Our posts about Santa Ana’s Cafe Lu and Councilman Bustamante topped the charts in 2011
What a year it has been here in Santa Ana – and on this blog, the New Santa Ana. Since January 1, 2011, we have had 226,798 Visits and 407,051 Pageviews. Wow! That’s not bad for a blog that was started not too long ago, in September of 2009.
Now let’s take a look at our top stories this year:
My earlier post about things to do on the 4th of July did not include an option that came my way via Facebook a little while ago. Miss Cutie Cafe sent out the patriotic picture below, of one of their hosts, to remind us that they are open today, in case you need a cup of Vietnamese coffee. Continue reading
Garden Grove’s Vietnamese coffeehouses now have until the weekend to fully comply with an ordinance that went into effect last Friday, according to the L.A. Times.
The new ordinance demands that “Windows must be untinted. Gambling machines must be removed. Cigarettes must be tossed. And those little pasties adorning the nipples of waitresses must be replaced with something that resembles real clothing,” according to the O.C. Weekly.
“Officials say there are 37 of these coffee houses in Garden Grove. Raney told council members that the cafes have become notorious for gang activity and waitresses who wear nothing under their sheer dresses. The ordinance requires the waitresses not to expose the area of their breasts below the areola,” according to the O.C. Register.
You have to wonder if Supervisor Janet Nguyen’s husband, Tom Bonikowski, was involved in this crackdown, in his capacity as a Garden Grove Planning Commissioner. If so, this may cost Nguyen votes in her next election. The cafes are very popular in Little Saigon. Click here to sift through the Garden Grove Planning Commission agendas and minutes.
If Bonikowski did lead the charge against the Viet cafes, it would be ironic since he owns a Lee’s Sandwiches franchise in Stanton that has been busted repeatedly for health code violations.
How long before Santa Ana’s Usual Suspects start complaining about our own Vietnamese Cafe, the famous Cafe Lu? The owner of Cafe Lu, Natalie Nguyen, used to be one of the Cafe Lu girls, but she bought the place a few years ago. Now they are doing great – and they even sell a Cafe Lu girls calendar. You can get a glimpse of it at their website. And you can see even more pictures on their Facebook page, by clicking here.
The pictures accompanying this post are from Cafe Lu’s Facebook page.
Sexy Vietnamese Cafes Revisited: MyFoxLA.com
Fox News paid a visit to Santa Ana’s Cafe Lu this week – and their reporter, Al Naipo, summed it up this way, “Cold drinks served by hot gals in bikinis and high heels.” He wasn’t kidding!
The owner of Cafe Lu, Natalie Nguyen, used to be one of the Cafe Lu girls, but she bought the place a few years ago. Now they are doing great – and they even sell a Cafe Lu girls calendar. You can get a glimpse of it at their website. And you can see even more pictures on their Facebook page, by clicking here.
They don’t sell alcohol at Cafe Lu, just tea, smoothies and coffee drinks. The girls mix up the drinks themselves, and they might even sit down and chat with you.
Cafe Lu is located at 634 S Harbor Blvd., in Santa Ana. You can call them at (714) 839-1608. They are open from 7 am to 11 pm. Check out their Facebook page by clicking here.
Here is a bonus video: