the mud pool, and the roman bath.  There are saunas and steam rooms, and massage rooms for those who are willing to pay extra for the service.  We just hung out between the pools and lounged around in a couple of the chairs, and caught up on life.  No dogs allowed.     

Afterwards, we drove to Temecula  about 20 minutes south of there, to have some wine tasting at local wineries.  From the 15 freeway, you exit Rancho California road, and make a left towards the wineries.  Old Town Temecula on the other hand, is to the left of the freeway.  But we mean business, so our first stop was Stuart Cellars.  We got a 2 for 1 wine tasting coupon, so we got 2 tastings for $10 total, and I scored on a bottle of their White Merlot for under $7.  The wineries are no place for dogs, but there are dining and places in Temecula to take your dogs to.  It gets REALLY HOT IN HERE, so take heed.  Otherwise, with Holiday Inn Express, a dog-friendly hotel just 25-30 minutes north of here, you can have a dog-friendly weekend.  The Temecula Hot-air Baloon and Wine Festival happens during the early summer, so grab your pup, and visit Temecula if you get a chance. 

We were hungry again during this time, and Susan Stuart, the owner; recommended Gourmet Italia which is in a mall close to the freeway.  We were skeevy about 'gourmet' places in a strip mall, and the interior is definitely meh and as Bea puts it, smells of candles; but we were not disappointed with the food.  I had this Fusilli al Fileto, which has this red wine tomato cream sauce that I kept thinking about for days.  So today Sunday, I tried to make my own version of it.  Not so bad, but the cream definitely needs improvement.

Gourmet Italia's version

My version, and I added spinach and basil leaves to mine

Afterwards, we drove back to the wineries to get to South Coast Winery.  There, we also got a 2 for 1 coupon, so for $15, we got 5 flights, of which I enjoyed this blend called Group Therapy.  And we got to keep the glasses with this one.  Some wineries do, some don't. 



I had a great time with Bea today.  It's been years since we've gone traveling one-on-one.  We traveled with the girls in Vegas last Fall, but this road trip gave us a chance to chat up, and talk about things longer.  Lately, when we get together, it's usually between watching Bravo channel or stuffing our faces, or drinking with other friends.  So it's been great to have this QT with one of my best friends.

B took me that night to Orange Hill Restaurant, which is located in the city of Orange.  The hillside restaurant's view is magnificent.  We had a great view of Orange County from the table.  I ordered their prime rib, because apparently, even with stuffing myself twice today and drinking about 11 flights of wine, I can't say no to food.  B ordered their salmon, a nice helping of caesar salad, and a tiramisu.  At 9:30, we saw the fireworks from the Disneyland resorts.  It is, after all; my birthday.  Leave it to Mickey to let me know he knows.  And our waiter hooked me up with some cheesecake, and I still have the leftover in the fridge.  This is not a dog-friendly place.

One night, Mai and Jason took B and I to Libra Brazilian Steakhouse in Culver City, off of 3833 Main Street, in downtown CC.  O.M.G.  This place is like heaven of meats and salad bars and all you can eat cheeses and fine veggies and rice, stew, hot entrees, and more meats.  We are very happy, and we stayed there from 7pm until closing time.  I feel like in comedian John Pinette's Chinese Buffet storyline.  "You go now, you been here 4 hour".  It was goood.  I believe it's about $35 AYCE at night, but they have lunch specials for $15, but no lamb or chicken hearts during lunch.  There's a patio area for you and your dog, if you so please.  But I doubt you'll pay much attention to your dog with all of the good food.

On another night, B told me we are going out to eat and go out dancing.  So I dressed up to go dancing, and we drove to Colombo's Italian restaurant in Eagle Rock.  B's family, which included brother and sister Michael and Michelle, and her husband Jerry, met up with us.  Michael is in town from College, so it was a perfect time for all of us to get together.  Mai stopped by too.  And I had a plate of Chicken Piccatta as well as Jerry, and Mai had a Ribeye.  I think B and the rest of the table got some lasagna special and Michael had salmon. We then shared a bunch of desserts, my favorite being this cheesecakey raspberry thing.  And the night was a load of fun.  I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.  B's family are funny.  And Mai, of course; kept her share of the ruckus too.  No dogs are allowed, as I can see with the set-up.          

Sunday is not so bad, but not so good either, food consumption-wise. 

It's easy to talk about food, of discovering great places to eat, and experimenting on cooking.  But I'm no Martha Stewart, in comparison to those who passionately blogs about fine dining and gourmet cooking.  Mai alone, being a foodie, and actually travels to places to eat good food, can write a blog.  But she does not.  Bea can write a blog about food as well, and mostly traveling all over the world, but she does not.  And they are both amazing cooks.  So I am in no way in a position to blog about food, but once in a while, it's nice to talk about them, because I appreciate good food.  But with the limited budget and an expanding waist, I leave it to the experts to blog about food. 

My dog and his advetures on the other hand, does not require special skills or money.  And I have a strong passion to keep my dog happy and active. 

And so here we are.