Haven Gastropub - Orange, CA

Overall rating: 3.2

He said: (generous) 3- The definition of a conflict of interest; on the one hand my black truffle-infused mac & cheese  was delicious (rich cheesiness married to hearty macaroni in oven-baked perfection) and selection of imported brews was awesome. Reese's brussel sprouts were outstanding (although I would have never thought to order them myself) and I happily cleaned up her leftovers. There was no problem with the food BUT...

A less-than educated remark from our ignorant waiter ("you been drinkin' tonight fella?" [no]) and another requisite that Reese's 14 year-old sister (Ally) wake-up from her napping on her older sister's shoulder ("it's not good for appearances") put a sour taste in my mouth that ruined the experience. I will not recommend a return visit to this otherwise yummy destination.

She Said: 3.5- As Kevin said, the service was awful the last time that we went, but giving them the benefit of the doubt, the other times that I've been there, it has been fine. I actually really like Haven (despite this experience), and will most likely go back. Their food has always been bomb, and their beer selection, even better (although drinks can get pricey). I've had their brussels sprouts (see review below), their mac n cheese (a must-have), truffle fries (bomb), flatbread (meh), and a few different wines and beers (the strawberry one is so delish). I'll most likely be back, especially since it's in my favorite place, Old Town Orange.

Price: $$

Ambiance: College crowd (located down the street from Chapman University), bar crowd at night, on the outskirts of the Orange Circle.

Good for: Wide beer selection

Date visited: January 2011 (Saturday night)

Notes: It gets super packed here, so you may be waiting a while- get a drink at the bar while you wait. Kitchen is open pretty late.

Would we go again?: If our meal was getting paid for by someone we don't especially appreciate - maybe

Restaurant Website: http://www.havengastropub.com/

Chariese's order: Brussels sprouts with prosciutto and lemon juice. I am a huge sprouts fan, and this one was no exception. It was delicious. I'll admit that the mac n cheese is better, but I don't even want to know it's caloric content...so I'll continue making suggesting that people that I go with to the Haven order the mac n cheese so that I can pick off of their plate and not feel guilty indulging in one of my own.

Kevin's order: Mac n' Cheese- black truffles, gruyere, fontina, parmesa. Don't know if I would have included these ingredients in my own home-made concoctions but this shit was fuckin' delicious (excuse my French but it's quite necessary considering there was ZERO meat in this meal).

Don't let these smiles fool you, we were straight mean-muggin' that rude waiter.

We forgot to take pics this last night that we went, but all photos are courtesy of Yelp. 'cept for that dashing glamour shot of us. That's from fordmodels.com (jk).