Lunch @ Culver City (LA)

Lots of restaurants booming around downtown Culver City and one of these is Lunch. I like the name "lunch" it is simple and describes what you can eat there, "lunch." A lot of "trendy" restaurant names are simplistic these days, one or two word names that has you guessing, "what's so special." Salads at Lunch are amazing! Filling, crisp, refreshing, and good topping combinations. Only downside is that the lighting in the room is too dim. So that's not fun. However! If you go for Lunch on a Tuesday, you can step outside to the Farmer's Market, which is tons of fun.

I really liked this display. I want something like that in my future home

Russian Mob Cob

[Chopped Iceberg Lettuce, Turkey, Ham, Swiss, Egg,  Avocado with Russian Dressing]

one of the better cob sandwiches i've had. i think because there was no blue cheese, and it was actually kind of healthy, no bacon! i asked for dressing n the side.

Bachelor's Beef

[Roast Beef, Caramelized Onions, Provolone, Tomato, Horseradish on Sourdough]

the bread was tasty...especially after not having carbs for a week. i needed more lettuce and tomatoes. i like my veggies in sandwiches. instead of horseradish i asked for mayo. much better.

Cho Dang Tofu & BBQ @ Diamond Bar

I love LOVE Korean Tofu Soup! So good. Cho Dang Tofu in Diamond Bar is reasonably priced, clean, good sides, and lots of yumsies. Couldn't eat rice because of no carb diet, but the tofu wasn't too salty and good by itself. Ordered kalbi too and that was tres delicious. All very tasty!!

No Name

Ahhh....how I love my sushi. You may remember the post "The One We Shall Not Name..." well I waited in line for it again! I don't have much to say other than the sushi is better than I remembered, and just DAMN GOOD! But here are some pictures just to tickle your appetite :)

Tuna

 

Sashimi Combo

[tuna, yellow tail, tako, salmon, squid, scallops, seaweed salad, ginger]

Yellow Tail

Scallop

Kika's Treats @ San Francisco

This has to be the BEST smores I've ever had. EVER! It was so beautifully done, so decadent, so delicate, and such harmony between the graham cracker, marshmallow and chocolate. Kika's Treats has definitely perfected the camp fire snack - 'smores.

bottom-up [graham cracker, homemade marshmallow, toasted, and chocolate covered graham cracker]

the BEST dessert ever! so good!!! not too sweet at all, perfect.

Curry Up Now @ San Francisco

Street food is popping up all over the place. Everything is in taco or burrito form, whether it be Korean, Chinese and now even Indian. Curry Up Now is very famous in San Francisco, and there are long lines all over the place. They're known for their Tikka Masala Chicken Burrito. It was good, and SUPER SPICY. So spicy my lips and tongues were burning non-stop and I couldn't eat it any more. Downside was that there was too much sauce and not enough rice. Needed more rice to counteract the spicyness.

[fresh flour tortilla, methi pulao, chana masala, pickled onions and chicken]

SPICY!!!

Raven's Nest @ Long Beach, CA

Cuban food in Long Beach, who would have known? The original plan was to go get ramen in Little Tokyo, but as traffic was piling it would be difficult to eat at Little Tokyo and then head over to Long Beach Airport. With an iPhone in hand, I managed to find Raven's Nest. The reviews looked good, and well the food was not too shabby. It was pricier than Versailles in LA, and the portions were smaller. I think I still prefer Versailles more, but Raven's Nest did the job. Good food, but nothing amazing to rave about. But I do suppose if you're in the area and you want Cuban food, head over to Raven's Nest.

Complimentary Garlic Bread

Black Beans

Breaded Steak

light and crispy. panda loved it. he couldn't have more!

Ropa Vieja w. plaintains and rice

[shredded beef simmered in tomato sauce with other spices]

super tender and real good. juicy. i could have eaten a lot more

Diddy Riese @ Los Angeles

I remember when I first arrived at UCLA, and then heard about Diddy Riese. I could not believe that you could get an ice cream sandwich for $1. Two giant cookies of your own choosing, and a giant scoop of ice cream, also of your own choosing - sandwiched together. It was magical. The ice cream sandwich was HUGE. How could it only be $1? It must be a front for some money laundering place, it has to be, what else could be the explanation? I also found my other love at the place, two cookies (preferably chocolate chip cookies) and a carton of non-fat milk, also only for $1! Great! This deal lasted for about two years, and then they had to up the ice cream sandwich to $1.25, because of increase cost of Dreyer's ice cream, but my combo was still only $1! Well after three years since graduating UCLA, I head back to the old hang out, and it's all $1.50. More expensive than I remember, and sure a good deal for anyone else, but it's disappointing. But it tastes just the same! I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside, so it reaffirms my idea that it's a front for a money laundering place. Hmp...ideas?

Traditional Ice Cream Sandwich 

[white chocolate macadamia nut cookie with cookies 'n cream ice cream]

 Two Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tito's Tacos @ Los Angeles

My favorite Mexican food is CRUNCHY TACOS, and the best place to get crunchy tacos is Tito's Taco's in LA. Best thing about it, is that the taco shell is freshly made, super crunchy, uses shredded beef and not ground beef, there's lettuce, tomato and freshly grated cheese. This place is authentic and CHEAP! $1.70 for a taco, and while it used to be cheaper, it's still really affordable. Each order comes with chips and salsa. I crave this all the time, it's just that good, and yes sometimes my jaw gets tired from all the crunch. But totally worth it!

Tacos

Enchillada

saucy and cheeeessyyy

Sequoia Sandwich Co @ Bakersfield

Sandwich! Nothing special, nothing spectacular but still good at Sequoia. It's not an Ike's or a Sub Center.

BLT

can't go wrong with a BLT, however too much bacon on this. there needs to be a perfect harmony between bacon, lettuce and tomato for a BLT.

Monterey Chicken Club  

[Marinated grilled chicken breast served on an Onion-Dill roll, with Monterey Jack, lettuce, tomato, avocado, bacon and Ranch dressing]

this one was good. loaded with lots of stuff and flavor. 

Alembic @ San Francisco

The 7x7 list consists mostly of food items, but scattered around the 100 items are a few alcoholic drinks that must be tried. Alembic is on the list, and what must be tried is the Old Fashion. The bar is actually really cute, and has nice ambiance. The list of drinks are unique, and it's like a real old fashion bar where they make the classics, and the bartender isn't your typical "pay-$400-for-classes-and-i'm-a-bartender." He's the legit sh*it. I've never had an Old Fashion, and I don't even know what an Old Fashion is, but I ordered it, and tried it. BOY is it STRONG! Too strong for me, but still smooth. So while I've never had an Old Fashion, and have nothing to compare it to, my review is that it's good, but not a drink for me. I definitely will come back here to try another drink, probably something more fruity and less intense.

Hog Island Oyster @ Marshall, CA (Marin County)

Most west coasters know that you can go from southern California all the way to northern California by taking the 101 or Highway 1, and the reverse is true. Most people stop at San Francisco, but if you go another hour or so north, along the windy Highway 1 you'll come across an oyster farm in Marin County - Hog Island Oyster. It looks pretty unassuming from the outside, but when you walk towards the back, you'll see some picnic tables, and lots of people handling oysters.

The best thing to do at Hog Island, is to bring EVERYTHING else yourself, so they don't nickle and dime you. You reserve a picnic table ahead of time, which is $5/person on weekday and $8/person on weekends, but if you order enough oysters they'll most likely waive that fee. There are about 6 different variety of oysters, and if you shuck them yourself it comes out to $1/oyster, but if you have them shuck it it's about $2/oyster. Obviously you'd shuck them yourself! What's the point of going to an oyster farm to eat oysters if you don't do the dirty work - it's part of the experience! You bring your own charcoal, and BBQ utensils, lime, lemon, sauces, plates, etc. You make a picnic out of it, and you just eat eat eat. I recommend everyone to go, the oysters are super fresh and sweet. You taste the salt from the ocean, and I don't think it gets any fresher than this, unless you go pick them ourselves out in sea.

Japanese Oysters

super sweet and really fresh. this was my favorite.

but really difficult to shuck

Mid-Size

still fresh and good, but too salty for my taste. 

BBQ! still not a fan of BBQ oysters. I'll eat them raw, that's it.

fog rolling in after a whole day

V. Sattui Winery @ St. Helena (Napa)

V. Sattui Winery may be one of the CHEAPEST wine tasting wineries in the area. For only $5, you get 6 different tastes. The wine's not too shabby either, as I bought a Gamay Rouge and a Riesling. The winery is really pretty, just like the other wineries in the area, but also has its own unique and distinctive qualities. In my opinion the best part is the deli and the shop. Delicious cheeses, paninis, deli meats, baguettes, etc. What you do is do the wine tasting, buy a bottle of wine, pick out some food in the deli for a picnic outside. A great way to spend time in napa!

n

i really liked this riesling. it wasn't too sweet, but sweet enough, and not dry like the other riesling that they offered. this was crisp and refreshing!

my other favorite. 

didn't like it so much. i'm not much for reds, so this was too strong for me.

this was delicious. the first sip, i wasn't that much of a fan. it reminded me too much of whiskey, but a few seconds later i started to get all the other flavors. there was chocolate and plum. and it was really smooth. panda bought a bottle, and it'll be our celebration come november when we receive (hopefully) good news :D

 

Mama's @ San Francisco

There is ALWAYS a line. The line goes out the door to about half the block. It's been this way since I could remember. When I was kid, my aunt and uncle pulled me out of school one day so I could eat Mama's with them. It was great. After all these years, breakfast is just as good at mama's. While there are tons to things to eat at Mama's, eggs benedict is always good and safe choice. Lox was fresh and perfect, especially since there were no capers :)

apparently has really good baked goods too, but never tried. i was too full with what i had

Traditional Eggs Benedict

hollandaise sauce was great, and the eggs were cooked perfectly.

Lox

light and refreshing. salmon was fresh and not too smoked