Snacking at the Happiest Place on Earth

Aside from the parades, meeting characters, and waiting in line for rides; Disneyland and California Adventure serves as a culinary adventure in itself.  With several restaurants and food stands spread throughout the entire park, sometimes I'm just tempted to eat all day.  Here are a few snacks that are worth standing in line for:

Without a doubt, Disneyland and California Adventure is my favorite place to snack on a churro.  When freshly made, the churros at Disneyland are a tantalizing treat for any park-goer. The fried dough is intoxicating and lures me to the food stand.  The texture of the churro stands out with the crispy outside and specks of sugar flaking off to the sides.  When taking the first bite of the churro, the warmth and smell of the sugar filters into your nostrils. For me, a churro is gone within the first five minutes of purchasing it. I would eat this anytime of the day during my visit.

Only sold at the food stand near the Tiki Tiki room, the Dole whip soft serve and float is an addictive concoction.  The soft serve itself is tangy with a right amount of sweet and is perfect for any type of weather.   I would prefer the Dole whip float since the soft serve sits on top of pineapple juice topped with a Maraschino cherry and an umbrella.  If you are a pineapple and ice cream fan, the Dole whip is right up your alley; if not, trying this might change your mind.  

At the end of Main Street, sits the corn dog cart that attracts a slew of Disneyland guests. These corn dogs are magical and a decent price for a meal.  Not all snack areas accept Annual Pass holder discounts, but lo and behold, this one does! This is not your average sized corn dog and can be served with apples or chips.  

The corn dogs are hand dipped and freshly fried.  Each corn dog has a crispy, yet fluffy exterior that delves into a juicy, interior.  Batter is thick and rich on this corn dog; but retains flavor.  The corn dogs are an upgrade from your usual county fair or cafeteria made ones.  

This is only a snippet of what Disneyland parks has to offer in terms of snacking. I still have a long way to go in terms of my foodie quest at Disneyland and California Adventure.  These snacks are a great start and are all under $10.  If you happen to be meandering at these parks, give these a try.  

Thank you for reading. 

DineLA: Il Fornaio

DineLA is Restaurant Week in Los Angeles and a great opportunity to visit and treat yourself to local cuisine.  Restaurant Week features a plethora of restaurants that offer a pre fixe menu.  The menu is a full three course meal that would have about three to five choices each for appetizer, entree, and dessert for a set price.  DineLA was a two week long event and if you missed it, there will be another one in the summer.

This would be my first time to do Restaurant Week in Los Angeles and previously done it in New York.  I was beyond ecstatic in participating and the restaurant I went to was Il Fornaio in Pasadena.  An Italian restaurant located in a cozy, restaurant/entertainment area; Il Fornaio had a classy, romantic feel to it.  We received bread and olive oil as we perused through their menu.

I already knew what I was going to order.  For my appetizer, I chose the carpaccio.

The carpaccio is thinly sliced raw beef accompanied by cheese, capers, argula sprinkled with olive oil.  It was my first time tasting this dish.  I do not have anything else to compare it to and I do have mixed feelings about it.  The cheese was a little sharp for me and the argula needed a little more seasoning.  I liked the beef and capers in addition to how the olive oil was not overpowering.  Overall, it was an interesting dish to start off with.

My entree was their grilled salmon plate served with steamed vegetables and mashed potatoes.

This was the highlight of my night.  The salmon was grilled perfectly and popped with flavor. I did not have to use the lemon at all.  It was not dry and melted in my mouth.  The vegetables were decent and were cooked properly.  The mashed potatoes were also standard, but I liked how they were not too rich.  I was extremely glad in choosing this dish despite it being an Italian restaurant and not ordering pasta.  

For dessert, I ordered their tiramisu. 

The tiramisu was average.  For me, it lacked a strong coffee flavor and was diluted by the chocolate and marscarpone. Without the coffee flavor, the tiramisu was too sweet for my palate. Servers did push dessert carts around to taunt the eyes and stomach of patrons, but no one else chose a dessert. 

Our server was enthusiastic and helped us with our orders.  In addition, she would just refill our bread basket without us even telling her.  She did make the dining experience even better. Being it was DineLA, the price for dinner at this restaurant was $35 plus tax and tip; which is a fair deal.  The typical price for DineLA would range from $15-20 for lunch and $35-45 for dinner. I'm an advocate for Restaurant Week to spoil yourself a little to try new places that you wouldn't normally go to.  I thoroughly enjoyed my DineLA experience and already anticipation the next one.  

Il Fornaio

24 W. Union St. 

Pasadena, CA 91103

626-683-9797

As always, thank you for reading. 

Food Tour: Six Taste

Groupon is a dangerous place for me when it comes to food deals and that's how I stumbled upon a deal with a food tour group: Six Taste.  Six Taste offers food tours in different parts of Los Angeles encompassing: downtown LA, Chinatown, Santa Monica, Hollywood, Little Tokyo, and Thai Town.  The deal was half off a tour and I jumped right on it.

My friend and I chose the Hollywood tour because it was an area we rarely ventured to for food compared to the other choices.

1st stop: Loteria Grill

A Mexican bar and grill, we sampled "Chicharron de Queso," an appetizer that involves toasting cheese on a griddle. We were also able to try a pulled pork appetizer.  The atmosphere was relaxing and they offer happy hour that includes half off drinks and appetizers.  There is also an outside patio that accommodates for the weather and the sights and sounds of Hollywood. 

Loteria Grill
6627 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
323-465-2500


2nd stop: Urban Masala

I guess this is a classier version of Indian fast food.  We were able to taste their chicken Tikka masala wrap (which is made of naan bread) served with raita (a yogurt based dipping sauce). We each received half of a wrap and even so it was a large portion. Mango lassi (a mango-yogurt based drink) was served that consisted of a creamy texture that contrasted the savory chicken Tikka masala wrap. The spices in the wrap were prominent although the chicken was slightly dry and I was grateful for the raita. The naan had a decent texture, since I do prefer my naan to be crispier and more garlicky. Overall, this place is a suitable place to try Indian food in the Hollywood area.

Urban Masala 

6554 Hollywood Blvd. 

Hollywood, CA 90028

323-957-9999

3rd stop: Skooby's Hot Dogs

We were able to pick one out of three types of hot dogs: bacon and cheese, regular, and a soy dog.  Bacon and cheese won this round.  Skooby's serves their hot dogs on Hawaiian sweet rolls balancing the saltiness of the bacon. The hot dog was moist and layered with cheesy-bacon goodness.

The bun was buttered and toasted increasing the crunchiness.  We received fries and fresh squeezed lemonade to compliment our meal.  Our group was even able to meet the owner.  The ingredients are supplied by local businesses and the food is made fresh.  The freshness can be tasted from the beginning to end of the hot dog. I will definitely come back here whenever I want a quick fix of hot dogs and fries.

Skooby's Hot Dogs
6654 Hollywood Blvd
Hollywood, CA 90028
323-468-3647

4th stop: Boardner's

One of the more historical stops, Boardner's is one of the oldest bars in Hollywood. With that said, I knew it would have more than just its alcoholic spirits and our tour guide explained that.  There is an expansive history behind this establishment It has a very dim, intimate environment and the second bar has a Gothic feel to it.  We received macaroni and cheese.  There was about three different cheeses in the blend and as a cheese-lover, I could not get enough.

1652 N. Cherokee Ave.
Hollywood, CA 90028
323-462-9621

5th stop: Mel's Diner

This was another iconic stop on our food tour.  At this point, I still had room for food.  We were given the choice of different milkshakes and the tour guide recommended the "Black and White."  This milkshake consisted of chocolate and marshmallows.  I was skeptical at first, assuming that it would be too sweet for my taste; luckily I was wrong. It was not too rich or sweet, but enough to satisfy my desire for sweetness on my palate.

Mel's Diner
1650 N. Highland Ave.
Hollywood, CA 90028
323-465-2111

6th stop: Chado Tea Room

Originally, we were only supposed to do five food stops, but our wonderful guide surprised us with a sixth stop.  Chado Tea Room is located near the entrance to the Dolby Theater and features a wide array of teas. They also offer tea time with scones, sandwiches, and of course, tea. We tasted a green tea, a chai tea, and a few other teas. It would have been great to taste some of the scones and sandwiches, but gives me another reason to come back.

Chado Tea Room

6801 Hollywood Blvd. 

Ste. A2-209

Hollywood, CA 90028

323- 472-8111

Being my second food tour, I was satisfied with everything.  The portions were enough and I was not overly full by the end of the trip.  Our guide was friendly, talked to us one on one and was very knowledgeable about each establishment.  I now have an idea of where I can eat in Hollywood instead of finding food somewhere else.  The tour was informative and provided a more local perspective to the area.  Unfortunately, the Six Taste company closed this past January and I am grateful to catch a tour before it ended.  

Noodle Spotlight: Hakata Ramen Shin-Sen-Gumi

What a better way to spend a cold, winter night than a ramen place? Hakata Ramen Shin-Sen-Gumi is a small chain of ramen restaurants spread across southern California.  Their soup base, customization, and friendly service would keep me coming back for more.  I went to their location in Rosemead and this place is tiny! Expect a wait because hungry people want their share of ramen.  They offer seats and a heat lamp for those waiting outside and a sign-up sheet to ensure seating.  Our wait was about 15-20 minutes and their servers made sure to keep checking back.

To order your ramen, you receive a sheet of paper of how you want your ramen.  This includes whether or not you want extra toppings (bamboo shoots, corn, miso paste, extra pork, wontons, etc), the firmness of the noodles, how much oil in the soup base, etc.I ordered a regular bowl of ramen with light oil, extra corn, and bamboo shoots.

The noodles were cooked right. I thoroughly enjoyed the broth and actually finished the it (which I never do!). The broth was rich and had a sweet creaminess to it. The flavor was not too bold and not too subtle, but rather an addictive in-between.  I wish there was a bit more meat for the meat to noodle ratio, but it was decent.  I would want to come back for more; however, because of the small venue, the crowd can get large leading to a longer wait time. I just have to make sure I have good timing. Make sure to write your name on their list when arriving.  

Service: I noticed they do their best to try to seat people as soon as possible. They constantly check their lists of guests and would try to accommodate everyone.  In addition, they are polite and friendly; and even ask if you would want extra noodles ($1).  

Price: It can get pricey if you keep adding extra toppings to your ramen.  I wished the egg would come as a standard for the ramen instead of being an extra.  The ramen itself is good; however, if you're an extra toppings person like me, make sure to bring extra money. 

Food and drink:  The broth is just spot on for me and that itself would make me come back.  There is more to the menu than just ramen and it'd be great to sample those. 

Thank you for reading! 

Hakata Ramen Shin-Sen-Gumi

8450 E. Valley Blvd. Ste. 103

Rosemead, CA 91770

626-572-8646

Business Hours: Mon-Fri: 11:30am-2pm. Mon-Fri: 6pm-11pm. Sat-Sun: 11:30-11pm. 

Bay Area Foodie Trip

This past December, I made a trip up to northern California to have a reunion with my college friends. Of course we would eat at delectable and enticing food places.

After the initial drive up, our first stop was La Victoria Taqueria in San Jose.  I ordered a lengua (tongue) super burrito that had the works including rice, sour cream, cheese, guacamole, and beans. Alas, the photo quality of the burrito is poor so no photo for that on here.  La Vic's is famously known for their addictive orange sauce.  The sauce is a creamy, spicy addition to a burrito, taco, and anything.  They even sell it for $6 a bottle and I bought two. Ever since I got home, I've been putting it on almost everything I eat.

There are multiple locations in the bay area and I visited the original one near San Jose State. 

La Victoria

140 E. San Carlos St. 

San Jose, CA 95112

408-298-5335

The next day for lunch, we went Ike's Place in San Francisco. Featured on Man Vs. Food on the Travel Channel, Ike's Place offers two meals in just one sandwich.  There is range of sandwiches to choose with pop cultural references as names such as the Super Mario, Al Bundy, The Joker, Kryptonite, among others. I ordered the Spiffy Tiffy which included: chicken, avocado, lettuce, tomatoes, pepper jack cheese, Provolone cheese, mushrooms, and pesto on Dutch Crunch bread that added textural delight. 

Being that it was chicken, I'm glad they had pesto in it to retain moisture in the sandwich. Even with the pesto, it did not make the bread soggy.  The Dutch Crunch was a slightly buttery and crunchy bread that added sweetness to the savory chicken.  All the ingredients in the sandwich balanced each other out.  Not only do you receive your large sandwich, Ike's also lets you choose a bag of potato chips and gives you a caramel apple lollipop.  The sandwich prices are from $8-$20 (The Krytonite) depending on how many ingredients are in the sandwich.  Ike's Place has nine locations in northern California and I went to the one in San Francisco.

Ike's Place
3489 16th Street
San Francisco, CA 94114
415--553-6888

After somewhat digesting my sandwich, I wanted to get ice cream even though it was in the 50 something degrees outside.  Who doesn't love ice cream though? We went to Bi-Rite Creamery, a small ice cream shop that had a line outside the door despite the weather.  This place is known as well and seeing it on Yelp caught my eye.  Their ice cream and baked goods are house-made. In addition, their ingredients are organic and are from local producers.  I love places like these. The smell of fresh waffle cones drifted into my nostrils while waiting outside along with the smell of other baked codes.  I sampled their honey lavender; however, it was too floral for me and I settled for their famous salted caramel.

One scoop was more than enough for me.  The caramel and salt balanced each other well. I liked how it was not too sweet nor too salty.  I did struggle in finishing it because of the cold weather but I definitely want to come back in a warmer month to try more of their flavors and to check out the market.

Bi-Rite Creamery
3692 18th St.
San Francisco, CA 94110
415-626-5600

The following day, we had lunch at Himawari; a ramen cafe located in San Mateo.  Luckily, we quickly found metered street parking since Himawari was to close in about 30 minutes.  This ramen cafe is very modern with jazz music setting the relaxed vibe throughout the place.  You can pick from three broth flavors: soy, salt, and miso.  Each ramen soup comes with regular topping that includes sliced roasted pork, bamboo stems, and green onions. Being quite famished already, I ordered their tonkotsu deluxe ramen that already included the regular toppings plus more steamed pork, egg, and I added corn with a miso soup base.

My bowl was almost overflowing when I received it since they piled on the ingredients! Out of all the ramen places I've been to, Himawari serves the fattest and biggest pork chunks in their ramen as you can see in the photo.  They do not skimp out on their ingredients here. The broth was slightly rich, not too salty, and not too oily, which I enjoyed. The chunks of pork along with its fat added extra flavor to the broth, but did not make it overpowering. The price range is about $7.50-$12 and more of any additional toppings you desire.  I do prefer a creamier soup base, but Himawari did deliver in its flavor, portion, and presentation.  Only qualm is that the place is small along with the waiting area, thus leaving patrons as a fire exit hazard or waiting outside. Other than that, Himawari left me with a full belly and in need of a nap.

Himawari
202 2nd. Ave.
San Mateo, CA 94401
650-375-1005

Finding new milk tea places has turned into a hobby of mine and lead to Milk Tea Mondays, so of course I wanted to try milk tea up north.  My friends recommended Tpumps, about a block away from Himawari. I heard about the hype of this place; therefore, iffy on it because sometimes it just ends up being hype. A line formed out the door of Tpumps, thus looking like a positive sign for me.  An employee was also giving out samples of their regular milk tea and a fruity tea. As always, I judge a new milk tea place by their almond milk tea and now recently, rose milk tea if available.  I ordered an almond milk tea with a black tea base without boba and light sugar.

Their customer service is great with an employee taking your order up front then another one ringing you up after.  Although, the location is a bit awkward to me since they share a space with the DHL delivery company and essentially, a to-go milk tea place.  I'm not sure if I ordered the wrong thing but their almond milk tea was okay to me.  It didn't have a wow factor.  It lacked a smoothness and creaminess I look for in an almond milk tea. Moreover, I felt that the almond flavor was diluted by the ice.  On the other hand, my friends enjoyed their jasmine milk tea and regular milk tea, so maybe it was just me. I would like to give this place another try if I'm ever back in the area.

Tpumps
106 S. B St.
San Mateo, CA 94401
650-548-1085

For dinner, my friend took us to a Middle Eastern/Mediterranean restaurant in the Mission district of San Francisco called Old Jerusalem.   It had a very homey, cozy feeling to it and despite its small interior, it was packed.  An order of  house-made pita bread along with its dip was complimentary and that already gave this place brownie points. My friend and I shared the lamb shawarma served with hummus.

The lamb was seasoned well; however, it was on the dry side.  Luckily, I combined the lamb and hummus to make up for the dryness. The baba ghannoush, a dip that combined eggplant, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, and olive oil was spot on.  I could not stop dipping my pita bread into that dip.  The pita bread was soft, light, and fluffy and I actually liked it even though I prefer crispier pita bread.  Overall, the meal was flavorful and I just needed a bit more combinations of texture in it.  Their service is very friendly with a family vibe to it and their prices are affordable.

Old Jerusalem
2976 Mission St.
San Francisco, CA 94110
415-642-5958

I thoroughly had an amazing time up in the Bay Area with my college friends and was very pleased with my food experience.  I know I have barely made a dent in exploring northern California's cuisine, but that gives me all the more reason to visit.  With that, thank you for reading.

AYCE Sushi: Sake 2 Me

Happy 2013! Apologizes for the lack of posts but I have been trying new places to be on the look out for more posts (hopefully more frequent as well).  Here's to the new year and to new food!

If you are up to the challenge of eating copious amount of fish and rice, then an all you can eat sushi restaurant is right for you.  A favorite of mine is Sake 2 Me, formerly Joe's Sushi located in Montclair, CA.  Their location is off the beaten path of where you would normally find a sushi place but the food definitely makes up for it.

I recently went there for a dinner and was not disappointed. I was only disappointed that I could not eat more.  Sake 2 Me gives you a menu of which rolls and sashimi you would like to try and it is done in three rounds (if you make it that far).  Not everyone in your party has to eat sushi, but why not? They offer a variety of specialty rolls as well as simple fish rolls such as tuna, salmon, eel, etc.  In addition, appetizers and sides are included in the tally menu. Simply mark which ones you want such as tempura, miso soup, teriyaki chicken, and a flavorful mussel dish.  After marking up the order menu, the waiter will take it and the wait begins.

They serve edamame (soybeans) as you wait as well as their sushi tacos.

These sushi tacos are usually on the house. Huzzah! We ordered the mussels as one of our appetizers: 

The mussels are topped with their sauce and Sriracha hot sauce that is slightly rich and smooth in flavor.  It gives a comforting feeling after eating one. Our first round of rolls are pictured below: 

 I honestly cannot remember which rolls we eat but they were appetizing.  The rolls above were rich and I made sure I didn't eat too much of those so I would have room in my stomach. After devouring those rolls, we settled for the smaller two pieces per plate rolls. Basically, it was just the typical fish on top of the rice rolls.

We sampled the tuna, salmon, red snapper, yellow tail, peppered salmon white tuna, and a couple others.  The fish were fresh and ordering this at the end made it easier to finish instead of getting the custom rolls.  If you're in the mood to stuff yourself silly with sushi, then here's a place to go with affordable prices. Their parking lot is small and can get filled on the weekends but there is street parking.  

Service: Friendly staff. You would usually receive their sushi tacos as an appetizer. 

Price: They are raising their prices for 2013.  It will be in the range of $22 or so per person.  Not too bad as long as you eat your money's worth. 

Food and drink: Flavorful; however some of the special rolls were too rich for my taste.  

Sake 2 Me

5660 Holt Blvd. 

Montclair, CA 91763

909-626-0113

Business hours: Mon-Thurs: 11:30am-10pm, Fri-Sat: 11:30am-10:30pm. Sun: 12pm-10pm. 

As always, thank you for reading. 

Milk Tea Monday: 7 Leaves Cafe

Huzzah! A Milk Tea Monday post! I ventured out into Garden Grove this past weekend to get my weekly fix of milk tea.  My college roommate introduced me to 7 Leaves Cafe and even though it was my first time here, it has already won me over.

It's not much of a sit-down cafe and caters to the to-go orders.  7 Leaves Cafe features seven specialty drinks and your regular milk tea drinks. They are all displayed on the left side of their shop as you walk in.  I tried the mung bean milk tea through recommendations and I have never heard of mung bean milk tea before.

The verdict? It is a hit in my book of milk teas. It reminded me of the green jelly Vietnamese dessert.  The drink itself was smooth, slightly creamy, and not too sweet.  I took a sip of their iced coffee and was immediately felt the caffeine rush to my head.  If you're a fan of Vietnamese style coffee, then I would recommend their iced coffee.

I noticed they also sold macarons and I'm always on the look out for those.  I tried their pistachio flavored macaron.

The filling was a little smaller than what I'm used to.  Unfortunately, it was not a hit for me.  It lacked the crunchy texture on the outside and the moist filling.  It did have the pistachio flavor but that was about it. 

Service: Friendly, efficient staff. 

Price: About the normal price for milk teas in the $3-4 range. The macarons are $1.50 each which are cheaper than normal. 

Food and drink: The drinks are really spot on and are bursting with flavor. It is a drink shop so stick with the drinks and not so much the macarons. 

This milk tea shop is in a small corner plaza so be careful of parking.  In addition, 7 Leaves Cafe is cash only, so make sure to have your Washington's ready. Overall, I enjoyed my experience and I am willing to go back again.  I just wish it wasn't so far from me. 

7 Leaves Cafe

9786 Westminster Ave.

Garden Grove, CA 92844

714-590-2790

Business Hours: Mon-Thurs: 7am-10pm. Fri: 7am-11pm. Sat: 8am-11pm. Sun: 8am-10pm

Thank you for reading!