Housewarming Present Idea

For Jessica's housewarming, I put together a little creative gift with baking tools. First, I wanted to look for a really cool cookie jar. I really liked this white cookie jar that says Cookies on it from Target, but the top is not removable, making it difficult to work with. So, I had to return it. I looked online and found a round glass jar with a top lid at Walmart. I decided to use this one even though the lid doesn't provide a airtight seal.

Inside the jar, I placed pink crinkle paper and I filled it with Kitchen Aid's spatula, measuring spoons, and whisk. I also went to the Disney Store and picked up Mickey's over gloves and cookie cutter set. I used clear cellophane to wrap the jar into a big bouquet and added a big purple bow for the finishing touch.

This is a fun housewarming gift for a friend who loves to bake or eat cookies! You can pretty much fill a jar with anything you like! Maybe even your homemade baked goods, candy, coffee, or kitchen tools. It just makes it fun to unwrap and dig out the contents.

Overall, this took about half and hour to assemble and topped off with a card. Quick and simple!

Bistro West, Carlsbad

Ok, so this has got to be the worst restaurant experience for me ever. I visited Bistro West last year in April after a day at legoland. I had a great scallop and wild mushroom pasta. Since it's almost a two hour drive, I haven't been back till last Friday. My friend was visiting from SF and had seen my photo from last year, so I decided to take her to the restaurant before we head down to San Diego.

So, we drove the almost two hour drive to bistro west. Eagerly, we sat down and I perused the menu for the pasta. It wasn't there. I saw papadelle with scallops and mushrooms and thought that must've been the dish I ordered. So decided on the large portion of papadelle and a Pear and Gorgonzola pizza for three people.

The pizza came first. It was fantastic!! Caramelized pear slices with prosciutto and spring mix on top of a crispy pizza base. The cheese was just the perfect amount too. I was getting excited for the pasta! But, Everything started to go down hill when the pasta dish arrived.

The large portion was more like a lunch size portion at the Cheesecake Factory. I realized it wasn't the same dish I ordered last year. But, we decided to eat it anyways. My friend took the first bite and her face fell. She said I should try it. Um, yah the he forgot to season this pasta! Bland as a piece of cardboard! We told our waitress marissa who explained how most dishes here are underseasoned and we are welcome to use salt and pepper. At least she took the dish back. I showed her the picture of the pasta I had last year and she went to show her manager who came by and announced coolly that it's been discontinued. Um I seriously drove two hours for that !!

We decided to get the vodka cream pasta instead. Let me cut to the chase, pasta was not al dente it wasn't even cooked. I couldn't twirl it around my fork, it was more like wire.

Again, we informed marissa and she said that we should just save room for dessert. She took the pasta away. We picked two desserts - trio chocolate and creme brûlée. They were Devine. Almost worth making the drive.

Going to end this post here with a word of advice. Visit this place if you are around legoland and try their desserts. I'm not a fan of how they have small and large pasta plates since the large is not particularly plentiful.

*side note. Marissa was kind and accommodating as a waitress but if I was her, I would've brought out dessert on the house or maybe free coffee.

Katana-ya, San Francisco

Katana-ya is a tiny japanese ramen/sushi restaurant located very close to the Union Square in San Francisco. During our SF trip, we stumbled upon this place while looking for dinner around 9pm. As we were quite hungry, we decided to just wait for a table instead of mindlessly walking around town. The wait was about half and hour for three since the tables were more suitable twos or fours. In fact, I think the whole restaurant only had about eight small tables plus a small bar area? It was just quite crowded.

On to the food, we had already decided what to order while we waited, so the food came quite quickly. We ordered gyoza, takoyaki, sunset roll, agedeshi tofu, regular ramen set with salmon sushi. I really enjoyed everything. Gyozas' filling were plump and juicy with a crispy touch. The size of takoyakis were also commendable - about the size of a golf ball with good amount of octopus. The agedashi tofu was good also, but nothing too spectacular. I really like the ramen broth, it was flavorful and not too salty. The ramen noodle was thicker than what I usually get in L.A but I like it because it feels like there's more to chew on? Not sure how to explain it but it's like how I prefer spaghetti over angel hair... Their sushi were also very fresh and yummy.

Aside from the tight space, the food is definitely good. I would rank it 8/10 for good food and price.

M street kitchen - Venice

M Street kitchen serves contemporary American breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It's located in Venice, CA and it's quite close to the beach. My friend and I visited on a Friday and it was moderately busy.

I am quite pleased with this restaurant. We tried the orange chocolate chip pancakes and the eggs Benedict. Both were amazingly delicious!! The best pan cakes I've ever had. Far better than those large floppy "fluffy" pancakes from diners like LeRoy's. Seriously, this is what they mean by fluffy! The eggs Benedict were also great! I think they are famous for their English muffins. So, a delicious eggs Benedict is expected. I love runny eggs, check. I love pan fried ham, check. I also love hollandaise sauce, check. Three checks are good enough for me!

This place is the real deal because they make macchiato the way it should be. Marked espresso. Thumbs up, again.

Definitely want to return but it's quite a drive from where I live.

Why Thirsty

Why thirsty? I'm hungry but I go to Why thirsty. You say what? Why thirsty is a taiwanese restaurant that serves mainly boba drinks and rice and noodle dishes. Funny name, I have to admit. I was actually put off trying the place for its name. However, I sucked it up because I was hungry and there was a wait at Garden Cafe (in arcadia!?)

Yelp Why thirsty for details and you will not regret it.
Best taiwanese "train" style pork chop - juicy, flavorful, and loaded with lots of garlic!
Popcorn chicken that actually contains a large portion of chicken and not batter? Sign me up!
Rice dishes come with plenty of veggies (bok choy and corn).
Noodles - I prefer their lo mein - the dry kind with original sauce - tastes much like taiwan street style if you know what I mean.
I'm really there for the food. I can go there a couple of times a week and feel satisfied.

Their drinks? Assam Milk tea is what I get if I get a drink. Boba is actually meh - a little too soft. But, I like the fact that they use actual fresh milk (floats on top of tea and you mix).

Two thumbs up! (this is rare for me)

Kaisen Kaiten Sushi - Costa Mesa

I love salmon, marugo (tuna), and ono (white tuna) sashimi. I have to say salmon and ono are neck to neck. Salmon is just so rich in taste but ono practically melts in my mouth. I know, I know, toro beats them all but definitely not in my price range yet. Back to the melting sensation that goes on in my mouth as a pop a piece of ono, ah, rich, soft, fatty, fishy(in a good way) - mouth orgasm. My taste buds are practically partying with fireworks. There's really no words to describe the sensation I feel.

If you want to give your mouth a super orgy with sushi, then you have got to try Kaisen in Costa Mesa. Kaisen is a small train sushi restaurant and are always packed, so be prepared to wait for your seats! The best thing is that you seat/table has a number and you can fill out what sushi/sashimi/rolls you want and place it into a little container on the conveyor belt for the sushi chef to pick up. Voila, in a few minutes, your fresh order arrives on a round stand labeled with your number. So, no stealing your neighbors sushi!

The portions are generous and the prices even better. A salmon sushi/sashimi order is $1.75 and ono or marugo is $2.25. Each dish comes with two big pieces. Everyday there are different kinds of sushi/ handrolls (HR) specials. So, I went on thursday and had the lobster HR for $1.75 when it's usually like $2.75 or $3.25. It's a fantastic deal if you ask me.


The other day, I visited The Sakura in San Gabriel - also a train sushi and was extremely disappointed. Not only were they overpriced, the pieces were small and average in taste. No dancing taste buds there. Just to put it out there if anyone has been wanting to try the Sakura.

The Habit Burger Grill

The Habit has actually been around for around 40 years, and I had my first taste yesterday. I think the one in Pasadena opened some time last year and I've been meaning to give it a try. I'm not sure if I've ever stated my love for burgers before, so yes, I'm a huge burger fan! 100% juicy beef patty with cheese (american or swiss), lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, and sometimes mushrooms makes the perfect burger!
I prefer restaurant style over fast food. Grilled on a barbie at home is also great.

So, this Habit place... straight to the point, I'll give it a 7 out of 10. It's very high on the scale.
The original - Charburger is sized like the In-N-Out burgers. Habit patty is nicely grilled but no juice runs down my hands. The charburger comes with grilled diced onions, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and optional american cheese. Mayo is also used. It's a good size for the ladies.
The fries - medium size - a little thicker than McDonalds but thinner than Carl's Jr. Quite crispy.
Also tried the onion rings - wonderful batter but couldn't really taste the onion?
I'm grading this place based on the combo #1. It falls in the In-N-Out range.

Just to give you an idea,  my favorites are the Cheesecake Factory, Le Burger Brasserie (Las Vegas). The Hat comes very close at 8/10. 

I have to mention, my bf got the Pastrami Sandwich - average amount of pastrami with swiss cheese, mayo, mustard, and something else (didn't really pay attention). It was OK, but not something I'd order there.

The Habit... it's going to take more than 21 days to make this place a habit.