Anne Marie Panoringan

Southwest Kentucky Derby Chef Challenge winner

Our setting: The Catch in Anaheim. Judges included Marche Moderne's Florent Marneau. And the lone Orange County competitor was Napa Rose's Andrew Sutton. We assisted with judging duties at this special event, focusing on craft raised, Skuna Bay salmon.

Skuna Bay is located along Vancouver Island, where waters are glacier-fed and the fish used in their feed are from sustainably certified fisheries. The fish are always 10 pounds in weight, packed in recyclable corrugated cardboard packaging.


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Disney

It'll probably be decades before anything resembling Walt Disney World's new "Be Our Guest Restaurant" will come to our local Disney parks in California. The eatery has a space designed to look exactly like the ballroom where Belle and her beast waltzed into movie history. It seats 500 and has soaring ceilings and those grand chandeliers.

It held its official grand opening yesterday even though it's been taking reservations since late August and served its first dinner on November 19th during a soft opening.

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Image Courtesy of DIsney

We may have the original here in Orange County, California; but it seems that when it comes to Disney Parks, the second born gets all the fun. Disney World is putting the finishing touches of a Beauty and the Beast restaurant in Orlando, Florida called "Be Our Guest." The 500-seat eatery will be set inside the um, er, set of that memorable ballroom scene, complete with soaring ceilings and those grand chandeliers.

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The Sticky Pig

Someone at Fox News must be local, because they just posted a list of 8 "Mind-Blowing Bacon Dishes", and a trio are coincidentally homegrown. Okay-- the complete article is a slideshow of 15, but since the remaining 7 didn't include Orange County, why elaborate?

Plugging the new Cars Land over at Disney's California Adventure, our first feature calls the Cozy Cone Motel home. Behold a crisp, conical pork structure that supports our favorite meal of the day. Filled with scrambled eggs and nothing else, we wonder if Imagineers could've maybe added, I dunno, hash browns?

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Disney Parks Blog

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Flickr user emmyboop

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Disney Parks Blog

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Everyone knows the tale of the sandwich being invented as a way to eat during a card game, but it turns out the descendants of John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, still have skin in that game. Fastforward 250 years, and the 11th Earl of Sandwich and family own a stake in the fast-food chain Earl of Sandwich, which will open a location in Anaheim's Downtown Disney this summer.
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Gracias, Disneyland?

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Over the weekend, I gave my short history of Mexican food in Orange County at the Segerstrom Center's Samueli Stage as part of its hosting of the awesome, ribald Chautauqua! show. Since I doubt I'll ever grace any stage at the Segerstrom again, I decided to focus my 10-minute lecture on OC's two greatest contributions to Mexican food in the United States: Kogi tacos and Doritos.

Now, I wanted to keep the latter story--never before documented completely, one that runs contrary to the official Doritos genesis as endorsed by the Frito-Lay Company--secret until the publication of my book, Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America, but I've got to start drumming up publicity for the pinche tome! And since I spilled the proverbial beans at Samueli, might as well share it with ustedes gentle readers. Anyhoo, behold the abbreviated story of how Disneyland most likely gave America Doritos.
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Anne Marie Panoringan

Bet we can get $55 for him.

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There is a special population obsessed enamored with all things Disney, and a completely unrelated group that wants to be a part of all things exclusive. Rarely do these two collide, except when discussing a certain door adjacent to the Blue Bayou in New Orleans Square, its only marker being their address, the buzzer behind a discreet panel your only way in. Happiest place on Earth? Try toughest reservation.

You know the drill: Club 33. Only place in Disneyland proper that serves alcohol. Even if they had the space for you, it first requires a membership (which we didn't have), or a Six-Degrees-of-Someone-Who-Does to enter (we did). Inquiring about their wait list isn't even an option anymore, as there are more than enough deep pockets ready to jump at a spot in Club 33's limited membership to last years.
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