One of the most delicious Chinese Restaurants I have every experienced. The fresh fish and the amazing sauces will draw me back for more. My Foodie friend said this would be a culinary treat and it was a great tasting frenzy. Read More
Capturing the beauty of South Red Rock while riding in this beautiful country. Could you imagine horseback riding twice a day in this beautiful spot. Eatons' Ranch has been a family run dude ranch outside of Sheridan, Wyoming for 135 years. The ranch is seven thousand acres along a trout stocked river for fishing. Read more
Waking up to this, Oh yeah!
Even though I have been eating at Ramos House for years, for me, it continues to get better and better every time I go. The atmosphere has also become more refined and sophisticated. Just look at this food. It is truly artistic and really delicious. You must come hungry and you'll leave extremely happy. Check out the San Juan Mission across the tracks if you need to walk it off a bit. 
Summer Vegetable Hash w/ an Organic Fried Poached Egg
Some of my other favorite dishes are the Mac n Cheese w/ Wild Mushrooms and Black Truffle, and the Basil Cured Salmon Lox w/ Toast Points and Baby Herbs. I am so impressed with John, owner and chef. He has been opened since 1994 and I truly respect him for keeping tradition. It is a very special place and he hasn't tried to expand out of his historical gem. Ramos House Cafe, 31752 Los Rios Street, San Juan Capistrano, 949 443-1342
What a treat to have my friends Johnna and Shelby celebrate my birthday at this legendary spa. We hopped in the car after our workouts and headed out on the 91 freeway. It is a quick 40 minute drive from the OC. It is a very reasonable spa and relaxing to spend the whole day with friends, while enjoying the benefits of the natural hot springs and lounge chairs. I actually read two magazines. It is tough to get the OC Wino to relax but it worked.
Lounging by the pool, we had a nice bottle of wine, relaxed, and struck up funny conversations with the other patrons and even pulled a prank or two. Then we headed towards Club Mud. We slathered the mud all over our bodies and laid in the sun to let it dry. Afterwards, we rubbed the dry mud off and our skin felt like a baby's bottom. Speaking of babies, you must be 16 years old with parental supervision to visit the Spa. Sorry McCall. This is the Retox food intake we enjoyed. Everyone was eating these huge plates of Nachos. Realizing the spa was known for them, we decided on a single serving to test them out. Cheese sauce is not my thing but Jalapeños are and they were quite good. Didn't try this artful cupcake but the picture turned out good.  A little wine stop was necessary on the way home. Did you know if you buy a six pack of wine at Pavilions you get 10% off? The only redeeming quality for that God forsaken market. Glen Ivy Hot Springs, located in Corona, California
Sunday morning, we picked up Trent from LAX after his two week medical mission in Ghana, Africa. He was craving three things: Starbuck's venti iced green tea, cement roads, and Bar Ama for lunch. Off we went to explore some culture.
Aubrey, McCall, and Trent exploring the street art Chef and owner Josef Centero has completely wowed my family and friends… and to wow me is a task. We went to his first place across the street called Baco Mercat before, which was crazy good. But Bar Ama has a Tex Mex menu originally coming from the inspiring recipes from his grandmother Grace Alice. The pictures tell all. 
The Michelada, an awesome pour for brunch
I can't wait to try the third location Orsa and Winston. He rules the corner of 4th and Main. Truly worth the 40 minute drive from the OC. It is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner with great Happy hour and taco specials. This is OCwino's top pick. Belly's full, off we went to explore.
Every year I look forward to going to the OC Fair. For the rides? Are you kidding me? No thank you. I'm strictly all about the fare at the fair. After getting jacked by buying a used ticket off of someone leaving the fair, we were ready to hit the wine bar! As usual, it was super crowded and hot. Luckily, my brother had saved us a great table in the shade, so we were ready to start sampling! A few blurry hours later, the kids arrived with their selection of the best fair foods. Every year I leave it up to them to pick their favorite greasy treats. Here we go... The rides scare the crap out of me, but I don't mind checking out the fantastic lights. Trust me, I know who puts those rides together...
Next event at the fair: Demolition Derby tonight with my Trucker girlfriends!! Stay tuned, more fair food to follow! What a wonderful treat to be invited over to this beautiful spot on the river. Lynn's deck is one you can hang on FOREVER. 
We started the night with a delicious tequila cocktail garnished with a serrano chile. Of course the OCWino kept chowing on the chile. The cocktail was made with tequila, cucumber, sparkling water, with a touch of mint, parsley, and a squeeze of lime. Look at this beautiful presentation! It makes anybody want to mix one! 
The Finished Product
Dinner was fantastic. With peaches so incredibly sweet this season, Lynn decided to grill them on the BBQ along with lamb chops. They were served with heirloom tomatoes, mint, and creamy burrata cheese. The lamb was garnished with a homemade chimichurri sauce. She threw the whole thing on the table and we munched away. 
The dessert was homemade vanilla ice cream from a local dairy, muddled blackberries, and the rest of the barbecued peaches. Look out Martha Stewart(And OCWino)! You got some competition out there. Thank you Lynn for a lovely evening at your beautiful riverside abode! 
Turning 29 can be a little challenging. Raising two teenagers is damn hard in your 20s! However getting to celebrate in gorgeous Sun Valley makes it a lot better. We decided to go rafting on the Stanley River, and I was terrified the entire time. I was shaking before I jumped off that rock. We braved through the class 2 and 3 rapids and had an awesome time. After the treacherous white water rapids, I decided to do one of my favorite things: fly fishing. We headed out with our hot guide Brett to the Big Lost River about an hour and a half outside of Sun Valley. The fishing started off kind of slow but around noon the trout began to rise and bite at our flies. The beauty of having a guide is they help you read the waters, know where the fish are rising and what the hatch is (what the fish are biting on). Brett, who I have fished with before, untangled us, got our line out of trees, and rigged our rods so were guaranteed to catch fish. To finish off my birthday, we headed to the Pioneer for dinner and shots of fireball at Whiskey Jack's. We had quite a crew and I was so happy to reunite with my friend Lulu Baker. It was a perfect day and thank you everyone for your birthday wishes! 
Day 2 of adventures sans OCWino... Trent and Shelby decide to venture over to Huntington Beach area in search of the legendary Samurai Burritos. Hidden within a sleepy strip mall, Samurai Burrito was filled with people getting their oh so Californian meal. The small restaurant serves sushi wrapped up burrito style in various hand rolls. They have a set menu, but you can also create your own burrito. Samurai Burrito also offers delicious custom poke bowls as well. 
Sushi burrito chef at work... It almost reminded us of a Japanese Subway
The Kamikazu and The Yakuza
Shelby, a self proclaimed albacore fan, went for The Kamikazu with brown rice, seared albacore, garlic chips, sliced onions, avocado, crab mix, cucumber, and rising onion sauce. Trent went for something a little spicier with The Yakuza, which has rice, yellowtail, jalapeño, masago, green onion, crab mix, cucumber, and rising onion sauce.
Afterwards we were both incredibly full and satisfied. Burritos are cut in half, so they are great to share and try out more options! Samurai Burrito, 18932 Brookhurst St, Fountain Valley The most delicious lunch eatery in Sun Valley is Cristina's Restaurant. I was so torn about getting the linguini with creamy mushroom sauce, but felt I didn't need the carbs. So we opted for the heirloom tomato and burrata salad and the asian chicken salad. We decided to splurge our extra calories we saved on a bottle of chilled cougar crack. 
Buratta and Heirloom Tomato Salad
Asian Salad
Our cute waiter who served our usual choice of pour Cristina's Restaurant, 520 2nd Street E, Ketchum, Idaho
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OC WINO
Isn't it frustrating when you go to a nice restaurant, order a glass of wine, and get three sips for $26. For me, enjoying a great lifestyle is key. The OC Wino will guide you to the best pours, restaurants, recipes, entertaining tips, travel, and great finds around the world. Come explore with me.
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