Of Date Shakes and Goodbyes

One of the last things we did on our visit out to the West Coast was stop at Ruby's Shake Shack for a Date Shake. It was something I just had to try before we headed home. Ruby's is a picturesque place located on the Newport Coast near the Crystal Cove State Park. You literally swing in right off of the PCH and then wait in a line of cars to try and secure one of the scarce parking spaces along the front of the lot. It was not unusual to see a line of cars backed out along the Pacific Coast Highway waiting to park whenever we drove by the area.

Ruby's serves burgers and fries and other typical beach shack fare.

It was definitely worth the stop. The shake was a real ice cream milk shake served at the perfect drinking consistency with a large bore straw that was up to the task, date pieces and all.

So we say farewell to Southern California with its beautiful beaches, sparkling sunshine and perfect blue sky days. It was a great trip. We had a lovely and awesome tour guide in my SIL and can't thank her enough for hauling us around and making sure we had an awesome visit. We will definitely be returning. I was promised a trip to Hollywood and I wouldn't miss that for the world.

Happy travels!

Corea Kalbi - Newport Beach, California

The Dining Companion and I have had all kinds of BBQ in many different areas of the country. There was however one type that neither one of us had tried before, Korean BBQ. When we were visiting my SIL she took us to a Korean BBQ restaurant, Corea Kalbi, for lunch.

Table top grill

When we arrived we were shown to a booth that had a small grill in the center. Lunch consists of several different types of meats to grill at the table and lots of different kimchi and veggie accompaniments.

We ended up ordering the rib-eye steaks, thinly sliced brisket, bulgogi, pork belly and spicy pork over the course of our lunch.

 

Delicious!

The grill attendant/waitress brings out three of your options at a time and loads them on your table top grill. She helped with the slicing and serving of some of the items and also kept the sides coming throughout the meal.

Different sauces for your BBQ, The spicy center sauce was my favorite

Radish wrappers that you use to wrap your grilled meat and veg into a tasty little packet

My SIL explained that the idea is to take a little of your grilled meat, some sauce and kimchi and make a packet out of it using a radish (or in some cases egg roll) wrapper. Then lift the whole thing with your chopsticks and cram it in your face enjoy. So good. The flavors are amazing. I can't imagine how I went so many years and never tried this before. I wonder if there are any Korean BBQ places in Minnesota? On my list of things I need to know.  

Having now had this experience I definitely want to do it again. It was just so much fun and a great way to share a meal. I have to look for a Korean BBQ restaurant in the local area. There surely has to be one somewhere and rest assured if there is one I'm going to find it.

Happy dining!

Mission at San Juan Capistrano California

Our visit to Southern California included a tour of the Mission at San Juan Capistrano. The Mission was founded in 1776.

To accommodate the growing population a large stone church was built at the site. Sadly the church was destroyed in an earthquake in December of 1812 but the bells from the church survived and were placed in a wall nearby. The Mission bells are still rung on special occasions. 

The tour of the grounds can be accompanied by an audio guide called Voices of the Mission. Each person on the tour is given a small audio device and instructed which selection to listen to as you walk through the grounds.

 

 The Mission raised cattle and produced crops. The cattle were processed for meat, hides and tallow. The processing took place right on the mission grounds.

Example of a processed hide bearing the San Juan Capistrano brand

 

Each Mission had its own cattle brand

 

Tallow rendering pot (note the interesting design on the door)

Besides the crops and cattle the Spanish missionaries also planted olive groves. The olives were harvested and some of them were processed into oil.

Olive Millstone

The Mission grounds are lovely and the audio tour was interesting and informative. Anyone who is interested in the history of the Missions or California history in general won't be disappointed. Of course the Mission at San Juan Capistrano is most known for the swallows that return to it each spring. Around March 19th (St. Joseph's Day) the swallows return from their winter homes 2000 miles away. While the event has diminished a bit over time the swallows still return each year.

If your plans include a visit to the area I would highly recommend that you check out the Mission and the surrounding community. Also pay a visit to Los Rios Historic District, the oldest neighborhood in California.

We only just scratched the surface of the area that we visited in California. We had a great time and hopefully will be able to return.

Happy travels!

Los Rios Historic District - San Juan Capistrano CA

The Los Rios Street area is the oldest neighborhood in California. It was home to the workers that built the Mission at San Juan Capistrano. The road also connected the area to San Juan Bay (now Dana Point Harbor). The road was used to take cow hides processed at the Mission to the bluffs at Dana Point. Here they were tossed off the bluffs for collection on the beach below. (more here)

Los Rios Historic District is still home to some local residents. Their homes are now part of an historical neighborhood. There are also shops, restaurants, artists studios and a museum. Lots to see and do in the area.

We spent some time walking along the quaint residential streets.

We also stopped in at the O'Neill Museum - Pryor House. The museum is also home to the San Juan Capistrano Historical Society.

The house was restored by the Historical Society and furnished with period pieces including furniture and household items.

The Los Rios Historic District is right across the way from the San Juan Capistrano train depot. (Our tour guide from OC Wildlife and Beach Tours mentioned that you can take the Amtrak train into the station from some of the surrounding communities.) A highlight for fourth graders I understand, that come to take a tour of the Mission for school. 

My sister in law joked that we saw the same 15 mile stretch of coast over and over again during our visit. And that may be but like I told her it's a hell of a 15 miles. The areas we visited were beautiful. While we saw and did a lot during our very short visit I'm already plotting out our next visit. (Hurray for Hollywood!)

Happy travels!

This plaque is set in the sidewalk leading up to the O'Neill Museum. I wonder what's inside?