Over the Weekend

This past weekend was eventful and went by too fast!  Enjoyed watching Iron Man 3, House of Cards, and spending time with awesome people.  Pretty much every weekend, haha.  It’s already Wednesday and this upcoming weekend will be hectic, Love Festival (an event held for persons suffering from a disability), Mother’s Day, and my brother is back from school!

Here are some photos from the past few days:

20th Anniversary Race to Erase MS gala event hosted by Erase MS, raising awareness and funds to combat Multiple Sclerosis.  Thanks awesome friends for volunteering!  I’ve been involved for the past 4 years and it’s been an amazing experience.

Very early breakfast with smELLIS ❤

Finally got to try Seoul Sausage at the Angel City Brewery art/beer/food event with Mike.  No wonder everyone talks about this place, it was pretty dang good.

Happy Baptism!  It was awesome to witness my friends celebrating a rebirth and declaring their faith!  Woo!

Okay, I wasted like thirty minutes.  Which means, it’s that much closer to Thursday.  I just rounded up many, many hours.

Kentro Greek Kitchen

My awesome cousin Jane, took me for a post-birthday dinner to Kentro Greek Kitchen in Downtown Fullerton (DTF).  I was surprised at how I missed this place the many times I’ve been to DTF!

I wasn’t too adventurous since I got the chicken pita (the dijoin aioli was amazing!!!), and we shared the Saganaki, which is a pan-fried kefalotiri (huh?) cheese.  I was scared, since it’s some crazy-named cheese, but so glad we did!  We paired our food with the recommended white wine: Kouros and our dinner was perfect.

I’d definitely come back and this may be one of my go-to spots for dinner in DTF.  FYI, you order first, get your number, and then find a seat.  The service is great, everyone’s super nice, and one of the workers gave me a free baklava for my birthday!

For those who love wine & more cheese, Twisted Vine is just across the street, so you can hop on over to there for more fun times!

Dining Etiquette

I don’t know how to eat like a lady, I guess I missed Proper Etiquette 101.  Which is why I’m fascinated with traditions, table manners, cultures on eating, etc. because I want to learn.  I’m so happy I came across these helpful guides that shed light on what’s appropriate for dinner parties, events, or traveling!

International Dining Food Etiquette & Dinner Etiquette {both via Cup of Jo}

Weekend Diary

I took a mini-staycation (much needed rest!) by taking a couple of days off of work  and spent them very wisely (psst, watching Mad Men).

I went to a very beautiful wedding on Saturday; congratulations to Pearle & James!  It was really awesome to witness two amazing people start a journey together.

Michael and his brother, Jonathan are going to Europe for a few weeks, and will miss my birthday, so Mike decided to plan something for us to do before he left!  We spent the day brunching (@Rialto), watching Aziz Ansari’s Dangerously Delicious stand-up and Mad Men (!!!).  Then we had dinner at Agora Churrascaria.  We got there pretty early and I didn’t want the salad bar traffic so we decided to sit in the back.  If I do decide to go there again, I’d definitely not sit in that area because the servers weren’t coming around to us.  They were serving the closer tables first and by the time they made their rounds, there was no food left for us.  After the restaurant started to fill up is when they started to come to our table. Other than that, food + wine was delicious.  We ended up at Heroes Bar & Grill after many searches and attempts to find a place to hang out at (forgot it was Monday, lots of places aren’t open after 9pm).

It was very nice to relax, and thank you so much Michael for everything!!

{first photo taken by Hanna J; wedding collage; early birthday collage}

Burger Mania

I’ve tried a number of gourmet burgers the past year (Father’s Office, Burger Parlor, 25 Degrees, Bottle Room, Slater’s 50/50, Counter, and am I missing another?), I work walking distance to Juicy Burger, Stout, Go Burger, Umami Burger, Fuku Burger and feel lucky to have had the opportunity to try them all.  They’re all delicious and actually end up tasting the same; nothing sticks out.  I’ll always be happy to try new places, but Father’s Office was (and is!) my #1 spot place for go-to-burger because it never disappoints.  However, Michael and I tried 25degrees through a friend and introduced us to one of the better burgers I’ve had.  I’ve gone twice, and the flavor, ambiance, beer, everything is great.  The other convenient aspect is the location: the closest one is in Huntington Beach which is still a bit out of the way since we have to go local roads all the way, but it’s worth it!

I also really enjoy eating at The Counter, this place doesn’t disappoint either.  I’ve gone many times and I always build the same burger and leave satisfied.  I know many people claim that Slater’s 50/50 is the best because it’s 50% bacon and 50% meat patty.  It was good and I’d go again if friends wanted to go, but that’s not the first place I think of.  Maybe it was too hyped up for me.  But I must say, their appetizers are really delicious.  I’ve also heard of a different places like Apple Pan, Comme Ca, etc, and I honestly don’t have a desire, unless told otherwise.

The next two places that are on my must-have-to-try list is  Golden State Cafe and Public School 612!

{sweet potato fries/garlic fries/onion rings, chicken wings, burger menu#1.  photos taken by Daniel Kang}

Diamond Jamboree Plaza

The two times I visited Tokyo Table I really enjoyed.  Nice ambiance, friendly servers, and good food/drinks.  I wish Niko Niko in my area would magically turn into Tokyo Table.  If I’m wishing, I guess I should choose a more authentic or even better tasting Japanese restaurant to come to my city… Anyway…

Their noodles/rolls are delicious and best of all, their honey brick toast with green tea icecream!  I’m not a dessert person, and I’ve said it many times, but I will always have to have this when I come to dine at this restaurant.  Not too sweet and the bread is lightly toasted and soft.

Also, they have the prettiest cocktails and drinks.  I had to try two: I got their Geisha Saketini “Kikuka” that is Lychee flavored and Mango Tokyo-Style Mojito.  I personally enjoyed the saketini, it was on the sweeter side but paired well with my dinner without the strong alcohol taste.  The mojito was also well made and perfect!

Didn’t mean to hijack my own blog post from Tokyo Table, but if I’m talking about Diamond Jamboree plaza, there’s so much good food.  (This post was originally titled Tokyo Table).

The curry house, CoCo Ichibanya is also very delicious and easy on the wallet!  I got the spice level 3 curry with shrimp and vegetables, and the large garden salad on the side.  If I’m craving curry, I would definitely recommend this place (if you’re looking for other than Curry House or Hurry Curry).

Pretty much, this plaza is awesome.  I really enjoy dining here and trying different places.  Downside?  It’s in Irvine.  Also, parking sucks.  I’ve tried a good amount of restaurants located in this plaza, and I don’t think you can go wrong – unless you’re a chodang soondooboo fan and you end up at BCD.  That’s on you.

{Honey brick toast with green tea icecream @ Tokyo Table}

On a separate note, Michael is done with school, YAY!

Claws vs Boiling Crab

For smallgroup outing yesterday, we decided to go to Claws instead of Boiling Crab. Scenery is quite similar but different:   Claws feels like you’re on a pirate’s boat, and Boiling Crab feels like you’re shipwrecked.  I’ve noticed some differences; and FYI: I’m not a food expert or have I tried anything else on the menu besides shrimp and oyster.

We were able to make reservations at Claws (which you can’t at BC), but I noticed that even on a Thursday night, if you don’t make reservations, you’ll end up waiting 1-1.5 hours to sit and eat since the space is small.

The sauce is much spicier at Claws, which is why I opted for the “mild” and they call their special, the “cannonball”, fyi (equivalent to the “whole shebang” from BC) and much more potent.  I could still taste the flavor in my mouth in the morning, yes even after I brushed my teeth.

Claws sells “peeled shrimp” for 10.99 for those who are too lazy or have fingers-cramp-itis.  But who wants shrimp peeled by a stranger?

Oysters at Claws, rules.  Albeit it’s a tad more expensive, the oysters with ceviche were very delicious and seemed fresh; oysters at BC taste like ocean.  I overheard someone say the sausages were also much better at Claws.

Corn at BC, rules.  The corn, to some, is the best part of the entire experience and Claws does not even come close to how delicious the corn is at BC.

Overall, I don’t care.  Because shrimp with sauce in a bag at Claws is shrimp with sauce in a bag at Boiling Crab.  And I just love the Cajun (refer to picture below, see how happy I am).

{top photo of boiling crab taken from Daniel Kang’s fb}

Crab!

I really enjoy eating seafood and one of my favorite dishes that my mom makes is crab soup/casserole (?).  I was super excited when she made some over the weekend!  My mom’s an amazing cook except for spaghetti.

Anyway, she makes the soup in a ginormous pot and there’s enough to last my family for a week, but we ration it out to last us a few weeks.

After consuming a bowl, I reek of “the deepest part of the ocean” and it gets in my hair, skin, breath, and finger/finger nails.

One time, I had just eaten crab soup, and Michael and I were hanging out.  He said I smelled like crab and I thought he said “crap.”  He laughed and I cried (just kidding about the crying).  We both laughed about it afterwards.

Post-Valentine’s

Now that everyone has stopped talking/posting pictures about valentine’s day, I figured I’d post about it.

Michael and I had an awesome valentine’s date in Little Tokyo/Downtown!

He also made chocolate covered strawberries (like last year, thankyou!) and so I bought some delicious cheese from Joan’s on Third, crackers from Trader Joe’s, and celebrated post-valentine’s with my mom.

{Wurstkuche: rattlesnake & mango jalapeno; amazing HH at The Falls}

Mexican Food

I love Mexican food, and I don’t know if I’m allowed to say that considering I’ve only had a few number of their menu items, but still, I love it.  A friend mentioned Mexicali had really, really delicious food (and they were located on the corner of some street in downtown LA, with super long lines) so we decided to try it out!

Vampiro or cachetada or i have no idea. hahaha

The food was so good, and I wish I could eat some more, but it’s too out of the way.  Now that they’ve gone brick and mortar, it’s even MORE out of the way.

How is this fair!  It’s 2 miles away from another really good place that a few friends of mine introduced me to: Carnitas (amaaaazing super nachos and burritos!!! it’s a must).

Late night snack after halloween party at Carnitas

Since I posted up these photos, I might as well continue:

Lengua, carne asada, and al pastor tacos from Taqueria de Anda

Robertos’ california fries during finals week

Of course I haven’t mentioned other delicious places, but I couldn’t find photos, so I didn’t want to add them.