Wine Lab

Danielle

Wine Lab

I have been waiting for this place to open for some time as I figured it would be an even better location for drawing in the 20s-30s crowd than it's sister spot in Newport Beach since we had gone to that location about 6 months ago and were moderately impressed. Based upon a recommendation from a friend, we went on a Thursday night when Bootlegger Brewery was there in hopes of the place drawing more men. The place is small and was “filled” when we arrived. We got a couple spots in the perfect location at the bar. We got the beer tasting which had 5 tastings and came paired with 3 cheeses (Humboldt fog, Pecorino Toscano, and Barely Buzzed). The portions for cheese were a bit skimpy but delicious. Even with nibbling, my cheese was gone all too quickly. I wish we'd had a different cheese for every beer, especially considering the cost of the tasting. I’ll definitely be back here. It doesn’t yet seem like a man-magnet but more so a spot to catch up with the gals before hitting Mesa or dinner nearby but who knows?! Maybe since its small, it’d set the right situation for mingling and rubbing elbows in a standing crowd (or whatever else you like to rub on Friday night). 

Oh, and when you go, keep an eye out for Melissa. She'll wine you and treat you well. Be sure to say hi to her and leave a gracious tip. She is fantastic!  [Sorry men, she's taken]

Food: ★★☆☆☆

Service: ★★★☆☆

Price: ★★★☆☆

Ambiance: ★★★☆☆

Overall: ★★★☆☆

S Factor: ★★☆☆☆

Find out more info about the Wine Lab.

Taco Asylum

After wine tasting, we stopped by Taco Asylum for tacos. I love this place! I’m a sucker for the taco with ghost chili. I like my food spicy, as in “on fire” leaving your nose running. I adore this eclectic little taco spot for the variety of tacos, ambiance, and service. I love how the staff treats you like you are the only one in the restaurant and walks you through your decision-making. I tried a beer from Northern California which is hard to find down here, so I was told (or sold). I love experimenting with new beers and wines so I always appreciate the input from the guys working here. This place seems to provide a likely opportunity for eyeing some men at any time of day, particularly in the afternoon.

Mesa

We decided to drop in Mesa to see what the crowd is like on a Thursday night. I’m always hesitant as the last few Fridays I’ve been, it seemed to draw a specific crowd, and I prefer a mixed crowd. I’m not a fan of all White, all Asian, or “all” anything. The crowd seemed to be late 20s/early 30s and mixed. We had a drink and app at the bar. The service was fabulous as usual. We headed out as the crowd, primarily consisting of small groups of mixed groups (girls/guys, ethnicity), began to roll in. Mesa seemed to be the most promising spot for a singles crowd on Thursday, but perhaps for those without a 7:30am start time at work the next day.

P.S. I later heard that Tuesday night is good too, but again, there’s that work issue…..

Candice

Wine Lab

Although I was not highly impressed with the Wine Lab located in Newport, I was hoping that the Costa Mesa site—being located among other hip, trendy eateries and stores—would be able to offer more than its counterpart in terms of ambiance, service, and patronage. We partook in a beer tasting event on a Thursday evening, sponsored by Bootleggers Brewery in Fullerton. The parking lot was packed as usual at The Camp but luckily I found a spot quickly. The location was indeed a great spot and nestled between other appealing dining spots. The ambiance was open and warm and the servers were very pleasant. The Wine Lab offered several good options on the wine list and the prices listed were on the average to high side (especially since this is the type of place that doesn’t seem to pour generously and/or repeatedly). The beer sampler consisted of five beers, and unfortunately the last two for me were non-consumable. I like my beers on the lighter side and the unsavory flavors began to erupt at sample four. Sample five (Black Phoeniz 6.7 abv ) left the impression of mixing coffee with flat soda and I would give a double thumbs-down to their last selection. The sampler also offered paired cheese included in the $20 fee and to be quite frank, the cheeses (and three crackers) were consumed by the end of my second sample (and not to mention, I am not a big cheese eater so you can only imagine how small the plate was). That was most certainly a disappointment and a similar one to that of the Wine Lab in Newport. I enjoyed the overall atmosphere and appreciated the mixed crowd of customers. This may be a nice quick stop for a glass of wine with some friends prior to dining and drinking well elsewhere.

Food: ★★☆☆☆

Service: ★★★☆☆

Price: ★★☆☆☆

Ambiance: ★★★☆☆

Overall: ★★★☆☆

S Factor: ★★☆☆☆

Fortunately, Danielle and I were ambitious in our quest that evening and continued on to The Taco Asylum. Being naïve to “taco foods,” I was very pleased with my selection of the short rib taco. I enjoy tacos but never seek them out as a highly preferred food, but this place may just have changed my outlook. My taco was bursting with flavor and it was a respectable size given the price. I enjoyed the laid-back atmosphere and having the ability to sit outdoors. The servers were extremely pleasant and polite and I would undoubtedly return to try other tacos at this eatery.

As I mentioned earlier, we were determined and continued at our final stop for the evening at Mesa. Although Danielle and I have been at this lounge/restaurant establishment a couple other times, the experience for me remains uniform. I was not all that intrigued by the surroundings including the other patrons, however, this environment consistently draws a varied crowd (aside from Friday night Asian night) and the bartenders are typically attentive. I did enjoy my selection of sweet potato and yam frites and would not hesitate to order that small plate should I return. I would recommend it as another establishment that would be more entertaining with a group of friends.

Scott's Seafood/Cocktails for a Cause

Danielle:

My friend who works for Segerstrom Center for the Arts informed me that OC Weekly would be doing a “Cocktails for a Cause” to benefit them so Candice and I figured this may be a fantastic way of seeing a different side of happy hour all the while support a local organization. Scott’s had a nice set-up. We were welcomed in the side boor with an open area, bar and fireplace. For $10, we had unlimited cocktails and appetizers from 7-9pm.

I will say the most exciting thing that happened to me that night was the waiter floating by with the brie and walnut on toast, but….the ambiance and crowd are worth mentioning. Finally of all the happy hours we’ve attended, we got to witness a mixed crowd with almost-equal amounts of men and women of various backgrounds and ethnicities. There wasn’t much “mingling” going on however. The S-factor? Well, there were a few who demanded a second glance at least but that is about it. We did chat with a few guys who wound up heading over to our second stop of the night—one of which reached up my skirt while waiting for the crosswalk. Seriously? Whatever popped up in your mind right now about him is probably accurate and does not deserve further mentioning. His friend, however, was nice and allowed to sit at our table while the other waited off to the side.  

Food: N/A

Service: ★★★★☆

Price: N/A

Ambiance: ★★★☆☆

Overall: ★★★☆☆

S Factor: ★★☆☆☆

Candice:

We thought we would shake things up a bit this time and try a different approach by attending a happy hour benefit – “Cocktails for a Cause” – at Scott’s Seafood Restaurant in Costa Mesa this past Thursday evening.  Proceeds went toward Segerstrom Center for the Arts and the suggested donation fee included a small selection of complimentary beer and martinis as well as appetizer foods.  Although the drinks were either too weak or too strong and the food left little impression, our mission was set more on assessing the crowd in anticipation for the Sfactor to prevail.  To cut to the chase, although that did not happen, it was quite nice to see a larger mix of people in one setting of varying age ranges, ethnicities, and socio-economic status (based on the superficial appearance alone) and there were at least one or two men who were worthy of repeated glances.  It was also satisfying knowing that there were perhaps some individuals among the crowd who were genuinely attending the event in support of a good cause.  Most people appeared to keep to themselves but overall the ambiance remained lively, energetic, and entertaining enough that even I eventually succumbed to side effects of the overly concentrated martinis.  Additionally, although there was some “entertainment” to be had with observing and/or interacting with men at this event, allow me to succinctly describe the events that passed with providing you an image of me nodding my head with my brows furrowed and a repulsed look on my face… yep, I can undoubtedly recognize why some men remain single…

As the benefit came to a close, our dear friends Celeste and Armin then accompanied us and two new young companions from the benefit to hit the late night happy hour at Charlie Palmers.  If you have been following our blog (thanks by the way!), we recently posted a happy hour review of this place that revealed our less than enthusiastic last visit.  At Charlie Palmers there was a nice mix of a 30’s to 50’s crowd and one or two attractive men.  Thanks to Armin and his sociable nature, I struck up a conversation with two very amiable gentlemen, Cameron and Bill—although one engaged and one married—but who were quite likable and were able to maintain conversation with ease.  They were open to conversing with strangers and willing to be forthcoming when I picked their brains on men and dating.  Danielle and I remained with our new acquaintances past midnight, where we eventually bid farewell and were thankful for finally having some form of intelligent and natural conversation albeit with unavailable men.  As for our young comrades from earlier, pleasant as one was, the other’s immaturity was too much to manage and we sent them on their way early on in the evening.  All in all, it was an entertaining occasion…

Lastly, we are still open to comments and hearing from all our amazing followers (as well as occasional visitors!) from our blog.  We are willing and ready to be your guinea pigs and check out happy hour places in the OC you might want feedback, and of course, we always welcome you to join us in our quest! Thanks for reading!

Food: N/A

Service: ★★★★☆

Price: N/A

Ambiance: ★★★☆☆

Overall: ★★★☆☆

S Factor: ★★☆☆☆

 

Candice, Celeste + Danielle

 

Charlie Palmer

Danielle

I’ve been to Charlie Palmer several times in the past and it has always busy so we put it on the agenda. I got there early to get a seat as I’ve been too many times and stood waiting for a table like a vulture over a carcass. Overall, we had a great time but for me, this time was more disappointing than previous visits. The service was excellent. The server worked very hard and seemed to have the whole bar area at one time to herself before another server came. She was excellent and attentive despite the growing crowd. We ordered the kobe beef sliders, herb french fries, blue cheese stuffed/bacon-wrapped dates and pulled pork lettuce wraps. All will be pictured below. As the picture of the wraps suggest, they were not appetizing. We actually sent them back, and the server was kind enough to take them off the bill. The sliders were okay, very average. The dates were delish as usual despite being overcooked. I’m a Southern girl and like my bacon crispy so it worked out for me. You can’t go wrong with fries. I’m always disappointed that they don’t include food on their happy hour menu. The atmosphere was fantastic as usual with a constantly changing crowd in the bustling lounge area. As for as the S-factor, CP left much to be desired on this day. I only saw couples or 1-2 men within a crowd. Maybe next time….

Food: ★★☆☆☆

Service: ★★★★☆

Price: ★★★☆☆

Ambiance: ★★★★☆

Overall: ★★★☆☆

S Factor: ☆☆☆☆☆

Candice

Okay, so we are off to a bit of a slow start in the New Year in search for eventful happy hours and well, our second adventure—although better than the first—continued the path of disappointment.  I originally thought Charlie Palmer would be a good place for a Friday evening happy hour since it always seems to be lively late at night on the weekends.  When I arrived at the restaurant, Danielle was ready and waiting with a good seat and viewing spot of the crowd.  As the evening continued on, there were people coming and going but nobody worth much a second look or worth the effort to start a conversation.  Unfortunately, the food equaled the ambiance this time and was especially disappointing given that there was no food on the happy hour menu and therefore certainly not worth the cost.  Like Danielle, I have also spent time at this establishment before and although it never seems to necessarily be a noteworthy “must-return” kind of place, I enjoy the fact that there are typically always a varied group of people, mostly in the 30’s and upward and usually dressed fairly nice as if arriving after work.  I enjoyed the energy of the crowd and it made for a relaxing, Friday evening.  Although there was no outstanding visible eye candy to be seen, I imagine this place could continue to hold potential.

Food: ★★☆☆☆

Service: ★★★☆☆

Price: ★★☆☆☆

Ambiance: ★★★☆☆

Overall: ★★★☆☆

S Factor: ★★☆☆☆

kobe style beef sliders

herb french fries

pulled pork lettuce wraps

blue cheese stuffed dates

To visit Charlie Palmer's website, visit here.