Kris visits SD

We love visitors. Why? Because we get to eat at great places! Oh yeah, and also we get to hang out with people we love. Kris came down to SD today. (We went up to LA and met her last week at Orochon). Once she arrived, first stop was Hash House A-Go-Go; i.e. we were all really hungry. I’m an idiot and forgot my camera, so Kris let me borrow hers. (Thanks, sis!!) Kris got a scramble with roasted chicken, corn, roasted red pepper, & mozzarella. It came with mashed potatoes and one of their large biscuits. Aaron got fried chicken benedict. It was served on a split biscuit with mashed potatoes, fresh spinach, smoked bacon, tomato, griddled mozzarella, chipotle cream and scrambled eggs. It was close-my-eyes-delicious. The cream sauce really brought it all together and th emoist chicken was amazing. I got a burger “stuffed” with mushroom, avocado, and cheese. It’s actually two ridiculously large beef patties with all that stuff in the middle. It was a large burger and all the toppings were fresh and delicious, but the hamburger wasn’t really seasoned and there wasn’t much too it other than the plentiful toppings. Good, but not my favorite burger.

Large delicious portions = Hash House

Kris's breakfast

We went back to the house to put left overs in the fridge, then headed out again to meet up with Kris’s cousin, Chris. We decided to go to Jolt’n Joes for some pool and happy hour specials. I brought my camera this time, but like an idiot, I left the battery charging at home. Gah! Again, shared Kris’s camera. We had some chicken sliders and lots of water. It was so hot in there! The sliders tasted like a frozen chicken patty, but they were tasty.

I'm really a bad pool player

Kris and I

We hit up Ghiradelli’s next. Aaron and I shared a sundae we created. One scoop of cookies and cream, one scoop of rocky road, peanut butter, banana, almonds, whipped cream and a cherry. Perfection on a hot day like today. Kris and Chris shared a hot fudge sundae. She got nuts on the side because Chris loves nuts and Kris hates them. He said he didn’t know where to start, so I suggested he pour his cup of nuts all over the sundae… and he did. Sorry Kris!! Didn’t know he would actually do it!!

We created a monster

Eating our monster

Last stop before Kris had to leave- she realized where she really wanted to go while she was down here: SONIC! We sat in the car looking at the menu for a good ten minutes. In the end, we all decided to get popcorn chicken. Aaron and I got chili cheese tots, too. Aaron got a cherry limeade, Kris got a blended rootbeer float, and I got a strawberry slush. The chicken wasn’t great, the dipping sauces were not good, the tots were nothing special, but the drinks were bomb. There are real strawberries in the slush and it’s delicious and refreshing. Aaron’s cherry limeade was delicious; there’s a creamy vanilla flavor and the sweetness was balanced out by carbonation. Yum.

A picture of the menu.. because the food isn't pretty

Great visit! Great foodful day.

Hash House A Go Go 3628 5th Ave San Diego, CA 92103

Jolt’n Joes 379 4th Ave San Diego, CA 92101

Ghiradelli 643 5th Ave San Diego, CA 92101

Sonic 10515 Mission Gorge Rd. Santee, CA 92071

Sushi Deli 3

Been craving sushi ever since Amber mentioned it a couple weeks ago.  Finally got to enjoy today at the new Sushi Deli 3 location!  Wait wasn't too long, and if John hadn't snubbed the waitress, I bet the service would've been great ;)

Tuna jalapeno poppers: crunchy, spicy, cheesey tuna goodness

Cold sake a.k.a. Happy milk

Red Dragon Roll

in: shrimp tempura, cucumber, crab surimi. top: eel, habanero masago, green onion, special sauce.

Ensenada Roll

in: shrimp tempura, avocado, cream cheese, jalapeno. top: spicy tuna, cilantro.

Navavava Roll

in: lobster mix, crab surimi, fried calamari, jalapeno, cream cheese, smelt roe, cilantro. top: avocado, special sauce.

John from American Idol and Flamber with their chicken teriyaki

7986 Armour St. San Diego, CA 92111

Orochon:1, Kong:0

The plan was to arrive and conquer the fiery beast, Special #2: the hottest ramen at Orochon. Kong has been psyching himself up for this challenge over the past week; planning strategy and contemplating the repercussions. We got to the restaurant (after 3 hours in traffic), and the line was out the door. While we waited in the burning hot sun (with sweat on our brow) for friends to arrive, Kong began to doubt his ability. He decided to do the #3 level miso ramen to feel out how spicy it really is. I did #4 miso ramen. The broth was deliciously flavorful and the texture of the noodles was a great al dente. Mine wasn’t very spicy at all; Kong’s made my nose run a little. He totally could’ve done the #2 special!! The blazing heat psyched him out of doing the challenge this time, but we shall return one day so he can do it!!
edit: the spoons there are great, too!  they hook on to the side of the bowl and don't drop down into the soup.  how great is that?!

my miso ramen spicy level 4

Aaron's miso ramen spicy level 3

We found out from Josh that Mikawaya Mochi Ice Cream was right down the street. We obviously had to go. We decided to try some of the mochi-lato. We got pistachio, plum wine, and coconut. Kris’s chocolate hazelnut also posed for the picture. My favorite was the plum wine which had actual pieces of fruit in it. Sitting in air conditioning savoring the cool creamy ice cream filled mochi was the perfect finish to a sunny day in little Tokyo.

Mochi-lato!

Coconut, pistachio, plum wine, chocolate hazelnut

From there, we headed to Long Beach to visit mom. We told her to pick a restaurant from one of the local foodie magazines she has, and we ended up at Trattoria Limone. It’s a small, cozy restaurant and the staff is really friendly. They bring out garlic bread and bruschetta which are both delicious. I ordered the pollo al limone which is a chicken scaloppini in lemon sauce and penne in pesto. It wasn’t really anything special. Mom got the melanzane al forno which was eggplant parmesan. They both said it was "ok." Aaron got the fettuccini Benevento which was egg noodles with lamb tenderloin in a mushroom cream sauce. The meat was tender and juicy, and the sauce was creamy and flavorful. Delicious.

chicken limone.

yum- lamb fettuccini

We went to Frosted Cupcakery after that. They didn’t have much of a selection by the time we got there. I got a strawberry cream cheese and Aaron got a Lemon cream cheese. Both were mediocre. They looked pretty except for the gummy fruit topping each cupcake. They were moist, but otherwise not outstanding. Maybe we just didn't get there in time for the yummy ones?

frosted cupcakery: meh.

That was just Saturday.

Orochon 123 S. Onizuka St. Los Angeles, CA 90012

Mikawaya 118 Japanese Village Mall Los Angeles, CA 90012
Trattoria Limone 3405 Orange St. Long Beach, CA 90807
Frosted Cupcakery 4817 E. 2nd St. Long Beach, CA 90803

Tuscany in Irvine

Took a mini road trip up to the OC with the besties. They had to see a man about a car. We used the GPS in their new vehicle to find a dinner spot. The Thai place we originally wanted to try was closed, but next door was a little restaurant called Tuscany Mediterranee Grill. It's located in a business complex, and not the place I would expect to find a cute little sit down restaurant.
The atmosphere is sort of.. what you would expect to see in a business complex, a restaurant trying hard to look like an Italian restaurant. It's washed in rustic tones, there are paintings of garden scenes on the walls, and our table had a fantastic view of the large flat screen tv that played Andrea Bocelli Live in Tuscany.
The food was delicious, though. They give you the standard crusty bread with olive oil and balsalmic vinegar to start. The host/owner? let us know that all their ingredients are fresh and the vegetables are organic. The special of the day was fresh Alaskan salmon (packed in ice and styrofoam, not frozen as the host/owner made very clear). It was served with penne and organic vegetables. Seester got the special. Aaron got the surf and turf which was the salmon plus filet mignon and champagne risotto, which had chicken, asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and a champagne cream sauce. Trav got shrimp filled ravioli in a garlic cream sauce. I got seafood fettuccine with shrimp, mussels, scallops, calamari, and fish in a marinara sauce. The garlicky aroma of the sauce was intoxicating.
After the meal, we were each given a little shot glass sized cup of hot tea. Each glass charmingly a little different than the others. The flavor was new to me, but seemed familiar at the same time. Lastly we were given a little plate of Ferrero Rocher chocolate balls. All were complimentary and a nice way to finish a meal.
Overall, we all enjoyed our meals. The prices were reasonable (except we all thought the specials were a little overpriced.) I love it when you discover a nice little spot when you're not expecting it.


Tuscany Grill 2010 Main St.Irvine, CA 92614

Portland is Weird.

Husband and I went to Portland, OR in June.

It won't be difficult.

Yum. Great deli.

Meshugaletta sandwich: rye, mustard, turkey, roast beef, olive spread, rye, pastrami, corned beef, olive spread, rye. Coleslaw. Pickles.

Ohhhh what a delicious faceful of a sandwich.

Pastrami cheese fries.

"Designed for people that are into pain and out of their minds." A short synopsis of Aaron. The challenge is to finish 5 balls made up of mostly habanero peppers and the sauce which is basically habanero peppers blended up.

The balls.

Aaron consumed ALL FIVE balls AND sauce!!

..and got his picture on the Wall of Flame.

Made 4 trips to VD in the 4 days we were there.

The maple bacon bar at VooDoo Donuts. Aaron's new reason for living.

Blue Plate Diner: grilled cheese and tomato soup. Aaron had the sliders. Both incredibly delicious. Tiny hallway of a restaurant and the owner/chef cooking on hotplates. Totally worth the wait.

Widmer Brewery: took the tour and were pleasantly surprised. Samplings of all their beers and an entertainingly knowledgable tour guide!

First Post

Why didn't I think of this before? Aaron and I love good food and traveling, so I'm using this as the chronic-les of (Narnia) our worldly experiences with a hefty emphasis on food. Hopefully it will be a visually and gastricly stimulating experience for all.