Irvine Farmers' Market, Saturday AM

[Das Ubergeek]

I hied myself down to Irvine this morning, starved as I was for the farmers' market experience. I never realised how much being able to fondle produce and talk to the producers about what's best and what to do with it inspires me to cook, but it really does -- I planned three great meals this week (we have a busy week) rather than the insipid nonsense I've been churning out for the last month. (Really, how many times can we eat grilled cheese and Trader Joe's tomato and red bell pepper bisque?)

OC FMs have gotten a bad rap here on Chowhound, and so I went not expecting much. More aptly described, I was expecting the Huntington Beach market, which at last check had something like four produce vendors, a bunch of prepared-food stands, and 1,842,358,104 cutesy craft stands.

The first thing you have to deal with is parking -- it's in the parking lot of a very busy shopping plaza and the parking is restricted against FM clients -- you have to find the designated FM parking. There are occasional signs, so pay attention -- they're green text on a white background.

The market was huge, by my Studio City-oriented standards... easily twice to three times the size of even the summer Studio City market. While there were a fair number of cutesy craft stands, this market is there for food. Lots of produce, including a stand near the Bridge St. end that had more kinds of Asian produce than even 99 Ranch, a mushroom vendor (no wild ones this time of year, he said, and he ends up playing cache-cache with the public health Gestapo when he does have them). There are five bread and pastry vendors, two egg vendors, and even -- you could have knocked me down with a feather -- Schreiner's sausages (more on this later). I didn't see any prepared food, except for one place that sold elotes.

It all looked fantastic, and -- this was the winning part of the whole day for me -- the prices were CHEAP. If you're used to the Hollywood or Santa Monica tourist-and-chef-worshiper markets, Irvine's FM would seem like a real bargain. Three-packs of absolutely perfect strawberries (from Oxnard and Carlsbad) for $6. Mushrooms for $4 a pound. Bread wasn't cheap but damn is it tasty.

More about Schreiner's. It turns out that the granddaughter of the Schreiners who started the place (which, for those of you who don't know, is a fantastic German butcher shop in far north Glendale, practically in Montrose) and her family live in South County OC. Once a week, they drive to Glendale to get food (mostly sausages, but there were some great looking smoked chops -- we are talking FULL FRONTAL PORK here). They're in Irvine on Saturday, and San Clemente and Long Beach on Sunday. The lady (whose name I, unfortunately, forgot -- damn my memory!) said that if I ever needed something specific from the store, to call a couple of days ahead and ask her father to set it aside, and they'd bring it down to Irvine for me. Now that is service. She ALSO said that they're exploring opening an OC store, since business is booming at the Glendale store and she's tired of having to drive up to Glendale.

I bought some broccolini (to try and recreate the broccolini with real balsamic I had at Taps, q.v.), some great asparagus, green garlic, bread, eggs, strawberries, grapes, a grapefruit and some granola (which I sampled -- it was fabulous)... and I'll be back next week.

And maybe next week I'll figure out how to get home without involving the 73 toll road way the hell-and-gone on the other side of campus (thank God for FasTrak).

Irvine Certified Farmers' Market
Campus Dr. and Bridge St. (near In-N-Out, across from UCI)

[brekkie_fan]

Thanks for the report! What are the hours? Maybe I'll stop by and find a surprise for my fiance. He loves fresh fruit.

[Das Ubergeek]

I believe 8-noon, but it might be 8-1.

[OCGirl]

I've lived in Irvine for 5 years now and, I'm ashamed to admit, have NEVER been to this FM. I've gone to CDM on Saturday mornings, but it sounds like that FM definitely pales in comparison. Thanks for the great description- I'll be there next Saturday.

Where do you live? I might be able to give you an alternate route to get home.

[212]

CDM market is tiny compared to the UCI market

[Das Ubergeek]

East of Disneyland, but I turned the wrong way out of the parking and didn't realise it until I hit the 73. Next time I'll just drive my car (which has a nav system) instead of my wife's. :)

[emily]

Hours are 8am-12pm. I've never found really great fruit there, but maybe I've missed it in the past. I live nearby and actually drive to the Hollywood or SM markets for apricots, peaches, plums, etc. in the summer.

[katkoupai]

I appreciate the information about Schreiner's. I think it would be great if they opened a store in OC. I really like their Glendale store. :)

[notmartha]

Thanks for the report and the Schreiner's tip. I've seen them but never tried. Too many options there! Try the gouda guy the next time. His stuff is good.

In the summer they had this small round zucchini that's just amazing. Never see them elsewhere.

There's also a TJ in the same shopping plaza so you can get all your groceries done in one spot.

Quickest way we've found to get there is to exit off Jamboree off 405, turn left on Campus, and left when you see the plaza (with Steelhead/In-N-Out/Lee's, etc.). Steelhead's direction is the clearest.
http://www.steelheadbrewery.com/i-dir...

[Jase]

Just to confirm hours are 8-12. It used to be 9-1 until that Indian place opened and they complained that it cut into the lunch business. The farmers weren't happy.

Parking tip, come in on the backside between Kinko's and the Karate studio, park on that side closest to the apartments. I always came in that way and it was easier in and out. I used to do a one stop shopping there every Sat for produce and TJ's. Also got my coffee fix before Starbucks bought out that Diedrich's. I used to grab a pastry of some sort at Blackmarket Bakery in the baker aisle. They've gotten some mixed reviews here but the old OC Reg reviewer used to like them and I liked it. I was a big fan of any of their tarts or bread stuff.

If you're so inclined to make it even more productive, don't forget that Wholesome Choice is only a couple of miles down the road on Culver, again exit through the backway.

After WC, keep going east on Culver over the 405 and you'll hit 99 Ranch at the corner of Irvine Center Drive. Same center has a chinese bakery, I'm blanking out on the name, that has gotten raves on here. Also a Saw Woo there. How can you pass up a pound of char sui for only $5-6?

After that, keep going east still on Culver and there's a big center on the right just before the 5 freeway. Indian places there including India Cook house which has gotten raves here for their buffet. There's a persian bakery on the same row as the restaurant that's good. Also a supermarket in the same center carries middle eastern goods.

At that point, you're right on the 5 and should be able to zip up north and take the 57 or 91 depending on what works. 5 North on a Sat late morning/early afternoon is usually pretty clear.

Those stops used to take up a chunk of my Sat morning and I'd come home loaded with goodies. Lunch usually consisted of something from every stop.

[notmartha]

Now that's a plan!

Mine is normally Farmer's Market in Irvine in the late AM, cut over to Abe's Bluefin for lunch, then back to Fashion Island for some children's clothing shopping and gelato, then back home.

I suspected that the Farmer's Market doesn't have a lot of cooked food because there are so many restaurants and fast food in that immediate area.