Remember the olden days? Well, my olden days are like the late 80s, early 90s. I mean before then, like the 60s and 70s. Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlours was booming. Starting from Portland, Oregon, the restaurants were an old time favorite. After being bought out and sold again, they are making a come back in Orange County. They opened their newest Farrell’s in Brea, CA.
Upon going on opening day, it was chaotic to say the least. The line was amazingly long, but moved quickly. The ambiance was almost surreal. You only see all these smiley faces and colorful olden days decor in the movies. The waiters and workers yelled and sang almost every 5 minutes. Either somebody was celebrating a birthday or someone ordered the $50 Belly Buster ice cream sundae. The atmosphere was loud and obnoxious. It was not for me. The food was sub par and the ambiance just killed it for me.
A restaurant is only as good as its burger. I ordered the talk of the town burger which had bacon. I substituted the American cheese for blue cheese. They charged me for the cheese substitute, and I wasn’t told about the extra charge. Bummer. I asked for a medium rare, hoping for a medium well at the least, but that didn’t happen. The burger was as normal as can be. Nothing special or inspiring. I guess my expectations were a bit high, or I didn’t know what I was getting myself into.
What did surprise me was the grown up mac and 4 cheese. It had cheddar, mozzarella, American, and smoked gouda. What really set this off was the white truffle oil. It had that rich taste and was pleasant. A sense of classiness and a descent tasting plate was refreshing. I definitely did not like the crostinni bread that came with it. It was stale and the cheese melted on top seemed out of place and old. Other than that, I wouldn’t mind ordering this again.
One interesting item I saw on the menu was the gastronomicaldelicatessenepicuren’s delight. I am not kidding. That is what they call it. The gastro sandwich for short, had corned beef, ham, turkey breast, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion. The funny thing is, it looked like a normal sandwich, but the waiters sang a song and made a big deal about us ordering that sandwich. It was good, but not that big of a deal as they made it out to be.
For dessert, we had to have a sundae. It is an ice cream parlour after all. We couldn’t order the belly buster, but we ordered the Oreo Bliss. It had vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, Oreos, whipped cream, and a cherry on top. I know they couldn’t mess this up, and it was good as it should be. Oreos and ice cream is a great combination, and a great ending to our so-so lunch.
I was waiting and waiting for Farrell’s to open. I didn’t hear of it or know of it until now. They sell all American classics and their ice cream shakes and sundaes are their specialty. They even sell candy like all soda fountains did in the olden days. Culinarily, the food didn’t do it for me. It was just too plain and boring. As an establishment, it was kind of cool. Kids would like it as there is a lot of singing and excitement. I guess I wouldn’t mind stopping by for just an ice cream sundae. Good thing they have a separate window for just dessert. I can only wonder when the craze and long lines will die down.
I know its Winter, and it’s cold. Typically, you don’t eat cold things in the Winter. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy something sweet. It’s Los Angeles we are talking here — its okay. Entering Manhattan Beach Creamery, I was a kid in a candy store. There was candy on display with every sweet thing you can think of. There is something magical about having ice cream or a snack at the beach. You feel young again. I had my eye on one thing and one thing only — the chocolate dipped ice cream sandwich. 
The cookie part was quite sweet, a little too sweet. The dark chocolate that coated the sandwich cookie actually rounded out the sweetness a lot. The ice cream sandwich was thick over frozen. This helped in keeping things together. Once the cookie sandwich thawed out a bit, it was just a perfect ice cream sandwich. It was a bit large, and I don’t recall finishing the whole thing. I was just happy. Cookies and Ice cream? All in a sandwich? Covered in dark chocolate? 
Manhattan Beach Creamery is in a nice location in one of the best beaches in Los Angeles. Any sweet lover can appreciate what they offer. From candy, baked goods and ice cream, this is a great pit stop for dessert and sweets. It’s fun to just walk around and look at all they have. I think it’s a nice way to kill time at the beach, and you get a sweet snack with that. 
