This past Saturday I went on the Vintage Orange county walking food tour with my mother. This tour was compiled of nine different food and shopping stops where we would get a sample of each of their signature menu items or a special promotional item. Throughout our journey, our tour guide, Kimberly, was telling us different historical facts about everything that we passed.
The first stop was at Ruby’s Streamliner Diner. Though this is a normal chain restaurant, the one located in Orange County was built out of a converted train station. They kept most of the structure of the old station, but modernized a good portion of it as well. There we were served cinnamon roll french toast and bacon. The french toast was great and the bacon tasted great.
Then right down the street we walked to The Potting Shed, a country chic plant and outdoor furniture store. This building was converted out of an old barn, which enhanced its country chic vibe. All of us were given baby succulents and ten minutes to shop or look around.
Next was our longest walk of the day, about two blocks, down to the farmers market. This was my favorite stop of the entire trip. All around were different organic food sellers, as well as original artisans selling their wares.
We were given fifteen minutes to get all of our shopping done, and with that being said, my mom and I booked it to the bakery section. We bought three different types of breads that were all baked that same morning, and they tasted amazing. But we were on a tight schedule, so we had to leave soon after.
We then headed down the street to Rutabegorz, a vegan and dietary friendly cafe. There we were served chicken tortilla soup. To be honest with you, it was fine, I mean it was just soup so there’s not much to say about it.
Right next door to Rutabegorz was our next stop, the Dragonfly Shop. This place was a crafters dream. The Dragonfly shop was converted out of an old craftsman home, and each room had supplies for each and every craft.
They also hold classes such as jewelry and dreamcatcher making, as well as cake decorating. We were also given a free coaster on our way out, with mine saying “If everyone jumped off the cliff” and the other side read “xoxo Mom.”
Zito’s pizza shop located downtown was next on our list. Pizza is pizza so of course it was good. They could have served me cardboard with tomato sauce and I would have eaten it.
At this point I was starting to get full, and we still had two more food stops left. Another chain restaurant, Wahoo’s was next up. Converted out of an old inn, this Wahoo’s had a unique look to the outside. Here we were served rice and beans. That’s it, rice and beans, the most generic thing out there, and that’s what we got. I mean, it tasted alright, but come on, especially from a place that specializes in fish tacos.
Our last stop was Taco Adobe, a three time winner of best hole-in-the-wall Mexican food. Here we got their famous street tacos, they were served with a creamy sauce rather than the normal pico de gallo. Made differently than normal L.A. street tacos, this was a nice surprise.
That concluded the tour, and I actually had a really nice time. My mother did as well, and that’s saying something. But my one complaint would be the price, without the groupon deal that sometimes goes on, the pricing is a little high, so make such to look out for that coupon. Kimberly was also a joy and made the experience fun and educational at the same time, which is hard to do. Overall I would recommend this tour to everyone, it's a really cool experience and you get to eat good food along the way as well.
