[Aliso Viejo] [Vegetarian] Native Foods

Native Foods
26705 Aliso Creek Rd # E
Aliso Viejo,CA 92656-4803
(949) 831-1926
http://www.nativefoods.com

Sister came to visit on Memorial Day. We decided to have a food tour day around my house. We ate so much in one day that by the end of the day, we looked like two preggies. But it sure was fun! haha.... Our first stop was Native Foods.


Very Voluptuous Veggie Pizza ($7.95)
Creamy pesto, grilled veggies and kale, roasted pumpkin seeds with a balsamic drizzle. Back by popular demand!

Very Voluptous Veggie Pizza was topped with delicious sauteed kale. I love the balsamic on the pizza. Their pesto was really delicious. Pizza bread was airy and soft.

[Industry] [Coffee/Tea] Half & Half Tea Express

Half & Half Tea Express
伴伴堂
18558 Gale Ave #152
Industry, CA 91748
(626)965-4800

After dinner, we stopped by at Half & Half in the same plaza to get a drink.


芋頭布丁波霸奶茶 Iced Milk Drink w/ Taro Pudding and Honey Boba
山粉圓愛玉金桔檸檬 Lemon Kumquat w/ Sesame Boba and Amber Jelly

Dr. P ordered Iced Milk Drink with Taro Pudding and Honey Boba. He liked it a lot. I like their honey boba.

[Industry] [Hot Pot] Flaming Spice

Flaming Spice
鍋盆碗裡
18518 Gale Ave
Industry, CA 91744
(626) 964-6569

I went to Flaming Spice for lunch before, and hated the place. Their lunch special was pretty stupid. You get an individual hot pot for about $10, but there's nothing in it except the soup base. My friends picked Flaming Spice to do our dinner gathering. I was hoping their all you can eat dinner would be better than my last experience. And I ended up loving this place!


All You Can Eat ($19.99/person)

All you can eat is $19.99 per person. There were 6 of us, and they served us with two pots. So we picked 4 different soup base. Dr. P and I shared one pot by ourselves. We ordered the Beer Duck soup and Oxtail Soup. Both were really good. And there were quite a few pieces of duck and oxtail in the soup base.

Jimmy & Dee's Wedding

We went to Dr. P's friends Jimmy & Dee's wedding on May 26, 2012. The wedding was held at Jimmy's home in Arcadia.

[Temple City] [Chinese] Happy Noodle

Happy Noodle
麵對面
4815 El Monte Ave
Temple City,CA 91780
(626) 279-7558

We went home to have lunch with my parents. Dr. P requested to go to Happy Noodle. This is a small hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant with cheap and amazingly good food.


小菜三拼 3 Items Combo Appetizer

3 Items Combo Appetizers comes with sauteed greens, peanuts, and salted duck. But my dad asked to have the seaweed instead of duck. I liked all 3 appetizers very much.

[Cook] Savory Cornmeal Waffles

I didn't like the Savory Cornmeal Waffles too much. I used coarse cornmeal, which was probably why the waffles had hard pieces of cornmeal in it. Hmmm.... I shall try this again with fine cornmeal.


Savory Cornmeal Waffles

1 cup multi-grain pancake and waffle mix
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup club soda
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon butter
1 chopped plum tomato
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1/3 cup sliced spinach
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

[Cook] Feta-Beef Patties with Cucumber Sauce

Dr. P said this was the best beef patty he's ever had. I don't want to be conceited, but it was pretty damn good. haha.... And it was so easy to make with just a few ingredients. I served it with salad and pita bread. But of course you can serve it with hamburger buns with lettuce, tomato and onion.


Feta-Beef Patties with Cucumber Sauce

1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped cucumber
3/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar

[Cook] Scrambled Egg with Green Onion

Very fast and easy breakfast. Green onion adds more flavor to plain scrambled egg.


Scrambled Egg with Green Onion

1 Egg
1/2 tablespoon chopped green onion
splash of milk, cream, or water
salt
pepper
Olive oil

[Cook] Turkey-Hummus Pitas

This pita sandwich was super easy and fast to make for a healthy and delicious lunch.


Turkey-Hummus Pitas

1/2 cup store bought hummus
2 whole-wheat pitas, cut in half
8 ounces thinly sliced deli turkey breast
1 tomato, sliced
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup baby spinach leaves (optional)

[Irvine] [French] CrepeMaker

CrepeMaker
73 Fortune Dr # 105
Irvine, CA 92618
(949) 585-9898
http://www.crepemaker.com

My boss had a party at his home, and got CrepeMaker to cater for our dinner and dessert.



It was amazingly good! Dr. P and I had 9 crepes total!!

[Cook] Chicken Salad with Black Bean-Corn Relish

I love the corn black bean relish in this salad. The feta-mint yogurt dip actually makes a pretty good dressing for this salad.


Chicken Salad with Black Bean-Corn Relish

Olive oil
1 pound chicken tender
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1/4 onion, chopped
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tomato, chopped
2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Mixed spring salad
1/3 cup ranch dressing
lime wedges (optional)

[Cook] Feta-Mint Dip

Feta-Mint Dip is great with pita bread and fresh vegetables. I also use it as salad dressing and it tastes wonderful that way.


Feta-Mint Dip

1 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 finely chopped English cucumber
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 sliced green onions
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

[Cook] Greek Beef Salad

This salad is delicious both warm and cold. So full of flavors!


Greek Beef Salad

1 pound ground beef
1 1/4 cups water
1 package toasted pine nut couscous (such as Near East)
2 lemons, divided
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 chopped English cucumber
1/2 chopped red onion
1 chopped tomato

[Cook] Shrimp and Summer Vegetables Saute

I bought these super fresh giant shrimp from Sprouts. The key to a delicious seafood dish is simply the freshest seafood you can find.


Shrimp and Summer Vegetables Saute

4 turkey bacon slices
Olive oil
2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 chopped tomato
1/2 chopped onion
1 1/4 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped spinach
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Lemon wedges (optional)

[Cook] Mediterranean Breakfast Sandwich

Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast 24/7: 5 Ingredient, 15 minute recipes is my favorite cookbook currently. All the recipes are fast, easy, light, and very very flavorful. I want to share what I've made from this cookbook this week. I didn't make the dishes exactly as the recipes in the book. I tried to utilized what ingredients I have on hand and to our own taste. I'm going to post my own version of recipes. If you would like to see the original recipes, you would have to purchase the cookbook.


Mediterranean Breakfast Sandwich

Olive oil
1/2 chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons chopped jarred artichoke hearts
1 egg
1 egg white
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup fresh baby spinach leaves
Bread

[Newport Beach] [Buffet] Hokkaido Seafood Buffet

Hokkaido Seafood Buffet
4200 Scott Dr
Newport Beach, CA 92660
(949) 851-5888
http://www.hokkaidobuffet.net

I bought a daily deal voucher for Hokkaido Seafood Buffet. The deal was $25 for buffet dinner for 2 plus 2 large bottle of Sapporo beer. Original price for buffet dinner is $16.99/person.



They were quite busy on a Saturday night.

[Laguna Hills] [Asian Fusion] Elephant Bar Restaurant

Elephant Bar Restaurant
24155 Laguna Hills Mall
Laguna Hills,CA 92653
(949) 454-9530
http://www.elephantbar.com

We received a $20 Dinner for 2 email coupon from Elephant Bar.


Wok-Fired Chicken and Lettuce Wrap ($8.50)

Chicken and Lettuce Wrap is one of our favorite appetizers from Elephant Bar.

Suzie & Dan's Wedding @ Green Gables Wedding Estate

Green Gables Wedding Estate
134 Woodland Parkway
San Marcos, CA 92069
(760) 510-1606
http://greengablesestate.com

We attended Dr. P's cousin Suzie's wedding on May 12, 2012.

[Laguna Beach] [French] French 75 Bistro & Champagne Bar

French 75 Bistro & Champagne Bar
1464 S Coast Hwy
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
(949) 494-8444
http://www.french75.net

French dinner date with my Dr. P.



We had a $50 voucher which I purchased from OpenTable for $25.

[Alhambra] [Asian Fusion] Cafe Spot

Cafe Spot
咖啡點
500 W Valley Blvd
Alhambra, CA 91803
(626) 308-3233

I pass by Cafe Spot every time when I go visit my sister. This restaurant is always full. I've never tried it, but very curious why they are always packed. Finally we went to try this place out.



Most of the HK cafes are filled with Asian gangsters young & hip Asians. But this cafe was filled with family and children. I find it more relaxing that way so I don't have to worry about accidentally meeting eyes with people next table and getting questions like "what the f are you looking at" then it turns into a gun fight outside in the parking lot.

[San Gabriel] [Taiwanese] Lu's Garden

Lu's Garden
小陸子清粥店
534 E Valley Blvd
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 280-5883

My family used to go to Lu's Garden a lot. That was about 20 years ago. Food was great and price was cheap. A few years ago I went back again. Food was still pretty good, but price went sky high. Since I was in the same plaza getting takeout from Green Zone, I thought I would get takeout for my parents from Lu's Garden as well for memory's sake.


3 Item Combo

It was during lunch special hour. They offered 2-, 3- or 4- item combo. I picked 3 dishes: stewed pork, eggplant, and green veggies. I think it cost around $7. Food tasted pretty good, but portion was small for $7, especially in the SGV area.

[San Gabriel] [Asian Fusion] Green Zone

Green Zone
綠之地帶
534 E Valley Blvd #4-5
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 288-9300

Mom just came back from Taiwan. We wanted to take her out to eat, but she caught a cold. So instead of going out, we brought food to her. She has been wanting to try Green Zone for a long time. Green Zone is an Asian fusion restaurant that serves dishes made with organic products. They are most famous for their Hainan chicken rice. Unfortunately, the chicken rice was sold out at 2pm.


咖哩雞飯 Curry Chicken Rice

Mom loves curry. And she likes Green Zone's Curry Chicken Rice a lot. There were a lot of vegetables in it.

[San Gabriel] [Taiwanese] Ay Chung Flour Rice Noodle

Ay Chung Flour Rice Noodle
阿宗麵線
140 W Valley Blvd, #208
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 280-0186

I was seriously craving for Taiwanese intestine thin noodle. When I visited my sister 2 weeks ago, I requested to go to Ay Chung Flour Rice Noodle for lunch.



When we got there, first thing I noticed was there was no sign outside the restaurant. We almost missed it. Something was different inside as well. First this place is now a sit down restaurant, where a waiter will seat you and take your order, instead of ordering at the counter like before.

[Costa Mesa] [Japanese] Ramen Yamadaya

Ramen Yamadaya
1175 Baker St
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 556-0091
http://ramen-yamadaya.com

After OC Tastefest, we went to a nearby Starbucks to get some coffee. While sitting there, I started browsing nearby restaurants with my Yelp app. I mentioned to Dr. P that this ramen place called Yamadaya has a 4 stars review. We should try it next time. He replied, "why next time? Let's go now!"



So here we were at Ramen Yamadaya.

OC Tastefest

OC Tastefest
OC Fair and Event Center
88 Fair Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
http://www.octastefest.com

Dr. P and I went to the first ever OC Tastefest. Regular ticket was $12/person, and it came with 10 tasting tickets. We got our tickets on one of those daily deal website for the same price of $12/person, but it comes with 20 tasting tickets.



The tasting event was held at OC Fair Ground. We imagined it would be a big event, but it was really tiny. We went on Saturday, and some of the participating restaurants that we wanted to try wasn't there. They were there on Friday instead. Also we thought 20 tasting tickets means you get 20 tastings. But actually every taste cost different amount of tickets. Some cost up to the entire 20 tickets. You can buy more tasting tickets for $0.50/each.

[Las Vegas] [All You Can Eat] Wicked Spoon Buffet

Wicked Spoon Buffet
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
3708 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 698-7000
http://www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com/taste/restaurant-collection/wicked-spoon.aspx

The original plan for night 2 was going to our favorite buffet at M Resort. Well, we spent a little too much time at the outlet, and wasn't able to make it to the buffet before their closing time at 9pm. So we called our back-up plan buffet, Wicked Spoon. They close at 10pm, and we made it there around 9:30pm. The told us the buffet will stop serving food at 10pm, but we could grab anything we want to our table, and eat as long as we want to. Sounded good to us. So we paid our $35/person fee and pigged out.


Bottle of Wine ($20.00)

They had a $20 bottle of wine promotion. It was a good deal! Now let's see what we ate:

[Henderson] [American] Omelet House

Omelet House
316 N Boulder Hwy
Henderson, NV 89015
(702) 566-7896
http://www.omelethouse.net

Dr. P found Omelet House by asking our hotel staff where is a good breakfast place in Henderson.



It is an old school diner sort of restaurant. Definitely popular with the locals. We love finding places like this when we travel.

[Henderson] The Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa

The Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa
101 Montelago Blvd
Henderson, NV 89011
(702) 567-6000
http://www.westin.com/Henderson

For our Las Vegas trip, we didn't stay on the strip this time. We wanted to take Teddy & Twinkle. The Westin Lake Lake Las Vegas was perfect because not only it is a pet friendly hotel, it is right on the lake so lots of outdoor area to run around with the dogs. Also with my credit card's points, we got to stay for 2 nights for free!



When we checked in, the friendly staff gave us a "doggy bag". Inside the bag were bowls for food and water, mat, dog tag, and some yummy treats. They charge $25/room if you bring pets with you.

[Las Vegas] [American] Johnny Smalls

Johnny Smalls
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
4455 Paradise Rd
Las Vegas, NV 89199
(702) 693-4414
http://www.hardrockhotel.com/las-vegas-restaurants/johnny-smalls

We took a weekend trip to Las Vegas 2 weeks ago. But silly me forgot to bring my camera. Thanks to iPhone. I was still able to take some pictures. We arrived Friday night around 8pm. After checking in at our hotel, we went straight to Hard Rock's Johnny Smalls for a late dinner.



This $24.99/person all you can eat tapas restaurant was recommended by my co-worker. Each person can order 2 dishes at one time, and as many times as you want to. Of course you can also order the tapas a la carte.

2012 May Photo Challenge

(Last Update 5/9/2012)



Anyone wants to join me for this 2012 May Photo Challenge? You can add me (eileen216) on Instagram. Leave me a message to tell me your username so I can add you, too! I will update this post daily with my photos.

[Irvine] [Taiwanese] Yu's Garden

Yu's Garden
余姐清粥
5408 Walnut Ave #H
Irvine, CA 92604
(949) 654-2366

Yu's Garden is probably our favorite take-out restaurant in Orange County. It's cheap, food is good, service is friendly and fast. Pretty much every time we go up to Irvine for food, we'll stop by at Yu's Garden to bring something home.


3 Item Combo (Sauteed Spinach, Lion's Head, Stewed Beef)

For about $7, you get to pick 3 items to take home. Their Lion's Head has been one of our favorite dishes. The combo also comes with rice or sweet potato porridge.

[Newport Beach] [Italian] Mama D's Italian Kitchen

Mama D's Italian Kitchen
3012 Newport Blvd
Newport Beach, CA 92663
(949) 675-6262
http://www.mamadsnewport.com

After Pet Expo, we headed over to Mama D's in Newport to for an Italian dinner with a $25 for $50 voucher from Voice Daily Deals in hand.



So many people waiting when we got there around 7pm on Saturday night. This gotta be the most popular restaurant around the area.

OC Pet Expo 2012

We went to Pet Expo two weeks ago. It was so much fun! There were so many dogs I wish I could take home.... I didn't take too many pictures because I was too busy playing with the animals.

[Tustin] [Coffee/Tea] The Lost Bean

The Lost Bean
13011 Newport Ave #104
Tustin, CA 92780
(714) 544-2584
http://www.thelostbean.com

Before going to PetExpo, Dr. P and I stopped by at The Lost Bean to grab a light lunch and drinks.



The Lost Bean is an organic tea and coffee shop.