STEPH JUDGEMENT: Dizzying variety with friendly, knowledgeable staff…read more Whoa, I can't believe I've never reviewed this place! I'd been a few times but since it's not very conveniently located to me it had been a while since I'd been. The hubby and I were on our way down to San Diego so we stopped in to get a gift for a friend. We wanted to get him a special bourbon but couldn't decide out of the dozens of bottles. One of their helpful staff came by and asked if he could help. He asked about a price range and recommended the Old Fitzgerald, which we'd never even heard of and never tried, but decided to take a chance. We were very impressed with it when we tried it with our friends later on that evening--the most smooth bourbon I think I've ever had. The cashier even went out of her way to find the branded velvet gift bag for the bottle, which was a nice way to present our gift. We were also glad to see that they had a selection of gluten-free beers, as the hubby had developed a gluten sensitivity recently. Great selection with a friendly, professional staff--it doesn't get much better than this.

Last time my review was not good because of customer service…read more This time, I want to leave five stars. This review is for staff member Michael (I hope I got his name correctly from his name tag; he is from France ). My brother is visiting from another country and wanted to buy a few bottles for his wine club. We know Hi-Time has a great selection. He asked a staff member for a specific wine bottle and he said they didn't have it. They spent a few more minutes talking and the staff member left without any convincing recommendations for my brother. My brother kept looking and then Michael showed up. Not only he found the wine he was looking for initially, but he also made some other great recommendations. The whole interaction was polite, friendly, interesting, and enjoyable. My brother walked out of Hi-Time with a smile. Thank you, Michael!

One of my favorite wine spots in OC! Wine lab is the in…read morecamp, parking is a hassle here but valet is available in a pinch. Interior is small and cozy. We come here at least once a month. Our favorite is a set of flight where you guess the region and type of wine. I have yet to get it 100% right but it's always fun to guess. The owners here are friendly and great wine section. They also have a small food selection of cheese and meats. Highly recommend for a wine tasting in OC!

Wine was decent, but I refused to try more because of the service. Came here on a Wednesday early…read moreevening to catch up with someone and was greeted in a way that was pretty distasteful. He was an asian bartender that was the only one on shift at the time and lets just say I could tell he was projecting some insecurity in his life cause this man came off so rude lol. We tried asking questions to get a better feel for which wines would work best for us and he came off quite dismissive. I even noticed that as other customers came in, he kept chewing with his mouth full of falafel as he greeted them in. I've been in hospitality for almost a decade now and never in my years have I seen such repetitive terrible service within 30 minutes. It's actually impressive lol. Spend your money at another place that actually cares about your experience.

We had the most memorable evening at Chef Stephanie Chinchilla's chef's table. The experience was…read moreintimate, warm, and beautifully executed from start to finish...every dish told a story and every detail felt intentional. We began with the Aji tuna on crispy rice, topped with a delicate sliver of jalapeño and crispy shallots, a perfect balance of freshness, spice, and crunch. The second course was Stefanie's famous focaccia...one sweet and one savory. The savory version featured parmesan, her homemade bread and butter, pickles from her garden, and a touch of mustard seed. The bread, made simply with flour, water, and salt, takes two to three days to create. The sweet focaccia was equally impressive, topped with brie, honey, and a guava jam made from her own garden-grown guavas... truly special. Next came the sweet potato course, made from her garden's harvest and paired with roasted pine nuts and coconut-shaved gnocchi in brown butter. The flavors were rich yet comforting, and the presentation was artistic and thoughtful. The main course... short ribs with a stunning potato gratin, was a showstopper. The short ribs were tender and deeply flavorful, garnished with delicate edible flowers from her garden, while the gratin was layered beautifully and topped with a fragrant chimichurri. Dessert was one of the best I've ever had: a sticky toffee date cake with a caramel apple sauce made from apples in her garden, served with raw cream vanilla bean ice cream. The balance of warmth, sweetness, and texture was perfection. The wine pairings, thoughtfully curated by Oscar from Sequoia Grove Winery, elevated the entire experience, from the velvety Merlot to the bold Cabernet, every sip complemented the food flawlessly. What makes Chef Stefanie so special is her warmth and authenticity. She shares her passion for food and where it comes from in a way that's engaging and educational, never pretentious. She spends time presenting each dish beautifully, with an artist's eye and a chef's heart. Her artistry, attention to detail, and genuine love for her craft come through in every course. I'll absolutely be attending her future chef's table events, a beautiful evening of intentional cooking, soulful flavors, and gracious hospitality.

I can't speak highly enough of the incredible experiences we've had with Stephanie Chinchilla. She…read morecatered our daughter's graduation party, she catered an intimate COVID birthday dinner, and we've taken several cooking classes from her over the years. For Christmas one year, my husband gave me the gift of her recipes. Every experience is top-drawer, from the incredible food, the personal touches, the elegant yet casual atmosphere she creates around every event. Her entire staff has been wonderful. After every event, people flock to us and ask for her number. She's Orange County's number one best kept culinary secret.

We had such a great time at this wine tasting! The selection was fantastic--each pour was…read morethoughtfully chosen and perfectly complemented by the charcuterie board. The meats and cheeses were fresh, flavorful, and paired beautifully with the wines. The atmosphere was relaxed and welcoming, and Betty was beyond amazing and informative. It felt like a fun, elevated experience without being pretentious. Definitely booking her for other events!

My wife and I are complete novices when it comes in wine. We know what we like, but we have not…read moreexplored much beyond the occasional bottle here and there. I contacted Betty to arrange a special wine tasting lunch for my wife's birthday. We included a couple that similarly are wine novices. Our goal was a nice visit to Temecula wine country and a beginner's level experience. We want someone to educate us and not talk down to us. Betty and her husband delivered! We had a fantastic experience under her guidance and learn some basics of wine tasting and pairing. Betty was genuine with her knowledge sharing and we never felt talked down to. The facility for the event was a very nice local Vinyard and we even got to meet the owner. It was picturesque and comfortable. We came away with a few bottles of wine and a desire to learn more with future events. Thanks, Betty!

Such a fun time!! I chose the 'Date Night: Five Star Steakhouse' class and it was really enjoyable…read moreand informative. Our head chef/instructor Anthony brought great energy and charisma to the class. You could really tell he's passionate about what he does and enjoys it, which spread to the rest of the class. It was a very open environment with many of the attendees having little to no culinary experience, so we were all working on a level playing field. The class is decently interactive, with a nice balance where they do a good majority of the tedious prep work beforehand and let you do the rest (as a team of 4) with all of the nicely prepared ingredients. We also did a small crash course on cutting and mixing skills, which was appreciated. The dish we made was a really nice steak with an herb compound butter, grilled veggies, a small side salad, and a nice fruit tart (galette) for dessert. The class flowed really well and the time FLEW by. It was about two hours from start to finish, and it fun the entire time. I'd recommend to eat a little something beforehand, as you eat what you prepare at the end (after 2ish hours) and the portions are split amongst 4 people so they are a bit on the petite side. Overall, this was a really enjoyable experience that I definitely plan on attending again. I recommend you find a class that suits you and check it out yourself!!

I came with two girlfriends for a birthday gathering. I'm…read moreSO thankful we stopped to eat appetizers before we attended the cooking class. It took maybe 90 mins or so from start of class to chow time and we were ready to eat! I imagine we would have gotten hangry I we didn't, so I would recommend snacking before class!!! The instructing chef was very thorough and helpful. The food was on theme and SO good. We were surprised we could make such tasty bold flavors with simple everyday ingredients. (Our dish we Moroccan chicken night with couscous, beet salad, homemade ice cream with grilled peaches) Plenty of food to eat and even took some home. They were even so gracious to accommodate my vegan/vegetarian diet by subbing the chicken with either vegan chicken or potatoes (I chose potatoes). Flavors did not miss!! Would recommend and will be doing again...

We did a team event here and it was so much fun! It was my first experience at a cooking class so…read morenothing to compare to but it was super fun. There was tea ready for us to enjoy while cooking. It was very casual and very relaxed which I enjoyed. No measuring and based on the taste. We made Thai food (spring rolls, sweet rice with garlic shrimp, chicken satay, and whiskey sour). Everything came out really good and the team enjoyed it.

We had an amazing class with Sara for her thai food night! Everything was prepped as we did the…read moreHipCooks mini 2 hour class but it was great! We learned the seasonings and flavors and got to enjoy our food after. Highly recommnd for date night or just a solo adventure

AMAZING 5cent SALES EVERY MONTH! Huge selection on snacks…read moreif you are looking for snacks! Definitely the place to go before hitting the beach. Jen is so friendly and helpful, thanks Jen!

Every time I visit this store I'm blown away! The customer service is always friendly, without…read morebeing pushy. Bevmo has a great selection of products. And lots of cold drinks to chose from before heading down to the beach!

The menu has awesome options. Dog friendly, indoor and outdoor seating. Great vibe to get…read moremilkshakes with your friends. 100% recommendations

Great spot that I had bookmarked to try for a few years. Finally visited today and am now a huge…read morefan! Ordered The Bear milkshake and the grilled donut bites were fantastic. We also ordered the Classico grilled cheese - sourdough bread and the cheese selection were tasty. Patrick (owner) was super helpful and personable. We even got to talk a bit with his mom and she was super sweet. Will be back for sure to try some new milkshake flavors.