Going to Market at the Great Park, Irvine

I’ve been trying to think of things I like about California, but the list isn’t very long. One item on that list that I’m not sure about is the local farmer’s market and anyone who’s been to a market in Europe probably knows why. But what’s great (and its a little bit hard for me to say that about anything in in southern California) about the markets here in Orange County are, well, the oranges.

You don’t see that in Berlin.

The Great Park market isn’t out usual, but we gave it a try for the food trucks. Jon is oddly fond of them.

This is his favorite.

As the name implies, Barcelona on the Go serves spanish food. Jon usually goes with the paella – its good and I don’t just mean good for something that was cooked in the back of a truck. Its really good. They haven’t been serving it at the farmer’s market, though, so Jon has been going with the sirloin with chimichurri. As I hinted at before, I am not as in love with the orange county food truck scene, but I gave this one a go.

Meh. The pizza oven inside the van is impressive. but I didn’t love the pizza. It looks pretty, though.

See?

The garlic knots were the real breakout star. Yum.

Every last one was gone and thanks to the parsley aka “yucky green things” I didn’t even have to share with S.

 

Don’t worry about her, though. She eats blood oranges by the dozen.

 

Lunch at Vapiano

Vapiano, my favorite lazy -I don’t want to cook, but I dont want to risk taking Shoshana to a restaurant-oy how will I entertain her through an entire meal-restaurant. It takes just as little effort as fast food place, but with much much better food made out of real food. Like Holyfields, you get a card when you walk in and then – similar to a student cafeteria – you order food at stations and then swipe your card to add to your balance. You pay before you leave at a cash register near the door.

I hear there are franchises in the US, too, but I’ve only ever been to a Vapianos in Germany. I think it might be a Germany company? Yes?

The pasta is the best and the lines show it. There’s also antipasti, but I’ve never seen anyone ordering it. Bt the reason it won my heart…

Super cute kinderpizza!

The customers seem to be a mix of business people looking for a quick lunch and families looking for a way to eat out without the glares that eating out normally brings with small children.

Vapianos has three locations in Berlin: Potsdamer Platz, Unter den Linden, and just off of Ku’damm.