nordstrom means shop, drop, eat, then repeat

i hope you were given a lot of prezzies this year because santa told me that you were on the good list and not on the naughty one that generally gets doo doo. i didn't get many prezzies at all and although you might think it's because i was naughty, it's mainly because my family is buddhist and we don't celebrate christmas. as a child i was always a tad sad about that, but then my wonderfully brilliant momma would remind me that i get chinese new year (cha-ching!) 2 months later and that life always balances out. she was right! as an adult, i've started to appreciate the benefits of not having to exchange gifts during this busy money making season. i don't have to brave the mall if i don't want to and in many ways, that is a completely welcomed exemption during this stressful time of year. well, if you were stressed out in any way, NO WORRIES, it is finally over. i hope it was a good one for you :)

if you got gifted a ton of gift cards and you happen to have one for nordstrom, then you can most definitely use it at their cafe. i found my belly grumbling as i was doing some after christmas shopping at south coast plaza and quickly stepped in line. it was a long line :( for a dizzying moment, i thought i was waiting to get on the log ride at disneyland and i don't even like rollercoasters because of the devilish things it does to my belly and what was my point again?

it's a bit of a cafeteria style set-up, but the line moves quickly. entrees are cooked to order and not pre-made like some other cafes. if it's not a salad, they will take your entree to your table. the food was also reasonably priced which was a plus.

the seating area was nice too! but then again, this is nordstrom in scp. EVERYTHING looks nice at south coast plaza, even the dirt that was tracked into the mall from a shopper's shoe.

with my gift card eats, i decided to get their tuscan pasta with marsala cream sauce. there were chunks of chicken, panchetta, crimini mushrooms, carmelized onions, and sun-dried tomatoes. it was pretty heavy because of the cream and after a few forkfuls, i was pretty done.

good thing i had made a deal beforehand with my shopping buddy to split eats. the california panini was sooooooooooooooooooooooooo much tastier than my pasta! the bread was nicely buttered and gave a perfect crunch to the chicken, tomatoes, and avacado insides. i really liked this a lot and would totally order it again...but next time, no splitting!

so the next time you get a nordstrom gift card, instead of buying those uggs, maybe you can spend a tiny amount of the balance to nourish your body by getting yourself some yummy eats at their cafe. i would totally go back...as long as i have my gift card.

Nordstrom
South Coast Plaza (omg, i love you!)
3333 Bristol Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

price: $
verdict: tasty, try it!