Tra Teahouse 

Hi Everybody! Now you yell "Hi Dr. Nick!". I'm a huge Simpson fan, in case that joke makes no sense to you. Well my friends, here we are with a review of a little tea house I found while cruising around on a day off from work. I really happened to find this place by accident. I parked my car in a strip mall and just walked around looking for a spot to have a quick lunch. Is this how I normally go about looking for food? No. But I like doing this sometimes just to see what else is out there.

Before I get into the juicy details of this tea house, I wanna touch back on something that I mentioned in my very first blog: Food Reviews.

I knew when I started this that I didn't want it to be strictly reviews. I didn't want to be associated with all these other assholes out there bashing restaurants with witty catch phrases trying to be the next Anthony Bourdain. I just wanted to let everyone take a peek at what I like.

Personally, I don't like reviewing stuff from national food chains. You can pick up a newspaper and find reviews on that stuff. I like trying the hole-in-the-wall spots for numerous reasons. Problem is, there are millions of blogs out there all doing the same thing. I know I'm not exactly blazing a new trail here, but I'd like to think that I'm giving the reader something to look forward to 2 times a week.

One last remark on this issue is that I'm certainly not going the Andrew Zimmerman route. If you think for a second that I'm gonna be eating bull scrotum or sewer rat or whatever else that mofo eats, you can forget about it!

With that off my chest, it's time to get down to business.

My first impressions as I walked in were very good. Colorful art along the walls and upbeat music quickly gave the place a very welcoming feel. The patrons varied in age from teens to middle-aged adults. Everyone there, including employees, seemed to be in good spirits. If you have ever been in a place where the people working there seemed like they were all a few minutes away from eating a bullet, you know how important positive attitudes can be.

They have a healthy size menu with lots of drink options and a short list of hot finger foods you can order. Next to the register they have small pastries that didn't look too bad at all.

After talking with the girl at the register for a second, I ordered their Cajun Garlic Fries and one of their signature drinks called The New Yorker. The New Yorker was a black tea drink flavored with peach and lychee with diced strawberry.

I didn't have to wait too long for the food and drink. When it was done, they brought it to the table I was at. Here is what I was looking at.

The drink was good. A bit sweeter than something I would normally get, but I wanted try something besides ice coffee. The white at the bottom of the cup was the lychee. If you like boba drinks, you will be at home with this one. Overall, it was a refreshing drink. The peach and lychee is a good combo I might have to steal that for a dessert.

The fries were ok...at first. Let me explain. As I first started eating the ones off the top, they were just alright. I didn't think they were seasoned enough. But as I dug a little deeper, I found these bits of garlic and parsley at the bottom of the tray. Now we were in business. All those goodies at the bottom were awesome. Pinch of garlic and a few fries, I was very happy in pants!

After spiking my blood sugar and breath reeking of garlic, it was time for me to go. I gotta say that I enjoyed my short little time there. I know I'm gonna stop by there next time I'm in that area. Here's one last picture of Tra Teahouse.

Here's the address:
14291 Euclid St
Ste D105
Garden Grove, CA 92843

That's it for this one. Until next time my friends!

J. Miller