Foodie at Campitelli Cookies

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These days, we futilely see and hear new research about our favorite sweets being attacked due to ongoing diabetes diagnoses and the apparent link to premature mortality–more than reading about the equally important discussion in these articles.  I’m neither reinforcing nor supporting the whole “Ignorance is bliss,” thought, but especially when it comes to local food businesses specializing in what made them succeed in the first place, the phrase “everything in moderation” will hopefully push out of that former “adage,” and be ingrained permanently to humanity.

That said, as a health-conscious person that advocates self-treating without guilt once in a while, I had to substantiate my occasional cookie crave, which happened to be in east Anaheim.

Attending a dinner event that is honestly and impractically out of my work or hometown, and is prone to heavy commuter traffic, my way of enjoying the most I could is to accomplish at least two tasks:

-Actually check in to the event (assuming there will be no emergencies)
-Head to nearby coffeehouse to research and do work—e.g. my blog—hours before event or some other mission
-Find an impressively looking, affordable place to dine or snack that is practically freeway-exit away
The third outline, e.g. Campitellli Cookies & Sandwiches Too, was surprisingly quite easy to find on the map.  The difficulty, especially when it comes to the unexpected, was dwelling through all these No U-Turn signs at the understandably busy streets of Anaheim Hills—in other words, yes, I missed my mark.  So, to prevent from this turning mistake, you future voyager, it is stuck in a white-colored plaza that is east of a Wells Fargo bank and west of the U.S. Postal Office.
At a longstanding 26 years through this OC business, Campitelli swears by their cookies baking from their own recipe, using high quality ingredients possible to assemble into these favorite, sweet indulgences of mine.  All recurrently concocted classics–for instance the Milk Chocolate, Oatmeal Raisin, and Peanut Butter–are priced at $1.25 a piece, or go by the 1/2 dozen or whole dozen at $6.25 or $13, respectively.  My eyes sprawled onto a few seasonal or monthly flavors that are measly a minimal 25 cents, such as their Lemon Sugar, or those catered to the dazed eyes of energy-craving children.

Interestingly, I had a hunch that, upon arriving a few hours before their closing time, they would plausibly run out of these day-old or broken cookies, called “The Misfits,” at half price of a fresh half dozen.  Well that knocked out that notion when they just brought out 4 wrapped bags of these so-called oddballs.  As a supporter of positively out-of-the-norm situations, I just had to seize these beauties in the bag, with the remaining destined for 3 other cookie consumers.
 Like an adoptable pet, they want to be taken home, and they’ll surely bring out the smiles.

As for the fresh factor, to break this indecision of mine, whether to go by popular pick or what I crave for the most, one of the lovely cookie staffers contently aided me with my question on the “Top 3 [flavors].”  As a result, my mouth pecked for this simplistically aesthetic comfort treat.
Double Chip Cookie (White Chocolate & Semi-Sweet)
If (like me) you yearn to all of the following criteria for a tasty, puerile-feeling fresh cookie, then Campitelli’s Cookies are definitely for you:

-Obvious, dark, brown sugar fragrance
-Steady on the outside, but gooey and soft on the inside
-Effortless to bite, as well as effortless to tear the edible disc into a nibble-size wonderment
-Decadent, smooth, and invigorously luscious flavor from the likewise gooey chips
-Other impressively yummy “toppings,” i.e. toasty Macadamia nuts, scrumptious raisins and walnuts

-Easily tempting to munch just one—ahh, I couldn’t help it but remove a little bit of one Misfit [Macadamia White] cookie soon after!

The only not-so-explicit but totally tolerable nips I found about these “Misfits,” were their temperature being cooler than the Day Ones, as well as the ripping standard being stubborn.  Still, I found them to be just as tasty that guilt should not overwhelm the gift-giver to a very good, understanding easygoing friend or relative.
So please have no fear on those Misfits.  Whether this or straight out of the cooling rack, just tread cautiously on how many to eat per opportunistic day.  Remember: they have sandwiches, too!

Grade: A

Campitelli Cookies & Sandwiches Too
5557 E Santa Ana Canyon Rd, Ste 102
Anaheim, CA 92807
(714) 974-2884
http://www.campitellicookiesanaheim.com/

Foodie at Habana

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No no, I was nowhere in the tightly restricted country.  This OC restaurant, aptly named Habana, triggered my referring thoughts, calling out more of the catchy Barry Manilow song than the capitol.

This catch, though, was completely serendipitous, even though I’ve gotten hearsay, within a few years, about this unassuming location in the anti-mall pronounced LAB in Costa Mesa.  After running errands at the LAB (i.e. attempting to sell clothes at Buffalo Exchange), I was sticking to my plan to lunch elsewhere, until a cargo truck suddenly appeared, when my torso was inches from the opened driver’s side. The nose of the truck was not only a foot (no pun intended) from my car’s trunk, but I would completely risk Cory (i.e. the name of my sedan—deal with me) obtaining damage from a driver who might be hastily passing that parked truck to snatch a parking spot.  This led me to, admittedly, a slightly more expensive, edible ordeal at a place lacking a signage, either at the main entrance or the patio gateways.
So, to lead you to the right direction, its spacious, contemporary outdoor patio is directly facing the vaster parking lot (lesson learned to settle my car there instead), and is right next to a vine and shrub-covered mini tunnel, as what I dub it. To approach more safely and courteously I entered through their unnamed, main entrance, immediately noticing the squarely encircled cantina, where a giant, clear jar of the Red Sangria was happily greeting to me.  Since it was such a sunlight-filled, comely Thursday in the OC, the patio was the cozier option.
For lunchtime a double-paged, stiff paper menu featured the usual Starters, Ensaladas, Sandwiches, and Entrées.  Despite these concentrated items, I was suffering from indecision, mainly because I was not in the mood to bring leftovers from an entrée that costs at least $16.  Furthermore, dozens of reviewers, such as on Yelp, had different feedback from one another on certain, consistently mentioned items, such as the Ropa Vieja.

How to conquer from such a wishy washy dilemma while starving?  As soon as my waitress obliged me with that enticing Red Sangria (~$8.25), I first asked her, “What would be the top choices, say on sandwiches?”  A hesitant, slightly stuttering pause took over her before she answered dishes like Crab Cake, Palomina NY Steak, and Hamburguesa Nueva.  Frankly, I was not even close to 50% on my eventual decision, and so my next question was, “What would be your favorite here?”  Very noticeably she enthusiastically replied,“I really like the Caribbean Blackened Cod [Sandwich].  It is very well-seasoned, and it’s not that much spicy.”
Immediately, I picked what she loved, and a somewhat grueling 15 minutes later with my sangria 2/3 full, this gleefully and impressively scrumptious, yet astonishingly underrated sandwich completely matched her words.

Though I was famished from errands to table-sitting, because of this impacted, Caribbean-esteemed flavor I stringently followed the healthy approach by relishing every, single bite. Quite strangely, the touch of the baguette felt much firmer from my grasping fingers that I almost became duped that it was not fresh.  Thankfully that thought was debunked from my effortless chew to penetrate through the impeccably moist fish filet.  Requested on the side, I slightly slathered the papaya mayo in many bites, bringing a lovely yet delicate tang.  It further stimulated a slight dimension and assuaged the noticeable yet mild spice from the cod, in terms of chili level.  This reasonably priced, $11 sandwich, in addition, included seasoned Island Fries and Mango Slaw, which I eventually remarked in my mind, “Well, at least my sandwich arrived with my favorite indulgence and a very healthy side.”  How about that Sangria, though: it definitely passed the alcohol test, by means of the amount.
In short, the Caribbean Blackened Cod Sandwich should not be overlooked on the lunch menu, especially if the attitude is not keen on the traditional meats, while the drink would be better off imbibed elsewhere.  I was utmost grateful for my waitress for her recommendation that I tipped higher than my average way of tipping and made a brief, encouraging note on the credit receipt to straightforwardly suggest this inadvertently yummy, healthy pleasure to future guests at Copa Habana.
Grade: A-

Habana
2930 Bristol St.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 556-0176

Habana on Urbanspoon

Foodie at Class 302

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Attention all OC peeps, LBC dwellers, and residents of South Bay LA!  There’s no need to use up your precious gas for heading to Class 302’s original Rowland Heights base.  Two or so weeks (as of this day’s post) have now passed since the grand opening of their 3rd location in Cerritos, and schoolgirl-dressed servers are waiting for you to attend.  Funny thing is, if only I could find a more polite way to scold these working classmates that their papered “Soft Opening” signs were still exposed to the entrance.
Hidden at one of the myriad plazas on the South Street strip, they fortuitously marked their territory after the ephemeral establishment of what was called JP Bakery.  Parking here could cause some serious competition in snagging one, particularly due to a construction site–postulating that another mini-plaza would emerge.  In case you haven’t gone to the original, it is a cash-only Taiwanese eat and drink, where you can either choose to dine-in and be traditionally served, or order at the counter for picking up, say, boba drinks.  It gives reminiscence—possibly nostalgia—of an elementary classroom that my Taiwanese-born boyfriend could easily relive (which he did when we were at Rowland Heights).  Even their menu setups were shielded with the clear protectors latched on their folders with a transparent cover page.

However, as opposed to the years-long site, this Class 302 is drastically spacious inside.  Enhanced with newer desks as the eating tables, newer stools, and walls filled with a giant pre-dry erase board, giant stickers of science lab glassware, and other kid-friendly knick knacks, if you did happen to eat at either the SGV town or Irvine, I can imagine the inner kid becoming envious of enrolling to this class instead.
Speaking of enrollment, the “materials and tools” offered copiously are traditional Taiwanese lunchboxes such as Minced Pork over Rice, soup, noodles, dim sum (as what they call it) like Sweet Potato Fries, Fish Cakes, and Taiwanese Sausages.  As a precaution, though, willpower and courage from your olfactory system are required to enter in any of the 3 little institutions, since there is a likelihood of commonly served Stinky Tofu wafting through the “classroom.”  That would be a shame if this may be bothersome, unless another commonly concocted mound called Shaved Snow will change your mind.

Hopefully, this can help you concentrate on your taste test.

This, my friends, is a customized Green Tea Shaved Snow, a ribbon-looking pile nicely drizzled with Condensed Milk.  Honey Boba was actually brought in a distinctly small, separate bowl, where I ecstatically hailed them over.  With the infamous paparazzi shot over I finally dug through this mountainous treat with its serving spoon in order to uncover the other “toppings” laid below:  Sweet (Real) Mango, Azuki Red Beans, and Fresh Taro.  All this priced at about $8.25, or opt for one of the 6 pre-designed shaved snows for $7.50.

My gal friend and I were hours prepared to demolish this snowy hill—yes, only us 2 in this roster—and had plenty of minutes to cover before our fitness class.  The moment I did shovel through, I could already sense the softness with just that simple touch, even before scooping this to both my own rice bowl and my friend’s.  Then chunks of it met my mouth, and the taste and texture of mesmerizing green tea and pillowy soft ice, melted with the creamily condensed milk, heightened further through my epicurean dreams.  My friend, meanwhile, seemed to be soporific against the real world while savoring it.  Moreover, the likewise baby softness and chewiness of the abovementioned accessory ingredients gave more nurturing into the sweet souls of us.  And yes: we made the A grade by finishing 99 percent of it.

If you thought that this was our only order, you certainly need to know us more.  I let my friend, who had Taiwanese food for the first time, pick the savory side of our lunch, which turned out to be Pork and Shrimp Dumplings (about $7).  From having almost half of these bites, if you happen to try the Korean version of these called Mandu, that’s what it reminded me of.  The dough was slick-textured but easy to hold onto with chopsticks, and the soy sauce went fine with the pretty darn good, grounded meats.

(Updated 4/24/2013) A week later another friend and I visited, then chatted away and solely indulged in one of those pre-designed offers called Summer Farm.  Though warm weather did not occur during our hours, that did not stop us from ravaging through the mellifluous pieces of strawberry, honeydew, and mango to bolster a creamier texture of Milk Snow and condensed milk, instead of the lighter and fluffier Green Tea Snow.  In the end it was the surely yet unexpectedly the more lavish cousin of my previous encounter, though my personal preference was inclined to last week’s visit.


So once that temperature is waving more favorably towards the heated months, unless you can tolerate the wait, I would advise you to arrive during those non-peak mealtime hours.  If that can’t work, be especially more aware during night hours, since they close as late as 1am on Friday and Saturday.  Better yet, you can simply buy your boba on the go.  Nonetheless, if your taste buds of the Taiwanese shaved snow happen to match mine, well then, you get extra credit points—make that triple for handling the Stinky Tofu smell like a rock.

Cheers to you with their Very Mango Slush w/ honey boba.  Oh, pardon my procrastinated comment: this is size small, but they use real fruit!

Overall Grade: B+

Class 302 Cafe
11446 South St.
Cerritos, CA 90703
(562) 924-1315


Class 302 on Urbanspoon

Official Blog, Comin’ Right Up!

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If you happen to accidentally click some conspicuous link: HELLO there!!!

If you are my [real deal] friend or relative seeing this: thank you for your curiosity and your encouragement in getting me started on my blog, my way–finally?!

Right now I’m still building up with a little bit this and a little bit of that, such as obtaining a custom domain name and fulfilling my organizing proclivity.  For now you can peek, but I’ll let you know in advance the official release date of The 5-Footer.

So either move on to your favorite page, or take a Carpe Diem moment to stare at one of my favorite platters ever eaten, obviously photo-shot by moi.  Hint: it’s in a “cabin” attached to California Adventure.

P.S. You might be wondering where did the “Frenzy” or “Foodie” appellation go?  Answer: I want to incorporate my blog based on both food experiences and important life lessons experienced by me.  Hence, I am staying a somewhat general nickname called “The 5-Footer.”

P.P.S. April 14, 2013: My website domain is official =D! And THANK YOU TO ALL for supporting & liking my blog via this site and the FB page.  Lots of cyber hugsies to you–and a real one when I have a chance to meet you again.