​Vegan cuisine is sweeping the nation with many restaurants creating unique dishes to appeal to their vegan customers. Downtown Santa Ana is home to some amazing vegan restaurants and vegan options, so we decided to highlight some of our favorite dishes! 

​1.    Vegan Pozole at Alta Baja. 
Alta Baja carries a selection of vegan dishes on their menu daily, but we wanted to highlight the Green Vegan Pozole. This dish is so good it was featured in The New Yorker. The green pozole is made with squash, beans, and hominy in a delicious green chili sauce and served with all the fixings. This dish is only served every last Sunday of the month and is known to sell out so make sure to get to Alta Baja early and get your hands on a warm savory bowl of Vegan Green Pozole. 

2.    Hummus Sandwich at Black Market Bakery 
​This sandwich is so fresh Black Market Bakery has dubbed it “The Fresh Air.” Don’t let the name fool you, this sandwich is packed with flavor and will leave you feeling satisfied. It is made with hummus, avocado, Roma tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, arugula, lemon vinaigrette on toasted lemon rosemary bread. Black Market Bakery also has a selection of vegan desserts like sprinkle cookies, hand-pulled brittle, and seasonal pies! 

3.    Vegan ice cream sandwich at Chunk-N-Chip 
​Ice cream lovers can thank Chunk-N-Chip for this tasty vegan dessert. With seasonal flavors like vegan Thai tea and vegan dragon fruit and strawberries, customers always have something new to look forward too. They also have a gluten-free and vegan chocolate chip cookie so everyone can enjoy their famous ice cream “sammich.” Two vegan cookies are oven warmed to gooey perfection holding your choice of ice cream creating dessert heaven. 

​4.    Vegan Ceviche at La Vegana Mexicana 
La Vegana Mexicana is a family-owned and operated vegan eatery created by chef and owner Loreta Ruiz. Ruiz started experimenting with plant-based Mexican recipes after her daughter converted to veganism. Her take on “ceviche” is made with chopped cauliflower, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, and cilantro, served over a crunchy corn tostada and drizzled with lime and hot sauce. Healthy and delicious. La Vegana Mexicana is also known for their vegan tamales so be sure to grab some while you are there! 

​Vegan Breakfast Burrito at The Den 
The Den, formerly known as The Gypsy Den, has a wide selection of vegan dishes. They are a trendy spot for brunching a-la vegan. Their Saucy Vegan Breakfast Burrito is a fan favorite. The burrito is loaded with vegan chipotle chicken, turmeric rice, tofu scramble, beans, roasted red peppers, and chipotle aioli. The burrito is then smothered with green or red enchilada sauce and served with your choice of fresh fruit, house potatoes, or balsamic dressed salad. Is it big enough to share but this burrito is so good we wouldn’t. 

​6.    Vegan sausages at Wursthaus 
Craving handmade sausages and German and Polish Beer? Wursthaus is the gastropub to deliver such items. With their vegan sausages, veggie eaters can too enjoy a frankfurter and beer. Their vegan sausage options include Smoked Apple and Sage, Mexican Chipotle and the Italian. The sausages are topped with grilled onions and pepper and stuffed into a toasted bun. This is the perfect watering hole suitable for all eaters. 

​7.    Western Bacon Shroom Burger at Munchies Diner 
Munchies Diner is the newest vegan eatery to join Downtown Santa Ana. They have taken your traditional diner favorites, like buttery pancakes and tuna melts, and made them vegan approved. There are so many amazing dishes to try but the fan favorite is their Western Bacon Shroom Burger. This burger contains bacon, a beef patty, melted provolone, beer-battered organic mushroom, BBQ sauce, garlic aioli, and organic house cheese sauce. You would never be able to guess this burger is 100% plant-based. All burgers and sandwiches come with a side of fries and for $5 more you can upgrade to their Human-Style Fries. Their take on “Animal Style Fries.”

​8.    Beyond Bulgogi Wraps at Next Round  
It is great to see how many restaurants are catering to the vegan diet and bars are quickly following suit. Next Round Bar & Grill has an amazing vegan appetizer on their menu called Beyond Bulgogi Wraps. This dish is made with beyond meat sautéed in a bulgogi glaze and served on top of butter lettuce then topped with pickled carrots, cucumber, cilantro, jalapeños, and sesame seeds. Come during happy hour Monday – Friday from 4 pm to 7 pm to get $4-$5 draft beers and 25% off your vegan appetizer. 

​9.    Vegan Michelada at Mission Bar 
Micheladas are a popular spicy Mexican cocktail made with Mexican beer and a tomato mix called clamato which, you guessed it, contains clam juice. This makes most Micheladas non vegan. Luckily Mission bar has a vegan Michelada mix to craft this popular drink. Enjoy your Vegan Michelada with a chamoy, lime and tajin rim that adds the perfect kick and tang to your drink.  

​Video by Hector Gomez
Video and Article by Jennifer Morones

​The Santa Ana Breakfast Club invites all attendees of Santa Ana’s 150th Birthday Street Breakfast to participate in a decade themed costume contest. Guest can enjoy food and live entertainment all while dressing up in their favorite current or vintage fashions. The Historical Decades Costume Contest will showcase costumes from any historical decade starting with the founding of the City of Santa Ana in 1869 through 2019. That is 15 decades of fashion inspiration to choose from! 

​Dylan Almendral, @fugitivevestige, a Santa Ana native and historian, enjoys dressing up in vintage attire and gave us some pointers on how to easily assemble a swanky outfit.
 
For men, he suggests starting with a pair of slacks or jeans and a button-down collar shirt. With these base items, you can now add layers to take your look back in time. For a more Victorian look of the late 1800s, add a coat, bow-tie and top hat to your slacks and button-down. If you’re looking for a 1910’s – 1920’s style, simply add a vest and a newsboy cap. For a classic Pachuco/Pachuca look, adding a feathered fedora and suspenders to your base items will create that iconic 1940’s Chicano style.

For women, Dylan recommends a day dress as a base for the costume and using the accessories and hair to create the decade look. Pay special attention to such aspects as period-specific looks and accurate details to wow the judges. YouTube supplies many vintage makeup and hair tutorials like 1940’s liberty rolls and 1950’s pompadours. A short-sleeve button-down shirt paired with slacks or a pencil skirt also makes a great base. This is a perfect time to recreate your favorite iconic movie character! Add a jeweled head ban and a faux fur coat to play homage to Daisy from The Great Gatsby or rock a matching plaid ensemble to recreate the icon 90’s Cher look from Clueless. 

​The ’80s and ’90s have recently made a comeback and your favorite retail stores will more than likely carry items inspired by these decades. For great vintage finds you can check out Elsewhere Vintage and Joyride: Vintage for Men located in Old Town Orange. Your local Goodwill and thrift stores can be a jackpot for all kinds of decade pieces and don’t forget to raid your older family member’s closets. Most importantly pick a period that shows off your style and have fun!

​Whether you are participating in the contest or just dressing up for fun stay till the end of the event to help us recreate the famous first Santa Ana street breakfast group photo. 
 
For more information about the costume contest and to register, follow the link below.
 https://www.eventbrite.com/e/santa-ana-historical-decades-dress-contest-tickets-65162929075

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Congregation Ale House opened its first chapter back in 2010 in Long Beach and has since grown to three Los Angeles County chapters and finally, their first Orange County chapter here at DTSA.

​It has taken over the location at the historic Santora Arts Building on the corner of Broadway and 2nd St. Congregation offers an impressive variety of your favorite German beers as well as local craft beers on draft and in bottles. Congregations’ house ales are given clever names like the farmhouse style ale Praise on Saison and the hazy IPA with fermented mango called A Hazing Grace. ​

The food served at Congregation is more than your standard pub snacks. My philosophy when venturing to new food destinations is to try their most basic dish. If they can get that right, then that guarantees their other dishes will likely be phenomenal. With this in mind, I ordered the pretzel to go along with my beer. This pretzel was soft, chewy and came with an IPA cheddar sauce. After tasting this sauce, I never want to eat cheese sauce that is not made with IPA. ​

Getting thirsty? It’s hard not to be seduced into drinking a cold glass of Praise On Saison, but I went with one of their guest taps, 21st Hell or High Watermelon. The beer was crisp and refreshing with a hint of sweetness. If beer is not your drink of choice, there are plenty of cocktails to quench thy thirst. The Grapefruit Gimlet is made with Tito’s Vodka, grapefruit juice, orange juice, and agave nectar. The color was a beautiful peach and at $10 is packed with enough vodka to get the blood pumping. The Santa Margarita is made with Patron Silver and was equally as refreshing. ​

Back to the grub, their Portobello pesto pizza was a cheesy garlic masterpiece topped with a refreshing mixed green salad. The menu options at Congregations are plenty. A variety of pizzas, burgers, sausages, tacos, salads, and more where displayed on their digital menu. This makes it a great place for gatherings with their variation of food choices. ​

​The name Congregation suits this establishment not just for their ironic Catholic church décor and witty drink names. It really is a great place to gather and feel inspired. The bar is spacious and holds weekly trivia nights on Wednesdays from 7pm-9pm. You can also look forward to a DJ playing every Sunday afternoon. Congregation is also the host of unique monthly events which you can check out online on their event calendar at congregationalehouse.com.

Buqqa is the newest eatery to open at Santa Ana’s 4th Street Market, offering a fusion of Mediterranean and Turkish delights. Buqqa got its start as a food truck circulating the music festival scene feeding hungry ravers and festival goers all around California. They have since grown to three food trucks and its first on-site location at 4th Street Market. ​

Tony Elmas, the visionary behind Buqqa, created a unique culinary experience with a modern take on traditional Mediterranean food. Their foods are delicious and 100% Halal (think Kosher for Islam). The finest quality of meats and ingredients are used in their recipes. Tony only allows 100% natural products and is very strict on quality control at all his eateries. ​

Buqqa offers all your Mediterranean favorites like kebabs, falafels, and gyros. If you are looking for something a little more elevated than your standard gyro, the beef and lamb doner on ciabatta bread is sure to satisfy any foodie. The chef special fries are also loaded with beef and lamb doner creating a Mediterranean take on carne asada fries.
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You can also customize a rice plate with your favorite meats and side dishes. Their meatballs, which look more like meat sticks, are perfectly paired with Mediterranean rice and a side salad. Don’t forget to sauce up your food with spicy garlic, ajvar (roasted red pepper and eggplant puree) or tzatziki.

At Buqqa, the menu is prepared fresh daily with locally sourced meats that are seasoned with traditional hand prepared Mediterranean spice blends. All spices are imported from Italy and Turkey. Even the pistachios used in their incredibly delicious baklava are imported from Turkey. Their daily specials also highlight seasonal ingredients.

​Ok, now back to the baklava. This homemade sweet and texturally satisfying dessert is the perfect ending to an incredible meal at Buqqa. It tastes like someone's Greek grandmother made it and paired with a cup of Turkish coffee, is a dessert paradise.

Mix Mix’s 4-Course Meal
Thursday, Feb. 14th

The local modern, multi-cultural dining room will be featuring a special a 4-course meal including aphrodisiac selections like soft egg raviolo, and tenderloin of beef with purple potato espuma.

Mix Mix
Price- $65 per person
Reservations: http://www.mixmixkitchenbar.com
(714) 836.5158​

Chapter One "Valentine’s Weekend"
Tuesday Feb. 13th - Sunday Feb. 17th

Valentine’s Weekend at modern gastropub, Chapter One, last five days, and features a special menu with romantic classics like Oysters, Lobster Bisque, White Chocolate Souffle, and Chocolate Lava Cake. You can see the full menu here, and make reservations by following this link.


Chapter One: the modern local
(714) 352.2225

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​Irenia Restaurant "Dinner for Two"
Thursday, Feb. 14th
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Modern Filipino restaurant, Irenia, is accepting Valentines reservations for their intimate restaurant. They will be serving their favorites from the regular menu, plus romantic cocktails and shared “dinners for two”.  More details can be found here.


Irenia Restaurant
(657) 245.3466

​Kebab Place "4 course dinner"
Thursday, Feb. 14th
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The Kebab Place will be serving a special 4 course prix fixe Valentine’s Dinner for 2, including desert, drinks, and appetizers. Alcohol is not served on-site, but you can bring your own wine (corkage fee applies) There will be a live acoustic Guitar show, and the restaurant will extend it’s normal hours to 10:30pm.

Kebab Place
Price: $40
(714) 953.8444

​Kaizen Shabu " Will you be my Sha-boo?"
Thursday, Feb.14th

The already romantic Kaizen Shabu will be offering a special Valentines Day special that includes Wagyu beef, hot sake, and dessert!

Kaizen Shabu
(714) 486.3464

Lola Gaspar "Singles Night"
Thursday, Feb. 14th

The usually romantic hot spot, Lola Gaspar, will be catering to singles on Valentine's Day. Enjoy the solidarity of other singles along with their delicious eclectic food and award winning drinks.

Lola Gaspar
(714) 972.1172

​The first step to tackling these resolutions is often the most challenging but Elite Fitness and Element 7 have partnered up to make it a bit easier on you. Joaquin and the staff at local boutique gym, Elite Fitness, are focused on giving a personalized experience, whether you’re looking for one-on-one training or prefer group classes.

The healthy experience starts at the gym, but thanks to a partnership with Element 7 restaurant, you can continue the healthy lifestyle with meal prep. Element 7 is established in principles of creating healthy food that doesn’t skimp on flavor. You can buy prepared meals in single portions or in bulk at Elite Fitness, online, or by visiting Element 7 at McFadden Public Market. You can even get a full month of meal prep for FREE after purchasing 3 months of meal prep.
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​If you’re motivated by competition and like to give yourself a fitness goal, Crossfit DTSA is offering a 6 week “Change Your Life Challenge”, starting on January 19th. You can schedule a free 1-on-1 session and enter for a chance to win a FREE entry into the 6 week challenge by contacting info@crossfitdtsa.com.
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​​If diet and healthier eating are your resolutions, Downtown Santa Ana has plenty of options to satisfy your needs. Chevita’s Juice and Bagels is a great place to find fresh squeezed juices, aguas frescas, salads, soups, sandwiches, and bagels. To help motivate you on your journey, they’re offering a 15% off coupon on Monday-Friday from 8am to noon.

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​4th Street Market is a treasure trove of options for the healthy eater. 

Brand new to the market is Miel, in the space previously occupied by Front Porch Pops. They're serving a healthy selection aguas frescas or aca​i bowls made to order with either Sorbet, Chia Pudding, or Berry Yogurt Base.

​​Also new to the market is restaurant concept All Flavor No Grease delivers a simple menu offering Tacos, Quesadillas, or Burritos with any combination of Chicken, Shrimp, Beef, or Rice. They deliver on their promise, serving up flavor-packed plates, that taste light and fresh (and not at all greasy).

If you’re looking for other highlights at 4th St. Market, there are plenty. Alta Baja Market has a fantastic breakfast and lunch menu, which includes a quinoa-chorizo bowl, seasonal frittata, and great selection of salads. ​
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The always popular poke bowls and tacos at Mar, are light and delicious, and if you’re cutting carbs, you can have the poke served a la carte or over mixed greens. ​
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​Supernatural Sandwiches may be a cheat meal served on their buttery griddled buns, but you can ask to have any sandwich turned into a salad (I’d recommend the Hydra or Seared Tuna).

​Want to share your favorite healthy bite from DTSA? Comment below!

The City will consider many factors in allowing a food vendor on a particular property -- from security concerns to sanitation and general maintenance, and proximity to similar brick & mortar uses.

During the pilot program, the City will work to "identify impacts and unintended effects and evaluate best practices to minimize potential impacts to brick and mortar businesses and surrounding neighborhoods, while encrouaging entrepreneurial enterprises."

Story by Ryan Smolar
Photos by Brian Feinzimer, Ryan Smolar

Some love them, some hate them -- but dockless scooters are a fun transportation trend that may be here to stay.

If you haven't heard of these scooters? They've appeared in urban centers for the last few years with City responses ranging from injunctions and impoundings to crafting operating agreements with data and revenue-sharing agreements.

While many cities faulter when the speed of technology grapples with the speed of goverment, The City of Santa Ana acted swiftly and adopted the first resolution in Orange County to allow dockless scooter companies to deploy up to 500 scooters on the bike lanes and streets of Santa Ana.

The transportation initative was presented by the Public Works department who are embracing this transportation revolution that is confounding many cities and being adjusted to in real-time by both urban planners and the rest of us. The pilot program allows scooter companies to secure permits to operate in the City for 3 months at a cost of $1,200 with other provisions including indemnifying the City, educating the public and sharing ride data.

Some concerns raised by the City Council before approving the trial period were whether the scooters may clutter sidewalks or cause damage that the City will be held liable for. Mayor Pro Tem Villegas further pointed out that the City holds over 200 impounded scooters from a previously unauthorized deployment. After concerns were assuaged by City staff, the Mayor explained the advanced capabilities of the scooter company to oversee their operation. 

"They can actually slow the scooters down in sensitive areas like 4th Street or by a school," said Mayor Pulido. He exuberantly added that the trial will provide the City with useful transportation data that could help with pedestrian safety.  Downtown Councilmember David Penaloza explained how he recently visited New Orleans where he preferred to get around on similar alternative transportation to explore that city.

Representatives from both Lime and Bird, two prominent dockless scooter proiders were present and expressed that they have their paperwork ready and will be purusing scooter deployments in Santa Ana immediately. 

Story by Ryan Smolar
Photos by Brian Feinzimer

Copper Door's "New Year's Eve Neon Party"
The Copper Door has a bevy of holiday nights leading up to New Years Eve, including NYE Neon Party featuring Power106 DJ Precise and MC Qui West. Live music will be back-to-back from 8pm-2am, but get there early if you want to enjoy the open bar from 8pm-10pm.

Visit thecopperdoorbar.com/upcoming-events/
Address: 225 N Broadway, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Phone: (714) 696-1479

Pizza Press
Build-your-own pizza press is known for custom pies, but they always have a great rotating selection of beer on tap. On New Years Eve, they're offering all beers for a cool $5.

Visit https://www.thepizzapress.com/location/santa-ana-ca/
Address: 117 W 4th St Unit 101-102, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Phone: (714) 760-4425

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​La Santa Modern Cantina
One of the hippest spots on the East end, known live music and sports, is open for New Years late into the night. Details of the nights programming are still to come.

Congregation Ale House
The newest addition to the Artists Village is open, serving food and drinks until 2am. Patrons ringing in the New Year at Congregation will be treated to a complimentary Midnight champagne toast.

Mission Bar
Also open for business on New Year's Eve is local favorite Mission bar, with a curated list of craft beers on tap. The intimate bar will stay open past the New Year for those wanting to stay late and count down to 2019.

Native Son Alehouse
One of the best patios in town can be found upstairs on the corner of 4th St. and Spurgeon at Native Son Alehouse. If you're looking to cheers the New Year with craft beers, you'll be a happy camper.

Do you see an event missing from this New Year's Festivities? Please email events@downtown-inc.com and we'll be sure to add it to the list!

The City of Santa Ana's Economic Development Division has hired Julie Castro-Cardenas as its new Economic Development Specialist II. This position is a reclassification of the former downtown liaison position but expanded to include some economic development projects citywide.
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Julie Castro-Cardenas began her career with the City of Santa Ana in June 2005 as a Senior Administrative Intern at the Santa Ana WORK Center and has steadily climbed the career ladder with the City. Over the past 13 years, Julie was held the position of Workforce Specialist I, Workforce Specialist II within the Community Development Agency and recently celebrated her third year as a Senior Management Assistant in the City Manager’s Office, where she served as the Liaison for the Mayor & Council.
 
Julie was born and raised in Santa Ana, attended Santa Ana College and holds a Bachelor’s degree from Chapman University. Her familiarity of Santa Ana provides her with keen insight to the community and has developed excellent relationships with business stakeholders. Furthermore, Julie has tangible experience in the business industry due to launching a successful manufacturing company with her husband in the City of Orange. Ms. Castro-Cardenas is a proud mother of two children ages 11 and 9, is in the process of completing a Master’s degree at San Diego State University, is fluent in Spanish and enjoys a healthy and balanced lifestyle.