That Girl Can Eat

A & W Drive In, aka Awful & Wrong Drive In

2009-07-24T23:35:00.000-07:00

American icon my left foot. That girl had driven by this place a million times and finally ventured in to sample some classic diner fare. Um, ew. Why does everything taste like chemicals? The root beer? Horrid. The ice cream in the float? I prefer scooped to soft serve please. And how can you screw up chicken strips? Blech. Junk food with no nutritional value that I have no desire to eat on a regular basis? Well, there's a first for everything.

My First Spam

2009-05-05T20:33:00.000-07:00

That girl was afraid. That girl was cautious. That girl was silly. Spam is delicious! For some reason I have never partaken of this tasty fake meat. No spam musubi, no spam fried rice, no spam and eggs. So when I spotted these individual slices at the 99 cent store, I bought one and forgot about it in the cupboard. Then I was searching for a snack the other day and fried that little baby up. And it was good! Probably no worse for you than scrapple, sausage or haggis either lol. I actually thought it would have a stronger flavor, but it just tasted like thicker fried bologna. Yay shelf life!

Oatmeal Promotes Learning

2009-04-08T17:55:00.001-07:00

Awesome. Just... awesome.

Disneyland Corn Dog Cart

2009-02-28T23:55:00.000-08:00

The happiest place on earth. Hmmm... my last trip involved me almost strangling my two usually perfectly behaved nephews. Let's not focus on the negative though. That Girl loves a good corn dog, and this is the best you will find, period. Corn dog at the fairgrounds? Eh. Disneyland's version has been consistently crunchy luscious for years. Happiness... on a stick.

With six you get egg roll... or when 99 Ranch and 99 Cents Only make delicious fried babies

2009-02-24T21:32:00.000-08:00

So it has been brought to That Girl's attention that people actually read this thing. ??? I am honored and humbled by your support. With that said, it's time we got something out in the open. I'M VERY LAZY. Any users of blogger can attest that the layouts, pic uploading, etc. can sometimes be a little tedious. That is usually what keeps me from posting more. But the people have spoken and voila... two posts in one day! Granted, one post has no text, but let's not focus on semantics, k? Instead, let's focus on hot, delicious egg rolls!
99 Ranch is my new favorite grocery store. And no, I am not a white hipster trying to be cool. I am white though he he. Half of the ingredients for these fried fingers of fabulousity were procured here. The other half came from my favorite, the 99 cent store! Seriously, a bag of peeled garlic for a buck? Awesome juice! Oh, while we're revealing lame secrets, "awesome juice" is one of my annoying sayings. Nerd alert! I "loosely" used a recipe from the internets for these morsels. Basically, brown up a bunch of ground pork with onions and garlic, add cabbage, carrots and green onions and season to taste. Roll up the mixture in egg roll wrappers (or lumpia wrappers... whatever floats your boat) and deep fry until golden goodness occurs. A great tip I learned from a fellow blogger... just use cole slaw mix for the cabbage and carrots. Saves you chopping time... and 99 Cent Store always has it! Yes! I fried them in peanut oil, but I'm sure any oil would work great. Serve with bottled sweet chili sauce and get ready for greasy greatness, Lloyd! If you get the movie quote I just paraphrased, I LOVE YOU! Feeling saucy, I whipped up some broccoli beef to go with. You can't exactly eat egg rolls by themselves for dinner. Well, you could, and I have, but... damn another secret leaked out!

Sexy

2009-02-24T21:30:00.001-08:00

Jambalaya Stir Fry-ya

2009-01-23T22:02:00.000-08:00

So I kind of have this addiction to the 99 cent store. Any dollar store for that matter. Yes, that girl loves a deal, especially on foodie stuff. So when I picked up this mondo container of Tony Chachere's creole seasoning, I started rackin' my brain for what I could make with it. I came up with a stir fry of sorts, kind of like if jambalaya and shrimp creole had a baby. Sauteed some bacon 'til crisp, removed from pan and added celery, onion, tomato, red bell pepper and garlic. Tossed in some boneless chicken breast and a pound of shelled shrimp along with several liberal shakes of that spicy seasoning. Let me tell you... so good with white rice and semi-healthy to boot! The best recipes are made up in your head I tell ya. Keep daydreaming, foodies.

Tropicana Cafe & Bakery

2009-01-01T19:55:00.000-08:00

That girl realizes she has been neglecting her little bloggie blog. Honestly Yelp is just so much more entertaining to me lately and is threatening to take up all of my free time. HOWEVER, my new year's resolution for 2009 is to seriously try and blog more! So I give to you, my sweet sweetest readers (all 3 of you lol), Tropicana. The cuban sandwich. The first I'd heard of these was in the movie Scarface. I really think Tony Montana could have taken the high road, started his own fabulous twenty four hour cuban sandwich joint, franchised across America and everyone lives happily ever after. I am not ashamed to say that my favorite cubano is from The Cheesecake Factory. But the one at Tropicana is delish and filled with greasy goodness. For those of you out of the loop, take a cuban roll, fill with ham, roast pork, swiss cheese, pickles, mustard and mayo. Then toss that baby in the panini press. That's when the flattened crunchy grilled golden magic happens. Mr. That Girl and I love these so much we are having mini ones at our wedding this October. That's right kids, That Girl is becoming an honest woman hee hee. Another tasty treat here are the potato balls. Seasoned ground beef is mixed with spanish olives and then mashed potatoes are molded all around it. Deep fry and your hangover is cured. Seriously, wouldn't these be so great after a night of drinking and debauchery??? Rounding out your meal is a wide selection of desserts and pastries. I'm partial to the mango mousse cake, my FIANCE (I know I'm out of control) likes the strawberry cheesecake. For those of you that were fans of Clifton's Cafeteria, this cheesecake is almost identical. Say hello to my little friend!

Angel Food Donuts

2008-11-29T17:33:00.000-08:00

That girl loves a good donut. Really, who doesn't? Donuts on my side of town had been sadly lacking until Angel Food Donuts came around. Simply the freshest and tastiest donuts you can buy my friends. The cake donuts are moist inside, crisp outside. Just perfect. Plus they have a drive thu! Two of them in fact! Evil!

Arturo's Puffy Taco

2008-11-29T16:16:00.000-08:00

That girl really doesn't need any new ways to expand her waistline. Which is exactly why I have mixed feelings about Arturo's Puffy Taco. On one hand, this place is a great find near my work. On the other hand, I need to look good in a wedding dress in less than a year!!! What the hell am I doing gorging myself on their irresistible carne asada deliciocity? Quite the predicament indeed. To be honest with you, the signature "puffy tacos" are not the best thing on the menu, but they are yummy nonetheless. Puffies are kind of a cross between a sope and a crunchy taco, filled with your choice of ground beef, carne asada, chicken or carnitas. The carne asada is fantastic here. They cut it up into little pieces so each morsel is perfectly caramelized and tender. Try this mouth watering meat in a burrito here and then don't plan on moving for at least an hour.
"Strips Supreme" (nachos) were pretty good, but seriously, AVOCADO SAUCE??? Noooooooooooo!!! Such a sin and so sad. Okay, it's time to get serious. Goodbye burritos, hello broccoli.

McDonald's Breakfast

2008-11-09T21:05:00.000-08:00

About a year ago, I remember reading an article that McDonald's was thinking about serving breakfast all day long. This plan has yet to come to fruition, much to that girl's McMuffin-for-dinner craving chagrin. I'm not a big fan of "Mickey D's" but those savory little eggie sandwiches... that's a different animal altogether.

So basically the only time I will allow myself this tasty treat (and actually be decent enough to leave the house before 10:30am) is when I'm either having a yard sale or going on a road trip. They put something in the Sausage McMuffin with Egg that is so addictive. And while we're on the subject, seriously what's with the "with egg"? Is it really necessary to point out this fact? Me thinks not. Combo this little baby up with hash browns, well done (or two... thirty nine cents for an extra... yum), "fancy" ketchup packets (???) and a Coke. You must have soda with this, I don't know why I don't make the rules. Then you eat everything while driving, making the guy in the car next to you very jealous. McBon Appetit!

Steak Frites

2008-10-01T21:37:00.000-07:00

That girl hearts meat and potatoes. I NEVER buy a bag of potatoes because I will eat all of them and suffer carb overload. But when a ten pound bag is on sale for ninety nine cents, it doesn't really make sense to buy just one that is $1.19 a pound. Well, that seems logical, but my from ass to God's ear, that logic is penny wise, POUND(S) foolish. Three leftover potatoes became crispy wedgy fries recently and they were amazing paired with a grilled steak. Once again I seasoned the beef with my favorite Konriko Greek Seasoning. This stuff is sooooo yummy and you should try it on chicken too. I don't have a lot of frying experience but basically I cut the potatoes in to fatty chunks, soaked in ice water for about half an hour (to remove some starch) and then paper towel dried each individual wedge. This is a pain but if you love golden crunchy goodness and I do, it's worth the effort. Then I just dropped them in deep boiling oil and after about twenty minutes, they were perfect. A liberal dusting of salt was all these little babies needed before they took roost in their new home, MAH BELLY!!! Since steak was on sale, this meal for two cost about six dollars and four hours on the treadmill. Zoiks.

Catalano's

2008-09-27T11:44:00.000-07:00

Lately That Girl has been trying to work the whole South Beachie low carbish angle and it has it's pros and cons. On the up side, cutting back on delicious white flour and sugar based treats certainly can do wonders for your ginormical backside. The only problem is, cutting out soul soothing carbohydrates can make you act a little... well, cranky. You find that many of your sentences end with an exclamation point. You're not hungry, but you feel slightly "off". And we all know what can make any carb-deprived woman feel better... PIZZA! A reader of TGCE recommended Catalano's to me a while back and omg it is now my favorite local pizza joint, MUCH TO MY BOOTY'S CHAGRIN. A no-nonsense place that tosses every crust to order, thick or thin to your specifications. The mozzarella is whole milk (as it should be) and is super creamy and stretchy. Pepperoni is spicy and authentic, can't really say the same for the sausage, which is a little weak. Needs a little more fennel and it would probably be perfect. Sauce is not sweet and has a deep, rich, cooked on the stove for hours taste. Boyfriend and I decided to get individual pizzas a couple of weeks later and they were also good, but I think you get the whole experience with a big pie. Definitely avoid the wings, egads what a soggy and poorly executed mess.
So if you are trying to be good but you find yourself yelling at your boyfriend for oh I don't know, NOTHING, maybe a slice would do you good. Just don't go crazy and you'll be all right. I won't tell Dr. Atkins.

Cisco Burger

2008-08-20T20:54:00.000-07:00

That girl can be a little negative and judgemental sometimes. Which is exactly why I had absolutely no interest in going to Cisco Burger in this lifetime. Motorcycle men and goofy actresses are not exactly what I consider the recipe for tasty burgers. But Jesse James and Sandra Bullock have proved me wrong. I LOVE THIS PLACE. The straw that broke the camel's back was when their fries were voted best in Long Beach. If I had to limit my junk food consumption to one item alone, it would be french fries. Not "freedom fries" or "american fries" either. That is really annoying people. Enough with the freedom fries.
Boyfriend and I opted for the basics on our first visit, cheeseburger combos, fries for him, onion rings for me. What a delicious, juicy burger. The menu says kobe beef but I'm no expert. All I know is the veggies are fresh, the meat is hot and the bun is squishy pillow-luscious. Their version of thousand island is called "Cisco Sauce", basically a more "ketchup-y" and peppery version of the original orange goodness. Boyfriend watched in horror as I asked for a side of this creamy goodness to dip my rings in. How sad to be a hater of condiments. That's no way to live my friends.
The fries lived up to their title, soft insides contained within a crispy, battered shell. Addictive. Rings were also very good but a little too greasy for this fatty feast. Cisco also has a few baked goods on their menu, but I've only seen the cookies when I've dined there. The chocolate chip has seriously over fifty chips in one cookie, perfect for the chocoholic that lurks within all of us. My one problem with this place is that they have changed their hours several times over the last few months. It's such a sad feeling to think you will soon be biting into a beefy bastion of badness only to find out that they close at 4:00pm on Saturdays. So sad. But as much as I cursed at that blasted "closed" sign, you know I came back. It's worth it, Long Beachians.

O.J. Submarine

2008-08-06T21:48:00.001-07:00

Let's not waste time on my hatred of Subway... that girl has covered that topic many times before. Instead let's focus on the yummy sandwiches from OJ's. I've been eating here since third grade. Once when I was about ten, I was here with my dad when I ran in to a boy from my class, Alex Phelps. AWKWARD!!! Then my dad strikes up a conversation with Alex's dad (oh my god dad like you are so embarrassing!) and his dad asks me if I know him. **pause for nerd alert** My reply: "yeah, he always gets in trouble for opening his desk when he's not supposed to". Pretty much that visit set the path for my elementary school social life. Painful childhood scars aside, I really do love the sandwiches here. Soft squishy fresh bread, tasty meats and fresh veggies. I always get the turkey, mayo only. I know it looks really plain (and it is) but it just hits the spot every time. Another classic is the #1, OJ's original sub. Your basic italian and quite tasty. You can't have a thin skin to be a customer here. The lady who runs it can be a little rude, but I just think she doesn't know any better. Once when I was ordering a lot of sandwiches to go for my family, she asked me if the bacon and provolone was for my mom. "Yes", I replied, "wow, we come here so often you remembered". Her response: "she's gained weight... next time she should get the turkey". Ouch.

Schooner or Later

2008-08-06T21:22:00.000-07:00

That girl used to call Schooner or Later "land of the trucker hat poseurs". Well, trends have shifted slightly and now I call it "land of the Castro hat poseurs". The hostesses treat this place like a damn club. It's breakfast, people. You know... eggs, pancakes? Gotta love the two hour wait time. "Feel free to visit our outdoor bar" they say. Translation: "feel free to buy a bunch of expensive bloody marys, beers and champagne before you even get a table". Boyfriend went for the chicken sandwich. But... that's a lunch item you ask? Well when you get there at 9:45am and get seated two hours later guess what? It's lunch time! Bland, boring, bland, boring. Even the fries look sad. Side salad with ranch was equally uneventful.
I went out on a limb and decided to try the chilaquiles. These were okay, but it was obvious they cook up a lot of this and warm it to order. The tortillas were good, close to homemade tasting.
For the record (and so you don't think I'm a total hater) one of my favorite soups in Long Beach is their portuguese chowder. But I'll be getting it to go from now on... I like my brunch without the velvet rope thankyouverymuch.

Ohana Hawaiian Island BBQ

2008-08-06T20:52:00.000-07:00

Always on the lookout for new lunch options, I stumbled in to Ohana a while back. That girl discovered plate lunches about nine years ago on the north shore of Oahu, and I've been hooked ever since. Who would have thought the combination of delicious meats, steamed white rice and macaroni salad would work so well together? The chicken combo was my choice on my first visit. Ohana gives you so much food! I had enough leftovers for my dad to enjoy dinner as well. Crispy golden fried and savory tender grilled chicken, lovingly prepared and piled high. The mac salad isn't too sweet, and has some potatoes in there as well. The next time I went I opted for the chicken salad. A colorful mix of fresh veggies and warm chicken, a healthy option for sure. My only wish would be that they provide better salad dressing, the packet of ranch wasn't that special. Aloha!

Molcasalsa

2008-07-31T16:40:00.000-07:00

That girl used to wonder why every time she went to Molcasalsa on her lunch break, the place was virtually deserted. Then one day I had an epiphany: this is clearly drunk food. We've all had our "moments": a little too much gin, a few too many Jager bombs... and the only thing that can remedy the situation is some good old fashioned grease. Well, I don't drink at work (Did you hear that boss?) but even if you're not tipsy, the cheap munchables here can always satisfy. An order of five rolled tacos is my usual. Crunchy shredded beef taquitos fried golden brown, smothered in guacamole ("avocado sauce" but whatev) and topped with a mountain of cheese. With a refillable drink and all the fresh salsa bar you can handle, this will run you $3.25. Plus, these are so filling you could probably share an order. You really can't get much cheaper than that.
J-Bird went with the carne asada fries, a dish that seems so wrong and so right at the same time. Crisp french fries topped with copious amounts of freshly grilled steak, melty cheese and sour cream, this is a heart attack waiting to happen. Work bff went with the carne asada torta. I love how they grill the roll, a nice touch. Also, if you ask nicely, they will make you some freshly fried chips and pico de gallo at no charge. I'm leaving you with a pic I just had to snap on the way to Molcasalsa. There was a lot of street construction going on, and if you've ever wondered where your tax dollars go, well... now you know.

Tokyo Hibachi

2008-07-19T14:39:00.001-07:00

When I started eating at Tokyo Hibachi about twenty years ago, it was one of the few places in Lakewood where you could get sushi. After all this time, the quality remains unchanged. Little Sister and I stopped in for a delightful lunch recently, and the fish is as fresh as ever.Thick slabs of deep red ahi sashimi started our meal. This fish was cool and soft, just perfect. That girl hates it when places serve room temperature sushi. That's probably why I rarely frequent "all you can eat" style sushi buffets. A tall bottle of Kirin proved to be a nice light refreshment to go with. Mmmm, beer-y.The soft shell crab appetizer was up next, a requirement every time we dine here. The first time I had this, I have to admit I was a little wary of eating the whole thing; legs, shell and all. But the flavor is amazing, indescribable really. Two of these with a salad would make a great meal .Next we shared the spicy sauteed squid, usually always available as a special. Tender rings and tentacles of squid combine together with fresh mushrooms in a creamy sauce that has just enough bite to it. Be sure to order a bowl of rice with this dish to pour your leftover sauce on top of. You won't want to lose a drop, it's that good.A canadian cut roll came next. Most places call this a philly roll because of the cream cheese it contains. We opted to have the roll covered in bright orange smelt eggs for extra flavor. These would be great for a party, if you don't eat them all yourself before the guests arrive.

Although we were basically stuffed at this point, a trip to a sushi bar for me would not be complete without some mackerel. Most fishermen call this bait, I call it delicious. A very salty and fatty fish, with a firm texture that goes perfectly with a slice of fresh lemon.Rainbow sherbet completed our meal, reminiscent of our younger days. Cool and creamy, it was the perfect ending to a sublime dining experience. Oishii-katta desu yo!

The Deli News

2008-07-14T22:31:00.001-07:00

Let's get straight to the point on this one: medium one topping pizza, FIVE DOLLARS. That girl loves a deal and even if you just eat the cheese off, the pizza at The Deli News is worth FIVE DOLLARS. Not the best pizza I've ever had (sauce a little too sweet, crust a little too thick) but it'll do in a pinch.DID I MENTION IT'S FIVE DOLLARS?

Yard House

2008-07-14T22:12:00.000-07:00

Is there really anything better in life than lounging outdoors in gorgeous weather, sipping cocktails and nibbling delicious appetizers? If this is your idea of a good time, try the Yard House on a weekday afternoon. Go ahead, play hooky from work. I won't tell. Boyfriend and I took advantage of the plentiful sunshine and fresh air a couple weeks ago, and our experience was perfect as usual.We usually share a couple of appetizers, and today was no different. Chicken nachos have always been one of our favorites. Freshly grilled chicken piled high on top of house made chips, smothered in cheddar and jack cheeses and finished with chunky guacamole. I gotta say I was a little disappointed this day with the cheese. Nachos are all about the cheesy goodness, and they skimped a little bit on this visit. No matter, they were still really good. We got the beans on the side for dipping. That girl hates beans on nachos. They get too soggy and take away from the crunch factor which is so important to the ultimate nacho experience.The poke stack has been a favorite of my family's for years. I'm very jealous of people in Hawaii who can buy poke at their local supermarket deli. This dish looks small, but it's really quite filling. Sushi grade ahi is layered on fried wonton squares, garnished with avocado, veggies and a wasabi/soy sauce drizzle. Smoosh everything together with your chopsticks and dig in. A perfect summer lunch paired with a raspberry cider on tap. So take off early from the dungeon that is your office and enjoy life my friends. You only live once...

Medieval Times

2008-07-13T10:26:00.001-07:00

When you grow up in southern California, often times the popular tourist attractions that lure so many to our fine land end up eluding you until you are well in to adulthood. Medieval Times was such a place for that girl, and a recent visit opened my eyes to an evening filled with food, fun and festivity.

On the subject of animals, especially those used for the entertainment of humans, that girl is a little sensitive. How many times has boyfriend rolled his eyes when I have expressed my concern for little creatures in commercials, amusement parks etc? Rest assured however that the horses here seemed to be treated very humanely, at least from what I could see. The show was really fun, and the crowd involvement factor makes it especially engaging. But let's get to the whole point of this piece, which is...THE FOOD WAS ACTUALLY DECENT!!! Keep in mind I was not expecting much. From friends who had already been, the repeated response I received when asking about the food was, "they don't give you a fork". With that in mind, my anticipation of the first course was laced with trepidation. However when the vegetable soup with garlic bread arrived, I realized my fears were misguided. Now, I'm not going to say this is the best soup I've ever had in my life. But it was hot, well seasoned and satisfying. The garlic bread was fantastic. Crisp, cheesy and bursting with flavor, I could have ate a basket of this for my dinner and been happy.The main course arrived soon after, rotisserie chicken and a country style pork rib. The chicken was coated with a generous rub of spices and was quite tasty. The boneless rib was super tender, paired perfectly with a coat of tangy barbeque sauce. A half of a baked potato was the only real disappointment, bland and in serious need of some sort of dipping sauce.Let's get to the best part of any meal... DESSERT OF COURSE!!! These little pastry sticks were amazing. No seriously, I pondered calling Medieval Times the next day to find out their distributor, but then I thought... "do I really need to be eating these in quantity?". Crisp flaky pastry surrounded a semi-molten filling of rich chocolate, just delightful. Seriously, these are worth the $44.95 ticket alone. So let your fears of tourist traps slip away and enjoy an evening with the horsies.
P.S. Ghetto Fabulous That Girl Tip: Bring along your digital camera. Then when they present you with the photo they took of you when you entered, TAKE A PICTURE OF THE PICTURE. Presto... you just saved $10.95.

Red Robin

2008-07-13T09:51:00.000-07:00

That girl is no snob when it comes to chain restaurants. My motto (well, one of many), "if it tastes good, eat it" has led me to Red Robin many times. This fine faction of fun family friendly fare often times serves as a place to celebrate co-worker birthdays. This day was no different and five fierce females departed the hustle and bustle of the office to give our plumbing industry protege "J-Bird" a birthday lunch feast.A turkey burger was my work bff's choice, and it has been that girl's choice on many occasion. A succulent patty of poultry, fresh grilled and topped with crisp lettuce, red ripe tomato and a schmear of zesty chipolte mayo, this little jewel never fails to disappoint. Red Robin serves all burgers and sandwiches with "bottom-less" steak fries. Which leads me to an interesting observation... my gratuitous consumption of these fries has hardly left me "bottom-less". More like "bottom-full". Hmmm...

J-Bird went with the classic cheeseburger, a juicy beef patty smothered with cheddar cheese and adorned with all of the classic toppings. Red Robin puts some sort of "red relish" on their burgers, gotta say never been a big fan. I'm more of a thousand island gal myself.Co-worker from accounting went the healthy route this day, opting for a veggie rice bowl topped with grilled chicken. This is a great choice, very filling and bursting with freshness. As an on again/off again Weight Watcher, I can tell you this meal is only twelve points.Gal pal went with the Whiskey River BBQ Chicken Wrap. Wow that's a mouthful, LITERALLY!!! A spinach tortilla filled with grilled chicken, melty cheddar, tangy barbeque sauce and crunchy tortilla strips, this is definitely something I need to try soon. Gal pal subbed salad for fries (no extra charge btw) and also received a couple of fresh slices of cantaloupe.

The Apple Harvest salad was my choice, one of my favorites these days. Fresh greens topped with chicken, soft goat cheese and crisp Fuji apple slices. Tossed with a little ranch and a generous sprinkling of pepper this little baby is heaven!!! I had them leave off the candied walnuts, not in the mood this day. Don't be afraid of goat cheese, just remember another of my mottos: "Stinky cheese is your friend".

Burger Bar Revisited

2008-05-13T19:30:00.000-07:00

Although I already reviewed it in 2007, that girl just couldn't resist another shout out to Burger Bar. Also located at the Mandalay Bay, this place is just amazing. Boyfriend was jealous when sister and I went without him.I basically had the same thing as my first visit, kobe beef burger with blue cheese and caramelized onions, this time adding that thick pepper bacon to take it to a new level. Boyfriend got a little excited about all of the topping choices, nestling his kobe burger in a ciabatta roll and piling it high with provolone, caramelized onions, cinnamon bacon, and guacamole on the side for schmearing. "Fat" fries (how appropriate... this meal was like a gazillion calories) were amazing, perfectly golden well done as requested. This was another comp meal for us, (I'm telling you they are great about comps here) and we'll be back for sure.

Raffles Cafe... at Mandalay Bay

2008-05-13T18:42:00.000-07:00

For the most part, that girl is a real no-nonsense, t-shirt and jeans type of gal. But seriously, who doesn't love a nice hotel? Ever since I stayed at Mandalay Bay for the Kathy Griffin show, I'm ruined for life. Seriously, this place is freaking awesome!!! Plus, once you get one of their handy dandy players club cards, you can score some great deals. Like, $90 a night for their basic room, which is ANYTHING but basic. Plus, these people comp you like crazy, making a twenty five cent wheel of fortune machine gal like myself feel like a real high roller. Almost every casino in Vegas has a twenty four hour coffee shop, and MB's version is Raffles Cafe.You can just get any idea of your basic greasy spoon out of your head because Raffles is PLUSH. Gleaming silverware, granite tables and crisp white china await you upon being seated. There are windows everywhere (VERY rare in a casino restaurant) that boast refreshing views of their gardens and pool area.Okay, I realize I'm a little nuts but I LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture of my coffee. This shot represents to me what eating in a restaurant is all about. You would never prepare coffee this beautifully just for yourself at home. This is why you don't mind paying $2.00 for what essentially costs the place two cents. Moving on...How much fancier is anything that is embossed with an initial? Mandalay Bay is all about the embossing, as seen in my golden waffle and butter. The strawberry garnish brought out my childish side, and soon I was making it "eat" the waffle, much to boyfriend's chagrin. Yes, I play with my food and I'm okay with it. A side of well done bacon was perfection, pork product bliss personified.Boyfriend wasn't feeling very breakfasty and went with the grilled chicken sandwich. I stole a few of his fries and they were crunchy luscious, all battered and seasoned just right.The next day when we were checking out, the players club desk staff APOLOGIZED for not being able to comp our room. (I wasn't expecting them to) In return, they offered to comp breakfast for us before we left. HOW NICE!!! Usually I'm an over medium person but scrambled sounded good that day. However, I was watching some plates go by and the hash browns looked pretty weak. Super friendly waitress had no problem subbing some of those heavenly fries instead, and actually complimented me on my choice. Crunchy bacon and sourdough toast completed my gratis gobbling.French toast was boyfriends choice, another lovely presentation for sure. Right after ordering, the waitress informed us we still had a few dollars left on our comp. "You might as well order something, it's free" she nudged, so fresh strawberries on the side it was. These were a nice palate cleanser at the end of our meal.I really can't say enough about Mandalay Bay and Raffles Cafe. Just be forewarned... invite this kind of luxury in to your life and you'll have a hard time hitting the 99 cent shrimp cocktail at Four Queens. Just sayin'...

The Mad Greek

2008-05-09T20:55:00.000-07:00

That girl has become such a snob about driving to Las Vegas. Living in Long Beach, the luxury of JetBlue makes it so easy to jet off for a weekend of wild debauchery. However, the rising cost of jet fuel forced boyfriend and I to hit the highway: ROADTRIP!!!Young hearts run free as we soar through the desert on a late Friday after work, our gambling jones getting stronger with every second. Feeling a bit peckish about two hours in, we decide to stop at The Mad Greek in Baker. I have always wanted to try this place, and equally slot machine addicted co-worker told me it was a must.Boyfriend and I easily shared this combo plate, laden with gyros and three kabobs: beef, chicken and lamb. Really, is their nothing better in life than marinated meats grilled over an open flame? The lamb was delicate and exquisite, my favorite of the three. Tender gyro, shaved off a ginormous cone, went well with the golden grilled pita and cool tzatziki. A fresh greek salad completed the meal, topped with a zesty vinaigrette.The Mad Greek has a separate fresh juice, smoothie and milkshake bar that was just begging us to partake. Boyfriend loved his FRESH strawberry milkshake, festively decorated with whipped cream, maraschino cherry and paper umbrella. A+ for presentation mad greekers!!!

Next time you are headed for Sin City, forget the Barstow McDonald's... drive a little further for some mediterranean delights in the middle of nowhere. You'll know your exit... just look for the world's largest thermometer next to Bun Boy. Jackpot!

Pioneer Chicken

2008-05-08T17:40:00.000-07:00

Up until about eight or nine years old, I rarely went out to eat. My mother would prepare hot, comforting meals every night for our family. Some of my favorites included mushroom soup pork chops, A.I. sauce chicken and chicken cordon bleu. However, when my dad started working swing shift for Pepsi, that girl discovered the joy of "take-out". Mom was only too happy to pick up something for my sister and I and forego actual cooking. When we weren't chomping on Swanson tv dinners (remember the brownies and salisbury steak?), we were dining on Pioneer Chicken.A recent episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives got me hankering for some gizzards. The lure of the unusual led me on a search for one of the remaining Pioneer's that used to be everywhere in southern California. I found one on Florence in Bell Gardens, and I'm so glad I did.If you've never eaten at Pioneer, you should be forewarned: most of the food on the menu is orange. Bright orange batter coats any number of things and it is DELICIOUS. Pretty much you could fry your shoe in this batter and it would be good. My choices were the half order of gizzards and a drumstick ala carte. The smell of crunchy hot goodness was too much for me and I consumed most of the gizzards in the car. Kind of an odd food, from my understanding they are part of a chicken's digestive system. All I know is they are super tasty and you can easily eat too many of them.The chicken is just as I remember from childhood; juicy, greasy and yummy. My great aunt and uncle used to run a beauty supply in Hollywood a few doors down from a Pioneer. Many times I was sent to pick up lunch for the family and would commiserate with the "working girls" who roamed Sunset Boulevard. Yeah, I was nine and hanging out with hookers. Good times.

Mexico 1900

2008-05-07T19:07:00.000-07:00

There are certain restaurants we all go to that, despite certain "issues" we have with the establishment, the delicious food makes us look the other way. This is definitely the case with Mexico 1900, a lunchtime favorite among my co-workers.

First of all, there is a certain "aroma" that smacks you in the face the moment you walk in the door. That girl works in the plumbing industry, so she knows that this smell is that of a drain that has not been properly irrigated. When drains dry out, they smell like things that go through them. Instead of fixing their problem, Mexico 1900 chooses to keep an industrial floor fan running at all times and always has a scented candle burning at the hostess desk. Hmmm, I wonder how many of you I've lost already. Hang on, there's more. The term "hostess" generally conjures up an image of a pert young woman, someone too green to be an actual server yet who whisks you off to your table, hands you your menu and that's about it. The "hostess" here is quite a character. My co-workers and I call her "the hall monitor". This crusty woman roams the restaurant, hands clasped behind her back, watching you as you inhale your two taco special. Very strange.

On this day, I was dining with work bff and male co-worker Mr. Bear. Don't ask. Bff chose her favorite, the "choice of one" special. Her choice was the chile relleno, served with rice and beans. That girl has dined on many a chile relleno here and they are fantastic. The rellenos served here are more "omelet" style instead of deep fried. The sauce that covers them is mild and flavorful.

Mr. Bear went with the wet burrito, which I have never sampled before. It looked fantastic and he said it was very good. The guac and sour cream on top is a nice touch.

A shredded beef sope was my choice. If you have never had the pleasure of a sope before, I implore you to try one as soon as possible. Kind of hard to describe, the base is like a thick fried corn tortilla, with a crisp exterior and crumbly, almost tamale like interior. Topped with the works and served with refried beans, it makes a great lunch. I like to scoop up all of the sope "fall out" with the crisp hot chips and spicy salsa that are placed on your table upon being seated.

I almost forgot about the best part of the meal... the free cinnamon crispies you get for dessert. Little triangles of sugary crack, hot from the deep fryer. If they forget to bring you them, make sure you ask. So if you can get past the funky foyer odor and don't mind the eyes of the hall monitor watching your every move, you will enjoy your meal here. Just don't make any sudden moves or you might get a demerit.

Domenico's

2008-05-03T11:47:00.000-07:00

That girl is a definite creature of habit. Although I love to try new places, like most people I find myself falling into the arms of the familiar on any given dinner out. That is probably why I had never been to Domenico's, a popular italian pizza/pasta joint in Belmont Shore.Their ads run pretty regularly in the Press-Telegram, so boyfriend and I decided to give it a try. Not to start out on a sour note, but honestly... not too impressed. Someday I'll write about Buona Gente and you'll see what 2nd Street is all about. One thing I really liked were the dry crunchy breadsticks they place on the table once you've placed your order. Having heard so much about the "famous creamy garlic" salad dressing, we asked for a side for dipping. Gotta say... not that garlicky. It seemed to be lacking something, perhaps as simple as salt and pepper, but it basically tasted like mayo and sour cream with a little crushed garlic mixed in. Eh.Domenico's is famous for their "ground meats" pizzas, so we opted to share a large, half ground pepperoni and half ground sausage. The pie did look magnificent but again, lacking flavor. The ground pepperoni had no spice at all and oozed grease. That girl knows pepperoni pizza is supposed to be greasy, but this was ridiculous. The sausage was a little better, but didn't really have that zesty fennel flavor that italian sausage should have.Just as I was starting to think I wasn't giving this Long Beach institution a fair shake, the bill arrived. I'm sorry, but charging for a two item pizza when you order half and half is crap! THAT GIRL CALLS BS ON YOU, DOMENICO'S!!! We brought this to the attention of our waiter, who said at least THREE people ask about that EVERY NIGHT and even he disagrees with the policy. I won't be back, and you shouldn't bother either.

Starbucks Cupcakes

2008-02-19T18:40:00.000-08:00

Not to be left out of the cupcake trend insanity, Starbucks is following in the steps of Sprinkle's and the like by now serving cupcakes. That girl's boss brought these in for Valentine's Day and I gotta admit, they are pretty cute. However the frosting was super sweet (even for me) so a major scrapejob was in order. The cake part was really moist and fluffy, not bad at all.After eating this vanilla morsel I was inspired to make my mom some cupcakes for her birthday. Just as tasty and super adorable. This post comes along with a new link I'm introducing, http://www.starbucksgossip.typepad.com/. Any info about the inside track of America's favorite addiction is to be found here. I actually discovered it through a chowhound thread on "ghetto lattes". Seriously funny and informative? reading.

Tomato Basil Soup

2008-02-19T18:26:00.001-08:00

Inspired by my divine experience at Nordstrom Cafe, I combed the internet for the tomato soup recipe so that I could make it in the comfort of my own home. Apparently that girl is not the only person who has such a fondness for this liquid lover, and after procuring a hand blender, it was soup makin' time.Anyone who's never used a hand blender before should know: THEY ARE LOUD. No seriously, I mean lawn mower loud. Maybe I bought a cheap one but this thing is scary. However it blended up the soup perfectly.Please make this soup, your family and friends will love you. But be warned it makes A LOT so you might want to make some more friends first.

Nordstrom Cafe

2008-02-19T17:54:00.000-08:00

Shhhh. This is going to be our little secret. That girl kind of took a long lunch for this one. Nordstrom Cafe isn't exactly "close" to my work. In fact, if I'm driving the speed limit it takes me about twenty five minutes to get to the one at Brea Mall. So if I'm "slightly" disobeying traffic laws, fifteen minutes each way is the minimum. But no matter... it's worth the risk of getting caught to enjoy the delights hidden inside Nordie's.I'd probably be the first person to roll her eyes at the idea of a department store restaurant. Come on, is this the forties or something? Let me get my hat and gloves. However, Mrs. Kandlelight took me there on last year's annual Christmas shopping/gossip trip and that was it. Pretty much I'm addicted to the tomato soup they serve there. It is so flippin' good!!! Creamy, velvety, hang on let me get my thesaurus... rich, luxurious... oh there just aren't enough words for this little bowl of goodness. Seriously, if Brad Pitt were a soup, this is it. The little crunchy crostini parmesan thingy they serve on the side is great for dipping, except after you eat one you want like fourteen of them.Okay, let's get to THE BEST SANDWICH I'VE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE. This is no small feat considering that girl has consumed many many sandwiches in her lifetime. The monte cristo at Cafe Bixby comes very close, but the chicken florentine sandwich they serve here is just bursting with flavor. Chewy ciabatta, garlic aioli (like with chunks of garlic) sliced roasted chicken breast, spinach, ricotta, tomato slices and provolone. It's just perfect. And even better the next day I might add.I can't write this post without getting a pet peeve about Nordstrom off my chest. How many people do you know that say "Nordstrom's"??? Take a look at the sign people. There's no "s" at the end of Nordstrom. I'm putting those who pronounce it wrong in the same category as people who say "supposebly" instead of supposedly. THERE IS NO "b" IN SUPPOSEDLY!!! For God's sake you ingrates!!! Whoa I'm all worked up now. Better get me some soup.

Daphne's Greek Cafe

2008-02-19T17:33:00.000-08:00

When you're on your lunch hour, many times it's difficult to find quality cuisine among the chains that are taking over the universe. One place that girl can always find a quick tasty meal is Daphne's Greek Cafe. These seem to be everywhere these days, providing a naive America a basic lesson is the delights of mediterranean fast food.In a semi-healthy mood, I decided to go for the soup/salad combo. A fresh Greek salad, bursting with veggies and topped with marinated grilled chicken is just the thing to get you through your day. This salad (sans chicken) is served with most of their combo plates.This was my first time trying Daphne's house soup, avgolemono. I am so glad I did!!! A chicken rice soup flavored with egg and lemon, tasty to the last drop. I'll be back soon for more of this soup during this little cold spell we're having.Gal pal went with the basic gyro pita plate, subbing hummus for rice. Love love love the gyro here. I'm sure many snooty mcsnootsters will say "oh that's not authentic" etc. WTF with the authentic crap people? Get over it!!! I say if it tastes good then just go with it. Have I had better? Of course. But Daphne's is really good and a nice alternative from Subway (ick) or a greasy burger. Opa!

Go That Girl, It's Your Birthday

2008-02-18T21:35:00.001-08:00

Turning 32 isn't so bad when you drown your sorrows in cake and Malibu rum. Gal pal got me a cake from Katella Deli for work party. This thing was so tall and decadent. Gotta love whipped cream frosting, food of the gods seriously.For my lil' house par-tay we got a red velvet sheet cake from Bake & Broil. Super rich and evil, there wasn't much left of this by the end of the night. Highly highly recommend this if you live in the area. $48.95 for a half sheet.I wish I'd gotten Molly Maid for my birthday. My house was super messy, but I wasn't thinking about that while dancing all night to old school jams. "Oh bay-bee youuuuuuuu... you got what I need... but you say he's just a friend, but you say he's just a friend". Don't be jealous.

Hof's Hut

2008-02-18T21:05:00.000-08:00

When my grandma was still living, EVERY time I'd take her to Hof's Hut she would complain to the manager that they should serve their chicken tortilla soup daily instead of once a week. That girl likes to think that because of grandma's "gentle nudging", chicken tortilla is always the soup du jour at Hof's. This is some great soup people!!! A clear chicken broth with some tomatoes, celery and chicken chunks, garnished with crisp, fresh chips and a good handful of shredded cheese. So satisfying, AND instead of your usual saltines they serve Wheatsworth crackers on the side. Mmm mmm.Boyfriend and I both had a bowl of this yummyness while waiting for our sandwiches. When we walked in I noticed many patrons sipping a glowing orange/pink beverage. Our kind waiter informed me this is strawberry lemonade. Usually I'm not a big fan, but this didn't look like the chunky kind they serve at Red Robin. One drink and I was hooked. Very refreshing.I chose the tuna melt which is excellent here. However I think the cook might have been a little sleepy and only put cheddar on one side of the bread. Everyone knows that the melty cheese is what protects your buttery grilled sourdough from "high soggy potential" tuna salad. But it was very good and super filling.A french dip was boyfriend's choice, his usual sandwich wherever we go. They do this one just right here. First of all, they grill the roll. This is very important so that it can stand up to au jus dunking. Second, the roast beef is not pink. Sorry foodies, not a fan of pink meat. This beef is well seasoned and super flavorful.A slice of cheesecake to go from Hof's plentiful bakery was a must. Super creamy, with almost no crust... the slight tang of lemon lingers on your tongue... heaven. Hof's isn't a place to make a special trip to, but when you need a good basic lunch, it's just the ticket.

Bamboo Teri House

2008-02-18T20:46:00.000-08:00

That girl loves a good strip mall. Bamboo Teri House is a hidden little gem chock full of Japanese delights. I've been going to this place since my days at Poly High, when I had a couple of friends who worked there. During "hell week" of one of our school sororities, it is rumored that many a hopeful sister had the unfortunate fate of being doused with BBTH teriyaki sauce. Ah, memories.

Boyfriend went for the three item combo. California rolls, yakitori chicken skewers and tempura shrimp were his choices, served with salad, rice and the most yumalicious oniony noodles you've ever put in your mouth. Just trust me, these noodles will change your life.I decided to try their version of curry rice and was slightly disappointed. Maybe I'm just used to the box mix or Hurry Curry but I like my curry very hot and spicy and this was super mild. Not bad though and quite filling.My only issue with this place is they can't decide what kind of restaurant they are. For years you ordered at the counter, got a plastic number and your food was delivered to your table. Then they went to table service. Now I guess they only do table service after 5:00pm, but it's quite spotty and slow, albeit super nice. Just call your to go order in and eat at home. Then you can saunter into a noodle coma in the comfort of your own sofa.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

2008-02-18T19:44:00.001-08:00

Boyfriend hates the name "Barefoot Contessa". His argument is that anything associated with food shouldn't have the word "foot" in it. Hmmm. However that girl is a big fan of Ina Garten, probably because her food is just so, well... edible. This coffee cake is super easy and absolutely to die for. I left the nuts out of the crumb topping (plus I doubled the topping), and I made a vanilla glaze instead of the maple one that the original recipe recommends.Usually I'm not big on specialty ingredients, but just get over it and buy some cake flour. Bring this little baby to work and you'll have a raise by Friday. No joke!!! Quite easy also and your house will smell amazing. Dee-lish.

Matzo Ball Soup

2008-02-18T19:37:00.000-08:00

That girl thinks that if you sat all the world leaders down for a bowl of matzo ball soup, world peace would not be far behind. I know I feel peaceful when I eat it. Many will argue on the proper way to make these little bundles of goodness (sinkers vs. floaters, etc.) but the box mix works fine for me. Instead of oil I use a little melted chicken fat and they come out super savory. I'm often asked, "what's a matzo ball taste like?" and really you just have to try one. It's like a dumpling-ish soft but firm crackery type thing. Yeah, that's it.

Fage Yogurt

2008-02-18T19:32:00.000-08:00

That girl really really wants to like this stuff. Chowhounders can't get enough of it, and the concept seems cool, but... I'm not feeling it. Maybe if I made tzatziki out of it... hmmm...

Red Mango

2008-02-18T19:23:00.000-08:00

Trendy yogurt has made it to the 90712... in the form of Red Mango. New strip malls are popping up everywhere in Lakewood and Long Beach. Perhaps part of some neighborhood beautification project... or corporate greed... but whatev... the fakeberry revolution continues to sweep the nation!That girl stopped in on a cool day for a little frozen confection, a small with fresh pineapple. Now I know the chick who waited on me is probably fresh from her yogurt school training, but is it really necessary to ask my name when I'm the only patron in sight? Kind of funny. Great yogurt though.

A Warning to Potential Parents

2008-01-19T13:09:00.000-08:00

That girl often has the strange compulsion to take pictures of the random things she sees on her commute. Today was no exception, please take into account this scary ice cream truck. Not sure if I'd be lining up to get my 50/50 bar from this bad boy. Though it does send a vital message to those considering bringing a crumb cruncher into their home... "Watch Out for Kids". Amen, brother.

Angelo's

2008-01-19T12:03:00.000-08:00

If I had my way, upon opening my pantry door behind it would reveal Angelo's Italian Deli. Once again the yelpers have guided that girl to noshing nirvana. This place is packed to the brim with all the goodies you might need to make a perfect italian meal. Several kinds of olive oil, a wide selection of canned goods and various prepared foods meet your eye once you step inside.On this day though I was here for the sandwiches. With boyfriend and brother-in-law in tow we found this little gem that's tucked away in Belmont Shore. Since I had read the reviews of this place, it took me no time to make my selection, the calabrese. Thin slices of spicy salami paired with gorgonzola cheese, layered lovingly on rustic ciabatta and topped with lettuce, tomato and an addictive garlic pesto spread. A wonderful combination of complex flavors, I enjoyed this very much.Boyfriend and brother went for the torpedo, a classic combining provolone, capicolla, genoa salami, and mortadella. The same garlic spread accompanied lettuce, tomato and onion and everything was placed in a crusty baguette. After their first bites, conversation was pretty much halted for the next ten minutes or so to commence inhalation. Any thoughts we had about going to Pinkberry afterward were thwarted, and with bellies full we headed home. Really can't say enough about this place, except maybe that it's now on speed dial.

Sweet Jill's

2008-01-19T11:47:00.001-08:00

Why oh why do I stray away from the familiar? Needing dessert after an "eh" dinner at Tantalum, boyfriend and I jetted over to Sweet Jill's in Belmont Shore. That girl usually gets the chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting. There it was, waiting patiently for me like it always does. But a chowhounder told me that are now serving red velvet cupcakes, and I couldn't resist.

New life decision: I'm only eating red velvet at Bake & Broil, because the disappointment I feel trying to replicate that experience is ruining my life! Looks gorgeous doesn't it? Yuck, super dry and tasteless. Even the frosting couldn't help this poor sad little soul.Boyfriend stuck with the basics and went for a chocolate cake slice. The chocolate cake here is fantastic. Really deep, dark and rich. This is the base for other cakes too, like the german chocolate (swoon).I dare you to walk by the tempting windows here and not venture inside. Just avoid the red velvet at all costs. It's a lost cause.

Tantalum

2008-01-19T11:23:00.000-08:00

Two years ago boyfriend and I attended a birthday party at Tantalum. That girl was really impressed with the looks of this place, a gorgeous exotic restaurant decorated in an Asian/Indian fusion type style. The food was also great, I remember something along the lines of ahi poke and a chow fun dish with beef and various seafood. All dressed up with no place to go recently, we stopped in for dinner.Well, the place is still beautiful, even more so now with an adorable path leading to the door, a perfect smoking area for you little puff puff nicotine addicts I know. Tantalum also has the most fabulous hang out lounge-like bar with lots of comfy sofas and pillows. Reading more about this place on Yelp, reservations were highly recommended. I have to agree, but we just popped in and skanky "I lost my hairbrush on purpose" hostess was SUPER SNOOTY. Although NO PEOPLE were in sight waiting for tables, we were told half an hour. No prob, time to check out the fancy bathroom. That girl loves a nice bathroom, a quiet oasis to reapply lipstick or further your studies in the fine art of girl gossip. Miraculously, twenty minutes later we were seated in a HALF EMPTY restaurant. Annoying.Thankfully, our waitress was super nice and seemed dropped here from midwest or the equivalent. Then, my worst nightmare came true: total menu makeover. This could have been prevented by my usual pre-dining web surfing, but this was an impromptu visit. Hmmm... can't go wrong with the Kobe Beef Sliders. This were very tasty, but for fifteen dollars I'd like more than twelve fries, thankyouverymuch. Also, no salt on the table. Do I have no class for thinking that's weird?

Boyfriend chose the wok-fired temple rice (temple? are we to worship this food?) which comes filled with chicken, linguica and shrimp. He seemed to enjoy it but I wasn't too impressed. I don't want to completely remove this place from my repetoire, but I think it's really just a good place to have drinks. Oh, and super snooty, get thee to a Salon Pop. The emo "rolled out of bed" look ain't workin' for ya, honey. You're dealing with the public.

Marri's

2008-01-19T11:03:00.000-08:00

That girl likes big obnoxious structures designed to catch your eye from the road. This amazes even me since I'm still recovering from the childhood trauma of hitting my head on a ginormous concrete "Smokey the Bear" on a family camping trip when I was about six years old. Anyone who grew up in Long Beach probably remembers the huge lumberjack outside of Dooley's Hardware Store. If I saw that guy when I was a kid, it probably meant we were going for pizza at Marri's.Dooley's and that location of Marri's closed years ago, much to the chagrin of a brown bubble cheese pizza aficionado like myself. But recently I discovered that Marri's never went away, they just moved! No, you can know longer write on the walls (they used to be covered in newspaper) and I've yet to see the hard breadsticks I loved as a child, but THE BROWN BUBBLES ARE STILL THERE. Boyfriend and I stopped in for a green pepper, pepperoni and sausage pie, and this little baby was a cheese bomb!!! When I inquired to the cashier if this was the same Marri's that used to be on Long Beach Boulevard, she nodded while giving me the "goddamn you're old" look. Or perhaps that's my imagination since that girl's 32nd birthday is pending. Issues!!!

Don Jose

2008-01-19T10:40:00.000-08:00

That girl is feeling nostalgic for the mexican food of her past. Wondering if anyone else who grew up in Lakewood/Long Beach remembers El Castillo Real? Gosh that was a great place. Amazing creamy enchilada sauce, smooth guacamole and perfect shredded white meat chicken nachos. Plus the added bonus of the best karaoke in town with Donna. All ruined when greedy corporate bastards at Vons decided they needed to gussy up their grocery store! So sad. The closest I've been able to get to ECR is Don Jose.Let's start with the service. These people know what they're doing. You could probably eat your weight in freshly fried chips here because they bring you a new basket like every three minutes. As you know by now, boyfriend is a camel when it comes to soda and he never wants for a refill here. Nice people too... once I had an incident with a rude child candy solicitor WHO APPROACHED OUR TABLE and management cleared it up right away.Sometimes I get carnitas here (so good, they know how to make some crispy pork) but lately I've been in a chile colorado state of mind. On the drive over I was thinking maybe I'd get crispy beef tacos, then a chile relleno sounded good. Yes, I was starving. So imagine my delight when I realized they have a taco, colorado, and relleno combo. Yea!!! A greasy paradise of goodness all on one plate. If you have never tried the glory that is chile colorado, you should have your first here. A hearty gravy like sauce filled with tender chunks of beef, all ready to spoon into hot flour tortillas with sour cream. Oooh baby.Boyfriend got his usual, shrimp fajitas. That man just loves his shrimp, and Don Jose never fails to provide an ample supply. I'd say there's at least two dozen shrimp in this dish. With all the fixins on the side, this dish could easily be shared. That girl hopes you don't think she's too ghetto but telling you I only come here when I have a coupon. If you get on their mailing list, they send you a buy one, get one coupon like every two weeks. What a deal!

Turkey Day

2008-01-05T18:36:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was so fun this year. It was held at Aunt Brat's house who is an excellent cook, even if she kept saying "the turkey's going to be dried out. It's too brown". Well it wasn't, the glorious annual bird was golden and juicy. But we all know what this day of thanks is really about: heavy drinking, side dishes, and sandwiches that cure the worst of hangovers.That girl was barely in the door when Uncle Brat handed her a luscious cocktail of rich eggnog and brandy, topped with a generous sprinkle of nutmeg. The perfect appetizer for an afternoon drowned with Malibu rum and pineapple juice. My contributions to this joyous celebration were the following: hot artichoke dip served with sun dried tomato ciabatta, an antipasto platter, celery with peanut butter (why not?), seven layer dip (the classic served with Fritos, I use bean dip for the base) and Paula Deen's recipe for pumpkin bars.Just look at this sumptuous spread. Sister made her famous green bean casserole, using the canned fried onions from Trader Joe's that are so addictive, I'm glad they're only stocked at the holidays. She also supplied candied yams with pecans and a light fluffy cheesecake.

This is what I love about my family. Here is a big bowl of Aunt Brat's famous Bridgeford dinner rolls. Please note the Costco size jar of mayo. No, we don't wait for Black Friday to enjoy our sandwiches and we're damn proud of it!

Here we have food of the gods, ambrosia and watergate salads. My friend Mrs. Kandlelight is horrified by these American classics. Not that girl! A big scoop of each of these was my dessert on this great day of gorging.

Finally, the dessert table. How could it be complete without ridiculous quantities of Cool Whip? No, we're not the Rockfellers. Thank God.

Tummy Stuffer

2008-01-05T18:08:00.000-08:00

Let's add another place I've driven by thousands of times and finally ventured into, Tummy Stuffer Sandwiches. They should call this place "yummy stuffer" because it is so fresh and good! You can smell the onions grilling for cheesesteak before you even walk in the door. That girl and work bff went first to check it out, both thoroughly enjoying the classic sandwich of the city of brotherly love. Definitely worth a second trip, I came back with gal pal in tow.The huge menu was no match for our us and we quickly made our selections. Gal pal chose the blt with turkey. Crisp bacon and fresh veggies heaped atop lean slices of gobble goodness. The bread here is PERFECT, soft squishy baguette with a slightly chewy crisp crust.I chose a classic Italian and was not disappointed. Layers of traditional salty meats and smoky cheeses, topped with crisp lettuce and pepperocinis, then doused with a tangy dressing. You have to inhale this baby quickly (not difficult for a woman of my... ahem, stature) so that it doesn't go all soggy on you.Tummy Stuffer has a wide array of chip choices to enable my crunching compulsions. Miss Vickie's jalapeno kettle chips for me, Si Senor corn sticks for gal pal. Why have I never seen the Si Senor brand before? These little rods of addiction would make great road trip fare. Viva Las Vegas, anyone???

Chris & Pitt's

2008-01-05T17:28:00.000-08:00

Look, the months of November and December are just impossible for me if you must know. That girl works in accounting, which means tons of endless year end workaholism. Combine that with the holidays and you have no blogging for almost two months. But fear not, faithful followers of foodie findings! The mundane mistress of menu minutia is back with a vengeance, starting with an old favorite, Chris & Pitt's.I've been eating at this place for years, often latching on to a favorite meal for months and never ordering anything different. It was ground beef steak with mushroom gravy for a while, then I moved on to Hawaiian style grilled chicken, before settling into the comfort of thick meatloaf with tangy sauce, all washed down with gallons of chili bean soup. My current favorite is kind of odd for a barbeque restaurant, but delicious nonetheless. Chris & Pitt's spaghetti is so good, and I really don't believe in going out for Italian food. The sauce is more like a rich meaty paste brimming with deep oregano flavor. Fat meatballs are hidden throughout this carb loaded dish, moist and giving easily to my fervid fork. A generous sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan (nice touch for a restaurant with wood panel walls) completes this tasty treat. Got a family of four? Two servings could easily feed all of you, with some to spare.Mom and Daddy That Girl each had the special, top sirloin with a red wine mushroom sauce. Thick steaks cooked to perfect medium rare, finished with a squishy pat of melting butter and topped with golden onion rings. Sauce is served on the side, and you get your choice of side dishes. Ma & Pa both chose baked potato and salad.On that point, sometimes the simplest things are the best. Side salad at C & P is no frills, crisp cold iceberg drowned in your choice of homemade dressing, with crackers on the side for crushing and dumping all over the whole thing. The bleu cheese here is to die for, creamy and thick, and a great dip for the crisp steak fries to boot.Boyfriend had his usual, steak and shrimp. A thinner cut of top sirloin, cooked to perfection and served with big crunchy fried shrimp. Baked beans and fries were his sides of choice, and everyone's meal came with garlic bread. Which brings me to my only annoyance in a usually perfect dining experience...THE WAITRESS DROPPED GARLIC BREAD ON MY JEANS. Of course this had to happen the night I was going to write about a place I've been to every month for the last twenty years. If that girl didn't have such excellent hand/eye coordination, she might have ended up with a juicy plate of spaghetti in her lap as well. Grease stains setting in, waitress barely batted an eye and proclaimed "Oh, sorry. I'll bring you more bread". WHAT??? At least a free dessert, come on lady. Sure these jeans are from Wal-Mart and over five years old, but that's not the point. She won't last long. The ladies who serve you here are hardcore and efficient, the weak ones quickly weeded out by brutal intimidation and outdated hazing practices. Well, at least that's what I imagine in my sick little mind.

Grounds Bakery

2007-11-18T16:17:00.000-08:00

You can get a bagel and coffee anywhere. That's why Grounds Bakery is even more special. This is one of those places I had been meaning to try forever and finally stopped in yesterday. What a treat.That girl chose the "Arthur" bagel which is covered with sesame and poppy seeds. I had it toasted with a shmear of cucumber dill cream cheese. SHUT UP. NO YOU DIDN'T. This cream cheese is so good it should be illegal. Pretty much I want to sculpt a mold of Michelangelo's David out of it. Then eat it.Boyfriend got the chocolate chip and cinnamon sugar bagel, untoasted with no shmears. You know this guy, he doesn't like condiments, including butter!!! I wish. So do my thighs. These were so soft and good. The chipper was full of bittersweet little nuggets of chocolate goodness.After munching on these boyfriend also chose a blueberry bagel. What can I say the man loves his carbs and I can't blame him. The bagels here are soft, fluffy and magical. Although they're not boiled like tradtional bagels, I'm not mad at them.I liked this place so much I went back today after Antique Market. All I can say is get here early. They only had three bagels left (at 11:00am), all plain. I took them home with a medium size of that savory cream cheese. Just couldn't resist picking up a couple of chocolate and blueberry croissants also. Upon arriving home to my bleary eyed housemates, we had a cozy brunch feast. Dill-icious. That's right I said it.

Chinese Gourmet

2007-11-18T16:06:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love some strip mall chinese grub? Panda Express is over-priced and just doesn't cut it for me. When that girl wants a down and dirty greasy two item combo, she heads to Chinese Gourmet in Signal Hill.Seriously this place is so cheap and good. Plus, they give you so much so that your leftovers become a tasty lunch the next day. Boyfriend got the beef with broccoli and tangerine chicken, with all chow mein. Tangerine chicken is their version of orange chicken, and the sauce is dark, sweet and addictive.I wanted green beans but the steam tray was empty. No problem, they whipped me up some freshies. With the same tangerine chicken and a chow mein/fried rice combo, I was all set. So delicious!

Estate Sale Nirvana

2007-11-18T16:02:00.000-08:00

That girl is not above taking advantage of people who don't know what things are worth. Can you believe I scored these shakers for A DOLLAR??? FOR BOTH??? Loves it.

La Palma Chicken Pie Shop

2007-11-18T15:36:00.000-08:00

If heaven is here on Earth, it exists in a tiny little dive of a diner called La Palma Chicken Pie Shop. Every dream that girl's ever had of seasoned waitresses, gravy and brown vinyl came true after visiting this local gem. This place is probably the best example of don't judge a book by it's cover. However the food is super cheap and super tasty.Your meal begins with soup AND a choice of salad or cole slaw. The chicken noodle is creamy and comforting. Boyfriend's salad had bottled ranch, which he loves and I can't stand. Really glad I went for the crisp slaw, which is a more homemade version of KFC. Plain ole dinner rolls accompany both.

"Special steak" with fries was boyfriend's entree choice. Not sure what makes it "special" (perhaps because it's the most expensive thing on the menu, and eight dollars for that matter) but he liked it.Couldn't resist ordering the breaded beef cutlets. Pretty much if it's breaded and fried I'm going to like it. Though the meat was a little tough, the golden brown crust and bacon cream gravy made up for it. Fluffy mashers on the side were buttery and bountiful. I love that the meat is placed on top of the gravy so as not to disguise the golden goodness of fried meat. Yummy.

We had to order a chicken pot pie a la carte to try it. I mean "chicken pie" is in the name of the place. Tender chunks of chicken tucked into a tender crust and smothered with a thin gravy. Just perfect, no complaints here.Though we were stuffed, pie COMES WITH your meal so we both got apple. Delicate flaky crust sprinkled with sugar surrounds too sweet apple pie filling. Hey, it's free. If you ever get within fifty miles of this place, YOU MUST GO.

Alicia's

2007-11-18T15:09:00.000-08:00

Not sure why it took me so long to try Alicia's. If I was ever to open a cafe, it would probably be a lot like this. Basic premise is sandwiches, salads and soups, plus fresh baked goods and an adorable gift shop attached. Alicia's also does catering.Everything is super fresh and amazing here. Work bff chose the half roast beef with cucumbers and a cup of the daily soup, mexican meatball. Between bites she was raving about the fresh bread and crisp cucumber. Soup got great reviews also.Okay, how cute is this? With every sandwich you get fruit and cookies. Note plural COOKIES. Usually a drop cookie and a bar cookie, given at random with whatever they have made for the day. I love this concept. We both got the molasses ginger cookie, soft and tender. I was given a brownie, while pal got a pecan bar. Both absolutely delicious.That girl decided on the turkey sandwich, my usual choice when I'm trying a new sandwich place. Fabulously fresh with cheddar/jack cheese and lots of veggies. Something else they do there is charge fifty cents for drink refills, which is donated to charity. How sweet right???

We were back the very next day like the voracious vultures we are. Gal pal chose the turkey club (sandwich of the day) and I had the awkwardly named "coochie salad". Don't know why it's called that, I'm just here for the food folks. The salad was super fresh. How much are you loving that they put their croutons in a cupcake liner? ADORABLE! The hot dill dinner roll served alongside was divine.Be sure to save time for the gift shop. Just full of lovely things that you do not need. Christmas stuff, baby stuff, sassy girly stuff, something for everyone. Don't get discouraged if you have a difficult time finding this place. It's in a fairly non-descript strip mall but once you step inside you have entered lunch wonderland.

Yogurt Land

2007-11-18T14:57:00.000-08:00

Yogurtland in Fullerton is a soft-serve paradise. Thirty cents an ounce for yogurt and toppings, and so many choices. Even though yelpers recommended several flavors, lately I can't resist the plain tart variety.

Their cups are all one size, GINORMOUS. I'm sure a person with self control could only eat a small serving, but that girl is not one of those people. I filled that baby to the rim and topped my icy delight with fresh strawberries and pineapple. The yogurt here is super good, and it has that "break" to it that I like. If you've ever had Pinkberry, you know what I mean.

If you are not a fan of annoying Cal State Fullerton students, you might want to avoid this place. They were in deep swarm mode for sure. Also, this was the very first time I was told to stop taking pictures. I guess they've had enough of the froyo blogger paparazzi.

Yogurt D'Italia

2007-11-18T14:49:00.000-08:00

That girl is all about these "fakeberry" yogurt places that are popping up everywhere. The plain, tart yogurt craze is right up my alley. Right across from Disneyland is Yogurt D'Italia.

My only issue with this stuff is the ridiculous prices. $4.05 for a medium with Cap'n Crunch. Their version is a little sweeter than Pinkberry, with a slight lemon flavor. Kind of like Yoplait and that's a good thing to me.

Zankou Chicken

2007-11-18T14:23:00.000-08:00

That girl was so excited to find out there is a Zankou in Anaheim. Most of the outlets are in L.A. and ever since I stopped working in Century City ten years ago, I can count my trips to the city of angels on one hand. I just had to see how this famed rotisserie chicken (Beck even mentions it in a song) stacked up to my beloved Juan Pollo. Short answer: close, but no cigar.

Boyfriend is not a big fan of chicken on the bone. He's a boneless breast man like most of America's misguided citizens. In that vein a beef shwarma and chicken tarna pita were his choices. Tender meat in a warm pita with tomatoes and a garlicky sauce. Had a bite of each, pretty good but nothing special. Boyfriend enjoyed them immensely, but said they were a little too saucy.

I decided to stick to the basics with the half chicken. The glorious golden bird comes with fresh pita and the famed "garlic paste" on the side. Chicken by itself just okay. Not a lot of flavor and the skin wasn't too crisp. But that garlic paste just makes the meal. I'm pretty convinced I could put this stuff on anything and enjoy it. Also served with are these interesting pickles, which smelled so strongly of vinegar that I decided against them. Cute garnish though.

How could I pass up a $3.99 t-shirt? Yellow isn't exactly my color but what the hell. Pretty sure I'm the first person ever to buy a shirt. The employees looked at me like I was crazy when I asked to purchase one. Got a few looks like "we have to wear this... why would you do so willingly?". So anyhoo if I'm ever in the neighborhood I might stop by again, but for my daily rotisserie needs, Juan is doing the job just fine.

Original Pancake House

2007-11-14T16:50:00.000-08:00

After reading the countless praises of Original Pancake House on yelp, I knew I had to stop by and see what all the hubbub was about. Pretty much this place is amazing and I want to live there. You have to plan your trip carefully though, because they close at 2:00pm and aren't open on Monday. That girl warned boyfriend that they don't serve soda here (bizarre) and he seemed fine with it. He ordered an orange juice, I chose iced tea. Boyfriend takes sip. Pauses. Takes another sip. Says "this is really good, but it's not like orange juice I've had before". That girl sips. Says "that's because this is fresh squeezed". Now I know a lot of places claim their juice is fresh squeezed when they really mean, "freshly opened" or "freshly prepared from concentrate". This stuff is the real deal. I mean, it IS Orange County for God's sake. Boyfriend chose the apple pancake with a side of bacon. As soon as I saw this beast, I was immediately jealous. A big giant puffball of a pancake, filled with tender apple chunks throughout and drenched in a molten cinnamon sauce. More of a cinnamon roll that anything that I would call a pancake, and probably better suited for the dessert menu that breakfast. Just amazing, this baby is worth the trip alone. 49er's with a side of sausage was my choice, based again on yelper's recommendations. A thinner, crepe-like pancake with gooey middles and crisp edges. These were good, but I think next time I'll stick to plain old buttermilk style. I love this picture. The butter looks like eyes and it seems like the ginormous pancake monster is saying "hey baby, you made a good choice... girl, you know you want me". Okay so I'm a little crazy. Let's get back to the soda issue and face the fact that boyfriend is very ghetto. Seriously why did he smuggle this in? SO EMBARRASING. Is carbonation really that important? I guess so.
Oh by the way kids steer clear of the giant Poltergeist tree in the parking lot. You might get gobbled up like the delicious breakfast treats they served here at the OG. Yikes!

The Olde Ship

2007-11-10T14:33:00.000-08:00

After receiving new directions from co-worker, boyfriend and I found The Olde Ship on our second attempt. This is a really quirky little bar/restaurant. First of all, the place is TINY. Like small bar on one side, maybe eight table restaurant on the other. We arrived at about 8:30pm on a Friday night and had to wait an hour for a table. Upon being seated, we set sail on a dramatic British dining adventure.Now when you've already waited an hour for a table, it's a little disheartening to see your waiter fighting with a customer when you haven't even placed your drink order yet. But high maintenance gal (complete with purse carrying boyfriend) was going off (apparently she didn't receive her check in a decent amount of time for her) and it was almost like dinner theater. After leaving in a profanity filled huff, aloof waiter came to take our order.That girl has always been fascinated with the concept of Scotch Eggs, but has never had the courage to try one. Essentially a hard boiled egg wrapped in sausage meat, dipped in beaten eggs and breadcrumbs then deep fried. This was good but it was apparent that these had been prepared earlier in the day then re-heated. I bet fresh out of the fryer these make excellent hangover fare.Boyfriend chose the deep fried shrimp. He liked them, but the batter was a little thick and tough for my taste. Fries (or chips if you will) we ho hum as well, but the creamy cocktail sauce was quite tasty.

Bangers and mash is one of my favorite "gastro-pub" entrees. This is very well made here, with a good amount of grilled onions and quite buttery mashers. Maggie's is better though, but that's a story for another day.Me thinks "The Ship" would do better cutting out the restaurant portion of the place and just becoming a bar that serves food. Come here to hang out, not to eat. And watch out for the disgruntled customers, you might get hit in the head with a Jimmy Choo.

Knowlwood Burgers

2007-10-31T12:29:00.000-07:00

While searching for The Olde Ship in Fullerton (unsuccessfully) boyfriend and I drove by Knowlwood. It was getting late and that girl remembered some chowhounders singing the praises of this place so we gave it a whirl. Boyfriend got the bacon cheese burger, I chose my usual turkey burger. For $2.20 extra you get fries and bottomless beverages. After waiting about ten minutes our number was called. SIGH. Boyfriend's order of lettuce and pickle only, dry had mayo on it. My order of lettuce and mayo only had just lettuce. Counter guy seemed very sorry and took tray back. "Great, I'm getting a scraped burger" boyfriend lamented. But when another five minutes or so passed I realized they were making him a freshy. Which made me think, if my turkey burger was only missing the mayo I'd probably be getting a cold burger. Five minutes later, I WAS RIGHT. Boyfriend's burger was nice and hot, mine was ho-hum. Knowlwood had the potential to be really good. For one thing, their patties are hand formed, which NEVER happens. Also, their computer system prints out every detail of your order on the receipt. So why did my receipt say crispy fries (I ordered well done) and they were limp and lifeless? So sad. Also, the burger was lacking flavor and I had to be very heavy handed with the salt shaker. I miss you Long Beach.

Buca di Beppo

2007-10-29T16:24:00.000-07:00

First stop on the "orange curtain" tour, Buca di Beppo. This is a chain I've always wanted to try but since I'm not big on going out for Italian food, I never did. What a mistake! That girl is in love with the charm of this family style restaurant. The employees at the Garden Grove/Anaheim location are so darn friendly! Boyfriend and I ventured in around 9:00pm and the gushing hostess asked if we'd like to go straight to our table or take a tour first. A tour? Of the restaurant? That's a new one for me. I'm sure boyfriend was rolling his eyes when I exclaimed "the tour of course!" but whatev. It's apparent that a lot of corporate planning went in to giving this place a "real old school family feel" and it works. Cute and kitschy, I'm loving the Frank Sinatra and Sophia Loren themed rooms. For groups, you can reserve the Vatican room. No, seriously they have a room with popes all over the walls. We were led through the kitchen (how many restaurants are brave enough to do that?) and hostess pointed out a special booth in the kitchen you can reserve to watch all of the action. Since it was so late, I inquired as to whether anyone had the table reserved for the rest of the evening. A quick call on her headset later, WE GOT TO SIT AT THE SPECIAL KITCHEN TABLE. That girl was in heaven. For starters, we had the bruschetta. Most bruschetta I've ever had is on crostini style toast, but Buca does theirs on garlic bread. Hot, greasy and delicious. This could have been my dinner if boyfriend didn't force me to share. Men! Next came the stuffed pasta sampler, Quattro al Forno. Manicotti stuffed with cheese, cannelloni stuffed with sausage, and cheese ravioli... all covered with sauce and cheese. The sauce is very good here. That girl's friend, "River Rat" would probably say the sauce is too "herby". But I thought it was great, a little spicy and not too sweet. This dish is great for people who have trouble making a decision. Why did we decide to get the Arrabiatta Pizza as well? Our eyes were bigger than our stomachs and most of this was eaten cold the next day. Spicy sausage and caramelized onions cover this thin crusted beauty. Mmmm... As I said before, the staff here is super nice and posed for this picture when they saw my camera. Quite of bunch of plucky gals and guys I tell ya, probably some Biolans in the mix too. I highly recommend this place, preferably with a large group of people so you can share several dishes. Bring your appetite and enjoy!

Pumpkin Bars

2007-10-28T16:32:00.001-07:00

This is just such a great holiday time recipe. That is, if you can get them frosted before eating the whole bowl of cream cheese frosting with your fingers.That girl brought in these tasty treats in to work a couple weeks ago. My God, you'd think these people had never seen homemade baked goods before. A nice change from the usual bagels indeed.

Thanks Paula for another winner! I'll be making these for Christmas as well. So moist and flavorful, and super easy to boot. Loves it!

Under Construction

2007-10-28T16:25:00.000-07:00

That girl is so backed up on blogs due to a bathroom renovation. Boyfriend and I have been in an Anaheim hotel for the past week and a half and this is the first chance I've had to be at the computer.The upside to this is I've ventured out of my LBC comfort zone and thanks to yelpers and chowhounders I've tried some new restaurants behind the orange curtain! More soon...

Burger Bar... or how I popped my Kobe beef cherry

2007-10-15T20:58:00.000-07:00

Viva Las Vegas! Sister and I headed to the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino friday to see Kathy Griffin. God, that woman makes me die laughing. True no holds barred entertainment. I mean, the woman made fun of Patricia Heaton for God's sake. You know, the mom from Everybody Loves Raymond? Great stuff.Burger Bar was sister and I's dinner choice. That girl got SEVERAL recommendations for this place and decided to give it a whirl. The basic premise is you pick your meat, bread and toppings until you have created your own personal burger masterpiece. They also have several of their own combinations on the menu, including a burger with foie gras for $60.00! You couldn't pay me to eat that. Just the thought of force fed geese makes me gag.

But I digress. Let's get to the "meat" of the matter here. KOBE BEEF. That girl is not big on hyped, seemingly over-priced foodstuffs. However, the glitz and glam of Vegas seduced me into trying a Kobe Beef burger. Sister got one too. I ordered it medium (I'm usually a medium well gal but for once I decided to enjoy my hunk o' cow in it's purest form) on a sesame bun with blue cheese and caramelized onions. Pause. Pause. Pause. Just wanted to give you a moment to imagine the juicy heaven I had the pleasure of sinking my teeth into. OH. MY. GOD. Wow. No seriously, it was FREAKING AMAZING. Melt in your mouth beef, lightly seasoned, with soft chunks of melty tangy blue cheese and finished with sweet ribbons of onions. Literally, a party in my mouth.I cut it in half so that you could get the full effect. After devouring the first half, I removed the bun and ate the patty with a fork. Just an out of control meal for sure. My stomach was like, what the hell is this crap? You force feed me tilapia and green beans for weeks then you spring this crap on me? Give a guy some warning!Sister got her burger with pepper jack cheese and peppered bacon on ciabatta. That is some thick bacon! She was equally pleased with her choice and put that baby away in no time. It was seriously torture having to take the pictures because we just wanted to dive right in.Burger Bar has a few choices for fries including skinny, fat, sweet potato and our selection, zucchini fries. These golden crunchy sticks of goodness were a perfect complement to the beefy extravaganza. We also shared a brown cow float, a frothy combo of vanilla ice cream, pepsi and chocolate syrup. A sugar bomb for sure.
This tasty meal was definitely worth the over $50.00 price tag, plus tip. So the next time you head to my favorite party city, stop by the Mandalay Bay for an indulgence that's not to be missed. I won't tell anyone. You know what they say, what happens in Vegas...

Jongewaard's Bake & Broil

2007-10-14T20:56:00.000-07:00

Parents today are just too much for me. With all the playdates, paying attention to your kid's emotions, four food groups mumbo jumbo. If you ask me, my hippie parents got it right. Their "don't sweat the small stuff" style of parenting made for a very happy that girl childhood.

When I was a kid, I don't remember EVER ordering off the kids menu. Probably because my wise parents knew I wouldn't eat it anyway and frankly they could care less. That girl wishes she had the lack of appetite and fast metabolism of her early years. I have very fond pre-kindergarten memories of going to Bake & Broil in Bixby Knolls with my parents. Daddy always ordered a mushroom burger, mom got coffee cake (with a golden little ball of butter resting on top) and I got a root beer float. Combined with a bite of burger and cake, the float made for a balanced meal. Boyfriend and I headed over to B&B for a quick bite the other night, and it's as good as always.A steak sandwich with fries was boyfriend's choice. He always gets this and says it's quite tasty. I love the special touch of the onion ring on top of the steak.
That girl chose the veggie sandwich on squaw bread. Creamy avocado, tomato slices, cucumber, lettuce and cream cheese are piled on to this little gem. The bread here is so good. Bake & Broil bakes all of their breads, muffins, cakes and pies fresh daily. Hey, how did that onion ring get on my plate?We both started our meals with a side salad. Boyfriend got ranch, I chose honey mustard. Although the salad is very fresh, the lettuce is not exactly bite size. Also, I should have got ranch. The honey mustard is a little weird here. But what really matters are the delicious homemade croutons. Crunchalicious goodness.I just had to take a pic of this little green bowl holding the coffee cream. This is one of the things I love about Bake & Broil. Such cute dishes! They use a lot of fiestaware. This little bowl is from Target. How could I have missed it? Target is my favorite store.Dessert is a must at Bake & Broil. My mom (and a lot of Chowhounders) rave about the red velvet cake. That's what I wanted but they were out. You have to get here early to get your favorites since everything is so fresh. I decided to try the "lemon lush" pie considering it was voted best pie in Long Beach. A buttery, flaky pie crust is filled with pecans, a cheesecake like filling, lemon filling (like in lemon meringue) and fresh whipped cream. This was good but pecans didn't seem to "fit" with this pie. I think it would be perfect without the nuts.Boyfriend got the last slice of chocolate cake. Wow this is good. Chocolate cake is one of those things I love but always say "oh, I can have that any time". Not so with this rich little baby. Delicate layers of deep dark cake enrobed in a smooth ganache. I'm sad I only got one bite. Boyfriend also took home a piece of the seasonal pumpkin coffee cake for his breakfast the next day. If you live in Los Angeles or Orange County, you must make a trip to the LBC for some cake. Just make sure you call first or you might end up crying yourself to sleep like I did.

Thai Basil

2007-10-14T19:10:00.000-07:00

Okay I'm gonna need a gin and tonic/Vicodin combo meal for this one. My LITTLE sister is 25! WTF? How in the hell did this happen? How can my younger sister be 25 when that girl is still 23? It's so so wrong.To celebrate this monumental achievement, the family and a couple of sister's friends headed over to Thai Basil in Lakewood. This is one of those places I need to put on my "go here when you can't think of anywhere to go" list. It is so yummy! It's very easy to order too much food when you go to Thai Basil because the menu makes you want to gorge yourself until you explode. A few of the delights we sampled...This is supposed to be a picture of the combo appetizer platter and golden vegetables. But guess what? We're all a bunch of little piggies (including that girl) and the camera was remembered when all that was left was this lonely little egg roll. The combo consists of egg rolls, fried shrimp (tightly wrapped in egg roll wrappers) and wontons. Golden vegetables are like tempura, but a lot more crunchy and oily. Imagine these as tempura's hot cousin who smokes. You know you shouldn't, but...
These little wontons are complimentary and sooooooooooo good. Served with a little saucer of sweet chili sauce, I think they are more addictive than chips and salsa.

Mee Krob was our third appetizer (hey there were seven of us... okay that's still a lot). Crunchy sweet noodles that just melt in your mouth. I think I'm going to set up "That Girl's Mee Krob" stand next to the local bar. Seriously how good would this be when you're buzzed?The coconut soup with chicken is little sister's favorite food when she is getting over being sick. Too rich for my blood, but everyone else seemed to enjoy it.
Since we had a "fake vegetarian" in our party we ordered the Pad Thai without meat. I say fake because that girl has seen this friend of sister's inhale some serious beef in her time. But whatever floats your boat... (this week). Never been a big fan of Pad Thai. I know it's very popular, but I prefer glass noodles. Which brings us to...Glass noodles with chicken. OMG this was so good. Probably one of my favorite Thai dishes besides angel wings.Duck Curry, another too rich for that girl dish. Not really into "gamey" meats and when combined with a ton of coconut milk this is just too much for me. More for everyone else I guess...
Tofu with broccoli. Ick. Tofu's okay, but I've never been a big fan of broccoli. But the rest of the party seemed to enjoy it.
Two Brothers. I thought this was an unusual name for this seafood dish, considering there were more than two kinds of seafood in it. Shrimp, scallops, mussels and squid all brought together in a light sauce. The scallop I had just melted in my mouth. Mental note: more scallops. They are delish and low fat.
Pineapple fried rice brought the meal together. This has a lot of meat (chicken, pork, beef, and shrimp) and a lot of pineapple and cashews. I could have (and would have) eaten the whole plate if social graces didn't force me to share. Damn Emily Post.

My fortune cookie kind of freaked me out. That girl makes all of her major life decisions based on her fortune cookie fortunes, and this one was no different. A close encounter? Serious kind? I can only imagine what's in store for that girl. And look how cute! They brought a coconut ice cream for sister dressed up like a monkey. I can't tell you how appropriate this is. Love ya sis!

Shepherd's Pie

2007-10-08T21:44:00.000-07:00

Remember when I made that roast I said there was a shepherd's pie in my future? Well I made it Sunday and it was delish!Ground turkey browned with an onion and seasoned with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder, white and fresh cracked pepper. The addition of leftover beef gravy made this dish savory and hearty.Usually I layer the veggies in with everything but I forgot and did the mashers first so I served them on the side. A layer of Tillamook on top completed this dish. A fifty cent tube of biscuits were perfect for sopping up the extra gravy. Yummy!

Crack Alert

2007-10-08T21:40:00.001-07:00

Pizza Hut has this evil dessert-ish thing called Cinnamon Sticks. Golden greasy logs of pan pizza dough coated in cinnamon sugar and served with a side of hot melty vanilla icing. Don't go there... trust me. Evil.

Alpine Village Oktoberfest

2007-10-08T21:22:00.001-07:00

That girl is not much of a beer drinker. This probably explains why she has never attended an Oktoberfest before. My sister's birthday celebration was held at the beer gardens of Alpine Village Saturday night, and it was a blast.

One kind of gross thing is that as you walk up to the venue, the smell of vomit hangs in the air. And we got there early! It's called "personal limits" for a reason, people. Get a grip.I couldn't believe how many people were waiting in line to get in. Let me tell you, these folks were hardcore, many of them bringing their own steins! I was impressed.Although I ordered a 32 ounce "Alpine Lager", I probably consumed no more than 12 ounces of brewski. The rest was happily poured into boyfriend's welcome cup.
After an evening of oompah-pah-pah-ing, we headed for the exit. A steady stream of taxis were waiting to carry the intoxicated revelers home. Next year, I'm smuggling in Diet Coke.

Outback Steakhouse

2007-10-08T20:46:00.000-07:00

They had a saying in the wild west when a man broke the law, "take him out back and shoot him". Well when my friend suggested Outback for dinner Friday night, my first thought was, "shoot me".That girl is not a chain restaurant snob. She occasionally enjoys a meal at Chick-fil-A, Red Robin, or Black Angus. But Outback??? Never understood the appeal. I feel like they don't season the food or do anything to make it visually appealing on the plate. While we were waiting for a table (the place was packed) I saw the proof go by several times. Plain steak and plain broccoli, unadorned on a white plate. BORING!!! But I have to admit, I did enjoy my meal. Here's the lowdown partner...Hot wheaty squaw like bread with whipped butter was placed on the table with our drinks. GD, this is good bread. Crisp outside, steaming-ly soft inside, a major Weight Watchers danger food.My homegirl's grandmother ordered a steak (butterflied, extra well done... stop cringing Chowhounders) with mashers and veggies. She enjoyed it very much and took leftovers home. They pack the leftovers for you here. I love that!
Homegirl ordered the coconut shrimp appetizer as her meal with a side of veggies. I have to admit these "looked" good, but I've sampled them here before and the coconut flavor is not very strong. But, I didn't have to eat it so whatev.I've yet to mention that they do a darn good side salad at Outback. I ordered mine sans cheese with dressing on the side. Usually they put the dressing on the bottom of the salad plate for even distribution, but much to homegirl's chagrin they put all of our dressings on the side.
My entree for the evening was the fresh halibut with their "seasonal" vegetable, green beans. These thin haricots verts were nice and crisp, with a lingering almond flavor. There were no almonds in sight, so that was a little bizarre but tasty nonetheless. The fish was moist and delicate, flaking at the gentle prod of my fork in large chunks.

Outback will never be my choice, but I might go along with it if suggested again. One final note of interest: our waiter, while EXTREMELY nice and helpful, was kind of a weirdo. He had this soap opera-ish look working with a surfer mullet and "dead inside" eyes. Like when we I asked for tartar sauce, he said okay then just kept smiling at me for about 5 seconds, his eyes staring through my soul. Kind of freaky deaky.

Retail Therapy

2007-10-03T23:13:00.000-07:00

Shopping is fun. Shopping puts that girl at ease. That girl knows this is not healthy. That girl doesn't care.
OMG how fabulous are these shoes??? $18.00 at Marshall's today and they retail for around $70.00!!! Comfy too because they're Naturalizer. Usually one thinks old lady shoes when they hear Naturalizer but these wedges will be perfect for my upcoming Vegas trip.Cute cute cute vintage shakers from Long Beach Antique Market this past weekend. Can you believe only $4.00 for the set? A steal!I've always wanted a springform rectangle baking pan. Just imagine the cheesecake bars I can whip up in this little baby. $12.99 at Marshalls, saw it on Amazon for $32.00.Only $2.00 for a vintage embroidered dish towel? Say it ain't so! How much do you love the fact that it says "bowls" on it. I'm the queen of mixing bowls! Self appointed, of course.
How charming is this little vintage Thailand travel book? It also caught my eye at Antique Market. At $3.00, I figured it would so cute on the guest room nightstand. That is, if I had a guest room. That girl can dream...

Char Siu Pork

2007-10-03T23:01:00.000-07:00

This packet of char siu seasoning has been in my cupboard for a couple of months. Thought I'd give "chinese-style" bbq pork a whirl. So glad that I did!Picked up some pork shoulder strips and marinated them overnight. After about an hour at 350 that girl was eating something she usually has to order via take out! How exciting. Please try this, it's super luscious.

Hole In One Donuts

2007-10-03T22:52:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to give a little shout out to my favorite donut shop. Stopped in today for a coffee and decided to pick up some little morsels for the co-workers. Ay dios mio they have great donuts here. So so fresh. They make them all morning long and the place smells heavenly.What they really do perfectly is brew a great cup of coffee. Fresh Farmer Brothers beans, Knudsen non-dairy creamer, and plenty of Equal. I'm really not a mocha latte macciatto frap half skim kind of woman. Frankly I think Starbucks is why most young people are in debt. But anyway, you should stop by for a fritter and some of the friendliest service in town. You won't be sorry.

The Carriage

2007-10-03T22:24:00.001-07:00

The Carriage is just one of those places you take for granted. When you think about the best meal you've ever had, you're certainly not picturing a coffee shop that you occasionally go to on your lunch hour. But that girl likes this place because coffee shop food is her favorite above all other types of restaurants.My gal pal and I grabbed lunch there yesterday. The half sandwich specials were tuna salad, chicken salad, blt, or hot or cold beef. Pal chose the cold beef, I took the hot. You get a choice of side and soup or salad.The salad dressings are soooooooo good here. Blue cheese was my choice, a perfect complement to the homemade garlicky croutons. Seriously I had some major breath for the rest of the day after consuming these little grease bombs.In attempt to lower carbs we both discarded our bread. With my veggies on the side it was almost like having a mini roast beef dinner. The Carriage also has really good clam chowder on Fridays and beef stroganoff on special sometimes. Very comforting, very coffee shop-ish.A word of caution however when it comes to the waitresses. That girl is seriously convinced the owner has some sort of contract with a halfway house. Some of these gals are just plain scary! Once when I ordered a half hot turkey and they brought me a cold one I thought I was going to get shanked for sending it back. Even the prizes in "the claw" seem made for ex-cons. Be careful my friends. Just don't look em' in the eye and you'll probably be okay.

Gravy Food

2007-10-03T21:43:00.001-07:00

Ah, autumn. Although Strong Beach is experiencing it's usual indian summer, the evenings have turned cool and the crock pot has come out of hiding. When Albertson's lowers their prices to $1.99 a pound, it's time to make a roast.That girl was inspired to make this meal by two completely separate entities. One is her aunt, who will be called Aunt Brat. When I stopped by her house a couple weeks ago the family was eating sandwiches make from a slow roasted piece of beef Brat had lovingly prepared.Then a couple of days ago I caught a repeat of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on the Food Network. This is a cool show for showcasing down home American food. The only drawback is the host, Guy Fieri. God love ya Guy, but all the peroxided spiky hair and piercings in the world aren't getting you into the in crowd anytime soon. Why must you pepper your speech with "killer", "money", "bananas", "da bomb", etc.??? It's annoying. Please stop.The show was visiting a diner called Rosie's and their signature dish was called Beef and Noodles. They slow roast chuck steak with onion soup mix and cream of mushroom soup until the whole thing falls apart then serve it over buttered egg noodles. Doesn't that sound delish? So I decided to make my roast the same way.

Instead of egg noodles, I made cheddar garlic mashers. Any good Weight Watcher knows you should not keep cheese in your house. ESPECIALLY NOT TILLAMOOK. Tillamook is my favorite cheese. It was on sale for $4.99 for the two pound baby loaf. This deal just couldn't be passed up and that girl got a medium cheddar and monterey jack. Just the name "baby loaf" sounds so endearing. It's like a little baby made of cheese. Awwww......To serve alongside I sauteed some mushrooms. Peas and carrots were another natural choice, along with corn for boyfriend. He's not a big fan of peas or mushrooms. The plate pictured is brother's. That girl was also able to freeze some leftover gravy and mashers, and I see a shepherd's pie in my future. All in all, a great meal. Or as Guy would say, it was "off the hook".

The Coffee Cup Cafe

2007-09-30T20:45:00.001-07:00

This weekend I committed diner adultery. That girl is very very sorry Potholder! But I must say The Coffee Cup Cafe is a pretty yumalicous little joint. My little "family" headed over there for brunch on Saturday. I'm a little confused how long the "brunch" hours last. Perhaps a consultation of Emily Post would be appropriate, or maybe Dear Abby. Either way, our "breakfast" was eaten around 2:30pm."The Cup" is situated right in the middle of Long Beach's gay ghetto. Okay maybe that's not the pc way to put it. City promoters call it the "East Village" or the "Arts District" but I know better! I especially know this because boyfriend's brother seemed to know EVERYONE who was eating there that day. Mmmm Hmmm. Girl, please.Our harried waitress eventually came over after the EXTREMELY helpful bussers had brought our orange juice (bro), coke (my man), and hazelnut coffee (moi). Now I wouldn't call myself a "nit-picky" patron but if you've ever seen "When Harry Met Sally" that's kind of what I'm like in a restaurant. If you haven't seen that movie, WTF are you doing reading this??? Get thee to Netflix!That girl doesn't think the waitress liked her rather large (but not complicated) order of oatmeal, side of garlic chicken sausage, and raisin toast with a side of cream cheese. But each time I said an item ("I'll have the oatmeal", etc.) she kind of cut me off trying to get the boy's orders. Look lady you should be happy I'm ordering all of this stuff. More items, bigger bill, bigger tip... GET IT??? Besides taking our orders and bringing the food, homegirl never came back to the table. I should have tipped the bussers directly.Now please don't let my petty bitching ruin your opinion of this place. It's super scrumptious. Plus it's the little things that make this place cool. Like the toast spreads you can get for an extra fifty cents. HELLO peanut butter toast where have you been all my life? Why do more places not do this??? Genius I tell you. Also, instead of the usual half glass of milk, our busser brought me the cutest little tiny silver pitcher of cream. And did I mention besides TWO kinds of fresh salsa on the table, there was apple butter? AT NO EXTRA CHARGE. Wowsers.The men in my life both ordered "The Scrambler". When I hear this name it conjures up all kinds of queasy images of no teeth carnival workers. But no, this is a ginormous combo of eggs, pork products, veggies and cheese all topped with avocado and sour cream. Boyfriend got his sans avocado and sour cream. I know, I know, that's the best part. But he's a plainy plainster with food. The breakfast potatoes here are SOOOOOO good. Crisp outside, mealy inside and seasoned just right.The Coffee Cup Cafe is great but I still think Potholder is better. Where CCC has the little gourmet edge, Potholder is very homey and no nonsense. Plus, there is no beating Potholder's french toast and nice waitresses. But they do both have chewable pebble ice in their drinks. Like I said, it's the little things.

Wakey Wakey, Eggs & Bakey

2007-09-27T21:48:00.000-07:00

This past weekend started out fabulous and ended craptastically. That girl was being a super-cooker last week and had made penne ahead of time to bake Friday night. The weather had been cooling a little in the LBC and it was the first time my oven had been on in months! Boyfriend and I had to get up early Saturday morning to let the drywall guy in (yay my bathroom wall is no longer falling apart) so a quiet evening at home cuddled up to a loaf of sourdough garlic bread was just what the doctor ordered.Since I had to get up early anyway a "breakfast delights freezer clean-out" became my next task. Little did I know that lurking in my Fridgidaire was a bevy of pork products! Chicken breakfast sausage and smoky bacon oh my! A little more prying revealed an ancient bag of tater tots, probably one of the world's perfect foods.Boyfriend and boyfriend's brother enjoyed their breakfast a lot. This little Weight Watcher had a sausage, two rashers of bacon and a few tots. Then the boys had to listen to my constant Napoleon Dynamite impressions, brought on by the tots, of course. Good times.
Now this fascinating story probably would have been written a week ago if not for an unfortunate hangover/head cold combo pack that set in Sunday morning. You see against my better judgment I headed off to Ripples Saturday night with boyfriend's brother, much to boyfriend's chagrin. Boyfriend was already fighting this cold and that girl really needed to get back to her "I love the gays" roots. Three Bombay Sapphires and a Cher impersonator later, I was waking up to the Sunday morning sun aggravating a splitting headache. Later in the day I bombed my body with Theraflu and ended up calling in sick Monday. Mental note: next time, more tonic, less gin.

Me-n-Ed's Ye Olde Pizza Parlor

2007-09-16T20:31:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom and Dad,

Just wanted to say sorry for fighting with my little sister constantly during our childhood. How annoying and stressful it must have been to deal with such out of control little brats. I'm sure our bouts of hitting, pushing and smacking must have caused a great deal of anguish for you. Please accept my apology and rest assured that once I am blessed with children I'm sure they'll be much worse than we were.

Love,

That Girl

Boyfriend's sister and brother-in-law needed some rest and relaxation this weekend. After much coaxing and coercing from myself they took off for Laughlin. Boyfriend and I were more than happy to watch "the kids" Friday night and Saturday afternoon before sending them off to the grandparents for the remainder of the weekend.Now usually these guys are perfect little angels for us, provided we fill them with junk food and supply endless quantities of Starbursts and Bubble Tape. However these two were in rare form this weekend with the "sibling rivalry".To tame the wild beasts a trip to Me-n-Ed's Pizza was in order. This place is about two minutes from the house I grew up in and for the life of me I don't know why we never went there very much. The pizza is delish. We chose the extra large thin crust, half pepperoni, half sausage. The ordering system leaves a lot to be desired here. You order at the counter, pay for your pizza, then move to another counter to pay for drinks and salads. Odd but who am I to thwart an established system. Everyone else in the place acted like this was normal, so I went with the flow.Our nephews are very good salad eaters. The salad is plain here but very fresh and the ranch is very creamy. About ten minutes after we finished our salads the pizza arrived. Crisp and crunchy, cheesy, hot and bubbly... not Weight Watchers food. I ate three small slices. Well, they looked small in my memory. Whatever.Big Al was on the piano that night, and a dollar tip got me a jumbled version of "Moon River". The kids bugged us for quarters and we sent them off to play video games. God this place was so loud and full of little rugrats. After I got hit with a spitball it was time to leave. Mental note: next time, get delivery.

Wood Ranch

2007-09-16T19:34:00.000-07:00

Parting is such sweet sorrow. Especially when your smart ass catty little co-worker who you love to talk trash with moves back to San Diego for the new semester. To wish him well two other co-workers and myself took him out to Wood Ranch friday.Wood Ranch is so dang good. First of all, they have these hot, fresh from the oven garlic dinner rolls that are so greasy and addictive. You would be so proud of that girl faithful readers! I didn't even have one at this little luncheon and it was absolute torture listening to everyone else coo over them. Since it was lunchtime, I decided to forgo my usual Bombay Sapphire and tonic (two limes) for their refreshing passion fruit iced tea. Low and behold they were out of all iced tea that day. The machine had broke. Even after our burly waitress informed us about this atrocity my little trash talker tried to order raspberry iced tea. He received laughs from us and an icy (pardon the pun) "we are out of ALL iced tea" from Burla.

Usually I'm at Wood Ranch for dinner and can't take advantage of their lunch specials. These are a great deal. For about ten bucks you can get a full size entree with a side dish and enough garlic rolls to make you ill. I chose my usual, the rotisserie roasted chicken. They put this crackly peppery dry rub all over it that is so good. Black beans were chosen to be healthy and once I added a liberal amount of barbeque sauce to them they were quite tasty. A little basin of chicken broth is served with the chicken which is just bizarre to me. Supposedly it's for dipping your chicken in. Isn't that kind of like saying "our chicken is dry"? Not sure but I never use it.Trash talker and my work bff both chose the barbequed chicken with mashers. Wow they have great mashers here. They're plain but have this tangy taste I suspect is a dollop of sour cream mixed in. Yum. New co-worker who came with chose the Santa Fe chicken sandwich. She wasn't used to my "blog behavior" of taking pictures, etc. The sandwich looked yummy (menu says brioche bun but it looks more like ciabatta to me) and was served with fries.Farewell, my little crass collegiate compadre. And as many times as you have said you're going to get a job at Nordstrom instead of slumming each summer with us cube dwellers, I'm sure you'll be back. That is, unless Britney calls needing backup dancers.

Japanese Curry

2007-09-16T18:52:00.000-07:00

Don't you hate it when you're crazy about something and you really want other people to like it too and when you tell them about it they're just like "eh". That's how I feel about curry rice. When I was in Japan as an exchange student fifteen years ago, I discovered this delicious dish. Seriously I don't know why this isn't more popular with Americans. That girl thinks it's actually more American than Japanese.Basically a hearty stew with the consistency of a thin gravy, curry rice combines chicken, potatoes, onions and carrots into a delicious mixture that is served over sticky rice. It tastes amazing and is so easy to make. This is probably one of my favorite comfort foods.
Now I'm sure using the "box mix" is equivalent to using "authentic" Kraft Mac and Cheese and calling it "homemade" macaroni and cheese. But dare I say the kind in the box tastes exactly like curry I had in Japan and in restaurants in the states, perhaps even better? I insist you get to your local grocery store post haste and buy a box of this stuff. Curry mix comes in mild, medium and hot but I always get the hot because frankly they all taste the same. Then you just need one big potato, two onions (really one but that girl loves her some onions), a handful of carrots and about a pound of boneless chicken.Follow the directions on the box and in about forty minutes you will have a tasty meal that some might turn their nose up to at first. However once they taste this comforting concoction you'll have them saying "Oishii desu-ne?". Okay maybe they'll only say that if they speak Japanese. But trust me, they'll like it and so will you. Itadakimasu!

Back on the Wagon... with Chili

2007-09-13T22:23:00.000-07:00

Okay so I finally had to face the "you ate like a damn horse on vacation" reality and returned to Weight Watchers on Monday. Whenever that girl goes on vacation, she's usually on "diet vacation" the week before and about two weeks after the actual trip. This was indeed the case after St. Thomas.It's not like I was doing so bad, it's just that the excuses kept coming for missing a meeting. First, going back two days after all inclusive eating was out of the question. Then the next week was Labor Day, and my meeting day is Monday. How convenient! I know, right?But as any good Weight Watcher knows, actually going to the meeting makes you accountable and forces you to get your "s--t" together. So after an impromptu Laughlin trip this past weekend (there was a bread basket incident) I went to WW and found that I had gained two pounds. Honestly this is better than I thought. Of course before that girl actually got on the scale she had to explain to the WW worker, "I've been on vacation, etc". Now did this worker really need to say when I stepped on "Well, I guess you enjoyed yourself. You gained two pounds". Seriously how freaking rude is that? But the saggy baggy lady was right, and I'm back to filling my belly with fiberlicious goodness.Who doesn't love a good bowl of chili? Mine is homemade, technically. In my opinion if you are not just opening a can it's homemade. So maybe Lawry's gives me the initial recipe. But I jazz it up by adding pinto beans (besides the usual red kidneys) and El Pato Jalapeno Salsa. This little can really gives your chili a kick. I call it "duck salsa" because there's a picture of a duck on the can. My old co-worker told me about El Pato. I'll call her "Miss Hotsauce" as to protect her anonymity.

The chili was delish and also made excellent chili dogs a couple of days later. I was also able to fill up my freezer with the leftovers for a healthy meal in a snap. It's so comforting to open the door and see those little containers of red nourishment just waiting for you. Wait just a minute... how did that container of Dreyer's Cookie Dough ice cream get in there? Dammit!

Katella Deli

2007-09-05T22:27:00.001-07:00

If you couldn't tell already, that girl loves a good sandwich. Where else can all of the basic food groups be represented in a delicious bundle of goodness? You have your bread group, meat group, dairy group (cheese) and veggie group (do onions count?). Plus you have the all important mayonnaise group. Remember in school at the top of the food pyramid the itty bitty portion for fats, oils, and empty calories from delicious candy and cake? Best Foods fits right in there.

What a lovely lazy Labor Day weekend boyfriend and I had. Friday night he had to work so I spent the incredibly hot evening watching SherryBaby on Showtime. We only got Showtime this summer for Big Brother After Dark, so I figure if I'm spending eleven dollars a month I should watch some movies too. The "other" Gyllenhaal is in the starring role, and she is very skankalicious in it. Maggie shows her boobies like four times and bumps uglies with the funky half way house coordinator! Ew!

The next day we went to a pool party at boyfriend's sister's house. So fun! That girl actually drank a beer! People kept trying to trick me into "shotgunning" a beer but I would have no part of it. From what I gathered you punch a hole into the side of the beer can then suck all the beer out all at once. Since I am a super nerd that didn't happen. Maybe this is why the cool kids threw rocks at me in junior high. But anyway back to the original topic...

On Sunday we ventured over to Katella Deli in Los Alamitos for a little late afternoon noshing. Oy, they make some delicious sandwiches there. Every time we go I say I'm going to venture out and order something different. But then I always get the New York, New York. Sometimes I wonder who thought of putting delicious smoked salmon on an untoasted onion bagel with raw onions and enough cream cheese to frost a birthday cake? Whoever it was is a genius. You know you've been with your significant other for a long time when you order a fishy sandwich on an oniony bagel then proceed to put like half an onion under the lox. Needless to say there wasn't much kissing going on that afternoon.

Boyfriend got one of his favorites, the Bronx Delight. Freshly baked rye bread piled HIGH with pastrami, swiss cheese and salami. Not sure but I think there's some corned beef in there too. This sandwich was ordered sans Russian dressing, as boyfriend abhors ALL condiments. That's right: no ketchup, mustard, mayo, tartar sauce, thousand island, etc. This guy didn't even like ranch before he met me! An extreme case but it makes it very easy to make sandwiches at home for my little love machine. Meat and cheese on bread, that's it.

Katellla Deli has an evil bakery for browsing on your way out. Since I am trying desperately to be good, I had to forgo my usual black and white cookie. This thing is so soft it's more like a cupcake muffin top. Boyfriend usually has a brownie but wanted to try their cheesecake that day. Forgive me for not getting a picture, but it was gone in a flash. I had a bite and decided it's as good as mine. Very fluffy and light, with a hint of lemon. Just delectable. They put that sweet sour cream layer on top too which I love. Don't tell boyfriend but this cheesecake is made with (!) cream cheese and sour cream, two condiments he hates as well. After supper we headed over to the movies for a late showing of The Bourne Ultimatum. Who needs dessert when you can have Matt Damon? Rar!

Continental Deli aka "The German"

2007-09-04T18:51:00.000-07:00

Subway sucks. There I said it. That girl is appalled every time she sees the line coming out of Subway. It's gross people! Yes, I have eaten there when the lunch crew drags me kicking and screaming. But let's face it, it's God awful. First of all, it stinks in there. That heavy yeast smell of "freshly baked bread" hangs in the air, making me want to gag. Somebody on Chowhound once said it was the smell of Jared on a treadmill in the back, sweating off his Veggie Delight. Might I add that bread has no substance! I call it "air bread". So what if it has less than seven grams of fat? I'm hungry again in an hour.

Why would you go there when you could go to Continental Deli in La Habra? For the longest time I didn't know this place had a real name. My co-worker who introduced it to me always just called it "The German". Therefore I have always called it "The German". Continental Deli is a family owned German style deli, half of the place a restaurant, the other half a small grocery store with take-out deli counter. It is so good and so cheap. Under five dollars for a sandwich with a scoop of potato salad and a pickle. Such a deal! They slice the meat to order on your choice of bread with lettuce, tomato and mayo. Two kinds of mustard adorn the table, yellow and brown.
That girl and lunch crew dined there last Thursday. The crew was getting a little annoyed with me for wanting Juan Pollo every day. I can't help it, the chicken is delicious and addictive. But the German was a nice change of pace.Turkey was my choice. Moist and salty, served on soft sourdough bread, this is tastes like a sandwich mom would make. My gal pal chose the bologna on a french roll. This bologna is so good. Not your average Oscar Mayer here. Very flavorful and super thinly sliced. She also had a cup of the homemade split pea soup. I have enjoyed this soup on several occasions, it's my favorite with lentil a close second. My work bff chose the roast beef on a french roll. The roast beef here is just perfect. It's brown, not pink, thank the Lord. I know a lot of roast beef connoisseurs love rare beef. But the only meat I like next to raw is ahi, thank you very much.The potato salad is very simple but very yummy. Continental puts their potatoes through a ricer, a nice touch. A little mayo and some light seasonings are all that is added. I have been going to this place for about nine years now, and not much has changed besides the waitstaff. Usually they have a nice Biolan working the room, but I've seen some characters in here over the years. That's okay, when the new semester comes a new crop comes through.

Daily specials are posted on a the blackboard. I've heard the stuffed cabbage roll is very good but I've never tried it. Never had the sauerkraut either (egads) but aficionados say it's really tasty. The other side of the deli has a grocery store filled with interesting German products and meats and cheeses sliced by the pound. You can also buy bread here and homemade pastries which look delicious. Yet another homey aspect is that they sell handmade aprons and potholders here. That girl has a snazzy denim number that she picked up a few years ago.
One word of caution. Be very wary of sending your sandwich back. My co-worker who is a little weird about "meat appearance" once sent back a roast beef sandwich for being too fatty and gristle-y (a rare occurrence). This became a major brouhaha with the "Sandwich Nazi" and she was charged for two sandwiches! This caused a hiatus in our attendance here, but the scrumptious sandwiches brought us back. Hey, even the Berlin wall came down eventually.

St. Thomas

2007-08-26T19:10:00.000-07:00

Don't drink pina coladas. Ever. They trick you into making very bad choices. A week's worth of bad choices in fact. Vacation time and booze do things to your will power. Suddenly you are a carefree, wild woman, drowning in a sea of fat and calories. From the moment I boarded the plane last Sunday night until we once again touched down at LAX on Friday, I had been on indulgence overload. If you need a mental picture, think back to that cheesy cable game show, "Supermarket Sweep". You know at the end where the teams race through the store, trying to get as much food in their cart as possible? This was pretty much how the entire week in the Virgin Islands was spent.Reckless abandon with french fries. Irresponsible frenzies of sugary sweet cocktails. You know that cliche "you are what you eat"? Well if you eat enough filet mignon you turn into a cow. Surprise! All inclusive does not help either, because it's all FREE! But I digress. Boyfriend and I had a great time, and 3 or 4 pounds in the scheme of life isn't the end of the world.

We divided our dining time between three of the resort's restaurants. Coco Joe's was closest to our room. A lovely beachside bar with all outdoor seating, this was the site of our first island meal and where we spent a lot of our time. As stated before, I made the mistake of beginning with a pina colada. It was all downhill from there. These are not the little rinky dink kind made from a cheap mix. Watching the bartender blend cream of coconut, pineapple juice and rum into a froth with shaved ice, I knew it was the beginning of the end. Mesmerized by my view of the crystal blue Caribbean, the words "I'll have the Cuban sandwich with fries" came out of my mouth. An evil combination of ham, roast pork, pickles, dijon mayo and gooey melted swiss all pressed together in a crunchy buttery roll. From the first bite I was thanking my lucky stars that bathing suits are made of spandex.
For dinner we ventured over to Windows on the Harbour. Just a lovely, beautiful restaurant. A little tipping goes a long way here, and we were blessed with seats by the window many times. What can be better than gazing out at the sea with your honey by your side, tucking into expertly prepared surf & turf? Absolutely nothing. The first time we dined here, I got the seared ahi with mango chutney glaze. Although delicious, boyfriend's filet was the star of this meal. Juicy, tender and flavorful, with a marinade of fruit juices and garlic. The only disappointment was my dessert, which was probably a good thing. Being so close to the Florida Keys, you'd think the key lime tart would be fabulous. But it barely tasted of lime and had a grainy texture. Boyfriend liked his chocolate cake but it tasted a little chalky to me.

We chose Windows for the breakfast buffet twice on the trip. When you're munching on crispy bacon and dried pineapple with a view like this, your everyday troubles and woes melt away. The made to order waffles looked better than they tasted. A little gummy for my taste. But the oatmeal bar was amazing. I topped my bowl with cinnamon, brown sugar and toasted pecans. When I ate this I pretended I was being healthy. That girl loves pretending. The sad reality is, no matter how much fiber rich oatmeal you eat, when paired with your body weight in pork products you're not exactly on the road to fitness nirvana. But it was super yummy!
One of the days we ventured into town for a little tchotchke shopping. Why oh why did I leave the beautiful resort? Town is not air conditioned. The visit to town last a whole two hours, including the rides on the water taxi. Once back to the hotel a lunch at Captain's Cafe was in order. After some sketchy service an appetizer of conch fritters was placed before us. Conch has a clamlike texture. Mixed with a spicy batter and deep fried, this dish was kind of like seafood hush puppies. New York strip steak with perfect grill marks arrived soonafter. Usually that girl is not much of a steak eater, but this place knows how to prepare beef so well!
I could go into a lot more detail about my week of culinary overload, but I don't want to bore you. The mojito I had at the Rum Bar was a little too much. There was like a whole tree of mint leaves in there. The nachos from Coco Joe's were delish, topped with chunks of jerk chicken and gobs of melted cheddar. Creme brulee made an appearance on this trip, as did steak sandwiches laden with bacon and a grouper sandwich topped with mango relish. Coconut shrimp and ceviche with plaintain chips showcased the native foods of the island. All of this washed down with countless mai tais. But like a regretful partying slut, I blame my indiscretions on the rum. Hey, I was on vacation dammit.

Golden Eagle

2007-08-19T17:24:00.001-07:00

"Fly like an eagle... to the sea". Well that's exactly what I'm doing tonight. Hurricane Dean has chosen a different path and we are cleared for take-off to St. Thomas! Before boyfriend and that girl hop on the red eye we decided to meet mother-in-law at Golden Eagle for a little lunch.

From the outside, Golden Eagle is a burger joint that's a dime a dozen. Order at the counter, get your number and for about $4.99 you get a burger, fries and soda. However "the eagle" is very special to me because they take this type of fare to a new level. Sometime I'll have to tell you all about their delicious breakfast burrito. It's a giant bomb of bacony goodness, and I'm avoiding it due to Weight Watchers. By the way I went this morning (usually go Monday nights but I'll be gone) and I have lost 31 pounds! This should be good motivation to eat properly on my trip. Only time will tell. Pina coladas have a way of making me do things I normally wouldn't do.

That girl chose the turkey burger, and it was scrumptious as usual. They grill their burgers on an open flame, just like on your barbeque at home. I opted for no tomato, easy lettuce and a shmear of mayo. The patty is very meaty and seasoned just right. This burger really hit the spot. Boyfriend had the chicken burrito, with the salsa on the side. A real brick of a meal, filled with freshly grilled chicken breast and a few big handfuls of melty cheddar. Golden Eagle also makes their salsa fresh, more like a chunky pico de gallo. Mother-in-Law had the tuna salad, a gorgeous cornucopia of albacore, egg and veggies. I had a bite of the tuna and it was very well seasoned with celery and green onion. An order of "frings" were shared by the three of us. Where else on Earth do onion rings and french fries come together in such perfect harmony? With a side of their homemade spicy ranch, we were in dipping heaven.

Besides the delicious food, the thing that really keeps me coming back to the eagle (besides that's it's like one minute from my house) is the incredibly nice and efficient staff. They really put a lot of love into their food and service. Plus the novellas on the tv are a nice touch. I just wish they'd bring back "Maria la del Barrio".

Sweet Sixteen

2007-08-19T09:14:00.000-07:00

There are certain moments in your life when you realize you are not young anymore. Like when you attend a friend's daughter's sweet sixteen party. And you realize you have a friend that is old enough to have a teenager. And the friend is only a couple years older than you. And on your next birthday you could have been sixteen twice. Wow, that's a slap of reality in your face.

Boyfriend and I attended a lovely party in San Dimas last night. My friend's daughter looked so beautiful, glowing the glow that you can only achieve when life is perfect and innocent. That girl had been wary of this fiesta, knowing there was going to be a delicious chinese food buffet that could potentially thwart her Weight Watchers success in a bad way. Luckily (???) I had gotten food poisoning from some mandarin delights the night before and was not at all tempted by the heavily laden chafing dishes.

Instead my meal for the evening consisted of fortune cookies and breath mints, always a safe choice. I was a little traumatized when I didn't see any diet soda in view. Then my homegirl (my work bff) guided me to a carefully hidden box of Coke Zero. She had put it aside just for herself, my other friend and I. That woman thinks of everything.

Later in the evening I did have a few bites of barbequed pork because it just looked so tasty and it was. Had a bite of boyfriend's cake which was surprisingly good, considering the cake was so lovely. That girl has a theory that the more decorated and perfect a cake is, the less it actually tastes like cake. But this one was a doosy, strawberry cake filled with whipped cream. We left after that, through a gaggle of giggling girls gushing over the birthday girl's new car. "Hold on to sixteen as long as you can" ladies. Before you know it you'll be 32. Bitter? Who, me???

Dale's Diner

2007-08-19T08:08:00.000-07:00

That girl is pretty sure she got food poisoning Friday night. This really saddens me because it was my second time at a restaurant that I already think is delish and have reviewed here. Let's just say that chicken with asparagus isn't quite the same coming up and it is going down. After a queasy night and sketchy Saturday morning, I was hungry but scared. Don't you hate when you've been sick but you think you're better and you know you need to eat but you don't want to go through the same physical trauma that just left you quivering on the bathroom floor in a sweaty puddle? This was my predicament yesterday when boyfriend, boyfriend's brother and I headed over to Dale's Diner for a late brunch-a-lunch.

That girl loves a good pancake, and Dale's makes the biggest fluffiest ones in town. The "applejacks" combo definitely played a major role in getting me over the "I'm feeling oogy" hump. Two thick pancakes filled with fresh chopped apples and cinnamon, accompanied by scrambled eggs topped with cheddar and a big ole patty of country sausage. The sausage patty is really good here. Dare I say as good as the one on the Sausage McMuffin with Egg at McDonald's? Pretty close my friends. After eating one pancake and the eggs with that savory pork product I was definitely on the road to recovery.

Boyfriend wasn't in the mood for breakfast (it was 3:00pm after all) and opted for the french dip, no onions. This was not like a traditional french dip to me. The beef was a much higher quality, more like slices of a roast that had been cooked for hours and flavored just right. It was topped with melted cheese. That girl had a nibble of this sandwich and it was yummy. Crisp fries with the skins on were boyfriend's side of choice. I'm pretty sure they cut the fries fresh here and let me tell you they are seriously addictive. Not sure if it's the oil they fry them in or what but these babies are what In-N-Out fries SHOULD taste like. Don't get me wrong, I love me some In-N-Out. But I always have to special order my fries "extra well done" there if I don't want them limp, soggy and sad.

Brother went for the El Dorado Omelet, kind of like a Denver but with chicken instead of ham. He added avocado and after a few bites made the proclamation that this is his new favorite omelet, even better than The Coffee Cup Cafe in Long Beach. This is quite a statement, considering that "the cup" is his favorite breakfast joint. That girl had a bite of the chicken and it wasn't your basic grilled boneless breast, more like roasted and shredded. This omelet looked so fresh with all of the bright colorful veggies bursting from it. Brother's only complaint was that they don't take the skin off the oranges in the side of fruit. Oh, brother.

That Girl wants to party all the time...

2007-08-12T22:43:00.000-07:00

Today was a tough one for that girl. Boyfriend and I attended a birthday party for the little angel from the Sizzler luncheon. I already knew the menu: fried chicken, cake, pinata filled with candy and lots and lots of hot cheesy pizza. "You can do this" I thought as I took several deep breaths and lamented only having an Atkins shake before leaving the house. My personal weight loss mantra kept repeating in my head, "IF YOU'RE FAT, YOU CAN'T WEAR THAT".

When we got to the party I quickly discovered the menu had been changed. Is it possible to be disappointed that there was no fried chicken even though I hadn't planned on having any? Sadly, yes. I quickly began to drown my sorrows in Diet Pepsi. Pizza arrived soonafter, and I was appalled at the suggestive boxes that contained them. Really people this is a party for kids! Those are PG-13 pizza boxes if you ask me. Oh, my mind's in the gutter. You were thinking it too sicko.

That girl had a bite of pizza, a bite of cake and several carrots from the veggie platter. That cake was so darn good. White with fresh strawberries and whipped cream frosting. I took a pic of the piece I wanted to cut for myself. Then I watched other partygoers eat it. So sad. But don't cry for me, Argentina. After a brief scuffle with a Dora the Explorer pinata, I made quick work of some Nerds, Dots and cherry Laffy Taffy. A balanced meal indeed.