[Irvine] [Chinese] S.W. Seafood & BBQ Restaurant

S.W. Seafood & BBQ
三禾燒腊海鮮麵家
5406 Walnut Ave
Irvine, CA 92604
(949) 262-0128

Dr. P had to work late. I was too lazy to cook for myself. So my friend Wen suggested that I go to S.W. Seafood & BBQ to get her favorite dish there, the squid tentacles.


五香龍鬚 Deep Fried Squid Tentacles

I took a bite, and thought "man I wish I have some beer to go with this!" The squid tentacles was chewy on the outside, tender in the middle, and full of flavor. It was addictive!

[Irvine] [Japanese] Sushi Boy

Sushi Boy
6634 Irvine Center Dr
Irvine, CA 92618
(949) 788-0828
http://www.sushiboy.net

I got a coupon from Sushi Boy. The coupon was to get their Dragon Roll for $5.


Dragon Roll ($8.00)
Salmon, tuna, shrimp, cucumber, spicy sauce mix

I thought Dragon Roll was eel and avocado on top of California roll? But at Sushi Boy, their dragon roll is salmon, tuna, shrimp on top of spicy tuna roll. The roll was quite small. And what I thought was spicy "tuna" was called spicy sauce "mix" on their menu. I wonder what was in the "mix"?? This roll was alright, but it did tasted like fast food sushi.

[Cook] Leek-y Chicken and Couscous

Another easy recipe from Rachael Ray. I really like this dish. Normally I don't even like leek. But for some reason, I love the leek in this recipe.



Leek-y Chicken and Couscous

1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup golden raisins (a couple of handfuls), chopped
1 1/2 cups plain couscous
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), 2 turns of the pan
1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders, cut into bite-size pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 medium leeks or 1 large leek
1 cup dry white wine (eyeball itabout a third of a bottle)
Flat-leaf parsley, chopped (about a handful)

[Cook] Inside-out Pizza-dilla Margerita

Super easy and very yummy! Thanks, Rachel Ray.



Inside-out Pizza-dilla Margerita

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), once around the pan, plus more for drizzling
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 pinches red pepper flakes
1 can diced fire-roasted tomatoes (15 ounces), drained
1/4 teaspoon, a couple of pinches, dried oregano
Salt and black pepper
8 flour tortillas (8 inch each)
1 pound ball smoked mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh basil, about 20 leaves, torn or shredded

[Westminster] [Seafood] SoCal Crawfish Connection

SoCal Crawfish Connection
14541 Brookhurst St, #B5
Westminster, CA 92683
(714) 531-0428

I found SoCal Crawfish Connection from one of those daily deal website. I bought a $20 voucher for $10.



We went on a weekend afternoon. The restaurant wasn't busy at this time. Our server (owner?) was really friendly.

[Newport Beach] [Japanese] Benihana

Benihana
4250 Birch Street
Newport Beach, CA 92660
(949) 955-0822
http://www.benihana.com

I got a birthday coupon from Benihana for $35 off. Dr. P took me there for my birthday dinner #4 (?). :-P


Sapporo / Plum Wine

It was a Tuesday or Wednesday. We thought they wouldn't be too busy. Wrong! We got there at 7pm, and didn't get seats until 9pm. I enjoyed a glass of plum wine while waiting.

[Irvine] [Taiwanese] Boiling Point

Boiling Point
沸點
14140 Culver Dr
Irvine, CA 92606
(949) 733-2211
http://www.bpgroupusa.com

We heard that Boiling Point added 3 new hot pots.



Taiwanese Spicy, Japanese Miso, and Thai Flavor. These are also $3 more than the other pots, but portion is also slightly bigger.

[Alhambra] [Chinese] Lunasia Chinese Cuisine

Lunasia Chinese Cuisine
凱旋宮
500 W Main St #A
Alhambra, CA 91801
(626) 308-3222

After late lunch/early dinner at Newport Seafood, we went to get boba milk tea. We walked by Lunasia, and saw people eating dim sum for dinner. So crazy us went for dinner #2.



They weren't too busy for dinner.

[San Gabriel] [Chinese] Newport Seafood

Newport Seafood
新港海鮮
518 W Las Tunas Dr
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 289-5998
http://www.newportseafood.com

We took my mother-in-law to Newport Seafood for her birthday last year. She likes it so much that she requested to go back there again this year for her birthday.


新港招牌湯 House Assorted Seafood Soup ($11.95)

[Aliso Viejo] [Burger] Habit Burger

Habit Burger
26921 Aliso Creek Road
Aliso Viejo, CA 92656
(949) 831-3116
http://www.habitburger.com

A new burger joint opened in Aliso Viejo near our house. We went for lunch on a Sunday. This place was super busy. After tasting the food, we could see why they have such good business.



There are both indoor and outdoor seats.

[Laguna Beach] [American] K’ya Bistro &Bar

K’ya Bistro &Bar
1287 S Coast Hwy
Laguna Beach,CA 92651
(949) 376-9718
http://www.kyarestaurant.com

Birthday dinner at my favorite restaurant in OC.


Chianti Superiore ($28.00)

[Laguna Beach] [Lounge] The Rooftop Lounge

The Rooftop Lounge
1289 S Coast Hwy
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
(949) 497-2446
http://www.rooftoplagunabeach.com

For my birthday this year, Dr. P took me to my favorite restaurant K'ya Bistro for dinner. Before dinner, we went up to the rooftop to watch the sunset.



Breathtaking beach view.

[Rowland Heights] [Chinese] Haige Star Boulevard

Haige Star Boulevard
海哥星光大道
18438 E Colima Rd #105
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
(626) 839-2438

It was Valentine's Day, and Dr. P said I could pick any restaurant I want to go. I was seriously craving for hot pot. So first we went to The Red Pot in Garden Grove. The wait was 2 hours. I thought if I had to wait for 2 hours, might as well drive up to Rowland Heights then.

We called A-Lien Hot Pot to make a reservation. I told the guy who answer the phone that we are driving all the way up there from OC. He assured me that we would get a table when we arrive. When we got there, there was one empty table. I thought they left it for us. As we stood by the door waiting for the waitress to greet us, another couple walked in after us and just went straight to that table and sat down. We then told the waitress we had reservation. She just said, "Oh everyone has reservation." She asked us to sit at a big 10 people round table to wait. Then another couple came in. She sat them at another 10 people table in the back, and started serving them!! We were so unhappy with the bad service that we just got up and left. I heard A-Lien's food is good. But for that kind of service, I will never step in their door again.

We ended up going to Haige Star Boulevard because I remember they had spicy hot pot. But after looking over their menu, we decided to order some spicy dishes. Everything actually worked out because the food was super delicious!


茅台啤酒 Moutai Beer ($5.00)

We were ready to drink when we finally sat down at a restaurant at 9pm. They had a buy one get one free special on Moutai beer. I've never had this beer. It turned to be quite good. It was light and crisp.