Avocado Cafe - the new Jans in Newport!

Well, I never thought in a million years that a Jans would arrive in Newport Beach.  Secretly, I hate going downtown HB to eat, just waaaaay too many memories :).  Anyway, even though it is not an exact Jans franchise, it's the closest substitute I have found south of brookhurst.  Yes ladies, "Avocado Cafe" in Newport/CDM off Avocado has the broccoli cheese soup, tuna, hava chips, guacamole, turkey, salads, bacon bits, sprouts, etc that Jans has.  However, they do offer a few extra luxuries compared to the original like squaw bread and boars head meats.  It is in the middle of an all gentleman's gym but don't let that scare ya, haha.  It was delish!

Starbucks GOLD!

I give major props to Kristina Stonebreaker for letting me in on this valuable tip!  If you frequent Starbucks as regularly as I do (every morning), you need to start earning rewards.  In order to do this, go get yourself a gift card, fill it up, register it online (you will start at green status), and use it every time you go.  Eventually, you will be upgraded to gold status (this happens quick if you are going every day) and Starbucks will send you their gold card.  At gold status, you immediately get free tea and coffee refills, free flavorings and syrups, free drinks on your birthday, etc.  Once you get the gold card in the mail, fill that up and use it every time you go to Starbucks.  After every 15 drinks, you get a free drink and will continue to get more and more rewards :)!

Buena Vista Irish Coffee Recipe!

I recently became a provisional member of the Junior League of San Francisco and purchased their "San Francisco Entertains" cookbook (highly recommend purchasing off the Junior League San Francisco website; all proceeds go to the charities involved with Junior League).  Inside the cookbook you can find specialty menus dedicated to certain holidays and events as well as amazing secret recipes from San Francisco's finest chefs and restaurants (Gary Danko, Fifth Floor, Bottega, Tipsy Pig, etc).  The jewel of the Nile I would say would be the Irish Coffee recipe from Buena Vista.  If you have had one, you know one is never enough.  So instead of spending $12 a coffee, let's make them at home!!

See recipe below for 1 serving:

2 sugar cubes
1/2 cup hot black coffee
1 jigger (1 1/4 ounces) Irish whiskey (Jameson works great here)
Heavy cream, lightly whipped

Fill a 6 ounce, short-stemmed, tulip-shaped coffee glass with very hot water and let stand for 1 to 2 minutes to heat; pour out the water.  Place the sugar cubes in the glass and immediately fill 3/4 full with the hot coffee, stirring to dissolve the sugar.  Stir in the Irish whiskey.  Top with the whipped cream, pouring it over a spoon to form an even head.  Serve piping hot.