Date Night & Restaurant Week - Newport Beach, CA

It’s been one hell of a week and I’ve got a lot of things I want to get out of my head so I’m apologizing in advance if this entry is a bit scattered. Quite admittedly, my thoughts are not at all in a good place so I might come across a bit complain-y rather than funny and I apologize for that too. I’ve found over the years that writing is therapeutic when I’m trying to work something out and maybe that’s what I’m hoping happens here. I apologize for that too, especially for dragging you all into it. Oh, and I don’t have any pictures which really sucks. I might have to steal grab some off the internet just to add some color.

Where to begin? Well, to start off with, I vowed to myself on New Years Day that I would make an effort to get a lot of stuff I find an absolute hassle to deal with to just get it done already. These hassles I’m referring to almost completely involve medical and dental professionals, most of whom I have a complete aversion to, especially medical and dental professionals in the State of California.

I made a dental appointment, for example, after having nothing but bad experiences with dentists out here. In 2000, I almost went to small claims court with the first California dentist I saw. CA dentists are really that bad. In Wisconsin, when you are a new patient and you go to a dentist for a cleaning, the following happens: you get X-rays, and then you get a cleaning. You’ll probably get a fluoride treatment too if you ask nicely for it. In California, it’s a lot different. First of all, the only dentists your typical work insurance will cover are new dentists fresh out of dental school and typically fresh in the country. Another thing that is annoying is the obvious way that CA dentists try to extort the insurance companies. If you are a new patient in CA, the following happens: You go in for X-rays and an examination of your teeth and gums. Then you make an appointment for a ‘deep cleaning’. After the ‘deep cleaning’ you make another appointment for the ‘cleaning’. After the ‘cleaning’, you make another appointment to get one of the following, usually made-up procedures done, like gum treatments, invisible cavities, or whitening. Anything at all to make you give them more money. This is also the reason why it takes 4 months to get the first appointment.



So I made the appointment (I mentioned before that I was complain-y, right?) and figured out a way to get in sooner than the 4 month wait list. I told them my insurance was running out (lie) and that I had to get in sometime in the next two week. Not surprisingly, I got an appointment the very next day. Since I had X-rays done at another dentist 6 months ago (but couldn’t afford his prices to continue seeing him) I told the current dentist that I wouldn’t need X-rays because even if there was anything there, I wouldn’t be around to take care of it (lie) and please could I just get the cleaning. She, all of 28 and Indian, agreed. This is where I finally learned that a CA ‘cleaning’ is just a ‘polish’ and the WI cleaning that I was so accustomed to was actually the ‘deep cleaning’. Now, of course, I have to find a new dentist in the next 6 months to get a real cleaning. I am a bit grateful that I only got the polish though as this dentist was terrible. She missed half my teeth with the polish and kept squirting me in the eye with the cleaning tool. I hate to think of what would have happened if she had a sharp pokie instrument in my mouth.

OK, got that rant off my chest. Now on to the fun stuff…

One of the new things I did this past week was have Date Night. Kevin and I have been dating for close to 6 years now and save for the couple dates we had back in high school we’ve never really gone on a proper date. You all know we went on a couple dates in high school right? Quick update if you didn’t…I was 14, he was 16, we went on two dates…one to a school play, the other to a movie (Fletch Lives) then coffee…then he never called me again the bastard. He claims now that he had thought I was too goody-goody and he didn’t want to corrupt me. First of all, I think that’s a big ole lie to make me feel better but if it isn’t, he should have just waited a year. Just saying.

So yes! Date Night. We started off at what is slowly becoming one of my favorite restaurants if I could actually afford to go there on a regular basis, Billy’s at the Beach. It’s a high-end Hawaiian Fusion type place and they have the most awesome steaks. With your meal comes a salad, and instead of coming out in a little plate, it comes out on a lazy susan type thing with all your add-ons (onions, mushrooms, hearts of palm) and dressings in little dishes around it. Any place where I don’t have to utter the words, “Ranch, no onions please” when I order my salad is a good place. With dinner, drinks, coffee, dessert, and tip our bill was a hefty $150 bucks. We spent close to two hours there though and it was well worth it. After dinner we had, what I can only describe as, really full bellies. Tongue in cheek I suggested that we take a long walk on the beach, but that’s actually exactly what we did next. We parked the car on the peninsula and walked along the boardwalk for an hour or so. We looked (inside) at all the fancy houses and I kept making jokes about running into a dead body in the sand. After the walk, we had a couple cocktails at the Shamrock and called it a night.



But wait! There’s more….

It was also Restaurant Week in Newport this week! Every year around this time, about 70 or so restaurants in Newport Beach\Corona Del Mar participate in Restaurant Week. Basically they offer a 3 course meal for $15 per person at lunch and $35 for dinner. Most of the restaurants are pretty fancy places that normally charge $15 for a small salad. I couldn’t turn away from a chance to eat at a couple of these fancy places…it’s really the only time I could normally afford to do so.

The first place we hit was Arches. Arches is a Newport Beach institution and has a reputation for being one of the most over priced places to eat in the area. Kevin and I mistakenly walked in there one time not knowing this and were guilted into ordering an appetizer plate of $16 crab cakes. It came with 4 crab cakes that were very small. Kevin said that they were pretty good -not $16 good, but good. I had pretty high expectations for Arches during Restaurant Week, so I blame myself for being pretty disappointed. For $15, we got a micro-caeser salad, a super skinny piece of chicken in a lemon-caper sauce with pasta, and cherries jubilee (aka: ice cream with a couple of marinated cherries). It was tasty but I don’t think it justified $15 and I certainly don’t think it justified the normal price they charged for this meal.



Not to be deterred, the next day we went to Rothschild’s for lunch. I don’t expect anyone to remember, but Rothschild’s was one of the many places we hit for the Corona Del Mar eating tour last year. Rothschild’s gave you a little bit more variety in their Restaurant Week menu than Arches. I ended up getting the minestrone soup, meat cannoli, and tiramisu. Kevin had the bruschetta, chicken, and gelato. The apps were great, the main course was ok, and the dessert was absolutely fucking fabulous. Sorry to swear there, it was just that good. I ate all of mine and admittedly stole quite a bit of Kevin’s. The desserts themselves were worth $15, I swear. I want one (or both) of them right now.



I had wanted to hit a couple more places for dinner but Kevin kindly reminded me that even though it’s not as expensive as usual, it’s still expensive. He’s so smart. Maybe one of these days I’ll go on a dessert tour though. Rothschild’s tiramisu is first on that list.

Gah. You know what? I feel better. I had a couple more rants stored up in my head but after writing this all out, I don’t feel so…rant-y anymore. So, you know, you all got away a lot easier than I thought you all would.

I’ll be back in a week or so. This weekend is pretty low key…the rain is falling, the cat is curled up in a little ball by my side, and Kevin is playing video game on my other side…it’s just a good weekend to stay in and do….not much at all.