*Central Park*NYC 2010*

Who finds a faithful friend, finds a treasure. Xo.

I promise I'm still here; just got back from NYC and have a big move to Manila quite soon. I hope everyone's hungry 'cause I gots lots of DELISH DISH to post!

Empire State [Of Mind]

Guess where I'm heading to for a long weekend!!

These streets will make you feel brand new, big lights will inspire you,

Let's hear it for...

First Friday's [3 of 3]

Last stop: Cool Haus

Here's the scoop, the combination of a hunky ball of ice-cream sandwiched in between freshly baked cookies is nothing but pure pleasure... Especially when you get to custom make your own dessert! Everyone leaves happy :) Perfect "night cap" for our final stop at First Friday's.

Patti: Chocolate Chip + Dirty Mint Chip

Becca: Snickerdoodle + Baked Apple Pie

Eddie: Chocolate Chip + Vanilla Bean

L to R: Becca, Patti, Eddie

First Friday's [2 of 3]

Our 2nd stop: Flying Pig

Braised Pork Belly Bun & Tamarind Duck Taco

First Friday's [1 of 3]

The best way to experience Abbot Kinney is on the first Friday of every month, aptly known as First Friday's. Art galleries, retail boutiques and other neighborhood merchants keep their doors open 'till 10pm welcoming in all the foot traffic that strolls by. Not to mention the slew of fun restaurants and lively bars that are also on Venice's most famous boulevard, they stay open 'till what's technically "First Saturdays" - lol.

The newest thang that has made First Friday's more exciting, in my opinion, is the overwhelming amount of food trucks that take over the night. Becca, Eddie and I literally went to First Friday's with only one motive in mind: street food! Looks like we weren't the only ones... The night could have been mistaken as a street food festival, trucks were taking over all metered spots and people were munching away at everything. Tacos, ice-cream sandwiches, hot dogs, mac 'n cheese, dim sum, pizza, rice bowls, you name it.

Our first stop was Kogi - yes I know, we are so predictable ;) Whatever, when I'm into something, I'm into it. For life. Haha. Yay Kogi!

Chocolate Chatter

Only we would each eat a plateful of chocolate [at Compartes] before taking on Runyon Canyon ♥

Skinny Minnie

There's something about mini cupcakes... So precious.

MILK Treats

Look who's treat beat the heat :)

Becca _ Grasshopper


Patti _ Nutella Bar

Stephanie _ Red-Velvet Bar

Patti _ Coffee Toffee Sandwich [Mom, don't hate me for eating two... I promise all this packing has burned it off]

MILK

As the name implies, dairy dairy dairy is the way to go at Milk. Their ice-cream parlor is my favorite in all of Los Angeles, bringing out the inner child in me as I gawk at the likes of ice-cream sandwiches, sundaes, floats, malts, drumsticks, bars, etc. All the creations at Milk are crave-worthy and will keep you coming back for more... No need to wait for the ice-cream truck when school gets out at four!

GUESS WHAT KIND OF ICE-CREAM I GOT...

Stems n Seeds

Last week's Kogi Special : Stems n Seeds

"An all beef hot dog with ooey gooey melted cheese, sesame mayo, sticky icky sweet chili sauce, sesame seeds, nori sea weed, and green scallions"

I've never been a fan of the hot dog, I wasn't raised eating them over in Asia... I feel like lots of my friends here are obsessed with any kind of sausage in a bun - but not me. Even at the Kogi truck, never have I ordered the Kogi dog; sometimes, that's the first thing my friends order when I take 'em! Nonetheless, I told myself I would try the specials, so here I am ordering my first 'dog from Kogi. Stems n seeds, you weren't my favorite, but I'm glad I tried ya...

Stems n Seeds

Kimchi Quesadilla

Spicy Pork Taco

K.Swiss @ Kitson, Malibu

If you're familiar with Malibu, you know that it's a bit of a sleepy town once the clock strikes 9pm - give or take a little. Restaurant options are limited and not much is going on. It's really not a big deal because Hollywood is just 1/8 of a gas tank away - haha. A few weeks back though, you might have heard some camera clicks, chitter chatter and live beats resonating from the Malibu Lumberyard; Kiston to be exact. I went to support my friend who put on the re-launch of K-Swiss' canvas hi and low top shoe, originally created with the Cali vibe in mind. Yay for doing something in Malibu after 9pm :-)

Highlights of the night: In N Out truck, free polaroids, digital photo booth, live DJ and goodie bags

Geoffrey's, Malibu

There's no better way to celebrate graduating from Pepperdine than continuing the magical view from Alumni Park down the coast to an oceanside dining experience at Geoffrey's. The view is spectacular and it makes for the perfect setting to reminisce about those good ol' college days; all-nighters, beer pong, failed costume parties, etc.

Just to clarify, Brooke and I are the same age but she graduated one year later because of the sudden move to Dallas with her husband. I miss her dearly and Malibu holds so many memories for us that it was nice to re-connect on our college stomping grounds. I was very lucky to be able to spend the weekend with Brooke, her husband and her wonderful parents - thanks B, and again, *CONGRATS* Everyone is super proud of you and can't wait to see where your lovely life takes you and Ty.

B-Unit and Gangsta-P [Don't Ask]

He's so proud of his wife!!

Mom and Dad are so happy too - happy that there's no more college payments ever ;)

Graduation Brunch

Roasted Corn Chowder - fresh Maryland lump crab, roasted pasilla chile, grilled corn

Shiitake Omelette - garlic, shallots, tomatoes, brie, roasted potatoes, fresh fruit

Grilled Ahi Nicoise Salad - Nicoise olives, haricots verts, eggs, red rose potatoes, grain mustard vinaigrette

Lobster Quiche - tomatoes, caramelized onion, Swiss cheese, eggs, lobster, vanilla sauce, mixed green salad