Laguna Beach Trip Review

Brent and I spent this past week in Laguna Beach, CA. It was sunny and warm! But at home it was windy..very windy as they closed all but one runway at the Minneapolis airport just the day before we flew home. Some places got quite a bit of snow,too. But it was all over just in time for us to fly home!

Most of the time we lazed around on the beach.....

                                                                            relaxed,

..and ate alot! The food was excellent.

One of our favorite places was just a few blocks from where we stayed. It was called Avila's El Ranchito. The best part was they served chips and salsa...with lots of cilantro....just the way we like it.

The first time we went together. Brent ordered the enchilada dinner. I ordered a chicken and rice burrito off the a la carte menu as I wasn't very hungry after eating all the salsa and chips. When the waitress set the burrito down I said, "You must have the wrong person...I didn't order all this!" It was HUGE. I mean it could have fed a family of 5! I did the best I could but there was still about 3/4 of it left!

 The next time I went at lunch by myself while Brent was at meetings. I was kind of afraid to order a taco after the burrito incident, but the waiter assured me it was normal size. It was. It was also the best chicken taco I ever ate! The waiter recommended the Flan for dessert and hey, I'm on vacation, why not? It was wonderful..I made sure I got every bit of the caramel sauce.

Another place we liked was called, "The White House." It's the oldest restaurant in Orange County. We ate there a couple of times. The first one was lunch. Brent had his usual.... burger and fries. But this burger was excellent! I tried some..the sauce on the burger was awesome, and the fries had a smokey seasoning on them that was so addictive. I was almost sorry I didn't order it as it was SO good...until I tried my CA Eggs Benedict. It was perfect. I loved the avocados under the velvety smooth sauce. I may fly back to just have that again!

The second time we were there with a group. Brent and I both had the blackened Mahi Mahi. Again...it was some of the best I had ever had!

Another place I would like to mention is Cest La Vie. I was wandering the streets down by the Main Beach looking for a place to eat lunch and came by this. All the fresh baked pastries caught my eye..and of course I had to indulge and buy a few. But first I went to the restaurant. The waiter was awesome. He recommended a few things as the menu was kind of overwhelming to choose from. I settled for a  Le Parisien sandwich and fresh baby spinach salad. It was a great choice! I loved every bite.  I sat there for a long time enjoying the ocean view.

Of course while we were in CA there was a Vikings game on Sunday night. Brent wouldn't leave the room. Later he wished he had..it was a sad game. But the food was good! I had read about Gina's pizza so I took advantage of having a house pizza delivered. That did not disappoint either!

 I enjoyed eating at Splashes, too.  We ate lunch there one day, and enjoyed some wonderful swordfish one evening for dinner. One night we went with a group of people to La Casa del Camino. The food was amazing. I especially liked the three cheese pasta.

We took a day went over to Newport Beach. Went to Fashion Island....walked out on the Balboa Pier.

This guy caught my eye.

I also loved the flowers. No more till spring back home!

I also found another bakery I liked. See why:

I would go back in a heart beat. The people were so friendly, the food great, and the hotel was excellent.

And the views...just can't be beat!