PHO: Good for the soul

My rare steak and flank Pho

This beautiful bowl was crafted at Pho Thang Long in Westminster, CA, where upscale decor and cheap prices coexist. This is a place where water isn't served in the smallest cup possible, or charged $0.50...it is FREE and REFILLED to your heart's content. You can even enjoy your meal in peace next to their wall waterfall:

Photo taken by Ryan N. on Yelp!

There is just something about a bowl of Pho...whether it's the rich broth, the fresh mint leaves, the crunch from the beansprouts, or possibly the ying yang dipping sauce made with Sriracha and Hoisin sauce. A bowl of Pho always hits the spot, leaving me feeling warm and happy. It's true :)

Do's and Dont's of All-you-can-eat Seats

I went to a Dodgers vs Giants game and sat in the pavilion for the first time, which basically means CHEAP SEATS & ALL YOU CAN EAT! Yes, you will rub elbows with your neighbors, and even get cheese sauce on someone's hair in front you (true story), but I love these seats! I recommend everyone to try them at least once...or twice! But of course, to maximize your all-you-can-eat experience, I compiled a handy Do's and Dont's list.

..and there's more where that came from!

DOs

1. Get there early so you can not just beat the line, but get first dibs on fresh hot dogs and nachos
2. Pace yourself. You may get overwhelmed by the initial plethora of food, but relax it's going to be there the whole. entire. game.
3. Get a tray. You may think that you can carry everything in your pockets, but this just makes it easier to eat and enjoy the game.
4. Fill your tray with a variety of snacks (as shown above) so you don't get bored of eating one thing
5. Get TWO sodas (not shown) at a time because you will be thirsty under the hot, hot sun!
6. Leave before the final inning so you can take some snacks to go (I got three extra bags of peanuts, and two Dodger Dogs)

DON'Ts 

1. Do not skip breakfast. You might think that not eating before the game will allow you to consume more food, but you will actually be so hungry you will eat a TON of food by the 1st inning and be in a food coma for the rest of the game. DON'T SKIP BREAKFAST.
2. Do not pay $15 for parking. Instead, find street parking just below the Dodger Stadium. This will leave you in happy mood, and make you feel like these seats were more worth it.
3. Do not start a fight. Pavilion seats have some of most hard-core Dodger fans.
   hard-core fans + all you can eat food = getting food thrown at you.
4. Don't go there just for the food. All you can eat is enjoyed best when you complement it with the natural pleasures of a baseball game.

View from pavilion seats, not bad right?

Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day is today!

Today from noon to 8:00pm.
Check your local Ben & Jerry's!

DOGZILLA! (Not your typical weiner)

The Dogzilla truck is here!

Objects are larger than they appear

Dogzilla Dog (Top)

All beef frank topped with avocado, grilled onions, bacon bits, Furikake seasoning (Japanese Seasoning consisting of sesame seeds, chopped seaweed, salt, and sugar), Japanese mayo (also known as JAYO), and teriyaki sauce.

Furikake Dog (Bottom)
Spicy hot link topped with grilled onions, spicy Japanese mayo blend, teriyaki sauce, Furikake seasoning, Nori strips (Roasted Seaweed Strips)

Comparing the two hot dogs, I'd say the Furikake Dog wins, hands down. I felt like I was eating a sushi roll, but it was a hot dog. Definitely played tricks on my palette.  Each hot dog was about $5, but it fills you up! I definitely will be back, and Dogzilla will too! Their truck will be at the University Town Center Leasing Office in Irvine, CA every Tuesdays from 12:00-2:00pm this month! :)

Love...on a budget

What a great deal! Why don't more places do this?

Stay tuned...!

Bottega Louie in Downtown Los Angeles

For this post, I will be ranking the food by YUMS. One YUM is the lowest and three YUMS is the highest!

Passionfruit Macaron with mini macaroons (Left to Right): Earl Grey, Raspberry, Vanilla

This wasn't the first dish I started off with but....I came here for my very good friend's birthday! This was her birthday "cake"--a classy remake of the traditional---the Passionfruit Macaron (in the middle) was a burst of fruity flavor and had three crunchy layers. TWO YUMS. Next, the three macaroons were soooo good. This was actually my first time having macaroons so I don't have anything to compare it to...but if I were to make a prediction, I bet these would be the best macaroons I will ever have! THREE YUMS. That's the highest rating so far.

Gourmet cupcakes also topped with macaroons

I didn't try these cupcakes, so I can't give a YUM rating. They just looked really interesting so I decided to take a picture of them! I love how each cupcake is topped with a macaroon. There is something about macaroons that makes everything look cuter :)

Sweet treats!

Again, not something that I tried but looked tasty! The little white balls remind me of tapioca though, but I'm sure it's something else...

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Did you read the caption? LEMON. RICOTTA. PANCAKES! Okay, I think I overhyped it when I was ordering, but I really thought it would have more lemon flavor. I tried really hard to taste it and I guess I got a subtle hint of lemon flavor, but it wasn't very apparent at all. My friend commented that maybe they forgot the lemon? Anyways, the ricotta definitely gave these pancakes a much smoother, and richer texture. Oh and they gave us their homemade blueberry syrup (not pictured) which made up for the lack of lemon flavor because that was soo good in combination with everything! One YUM.

Farmer's Market Breakfast Haul

So what is in this plentiful haul you wonder..I know it looks kind of simple, but sometimes the simplest dishes are often the best tasting (if you do it right). First, you have two softly-poached eggs topped with Reggiano parmesan. Then, throw in some haricots verts, potatoes, golden baby beets, shiitake mushrooms, and tomatoes..you know...ingredients that you probably would never have in stock in your kitchen. And voila. I give this dish double YUMS.

Portobello Fries

The Portobello Fries were quite unexpected---I thought it would have more crunch, but then again, I remembered that it was just a mushroom. The portobello fry itself is actually kind of tasteless UNTIL you add their special dip, then it goes from zero to 60 in terms of flavor impact! One YUM.

Macaroon HEAVEN.

On my way out, I just had to snap another picture of their macaroons. I love how they display them in these big clear jars, makes me want to buy macaroons in bulk so I can have them as a snack whenever I please :) Anyways, come to Bottega Louie to experience a comfortable, but upscale setting. It is perfect for a daytime lunch or brunch.

I'd love to wake up to this every morning...

Banana Walnut Pancakes, drizzled with lots of syrup

Croissant French Toast and of course, fresh strawberries

Nothing says a good morning like a balanced breakfast. Okay, maybe this breakfast isn't that balanced, considering the high sugar content...but nevertheless it looks so good! I was on Yelp with my friend trying to find a place for brunch that wasn't closed yet (it was 2:00pm when we started our food search)..and behold Chloe's Cafe in Noe Valley, San Francisco. The reviewers were right. Chloe's Cafe is very small (less than 10 tables), but gives off a "homey" feel with its simple old-fashioned tablecloths and wooden wall-panels.

Let me start off by talking about the Banana Walnut Pancakes--they had like the perfect proportion of walnuts to bananas to pancake mix. The pancakes were so soft and fluffy. I really didn't need to add the syrup because the bananas were sweet enough, but I wanted the pancakes to look shiny in the picture :)

Next up is the Croissant French Toast (see recipe at end of this post). When I took my first bite, I was seriously confused. I really couldn't say I was eating a croissant, or have french toast. It is a very surprising texture that I did not expect at all. It was hard to convince myself that it is a hybrid of croissant and french toast. But I loved it! One thing to note is that the price for strawberries is seasonal--we added $4 for some strawberries, which is kind of a splurge.

I felt like I wasn't in the city anymore and maybe on vacation somewhere...Anyhoo, would I come back again? OH YES. YES. & YES!

Croissant French Toast Recipe (EZ Version)
So after eating here, I found out that to make Croissant French Toast..is actually quite simple. The quick and dirty version is to just buy croissants and dip them in egg, and make cook it on the skillet how you normally would to make french toast. Pretty easy huh? I should probably start making this for breakfast..would totally jumpstart my groggy mornings!

Rachel Ray's Croissant French Toast Recipe (Fancy Version)
Croissant French Toast Recipe - Every Day with Rachael Ray

Stephen Scott Gross
Everyday With Rachel Ray

The ice cream sundae is 119 years old!

Yesterday, Google launched this logo of an ice cream in celebration of the 119th anniversary of the first documented ice cream sundae! And yes, yesterday was a Sunday.