[Aliso Viejo] [American] Original Pancake House

Original Pancake House
26951 Moulton Pkwy
Aliso Viejo, CA 92653
(949) 643-8591
http://www.originalpancakehouse.com

After reading Rich's comment about the apple pancake from Original Pancake House, all I could do was thinking about it and thinking about it.  I couldn't wait any longer.  Gotta try it!  So on the last day of 2010, we went to Original Pancake House for the last breakfast of the year.  We arrived around 10am, and there were sooooo many people waiting both outside and inside.  But we only waited for 30 minutes for a table.  Wasn't too bad at all.


Corned Beef Hash ($11.50)
Our http://www.eileenlikestoeat.commade hash, a blend of kosher corned beef, potatoes, onions and cream. Served with four Potato Pancakes or Toast.

Dr. P ordered Corned Beef Hash.  It was one of their house specialties.  It tasted very very fresh and well made.  We broke the poached eggs on top and mixed the corned beef hash with running yolk.  It was super tasty that way.  The potato pancakes were just as great as we remember from last time.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

This is another recipe from Good Housekeeping Magazine. They have the topic "One Dish Meals" in the January 2011 issue. I like all the recipes and intend to try all of them. This dish required more work because the ingredients (chicken, onion, zucchini, and corn) all need to be cooked separately then mix together. But when we tasted it, all the work was worth it. This tasted like a Mexican lasagna. Instead of pasta, there were corn tortillas between the layers. The sauce was really good. Love the zucchini in the dish. Yum yum yum! I will definitely make this one again and again.


Chicken Enchilada Casserole
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/recipefinder/chicken-enchilada-casserole-recipe-ghk0111

Cheesy and creamy, this baked version of Mexican favorite requires only one pan and one hour to become a bubbling, gooey meal the whole family will enjoy. The salsa verde and cilantro add a bit of brightness and freshness to keep this dish from being too heavy.

Serves: 6
Total Time: 1 hr
Prep Time: 20 min

Perfect Beef Prime Rib Roast

Henry's Farmers Market's all natural standing rib roast is on sale this week for $5.99/pound.  They even have a pretty good recipe for "Perfect Beef Prime Rib Roast" on the ad.  Sounds good to me.  I've never cooked prime rib before.  I was a little scared of ruining the $20 3.5 pound beef.  But it turned out great.... not perfect but almost!



(Recipe at the end of the post.)  This was how it looked when I took it out from the oven.  Looked pretty good.

Nap Time

My loves taking nap together on the couch....



Awww....

Italian Spiced Shrimp

One of my New Year resolutions is eat healthier and cook more at http://www.eileenlikestoeat.com. I thought I would "try" my new year resolution even before the new year. haha... I saw Italian Spiced Shrimp recipe in Good Housekeeping Magazine, and liked it. After looking at Henry's Market's weekly ad, I decided to make this dish this week because shrimp is on sale. This is what I like to do. When I see recipes I like from magazines, I tear out the pages and put it in my recipe folder. Before I go grocery shopping, I'll look over supermarket's ad to decide which recipes to try for the week and compile my shopping list that way.  This shrimp dish was really easy to make.  It wasn't that spicy, just a hint of it.  The meal was light and felt really healthy.  We really like it.


Italian Spiced Shrimp
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/recipefinder/italian-spiced-shrimp-recipe-ghk0111

Serves: 6
Total Time: 40 min
Prep Time: 20 min

[Laguna Niguel] [Japanese] Sango Sushi Restaurant

Sango Sushi Restaurant
27261 La Paz Rd #A
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 831-7287
http://www.sangosushi.com/Laguna.htm

We seriously love Sango Sushi.  We go there like once a week now.


"Super" Sushi A La Carte ($16.80)
Tuna, white fish, shrimp, salmon, yellowtail, squid, octopus, fresh water eel, albacore, masago, uni & ikura

For this take-out order, Dr. P got "Super" Sushi A La Carte.  It was expensive because there were uni and ikura.  But it was so worth it.  Both uni and ikura were super good.  Just look how much uni they gave us!  This is a small take-out type of Japanese restaurant.  I would never expect they have sushi like this.  Everything was super fresh.  We talked about going back for sushi next time.

[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

It's shopping time!  We were planning to hit Norstrom Rack at Laguna Hills Mall.  So we thought we'd grabbed lunch at the mall, too.  We looked up online to see what restaurants are in the mall.  Elephant Bar!  I haven't been to Elephant Bar for a long time.  I used to go to the one in West Covina with family all the time.  Also I have coupons.  Sounded like a perfect place for lunch.



One of the coupon I had was discount for the three dishes on their Chef Reinhard's Culinary Specials menu.  $6 off for the shrimp platter, and $4 off for the sirloin steak and shrimp combo.  Pictures for those dishes looked really good.  We decided to try them.

[Huntington Beach] [Japanese] Gyu-Kaku

Gyu-Kaku
7862 Warner Ave # 109
Huntington Beach, CA 92647
(714) 842-8333
http://www.gyu-kaku.com

Last time we went to Huntington Beach, we passed by Gyu-Kaku on the way http://www.eileenlikestoeat.com.  I remember many years ago I went to Gyu-Kaku in Beverly Hills for my sister's birthday.  The food was good, but really expensive.  Also years ago when I was working in Torrance, I often went to Gyu-Kaku for their lunch special.  Dr. P has never been to Gyu-Kaku.  I wanted to take him there to try their Japanese BBQ.  After looking at their website, I found out they offer all you can eat now.  For all you can eat lunch, it's only $12.95/person.  What a deal!



We went on Friday, and this place was packed.  Besides the lunch time special, it was also happy hour.  So people can order appetizers for really cheap price, too.  We ordered two Sapporo draft for happy hour price of $1.49 each.

It's Been Raining

It's been so cold lately.



So glad we have each other to keep us warm.

[Aliso Viejo] [American] Original Pancake House

Original Pancake House
26951 Moulton Pkwy
Aliso Viejo, CA 92653
(949) 643-8591
http://www.originalpancakehouse.com

Entertainment Book is really awesome!  Because of it, we found a lot of great restaurants.  Original Pancake House was one of them.  It's so close to our house, and we didn't even know about it before!



We came on a weekday morning, and the restaurant was completely full.  People don't have to work around here?  But... we were also there.  haha....

[Huntington Beach] [Indian] Himalayan Grill

Himalayan Grill
16400 Pacific Coast Highway
Huntington Beach, CA 92649
(562) 592-9080
http://www.himalayangrill.com

Last time we tried Himalayan cuisine at Himalayan Grill.  This time we went back with Entertainment Book coupon to try their Indian food.


Condiments

The condiments on the table were all very good.  I especially liked the pickled cauliflower.

[Arcadia] [Japanese] Tokyo Table

Tokyo Table
400 S Baldwin Ave
Arcadia, CA 91007
(626) 445-4000
http://www.tokyotable.com

I found out from my brother that Tokyo Table in Arcadia has all you can eat shabu shabu now.  He went twice already, and said it was good.  Besides shabu shabu, there are also a few appetizers and rolls included in the all you can eat deal.  Drinks are included, too.  All that for only $15.95 per person.  What a great deal!  I really wanted to go try it.  So I got my parents, brother and sister-in-law to go with me.


Edamame ($2.50)


We started by ordering a round of all the appetizers and rolls included in the all you can eat deal.  Gotta have some edamame to start off a Japanese meal.  (I wrote the original price here for reference.)

[Irvine] [Taiwanese] 梁媽媽家 Liang's Kitchen

Liang's Kitchen
梁媽媽家
5408 Walnut Ave #1
Irvine, CA 92618
(949) 262-1404

We passed by Takaraya a few months ago and noticed that people were working on remodeling inside.  We thought it was Takaraya working on upgrading their decor.  But sadly, it was closed.  We liked the food from Takaraya.  So Liang's Kitchen opened at this location.  The line has been crazy since it opened.  I went to Liang's Kitchen in San Gabriel before, and thought the food was just alright.  It definitely wasn't worth waiting in line for one hour for.  But we still wanted to try Liang's Kitchen in Irvine.  Maybe it's better than San Gabriel location so the line is always long?  Dr. P called and ordered the food to-go before he went to pick it up.  No waiting that way.


紅燒筋肉麵 Beef & Tendon Noodle Soup ($6.75)

We got their famous Beef & Tendon Noodle Soup with handmade wide noodle.  The only thing I liked about this was that it came with pickle vegetable.  The noodle was soggy.  Beef was overcooked and too chewy.  Barely any tendon in the soup.  And the soup was sweet.  Hmmm.... Don't like it at all.

[Garden Grove] [Pakistani] Al Madinah Halal Meat and Market

Al Madinah Halal Meat and Market
14282 Brookhurst St #1
Garden Grove, CA 92843
(714) 531-2000

I went to Garden Grove to fix my PlayStation 3.  Afterward, I randomly flipped through Entertainment Book to find a place for lunch.  Al Madinah's description from Entertainment Book made it sounds like an Indian restaurant.



It still looked like a restaurant from outside.  But then I walked in.... and it was a little grocery store.

Kirkland Spiral Sliced Hams

I was shopping at Costco.  Passed by one of those food sampling station, and tried a piece of Costco's Kirkland Spiral Sliced Hams.  They served the sample cold, and it was really good.  I picked the smallest ham I could find for about $18.


Kirkland Spiral Sliced Hams

The ham was already fully cooked and ready to eat.  But I wanted to serve it hot.  I heated it up in the oven, also added the glaze.  The ham was so moist and juicy.  It was soooooo good!  Turned out the smallest ham was still too big for two of us to finish in a week.  I ended up throwing half of it away.  :-(

[Mission Viejo] [Japanese] Shabu Shabu USA Inc

Shabu Shabu USA Inc
28201 Marguerite Pkwy #9
Mission Viejo, CA 92692
(949) 347-0075

It has been soooo cold lately.  Perfect weather to have shabu shabu.  After a quick search online, we found the only two shabu shabu restaurants in South Orange County.  They are both in Mission Viejo.  We decided to try Shabu Shabu USA first.



We got there around 6pm.  There were already people waiting for seats!  Luckily there were just two seats left so we got seated right away.

Do You Like Our Outfits?

Teddy & Twinkle got presents from auntie Lucine. Let's try them on.



Teddy:  Do you like my tuxedo?  I am the handsomest dog in the whole wide world!

Not So Happy News

I was working at an animal hospital. Then this happened in November....



I went to the doctor, and confirmed that I was 5 weeks pregnant!  I couldn't work at the hospital anymore because I couldn't take X-rays, couldn't be in the surgery room assisting the doctor (couldn't inhale anesthesia gas), couldn't lift heavy things (so couldn't lift big dogs), and couldn't really wrestle animals to restrain them.  So I stopped working after Thanksgiving.  I couldn't wait for my first prenatal doctor appointment to see the ultrasound at 8 weeks.

[Los Angeles] [German] Red Lion Tavern

Red Lion Tavern
2366 Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90039
(323) 662-5337
http://www.redliontavern.net

My ex-coworker Sanja and her hubby Joe drove all the way to LA from Boston for a visit.  I miss her a great deal and couldn't wait to see her.  Couple of us from the old job got together to have a night out with Sanja and Joe.  Since Sanja was in the German department, we picked a German eatery for our gathering.  I've heard about the famous Red Lion Tavern and their beer garden.  I was really looking forward to seeing Sanja and have some delicious German food.


Chicken Soup ($3.75)

I went for the food, but everybody else went for the beer.  Claire and Bill already ate, so they just ordered a chicken soup to share.  I didn't taste it.  But they didn't finish the soup.

[Laguna Niguel] [Hawaiian] Nalu's Hawaiian Fish Grill

Nalu's Hawaiian Fish Grill
27000 Alicia Pkwy #C
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 360-6258
http://www.nalusgrill.com

We went to Nalu's Hawaiian Fish Grill once before.  I believe it was called Nalu's Island Grill at that time.  Dr. P ordered a pulled pork + grilled beef combo, and I got a spicy poki bowl.  Both items were really good.  So we returned again.  We wanted to try their kalbi this time.  But they changed their name, and their menu!  There's no more kalbi.  I think they want to make more like a seafood joint now.


Aina Mix (Choose 2 Land Items) ($9.00)
Spicy Steak Katsu & Pineapple Chicken

I ordered Aina Mix, and chose spicy steak katsu and pineapple chicken.  Both were fried items, and both were very good.  Spicy steak katsu had a very yummy garlicky spicy sauce on it.  The pineapple chicken was sweeter and very meaty.  I like both items.  Dr. P doesn't really like fried food, but he even said that he liked those two.  I also like the Asian cole slaw, especially with the heavy fried food.

[Westminster] [Chinese] Luc Dinh Ky Restaurant Tap 2

Luc Dinh Ky Restaurant Tap 2
9600 Bolsa Ave #M
Westminster, CA 92683
(714) 775-8811

We went to Westminster for foot massage.  After the massage, we were both feeling a little hungry.  As we were driving down Bolsa Ave, we thought maybe we'll just stop by somewhere to get something to eat.  We passed by Luc Dinh Ky, and it must be the busiest restaurant on that street at 10pm.  Food must be good, we thought.  So we stopped.


祿鼎記麵 Mi Luc Dinh Ky Tap 2 ($5.95)
House special egg noodle

We had to wait for about 10 minutes for seats.  At first we thought it was a Vietnamese restaurant.  After looking over the menu, we realized it was more of a Vietnamese Chinese restaurant.  I ordered the House special egg noodle, which seemed to be a really popular item that everybody was ordering.  There were shrimp, chashu (Chinese BBQ pork), fish cake, and fish balls.  The yellow thin egg noodle was chewy and very good.  The broth was tasty.  We love it!

[Huntington Beach] [Italian] Luigi's Restaurant

Luigi's Restaurant
221 Main St # B
Huntington Beach, CA 92648
(714) 536-2234
http://www.luigishb.com

Luigi's Restaurant is another Entertainment Book find.  The Italian restaurant is located on Main Street right near Huntington Beach pier.  Lots of shops and restaurants on this street.  It's fun to walk around before/after dinner to do some people watching and window shopping.



Luigi's has an outdoor patio seating area right on the sidewalk.  But it was a really cold night so we requested to sit inside.

[Laguna Hills] [American] Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon

Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon
24231 Avenida De La Carlota
Laguna Hills, CA 92653
(949) 951-8687
http://www.lonestarsteakhouse.com

I was in the mood for prime rib, and found Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon in Entertainment Book.  It's a Taxes themed steakhouse.  They only have 3 locations in California though.  One in Corona, one in Tustin, and the one we went to in Laguna Hills.



The lively restaurant had loud country music playing.  Our waitress told us that there would be a Taxes dancing show at 8pm.  But they were really busy that night, and the dance never happened.

Space Teddy & Hula Twinkle

Teddy & Twinkle are all grown up. They had their neuter/spay surgeries when they were four months old.



After the surgeries, they had to wear E-collar to prevent them from licking or biting the wound.  I thought the traditional cone shaped E-collar was uncomfortable, and got them the soft inflatable E-collar.  The E-collars have flower prints on it.  I thought it looked like they were wearing Hawaiian lei necklaces.

[Laguna Niguel] [Japanese] Sango Sushi Restaurant

Sango Sushi Restaurant
27261 La Paz Rd #A
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 831-7287
http://www.sangosushi.com/Laguna.htm

We went back to Sango Sushi again.  This time we tried dining in the restaurant.  Even though the counter girl and helpers were Hispanic, we saw the Japanese chef in the kitchen.


Poki Bowl ($7.30)

Dr. P ordered Poki Bowl.  It had salmon, tuna and squid mixing with vegetables on top of sushi rice.  It was very tasty.  We wished there were more seafood.  But for the cheap price, it was good enough.  As much as like Sango's poki bowl, we still think Tommy's Sushi has the best poki bowl in town.

[Mission Viejo] [Japanese] New Shogun Restaurant

New Shogun Restaurant
25521 Muirlands Blvd
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
(949) 768-5800
http://www.newshogunrestaurant.com

I bought 2011 Entertainment Book for Orange County.  I've always been a fan of the money saving coupon book.  Also I thought it would be fun to explore new restaurants in Orange County using the book.  Our first restaurant to try was New Shogun Restaurant.



It was a weeknight and the restaurant was pretty packed.  There are two sides, Teppenyaki side and regular Japanese restaurant side.  They also have a small bar area.  We opted for Teppenyaki for the night.

[Slow Cooker] Espresso Braised Beef

I was really happy with the Cowboy Beef recipe from Better Homes and Gardens The Ultimate Slow Cooker Book, and couldn't wait to try another recipe.  Expresso-Braised Beef sounded delicious, and looked very simple to make.  I don't know what went wrong.  But it tasted so gross.  The taste was just bad.  The meat was tough.  I hate hate hate hate it!  Dr. P tried to be nice and said it wasn't that bad.  But he kept on making excuses to not eat the leftover.  I guess I'll still post the recipe here.  If you have spare money to waste, then try it, too.  haha....  I should've read the reviews on BHG's website before making it.... (Or maybe it's just me... maybe I didn't do it right?)


Espresso-Braised Beef

Just a tablespoon of espresso powder contributed a subtle but interesting flavor to this beef-and-veggie stew.

My Little Devils

Dr. P's brother's girlfriend brought her dog Sophie to our Halloween gather.  Sophie had a super cute devil outfit on.  We borrow it and tried it on my two little devils, Teddy & Twinkle.



Huh? What's going on?

Halloween Dinner

We went back to Dr. P's mom's house to visit on Halloween weekend, and Dr. P's brother's girlfriend made a beautiful feast for us!



Look at all that food!

[Slow Cooker] Cowboy Beef

I was working 10 hours a day, and always exhausted when I got http://www.eileenlikestoeat.com.  I didn't want to cook.  I didn't even feel like going out to eat.  Then I thought "hey maybe I should get a slow cooker".  I read about how people spend a little time the night before or in the morning to prepare the food, then push a button before leaving for work, by the time they come http://www.eileenlikestoeat.com after work, dinner is ready.  The first time I used the slow cooker, it was a disaster.  I made some pork chop with vegetable, and the meat turned out to be so hard and dry.  We ended up throwing it away.  I was disappointed, but determined to try again.  I got the recipe for Cowboy Beef from Better Homes and Gardens The Ultimate Slow Cooker Book.  It turned out to be a big success!  Both Dr. P and I loved it, and it was sooooo easy (and cheap) to make.  The meat was super tender.  The dish tasted a little like Mexican food.  We ate it with corn tortilla.  If you have a slow cooker, give this recipe a try!


Cowboy Beef

Pot roast heads for the untamed West when slow cooked with chili beans, corn, tomatoes, and spicy chile peppers in adobo sauce.

[Huntington Beach] [Chinese] Lotus Chinese Eatery

Lotus Chinese Eatery
清真館
16883 Beach Blvd
Huntington Beach, CA 92648
(714) 848-4940

My dad loves Islamic Chinese food, especially all the lamb dishes.  So growing up, we dined out at Islamic Chinese restaurant frequently.  After I moved down to Orange County, I was thrill to find Mas' Islamic in Anaheim.  I took Dr. P there a while back.  He tried this type of Chinese food for the first time and fell in love.  We thought about going back to Mas' Islamic, but it is a little far for us so we never made the trip.  When I came across another Islamic Chinese restaurant in Huntington Beach, which is a lot closer to us, I told Dr. P about it.  He jumped up with big excitement and said, "Let's go!"  So off we went to try Lotus Chinese Eatery.



Lotus is located inside a big plaza, next to a fancy looking Japanese restaurant with nice outdoor patio.  The restaurant looks really big from outside.

[Alhambra] [Chinese] 海霸小炒皇 Harbor Kitchen

Harbor Kitchen
海霸小炒皇
1411 S Garfield Ave
Alhambra, CA 91801
(626) 289-2328

After visiting Harbor Kitchen with my sister, I kept on thinking about the food from there.  So I returned again with my mom and sister again two weeks later for lunch.


XO醬炒蘿蔔糕 Pan Fried Turnip Cake w/ XO Sauce ($5.95)

Pan Fried Turnip Cake w/ XO Sauce was one of the afternoon tea item we had last time.  We liked it a lot.  So when we saw it on the lunch special menu, we ordered it again.  Lunch special price is $1 more than the afternoon tea special, and it doesn't come with free drink.  We thought lunch portion would be bigger, but it was exact the same portion as afternoon tea.  So I guess going there for afternoon special is a better value than lunch special.

[Tustin] [Pizza] First Class Pizza

First Class Pizza
13175 Jamboree Rd
Tustin, CA 92782
(714) 505-3903
http://www.firstclasspizzatustin.com

First Class Pizza is in the same plaza as the hospital I worked.  My co-workers had been telling me how good their pizza is.  They even offer discount to people who work in the same plaza.  I placed my order on the phone 15 minutes before I get off, and walked over to pick it up.  The place was really busy on a Friday night.


Kick'n Chicken Pizza (Medium) ($18.59)
Chicken, mushroom, garlic, olive oil, FCP Seasonings

All of their specialty pizzas sound so good on the menu.  After thinking over and over, I finally picked Kick'n Chicken Pizza.  It had chicken, mushroom, garlic, olive oil, and First Class pizza's special seasonings.  The seasoning and taste of the pizza was great.  But what made this pizza extraordinarily good was the crust.  The handmade crust was so airy and soft.  It tasted completely different from places like Pizza Hut or Dominoes.  Yes, the pizza was on the expensive side, but it was much much better than those fast-food pizza places.

[Laguna Niguel] [Japanese] Sango Sushi Restaurant

Sango Sushi Restaurant
27261 La Paz Rd #A
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 831-7287
http://www.sangosushi.com/Laguna.htm

We were on a quest to find good restaurants near our http://www.eileenlikestoeat.com.  When Dr. P lived in West LA, his favorite Japanese restaurant near his place is Hide Sushi.  He got take-out from Hide almost every week.  We found Sango Sushi from a coupon book we received in the mail.  We thought it's a regular sit-down Japanese sushi restaurant.  But only when we got there we found out it was more of a Japanese "fast-food" type of place.  You place order and pay your order at the counter, and no tip needed kind of place.  They do a lot of take-out.  Our first time there, we decided to try the food to-go.


Spicy Tuna Bowl ($7.30)
Spicy (marinated) Tuna with Vegetables over Sushi Rice

Dr. P got a Spicy Tuna Bowl.  The tuna was very fresh.  We like the crunchy cucumber, burdock, and creamy avocado.  The sushi rice was yummy, too.

Grilled T-Bone Steak

I downloaded Omaha Steak Steaks Time app on my iPod Touch.  You type in what kind of steak it is, how thick the cut is, and how do you want the steak to cook, the app will tell you exactly how long to cook it on the grill, even when to flip it.  I saw T-Bone Steak on sale at Ralphs, bought 2 giant steaks http://www.eileenlikestoeat.com to try the new app.



I seasoned the steak with McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning, rubbed butter over my indoor grill pan, put the steak on the pan, and started the timer on iPod Touch.  While the steak was cooking, I quickly sauteed spinach with some garlic.  10 minutes later, our http://www.eileenlikestoeat.com smelt like a steakhouse.  But we need to have patience.  It's best to let the steak sit for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting.

We Like Chew Toys

Since Teddy & Twinkle were growing their baby teeth, they liked to bite on EVERYTHING! To avoid having them chewing on our furniture (well... seemed like it was unavoidable) or biting our hands (uh... unavoidable either), we got them so many chew toys.



Those two toys are gifts from their auntie Luccine.

[Laguna Niguel] [Chinese] Golden Dragon Chinese Food

Golden Dragon Chinese Food
27311 La Paz Rd #G
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 362-4739

I've been searching for Chinese food around where we live.  From one of those coupon books I got in the mail, I found Golden Dragon Chinese Food.  It's a small eatery that caters mostly for takeout.  While I was waiting for the food, I had a little chat with the owner.  She came from China, and moved down to south Orange County to open this Chinese restaurant about 9 years ago.  She told me that most of their dishes are catered for American people.  Since majority of the customers here are Americans, she had to adjust the dishes to have a sweeter flavor for American palates.  She said that even for herself, she has to go up to Irvine area for authentic Chinese food.  I like her, and really appreciate her honesty about their food.


House Special Beef ($4.95)

Their lunch special has really good price.  Each order was enough for me to have for 2 meals.  I like their eggroll.  House Special Beef had a somewhat sweet brown sauce.  The beef was good.  I like how it had a lot of vegetables in it.

[Lanuga 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/laguna/index_laguna.html

Sister came to visit me down in Orange County.  I want to take to a really good place for dinner.  After looking through my old blog entries, I thought she would like K'ya Bistro.  The food is delicious there, and price is more than reasonable.  We went on a Sunday evening.  Laguna Beach was super busy, but we were lucky to find street parking.


Saddle Rock Chardonnay

It also happened to be OC Restaurant Week.  (This was way back in September....)  The Restaurant Week menu was the same as previous year's.  I wanted to try more new dishes, so we order one OC Restaurant Week set and some other dishes to share.  The Restaurant Week deal was $20 for 3 course with a glass of wine.  Really good deal!

Mayfair Secretary Trunk

Sister and I went to Fashion Island. We went into Restoration Hardware and I thought the most beautiful "desk" ever!



This "trunk" desk is so unique.  I love the design.  You can adjust the opened angle, or even close the trunk if you want.

[Tustin] [Sandwiches] Sandwich World

Sandwich World
2941 El Camino Real
Tustin, CA 92782
(714) 730.9338
http://www.sandwichworld.net

The girls from work wanted to order lunch from Sandwich World.  They said the sandwiches there are much better than Subway's.


Chicken Parmesan Sandwich ($8.90)

I ordered from the Hot Sandwiches section, and picked Chicken Parmesan Sandwich.  I got a full order, which looked more like two full orders.

[Aliso Viejo] [Japanese] Kanpai Sushi

Kanpai Sushi
26601 Aliso Creek Rd # A
Aliso Viejo, CA 92656
(949) 360-8883
http://www.kanpaisushi.net

We were in the mood for Japanese, but didn't want to go too far away.  Our house is about 5 minutes away from Aliso Viejo Town Center.  We decided to give Kanpai Sushi in the Town Center a try.  If we like it, then sushi is only 5 minutes away.



Kanpai Sushi is a small place.  The two sushi chefs looked like they are Japanese.  The rest of the waitstaff are all Hispanics.

[Irvine] [Ice Cream] Boardwalk Ice Cream Co

Boardwalk Ice Cream Co
31 Fortune Dr #604
Irvine, CA 92618
(949) 453-0414

We passed by Boardwalk Ice Cream Co at Irvine Specturm.



Dip and roll!  Looks good.  Let's go in to check it out.

Giant Wheel at Irvine Spectrum

After dinner, we went to Irvine Spectrum. Dr. P went to Nordstrom to return something, and I went to Anthropologie next door. Then Dr. P came in to Anthropologie, found me, and was like "let's go let's go". Go where? He grabbed my hand and took me the Giant Wheel right outside of Anthropologie.



He said, "Would you like to go on the Giant Wheel?"  Then he took out 2 tickets that he already bought!  What a surprise!!

[Irvine] [Japanese] Fukada Restaurant

Fukada Restaurant
8683 Irvine Center Dr
Irvine, CA 92618
(949) 341-0111

Dr. P had to go to Irvine Spectrum to return something.  We thought of Fukada Restaurant, which is really close to Irvine Spectrum.  We haven't been there for such a long time.  We actually try to go back a few time.  But for some reason, every time we went, it happened to be a Monday, which is the only day they are closed.  Then the next time we forgot about it and went again on Monday.  Finally we went on a day they are actually open this time.



We went for their noodle dinner combination.  A bowl of hot noodle soup + small rice bowl for $10.95.

Shepherd's Bread

My second loaf of bread from bread machine was Shepherd's Bread.



From my bread machine cookbook:  The way of constructing a dough for this Shepherd's Bread is known as the sponge dough method.  It is an old-fashioned technique used to create a bread with a more rustic texture and crumb, more irregular holes, a lightly more acidic flavor from developed fermentation, and a slightly thicker crust than bread made by the plain dough method.

[Laguna Hills] [BBQ] Ribs on the Run

Ribs on the Run
24881 Alicia Parkway, #C
Laguna Hills, CA 92653
(949) 380-7427
http://www.nybestribs.com

I was feeling lazy and didn't want to cook.  We were also too lazy to go out to eat.  Flipping through those coupon flyers we got in the mail, I found Ribs on the Run.  I LOVE ribs!  We called to place an order, and Dr. P went to pick it up.


BBQ 1/2 Rack Rib Dinner (7 ribs) ($11.95)
with BBQ Baked Beans and Cole Slaw

BBQ dinner all comes with two sides and cornbread.  1/2 rack rib was very very good.  The meat was tender.  Flavor was just right.  At this point, we were quite happy with the food.  BBQ baked bean was so-so.  Cole Slaw was watery and not so good.  Oh well, at least the rib was good.

[Huntington Beach] [Taiwanese] 棒棒牛肉麵 Bong Bong Noodles

Bong Bong Noodles
棒棒牛肉麵
7572 Edinger Ave
Huntington Beach, CA 92647
(714) 848-3838
http://www.bongbongnoodles.com

I'm on a quest to find more Taiwanese restaurants in Orange County.  And I found Bong Bong Noodles!  I never expect there to be a Taiwanese restaurant in Huntington Beach.  I don't think there are too many Asians living around that area.



There's no mention of Taiwanese food at all from outside of the restaurant.  There's not even any Chinese writing.  If I pass by this place, I probably would think it's one of those Americanized Chinese fast food place.  But guess what?  It's actually an authentic Taiwanese restaurant owned by a Taiwanese chef.  Who would've guessed from the look of it?

[Monterey Park] [Drink] Half & Half Tea House

Half & Half Tea House
伴伴堂
141 N Atlantic Blvd
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(626) 872-0200

Last stop of the night, my sister wanted to go to Half & Half Tea House to get a drink. She read good reviews about this Taiwanese style tea house.


薑母奶茶 Ginger Fresh Milk Tea / 波霸奶茶 Boba Milk Tea

This tea house is very small, and very crowded.  There are only a few tables inside, and they are all very close together.  My sister ordered Ginger Fresh Milk Tea, and I got a Boba Milk Tea.  There were a few people waiting for their drinks also.  And we waited 30 minutes for these 2 drinks!  30 minutes of just standing around for 2 drinks!!  I don't understand why it took so long for them to make a few drinks.  It was good, but definitely wasn't worth 30-minutes-wait good.

[West Hollywood] [French] RH Restaurant & Bar

RH Restaurant & Bar
8401 W Sunset Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(323) 785-6090
http://www.hyatt.com/gallery/rhlaxss2009

We had my sisster's birthday dinner at RH Restaurant & Bar in West Hollywood.  I bought a $45 - 6 course dinner for 2 deal from BloomSpot.  The menu looked good and fancy.  So off we went.  Man, West Hollywood is far, especially during traffic.  Thursday night traffic was horrible on the 101 and driving down Sunset Blvd.  It took so long, and my sister started to feel carsick.



We finally got there after driving for 1+ hour.  RH is located inside the Andez Hotel.  Valet parking only.  It's a beautiful and very modern hotel.  They had an art exhibit showing photos, posters, drawings, and everything Ozzy Osburne on the second floor when we went, which was in September.  I wonder if it's always there, or they change the artworks periodically?  RH Restaurant is on the first floor.  Their open kitchen is beautiful.  Even their "refrigerator" was made with glass.  We could see all the fresh produce in there.

[San Gabriel] [Taiwanese] 趴趴走 Pa Pa Walk

Pa Pa Walk
趴趴走
227 W Valley Blvd
San Gabriel, CA, 91776
(626) 281-3889

Next birthday request from my sister, Snow Ice from Pa Pa Walk.  I've been to Pa Pa Walk twice before.  I thought their food was just ok, but very expensive.  My sister heard that their snow ice is really good.  She actually tried to go 3 times before on weekends, and it was sold out all 3 times.



Snow ice is expensive there.  Actually EVERYTHING is expensive there.  At first we only wanted the small snow ice for $6.  But the waiter told us small is only one tiny bowl of it, and wouldn't be enough for two people to share.