This, That, and The Other Thing

So many people have not heard about the Art Gallery at Coastline Community College in Newport Beach. Located at 1515 Monrovia, this is truly a jewel for the community. The current exhibition features mixed media art works from college instructors throughout Orange County. Hours are 12 noon to 4pm Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursday or by appointment.

Exhibitions are scheduled throughout the school year with the annual Arts and Crafts Show in the Spring. Drop by and check it out. Take a walk about the rest of the campus as well. Upstairs in the garden terrace is a beautiful view of the ocean. There are a variety of art classes available. Gallery Curator David Michael Lee, curates the exhibitions and offers seminars and lectures that are available to the community.

For more information and to be added to the Gallery’s email list for future events, please email David Lee at dmlee@coastline.edu. 

I often have lunch with my daughter at a local café that is close to her office. Located in Santa Ana at 2610 Harbor Boulevard, Suzy’s Café never disappoints. Serving breakfast and lunch only, their menu is varied – everything home-made and fresh. A new soup was added to the menu this week – corn chowder.  I thought their creamy chicken tortilla soup  was my favorite, but this comes very close.

There are so many restaurants to choose from these days, and sometimes the little guys get lost in the crowd. When you’re hungry for some plain good food, try Suzy’s. There is no fancy dining room, no interesting plating. But the servers are friendly and attentive, food is really good and arrives in a timely manner. My daughter has one hour for lunch that begins when she leaves her desk. She never has to gobble her food, and she always get back to work in plenty of time.

One other thing – if breakfast is your favorite meal out, then you are in for a treat. Anything you could possibly be craving is on their menu!

Down the hill from Ocean Avenue onto the beach at Corona del Mar is an order up/pick up little café right next to the sand. You have to pay for parking but the food at Tackle Box is good and prices reasonable so it won’t matter. The staff is very friendly and accommodating. The food is made to order with fresh ingredients. I started with a watermelon slushy that was vey refreshing. My foodie friend Lynn (I seem to have a lot of foodie friends now that I am doing a blog) ordered a breakfast burrito with eggs, cheese, crisp bacon, hash browns, a little of this, a little of that. She added some hot sauce and said it was a winner. I had Chilaquiles which is a soft tortilla loaded with black beans, cheddar cheese, chopped tomatillos and topped with a fried egg and fresh cilantro…..so yummy.

The menu is limited but everything looks wonderful.  Tackle Box opens at 9am, closes at 3pm then opens again at 3:30 until 6pm. We were there on a sunny Friday. I imagine the weekends are very busy. There is outside seating only at picnic tables under large umbrellas. They advertise themselves as the “Local Grub Shack” – but that grub is very good!   I am coming back again soon for lunch.

There is a lot going on at the world-class Bowers Museum in Santa Ana. I am a member but don’t visit as often as I should. Their programs and lectures cater to a variety of interests. They are beginning a series in October which sounds very intriguing. My blog readers might be interested in the 6-part Art in Context: Art & the City. The lecturer will tell us about the lesser known museums and works of art in these cities.

Part 1 – October 5th     Rome: from Ancient to Modern

Part 2 – October 12th   Paris: Gothic & Fauvist

Part 3 – October 19th   Amsterdam: The Golden Age

Part 4 – October 26th  Vienna: Baroque to Jugendstil

Part 5 – November 2    Barcelona: Roman & Modernista

Part 6 – November 9    Berlin: City Divided

Check this out on their website at http://www.bowers.org and join me. You can choose any one or all of the lectures.

Arugula Salad with endive, apples, gorgonzola  and candied   walnuts accompanied by Margherita  pizza with crushed San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella and  basil for my luncheon companion.

For me the Escarole pizza with fontina, mozzarella, chopped escarole,  and mushrooms.  I opted to leave out the Calabrian chiles. They are spicy and I am a wimp  when it comes to heat. This pizza was  delicious  well beyond my expectations. The blend of flavors was intriguing. Escarole, not usually seen on a pizza, lent a wonderfully pleasant and crunchy tang. The crusts on the pizzas are light and crispy – no leaving them on the plate at Pizzeria Ortica.

Dessert was another lovely surprise – Torta Di Cioccolato. chocolate cake with vanilla gelato and candid orange peel.

This was a very pleasant dining experience from the atmosphere, the food,  and the service.  One other thing was the exquisite art on the wall above our table. Photographer Jennie Breeze takes beautiful travel photos and the dozen or so on exhibit were all taken in Italy. What more appropriate place in which to show them.

Pizzeria Ortica, 650 Anton Boulevard, Costa Mesa

I read an article in the September 12, 2016 issue of the Los Angeles Times about a young South African street vendor who sells used books on a plastic sheet used as his sidewalk shop, on a bridge in a crime-ridden area of Johannesburg. He believes in books – their power to educate, entertain and to help create a better future. He seeks to alter the lives of his readers.  He feels books are a bridge from curiosity to knowledge. With his home-made dolly, he searches thrift stores to find used books he thinks his customers would enjoy.  A much requested book is the dictionary, but they are hard to find.

Some days he cannot set up shop because there was been an accident on the bridge, some crime, someone hurt or killed. But these incidents pass and he sets up shop again to sell his books.  He believes in books.

I believe in books. I like the way they feel. I like the experience of going to the place where the books live.  I believe in libraries, and they are not outdated.  So often I hear someone say, “Why do we need libraries. We have the internet.” Books are an experience unlike anything you would get from a machine, no matter how smart it is.  Libraries offer so much more than just books – they are meetings places where people can actually speak to each other, share ideas face to face. A world without the written word – without libraries would be sad indeed!!

This is my turkey dog covered with all the ingredients I could possibly pile on and still get it into my mouth! There was a little mustard and mayo, grilled onions, chopped tomatoes, avocado slices and shredded cheddar cheese – all very fresh. The freshly baked bun was crispy around the edges and soft in the middle. To me that sounds like a perfect bun. The homemade potato chips were nice and crispy.

My friend ordered the Philly cheese steak turkey dog – all melty and messy a real Philly should be. She ate every bite along with her skin-on fries.

There were lots of menu options and every conceivable condiment and trimming your mind could possibly imagine. There were vegetarian choices as well. So drive, walk, skateboard over to 1510 Adams in Costa Mesa and give it a try. Sometimes you just want something other than burger.

Gee, that almost sounded like a commercial. No —  Just a pleasant eating experience and a chance to catch up with a long-time friend.