A while back I spent day shopping and lunching with a friend. We didn’t want to do the typical girlie type clothes shopping, we wanted to go do something different. We found our way to this out of the way, you can only see the shops off the freeway, but can’t figure out how to actually get to them shopping plaza.
All I could say is…thanks goodness for maps on smart phones!!!
It was our kind of shops, home accessories, furniture stores, “she she” gardening boutiques and the icing on the cake…wait for it…my favorite kind of store…A Cookware/Gourmet Food Store.
Surfas Culinary District in Costa Mesa, CA
When you first walk in the cheese section is staring right back at you, with all its glorious cheeses from all over the world.
The very sweet lady behind the counter gave us a sample of a cheese made with coconut, I know that might sound strange but it was yummy…so very yummy. All three of us were talking about the wonderful ways we would eat the Coconut Gouda cheese, and thought our favorite would be with a Marcona Almond and a bit of honey drizzled over the top. Once we decided the coconut cheeses’ fate, we went along shopping on our merry way. There are so many places to look in this store we decided we would systemacically go up and down every isle just so we wouldn’t miss a thing.
Right next to the cheese case is a sit down area where you can have cheese pairings with wine. I would love to do this with a bunch of girlfriends! How fun would it be instead of the usual birthday lunch with friends?
I think I could have eaten a loaf of the fresh baked bread while we were walking around looking at all the items I want.
Surfas has wonderful packaged homemade pastas. Don’t you love this black and white stripped ravioli?
We could have spent hours just looking a the bright and beautiful decorative sugar colors.
If there is a certain size of cake pan you’re looking for, they have it!
How fun would it be to have a dinner party and serve this black pasta, especially for Halloween!
We were about half way through the store when the sweet lady from the cheese counter came from around the corner and greeted each of us with..guess what??? A spoon with a piece of Coconut Gouda cheese, a Marcona Almond and a drizzle of honey from a local bee farmer. It was an even more tasty combination than I thought. The mild coconut taste in combination with the sweet honey and the slight saltiness of the Marcona Almond made my mouth do the happy dance. Since then I have serve that same combination at dinner parities, everyone is always surprised at the mild Coconut Gouda’s flavor, it even wins over people who don’t like the flavor of coconut. If you ever get the chance give this combination a try.
Surfas has antique items throughout the store.
Yum…What would you do with this Black Truffle Salt?
After all this shopping we both got hungry and had lunch in the Surfas Cafe.
We both ordered the vegetable sandwich on grilled fresh baked bread. I love the edible posies they put on the salad.
They have indoor tables, but we preferred the outdoor seating.
If you are in the Orange County, California area go check out Surfas. Check out their website they have over 1,000 online products.
Culinary District
3309 Hyland Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626
{714} 453-COOK {2665}