Nuff Nang

Apr 30, 2009

Sushi Roku

It's been a little crazy on my end >> I *finished* college on Tuesday afternoon (!!) and Jon flew in on Tuesday night followed by my parents on Wednesday afternoon. We have many meals planned -yyyyaaaaayyyyyy- and it's going to be a challenge updating the Palette in real-time given all other things going on while the graduation festivities are taking place. Here's the first update...

Last night, Jon and I joined mom and dad for a quiet sushi dinner at Sushi Roku's Santa Monica restaurant. It's such a prime location on the corner of Ocean and Santa Monica Blvd and not to mention walking distance from my parents' hotel. I've been eating at Sushi Roku since my freshman year at college, I always always always have a superb experience when I go. Sushi Roku is under the Innovative Dining Group umbrella of which Katana, Lucky Fish, Boa and Robata Bar is a part of as well. Sushi Roku has the most locations - Hollywood, Santa Monica, Pasadena, Las Vegas, Scottsdale.

The Santa Monica branch is clad with lots of darks; grays, blacks, and stone with a little bamboo touches that create an overall Zen-like atmosphere. The background music is sometimes drowned out due to the chatter, cheers and laughter of the many restaurant goers that frequent this always-busy spot. Although the restaurant decor and feel is great, the focus here is definitely the food. I would say they are mainly known for their California-style sushi and modern Asian cuisine. The chefs here are always on the forefront creating innovative plates with a modern twist to traditional Japanese dishes. I'll let the pictures tell the story... Enjoy :)

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Tuna Tataki Salad w/ Seasonal Vegetables + Garlic Ponzu

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Organic Garden Salad w/ Japanese Yuzu Citrus Dressing

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Shishito Peppers w/ Soy Garlic

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Miso Eggplant Dengaku

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Tofu Steak w/ Sauteed Mushrooms

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Popcorn Rock Shrimp Tempura in a Spicy Miso Glaze

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Baked Cod "Saikyo-yaki" in Sweet Miso

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Katana Roll: Tuna + Yellowtail atop Spicy Tuna + Shrimp Tempura

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Shima Roll: Shrimp Wrapped Spicy Tuna w/ Cilantro + Avocado

Apr 26, 2009

Food, Inc.

"The way we eat has changed more in the last 50 years than in the previous 10,000..."

June 12, 2009.

Study Break

Study goes with break like milk goes with milkshakes.

Another trip to Millions of Milkshakes :) I got the same milkshake as last time, I tend to stick to my favorites when I decide I really like something. Chatting with Claudia and Alexandra made my break well worth its time, but now I'm off to the books once again...

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Claudia + Patti

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Alexandra + Claudia

Apr 24, 2009

HIATUS

I will be on a little bit of a "blogging hiatus" 

Studying for final exams is such an inconvenience to my daily routine :P

Apr 22, 2009

Meet Me at 3rd & Fairfax

I got an email today from Tasting Table announcing a book release celebrating the history of one of LA's most beloved attractions: The Farmers Market. The original Los Angeles Farmers Market is celebrating its 75th anniversary starting on July 13 and going week-long with special events and activities. Be sure to check it out!

Jon and I have visited the Farmers Market once or twice, so I dug through my I-photo and found some shots we took one afternoon while stopping for a quick nibble. It's so fun to walk in the open air deciding on which type of cuisine you feel for on that particular day - there's a whole world to pick from! Brazilian, Middle Eastern, Italian, Asian, Mexican, Greek.. you name it. It's also a great place to shop for the freshest produce around.

On the day the photos were taken, Jon opted for a beef brisket bbq sandwich with some house potatoes on the side. I went for the Middle Eastern/Greek fare and got a variety box of spicy hummus, dolmas, greek salad and red muttabal. The rest of the photos just served as a feast for the eyes, especially those home-made fruit pies! The Farmers Market is a must-visit for the avid foodie; with that said, let's all meet on 3rd & Fairfax for some original Farmers Market bites :)

Read the Tasting Table article here.

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Apr 21, 2009

Cupcake Couture

Brooke wants to see your lovely face,
So come dressed in silk, chiffon or lace
The theme of the day is Cupcake Couture,
With food, games and cupcakes galore
Show the newlyweds that you care...
Please bring baking accessories and cooking ware

This weekend, I helped host a bridal shower for my favorite bride-to-be: B-Unit. Brooke and I have had an obsession with cupcakes ever since I can remember, so a cupcake-themed shower could not have been more appropriate. Together, we have definitely used up lots of gas money for countless drives to SusieCakes and Sprinkles. Last summer, we even went on our very own Cupcake Tour 08 to see if we could find new untapped destinations. We came to find out that SusieCakes and Sprinkles are still our winners. In fact, Brooke is looking to get a perfected red velvet recipe from the Ritz Carlton for her wedding cake. Too bad they charge an absurd amount to bring in your own cake from another company.

For Brooke's shower, we had 3 cupcake towers filled with red velvet and peanut butter cupcakes from SusieCakes. What is a celebration without cupcakes :)

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Final Days

It is officially April 21st and in exactly one week from now -April 28- I will be done with all my Pepperdine academics - classes, papers, presentations, and finals.

WOW. Let's celebrate with graduation cupcakes!

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Apr 19, 2009

Curry In a Hurry

Instead of going to Senior Ball, a couple of friends [Alex, Rachel, Matt, Marcus] and I decided to go out for a casual dinner to celebrate Senior Week. We hadn't been to any senior events all week so we thought to make our own, in good company and conversation recapping memories over the four years. 

The place of the night was Nawab of India, a cultural experience one could say. We didn't have to drive far; Nawab of India is on Wilshire between 16th and 17th street. Alex thought the restaurant was expecting us when she saw an open parking spot directly in front of the entrance. Score! You first walk in and it's deceivingly small... until you notice there is another room on the right. The whole ambience is very Indian from the decor, bright colors, wait staff to the food - duh. The seats still had the plastic coverings on them; we were a little amused by that for a quick second.

After munching on the poppadom's -free of charge-  we ordered 5 exotic and authentic Indian dishes. While waiting, the cauliflower chutney and mint green coriander kept on being replenished because we were still dipping the crunchy poppadom's in the mini sauce bowls. Soon after, our garlic naan arrived in time with our dishes and we were nothing short of dipping again. Dipping naan into the different sauces is a must when eating Indian food. My favorite is naan smothered in dahl. Or naan smothered in curry sauce! The food was great but I have to say... it wasn't as spicy as I would have liked. I can't help but think they "dumbed it down" for us. Maybe they thought we weren't accustomed to the fragrant spices and flavors? Next time, we'll tell them to bring it on!

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We dipped the poppadom's in these small sauces/dips

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Samosas: whole wheat skins stuffed with a blend of spiced potatoes and peas
*could have been much more spicier

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Tandoori Mushrooms: mushrooms marinated in onions and grilled on the tandoor
*next time, i would like to order chicken to be grilled on the tandoor

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Shrimp Makhanwala: shrimp in tomato cream curry
*this was heavenly with rice

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Dahl Makhani: lentils cooked in spices
*could have been spicier

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Sag Paneer: spinach and cottage cheese cooked in spices
*this was perfection, but again more spices would have been better

Apr 17, 2009

Hot Truck Express

Despite going out on Friday night, Aileen and I were up and about in the morning sticking to our "weekend schedule." She really wanted to take me to the Winter Park Farmer's Market a few blocks off Park Avenue. Again, we walked there and it was splendid. The farmer's market sold the usual fresh produce of fruits and vegetables. I'm definitely going to start doing that after I graduate - stock up my fridge with farmer's market freshness. 

There were other sections of the market besides the fruits and veggies; potted plants, flowers and our favorite... the prepared food stalls with samples! There were stalls set up for bagels, lemonade, cheesecake, pastries, pesto, nuts, fresh juice and Easter goodies. I'm obviously forgetting a few more. Since our tummies still hadn't been fed breakfast, the Mexican hot truck caught our eyes and breakfast quesadillas it was! We were each given three flour tortillas filled with cheesy eggs and our personal add-ins. Salsa on the side, por favor. What a morning fiesta it was, take a peek... 

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Aileen in front of the hot truck

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Apr 16, 2009

Shari

Last week I was lucky to find a flight from LA to Orlando after all my last minute clicks on Travelocity, Cheaptickets, Expedia, Priceline, etc. I spent Easter weekend with Aileen, my bestest friend of many many years. She got to show me the area around Rollins College, where she goes to school. It's nice to finally have an image of where my bestie is at :) We spent most of our time on Park Avenue, the upscale high street consisting of coffee shops, boutiques, bars, restaurants, cafes and specialty stores. Having everything in walking distance is so convenient unlike here in 'Bu Town. (I'm not complaining though!)

We did take a drive out on Saturday night to Orlando, a little area called Thornton Park. It was sushi night out with the girls! Place of choice: Shari Sushi Lounge. It would have been nice to sit in the outside patio area under the awning -the weather was perfect for it- but we were seated inside in the high table gold booth corner. With a bunch of different rolls to choose from, we boiled it down to four asking for a side of salmon sashimi to be put on each plate. The sesame oil and seaweed seeds made the seaweed salad appetizing and the edamame sauteed in garlic was literally to die for. Our breath, probably not so much. Look at the pics to witness my first sushi experience in FLO RIDA.

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Garlic Edamame

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Seaweed Salad

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Drama Queen Roll: spicy tuna and avocado roll laced with hamachi

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Shari Roll: shrimp tempura and avocado roll laced with salmon

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Candy Cane Roll: spicy tuna roll laced with tuna

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Key Lime Roll: spicy tuna roll laced with hamachi, tempura flakes and lime slice

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Annie, Lauren, Aileen, Patti

Follow MOM on Twitter

Follow Millions of Milkshakes on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/MILKSHAKES247

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Apr 10, 2009

My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard!!

... Damn right, it's better than yours.

Maybe my milkshake doesn't bring all the boys to the yard, but MOM's does! MOM? Millions of Milkshakes, silly. I finally got to discover what Hollywood's funkiest milkshake bar was all about. I drove with Chris and Shannon from Malibu to West Hollywood and let me tell you, I would drive there again again and again to get me some more of those shakes.

This celebrity-infested concept of make-your-own milkshakes has been receiving lots of hype since it first opened in 2008. I believe the initial draw was the advertisements of the Britney, Paris and Lindsay shakes... Now MOM has added even more celebrity shakes to their menu for those who don't want to create their own mixture of greatness: Miley, Beckham, Brangelina, Obama and the Kardashian's all boast their own shakes at MOM. They even have hanging plasma flat screens in-store playing Milkshake TV; just imagine paparazzi/TMZ shot videos all having to do with celebrity visits to MOM.

The up-beat, brightly decorated interior invites outsiders to step inside and it definitely sets the tone for the amazing shakes offered. Both American and British goodies comprise the toppings galore that one can choose from. Since we all are familiar with the American treats, let me list a few of the British goodies: Bounty, Toffee Crisp, Rollo, and Mars Bar. The only option is vanilla, but you can get it three ways; ice-cream, yoghurt, or soy.

Chris got the Beckham shake (banana+nutella+whipped cream+fudge+flake), Shannon got the Miley shake (cookie dough+reese's+whipped cream+flake) and I got the Patti shake (ferrero rocher+cookie dough+fudge). They are *uber* generous with toppings, and rightly so for a milkshake bar. Calorie counting? Not here!

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