[Coronado] [Bakery] Bruegger's Bagels

Bruegger's Bagels
1305 Orange Ave
Coronado, CA 92118
(619) 435-3900
http://www.brueggers.com

It was second day of our San Diego trip.  Our destination was San Diego Wild Animal Park.  We wanted to get a quick breakfast then eat it in the car while driving.  We passed by Bruegger's Bagels in Coronado.  There was a parking spot right in the front.  So we just stopped by here to grab some bagel for to-go.



This bagel shop was pretty busy on a Monday morning.

[Coronado] [French] Chez Loma

Chez Loma
1132 Loma Ave
Coronado, CA 92118
(619) 435-0661
http://www.chezloma.com

Our plan for the first night in San Diego was to find a restaurant that is not too far from our hotel, have a nice dinner, go to the pool/jacuzzi, and go to bed early.  We had to wake up the next day to go to the zoo.  We found a cute little French restaurant, Chez Loma, about 5 minutes away from our hotel.



We parked our car on the nearby street and walked around the neighborhood.  The houses in Coronado are just beautiful.  This city definitely got the beach city vibe.  We found Chez Loma located on a resedential street.  It looks just like a house from outside.

Loews Coronado Bay Resort - Room 3307

Loews Coronado Bay Resort
4000 Coronado Bay Rd
Coronado, CA 92118
(619) 424-4000
http://www.loewshotels.com/en/Hotels/San-Diego-Resort/Overview.aspx

Dr. P got me San Diego Wild Animal Park ticket for Christmas last year.  We planned to take a trip to San Diego when we both finish our semester/quarter in the summer.  I found a great deal at Loews Coronado Bay Resort from TravelZoo.  Loews Coronado Bay Resort is a 5 stars luxury hotel.  The regular price for a Luxury King room is $350, but we got the room for $99/night!



Coronado is about 10 minutes drive from San Diego downtown.  This is the San Diego downtown view from the Coronado bridge. "The City of Coronado is a small beach community, with an island feel. Incorporated in 1890, Coronado has a rich history and exceptional community assets in a village atmosphere. Surrounded by the San Diego Bay and the Pacific Ocean, Coronado offers a unique lifestyle enjoyed by residents, and has also welcomed visitors from around the world for nearly 120 years." - from City of Coronado website.

Free Pinkberry Fro-Yo Tonight

Today (6/26/2009) only, from 5 pm to 9 pm receive a free Pinkberry Yogurt at participating Pinkbery stores.

$25 Restaurant.com Gift Certificates for $3.00

Save 70% off of $25 Gift Certificates and receive $10 certificate when you use code RECIPE.Pay $2 thru 6/30/09 only at Restaurant.com.

[San Gabriel] [Chinese] 一條龍北平麵點 Dragon Mark Restaurant

Dragon Mark Restaurant
一條龍北平麵點
301 W Valley Blvd #110
San Gabriel, CA 91778
(626) 282-5953

Dragon Mark used to one of my dad's favorite restaurants.  He used to take us there all the time when we were little.  I remember I liked their beef noodle soup and xiao long bao.  I haven't been back for a long long time.  Dr. P and I went to the same plaza to get foot massage.  By the time we finished, it was about 10:30pm.  I saw a sign on Dragon Mark's window: "Xiao Long Bao for $1.00 with $10.00 purchase of food".  I wasn't even hungry but we went in anyway for the $1 xiao long bao.



The restaurant is opened till 3am.  I never knew they open till that late.

[San Gabriel] [Hot Pot] Lu Gi Restaurant

Lu Gi Restaurant
盧記麻辣鍋
539 W Valley Blvd.
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 965-9881

Dr. P and I hadn't had spicy hot pot for a long time, and we were both craving for it.  We woke up super late and visited Lu Gi on a Saturday afternoon around 3pm.  Nothing beats sleeping in and having spicy hot pot on a Saturday!  Even though it was 3pm, the restaurant was still semi-busy.  There were people eating, and people leaving and more people coming the whole afternoon.


鴛鴦鍋底 Spicy Hot Pot Soup Base ($3.50/person)

Half spicy and half non-spicy soup base.  We cooked most of the food in the spicy side.  But when it got too spicy, then we would have some from the non-spicy side.  I always have a bowl of non-spicy soup at the end of the meal.

[Los Angeles] [Hawaiian] Roy’s Restaurant

Roy’s Restaurant
800 S Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA 90017
(213) 488-4994
http://www.roysrestaurant.com

I exchanged my American Express points to a $50 gift card from Roy's Restaurant.  I have been wanting to try Roy's for a long long time.  We went to Roy's to celebrate for Dr. P finishing his quarter and me finishing my semester.



We went to the restaurant around 8pm.  There weren't too many people in the restaurant and we thought people probably finished eating already.  But actually more people came after 9pm.  The restaurant was almost completely full by 10pm.  Strange....  I didn't think LA people eat this late.

$25 Restaurant.com Gift Certificates for $2.00

Take 80% off of $25 Gift Certificates when you use code DISH.Pay $2 thru 6/25/09 only at Restaurant.com.

[West Covina] [Dessert] Yogurtland

Yogurtland
1000 West Covina Parkway
West Covina, CA 91790
(626) 337-4600
http://www.yogurt-land.com

After our lunch at Elephant Bar, sister wanted to go to Yogurtland.  Even though we already had 2 desserts at lunch, there's always room for the 3rd one, right?



I have never been to Yogurtland before, but have heard my sister talking about how much better and cheaper it is comparing to Pinkberry.  The shop was big, bright, and clean.  It's self served, which I like.  And there were about 16 different flavors to choose from.

[West Covina] [American] Elephant Bar Restaurant

Elephant Bar Restaurant
200 S Vincent Avenue West
West Covina, CA 91790
(626) 918-3400
http://www.elephantbar.com

I'm back!  After the semester ended, Dr. P and I took a trip to San Diego.  I felt so lazy after we returned from the trip, so I gave myself an extra week of vacation.  This week summer school has started.  Now I am back to work/study mode.  Time to write my blog again!  But before I start writing about San Diego, I have to finish writing about the days before our trip.... Uhhhh I'm so behind!



It was the last day of my final.  How do I celebrate after a hard week of studying?  Eat, of course!  My school friend Ema was super sweet and gave me a coupon from Elephant Bar.  So I took mom and sister to have lunch there to celebrate the end of my 2nd semester.

Buy One Entree Get One Free at Daphne's

Bring a friend to Daphne's Greek Cafe, make them pay, get yours for free!

Click here to print a coupon for buy one entree get one entree FREE!  Coupon expires 7/15/2009.

Still in Vacation Mode

We're back from San Diego! Too much fun and too much food!!



I'm still kinda in a vacation mode.... Will update blog soon.... I promise!! ^_^

San Diego Here We Come

We are taking a mini 3 days vacation to San Diego. I'm so excited about visiting San Diego Wild Animal Park. We'll be back on Tuesday. See you guys then! ^_^

Canon SD1200 & Kitty Modeling

My camera died.  Why did it always happen before I am about to take a trip?  It happened before our Las Vegas trip last time.  Same problem.



I know I know.... lots of scratches.  I took this camera with me EVERYWHERE.  Last time it broke, I fixed it for free because it was still under warrenty.  I checked online for the repairing fee, it'll be about $120.  Well, I guess it's time for my SD750 to retire.

[South El Monte] [Vietnamese] Pho Filet

Pho Filet
9463 E Garvey Ave #A
South El Monte, CA 91733
(626) 453-8911

There were too many pho restaurants to choose from on Garvey Ave in the city of South El Monte.  The reason that makes Pho Filet different from the rest of them is that they use filet mignon instead of your standard beef in their pho.  Sounds good, right?  Well, our visit wasn't that good.



The restaurant is located in a small shopping plaza near Rosemead Blvd.

$25 Restaurant.com Gift Certificates for $2.00!

80% off of $25 Gift Certificates when you use code PRESENT.Pay $2 thru 6/15/09 only at Restaurant.com.

[Los Angeles] [Japanese] Sushi Gen

Sushi Gen
422 E 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 617-0552

I tried to take my parents to Sushi Gen many times before.  But dad always said, "Little Tokyo is too far.  Let's just go somewhere closer."  Last week, they finally agreed to drive out to downtown to try it and ended up liking it a lot.  Today mom went out for lunch with her friend.  So dad asked me if I wanted to go to Sushi Gen for lunch.  He said he has been craving sashimi since our last visit.  See how Sushi Gen can be addicting?


Sashimi Lunch ($15.00)

We left our house around 1:10pm.  Got there around 1:30pm.  Still tons of people waiting outside.  We got seated at 1:55pm, 5 minutes before their lunch closing time.  Sashimi was fresh and delicious as usual.  I finished EVERYTHING on the plate.... ok except the wasabi and a piece of lettuce.

Fernando's 30th Birthday Party

After the beach BBQ party, we went to Dr. P's friend, Fernando's 30th birthday party.



The party was held at Fernando's parents house.  They have a HUGE house and a HUGE backyard.

Dana Point Baby Beach BBQ

Wen organized a BBQ at Dana Point Baby Beach.  We arrived late and miss the kalbi.  Darn!  We still ate way too much food though.



These were the most delicious lamb kabob.  It was even better than Feng Mao.  I got the recipe and definitely be making this at http://www.eileenlikestoeat.com soon.  I think this was the only food picture I took yesterday.  I was too occupied on eating, chatting, playing, and enjoying the BBQ to take food pictures.

I *Heart* 7-Eleven Hot Dog

To reward myself for one week of exams and reports, I wanted to eat something yummy. Lots of options went through my mind. I finally decided on these:


Spicy Hot Dog & Mocha Iced Coffee

1 spicy hot dog and 1 mocha iced coffee from 7-Eleven.

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Save 60% off of $25 Gift Certificates when you use code DINING.Pay $4 thru 6/8/09 only at Restaurant.com.

[San Gabriel] [Vietnamese] Banh Mi Che Cali

Banh Mi Che Cali
135 San Gabriel Blvd #A
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 286-8728

After our grocery shopping trip at Hong Kong Supermarket, I noticed there is a Banh Mi Che Cali in the same plaza.  I never knew there are so many Banh Mi Che Cali stores around.  I haven't had their food ever since I lost my job and I kinda miss it.  We went in and got some yummy and super budget friendly Vietnamese food to-go.


BBQ Pork, Egg Roll & Ham Vermicelli

BBQ Pork, Egg Roll & Ham Vermicelli is always delicious.  This location has a much bigger portion than the Alhambra location.

Frogs for Sale

We stopped by at Hong Kong Supermarket to do some grocery shopping after lunch. And I spotted....



FROGS!!!!  Really fat frogs for sale!

[Los Angeles] [Japanese] Sushi Gen

Sushi Gen
422 E 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 617-0552

I had an exam this morning and finished it in 30 minutes!  Yes, I studied really hard last night.  Since I came http://www.eileenlikestoeat.com early from class, I took my parents to Sushi Gen for lunch.  Stupid me brought my camera and left the memory card in my computer.  So all the photos were taken with my LG Chocolate.



We got there around 10:45am.  There were only two parties before us.  For some reason, there weren't too many people waiting in line today.  We patiently waited for 30 minutes till the door opened at 11:15am.

Reports, Exams + Finals

It's that time again! The last two weeks of the Spring semester. This week I have 1 final, 2 exams, 1 quiz, and 3 reports due. Next week I have 3 finals. Busy busy busy!



One of my class had our final today.  Our professor organized a potluck picnic at the school park after the final.  I thought about making something, but I just had too much studying to do.  It was just much easier to go to the market to buy a cake.

[Los Angeles] [Middle Eastern] Sunnin Lebanese Cafe

Sunnin Lebanese Cafe
1779 Westwood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 477-2358
http://www.sunnin.com

Sunnin is a small Lebanese cafe in Westwood.  Dr. P has been a loyal customer for the past 10 years or so.  We usually just get takeout because the restaurant is always full.


Beef Kebab ($9.75)

Beef Kebab was cooked about medium.  It was so tasty.  It also came with salad and hummus.