sin city full of greed, lust, and most definitely gluttony.

there are so many things that have happened to me (both culinary and life wise)...


lately i've been enjoying the last few weeks of summer before heading back east for school. with all my friends leaving within the next two weeks, i am excited to have this last potluck tonight as a way of really expressing how much these people mean to me; this summer has been more than just a relaxing respite from risd hell, but almost this confirmation of the amazing hometown friends i have grown to really care and love even though we may be separated by college. even making acquaintances and new friends, or reunions are always more than welcomed...

i have been meaning to blog about my trip to las vegas two weeks ago. i had the distinct pleasure of being invited by jeff to spend a birthday weekend with him, supi, and sean to wreak havoc on the vegas strip. with an amazing aria sky suite, the hot vegas heat, and high roller privileges all at our fingertips (thanks to jeff & his amazing dad), we accomplished some crazy things; getting piss drunk for two nights & meeting/befriending random strangers on the streets of sin city, watching 3 cirque du soleil shows (including the 18+ zumanity.. possibly the sexiest show i've seen in a while... esp with the all cast orgy at the end..), getting the most amazing spa treatment of my life, as well as eating amazing delicious foods.


did i mention that all of this was free?

for the first night upon arriving, we had a nice dinner in the aria hotel at the jean george steakhouse. the amazing modern and eco friendly deco complemented the modern italian american fushion foods that were prepared for us. even though supi and i are both vegetarian, the chef was kind enough to prepare a very filling mushroom risotto while sean and jeff (both trying to affirm their manliness) ordered the steaks. (i think jeff had surf n turf along with a tuna tartare). i also ordered a delicious caprese salad (which the MOST MELT-IN-YOUR-MOUTH BUFFALO MOZZARELLA BALL) as well as these small fried potato and black truffle balls as an appetizer which jeff aptly describes as "a flavorful blast in my mouth" haha. thats what she said.

the next day, (hungover) we woke up later than expected and ended up skipping breakfast..instead we just ate at the buffet, which is definitely always a must do when in vegas. skipping the long line, we were immediately seated, went ahead. the selection was vast; they had foods from all over which i guess is expected at any vegas hotel buffet... what i enjoyed their asian section with the tofu salad and fried rice. sushi, crab legs, pasta, breads, crepes, baby anything you can think of...

skipping on to dinner, we joined jeff's entire family and his dad's clients (all of whom we hadn't really seen since we branched off to our own suites/thannng) at blossom. the cuisine was that of a traditional chinese restaurant (your usual peking duck, pickled radish and peanut appetizer, jellyfish tentacles, and what nots) obviously with this being said, supi and i didn't have much of a selection; so as always by default, we went with the chinese fried veggie noodles. probably my 38429789th time having that dish. but it never really disappoints. especially when i'm famished and willing to eat anything at that state. we were also short of time cause we had to catch two cirque du soleil shows; ka and zumanity so ordering more veggie things was out of the question.


even with all this craziness, sean and i were able to go to the jean phillipe patisserie down in the lobby and attempt to get jeff a birthday cake. we didn't really plan accordingly and were unable to get a large cake for jeff; instead, we bought a bunch of tiny ones and made this kickass castle looking cake. (thank you sean)

and yes. we surprised jeff.



oh sin city, you've been good to us.

eat. eat. love; grilled cheese truck & needing to update

so i am pretty terrible when it comes to updating. i tend to get really excited about starting something new, and this whole excitement keeps me going like a never ending train until i hit a wall. not just any wall. but a wall of laziness; and especially with this summer being extremely relaxing.. more like a good balance between work and play. but oh god, i just love the play. chilling with friends and eating good food. having those potlucks and just having the lights create an amazing ambience in my backyard. the feel of summer air above our noses while it mixes with the lingering smell of beer. its a golden summer with golden friends. && there's absolutely TRULY nothing better.

every summer for me is a learning experience; there's almost a theme that always runs with each embarkment of a promising new adventure. with last summer, it was renewal, revitalization, and a damn good cleansing. this summer? well, being just more adventurous. to that, i feel like i have been keeping my part. new experiences with my two amazing internships; meeting more people that i can possibly imagine and just truly exploring my hometown of los angeles. one things for sure, i haven't been this happy in a while. risd certainly drains you and makes you realize how relaxing and beautiful it is to really find balance and have that time slot of just doing nothing.

i'm not going to lie. i really am a california girl. and of course, as katy perry puts it aptly, once you party with us, "you'll be falling in love" nothing beats an amazing summer than a summer in california.

with all that said and done, my little sister and i have been traveling about and around san gabriel valley (a bit in los angeles/west hollywood), finding delicious eats; since our parents have been out for the past 2 weeks, we have opted more for eating out than cooking in (although we did once, in addition to two potlucks with my friends at the house..) life has been nothing but amazing. the friends complement the food, and vise versa. i have been documenting everything, but it has just been difficult to log it all.

so i thought it would be good to start again. RESTART. and this time with the oh so famous and VERY LA FOOD SCENE, the grilled cheese truck. my little sister and i had the opportunity to sample the plain version at the LA food festival at the rosebowl last saturday (which by the way was AMAZING and a great opportunity to taste as many food trucks as we could without having the hassle of driving out...) but actually having the customized grilled cheese was simply all i could ask for.

with a spontaneous call from my older sister katherine to pick her up from the airport, we were already on our merry way to highland ave in west hollywood to hunt down the infamous grilled cheese truck. parking was simple and we found ourselves already waiting in a long line for about 20 minutes. getting to the front, my stomach begged to be filled with the cheesy goodness; i customized a grilled cheese and ordered one with gruyere cheese, tomato, mac n cheese, and caramelized onions between two wheat slices of bread. to top it all off, i also had a little dipping side of tomato soup. laura ordered the ribs with mac and cheese while katherine ordered the same as me sans mac and cheese and the tomato.

waiting intently, my name was called and i pick up the blue and silver foil covered sandwiches. you can just feel the heat go through your body and into your stomach. we sat down right outside the cupcake joint (which we later went in and ordered two cupcakes to go..) and dug right into our sandwiches. holy shit. i was literally in heaven for 10 minutes. that calorific delight was worth every second of the wait. the heat of the californian sun didn't even bother me. it was just me and the grilled cheese. nothing could bother me.


it was more than perfect. being in the heart of west hollywood. with family. with a damn good grilled cheese.
and that's how it should be... (more to be updated from past recordings of food!) trust me, i'm gonna work backwards. there's just so much to be said.

a father's day

this is a late entry (i have been very delayed on the actual occurrences of these entries)


so i have been trying this summer to start cooking again and to learn new recipes. this will hopefully better equip me for apartment style life next year when i will have to cook on my own (and for my apartment mates :)). i am having a lot of fun strolling through book store aisles and looking for new cookbooks browsing and finding meals that interest me. i especially have the biggest love for giada who happens to specialize in italian food (very popular on the food network). all her recipes are simple, fresh, and easy; everything seems simple enough that it would not require hours and hours of intensive labor to make.

normally for father's day, knowing that my dad also has a passion for cooking and eating, i always end up going to williams sonoma and buying cookbooks/utensils that he usually ends up never using. the funny thing is, i always just take the books to my room and use them; ironically enough for this father's day meal, i used the books i had bought for him on those previous father's day. i knew italian was the way to go; an instant pleaser for all family members.

i enlisted the help of my little sister. call her sous-chef laura! after gracing through the cookbooks and selecting an appetizer and main course to work from, my sister and i took a trip to the local grocery store. i originally planned for laura to make the entire desert all by herself, but realize this would be a little too much food (especially since our mom bought a million pasties the day before) so we planned to make eggplant pasta and a nice citrus vinagrette salad.

the overall creation of these two dishes were not that hard. for the salad, i thought making the parmesan crisp was the most fun; and it also turned out delicious! i cannot believe how simple it is too make and how tasty it turned out! you just shave a lot of fresh parmesan and put them in clumps in the oven! (oh and don't forget the cracked black pepper) laura took care of the vinagrette while i handled the pasta. in the end, it was all pretty delicious. i am a firm believer that all home cooked meals are always delicious (well, for the most part).. its always such a work out cutting and slaving over dishes; all in all, putting your heart and soul into it...

and that is exactly what i wanted to give to my dad on father's day.

i should probably do this more often.

oodles of noodles; noodle world

noodle world is undeniably a local favorite of mine. before moving out to arcadia, i recall always asking my mom to take me to the noodle world down huntington. i'm one of those people who always orders the same dish at the same restaurants; and for me, i always loved their pad thai with tofu as the substitute. there is always nothing more satisfying at the end of a long school day than tasty plate of rice noodles.

a while back during winter break, my close friends lisa and mary decided we would get dinner at noodle world, for old time sakes. and we spent hours and hours there just talking about our college lives; i had the rice + veggies (being more adventurous and trying other things on the menu).. it was just as scrumptious as the pad thai...

so fast forward to the first summer coming out of of college, we all unanimously agreed that another trip to noodle world was necessary; for some weird reason, mary tried convincing me that our beloved noodle world in san marino had closed, so we would have to go to the other noodle world down on valley in alhambra. (eeek such a long drive for me from arcadia..) but i would say it was well worth just being able to eat good asian food with good people. getting there, i ordered veggie yakisoba, while lisa ordered pad thai, and mary with the seafood pho.

i must say i should have just stayed with the veggie pad thai... the yakisoba had more noodles than i would have expected! i'm always very particular about having equal ratio of noodles to veggies or even noodles to sauce.. next time, i'll know what to order :)...


oh yeah, and
that noodle world in san marino is definitely NOT CLOSED!!
http://www.noodleworld.com/

beansprouts; the quintessential taiwanese vegetarian haven

i'll let you in on a little secret...

i think i have always been a diehard fanatic of vegetarian chinese cuisine. first of all, scrumptious chinese fare naturally lends itself to tasty steamy meat buns/dumplings, peking duck, and other dishes that feature a plethora of meats and fishes but of course being vegetarian at an early age, i remember having to sacrifice my love for all these things in exchange for just plain veggies. it did not occur to me that a major aspect of my whole "beingchineseexperience" is almost hindered by this little sacrifice that i made in exchange for a healthier and more animal loving life. but with all that said, its great to know that places like beansprout allow me to still enjoy familiar childhood chinese dishes that were often seen as things i would not have been able to ever eat again...

one of these dishes that i used to so readily enjoy was rice with meat. it sounds just plain and simple, but the way it is prepared (i'll just say in a taiwanese style.. haha) it just makes the whole plate oh so scrumptious! its one of those things that you must have rice on the side or else the "meat" that is seasoned/prepared/sauteed(??) would be too salty by itself. the plain steamed vegetables that also accompany the meat add a nice balance. also, since this was the lunch special, they also added in their rainbow rolls... i would HIGHLY suggest you order these pseudo healthy sushi alternatives if it is your first time here- it is definitely something beansprout is known for!

for an appetizer, before i get too ahead of myself with my entree, my little sister and i ordered fried radish cakes. fdakfjdls;fadjlkf as a child, my grandmother would ALWAYS make these with little shrimp, pieces of meat, mushrooms, and fried onions. she was even kind enough to make vegetarian versions for me by just omitting the meat/shrimp.. to me this still tasted just as delicious. i fondly remember dipping these little radish babies in chili sauce. soooooooo good. i have to make a mental note to learn how to make these turnip cakes before i go back to risd...

as for my sister's order, she went with a similar style dish but the "meat" is prepared a little differently and placed over a bed of asian noodles instead of rice. you cannot really go wrong with either rice or noodles; both are just equally good! my sister and i both eagerly enjoyed our lunch.. i have lost count of all the times i have been to beansprout; they are truly the closest you can get to authentic tasting taiwanese/chinese cuisine without having to miss out on all the good traditional chinese dishes! a MUST go. (this is a place i ALWAYS try to bring new friends to...)

and there you go. my favorite chinese vegetarian restaurant of all time in san gabriel valley.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/bean-sprouts-arcadia

the sun gods of la jolla eat good mexican food

there is absolutely nothing more stunning or beautiful than a california sunset. especially one down by la jolla. this little seaside town is anything short of a relaxing and well needed escape; i personally believe that newport does not even compare. actually let me rephrase that, its just a completely different feel. I am starting to really believe that the west coast truly is the best coast (sorry to all those east coasters out there). maybe its something in the air? the breeze? the smell? maybe it is just everything about this place that continually surprises me with new adventures everyday.

after coming back from the risd, finishing up an intense freshman foundation year, I have come to realize how much I appreciate home. especially my friends whom I have known for almost my entire life; you probably cannot even imagine how excited I was when I traveled down to san diego with jeff and jonathan; my two close buddies from high school whom I love to death. we stayed two nights in jonathan’s dorm room (which was definitely an interesting experience seeing that it was an entirely all boys suite… but the boys were more than hospitable and chill)

the first day, we drove down to la jolla, dropped by ucsd and got the grand tour from jonathan; it was interesting seeing the sphere of his college life; sometimes I wonder what it would have been like if I had chose to attend a regular university instead of an art school. i always ponder how the environment would have shaped me or the different kinds of people I would meet..

so we left for la jolla, approximately 10 minutes away, and soaked in the sun and the beach, and even had the chance to go down to the tide pools. as jeff attempted to catch the little crabs that scurried across the rocks, jonathan and i lightly felt the sticky tentacles of the sea anemones; we even saw a mass of sea lions that basked in the sun. the salty air permeated our skins, and the light breeze only excited us... being by the pacific was such so soothing...

all that sea side exploration made us ravenous, and i knew just the place that would satiate all hunger needs: ALFONSO! i recall going there twice before, and it has never disappointed me; their huge portions were more than enough to fill us up. as an appetizer, we all unanimously agreed to share the nachos (your typical mexican dish with nachos, cheese, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, beans.. you get the idea)... jonathan and jeff, both ordered fish burritos (that does not surprise me), while i chose to get the vegetarian burrito. i must be honest, it was a little more greasy than i had previously remembered, but overall, i enjoyed the meal. beware if you are trying to avoid the calorie monster, i would avoid this place, but otherwise, eat to your heart's content.

after the meal, we enjoyed a nice stroll throughout the rest of la jolla, stopped by a local gelaterie, and headed back to ucsd to start the debaucheries. :)

oh and did i mention that jeff and i went to sea world the next day?


SHAMU!!


www.alfonsosoflajolla.com

dim sum, no questions asked

so there are a couple of restaurants that i have always had some form of personal vendetta against that are not so particularly vegetarian friendly. it's always difficult when especially when your family just loves to go to the same exact vegetarian unfriendly place for huge family gatherings.. i have always never quite got along with seafood harbor- just the name itself is pretty much self explanatory.. i do not really have a place in that "sea" of dead crustaceans, fish, and your random what nots that asians just love to eat (like sea cucumbers... so so sad)

ever since the restaurant opened a few years ago, it has been gaining steam and becoming more and more popular among locals, more so for their dim sum. i recall waiting for 2 hours with every visit just to get a seat at the table; my mom was always steadfast about going early just to try and get an early seat (they do not take reservations..) but we would always end up waiting. and of course, being the usual chinese restaurant, i was always left ordering the same plain plate of fried veggie noodles.

well i guess i learned from the first couple of visits to seafood harbor early on (when i was in middle school) that it was probably best to just avoid this place altogether. my mom sort of got the hit that i absolutely abhorred going there and just assumed i would not go whenever asked to go. she was smart. i never gave this restaurant a chance because of the fact they did not offer much of a selection for me.. and being the stubborn little vegetarian that i was, i realized that i probably was not going to ever return..

fast forward a couple more years; with a lessened stubborn food palate (but still veggie) and an open mind, i decided to give seafood harbor another chance; plus, i have been dying to find a place that would offer vegetarian options for dim sum, and so i figured that maybe this place may have added more to their menu or even changed part of it to suit a more health conscious crowd these days.

the fact that it was also a family event for my grandparents really gave me a real reason to go; i was not going to let a stupid little vendetta keep me from enjoying my entire family's company. after going, i would say i had no regrets. despite the fact that most of the dim sum i could eat were desserts, they were still delicious. i was thoroughly pleased with the vegetarian dumplings at the end that i even ordered another batch of three.

my mother has this terrible habit of ALWAYS, no matter how large or small the group of guests, over ordering. i think i also suffer from the same habit. at the end of almost every large family dinner, i end up lugging 4-5 boxes of left overs back home. but hey, like i said before, my family sure knows how to eat... and i guess i do not really mind it at all!

anyhoo, i do not think i'm going to describe the few things i could eat.. but i'll let you, the reader, judge all those other non-vegetarian items for yourself. i cannot lie when i say that there is a reason why my family comes back to this place year after year... after all, there really is no explanation for something like dim sum....




















best vegetarian dim sum dumplings everrrrrrr!!! so deliciously good.
oh and note to all those out there who are curious.. fried durian is gross.


http://www.yelp.com/biz/sea-harbour-seafood-restaurant-rosemead