Category Archives: Foodie

Darren’s Restaurant Partners Up with The Macallan for Special Dinner on March 16th! #DarrensMB

Posted on by

 

Darren’s Restaurant Partners Up with Macallan for Special Dinner on March 16th!

By Erin

On Monday, March 16th, Darren’s Restaurant is hosting a special 5 course dinner featuring the Macallan Brand of Scotch. If you’ve been around here for awhile, you know this isn’t my first time at Darren’s. This past summer, I was introduced to this gem of a place located in beautiful Manhattan Beach, just steps away from the beach. The food at Darren’s is beyond amazing, and they also are very Gluten Free friendly! Be sure to check that out as well in: Gluten Free Fine Dining at Darren’s in Manhattan Beach! I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek of this very special event happening on March 16th, so come take a look at what’s in store! If you are not able to attend this event, as I believe it has already sold out, I still highly recommend checking this place out and also giving The Macallan a try!

Darrens_Macallan_Dinner

This exclusive dinner event, slated for next Tuesday, March 16th at 7pm, will feature a personalized and guided tasting which will introduce guests to The Macallan brand of single malt Scotch and starts off with a nice welcoming cocktail, like the one below.

Darrens_Cocktail

First, we were welcomed with the “Welcome Cocktail,” which was the Manhattan Boulevardier, made with Cutty Sark “Prohibition,” Campari, blood orange juice and Noilly Prat. I loved this drink. The blood orange gave it just enough of a fruity taste for my liking. I love anything blood orange, so there is no surprise really that I loved this drink.

Darrens_Spring_Rolls_Macallan

Our first course, that went along with the “Welcome Cocktail,” (as well as a head start on The Macallan 10 Year Old Fine Oak, pictured here) was a Pulled Duck Fried Spring Roll, stuffed with Bartlette Pear Agave Grain Mustard Sauce. The Spring Roll was popping with flavor and it paired very well with the cocktail as well as with the 10 year old fine oak. I’ve never thought much of Scotch before, but I actually liked this one. It was pretty smooth and wasn’t too strong. This was my 2nd favorite scotch we tried over the course of the evening.

Continue reading »

Knott’s Berry Farm’s Boysenberry Festival & Giveaway #KnottsSpring @Knotts

Posted on by

Knott’s Berry Farm’s Boysenberry Festival

By Erin

*This is written by me for GigaSavvy. I do not work for or with any brand mentioned in this article, nor do I have any official relationship with them. I’ll be attending a media event for the Knott’s Berry Farm Boysenberry Festival with complementary passes. All thoughts and opinions remain my own.*

Boysenberry Pie. Boysenberry Lattes. Boysenberry Trifles. Oh my! Now all we need is a glass of boysenberry wine! As a foodie at heart, Knott’s Spring is my all time favorite time of year here at Knott’s Berry Farm, because of all the fresh and tasty bites and sips to choose from. This is one fun spring food fest that you won’t want to miss! You can celebrate this spring during Knott’s Berry Farm’s Boysenberry Festival that is harvested in the theme park’s historic Ghost Town. From March 28th- April 12th, 2015, this 16-day festival returns with an unforgettable lineup of exquisite Boysenberry Bites, dazzling entertainment, gourmet food and the Wine and Craft Brew Tasting Garden, plus the limited time return of the classic Bear-y Tales characters in a pie making kitchen, and more!

KnottsSpring 15

Ghost Town: The History

A little bit of fun history about Knott’s that you may not know, as this fun festival celebrates its roots. Back in the 1930s, Walter Knott harvested the boysenberry, which is a cross between a loganberry, red raspberry and blackberry. It was named after its originator Rudolph Boysen. All boysenberries in the world can trace their roots back to Knott’s Berry Farm. That’s pretty neat!

Boysenberry Plants This spring you can purchase authentic boysenberry plants from Walter & Cordelia Knott’s Original Roadside Boysenberry Stand (recreated for the special event). The Knott family sold freshly picked boysenberries from the original stand. Guests can capture the moment and the memories at boysenberry themed stand-in cutouts, like wanted posters, a boysenberry farming family and more. Watch special demonstrations including a chainsaw wood sculpting, glass blowing and blacksmithing. Meet the Ghost Town’s mayor, Mayor Desmond Ryder and his lovely wife, Josephine. From day to night, Ghost Town has never looked so lively.

Tasty Boysenberry Treats to Try

Knott's Spring

Deep Fried Alligator Pieces & Fries with Boysenberry Aioli

Fried Cheese Curds paired with a Spicy Boysenberry Dipping Sauce

Craft Beer and Wine Vendors – Boysenberry wine and Belgium Boysenberry Beer, located inside of Ghost Town’s Wilderness Dance Hall, will feature an assortment of wine and craft brew labels, in addition to a variety of boysenberry inspired gourmet food that’s just bursting with flavor.

Knott's Beer & Wine Fest

Boysenberry Trifle (vanilla cake piece, frozen boysenberry, soft serve ice cream, and whipped cream)

Berry Market™ Boysenberry BBQ Sauce smothered on an assortment of other delectable treats (an original Knott’s Berry Farm creation)

Fish and chips sandwich with boysenberry tartar sauce

Boysenberry ICEE Floats

Boysenberry Frappuccino and Latte (served at the new Gourmet Coffee Hut which proudly serves Starbucks drinks)

And more!

You can find more charbroiled treats cooked on open-air barbeques throughout the streets of the festival. Additional fee for tastings. Guests who want to take home the exquisite sauce can do so by stopping by the Berry Market, General Store in Ghost Town or by visiting knotts.com.

Continue reading »

Brunching at Daily Dose Cafe with #LBNC15!

Posted on by

Brunching at Daily Dose Cafe!

By Erin

As a part of the send off for the Lifestyle Bloggers Conference that I attended last week in Los Angeles, CA, we went to brunch at a wonderful little place in the heart of Downtown LA, a true hidden oasis called The Daily Dose Cafe.

Daily Dose Cafe

STORY OF DAILY DOSE CAFE

Sarkis Vartanian, Owner of Daily Dose Cafe, had the passion and desire to develop an honest food distribution business.  What was his vision to make this happen?  To open up a little café that was tucked away in a beautiful and tranquil alleyway. Daily Dose Cafe has become a cool place to hang out and have a bite to eat.

Daily Dose Café believes that, “All humans and creatures on earth may not be created equal, but we believe that all deserve and have the right to good, healthy, and organically produced food.”

Daily Dose Cafe Sign

How does Daily Dose Cafe create this type of atmosphere? Daily Dose Cafe welcomes all people  and allows diners to have access to local, organically grown and produced food, and to have a delectable drink (such as the Buena Vista) all at reasonable prices. They work with farmers directly and are transparent in everything that they do, by using  only the freshest, locally grown produce, and certified organic products from respectable vendors.  A strict quality assurance program has been set in place to ensure that the highest of standards are met in everything that is served.

If you are looking for a new place to brunch and dine out at, that serves up only the highest of quality and delicious food, is healthy, transparent, and helps to support the community, then make sure to stop on by and give Daily Dose Cafe a go.

Here are a few of the items that we sampled. Everything was delicious.

BUENA VISTA

I started off with the Buena Vista. It consists of 2 teaspoons of caramelized sugar, 2 shots  of espresso, and 14oz  of milk. $5.50 I could drink these everyday.

Daily Dose Eggs

Scrambled eggs with green onions on toasted bread. It’s just scrambled eggs, something so simple, that you might not think much of it, but if you try these, you’ll be thinking, OMG these are the best scrambled eggs I’ve ever had!

Continue reading »