Shenandoah at the Arbor - Los Alamitos

Add Shenandoah at the Arbor to a list that already includes Victoria's Secret, Bath and Body Works, and Hallmark stores. These are, of course, places where the dominant chromosome of the customers is X. If you're a dude, and you find yourself in one of the mentioned establishments, you will be outnumbered, as I always am.

This isn't to say that you can't enjoy yourself if you just happen to be dragged into one by a female. For example, I've sampled lots of lovely (yes, I said lovely) fruit-scented hand soaps at Bath and Body Works' in-store sink. I've marveled at how science and technology has advanced, not in curing cancer, but in being able to fit minuscule speakers into those music-playing Hallmark greeting cards. And Victoria's Secret? Well, where else can one ogle half-naked posters of Adriana Lima without getting bitch-slapped for ogling?

And at Shenandoah, you will be rewarded with a good meal. That's not to say that you still won't feel like you've stepped into a tea party hosted by the Gilmore Girls at the Dragonfly Inn. The room is predominately pastel colored. There are floral slipcovers on the chairs. Outside, there's a patio seating area next to a gurgling pond full of koi -- an idyllic scene for trading gossip and girl-talk.

But the food? It's served in surprisingly manly portions, and starts with a wicker basket of complimentary donuts that will be refilled until you say stop (and why would you want to do that?)

Well, to be more precise: they are apple fritters, deep-fried donut hole-sized balls of sweetly-battered cinnamon-apple-y dough sprinkled with powdered sugar, served with a ramekin of softened butter to dip them in. Why butter on something that's already deep-fried? You're a man, remember? The only question you should ask is "Why not?"

And as long as you've already started on your chosen path of heart-disease, you might as well order the sand dabs, which are advertised as being served with garlic brown butter, and comes out drenched in it, cancelling out any benefits of the fish's omega-3 fatty acid content. In any case, it's a lovely dish (there I go again), tender, flaky, and awesome. It's all thanks largely to the garlic-infused butter, which, by the way, can be soaked up and mixed into the mashed potatoes so as to not waste a single, artery-cloggin' drop.

If the thought of downing what seems like a whole stick of butter for a "light" lunch makes you queasy, there are lots of other options, including the hot turkey sandwich. It consists of real roasted turkey breast, moist, sliced thickly, stacked in layers on top of a toasted sourdough, then smothered with gravy and served with cranberry sauce. It's like Thanksgiving dinner! But without football, and with a lot more doilies.

Shenandoah at the Arbor*
(562) 431-1990
10631 Los Alamitos Blvd
Los Alamitos, CA 90720

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*Special Thanks to Monster Munching location scout Cecile for the tip on Shenandoah.