<p>TheMom has a conference this weekend at the Convention Center near Disneyland and we're thinking that I'll drive down for dinner tomorrow night and come back Saturday morning.</p>
<p>The last batch of restaurant recs were great. We'd be looking for something in/near Disneyland or the Convention Center. She's staying at the Mariott but I'm normally averse to hotel restaurants as being too "cookie cutter" in one or more dimensions.</p>
<p>Any suggestions?</p>
<p>Two suggestions -- there's a Buca on Harbor Blvd, near Katella, I think. We usually go to Tortilla Joe's in Downtown Disney when we visit the park. Of the two, I prefer Tortilla Joe's.</p>
<p>Oh thedad, given your apparent resemblance to Johnny Depp, shouldn't you just go dine at Pirates of the Caribbean? I actually love that restaurant "on the water" at the beginning of the ride ;).</p>
<p>TD, here's another restaurant my husband likes when he's in So Cal.</p>
<p>It's called Bellagio and it's on Chapman.
<a href="http://orangecounty.citysearch.com/profile/36918290/%5B/url%5D">http://orangecounty.citysearch.com/profile/36918290/</a></p>
<p>The Cellar in downtown Fullerton is probably why we married. It was such a nice place for a first date-there had to be a second, 1 yr later we were married.
Was owned by a swiss man. They used to have a Swiss night.
I understand it has different owners but it is supposed to still be nice. Supposed to have a nice wine list-interested in what you think. You can look in up on the website mentioned previous post :). </p>
<p>Way on the casual side-there was a restaurant south of D-Land. I believe on Harbor-home cooking and huge portions-Something like be li al's-I cannot google it. I know there was a book written about it. Used to know all the hangouts but that was a long time ago. Mario's for pizza, Angelos is neat also-you could eat in your car and be served by a skating waitress.</p>
<p>The pirates restaraunt is the Blue Bayou. My favorite-Tahitian Terrace is long gone. Club 33 would be nice if you can get in.</p>
<p>"Oh thedad, given your apparent resemblance to Johnny Depp, shouldn't you just go dine at Pirates of the Caribbean? I actually love that restaurant "on the water" at the beginning of the ride"</p>
<p>Only problem is that TD would have to buy two tickets: one to get in and one to get out of Disneyland. :)</p>
<p>The White House in Anaheim is an old-line restaraunt in a residential house. Popular for special evenings.</p>
<p>hey, LA Mom, not sure my house is open yet. :D</p>
<p>Also Pirates of the Carribean and the Restaurant are closed for remodeling because of the upcoming movie.</p>
<p>For a beautiful, and delicious meal, consider the 10 mile drive to Scott's Seafood Restaurant, across from the South Coast Plaza. Not cookie-cutter, romantic, and excellent food/service.</p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestions but the best laid plans....</p>
<p>We wound up eating a Pavia, the Italian restaurant inside the Hilton. Food/wine/service good but not outstanding, but it was very sentimental. We first ate their in 1984, when it was newly opened and the hotel was the first we had ever experienced with those fangled electronic keys. The World Science Fiction Convention was being held at the convention center and I was a fledgling science fiction writer--it was two years before my first short story sale--and I was encountering all these people whose books I'd read. (Note: the correlation between how you like someone's writing and how you like the same someone as a person is almost random, or so I discovered. And, after I expressed dismay while in the audience listening to a panel discussion, the Very Big Name Writer sitting next to me said, "You're not used to listening to writers talk in first draft.")</p>
<p>The second time we at there was about eight years later, for a similar but smaller, regional convention. By this time, we had D in tow, about age six. We were meeting people for dinner in this restaurant and D just charmed the staff as they came up with a child-appropriate dish of pasta for her. The man playing the piano even played the theme from "The Little Mermaid," which TheMom had recently taken D to as her first movie.</p>
<p>Fast foward to last night. Out of sentiment, we ate their again, recalling the previous occasions. And when I went to the guy at the piano to ask for the theme from "The Little Mermaid," it turned out it was the same guy from 14 years ago.</p>
<p>Final side note: I was feeling expansive and ordered a half-bottle of Opus One. It's good but it's not worth the price. At all. I've had cabernets and meritages at two-third to half the price that I'd order instead. Oh, well...at least I learned on a half bottle, not a full.</p>
<p>I love sentimental choices. :)</p>