Hinoki & the Bird... & Some Celebrities

My girlfriend, AG, and I should have known that we were committing to a scene when we tried to make a reservation for two on a random Tuesday night at 7 PM and had to accept a reservation at 7:45 PM instead. 

 

Before our dinner arrived, we saw Matt Feuerstein, lead actor from "Royal Pains" (USA), on his way to his table and Cat Deeley, host of "So You Think You Can Dance" (FOX), at the bar. AG had the vegetable curry, an off-menu option, and I had the fried oyster with black garlic aioli appetizer with the coconut curry mussels, sausage, and cauliflower entree. The food was good but I didn't think anything was spectacular. The restaurant vibe was hip and trendy and the plate prices reflected it. As we were paying our check, Marlon Wayans, from the movie "White Chicks" and "G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra", strolled in for dinner.     

A Weekend In Boston

In between a two week work trip in NJ, MH and I met for a weekend in Boston. We fulfilled our duty as tourists and walked the freedom trail and ate fantastic food all weekend. The cannoli at Mike's Pastry didn't disappoint and all of the seafood we had was great. 

Cannoli from Mike's Pastry

USS Constitution @ the Boston Navy Yard

Bunker Hill Monument

Lobster Roll @ Rabia's

Seafood Platter @ Rabia's

Myers + Chang

Myers + Chang

However, my absolute favorite meals were our lunch at Flour and dinner at Sportello. Everything we had at Flour was so delicious that I had to make a second trip there before we left to grab some goodies to go. Then, we had the most delicious gnocchi at Sportello. The dish knocked my socks off and really made me feel like I was eating little potato pillows. If you're ever in Boston I definitely think they are both worth the trip.  

Memorial Day Weekend In Mammoth

I have fond memories of family trips to Mammoth. The Sierra Nevada Mountains are a great place to hike, bike, ski/snowboard, and fish and doing it with your family always makes for a good time. 

We were pleasantly surprised how quiet Mammoth was for a holiday weekend. It was the last weekend for the mountain to be open for skiing and snowboarding and some of the mountain biking trails were already open. We hiked around Horseshoe Lake, did some fishing at Lake Mary, and hiked around Devils Postpile National Monument. 

Artistic Picture of Twin Lakes

Rainbow Falls is a relatively easy 2.6 mile roundtrip hike from the Rainbow Falls Trailhead and a much better option than the alternative 5 mile roundtrip hike from the Ranger Station. There isn't much shade on the trail and the altitude and sun really get you. Devils Postpile is an easy 0.8 mile round trip hike from the Ranger Station. The entire trail is paved and there are convenient log benches along the way. 

Back in town, we discovered the Mammoth Brewing Company and I have a feeling that it will become a regular stop for us. They do not offer any food and have a relatively small tasting room to try their brews. The boys tried a couple beer flights and each found beers they really enjoyed and I really liked their root beer. We'll be back!

LA's Best Macarons According To EaterLA

EaterLA posted a list of the "Best Macarons in Los Angeles". Since I can only vouch for a few of them, it looks like I have some macarons to try in the near future!

Memorial Day Weekend in NYC

I had to work in NJ the week before and after Memorial day weekend, so MH flew out over the long holiday so we could celebrate our anniversary in New York. Since we visited most of the larger museums on our last visit, we went to the Whitney and I can honestly say that I don´t think it was one of my favorite museums. For the most part, the exhibits just weren´t my cup of tea.

Whitney Museum

For a total splurge, MH treated me to dinner at Le Bernadin. I had hoped that we might catch a glimpse of Chef Ripert but unfortunately he wasn´t in the restaurant that evening. Our dinner was devine though and I would gladly go back in a heart beat.

Le Bernadin Mixed Seafood Dish

In contrast to our fine dining meal at Le Bernadin, we also went to Momofuku for a fried chicken lunch which was also fun and exciting since we were able to catch up with some friends at the same time.

Momofuku Noodle Bar Fried Chicken Lunch

Last but not least, we visited the World Trade Center Memorial. Unfortunately, the museum isn´t open yet so we were only able to walk around the waterfalls of the two buildings.

World Trade Center Memorial

I can´t believe MH and I have been married for over a year! Where does the time go?

Secret Menus

If you're from Southern California you most likely know about In-N-Out's not so secret menu. However, if you don't know about it, you can find it on In-N-Out's website here.

Anyways, the point of this post is that I just learned about a secret menu at Starbucks! I'm not an avid coffee drinker, so I doubt I'll ever try any of these, but they are still fun to know about. If you're interested, you can check out the story and secret menu posted by thedailymeal.com here.

All About The Bread

MH was looking for a good meatball sub, so we tried All About The Bread based on Los Angeles Magazine's recommendation for '17 Great L.A. Sandwiches'.

Their meatball sub is pretty solid. The sub has a great bubbly bread crust, tangy tomato sauce, and nicely seasoned meatballs. It's awesome that they are located somewhat close to our house too (La Brea & Melrose). The only downfall is that parking can be a pain, so if you go, be patient and look around for street spots.

In other somewhat related matters, we thought it was a little odd that for a place called 'All About The Bread' all of the subs came on the same bread and there wasn't a variety of bread options. It isn't a deal breaker since the bread they have is pretty good though.

Hola Tijuana

After seeing an episode of Rick Bayless's Mexico-One Plate at a Time featuring Caesar Cardini's famous Caesar salad, MH decided a day trip to Tijuana was in order. So over the weekend, we jumped in the car one early morning and headed toward the border.

Since we weren't interested in buying car insurance for driving in Mexico and didn't want to chance it, we parked in a lot by the border and walked across.

View of Tijuana Crossing the River

Tijuana is famous for their "zebras" and you can find them set up on almost every street corner. I wonder what they use and how long it takes to paint the stripes on the donkeys? The even have stripes on their ears, poor donkeys.

Tijuana Zebra

Caesar's Tapas and Bar is located in Downtown Tijuana on Revolucion Avenue between 4th and 5th street. There is a giant "Hotel Caesar" sign on the front of the building and a Carl's Jr. on the corner so you can't miss it.

Our lunch at Caesar's ended up being highlight of our trip. MH and I both ordered a Caesar salad and shared a combo plate that came with carne asada, cheese enchilada's, and chili relleno. Our salads were made and served table-side, and were fantastic. The carne asada that came on the combo plate was also the best we've had in a long time too!

Caesar Salad

The buzz kill for our trip was the horrendous line at immigration to get back into the states. It took us almost two hours to get back across the border and if it weren't for that, I would recommend a day trip to Tijuana just to visit Caesar's Tapas and Bar.

On our way home, we stopped at the Tijuana Estuary National Park in Imperial Beach. We checked out the visitors center and strolled along the trail for a bit before we decided to turn back since there was no end in sight.

Tijuana Estuary National Park

All in all, it was a great day and another fun adventure to add to our collection!

Papaya King

MH and I happened to catch an episode of 'The Originals with Emeril' and his visit to Papaya King, one of New York's famous hot dog stands, caught our eye. They are known for being the first to combine freshly made fruit juices with frankfurters. Who could say no to that?!? Luckily, they recently opened a location in Hollywood, so we decided to give it a try.

We ordered a frankfurter with chili, a frankfurter with sauteed onions, a frankfurter with sauteed mushrooms and onions, curly fries, a papaya tropical drink, and a pina colada tropical drink.

Everything was affordable and tasty. However, we both thought that the bun to frankfurter ratio was a little off and wished there was a little less bread. My favorite part of the meal was the tropical drinks! I thought that the choice to have something other than soda at a hot dog joint was refreshing.

If you plan on going, keep in mind that the place is super tiny with only standing room and counter space to eat. Since it is in Hollywood, parking can also be a challenge, so watch the meter signs.

A Trip To Paradise

While our honeymoon was a once in a lifetime type adventure, we wouldn't necessarily describe our trip to Africa as romantic or relaxing. There is something about the constant application of bug spray and waking up before the sun that seems to kill the idea of romance and the feeling of being well rested. Thankfully, we had the opportunity to go with Oahu with my family at the end of September to get the R&R that we needed.

Sunset @ Waikiki Beach

While we were there, we caught a rerun of Man v. Food that featured the Mac Daddy Pancake Challenge at Mac 24-7 in the Hilton Waikiki Prince Kuhio Hotel. The challenge is to eat four pounds of pancakes in 90 minutes without leaving the table before you're finished. Since the restaurant wasn't too far from our hotel we decided to give it a go and ordered the hot and wild blueberry pancakes.

Mac 24-7 Hot & Wild Blueberry Pancakes

It is difficult to fully comprehend the true size of the pancakes in the picture. With four of us eating, we came no where close to finishing it, and were only able to eat about half!

On the recommendation of a girl friend, we also tried Mana Bu's, Hawaii's Masubi Headquarters. We picked up a few different masubi's one morning and they were a perfect afternoon snack for a day at the beach. On top of our little masubi pyramid is their fresh strawberry mochi. Although it cost more than any of the masubis, I do admit that it was quite tasty, and I wouldn't mind having another.

Treats from Mana Bu's

Last but not least, we found this awesome beach just north of Haleiwa where we got to watch a group of Hawaiian green sea turtles snacking on the vegetation just off of the shore. Unfortunately, none of them were out on the sand sun bathing. However, every now and then you could see their heads pop up for air or one of their fins sticking out of the surf as they balanced themselves in the waves.

Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle

It's always such a treat to visit the Hawaiian islands. Till next time Hawaii, I'll miss you!

Labor Day Weekend in NYC

I had to work in NJ the week after Labor Day, so MH and I decided to do a weekend trip to NYC. Luckily, we had fabulous weather and it was a beautiful day for sightseeing.

We did a bunch of touristy stuff the first day we were there and visited the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the Empire State Building. To conclude our day we went to Peter Lugar's to try New York's #1 rated steak house for the past 24 years in a row.

MH and I must admit, that the quality of the meat is top notch, but since they just salt and sear the steak we thought we have had better tasting steaks at home. I think my personal favorite is still Mastro's.

Our second day in the city was a complete eat-a-thon. We started at Katz's Deli for their signature pastrami sandwich...

stopped into Bisous Ciao for some macarons, Balthazar Bakery, Lombardi's for their margherita pizza...

the Big Gay Ice Cream shop for some soft serve, and finished our day at the Momofuku Noodle Bar!

Momofuku Ramen

Of all of the restaurants, MH and I were most impressed with the Momufuku Noodle Bar and thought it was the only restaurant that fully lived up to all of its hype. I had the most delicious lychee slushie and all of the dishes we had were terrific.

The next day, we stopped into Eataly for lunch, headed off to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, enjoyed an afternoon cookie snack at Levain Bakery, and then had Shake Shack for dinner.

Shake Shack Soda, Rocky Road Shake, Cheeseburger & Shack Burger

(From Left to Right)

Originally we had thought we could go to the Shake Shack for lunch but when we got to the Madison Square Park location the line was out of control and we decided that it would be much easier to grab something from Eataly. After we went to Levain Bakery, we were conveniently close to the Shake Shack on Columbus and 77th and we decided that the 15 minute line there was manageable. MH had the cheeseburger and I had the shack burger (without tomatoes, of course) and while both burgers were delicious, we were surprised by how small they were considering the price. The potato bread bun was a nice touch, but we both still prefer In-N-Out.

On our last day, we visited the Museum of Modern Art, enjoyed a frozen treat from Laboratorio del Gelato, had a late lunch at Republic, and then headed off to the airport so MH could catch his flight home and I could pick up my rental car for the week.

Times Square

NYC was another great trip to add to our memory book. Shout out to JR for all of his hospitality! You were a fabulous host and hope you also enjoyed our city adventuring.

More Things To Eat

Since I last blogged about Jonathan Gold's article (refer to my Things To Eat post), a friend told me about a list of 100 Things You Should Try Before You Die in San Francisco (shout out to Ophs for the tip!) by 7x7.com. The list is driven solely by diners opinions and MH and I would have to agree with the items we've had so far.

Checked off the list:

• Morning Bun at Tartine Bakery
• Crab with Cellophane Noodles at The Slanted Door
• Porchetta Sandwich at Roli Roti
• Pizza Margherita at Pizzeria Delfina
• Salumi Misti Plate at Perbacco
• Tuna Tartare and a Gin Martini at Bix
• Salty Caramel Ice Cream at Bi-Rite Creamery

Over the weekend, MH and I took a road trip to the bay area and while we were there I found something thing that I would add to the list, a Reaper Bun from OctoberFeast Bakery. It was explained to me as something like a caramelized morning bun, but even as delicious as that sounds I think the actual thing is better. I imagine that the obscene amounts of butter and sugar used to make these delicious treats are what gives them their name, so they are definitely not a good fit for palettes sensitive to sugar overload. However, I would eat one or two in a sitting the next time I have the chance. I made the mistake of eating half to save the rest for later and the next day it just wasn't the same.

Mmmmmm Donuts!

If you are ever in Glendora, or would like to make a slight detour on your way to Las Vegas like we did, you can stop at Donut Man and pick up one of these delightful fresh strawberry donuts!

It is the child of a fresh strawberry pie and a donut, the donut is split and filled with a generous portion of glazed strawberries. Boy oh boy is it good. Donut Man also offers a variety of other donuts as well. MH picked up a tiger tail (a donut twisted with chocolate) that he enjoyed and depending on the time of year, fresh peach donuts are available too.

The Apple Pan

Last week, MH and I headed over to the Apple Pan. If you live in Los Angeles, I'm sure you have seen it before, it is the cute little house with the giant Apple Pan sign on Pico Boulevard across the street from the Westside Pavilion shopping mall.

The restaurant is very quaint, with a counter seating no more than 25 some odd people at a time, and its interior design was the inspiration for the Johnny Rockets restaurant franchise.

MH ordered the Steak Burger with cheese (left), I ordered the Hickory Burger (right) and we split an order of fries. While the burgers and fries were tasty I thought the atmosphere was really what made the restaurant a gem. The Apple Pan is the kind of place where you feel like a regular even if it's your first time there. The waiters pour your ketchup, pull you extra napkins, and slide you an extra plate without you having to ask. All of their years of experience let them know what you need without you having to say a word.

It's a nice change in pace from having to flag down your aspiring actor/actress aka waiter/waitress to ask for a place setting to eat your meal or your check so you can pay and leave. Again, if you live in Los Angeles, I'm sure you know what I mean.

Things To Eat

Last year, Jonathan Gold wrote an article titled '99 Things to Eat in Los Angeles Before You Die' and after living in Los Angeles for 5+ years MH and I figured we should take advantage of our time here and start checking things off of the list.

Since the list includes "fugu to foie gras, pizza to panuchos" I doubt we'll make it all the way through. However, we've already been to over dozen of the places listed so we are off to a pretty good start!

Checked Off The List:

• Tito's Old School Tacos
• Langer's Hot Pastrami
• Casa Bianca's Pizza
• Kogi's Kalbi Taco
• El Tepeyac Burrito
• Philippe's French Dip
• Hot Dog on a Stick
• Akasha
• Oki Dog
• Mozza Pizza
• Lawry's Prime Rib
• Campanile's Grilled Prime Rib
• Border Grill's Green Corn Tamales
• Nickel Diner Maple Bacon Donut
• Bay Cities Godmother
• Bludso's Brisket

Kogi: Korean BBQ-To-Go

After years of hearing all of the hype, MH and I finally tried the Kogi truck.

If you have never heard of the Kogi truck, its a Korean Taco truck that popped up in Los Angeles in late 2008. You can check out an article from the Wall Street Journal about it - here.

Three Taco Combo: Short Rib, Spicy Pork, & Chicken

We happened to stumble across the truck in Venice on our way to meet our florist. Since the line was surprisingly short, we decided to give it a go and ordered the three taco combo. It was a little too spicy for my liking, but MH and I agreed they were pretty good, with the short rib taco being the best. Our main critique is that the tacos were on the smaller side considering their price. Tacos a la carte are $2.10 +tax and our combo which included a can of soda was $7.00 +tax.

If we happened to come across the truck again we'd be willing to try something else on the menu, but we don't think we'll be seeking out the truck on our own anytime soon.

Three Layers Of Happiness

If you are a fan of King's Hawaiian Rolls, give King's Hawaiian Restaurant and Bakery a try: 2088 West Sepulveda Boulevard, Torrance, CA 90505 - Phone: 310-530-0050.

MH and I most often go for breakfast since we particularly enjoy their King's Hawaiian French Toast, french toast made with their special homemade batter and King's Hawaiian bread, and their King's Burrito, a blend of scrambled eggs, fried rice, Portuguese sausage and cheddar cheese in a flour tortilla.

I am also a huge fan of their desserts! My favorite is their Paradise cake, a three layer (guava, passion fruit, and lime) chiffon cake with whipped cream filling and a three fruit nectar glaze on top.

Paradise Cake

Their other desserts/baked goods are great too. We've previously picked up other cakes from their bakery for family events/birthdays, and picked up an assortment of pastries for brunches. I recently tried their Paradise cheesecake, a three layer(guava, passion fruit, and lime) cheesecake with a graham cracker crust and whipped cream, and would gladly eat another slice! If you are ever in Torrance, you should stop in and try it for yourself.

Scoops Westside

A few years ago, MH and I discovered Scoops through Yelp and it quickly became my favorite ice cream shop in Los Angeles. Scoops isn't your standard ice cream shop, they do not carry vanilla, strawberry, or even chocolate. Every time you visit the shop you are bound to find new flavors that you've probably never had before e.g. chocolate lemon, espresso peanut butter, & cappuccino hazelnut. Some flavors are better than others, but I have always found a flavor (or two) that I liked.

My only complaint about Scoops is that it isn't particularly close to our house. Located by Los Angeles Community College at 712 N Heliotrope Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90029, going to Scoops isn't always a convenient trip. However, thanks to food blogger turned franchisee/entrepreneur Mattatouille aka Matthew Kang, my only Scoops complaint has been resolved. Scoops Westside is located at 3400 Overland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90034 and is open for business!

Scoops Westside Store Front

Only two months into business, the store is still growing into it's space. There are minimal decorations inside and out, however don't let that deter you. The ice cream is still great and although prices are a notch higher than the original, I thought of it as a premium for it's convenience.

Ice Cream Case

I had the pandan coconut and pina colada while MH had the black sesame banana and all were delish! You can follow Scoops Westside on twitter to read about their current flavors and treats. If you have the chance to try it, please let me know what you think.

Adventures in Yountville

For the past few years, MH and I have taken a mini-winter vacation to Vegas just before Christmas. However, with MH already working in SF, we decided to change our mini-winter vacation to SF this year.

Luckily, whenever we are in bay area, we get to visit with TOBE (The Official Baker Extraordinaire) and she never lets us or our tummies down. She took us on an adventure to Yountville for a delightful trip to Bouchon bakery and a scrumptious dinner at Ad Hoc.

Bouchon Bakery

Here are some of the yummy treats you can find at the bakery. Unfortunately, since we were flying back, we were unable to bring home as many treats as I would have liked. Good thing there is always next time.

Bouchon Macaron Assortment

Bouchon Nutter Butter and Gingerbread Cookies

Bouchon Holiday Shortbread Cookies & Red Velvet Cupcake Snowmen

Dinner at Ad Hoc was quite the treat. We started with a TFL garden broccolini bruschetta, followed by snake river farm's beef tri-tip, dungeness crab cakes, pata cabra, and then finished with pecan bars. All I can say is YUM! If you ever have the chance to go to Ad Hoc, I would definitely recommend it. Ad Hoc changes their menu daily, so you won't know what you're really going to get until they post the menu the day of, but don't worry, I'm pretty sure you won't be disappointed.

Mac Attack

A couple weekends ago, MH and I met with K&J for dinner and learned about Milk Shop's macaron ice cream sandwiches. I don't know about you, but I think ice cream is wonderful by its self and when you sandwich it between two macarons, it is a match made in heaven!

I'm not sure if you can get them at all of the Umami Burger locations, but we went to the one in Santa Monica to give them a try.

Milk Shop's Salty Caramel & Grasshopper Sandwiches @ Umami Burger

MH and I both thought that the grasshopper sandwich was better than the salty caramel, not saying the salty caramel sandwich was bad by any means. Nothing just seems to comes close to Bi-Rite Creamery's awesome salty caramel ice cream in my opinion.

Last night, we went to the Milk Ice Cream Parlor and tried the rocky road sandwich.

Rocky Road Sandwich @ Milk Ice Cream Parlor

The rocky road sandwich was also very delicious but I think the grasshopper sandwich is my favorite of the three.