Orange County Travel Blog | Costa Mesa

People watching and play watching

My wife and I recently had the opportunity to enjoy two popular passtimes in Costa Mesa (www.travelcostamesa.com) – people watching and play watching.

The first was accomplished by grabbing a prime table in the Lobby Bar of the impressively renovated Costa Mesa landmark, Westin South Coast Plaza (www.westin.com/southcoastplaza). Weeknights from 5 until 7, you can join locals and overnight guests alike for the hotel’s Unwind Hour, a new social experience. We ordered from the bar menu and watched as the crowd grew in size, with groups reassembling from meetings held in the hotel earlier that day, as well as other couples like us, and singles, too.

We were told that during June, the hotel’s Executive Chef Hussain Zouhbi is pairing two Napa Valley California favorites, the Ghost Pines 2006 Chardonnay and the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, with delicious appetizers. Each month the libation and the food pairings will change.

The next part of our evening was also easily accomplished. Known as the City of the Arts, Costa Mesa is home to The Orange County Performing Artscenter and South Coast Repertory. On this evening, we made the short walk to the Repertory (http://www.scr.org/) to watch the often hilariously funny play, Taking Steps, by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn. Appearing on the Segerstrom Stage through June 15, the play is a farce about a group of eccentric people occupying a Victorian home for an evening and the next day.

As luck would have it, the play’s director Art Manke, who also directs UPN sitcoms Eve and One on One, and Disney’s Hannah Montana, addressed a group of theatergoers ahead of the curtain. One challenge he overcame: the “home” has three stories with action taking place on each, yet the stage is only one level. Watching the actors pretend to climb imaginary staircases and slip past one another undetected was amazing and entertaining.

For watching people and plays, Costa Mesa’s hard to beat.

A Spring Day at Metro Pointe

As the weather gets warmer and summer gets closer, my instincts are telling me to head over to Metro Pointe at South Coast, an outdoor shopping area just across the street from South Coast Plaza on Bear Street.

When my coworker Debbie and I have the opportunity to enjoy lunch together, Metro Pointe is our top choice. In addition to shopping and entertainment, there are great places to eat with plenty of shady spots to protect our sallow skin from the sun’s ravenous rays.

One of my favorite places to eat in Metro Pointe, and perhaps in all of Costa Mesa, is Finbars Italian Kitchen. At Finbars, the ambiance is casual while the food and service is out of this world. From one-of-a-kind pizzas to classic pasta dishes, Finbars offers New York-inspired Italian food with a “Left Coast” twist. Last week, Debbie and I had lunch at our old friend Finbars and enjoyed the soon-to-be-summer weather on the patio.

After a scrumptious grilled chicken rosemary sandwich and a Florentine chicken pizza, Debbie and I strolled about 20 feet over to Cold Stone Creamery, the ice cream experience which puts other parlors to shame. With their “hands on” service and unique flavor & mix-ins combinations, Cold Stone rarely disappoints. Remembering our past mistake of ordering two “Gotta Have It” sizes to scarf down on the way back to work, we decide to split a “Love It” size of the aptly named “Cookie Doughn’t You Want Some”. Our frugal decision left us 10 minutes to spare, so we hopped on over to Barnes & Noble to check out the new releases.

Unfortunately, there's just not enough time in one lunch hour for Debbie and I to check out everything at Metro Pointe, but we're going to be sure to stop by a few times during summer break!

Breakfast with man’s and woman’s best friends

My wife and I recently joined Ginger, Sophia, Ralph, Sam, Jack, Katie, Sumo, Sonoma, Mr. Beau Jangles, Calamity Jane and Buster the Beagle for a scrumptious breakfast buffet at the Wyndham Orange County in Costa Mesa.

No they weren’t cast members from a show at the Orange County Performing Artscenter or South Coast Repertory located across the street from the hotel, though they were major performers when it came to their ardent pleas for table scrapes. They’re dogs. They and their owners were there to enjoy the first Paws & Claws Breakfast Buffet at the property.

Every Saturday and Sunday from 7 am until noon, humans and their four-legged best friends are invited to dine on the lakeside terrace of the hotel’s TerraNova restaurant, which is surrounded by lush lawns, gardens and fountains. In addition to the people fare, which includes fresh fruit, bakery items, cooked-to-order omelets, scrambled eggs, breakfast meats, waffles, French toast, pancakes and more, doggy treats are available, too. Guests are also invited to enter their dog’s photo in a contest. The hotel also accommodates pets and owners wanting to stay overnight in the Theater & Arts District, which is close to South Coast Plaza.

In addition to the good-natured fun it engenders, the event is also a fundraiser for a great cause – finding kind, loving homes for every greyhound “retiring” from the Caliente Track in Tijuana, Mexico through the Greyhound Pets of America/CA-Orange County and Greater Los Angeles. The goal is to rescue these racing dogs when their track days are over so they have a chance to experience long, happy lives as companion pets and family members.

To date, the organization has found homes for nearly 3,000 ex-racing greyhounds. A great breakfast and a great cause – now that’s something to bark about!

A Taste of the City of the Arts

Last year, we had the opportunity to sample Costa Mesa’s culinary and performing arts offerings. First it was dinner at Turner New Zealand (www.turnernewzealand.com) on Anton Boulevard. Owner Noel Turner is keeping up a family tradition of serving the finest New Zealand has to offer in the way of foods, wines and service. My wife started out with the Vine Ripe Tomato and Fresh Buffalo Mozzarello Cheese – exceptional flavors are enhanced with a basil-infused oil and balsamic vinegar dressing -- while I partook of the generous Organic Natural Herb Salad. Ever the beef lover, I next dove into the ultra tender Petite Filet Mignon, while she enjoyed the Turner Lamb Rack. After a scrumptious chocolate dessert and coffee, we were onto our next sampling of Costa Mesa.
What’s especially great is that you park your car and walk in complete safety all around the heart of Costa Mesa. We made a quick stop at and inside Connector, a towering interactive work of sculptor Richard Sera that is a centerpiece of the District, before stepping into South Coast Repertory Theatre (www.scr.org), a Tony Award-winning regional venue. We soon found out why it has received such a distinction. The theater had mounted a riveting production of Shakespeare’s masterwork, Hamlet. We were enthralled with the performance rising TV star Hamish Linklater gave as the brooding title character. A cast made up of repertory regulars and some actors new to the SCR stage complemented his acting tour de force. Bravo, SCR!
We came away convinced that Costa Mesa is truly a City of the Arts. Needless to say, paraphrasing California’s actor turned governor, we’ll be back.