Day After Christmas: Out The Door (Westfield SF)

No trip to SF is complete without getting my Vietnamese food fix @ either Slanted Door or Out the Door.  I’m a huge fan of their Crispy Imperial Rolls, Beef Noodle Soup, freshly made Ginger Ale, and many of their other Vietnamese dishes.  It twas the day after Christmas, and I was about to start my shopping excursion, but needed to have a delicious lunch first.  Naturally, Out the Door the perfect solution, since it’s healthy, packed with flavor, and conveniently located in the posh food court area of Westfield SF.  Yummy in my tummy!

Crispy Imperial Rolls & Beef Noodle Soup...The meal of champions!

Christmas Day @ Fantasia

Sooo, on our way to visit my Granpa, we detoured to grab a quick drink from Fantasia.  Low and behold, there was a freaking massive line as we pulled up.  WTF!  I guess everyone and their Moms decided to detour to Fantasia too.  =(  Luckily, they make the drinks pretty darn fast, so we were back on the road shortly after our stop.  Fantasia is the only place that has Honey Green Tea with Grass Jelly & Lychee (chopped pieces) drink.  It is the best!

Looks like the secret is out..Fantasia is the go to place for your tea fix.

Christmas Eve @ ABC Cafe

Every year, JP and I spend Christmas with both sides of our family. Luckily they all gather in the Bay Area, so it’s easy to visit them both! It was mid-afternoon, and we were starving for something to eat. Dinner was at 8pm, and that seemed like light years away. Strolling down 3rd Avenue, we saw the bright neon lights from ABC Cafe calling our name.

Our first impression when we walked in was, OMG…this place is freaking huge! The menu featured pages and pages of noodles, appetizers, sizzling plates, and a huge variety of drinks. Alas, we were in food heaven! I really wanted to order the Christmas special, which was cheese baked lobster, seafood soup, and the dessert, however it just sounded like too much food for lil’ o me. I finally decided on BBQ Pork Rice Noodle Soup, Ginger Chicken Wings (appetizer), and JP ordered Hainan Chicken Rice.

Hainan Chicken Rice

BBQ Pork Rice Noodle

The best thing about this place is that its opens LATE! With such a huge menu and nice ambience, I’ll definitely be back here in the future. MmMmm.

How To Make Healthy Frozen Pops In 10 Minutes!

Most people tend to gain a few pounds over the holiday season because of all those decadent desserts, but why not be smart and make your own healthy treats.

I was in Williams Sonoma last week doing some Christmas shopping, and ran into this cute ice pop maker called Zoku. At first, I was really skeptical about it claiming to make frozen treats in about 7 minutes. Since WS has a great return policy, I decided to scoop one up and give it a try. WS carries really great products, and they also have really helpful sales reps that will answer any questions you have about the products they carry.

JP was at the store, so I told him to pick up some juice for the ice pop maker. He was a bit confused, but got some Santa Cruz juice for me anyways. I love that brand, since they don’t add extra sugar in their juices. He brought back Strawberry Lemonade and Pink Grapefruit. After 10 minutes, voila!

The magical Zoku frozen pop maker. Available @ Williams Sonoma.

There's the Strawberry Lemonade Pop! It was super tasty, and had a nice texture. Not too icy at all.

I Love Zoku!

Sake, Champagne, Black Jack, and JP (another 24 hrs in Vegas)

Some flock to Vegas for the women, clubs, and for a wild time, however I went for an entirely different reason.  I just loss a very important person in my life, and to be honest, I’m just heart broken.  Feeling sad, restless, and just lost, I needed to go to a place that had flashing lights, sights, and constant sounds to keep me sane.  My love JP & I, found a flight and headed to the airport within hours after we booked.  Upon our arrival, we were greeted by a dear friend.  Here is a recap of our 24 hrs. in Vegas.

It started with Sake & dinner over @Sushi Samba.

Fresh diced mangos inside a honey ginger wonton crisp & Yuzu ice cream

A sea of fresh cranberries floated on a bed of water @ Palazzo in the great foyer. It was festive, bold, and just beautiful.

Close up of the cranberries.

Pizza was a must, at Mario Batali's famed San Marco restaurant...(the view from our table)

Towering polar bears made from fresh flowers @ Palazzo.

Admiring the beauty of the Venetian, before hitching a ride back home.

Hitched a ride back on the G4.

View from our seats on the jet.

Dinner consisted of crab legs, lobster tail, shrimp cocktail, mini sandwiches, beef chow fun, dim sum, and mini desserts. It was one of the best meals I've ever had in the sky!

Bouchon Bakery… #1 Macarons!

As many of you know, Jin’s Patisserie in Venice (Abbot Kinney St), has the best macarons I’ve ever tasted.  Even the ones over at the Ritz in MDR, don’t come close to the exquisite texture and flavor Jin’s has to offer.  I recently had a chance to try a macaron from Bouchon Bakery in Vegas, and was blown away at the texture and taste.  I tried their limited edition egg nog macaron, and it was so heavenly.

You can find a Bouchon Bakery inside of Venetian in Las Vegas.  Enjoy!

Egg Nog flavor macaron

It was a huge macaron, however the flavor and texture was perfect.

We <3 Shabu Shabu

It’s been awhile since I’ve been back in the OC.  I finally got a chance to meet up with some friends for a shabu shabu dinner.  There’s a really cool spot next to Shark’s in Costa Mesa called California Shabu and it’s really yummy.

This shabu spot, has Kid Robot-ish toys all over the walls. I love it!

How cute is this?!

Kanpai!

Our Anti-Turkey Dinner.

For Thanksgiving day this year, we decided to do a regular dinner, except we had to indulge in extra crabby legs! Our anti-turkey dinner consisted of:

Jean Georges Scallop Soup with Ginger & Leeks
Organic Caesar Salad
Broiled Chilean Sea Bass
Chilled Crabby Legs w/Classic Cocktail Sauce

And, Fuego had kibbles!

King Crabby Legs, Jumbo Sea Scallops, and Chilean Sea Bass...all from Santa Monica Seafood!

My buddy Mr. Turkey, stopped to take a photo with me @ Whole Foods. =)

Good Eats: Thyme Cafe and Market

Here on the Westside, we’re so fortunate to have so many delicious eateries.  This afternoon I decided to check out Thyme Cafe out in Santa Monica, and the food was just divine!   The only caveat is that they close at 7pm daily.  =(

The seating is sparse, as there are only a couple of tables and 1 communal table.  Most of the customers ordered take-out, so the seating situation didn’t get ugly.  I would definitely not recommend taking a large group to Thyme because of the lack of seating and parking in the area.  They have a back lot, but that gets filled up very quickly.  Now, on to the good stuff.

Thyme Cafe’s menu features about 8 sandwiches and 8 salads, for just under $9.00.  It was a really tough choice, so I decided to get one of each.  They also feature a breakfast menu, ala cart items, pastries, and an extensive beverage selection.  I highly recommend the Chinese Chicken Salad because the dressing was flavorful and not over powering.  The wonton strips and lettuce were crisp and bell peppers definitely added a nice flavor to this salad.  The Ham & Brie bagette is one of my favorites over at Joans on 3rd, and Thyme’s version is absolutely delicious.  It is a light sandwich that is packed with robust flavors!

I must take JP with me next time.   And, then I can try the Pressed Salami Sandwich, or maybe the Steak Sandwich.  =)

Fall Gourmet Food Fair @ Mitsuwa (Torrance)

Phew, I am so happy to be starting up a new week. Last I had a couple of crazy a** days. I’m pretty laid back 99% of the time, but there are certain things that really irk me. Any who, this weekend was really fun and relaxing!!!

On Saturday, we lucked out and got a chance to try some of the Japanese goodies during the Fall Gourmet Food Fair @ Mitsuwa.

The line for the Okonomiyaki (Osaka Style) was about 10 ppl deep, but that didn’t deter me from waiting. =)

Then we had “waffles” from “Kobe-Fugetsudo. These yummy “waffles” were sooo delicious! You can choose from an assortment of “waffles” filled with custard, matcha red bean paste, and chestnut cream. Jp went with the matcha & azuki bean and I got the chestnut one.

Mr. Man is making okonomiyaki right before your eyes!

Long line, because it takes awhile for okonomiyaki to cook.

Waffles from Fugetsudo. Light, sweet, and full of flavor.

Chirashi!