A couple of weeks ago I posted about how OC Restaurant Week was approaching and last night the Englishman and I fancied ourselves up and headed to the OC Restaurant Week launch party to kick off all the restaurant week fun.

The OC Restaurant Week launch party had small bites from a variety of restaurants participating in restaurant week, delicious libations, and lots of sweet treats.  We didn’t get to try everything there, but we did manage to try a lot of different places.

Armed with a glass of prosecco and a bottle of Stella, we started off with a Shepherd’s Pie from Quinn’s Old Town Grill.

The Englishman has very high standards for Shepherd’s Pie, and while he thought this was good, he wished it had a bit more seasoning.  I loved the potato crust on top.

Slater’s 50/50 was up next, and we sampled their Bacon burger on a brioche bun.  Apologies for the blurry photo below.

The flavor was delicious on this burger and it was very hearty and filling.  Slater’s was definitely one of the more popular spots of the night as well.  We also enjoyed some Lobster Mac ‘N Cheese from American Tavern Eatery and Drink on the side as well.

We couldn’t resist the fresh empanadas smell that was wafting in the air, so we headed to Villa Roma to try the Beef Empanada.

This was by far the best dish at the OC Restaurant Week launch party hands down.

I was in the mood for a palate cleanser, so I grabbed an arugula salad with truffle oil from Scott’s Seafood (I think?).

While I was enjoying my salad, the Englishman darted for the clam chowder from Bluewater Grill which he declared was the second best thing of the night.

Before tackling the desserts, we cruised by Sadie Rose to try some bread samples and say hello to my lovely aunt and uncle.

Heads up, you can get Sadie Rose at a variety of supermarkets in OC and their bread is delicious!  The Englishman and I have a few of their baguettes in our house and love them.

Then it was time for dessert – there were almost too many options to choose from!  I headed over to Blackmarket Bakery since I’m a huge fan of all their baked goods.

While everything looked tempting, I kept it simple with a chocolate chip cookie.  Simple, yet delicious.

Had to stop by Frostings Cupcakes to get the OC Restaurant Week cupcake – a Boston Cream Pie cupcake dusted with gold.

The cupcake was good, although a bit rich for both of us. And with that we waved the white flag and headed home with full and happy bellies.

Don’t forget that OC Restaurant Week runs from February 24th through March 2nd!  Make sure you visit www.ocrestaurantweek.com to check out participating restaurants and their menus.