[Orange] [American] Orange Hill Restaurant

Orange Hill Restaurant
6410 E Chapman Ave
Orange, CA 92869
(714) 997-2910
http://www.theorangehillrestaurant.com

It's not my birthday yet.  I am still 34!  Just let me be 34 for few more days.... ok?  haha....  My birthday is on the 16th, and that weekend is also Valentine's weekend + Chinese New Year.  So if I invite my friends that weekend, they have to choose between their family, their men, or me.  I know I'd win, but I don't want their family and men to be mad.  So I decide to take myself out of the competition and had my first birthday dinner last Sunday at Orange Hill Restaurant.  Hey, I only needed to compete with Super Bowl that day.  haha....  ^^



I was looking for a restaurant with prix fixe menu with reasonable price, and came across Orange Hill Restaurant.  From my internet research, I found out that they had a $21.95 3 course sunset dinner daily from 4:30pm to 6pm.  Also people said this restaurant has a stunning view.  I made an early dinner reservation for 5pm.




We drove on the winding road up the hill to the restaurant.  Parking is valet only.  Even though valet is complimentary, on the sign it said "suggested gratuity $3.50".  So we paid $3.50 when we picked up our car.



We were about 15 minutes late, but still the first ones to arrive.  My friend Tammy and Sharon both had to work that day and couldn't be there.  So just Sybil and Jennifer with their men and us.  Knowing my friends for 15+ years, I already expected them to be late.  So we took the time to enjoy the view at the patio while waiting for them.


Blueberry Cosmo ($11.00) / Dry Martini ($11.00)

I wanted a fruity martini, and our waitress (they have waitress for the patio area too) suggested her favorite drink, Blueberry Cosmo.  It was SUPER DUPER good!  It was sweet and fruity and yummy!  When Sybil came, she also ordered one and loved it, too.  Dr. P got the manly dry gin martini.  It was really strong.



We sat on the patio by the pitfire, sipped cocktail, and watched the sunset.  It was beautiful and romantic.  @^_^@



The view is beautiful here.  We could even see Catalina Island in the distance.



Sybil and Andy showed up right after the sunset.  Too bad they missed it.  The sunset happened really fast.  Once the sun hit the horizon, it was gone in like 2 minutes.  By the way, I really didn't mind my friends being late at all that day.  The view was so nice, and I truly enjoyed just sitting out there with Dr. P.  ^^



Jennifer and her man finally arrived at 6:30pm, and the party moved inside to the dining room.  Bar bill cannot be added on to dinner bill, and had to be paid separately.  I love the cocktail and the view here.  I would love to come back again just to sit on the patio in the afternoon sipping my blueberry cosmo and chat with friends.



The restaurant was very dark (and romantic & pretty).  So I apologize for the bad quality of my dark pictures.  The special sunset dinner prix fixe menu is only served between 4:30pm to 6:00pm.  We were given the regular menu, but decide to ask our waitress about it anyway.  She went to talk to someone (manager maybe?) and came back and told us that she was told only 4 of us were here before 6pm, but she's just gonna let us do the menu this time.  That was very nice of her.  The $21.95 3 course dinner was definitely a deal because just their regular entree is about $30 normally.


Bread

The meal started with some bread.  There were white bread and this dark bread (rye?) with raisin.  I love the raisin bread.  Seriously, it was so dark in there  that I couldn't even see the dark bread I was eating.


Butter & Pesto

Besides butter, there were also pesto for the bread.  The pesto was very good.  I ate too much bread because of it.


Calamari Fritti ($10.00)
Tender calamari dusted in flour, flash fried and tossed with garlic, lemon and white wine

As I mentioned before, the 3 course dinner was $21.95.  I put the regular price of the dish under the pictures for reference.  There were 3 choices for first course.  I didn't order this because I thought it would be deep fried and oily.  But it wasn't at all.  Calamari Fritti was lemony and light.  I like the garlic/lemon/white wine sauce a lot.


Maine Lobster Bisque ($8.00)
Sherry infused, garnished with lobster meat

Dr. P got Maine Lobster Bisque.  He said it tasted better than the one he had at Roy's.  I had some and it was pretty good.  No lobster in the soup though.


Orange Hill Salad ($7.00)
Organic greens, candied walnuts, black grapes, bleu cheese and citrus vinaigrette

I ordered Orange Hill Salad.  The greens were fresh.  I like the combination of candied walnut, raisin, and bleu cheese.  The citrus vinaigrette was tasty.  It was a good salad.


Drunken Mahi Mahi ($26.00)
Blackened, deglazed with tequila in a lime cream sauce, yukon gold potatoes and glazed vegetables

My two girlfriends both ordered Drunken Mahi Mahi.  I had a bite of the fish, it was good.  They both liked the mahi mahi.


1/2 Pound Prime Rib of Beef ($28.00)
Herb crusted prime rib, au jus, mashed potatoes and fresh garlic sauteed spinach

All the guys ordered Prime Rib.  I had some from Dr. P's plate.  It was one good piece of prime rib.  Very flavorful and tender.


Australian Roasted Rack of Lamb ($36.00)
Rosemary marinated, pepita crusted, garlic mashed potato, garden vegetable, pomegranate sauce

I ordered Australian Roasted Rack of Lamb.  It came with 3 pieces.  It was alright.  Wan't bad, but didn't blow me away.  Out of the 3 dishes, I think I like the prime rib the most.



Our waitress brought me  two small pieces of birthday treats, and my friends sang happy birthday to me.



One piece was chocolate cake, the other one was cheesecake.


House Made Cheesecake

Then she brought us our cheesecake after that.  The cheesecake was creamy and rich.  It was good, but I was too full to finish it.



This was the beautiful night view from our table.  After dinner, we moved outside, sat by the pitfire, and just chatted away the whole night.  We left at 10pm when the restaurant turned off the lights.  haha....



The food was good, not awed good, but just good.  The view was stunning, and the ambiance was very romantic.  I would highly recommend this restaurant for special occasions.  Their sunset dinner is the best value.  Be sure to come early to enjoy the outdoor patio with a cocktail.



Thank you my girls for coming all the way down to OC.  Always a good time hanging out with you girls.



Thank you boys for coming too.  Love all of your funny stories!  ^^

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