Oh Jeez

For awhile now I have been posting up blogs on the tumblr and it has been fun and simple however not as fulfilling because it fashions in the twitter cool people feed ways.

Here are the links to my tumblrsersserrsss:




* http://haveamerrychristamas.tumblr.com/
* http://frankdogblog.tumblr.com/
* http://yummalumma.tumblr.com/




Well now I have decided to keep updating this blog and start posting here again because this is where I am going to document and write about some important events going on in the life of Christamas!,
I am still going to post favorite drinking spots, foody places, book reviews and all, but most importantly we are fucking moving to PORTLAND, so read up on our planning adventures to Portland and of course everything in between.

Taps

One the best parts about Happy Hour is that you get an opportunity to indulge at an establishment that you would normally wouldn't maybe because of price. Happy Hour allows you to get in on all the good stuff but of course with half to a quarter of the bill.

Taps is a great example of a place where you would want to take advantage of the Happy Hour. Taps serves up one of my favorite brunches on the planet but at $32 bucks a pop, you best be knowing that I am pinching my pennies at Happy Hour the rest of the time I am here.

The Details:
Taps is a place that you really do experience, there are some extra amenities that will make your time there that much sweeter. They have a great patio that has a fireplace and is heated. Can be a cozy little, quaint time with your beverages and friends or significant other. Kind of an elegant place with live music playing at times. An oyster bar if that is your thing too. The best part is that even with all these fancy things going on, the atmosphere is more laid back that you would think. It seems like they might be going for an after work relax kind of vibe.

The Deals:
M-F 2-7 AND Saturday 12-5
I love when places offer up a Saturday Happy Hour, it makes for the perfect time to treat your mom or dad to something special on your kind of budget.

Selected Appetizers $6
Selected Martinis $6
Taps Handcrafted European Ales and Lagers $4 (20 on tap)
Well Drinks $5
Selected Wine by the glass $5

The Extra:
101 E Imperial Hwy
Brea, CA 92821
(714) 257-0101
Valet parking is available but there is plenty of parking now that the Tower Records went out of business.

It's a Deal: Free Wine Tuesday Evening at P.F.

It's a Deal: Free Wine Tuesday Evening at P.F. Chang's

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Dinner & Drinks

Roman Cucina doesn't offer up a typical happy hour but more so 2 themed nights: Martini Monday & Wine Wednesday. Martini Monday and Wine Wednesday is an international campaign that encourages people to cut out beer Mondays and Wednesdays to improve their health. Reducing beer consumption @ Happy Hour by 15% (the equivalent of one day a week) lessens the risk of chronic preventable illness and has a strong positive impact on the environment.

The Details: Another joint that I admire due to the ambition of the owners. David Roman was 28 and his brother Giovanni was 23 when they decided to open up Roman Cucina. Nothing fancy, just the two of them making and serving basic Italian recipes they had eaten all their lives. (This information taken from an interview read in the OC Register.)


The Deal: I like simple and there is nothing more simple than checking out Roman Cucina. They open at 5pm and close at 10pm. If you are a rhyming kind of person like me and remember things with songs then this gets even more easy for you. Martini Monday/Wine Wednesday.

Monday: Every Martini $5
I am not a martini kind of girl but I have friends who swear that these 'tinis are amazing and a great deal.

Wednesday: Wine Wednesday, now we are talking. I love my wine. I will dust off a whole bottle on my own when I am making a romantical night of it at home but when I am out especially with my Doppelganger we partake in a 1/2 price bottle and we sip until our teeth are purple.

The food portions are very generous so I suggest splitting. Not all locations have the same food menus (give or take) the pizza selection. However your bill can be very decent for a night out at a great place like this. Split a bottle of wine, split a dinner or app, eat your free bread and cheers.


The Extra:
4 Locations: Laguna Hills, Fullerton, Costa Mesa, Sunset Beach

The wait can get a bit long and the place can get a little packed. I suggest arriving right around 5 to 6 and snagging a spot at the bar or table if you have a big group of friends. Great services and good times.

A message to you CROSBY

Founded by 3 young entrepreneurial types, that in my opinion have some amazing taste all around from music, to art, to drinks and of course food. When I was in school down the road and working in Tustin, this was my "go to" stop to kill some time while traffic died down. Then The Crosby soon turned into the spot to take friends and loved ones alike. Like most things in life, it all comes full circle eventually. I am back to working in the area of Downtown Santa Ana and now more than ever respect the vision that the owners initially had 2 years ago. I also have the utmost respect for their accomplishments and how involved they are in the Santa Ana community and art scene.

The Details:

The Crosby is open Monday through Saturday from 5p-2a. Every Monday at The Crosby, they offer happy hour drink prices all night long! 5pm until closing - $1 Pabst, $3 Sangria, $4 Well drinks.

M-F 5pm to 8pm
$5 classic or cheese pizzaaahh
$5 chili cheese fries
$3 sweet potato fries

$1 PBR
$3 sangria
$4 wells

The Deal: Well my deal...I love coming to the Crosby for dinner. I adore the vegan chili and onion rings and I don't even like onion rings all that much but I like the bbq sauce that goes with it and that fact that they are beer battered to a golden crisp. Chimay and Wiesen Edel-Weisse on tap? These kids know their stuff. I am huge beer advocate and even though these aren't on Happy Hour I was sold just based off those 2 selections AND they are decently priced, not the happiest of the happy pricing but priced fairly for quality brew. I personally do usually avoid the weekends because it gets crowded but crowded is a good thing for them or if you are down to meet someone, perhaps possibly single. Overall, I love this place, great owners and amazing food. I recommend The Crosby for a meal on your own or for even a date.

The Extra:
THE CROSBY
400 N. BROADWAY
SANTA ANA, CA 92701
RESERVATIONS / TAKE OUT
714.543.3543
http://www.thisisthecrosby.com
http://www.twitter.com/thecrosby

Oh and how can you not love their 2-Tone flier?

El Matador- Spanish for "The Killer"

As in killer deals! I couldn't resist, I just couldn't. I took off this past weekend on a whim through a travelzoo deal and let me just say that traveling on a budget is actually a lot of fun because then you are challenged to get creative. There is a loop hole to the old saying of you get what you pay for and discovering the deals not only adds some sort of adventure but also empowers you to explore and get involved with the local hot spots, special deals and step outside of the "norms" & convenient comforts of things offered up through your hotel or the tourist area.

So how does this even relate to the happiest of hours, Matador Cantina style? Easy, this establishment is exactly a place that I would have been so excited to find if I was traveling looking for a good deal. Also, right before I departed I emailed Matador just to get the official happy hour scoop. Knowing that they have just won a spot among the Best Mexican Restaurants in Orange County in MyFoxLA’s 2010 Hot List why would they even want to be bothered with my write up in my baby blog? To my surprise after I had introduced my ambitious self to them and my whole 2 posts thus far, I had a response waiting for me upon my arrival.


The Details:
Happy Hour is Mon-Fri 2pm-7pm.
What?! 5 whole hours of potential happiness.
includes:
$3 Pints (domestic) $4 (import)
$8 Jugs, 32oz (domestic) $10 (import) Normal prices.
Tidbit about drinking booze from a milk jug is that it is a genius idea and it keeps your drink extra cold for a longer period of time. If you don't want to take my word for it, just ask Bill Nye or possibly Myth Busters.

$4 Wells
$5 Calls
$5 Apps


Also $5 Late Night Menu 10pm –1am


The Deal:
Reverse Happy Hours! I am a fan of the reverse happy hour and all places should offer a late night menu. Let's face it, people get the munchies. Overall Matador has some creative cocktails to try and it makes it very easy to rack up the final bill but what is also really, really cool about Matador is you can easily get out of there with a cheap bill as well, you just have to be smart. The benefit to dining at a place where it is easy to splurge one day and then be frugal the next, is that you still get the same ambiance, service and quality of food, not always quantity but a place like Matador never skimps on quality, even it is during the happy hours. Of course they have Tuesday Taco deals, their regular dinner portions are big enough to split with someone and I recommend sharing a dinner salad too. Chips & Salsa come automatically when brunching, lunching, wining and dining, so that is always a plus and their breakfast brunch on the weekend is on a whole other level. You can get a full belly and tipsy for about $14 (before tip and taxes). What I do is Saturday or Sunday from 9am to 2pm you order up $6 two egg any style and get yourself that $8 bottomless mimosa, free basket of chips and you are set for about 4 solid hours of brunch time day drinking, let's just say you tip $6, that comes out to about $5 an hour at brunch with your gang, now that is getting a bang for your bucks. I can't think of a place this good that has such a sweet brunch deal. It is pretty apparent that I am a fan of the weekend brunch huh? My next goal is to get in there for the lunch specials during the week.

The Extra:
Matador Cantina is located at 111 N. Harbor Blvd, Fullerton, CA. Lunch is served Monday through Friday from 11am-2pm, dinner from 2pm-10pm daily, and brunch Saturday and Sunday from 9am-2pm. Open daily till 2am. Better be safe with reservations especially if I am down there with my motley crew on the weekends so call 714.871.8226 or visit www.thematador.com

NOA Asian Bistro Happy Hours

The Details: Happy Hour M-S 5-8pm 30%OFF Dinner
http://www.noaasianbistro.com/
30% Off dinner boxes excludes sushi and sashimi which is quite alright because they have some pretty awesome Teriyaki Salmon

Large beers $4 (Kirin Light for me please)
wine $4
large hot sake $2

The Deal:
Food served promptly and artistically presented is always fun to enjoy and at NOA they add an extra flare to the normal sushi presentation, something different and fun ingredient wise but you want to read about how one night I walked out super satisfied and full for $7. That's right, their happy hour dinner box came out to cost me $7. Fancy schamancy sushi restaurant dinner for $7 for reals. Dinner box I ordered came with miso soup, a salad with the yum yum ginger dressing, an orange slice, one of the best egg rolls I have ever had (veggie egg roll), a generous salmon steak with yummy teriyaki glaze, white rice and chilled edamame.

This is the absolute cheapest I have ever had a dinner at an establishment such as NOA. You and I both know that a sushi bill can rack up quickly but if you are looking for the fun atmosphere and a cheap night out, I say order up the dinner box during happy hour and call it a night, you will not be disappointed.

You can also do another night like I usually do with the Mr. and choose to order up your adult beverages or 2, for me usually Kirin light and split an assorted sushi box for $12 and the bill will come out to about $28 for a couple and then throw your 15% off coupon on top of that and you are also set.

The Extra:
Monday's are service industry night 30% off entire bill
Go to their website and they also have a 15% off coupon to print out. On their website it says happy hours are from 5-7 but they are indeed from 5-8 p.m.