What’s Good Now at Seasons 52| #Seasons52 @Seasons52

What’s Good Now at Seasons 52

By Erin

*I was invited to come and try some of the new spring items at Seasons 52. All thoughts and opinions remain my own.*

Seasons 52 is a fresh grill and wine bar that offers a seasonal menu inspired by the fresh appeal of a farmer’s market and what’s good now, and boy do they have a lot of good stuff right now!  Seasons 52 is not only freshness driven, but also has a focus on healthy eating, with many entrees under 500 calories.  They accomplish this by their combination of lean meats, low starch contents, and sensible portions. The freshness of the ingredients is evident in all of their dishes, and we tasted many yummy goodies during our visit.

Seasons 52 Store Front

The entrance to Seasons 52, located at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. A very beautiful location.

Seasons-52-inside-Costa-Mesa

Inside is just as gorgeous! So welcoming, warm and cozy.

Seasons-52-Costa-Mesa-Drinks

My friend and I started the evening with a couple of refreshing drinks. I chose the one on the left here, the Hawaiian Pineapple Cosmopolitan made of New Amsterdam Pineapple Vodka & Patrón Citrónge and she chose the Mango Jalapeno Crush; consisting of Prairie Organic Gin, Mango, Housemade Lemonade, Fresh Jalapeño, Cilantro & Cucumber.

California-Golden-Beets-Seasons-52

Seasons 52 has a special section on the menu titled, “Chef’s Suggestions” which has the chef’s top recommendations of “What’s good now,” and is chalk full of seasonally inspired items featuring ingredients at their peak of freshness. The first item on this menu that caught my eye was the Warm California Golden Beets Salad; made up of Laura Chenel goat cheese, toasted pistachios and micro basil. It was so fresh and delicious. I love beets and this dish was amazing paired with the goat cheese and pistachios, making for a delightful flavor combination.

Lobster-Fresh-Mozzarella-Flatbread

Another delicious option in the “Chef’s Suggestions” for appetizers is this Lobster & Fresh Mozzarella Flatbread. Chunks of delicious lobster, roasted sweet peppers, slivered scallion, and lobster sour cream create one mouth-watering and scrumptious treat.

Ahi Tuna Tartare

A regular item on the appetizer menu is this delectable number and one of my favorites, the Ahi Tuna Tartare.  Layered with wasabi-avocado mousse, tropical salsa, Hawaiian sea salt crisps. The mix of the ahi tuna with the wasabi-avocado is exquisite. I would enjoy having this with any meal, at any time, any day.

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Wokcano: Asian Restaurant and Lounge| #Wokcano @Wokcano

Wokcano: Asian Restaurant and Lounge

By Erin

If you love sushi or an amazing happy hour (or both like I do), then you will want to make sure to get to this place ASAP! Wokcano is a contemporary Asian Restaurant and Lounge, featuring fresh sushi and creative maki rolls as well as modern riffs on traditional fare, Wokcano offers guests a broad and savory tasting tour of popular Asian cuisines. The design elements at all locations reflect a chic and relaxing atmosphere. Wether you are solo dinning at the sushi bar or have a large group at a communal table to happy hour drinks in the lounge, offering a host of Asian-inspired cocktail selections and an inclusive yet reasonably-priced wine and sake list, Wokcano makes for the perfect atmosphere. Locations include Huntington Beach (the one we went to), Long Beach, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Downtown Los Angeles, Burbank, Valencia, Topanga  Canyon and Santa Ana.

Wokcan-Asian-Restaurant-Bar

Wokcano has a very welcoming environment.

Wokcano-Drinks-Happy-Hour

Of course we had to start with a couple of drinks that were recommended to us….

Wokcano-Wontons-Huntington-Beach

Followed by some goodies off of the happy hour menu, like these Crab Wontons ($4 during Happy Hour). These were very tasty. Crispy on the outside, and very warm and fresh on the inside.

Honey-Walnut-Shrimp-Happy-Hour-Wokcano

One of my favorites! We also had to try the Honey Walnut Shrimp ($6 during Happy Hour), it was delicious! I easily could have filled up on these alone.

Wokcano-Sushi-Happy-Hour

Another happy hour option is the Yellowtail Sashimi with Citrus Ponzu ($10 during Happy Hour). So fresh and tasty, the jalapenos were a nice touch to this one!

Crispy-Rice-Spicy-Tuna

The Spicy Tuna on Crispy Rice was another happy hour hit ( $7 during happy hour).

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Lucille’s Smokehouse BBQ Now Open at Main Place Mall in Santa Ana #LucillesBBQ @LucillesBBQ

Lucille’s Smokehouse BBQ Now Open in Santa Ana

By Erin

*I was invited to come and try the new Lucille’s. All thoughts and opinions remain my own*Lucille's-Smokehouse-BBQ

A few weeks ago I went with a few good friends to go try the NEW Lucille’s Smokehouse Barbeque in Santa Ana. This brand new location is in a prime spot at the Santa Ana Main Place Mall. Lucille’s offers delicious home-style smoked and barbeque dishes to satisfy the hungriest of appetites. A beautifully decorated location with lots of color, large comfy bar stools and lots of booth seating all throughout. The tables are larger than you will usually find which is great for larger parties (or if you’re like us, just to fit all the food we order). Large flat screen TV’s can be seen throughout so you can catch all the latest sporting events her while enjoying some great food and drinks. The atmosphere is very warm and welcoming, and the staff will make you feel like you’re right at home.

Beer-Flight-Lucille's

We were here on a Sunday afternoon, so we all started off with some drinks. A couple of my friends chose the Beer Flight. Choose between the Hop Lover’s Beer Flight featuring 4 Pale & IPA brews or try the BBQ Beer Flight which features 4 select ales & lagers that pair beautifully with the hickory smoked BBQ. They drank it all up, so I think to it’s safe to say it’s very enjoyable!

Drinks-Lucilles

I chose to have the Sweet Georgia Peach, which consists of Absolut Peach Vodka, Peach Schnapps and Peach Lemonade. Served in a 22 oz mug and topped with white ale. This was a very refreshing choice, and very yummy.  

Appetizer Platter Lucilles

We needed something to go with our drinks and we could not decide what we should try first so we just went and got a little of everything with this one! The Lucille’s Appetizer Platter is perfect for folks like us who can’t decide! A huge platter of their most popular items: Pork rib tips, fried dill pickles, sweet potato fries, fried green tomatoes, Dixie egg rolls, fried okra, chicken strips and spicy hot links. This was the perfect choice for us. We got to try a little of everything and it was amazing! I loved the fried okra!

Gumbo-Soup Lucilles

Next, we tried a little bit of the New Orleans Gumbo. It was pretty good and it’s very filling!

Back Porch Strawberry Lemonade Lucilles

Before we got our meals, I ordered one more drink. The Back Porch Strawberry Lemonade: Skyy Infusions Wild Strawberry Vodka, Hiram Walker Triple Sec, Lucille’s Fresh Strawberry Lemonade and a splash of soda. Served over ice in a 22 oz. mug.  This is a perfect Sunday afternoon drink to sip and savor.

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