Anaheim Packing District

We weren't planning on visiting the Anaheim Packing District Food Hall while we were in town, not because we had better things to eat, but we didn't even know about it!  While we were dining with Jess at Playa Provisions, she suggested that we check it out.  That we did... twice!  There is a good selection of eats there and it offers a little of something for everyone.  Best thing of all, most of the food stalls are unique where you won't be finding any big chains setting up shop.

My son didn't need to see what was available because he essentially ordered the first thing he did see!  That would be Zabon Ramen and Rolls.  He got the aptly named Zabon Ramen featuring a chicken and pork broth with soy, chashu, cabbage and fried onion.  He added an egg as well.  The broth was definitely rich as advertised and even a bit greasy.  Not advisable to drink the whole thing.  It wasn't salty, but had good umaminess.  Noodles were al dente and the pork was generally tender with some chewier portions.  Egg was custardy in the middle and nicely seasoned.  He added a California Roll with Salmon for good measure and it was pretty standard.  Rice was chewy being a touch dry.  Good rice-to-ingredient ratio and the amount of salmon was enough.

For myself, I ordered 2 items from 206 BCE including the Sausage Anti-Gravity Noodles.  I know, I know, this looks like a complete gimmick that won't taste good.  Well, sorry to be the bearer of bad news (or is it good news?) because this was tasty!  The ample egg noodles were bathed in a delicious garlicky soy butter that was impactful and aromatic.  I couldn't stop eating the al dente noodles! There was plenty of sliced sausage (of the seafood boil variety) hidden underneath.

The other item was the Specialty Pho featuring an entire beef rib, rare beef, meatballs and brisket.  As you can clearly see (sorry for the pun), the broth was clean and clear.  Hence, the flavor was mild and light with only the slightest meatiness and sweetness.  I could pick out some daikon and minor hits of anise.  The amount of meat in this was mind-boggling, especially for the price ($14.00).  I found the meats to be tender and the rib fell off the bone.  Worth the price in my opinion.

My daughter was extremely boring with her choice of the French BLT Sandwich from Le Parfait Paris.  This consisted of brie, lettuce, tomato, turkey, prosciutto, honey and garlic aioli.  Maybe I'm being a bit harsh saying this was boring because brie and prosciutto are higher end sandwich ingredients, but she normally chooses the most complex things!  All-in-all, this was a good sandwich with layers of flavor from salty to sweet.

Viv decided on the Shrimp Pad Thai from the White Elephant.  Although this may not look like a lot of food, it was actually more than enough.  Loved the high wok heat applied to the dish as there was caramelization of flavors as well as evaporating most of the moisture.  In turn, the dish didn't eat wet, but was not dry either.  Good tang from the tamarind balanced off by the palm sugar.  Decent spice too as this was well-balanced and tasty.

On our next visit, I decided to hit up Georgia's Kitchen for the Fried Catfish Po' Boy with shredded lettuce, tomato, pickles, tartar and garlic mayo on a French roll.  I thought the catfish was nicely prepared being soft and almost flaky.  The cornmeal batter was crunchy and well-spiced.  However, the French roll was a bit dense.  This was a bit much for the amount of catfish and therefore, the fish got lost.  Otherwise, this was generally good.  The side of fries were hot and crispy.

For some inexplicable reason, my daughter once again went for a sandwich. At least this was something I would've considered ordering.  This was the Classic from Black Sheep GCB.  Featuring sharp cheddar and Swiss, the sandwich was simple yet flavorful due to the sharpness.  Bread was evenly grilled with a crispy surface.  She got a side of Scratch-made Tomato Soup on the side for dipping.  It was tangy, yet balanced with nice depth and sweetness.  Perfect match for the grilled cheese she chose.

My son went for the Loco Moco Poutine from The Kroft.  Yes, this looked messy and ate equally messy.  Other than crispy fries, this boasted meatloaf, brown gravy, fried onions, cheese curds, fried egg and ketchup glaze (he omitted the green onions).  In one sense, he enjoyed this as it was super filling and each individual ingredient was prepared well.  However, it became a bit monotonous the more he ate it.  Maybe if there was a smaller portion, it would've been enough.

Viv had probably the most visually unappealing dish in the Chili Cheese Baked Potato also from the Kroft.  I guess it ate better than it looked, but there seemed to be lacking in toppings.  For the size of the potato, there should've been more chili.  About that chili, it was quite good though with spice and tang.  There was also bacon, sour cream, chopped onions and green onion, so the flavors were there, we just needed more of it.

We got something sweet to end things off with some Gelato Pops from the Popbar.  We've actually had these before and although they aren't the best gelato/sorbetto we've ever had, it is portable and serviceable.  We got them all coated in chocolate (with one in sprinkles).  From left to right is pineapple, berry and vanilla.  So these are the places we visited at the Anaheim Packing District.  There are a few more that we didn't get to but looked promising.  If you have wheels and are tired of all the stuff in and around Disneyland, just make the short drive here to get something different.

The Good:
- Nice variety of vendors
- Appealing dining space
- Not too far from the tourist attractions

The Bad:
- Parking is limited
- Place gets a bit warm

Le Kitchen Pho & Rice

Needing to grab some lunch after a morning at California Adventure, we weren't planning on going very far.  Hence we looked for something on W Katella Ave.  To narrow down the search some more, we decided on something much lighter than what we had for dinner the night before.  So off we went to Le Kitchen Pho & Rice located in what appeared to be a former location of Pizza Hut.  We thought it was great since the dining space was large and spacious.

Absolutely loved the owner-lady as she was welcoming and super nice.  That alone was worth the price of admission.  However, I'm here to talk about the food, so we started with the Salad Rolls which was modernly plated.  Portion size was not as big as some spots, but the rolls were prepared well.  The lettuce was fresh and crisp, vermicelli noodles were soft with a chew while the shrimp were meaty.

We also had the Spring Rolls and to our delight, they were prepared with legit rice wrappers.  Some places are lazy and use wheat wrappers which totally changes the texture.  By using rice wrappers, the crunch from the exterior was more firm and it didn't shatter like wheat wrappers.  Rather, it had a slight chew (just how we like it).  The pork filling was moist and well-seasoned.  Loved how they served it with herbs and lettuce, so we could wrap the spring rolls.

For Viv she had the Pho with rare steak and meatballs.  Broth was clean and fairly light with only the mild meatiness and hints of daikon and anise.  This was good though as it wasn't overloaded with salt or MSG.  Furthermore, they skimmed the oil enough so the broth wasn't overly fatty either.  Noodles were decently portioned and still al dente.  There was enough meat which was tender.

For my daughter, she went for her usual in the Pho Ga.  Naturally, the flavor profile of the soup was remarkably different than the beef.  It was sweeter and lighter as well as having a noticeable chicken essence.  Again, it wasn't overly salty.  Once again, the noodles were not overdone nor clumpy.  The ample slices of chicken were relatively tender given that it was white meat.

For my son, he also stuck with his favorite being the Lemongrass Chicken with rice and fried egg.  Nicely charred, the bone-in chicken thighs were marinated well.  As a result, the meat was juicy and well-seasoned.  Lots of aromatics and smokiness that went well with the white rice and perfectly fried egg.  Since it was bone in, it was a bit more difficult to eat, but well worth it for the extra meaty flavor.

For myself, I had the Banh Mi Chao (Bo Ne) featuring cubed filet mignon, fried eggs, pate sauce, cheese wedge, meatball, and sausage with French baguette and salad.  I've had this before and I can say this was pretty good with a creamy and meaty sauce that I soaked up with the crusty baguette.  Beef was medium-rare and super tender.  Well-priced for $12.00.  In fact, this was an inexpensive meal that was tasty and well-portioned.  A good escape from the heavy stuff at Disneyland and surrounding restaurants.

The Good:

- Super nice people

- Good eats

- Well-priced

The Bad:

- Not much ambiance, but you aren't paying for that

Craft by Smoke & Fire

After our first day at Dinseyland, we were somewhat tired and sunburnt, but okay otherwise.  It helped that we arrived for rope drop, but left just before lunch.  That meant we avoided the most busiest time in the part as well as the hottest temperatures.  Before we made it back to the park for the evening, we made the short drive out to Craft by Smoke & Fire at the Center Street Promenade.  Place was hopping and super busy, but luckily, I had made a rez.

Even with that, it took a bit to be seated and even longer to put in our order.  Now I'm not placing the blame on our server because she was super sweet and was truly doing her best.  Seeing that everything was taking so long, she treated us to the Prime Short Rib Quesadilla.  Oh this was money as the smoked short rib was super tender, fatty and flavorful.  The whole thing was loaded with meat, Oaxacan cheese, comeback sauce, cilantro and onions.  This is best shared or eaten as a main for one person.  Even at that, it ate heavy with all that rich meat and cheese.  Still freakin' delicious though.

Our meal didn't get any lighter as the Brisket Queso Fundido hit the table next.  This was a considerable amount of melted cheese and chopped smoked brisket with blue corn tortilla chips.  Not sure why they only supplied only a smattering of chips, so we asked for more.  Extremely cheesy with a nice crust on the edges, this was aromatic and meaty.  Good smoked essence as well as the natural saltiness of the cheese.  Chips were crunchy and held up to the cheese.

If you thought the 2 dishes we had so far were large, try the Brisket Tacos on for size.  They didn't skimp on the smoked brisket which was fatty and moist.  Possibly a bit too fatty, but I just pulled those pieces out.  It was nicely sauced which kept things from drying out and offered up some sweet smokiness.  A good amount of curtido slaw made for some tangy crunch to go with the splash of creamy comeback sauce.  As for a side, I went for the Street Corn Named Desire with a good amount of fried onions on top.  The corn underneath was creamy and sweet with a hint of spice.

For Viv, she also had brisket in the form of The Madison featuring prime smoked pastrami brisket, bread & butter pickles, curtido slaw, comeback sauce and American cheese on Texas toast.  We found this sammie to be decent with enough pastrami so that it was meaty and filling.  The slaw was crunchy and tangy while the pickles added even more crunch.  The toast was a touch dense, but nicely seared on the flattop.  She selected the Red Skin Potato Salad which was passable but the potatoes were a bit underdone.  Furthermore, the mayo was not seasoned enough.

My daughter had probably the less interesting item in the Brisket Grilled Cheese.  Once again, the brisket was tender and fatty, but not as abundant as the other dishes.  Since they melted the cheese with the brisket right on the flattop, it was pretty crispy.  However, there was a disconnect between the toast and the ingredients.  They were literally not connected.  Hence, it didn't eat as cohesive as a grilled cheese should be.  Her side of Garlic & Herb Mashed Potatoes was pretty thick and dense.  Flavor was good, but could've been lighter.  Overall, we found the food at Craft to be decent and well-priced.  Service was super-friendly, but the kitchen was slow.  It could've been due to the full house and also the challenges of staffing by businesses these days.

The Good:

- Inexpensive

- Large portions

- Some good dishes

The Bad:

- Some dishes were clunky

- Food was slow coming out