A Trip to Baja, Mexicali Taco Co, My Favorite, DTLA

Watch as city lights transform us – AFI

Tonight, the city lights of my beloved Los Angeles took me back to Baja. All of my senses were enlightened with the sounds, taste, smell, sight, and feeling of being in Mexico eating tacos, tostadas, and quesadillas under the stars. There was so much nostalgia as two of my worlds collided tonight. My two identities, together. As a Baja Californian at heart…tonight was an experience that I long to repeat…

It all started when my paisano Ricky (of fish taco fame) told RE that there was a taco stand in DTLA that sold authentic baja style tacos. The only catch was that tonight would be their last night at the parking lot where they usually set up. Since Ricky said they were good…we decided to check them out tonight. RE says she had heard of this stand before, but never knew the address.

Now that I’ve had these tacos, I’m totally kicking myself for not finding them sooner! How is it that there isn’t more talk about these guys! Sure you can find good tacos around LA, but these guys take it to the next level in regards to authenticity! Tonight I became their number one fangirl. This is why:

Thin plastic plates – Check.

Coca Cola tables/chairs – Check.

Plastic Salt Shaker – Check.

Plastic bag over plastic plate -Check.

Baja accent – Check.

Taco guy wearing a Bimbo jersey – Check.

Tree trunk chopping block – Check.

Use of the word ‘Orale’ – Check.

Canel’s – Check. Check.

Baja Hospitality – Check. Check. Check.

Tortillas that are actually bought in Mexicali – JACKPOT

I had a quesadilla, a cachetada and a vampiro. Everything I ate was instant magic. I could have stayed there all night just eating and taking it all in. This wave of nostalgia was very healthy for my soul. It goes to show street food is alive and well in my beloved City of Angels.

I want to thank these three guys right here for allowing me to escape the thought of lesson planning, work, meetings, and other stressful things. For an hour or so, I was among friends in Baja…I was in a state of bliss. Gracias a mis paisanos…

Watch as city lights dance for us…

As we were paying, we were handed some Canel’s. Instant. Flashback. Wow.

Sometimes the littlest details can mean so much.

*EDITED*

So apparently these guys can keep their location for a little bit longer! Catch them while you can!

1st & Beaudry, DTLA

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday

8pm-12am

This Baja experience is something I would like to repeat over and over and it is something that I can’t wait to introduce my friends to.

It will change your life. Trust.

Feel free to give them a call: (323) 274-8907

Tortas El Kamazutra, Estilo DF, Los Angeles

Every once in a while you come across something in LA that completely conveys that genuine spirit that is such a part of Mexican culture. Humble people bringing food to the masses in such a genuine way. It is hard to put into words, but I firmly believe that food is also about the experience. To borrow from Anthony Bourdain (again) – its about context and memory…

I had heard about a hot dog cart slanging tortas in LA from an article in the ‘Weekly a few months back, but it was a bit brief and I wasn’t sure what to expect. First of all the play on words for the cart is silly, but they pull it off. Add a Z to anything and it changes the meaning, amiright? Lulz. From the article, the guys didn’t seem very nice…so basically I had been wanting to try it? Yet, it wasn’t something I was going to go out of my way to do (at the time). I googled the name to see if any other people had written about it, but found nothing. HOWEVER, you have no idea how glad I am that I finally checked it out for myself. I had a totally different image going in, and I was way off! These brothers are super nice and want to show people what an authentic DF torta is. Sidenote? I fail at taking pictures in low light settings…and I’m anti flash so…yeah the photos aren’t my best work…

It happened that I was in Ktown with Frank at Rico’s when he mentioned that they were headed over to Scoops next. And that’s when I remembered that the torta cart set up near Scoops on Friday nights. Score! Suddenly we were crawling!

As the boys got in line at Scoops, I set out to look for the cart. Once I found it I walked over to Scoops hoping to see some vanilla available because I was so sure I had read that they have the best vanilla. Apparently, they do, but its in tasting mode or something and not yet available. Although, according to Matt I may find out soon enough so…until then I’ll wait unpatiently…

I left Frank eating his ice cream and headed back to the cart to check it out. As I got closer I saw RE and Jeffrey checking out the menu. They have a whole menu board full of different varieties it was so hard to pick. I wanted quesillo and milanesa, but was having a hard time on a third choice. ¿Chorizo? ¿Salchicha? ¿Huevo? ¿Tocino?

I ended up going with the classic, chorizo, milanesa and quesillo. As he took out the giant piece of milanesa I knew this was going to be a huge success! Well, the bread was an early indicator too! Oh, and mayonnaise. Yes, totally about the mayonnaise…

Soon Frank and his boyz came up to check out the cart. Frank was handed a menu book with all of the varieties. I happen to like the names for each of the varieties. This cart is awesome.

Someone ordered the signature torta which costs $9 and is huge. It has a ton of ingredients. I suppose if you are really hungry, its a good choice. It even has a fried egg. Win.

Soon my torta was ready! I thought for sure it would just be served wrapped in paper…

Then I heard the choir of angels when it was served to me on one of those super thin, cheap, neon, plastic plates that you find at most taquerias in Mexico. LEGIT. 10x LEGIT. As if the DF accent wasn’t enough to prove authenticity! Seriously, this cart was GREAT! My torta was really good, of course. Most of the tortas are only $5 unless you want to order one of their “signature” tortas with more ingredients. I was also told that they have freshly squeezed orange juice.

I have been carrying two prayer cards with me for years. Every time I change wallets (all the time) the cards always come with me. As I saw other prayer cards on the cart (something that is often seen in MX) I was moved to part with one of my cards. So I took out my wallet, and told him I wanted them to have this.

Two seconds later, the brothers took out some tape, and my prayer card was soon on the cart. It just felt like the right thing to do. So if you go to the cart, look for the one on the LEFT.

Talking to these guys, eating, hanging out…it just felt familiar. I totally felt that genuine Mexican spirit that often gets lost in the stereotypes that are out there against the culture. Such kind people, making us feel welcome, making tortas that represent their home state, and being really humble and kind about it. For me, this is one of my new most favorite carts in the city, and I can’t wait to go back!

Around the corner from Scoops, on Melrose.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday – 7pm-2am

Weekdays – hours/location varies a bit.

(213) 377-6247

After Party: My 27th Birthday Bash: Chinatown Summer Nights, DTLA

It wouldn’t be a complete birthday bash without a proper after party! After dinner and cake, a group of us headed over to Chinatown for Summer Nights!

I had been to the event last summer, and went again last week. The vibe is hard to describe in words. You need to experience it. The streets are alive, the people are nice, the feeling is one that encompasses that magical feeling that can be found within the City of Angels.

Since it also happened to be so close to Wurstkuche…it seemed natural to spend the last few hours of being 26 here surrounded by my friends.

We must have gotten there around 9pm so the party was totally underway. As we all texted each other in an attempt to meet up, the large white balloon seemed to be the best spot. It was there that we were able to catch a cooking demonstration hosted by Eddie Lin of Deep End Dining. As the ladies were cooking, we nudged Mariano towards the front so he would be close when they chose volunteers, but then he got shy. The guy works at the best restaurant in Bakersfield but can still be shy. Adorable!

After watching the demo for a bit, we headed back over to where the rest of the group was and were joined by Nate and Aleks! Aww!

Half of the crew went over to the Lake Street Creamery truck (which I absolutely adore). I think that after tonight, it is safe to say we are all big fans. Especially Greg. Amiright?

Next we went to the Drip Bar cart, which is serving Blue Bottle. I tried them last week at a Farmers Market and told the girls I would be back during my birthday bash so that my friends and I could indulge in some Blue Bottle goodness! They told me to come back for my birthday coffee!

This Blue Bottle New Orleans Iced Coffee was pretty fantastic! Thanks girls!

Coffee in hand, we all headed over across the street to explore some more!

We were met by the sounds of KCRW DJ Jeremy Sole! Nice!

Aleks was ready to jump on the dance floor, but Mariano and Sara needed some convincing…

Meanwhile the boys were not excited about the thought of dancing the night away…

Aleks went to go check it out for us…

We’ll come back to the dance floor portion of my birthday bash a little later…wink wink.

As we went through the streets exploring and wandering, we came across people playing Ping Pong. Random. Totally random. I had a total flashback moment when I remembered that E was really good at Ping Pong, and I mentioned this to Aleks. She said we should play…and then I realized…wow. I have never played Ping Pong! The next thing I knew, we were signed up! I’m not sure what association this was with, but I will say it was completely free and the people hosting it were really nice!

I proceeded to get a Ping Pong lesson from Mike Cruz…before getting completely PWND. However, it was just a random silly thing to do on a summer night and it was a lot of fun! The big surprise was when it was Aleks’ turn to play. She was AMAZING! She was so good in fact, the a Chinese man came over to challenge her to a game.

The boys were less than impressed at us girls playing Ping Pong and proceeded to chat in the corner. Silly boys!

After Ping Pong we proceeded to keep walking and came across a wishing well. We all took out some change and made wishes. Nate got Long Life, Mari got Love, Sara, Shawna, Aleks missed, and I got a coin in the cup but it bounced back out! Sigh. Everyone saw it bounce back out, so I can’t even make that up.

We walked over to the food trucks but most everyone was too full to eat anything else. There was a nice variety available though. Mike Cruz and Mike D. separated from the crowd and when we found them again they were eating some street tacos with Mexican coke. Yes. that is why we are friends. High Five!

Something that often gets overlooked is that most of the shops and galleries are open during Chinatown Summer Nights. My favorite gallery is 5th Floor (of course) but there are other little shops to sneak into. There was one near the dance floor that had some really nice cutesy artsy things that can’t be found just anywhere! Here is Sara posing: Nom Nom Nom.

As we left this shop, we were met with some entertainment!

Fire + Hula Hoop = Wow.

After exploring Chinatown it was time to hit up Jeremy Sole on the dancefloor! Aleks and I headed back into the crowd and got our groove on. I assumed everyone else would follow but I soon realized we were on our own…so I ventured back out and found everyone just standing around. Sara and Shawna were feeling shy, and Mariano said “I don’t dance”…

So I pulled the “but its my birthdaaaaaay!” line and the next thing you know there we were, Sara, Shawna, Mariano, and Aleks, dancing, as Nate and Jason and everyone else looked on.

And so the last few minutes of me being 26 were spent out in my beloved City of Angels, surrounded by friends, outside, dancing, laughing, smiling, under the Chinatown Summer Nights. It was magic.

Thanks to those brave enough for the after party: Jason, Mariano, Sara, Shawna, Mike Cruz, Mike D., Scott, Bree, RE, Jeffrey, Greg, Kendra, and Yeekai.

As midnight struck, and I was now officially 27…I realized how blessed and lucky I am to have spent the day surrounded by my friends and family. I realized how good life is. Although stressful, I’m really happy with my career choice, and this new philosophy of just living life and exploring is really working out for me. Not only was this my birthday celebration, but it was also my real end of summer. August is officially coming to an end…

I can’t wait to see what Fall 2010 brings…because I don’t know how Summer 2010 can be topped.

And how can I top a wonderful day like today for when I turn 28?

Yikes!

XoXo

-L

My Epic Smash 27th Birthday Bash, Downtown Los Angeles, Dinner, Part 1

Your birthday party was such

an epic smash! - Mike

I heard that earlier today, and I loved it so much I had to quote it. In reality, Saturday night was definitely tops. Last year was fantastic, but something about this night, being out in the heart of my beloved City of Angels, surrounded by 30+ of my friends and family…well it is going to be hard to put into words…so thank goodness for photos! Sidenote? As you know I fail at taking pictures in bad light situations, and combined with the fact my lens was acting up…my pictures came out a bit blurry. I decided to just make all but one in Black and White in NX2…

The day started off early for me, as I made my way over to Magnolia Bakery to pick up my order. As my friends know, eating a Magnolia cupcake was on my list, so when they finally opened in LA I was all over it. I knew that since it was my birthday I wanted a really special cake…so after debating for a few days and passing on Urth Caffe (which was the original plan) I thought, you know what? Its my special day and I want a lovely cake! So I called two days prior and placed an order for my special red velvet cake, 24 of the famous egg carton mini cupcakes, and a big bowl of their famous banana pudding. Last year, I got Sprinkle’s cupcakes as party favors, but this year I wanted to step it up, and Magnolia was the perfect bakery for that.

I don’t even know how the idea of picking Wurstkuche as the location of my birthday dinner came about, but I also don’t remember there ever being another place on my radar. I definitely knew that I wanted it to be in LA though. I made the reservation a little less than a month ago and requested the private room off to the side. There are a couple of small steps and its closed off enough to give the appearance of a private room, but still open enough to where there is enough breathing room. It was perfect!

Of course, the day before I started to get a little nervous. I didn’t know if everyone would get along because there would be people from some of my different worlds present. Would it be awkward? Would people be bored? Luckily my boyz knew just what to say to make me feel a little more confident about my birthday plans!

We’re all gonna get along fine…there’s food involved! - Mariano

There’s a time, a place, and a purpose. Who needs more? - Daniel

Wurstkuche is a gourmet sausagefest, amiright? Well, I always get the bratwurst and keep it simple, but some of my friends were a little more adventurous. Mariano (chef extraordinaire) ordered snake and gator. Of course, he offered to let me try but I graciously passed…nothxbai.

Here is David acting as waiter for our side of the room…

I didn’t manage to get photos of everyone, which makes me a little sadface, but at the same time, allowed me to really enjoy the time spent among my friends. That…and also I left my camera by Jason and Daniel for most of the night…

Here’s some of the left side crew! Including Turner, Scott Jackson, Mr. and Mrs. DavidRo, Adrienne, Sara, Mariano, Shawna and Carrie and Brian who are hidden behind the Wilsons. This is such a great picture that captures what I mean by so many of my worlds (in regards to friends) colliding that night.

Of course! What’s a party without Mr. and Mrs. ScottE and Bree!

Here, from left to right, Mr. and Mrs. Scott Wilson, Mike D., Jeff, Mike Cruz, Daniel and Jason. I love this picture of the SCV political boyz on the left and my two favorite musicians on the right. Worlds colliding some more!

Everyone really seemed to like the food which of course is a success! Although soon came time for dessert! The question was where to set up the cake and dessert! Yeekai totally saved the day by suggesting moving one of the tables towards the front of the room! Genius!

As I was unpacking the cake, D offered to help (such a gentleman). I asked if he could grab the banana pudding that Wustkuche had let me store in their fridge, that would be great! He thought I was joking! Who jokes about Magnolia’s famous Banana Pudding?!?! Although, I do joke about Vegan cake…

The egg carton mini’s are famous at Magnolia and I thought they would be perfect for my guests. I love cupcakes and it was nice to be able to share something from my list with them. Here is a photo that RE took of me getting ready to blow out the candles. I absolutely adore this photo. It should be noted that Scott Jackson had the honor of lighting the candles on my cake!

Overall, the night was amazing and one that I will always remember. It was such a surreal feeling to see all of these people from different aspects of my life, interacting and getting along so well. I want to think EVERYONE for coming and making my birthday dinner so special.

Guest List – From Left to Right

Scott Jackson – who I randomly met on New Years day after traveling all day. His taste in music is legendary, by the way! So happy we’ve managed to keep in touch for so long!

Mr. & Mrs. DavidRo and Adrienne – super fun people that I met through Scott Jackson!

Shawna – the BFF

Carrie and Brian – the smartest most loyal people you will ever meet. I love you guys!

Turner – didn’t even bat an eyelash at the Hello Kitty treat bags!

Mariano – who I met at the Anthony Bourdain concert in Bako, thanks to our mutual friend Mike M.

Sara Moffett – the sweetest and most generous person I have met recently. Seriously. Its like we’ve known each other FOREVER!

Mr. and Mrs. Scott Wilson – did you all know Jeff has a brother? Trivia.

Jeff Wilson – Mr. SCV! So happy he made it out! You are awesome Jeff! Top 40 for sure!

Mike D. – D’uh!

Mike Cruz – if you want entertainment…this is your guy!

Daniel (D) – Maximus. Yes, he totally passed the friend test.

Jason McKay – who rushed over and totally made it in time!

Mr. and Mrs. ScottE – seriously, the hippest kids around!

Bree – the coolest 18 year old around who doesn’t mind hanging out with a bunch of us old people!

Greg, Kendra and the kids – it doesn’t matter what we are doing, they are always down to hang!

Yeekai + guest – it was so nice to see them in a different setting! Thanks for coming out!

RE and Jeffrey – thanks for everything!

William – total surprise to see him show up! Really. It meant so much! Aww!

Aleks and Nate – despite having so much to do that day, they still came out and met up with us!

Afterparty: Chinatown Summer Nights!

Next Post!

My 27th Birthday…

Thank you for joining me in celebrating…proper post coming soon!

XoXo.

-L

Communication Intimacy Level

Daniel and I made a list of the 8 means of communication, ranked in order from best to absolute worst. Why? No idea…

1.) In Person
2.) Phone Call
3.) Hand-Written Letter
4.) Text Message
5.) IM
6.) Email
7.) Twitter
8.) Facebook

(*) Carrier Pigeon

*Honorable mention goes to Carrier Pigeon, which I believe should be number one, however I was outvoted…but he hasn’t watched Enchanted yet…so there’s still hope.

Intelligentsia Cafe, Pasadena

I wasn’t able to make it to Intelligentsia Pasadena on the first day, even though I’m a total fangirl and had been waiting for the cafe to open for some time now. However! I did manage to barely make it down to Pasadena today, on their second day open! I was supposed to go into work today to start setting up my new classroom, but due to a very good reason (um…oversleeping) that didn’t happen…

By the time I woke up and actually got out of bed this morning it was pretty late…and I knew that Intelligentsia Pasadena had limited hours (10-4)…but I convinced RE and Jeffrey that we should totally head out and check out the new cafe. I absolutely have to go to work tomorrow (no excuses) and this weekend is jam packed with concerts. Today would be the best day to go…

So we did! Except we got to Pasadena at 3:55pm and after finding parking (the structure behind the cafe) and walking to the shop…it was 3:59pm! Yikes! Talk about cutting it close! I thought maybe I would find the door locked or something…so imagine my surprise when I saw that the cafe was still full of people. Not packed, but there were people definitely getting comfortable (kindle, newspaper, text books).

I was having a discussion with D the other day where he was adamant that Intelligentsia was a chain. The funny thing is he doesn’t even drink coffee and was just trying to prove a point because I tease him about only liking to eat at chain restaurants. I said that sure, there is more than one Intelli coffee shop, but each one is different and has their own style, so to me it didn’t fit the cookie cutter stereotype of a chain. Mike weighed in and said that it was a micro-chain but we agreed that labeling it a chain gave a different idea of what the shops were about.

You know I’m a huge Intelligentsia fan, and I have spent time at both IntelliSL and Intellivenice and both are completely different. They have their own identity, and so does Intelligentsia Pasadena. The shop is beautiful (of course) but what sets it apart from both SL and Venice is that they also offer food items. I’m not talking about the usual Cake Monkey and other pastries (they have that too) but I mean actual food food. Since I was already pushing it (time wise) I hope to come back to check out their lunch menu.

I ordered an Angeleno and RE and Jeffrey disappeared to check out the rest of the cafe. I thought these were their drinks so I took the liberty of photographing. So imagine my surprise when I realized these drinks belonged to someone else. Oopsie. They still looked pretty though! This was my Angeleno (below).

I like the space and design of this shop. It has plenty of seating and is a clear standout within Old Town Pasadena. I like Old Town, and I’ve been going there for years. Remember Gaucho Grill? Remember Saks? And whatever happened to Tommy Tang’s? I used to go there too!

Although Intellivenice will always hold the keys to my heart and will always be my first choice, there’s something about this new Pasadena location that will keep me coming back. It reminded me of a certain shop I visited in Seattle, and I want to come back for the complete cafe experience (food).

Congrats to Kyle and the Intelli crew! Amazing stuff! I can’t wait to go back with my Awesome(town) friends! Let’s make it happen!

Intelligentsia

55 E. Colorado Blvd

Pasadena, CA 91105

Tinga Taqueria, Mid City, Los Angeles

I stopped by Tinga last Sunday, which was only their second day open. RE had heard about it on Eater and had told us it was inspired by La Super Rica. Now, I’ve been going to La Super Rica my whole life, and sometimes its hit or miss. Its true. However, it always seems odd to go to Santa Barbara and not stop by for a #16. Its just the right thing to do. Even if there is a line I usually wait it out, after all Julia Child was a fan and so is Martha Stewart. Its just one of those classic shacks that will never go out of style and has stood the test of time.

Okay, enough babbling about La Super Rica…time to talk about Tinga! At first I was a little skeptical…but I soon became a believer. The place is small but cute and there is plenty of seating, including a community table along the center.

The menu is simple and features tacos, queso fundido, aguas frescas, and other taqueria inspired food. I had an order of cochinita tacos and queso fundido with chorizo along with agua de sandia.

As I was waiting I thought the decor of the place was really nice. These designs were neat…

And then someone pointed out that they matched the metal cutouts of the seats! I thought that was super neat! Instead of throwing out the scraps! They used it for the counter! OMGZ. Awesome.

Soon my food was ready! These are the cochinita tacos. You get an order of two and the tortillas are handmade! Topped with some queso cotija? I was sold! I even ate the chips with the green salsa. I liked it!

This was my queso fundido. I would have liked a little more queso, but I still ate it all. The chorizo waas good too and you got plenty of it on top!

So far, I could say that what I ate was solid. I can see the taqueria influence but they definitely use the best ingredients so I can see why it costs a little more. These are the papa con rajas tacos. They have these at La Super Rica too!

My drink of choice, among all the aguas frescas, was this wonderfully refreshing watermelon water.

I tried some of the other aguas frescas and really liked them. You can tell that they didn’t come from powders. Everything was made in house, fresh…but then I saw the espresso machine! Whaaaaat!?!

Turns out one of the partners is a big time coffee fan and wanted to do coffee right at this place. Although at first thought one wouldn’t think tacos and coffee? I think this is the perfect place for me because I like tacos…and I love coffee! WIN!

They also have a coffee roaster at the restaurant so they will roast the beans fresh if that’s your kind of thing. As I eyed the espresso machine totally curious, I was offered a “Dirty Horchata” on the house. I didn’t know what it was, but I’m always game for coffee drinks, especially if they are iced! So he got to work preparing me their signature drink. Yeah, the dirty ‘HOR’ – Chata (I didn’t get it either until I heard it out loud a couple of times) is pretty much one of the best iced coffee drinks I’ve ever had. Its espresso with horchata but the ratio is perfect! I will now be coming back to Tinga for this drink especially, and the food too of course! But, really…their signature drink is what totally sealed the deal for me!

I liked Tinga…I like the clean fresh food, the handmade tortillas, and the idea of bringing Super Rica inspired taqueria favorites to LA. It wont replace LSR, because that’s a total Santa Barbara classic, but its definitely a great place to stop by when I’m close and craving some LSR inspired food! The chef/owner came out to talk to us after our meal, and it turns out he has a catering company and after much encouragement from clients, he decided to open up an actual taqueria. Having family in the Santa Barbara area, he has been visiting LSR for many many many years, and he’s fan, as are many others in LA. Nice!

Tinga

142 S La Brea Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Bake You Happy, Private Cupcake Tasting, 2.0, Castaic

Last year I happened upon Bake You Happy’s cupcakes by chance at Its A Grind, Castaic. I loved them so much that I knew I wanted to tell my friends. And that is when I asked Kim if she would set a price and let us do a cupcake tasting. That night was one of the best outings ever! We all became Bake You Happy fans! Success! They don’t have a storefront, but you can place custom orders for cakes and cupcakes by going to their website. They do amazing work and they have a variety of flavors as well.

In recent conversation the idea of getting together for a second cupcake tasting came up, so I contacted Kim and asked her if she’d be willing to do it again. I was so happy when she said she would and quickly got to work on picking the flavors.

I picked six flavors, most of which were new, two of which we had tasted last time. The previous flavors were caramel apple and heavenly chocolate. The new flavors were strawberry, lemon, banana, and snickerdoodle.

As a bonus, Kim brought red velvet for us! We had all enjoyed that flavor last time! That was a lovely surprise! Last time I think there were only 15 of us, but this time around there were about 22 of us in attendance! The tasting went by super quick, much faster than last time, but it all worked out as we had a second stop tonight.

As Kim went through and introduced each flavor there was a lot of “OMGZ” “SO GOOD” and fingerlicking heard within Its A Grind, which graciously hosted us. I didn’t stop and photograph every cupcake individually since I was busy eating, but these are the ones I was able to get:

Red Velvet

Heavenly Chocolate – Love.

Banana

Caramel Apple

Strawberry

This was a total success and I want to thank Kim for all of her hard work! Seriously, if you ever need a cake or a cupcake, Bake You Happy is a good choice.

Bake You Happy

And a HUGE thanks to everyone that came out: Mike, Jacob, Scott, Bree, Madeline, Greg, Kendra, Jay, Susan, Teagan, Troy, Hsiawen, Deb + sisters, Mike M., Cherylle + kids, RE, Jeffrey, Aleks + friend, and Andreanna!

Chick-Fil-A, Now Open, Valencia Town Center, Santa Clarita

Well, we had all seen the construction, then we saw the sign go up, and I know that Derek was anxiously awaiting the grand opening date, possibly more than the rest of us. Then the grand opening date kept changing! Which brings me to last night…

Chick-Fil-A has a well known opening day promotion. The first 100 people on the first day get free food for a year in the form of 52 coupons. People started camping out yesterday morning. Wowza. We passed by last night around 9pm to see the restaurant surrounded by tents. You know, I guess if you gather your friends and have fun with it, maybe its not so bad. I just don’t think I would camp out…ever, let alone for a chicken sandwich. However, major props to the people that succeeded.

And this was the scene today, around 2:30pm as I made my way over to Chick-Fil-A. Mike had just told me that he tried to go there for lunch but the line was too long. Uhoh. I wasn’t waiting in line…but! I must have missed the lunch rush, because although the place looked crowded? As soon as I walked in, I was guided over to an open register where my order was taken, and then what felt like a minute later, I had a tray full of food. Whut! Insanely quick. I guess they call it fast food for a reason…WOWZA.

There were a few empty tables and I noticed the staff was ON IT! As soon as someone got up, the table was cleaned and ready for customers. I remember going to a Chick-Fil-A somewhere within the Inland Empire years ago. That’s pretty much all I remember about it.

Today I ordered the chicken sandwich combo meal with fries and a drink. I didn’t have time to really read through a lot of the menu, but I always hear people rave about their chicken sandwich so I figured it was the best choice.

I think people are excited about a new chain to eat at in town. After all, we are the land of chains, aren’t we? I try to stick to writing about mom and pops, but since people were excited enough to camp out, I was curious to try it for myself. I might be back from time to time, but its definitely not going in the rotation anytime soon.

Chick-Fil-A

(Valencia Town Center)

24180 Magic Mountain Pkwy

Santa Clarita, CA 91355