Browse Category: yum

food, food, and more food

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On Saturday, I had a full day…literally. Kevin and Karrie were in town and we went down to San Marcos to taste 5 different noodle dishes at a place called Noodles and Co. at around 12:00 pm. The dishes were all mediocre so we went next door to Chick Fil’A for nuggets and waffle fries. After that, we drove to the fancy St. Regis in Dana Point for coffee and dessert at about 3:30 pm. We then drove back up and got home at 5:15 pm. At 5:30 pm, I got back into the car and drove up to Venice for a 6:30 dinner date with the girls. We ate at Primitivo on Abbott Kinney where they served tapas and wine. It was so fun to share a variety of small dishes from risotto to scallops to cheeses to bacon-wrapped dates. And of course, I tasted 3 different wines by the half-glass. Tasty tasty fun.

outside all day

DSC_4610.jpgToday was such a nice sunny day. Luckily, I got to spend most of it outside. At 11:00 am, I met up with Sandy for brunch. We went to a place called Rockwell’s Bakery and Cafe in Orange (Villa Park) and I had some of their corned beef hash and eggs. Mmm…

Afterwards, I drove up to Santa Monica to pick up Brother and we went to The Getty Villa with some tickets that Ben gave him. Ben and his girlfriend Tiffany were working there today and we wandered around looking at the Roman and Greek art. We spent probably a good 30 minutes there before heading out. Last time I was there was about 10 years ago and I don’t think I’ll need to go back for another 10 years.

For dinner, we drove up PCH towards Ventura and ate at Neptune’s Net. I’d heard about it and seen in featured on the Food Network but never thought I’d have the opportunity to go there. Well, today was the day and the drive was totally worth it. When you first walk in, it’s a little intimidating with all the bikers hanging out in the front with their hogs and crotch rockets. But when you go inside, it’s your average order and pick-up kind of joint. We ordered from both the boiled side and the fried side. The first round was the 1/2 pound of peel-and-eat shrimp. It was so tasty and almost didn’t need the the lemon, butter, and cocktail sauce on the side. We then waited another 20 minutes for the fried round to come out. We had a plate of battered fish, fried shrimp, and fries with a side of tartar sauce and more cocktail sauce. With some Coors Light to go with it all made it simply perfect. After our meal, we Froggered across the street to check out the beach. The water was pretty flat but there were quite a few surfers out still. We took a few photos and headed back to Santa Monica.

After I dropped Brother off, I drove up to Hollywood to meet up with our wedding photographer. He emailed me yesterday offering to sell me my negatives at a discounted price. His business partner died in a terrible car accident a few years ago and he had been running the business ever since. I guess it was time for him to call it quits and move on to other things so he contacted me. So, now I own my wedding negatives and I can do whatever I want with them. Seems silly in way considering everyone shoots digital now.

So that was my Saturday in a nutshell. Here are the photos from today. And here are Brother’s photos.

Birthday Bon Voyage

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On Sunday night we had dinner with Huy, Holly, and Roy. We went to Al Noor, a hole-in-the-wall Indian place in Lawndale, that my brother has been raving about. Not only is the food really good but the dishes are super cheap.

We went out to celebrate Huy’s 32nd birthday and to hang out before he shipped out to Iraq. He’s leaving in about a month and will be gone for about seven months. It’s scary to think that he’ll be in a war zone but I’m glad that he’ll be on a base and relatively protected. We all suggested that he start a blog while he’s out there. Perhaps it will lead to a published book or a career in journalism for him! As soon as Huy figures out a good pen name for his blog, I’ll get him set-up. All suggestions are welcome. Happy Birthday, Huy!!

Fancy Dinner with Friends

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On Saturday night, I had dinner with Holly, Patti, and Patty. We went to Turner New Zealand in Costa Mesa. They specialize in all-natural, hormone-free, antibiotic-free meat and seafood. That was perfect for our two expectant mothers (Patti AND Patty – yay!). We started with mussels and calamari appetizers, which were very tasty – especially the lemongrass/cononut soup that came in one of the mussels dishes. I then had the lobster bisque that was sweeter than I expected but still very good. Later, Patty and I shared a 12 oz ribeye with a side of mashed potatoes. The meat was very tender and seasoned perfectly. For dessert, we had the chocolate souffle and trio of ice cream.

The food was great but the company was even better. I always enjoy having a night out with my girls. In fact, our reservation was at 6:30 and we stayed until the lights were turned off in the rest of the restaurant and the remaining staff were hanging out at the bar waiting for us to leave. We had no idea since we were in the back room chatting-it-up until 11. The staff were kind enough to leave us alone and didn’t even give us a hint of shoo-ing us out. That was very nice of them.

Overall, it was a very pleasant dining experience. The restaurant delivered good food, good service, and the decor was pretty fancy but it felt cozy at the same time. Just be prepared to spend a grip of cash on this fine meal. Without ordering any wine, we still ended up paying $75 per person.

Burgers and Noodles

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I finally got to eat at Father’s Office.  It’s this tiny hole-in-the-wall in Santa Monica that looks like nothing from the outside but has a very modern look inside.  They serve burgers, some specialty items, and a variety of micro-brews.  It opens only for dinner and apparently makes enough to do that.  On Sunday, we got there around 3:30 in the afternoon (30 mins after open) and it was PACKED.  They’ve managed to create enough of a buzz that people are willing to stand around for about 30 mins trying to grab the next open table.  The restaurant is so small that you literally have to hover over the people who already have a table.  Fortunately, we got a table rather easily and boy was the food yummy!  We each had The Office Burger with a side of fries.  It’s made with dry-aged beef with carmelized onions, arugula, gruyere, and bacon.

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On our way home from Mammoth last night, we stopped at The Magical House to pick up the dog.  My mom also packed up some red curry for us to take back home and that’s what we ate for dinner tonight.  To go along with it, I decided to give Thai cooking another try.  This time I made an old favorite of mine.  It’s called “Pad Woon Sen” in Thai and made with glass noodles, egg, and some other stuff.  I must say that I did a pretty good job.  Jes was a little skeptical but actually liked it.  I couldn’t help thinking, “my mommy would be so proud”.

Messy and Meaty

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Yesterday I had lunch with Brother at The Counter in Santa Monica. They feature tasty make-your-own gourmet burgers and they really were. I had a cheeseburger with sprouts, bacon, barbeque sauce, and grilled onions. Brother had a burger with gruyere, grilled onions, steak sauce, and mixed greens. They were really messy but so yummy. The meat was cooked perfectly and the toppings didn’t get in the way of the meaty taste. The fifty-fifty fries and onion rings are worth sharing too. By the way, if you go and there’s a long line out the door, try to find a seat the counter. It’s full-service (order and eat with no line).