Anaheim Packing District

When looking for something cool for the boys and I to do on our Adventure Day yesterday, I happened upon a listing for the Anaheim Packing District. I’m not sure how we’ve never been here – it’s 100% US!

So many choices!

Basically this place is like an upscale mall food court without having to go to the mall. The best part is that with so many stalls there was literally something for all of us. No fighting. And no drive through. 

We walked through most of the 2-story food paradise before making our choices. 

Aaron and I decided on Vietnamese at Sawleaf. I had the pork belly bahn mi, Aaron had the steak fries. Basically, the first place he saw fries he stopped and go no interest in looking any further. Not much out of his comfort zone but he did eat the five spice aioli so there’s that. His fries were skinny and crispy and the steak tender. 

My bahn mi really hit the spot. The bread was crispy and soft in the center, the meat was tender, the salad crisp and fresh. I missed the daikon I’m used to but the fried jalapeños added a nice bite. The sauce was a bit sweet for my taste but eaten as a whole, a definite A. 

Anthony opted for the Snoop Dawg at Doggone Good Sodas and Dogs with a side of loaded chili. 

The dog had buffalo sauce,  bourbon bacon, and ranch. Paired with a light IPA and he was a happy boy. 

J was the last to decide and he was deliberating between the short rib poutine and the bbq cheeseburger version. While I was waiting for my sandwich, he came up asking what poutine was. Once he heard smothered fries, he was sold. Aa should have waited because Kroft had tons of amazing choices. J’s burger fry concoction was HUGE! Fries, a burger patty, cheese, sauce, fried onions. The fries were larger than Aaron’s and overall a better choice, too. 

Since we were headed to find the chimney cakes (which ended up being 2 blocks away) we didn’t get desserts but future trips will include ice cream bars, snowballs, cotton candy covered drinks, and giant ice cream novelties. 

This place is pretty hipster. $3 valet or try to find a spot on the local streets – we opted for a free lot down the street. Oh yeah, free WiFi, too. Food was about $10/person. Anthony bought his own beer so I have no idea how much he shelled out for that. 

Chimney Cakes – no passport required

If you’ve never heard of Chimney Cakes you’re obviously not as obsessed with sweets as me or don’t watch as many travel food shows and videos as me. That’s ok, I’m here for ya. 

I’m not sure where I first saw these; probably an episode of Delicious Destinations with Andrew Zimmern or a Facebook video. The idea of a hollow churro that could be filled with additional yumminess sounded even more awesome than the looping churro ice cream sundaes from The Loop in Westminster. BUT, convincing E to go to Prague for donuts? Probably not likely. 

Side note – if you’ve never been to The Loop, GO!

So, when I read Nancy Luna’s article in the OC Register about the newly opened House of Chimney Cakes, a plan started. Luckily, the boys and I had a day off today for Veteran’s Day. The boys aren’t usually up for my crazy adventures but once I promised food and no museums and then showed them photos of the chimney cakes they were sold! 

So did they live up to the hype? Ummmm YES!

First off, there are a ton of options which tends to overwhelm us so we opted for two combos on the menu – Oreo (duh) and s’mores. 

Watching them make the cones in front of us was pretty awesome! Rolling out the dough, loading into the special rotisseries, the dripping buttery goodness, rolling them in the coatings. And then all the topping choices! Wow!

When they take them out of the special oven they actually steam from the top looking like delicious volcanos!

The churro-like cones were both crunchy and soft, and not too thick or bready. They made the perfect vessel for the ice cream and toppings. No mushy cones or drippy mess. Perfection. 

Aaron and I shared the s’mores cone which was coated in ground graham crackers and filled with vanilla soft serve, graham crackers, chocolate pieces, chocolate syrup, and a blowtorch toasted marshmallow! There was a surprise Whopper at the bottom of the cone, too. 

Justin & Anthony’s Oreo cone was covered in cookie crumbs and filled with swirled ice cream, syrup, and cookies. 

Will we go back? What do you think? 

Easy parking in the lot. Cones cost us $7.95 each fully loaded. Seating out front. Walking distance to “real food”. Employees were super friendly.