My sister-in-law Cindy and I are “sniffing in” on the Old Towne Orange Walking Food Tour (oldtownorangewalkingfoodtours.com).  I’ve never done one of these before although Bella and I have wanted to do one for some time.  I wonder what the balance will be in regards to being focused on the historical area versus exceptional cuisine.  We are meeting at the Starbuck’s inside of the Wells Fargo Bank building.

Wells Fargo Bank and Starbuck’s?

“Nostalgia is a file that removes the rough edges from the good old days.”

— Doug Larson, Columnist & Editor

Per Wikipedia, Old Towne, Orange Historic District, a one square-mile around the original plaza of Orange, California, contains many of the original structures built in the period after the City’s incorporation. It is a vibrant commercial district, containing Orange County’s oldest operating bank (currently the Wells Fargo Bank pictured below) and the oldest operating soda fountain (Watson’s). The Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997, and is the largest National Register District in California. The Old Towne Preservation Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to maintaining the district.

This bank dates back to 1886 when it was the “Bank of Orange”.  Linda shares a brief story about how back in the day a sharpshooter was hired to hide behind a large glass window well above the bank teller stations due to a rumor about a possible bank robbery.

Wells Fargo Meets Starbuck’s

We meet our tour guide, Italiana Linda Pero, and are provided with bottled water and Starbuck’s new cold brew iced coffee with a bit of sugar and cream.

Starbuck’s New Cold Brew

It’s better than I thought.  Truth-be-told, I’m a Peet’s guy but this is pretty nice tasting.

Felix Continental Cafe: Empanada and Plantain

Felix Continental Cafe (named after their very first cook) has been here since the late ’70s.  When I think of Cuban cuisine I automatically envision Versailles restaurants from the L.A. area.  As a result, I picture divey and casual which brings me back to my L.A. days devouring Versailles garlic chicken and shredded garlic pork.  Felix is comparable in appearance but the jury will have to remain out since we’re only sampling appetizers today.  There was a sauce served with the empanada that reminded me of a thinner, less pulpy salsa verde.

The Plaza: Old Towne Orange

The Plaza dates back to 1886.  Much of the Tom Hanks movie “That Thing You Do” was filmed in this area.

Linda Pero, “Foodie Tour Guide”

Linda is friendly and super knowledgeable about the area and its history.  I quickly realize that the history will “win the show” today.  In fact we may have to draft a petition for Linda to change the moniker on her hat to “Docent Linda Pero”.

She shares her personal story of how she began working these tours.  Interestingly enough she was dining at nearby Lucca Cafe with her mother when they engaged in conversation with the owners of the Old Towne Orange Walking Food Tours.

Linda’s mother did as any proud mother would do and began selling them on why they should hire her daughter.  Linda quite naturally wanted to make a beeline out of the establishment but thankfully she was later offered a tour guide position with their company.

What would we do without the unwavering support of our parentals?  Who can’t recall from our youth when our parents bragged about us as if we were the next Beethoven, Einstein or Hank Aaron.  God bless em!

Tormaresca 2012 Primitivo

Francoli’s Gourmet (francoligourmet.com) serves northern Italian cuisine and today we are offered a $5.00 glass of a very drinkable glass of red from the zinfandel grape.  It’s quite smooth, has slightly above average fruit and is non-offensive.  Note: They only serve Italian wines.

Francoli: Caprese

The tomato wasn’t quite ripe but the mozzarella with strips of basil and 20 year-old balsamic vinegar made up for the tomatoes’ shortcoming.

Francoli: Penne Pesto Genovese

I think they snuck in a little chopped sun dried tomato which I approve of.  The owner is kind enough to speak with us about where he grew up in Italy as well as discussing the wine and his philosophy with his restaurant.  Their pesto sauce is top-notch by the way.

Our Tour Group Gathers in an Alley

You have to hit those much older communities in Orange County to try and find historical features like alleys.

Passion Fruit White Balsamic Vinegar

At Affaire de Coeur (affairedecoeur.com) we do a sampling of various vinegars with bread cubes.  The passion fruit was pretty sweet but it spoke to me.  The Elderberry White Balsamic Vinegar was pretty good as well.  I doubt I would buy these items but “I wouldn’t kick them out of bed if they were served on crackers” either.

Affaire de Coeur: Consignment/Antique Store

Inside Affaire de Coeur I met one of the guests on our tour who is a local chef.  He suggested I check out a restaurant in Santa Ana called Little Sparrow and he recommended others as well.  He was very kind  and friendly which would be a common theme we would experience on this tour.

Paris in a Cup: Baked Potato Soup

Paris in a Cup (parisinacup.com) served it without bacon today in case we had vegans in our group.  It was thick and creamy and I found it pretty enjoyable.

Paris in a Cup: Cold Tea

Cindy purchased this cold tea which I thought was light and tasty.

Paris in a Cup: Assorted Macarons

Paris in a Cup is known for their macaron cookies.  I’m an amateur baker myself and enjoy good pastries and cookies but never really understood the obsession with these.  However, some flavors shown were tempting.

Paris in a Cup: Audrey Hepburn gift…

Nobody told me I’d find my mistress here today.

Watson’s: Old time signage

Watson Drug & Soda Fountain (watsondrugs.com), the oldest remaining business (est. 1899) in Old Towne Orange.  The store has been sold and it will undergo a remodel but we’re advised that the new owner will preserve the heritage in regards to the interior.

Watson: Taking us Back in Time…

We sample rice pudding with a hefty dusting of cinnamon.  It was pretty good but not super creamy.

Provisions Market: Salami and Goat Cheese

The salami and goat cheese (slightly smoky and very salty) at Provision’s Market (provisionsmarket.com) went nicely with the beer.  Forgive my lack of commentary on the food today as I tried to focus more on the history as the tour clearly was targeted there.

Beer

I was busy enjoying the tour so I failed to capture the name of this beer.  It was a touch bitter with a slightly fruity “sniff” to it, light in color and body and had high carbonation.

Zito’s Pizza: Margherita Pizza

The crust at Zito’s Pizza (zitospizza.com) varies in thickness depending on the slice you draw so this is isn’t a classic New York Neapolitan pie.  However, the ingredients are fresh and all come together nicely.  Other than too much bread for my palate this is a good pizza.  The crust is firm, still soft and not crispy.  I thought I recalled a zesty Romano cheese in addition to the mozzarella but I believe they normally use feta on this pie.

Linda advises us that they do a walking food tour all weekends in December which begins later in the day so you’ll get more exposure to the Christmas lights and be able to get into the spirit of the holiday in Old Towne Orange.

Cafe Lucca: Espresso Gelato

My Cafe Lucca (cafelucca.com) espresso gelato was very creamy with oddly light coloring.  It wasn’t very sweet and had a soft espresso flavor.  It had an icy quality, moderate sweetness and clearly lacked the pungent espresso flavor I had anticipated.  It was more like like a “latte meets cappuccino” gelato.

Mixed Berry Gelato

Cindy selected the mixed berry flavor which had much better coloration and likely flavor from her review.

The Filling Station

It is clearly evident where The Filling Station Cafe (fillingstationcafe.com) in Old Towne Orange got its name.  A mere glance and you can let your imagination visualize it in its former glory.

Son Light Christian Center

The Son Light Christian Center was formerly a playhouse dating back to 1929.

Cindy at the Plaza Fountain

The sun is hot today and I may have to pull a bold move a la Will Ferrell and take a dip in there.

Craftsman Home

I’ve been obsessed with the mission craftsman style for as long as I can remember.

More Cool Architecture in Orange…

Craftsman Home

I’m very much into Craftman, Mediterranean and Spanish Colonial architecture.  Click here for more on Orange and its history with these architectural styles:

http://www.cityoforange.org/depts/commdev/old_towne_information/default.asp

For more information on scheduling an Old Towne Orange Walking Food Tour, click below:

http://www.oldtownorangewalkingfoodtours.com/

“In every age ‘the good old days’ were a myth.  No one ever thought they were good at the time.  For every age has consisted of crises that seemed intolerable to the people who lived through them.” 

— Brooks Atkinson, American theatre critic

THE END!

Stay tuned for my next posting on a day trip to The Anaheim Packing House.