$1.50 Banh Bao at Banh Mi Che Cali -

A post shared by MonsterMunching (@monstermunching_oc) on Aug 29, 2018 at 8:22pm PDT

I think I've mentioned how awesome I think Banh Mi Che Cali is. It's one of OC's best bargains for not just banh mi sandwiches, but also boba. But in case that’s not enough to convince you to go, here's another reason: the $1.50 banh baos.

Larger in girth than an In-N-Out burger and with three times as much meat, these steamed buns are packed full of pork, Chinese sausage, and a quail egg--all tucked inside a sweet and fluffy bread. You get one these for lunch and you needn't anything else, except maybe a bottle of Sriracha.

Banh Mi & Che Cali
15551 Brookhurst St
Westminster, CA 92683
(714) 839-8185

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Porto's Cup o' Tres Leches - Buena Park

A post shared by MonsterMunching (@monstermunching_oc) on Aug 11, 2018 at 9:38pm PDT

When I saw her nametag, I thought to myself how perfect it was that she works for Porto's.

Speaking of sweet. Have you tried their individual tres leches cup? Baked in the foil cup in which it's baked, it's drenched in dairy and topped with a fluffy meringue. You eat it with a spoon, scooping out this "cupcake" directly from the container into your mouth.

Though it doesn't feel much like you're having a cake, I'd argue it's a much better way to eat Porto's tres leches than their full-sized cake. The latter is not just completely soaked with the "three milks" it leaks out into puddle, it's also very, very rich, and very, very massive.

So no matter how sweet, and efficient, and polite I found Dulce and her fellow crew members are, there's only so much sweetness I can take with their tres leches--and it's this cupful.

Porto's Bakery & Cafe
7640 Beach Blvd.
Buena Park, CA 90620
(714) 367-2030

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My Thoughts and Video on This Years' Pacific Wine & Food Classic

A post shared by MonsterMunching (@monstermunching_oc) on Aug 19, 2018 at 6:54pm PDT

As I said in my last post, I'd been looking forward to this for months: the second year for Pacific Wine & Food Classic, the annual all-you-can-eat-and-drink food festival put on by the OC Restaurant Association at Newport Dunes Waterfront.

We ate, drank, until we couldn't anymore.

I realized after I was so full I could barely walk that it was like a giant block party--that is, if I lived near the beach and half my neighbors were restaurateurs, professional caters, and chefs, and the other half were vitners, brewers, and mixologists.

As there was an excess of sun and heat, a lot of the restaurants smartly went with cold seafood. There were so many variations of poke, ceviche and tartare, I lost count.

The organizers also seemed to have thought of everything. There were waist-high coolers stationed every hundred paces filled with ice and Evian water. This year, they provided cozies for your wine glass so that you can strap it onto your wrist and let it dangle hands-free as you move from booth to booth. Even the music they picked was perfect.

Michael Jackson's “Don’t stop ‘til you get enough!” was the song my GoPro captured. It seemed appropriate.

Pacific Wine & Food Classic
Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort
1131 Back Bay Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660
http://www.pacificwineandfood.com

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Pacific Wine & Food Classic in One Week!

A post shared by MonsterMunching (@monstermunching_oc) on Jul 9, 2018 at 8:03pm PDT

Infinity War didn't disappoint. And Disneyland's 4th of July fireworks were spectacular. But you know what I'm really looking forward to this summer? The Pacific Wine & Food Classic. It's happening less than one week! I'm going Sunday, August 19th. If you didn't get your tickets, they're all sold out now.

But there's always next year. In the meantime, please enjoy these pics from last year's inaugural event, which I managed to take while drinking and eating myself silly as I walked from booth to booth on the sand with sandals. If I have a free hand, I might even take more pictures this year. See you there!

Pacific Wine & Food Classic
Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort
1131 Back Bay Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660
http://www.pacificwineandfood.com

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"Istanbowl" from Doner G - Irvine

A post shared by MonsterMunching (@monstermunching_oc) on Aug 4, 2018 at 5:40pm PDT

This is the Istanbowl from Doner G, a Turkish joint in Irvine. I ordered it for two reasons. The first is obvious: the name. I'm a sucker for puns, especially ones that are as perfect as this. Second, the Istanbowl comes with almost every protein on the docket. Beef doner, shaved into petals; chicken doner, cut into spears; and falafel, fried into crispy craggles.

Everything is piled into, yes, a bowl, or rather, a round foil take-out container. The base is a rice pilaf nutty and moist--flavorful enough to eat by itself. There are pita triangles you don't necessarily need. And piles of pickled cabbage, a cucumber and tomato salad, and sliced onions, which you do. It's a meal so complete, I don't know why anyone bothers with anything else on the menu. Plus, when you order it, you get to say "Istanbowl".

DönerG Turkish & Mediterranean Grill
3800 Barranca Pkwy
Irvine, CA 92606
(949) 861-2626
donerg.com

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