After our late dinner, we left DL sad that it was our last night, but still with plenty of our honeymoon vacation ahead of us.
The next morning, we slept in and then headed out from the Disney's Grand Californian Hotel for our next stop, lunch in OC at Mission San Juan Capistrano. This is a great half day trip from Anaheim if you want to do something touristy that's not Disney. The Mission itself is amazing and beautiful and rich with history.
There is also a lovely little lunch or brunch spot right across from one side of the mission. It's called L'Hirondelle. This was not our first visit there. It's one of those places you want to return to over and over again.
Today, we felt like indulging so we started with some cocktails.
I chose a bellini:
How could there possibly be anything wrong with sparkling wine and peach puree???
DP chose a mojito. I don't really know why she chose this:
She seemed to enjoy it, but I think she envied by bellini.
We even went for it and ordered an app today:
The crab stuffed mushrooms. OMG were these delicious. So far we've never had anything here that we didn't really love.
They also brought bread for the table. This was warm and good. We tried to eat very little of it since we were already ordering more than usual.
Next came our meals.
I chose the smoked salmon benedict. I love a good hollandaise, and I love smoked salmon with capers and onions. This was a new combo for me:
This was indeed a good hollandaise, but the smoked salmon taste for me overpowered the sauce and I missed the decadence of a true benedict. There was nothing wrong with the dish, but it's something I learned about myself. I really prefer when the hollandaise can shine.
The eggs were poached well, and the salmon was tasty and tender. This also came with very good breakfast potatoes and a cup of fruit. So much food!
DP chose an open-faced ahi tuni sandwich:
Huge!
She loves the ahi here, and the homemade tarter is supreme. The fries are tasty and delicious, more like European frites, and she got fruit too!
Unfortunately there was lots left on our plates, but we thoroughly enjoyed every bite. This restaurant is just so wonderful, although you tend to do some waiting for the waitstaff. The meals arrive in a more timely fashion, though, and everything is always unique and decadent, tasting homemade. (I really think the food IS homemade here, which is a nice change from the frozen and mass-produced items you find at most restaurants these days.)
With our bellies full and sunshine on our minds, we headed down the coast to our next stop, Carlsbad.