Tag Archives: food

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

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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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BRIO Tuscan Grille Introduces ‘A Tale of Two Risottos’| @BrioItalian #BrioTuscanGrille

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‘A Tale of Two Risottos’ at BRIO Tuscan Grille

By Erin

*I was invited as media to come in and try out the new ‘A Tale of Two Risottos’ for purposes of this post. All thoughts and opinions remain my own.*

BRIO Tuscan Grille Irvine Spectrum Orange County

There are few dishes as versatile as risotto, and when it’s made right, it’s perfection. BRIO Tuscan Grille at the Irvine Spectrum has introduced its “A Tale of Two Risottos.” A classic tale of old-world meets new, these limited time offered dishes (through March 27th) are a product of BRIO’s love affair with risotto and the finest seafood available. 

Now, of course before jumping to the main course, we had to order some drinks and something from the PRIMI (Appetizer) Menu.

BRIO-Drinks-Wine-Sangria-Peach-Bellini

 A White Peach Sangria and Peach Bellini. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon, even if it was pouring down rain outside!

BRIO-Bruschetta

For an appetizer, our waitress recommended that we try the Bruschetta Quattro– which is a sampling of their four housemade brushettas. Perfect for sharing and getting a little taste of everything.

Lobster-Bisque

I have soft spot for lobster bisque, so if I see this anywhere on a menu, I just have to try it. Plus it was a cold, rainy day outside, so even more reason to try a cup of their delicious, creamy lobster bisque soup! Topped with a sauteed shrimp garnish. 

Lobster-Risotto

Available during both lunch and dinner, the savory risotto dishes include:

Lobster and Shrimp Risotto: Broiled Maine lobster tail served over risotto with shrimp, mushrooms, asparagus, roasted red peppers, basil and Parmesan. This was my favorite of the two risottos.

Brio-Tale-of-Two-Risottos

Sea Scallops with Risotto: Five large, seared sea scallops served over a roasted vegetable ratatouille risotto.

 These decadent risotto creations are available through March 27.

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Northgate Market in Norwalk: The Mercado Project | @NorthgateGlzMrk #NorthgateNorwalk

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Northgate Market in Norwalk

By Erin

*Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Society Culinaria for Northgate Norwalk. All thoughts and opinions remain 100% my own.*

Northgate-Market-Storefront-Norwalk-Flowers

The Mercado Project is Northgate Supermarket’s new shopping concept where the customer experiences a “mercado feel” throughout the store.  Northgate has recreated the individualized Mariscos stall, The Carniceria, Floreria, Lecheria, Panaderia and Coffee Shop for shoppers to enjoy, reminisce or experience for the first time. This was my first time to experience and enjoy this new mercado feel and I loved it. I was absolutely amazed at everything there was to choose from. I was like a kid in a candy store at this place, except on a much larger scale, and there was much more to choose from than just candy! Let me give you a little preview of what you have to look forward to when you get the chance to stop by for yourself… Be warned though… once you come here, you will be coming back often for more tasty treats! 😉

On our tour of Northgate Market, here were some of the highlights.

1.When you first walk into the store, one of the first things you will see is a fresh guacamole bar, where a woman is custom making guacamole just for you.

Fresh-Guacamole-Bar-Avoacado-Mercado-Northgate-Market-Norwalk2. Aguas Frescas, Coffee, & Tea Bar. A tasty selection of daily made aguas frescas and other refreshing drink options.

Aguas-Frescas-Coffee-Tea-Northgate-Norwalk

3. Grab & Go: A large selection of freshly made items for when you’re in a hurry and need something quick. Items change daily and are always made fresh! Salads, Tamales, Sushi, Ceviche, brightly colored glelatinas, arroz con leche and other tasty delights can be found here.

Grab-&-Go-Northgate-Market-Norwalk

4. An Empanada Bar- Lots of different flavors of empanadas where a native Argentinian is making them fresh in house.

Empanadas-Northgate-Market-Norwalk

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