ERNIE JR'S TACO HOUSE,EAGLE ROCK (6/20/09)

When i was a little girl, it was a huge treat for my family to go out & have Mexican food at Ernie's in Pasadena. As soon as my brother & i would come in,we'd run up to their fountain & stand there transfixed by the colored lights. Yeah,we rode the short bus lol! Unfortunately,Ernie's in Pasadena no longer exists (boo!),but the next best thing is their Eagle Rock location. Oh, and they still have the fountain...but i don't linger very long around it ;p
Yvonne & i had did some "damage" at the Goodwill in Eagle Rock & even though we had eaten breakfast at the Rustic...i was feeling a tad bit hungry from our thrift shopping. And lo & behold as we were about to hit the freeway was Ernie Jr's. I flipped a quick U-turn lol. I initially wanted a taco,but when Yvonne ordered albondigas soup,i decided to try their menudo. It was good :) lots of tripe & light on the hominy...perfect!

YE OLDE RUSTIC INN,LOS FELIZ (6/20/09)

BLOODY MARY BREAKFAST,BLOODY MARY BREAKFAST!!!...YAY!!!! :D

i haven't been to the Rustic since i started my diet,but best believe, i used togo here every Sat for the Bloody Mary Breakfast. You get scrambled eggs,hash browns or country potatoes,bacon or sausaaaaaages (that's an inside joke between myself & Yvonne lol),toast & a bloody mary. MMMMM,MMMM,GOOD! We were both hungover (loooong story!),but i begged Yvonne to go with me....of coarse it doesn't take much to twist her arm lol.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/ye-rustic-inn-los-angeles

THE VISTA THEATER,LOS FELIZ (6/18/09)

So after we killed time trying out the tacos at "The Best Fish Tacos in Ensenada",we went to my all time favorite theater to see "The Hangover". To put it mildly,i think i've lived that movie more than a few times lol!! I give it two enthusiastic thumbs up :P But anyhoos,it was playing at the Vista & anytime i can see a movie there...i'm on it! My main reason for going,other than the beautiful art decco design....the leg room in the aisles are awesome!! i'm 5'8 & i can fully stretch out my legs without hitting the seat in front of me....i like that!!

I also included a link for the history of the theater,if you're so inclined :)

http://cinematreasures.org/theater/32/

THE BEST FISH TACO IN ENSENADA RESTAURANT,LOS FELIZ (6/18/09)

I've passed by this place many times & each time i tell myself,gotta check it out. It's a odd lil restaurant in that the sign boasts,"the best fish tacos in Ensenada".....but,hello? This is Los Feliz (lol)! So the sign alone made me curious about it :) Yvonne & I had been running errands that day (meaning,spending money we didn't have!) & we decided to go to matinee movie. We were in Los Feliz & saw that "The Hangover" was playing at the Vista Theater. I LOVE THAT THEATER! But i'll get into in a bit. Well we found that we had a hour to kill, so we decided to kill it by getting something to eat (hehehe!). Why not "The Best Fish Tacos in Ensenada"? :P We walk in & i'm looking for a menu,but the only menu they have is a sign hanging from the ceiling. The sign simply stated, "Fish taco $1, Shrimp taco $2, Drink $1"...that was the menu lol. Ok...well,i guess i'm having a shrimp one & drink then! Yvonne ordered a fish taco. We watched as the cook put the lightly breaded morsels in hot oil...yummy! After cooking them she placed them on tortillas & handed them to us. We were told that directly behind us was a salsa bar with condiments. This wasn't your regular salsas either! I'm talking about salsas made with fresh mangos, pineapples & radishes. Also condiments of sour creme,lettuce & hot guacamole. I decided to try the mango salsa which was billed as "hot"(the hotter the better in my book!). Yvonne tried the pineapple salsa,took a few bites & had to drink aloooot of water lol! All & all,the tacos were quite tasty (love the lite breading) & cheap. Must come back to try the fish one next time :)

http://www.bestfishtacoinensenada.com/

DIET: TYPICAL MEAL,6/12/09 (MY CREATION)

The weight loss crusades marches on :)! You're looking at a typical meal for me: 1 liter of Gerolsteiner mineral water, one cup of sliced strawberries, broccoli ("trees!") & baked talapia fillet...(sarcastically) mmmm,mmm good! HAHAHA! Actually it is good,no complaints ; ) I'm real big on seafood,so that makes it all the more enjoyable for me. The nice thing about this diet is that i don't feel like i'm censoring myself (other than when i did the month of no booze,diary or sugars),it's all about portion control & being aware of certain calories.

PHILIPPE'S,5/26/09 (DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES)

After i ate at the Downbeat Cafe, i hooked up with Yvonne & Mishi & went downtown for a bit. We stopped by Bar 107 & had a few drinks (PBR & jager for them, soda water for me...ha!). They were hungry,and obviously i had already eaten,but whatevs! My friends don't care,they'll try to talk me into anything they want to do :) I'll give it another go round (depending on what it was we were going to eat).They decided that they wanted to go to Philippe's...."ok where's that at?" i asked. They both looked at me like i was an alien. YOU'VE NEVER BEEN TO PHILIPPE'S?? I must be the only Angeleno that hasn't,because their jaws dropped (lol). I've heard of the place & knew it was famous for something...that's about it. So, Philippe's it is!

There's a whole history to Philippe's sandwiches(check out the website,http://www.philippes.com/). Apparently he created the french dipped sandwich & L.A. hasn't been the same since. There are people that make pilgrimages to Philippes,so this place is no joke.I'm not much for having my sandwich dipped in anything, but in Rome you do what the Romans do. I ordered lamb,Mishi had turkey & Yvonne had beef with a side of chili & coleslaw. On the order counter was this huge jar full of purple orbs. Mishi told me that they were pickled eggs. Being the food wierdo that i am,i had to try it :p Philippe's reminds me of a O.G. cafeteria (in a good way!). There's sawdust on the floor & rows upon rows of long wooden tables. There first thing i was dying to try was the pickled egg. It was pretty "tangy" on the first bite,but i like it. My sandwich was also really good too. It was dipped just enough,but not so the bread was mush. Of coarse Yvonne & Mishi slathered their's in mayo....bleh!!! :( I gave up condiments on my sandwiches a looong time ago. I want to be able to taste the flavor of the meat!

DOWN BEAT CAFE,5/26/09 (ECHO PARK)

The Down Beat Cafe is a new lil joint i discovered as i was leaving my drum lessons last week. Judging from the vibe i got there,i decided to give it a try. Luckily nothing on the menu seemed to deviate from my diet (lots of healthy salads & sandwiches),so i went for the turkey avocado with alfalfa sprouts sandwich,which came with a small side salad. Not too shabby! After i ate there i checked out a real cool,funky thrift shop next door (will get the name next time) & bought some boots...score! :P
http://www.thedownbeatcafe.com/

SUSHI IKE, 5/28/09 (HOLLYWOOD)

*warning! this paragraph will be

entirely in caps,so don't trip!* ;p

SUSHI IKE IS MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE SUSHI RESTAURANT!! I DARE ANY OTHER SUSHI JOINT TO ATTEMPT TO COME CLOSE TO THE FRESHNESS OF THEIR FISH...HANDS DOWN,SUSHI IKE WILL WIN!

There,i've said it so you should check them out too. It's located in a strip mall @ Hollywood/Gower,across from Pep Boys. But don't let the strip mall mentality fool ya. Even though there may not be anything fancy about the interior,say like,Katsuya...no matter,they don't have time for that,it's all about the meal. The staff & sushi chefs,including Ike are very congenial,and make you feel very welcomed. I pretty much have come here every Thurs for lunch. Today was my first day back since i 've been on my diet,and it was delicious! Pictured are crab sushi (real,meaty crab meat!) & snapper with green ice tea. I also ordered spicy tuna handroll (my fav) that had just the right amount of kick to it. Seriously,try this place! You will definitely be pleased :) http://www.yelp.com/biz/sushi-ike-los-angeles

SHRIMP SALAD,5/26/09 (MY CREATION)

As of yesterday i've lost 14lbs! I'm cautiously optimistic :) I attribute this to following my friend Amanda's diet (http://www.thehollywoodagentdiet.com/), which has helped me eat healthier & be more conscious of what i'm putting into my body. I tried booze for the first time last week & my system hated it! I had a shot of my beloved Makers Mark & i literally gagged (lol)! First off, I prolly shouldn't have done a shot,more like on the rocks,but still! It's all about moderation from this point on...booze calories are a mofo! Anyhoos,the cool thing about this diet is that i can have all the fresh veggies i want (and i do love veggies!). Last nite i found some leftover shrimp in my freezer & threw together this salad. Total guilt free dinner! :)

VEGAN HOUSE, 5/22/09 (HOLLYWOOD)

Vegan House is my second foray into having vegan cuisine. And the idea of dining at vegan restaurants is starting to grow on me :) I met my friend Tim there (who initially introduced me to Truly Vegan earlier this year), around 1130am on friday.Tim's heart was set on having blueberry pancakes (he has a kookie habit of eating his pancakes from the inside out lol!),but unfortunately the batter wasn't prepared yet :( Since we were sitting out side & it was a bit chilly,we both settled on having a bowl of wonton soup. One word...yuuuuuuummmmy! It reminds me of my homemade chicken soup (minus the chicken). It came in a generous portion with lots of veggies & potatoe stuffed wontons. And the price? only $4.99...awesome! I will definitely come back & try some of the other cheap items on the menu :)

FRED 62, 5/21/09 (LOS FELIZ)

Yvonne & I hit up Fred 62 for something light on this devil of a Thurs & and some retail "therapy" in the surrounding area. Yvonne had the "La La"salad & I had a crunchy Chinese Chicken salad...as you can see from the sh*t eating grin on my face,it doesn't take much to make me happy! :)

P.S.(i thought the "good luck cats" display was cute!)
http://www.fred62.com/index.html

PURAN'S RESTAURANT,5/18/09 (LOS FELIZ)

Yvonne treated me to a early supper yesterday & because i'm one to not turn down a freebie,i gladly accepted :) I met her at Puran's, which i've never been to. The sun was beginning to set & it was nice to get away from the usual restaurant noise i'm used to. The place is small & intimate with high ceilings. The menu touts the food as being fresh & organic. Since i'm still on my diet kick,I decided to have a Greek salad.

Very tasty! Yvonne (lil Miss Hurricane) decided to have the 3-course meal: chicken pesto wrap with fries,sole kabob with cous,and for dessert, raspberry sorbet...i guess she was hungry ;p

http://www.puransrestaurant.com/

TRULY VEGAN RESTAURANT,5/9/09 (HOLLYWOOD)

As of today i've lost 8lbs! I already have more energy & as much as i joke about missing booze...with these results i can do without it for awhile. Don't fret (ha!), it doesn't mean i'm entirely giving it up,i'm just slowing my roll. Today I was running errands & passed by Truly Vegan.I remember a friend introduced me to this place for lunch awhile back. The food was good,cheap & they definitely give you nice size portions...i'm there,enough said! I ordered iced green tea with the "protein salad" which consists of salad greens,tomatoes,garbanzo beans,avocado,onions, & topped with vegan" bacon bits. Sooooo good! Afterwards I was full,but i felt great that i ate a meal that counted towards my health :)http://trulyvegan.net/

THE STANDARD HOTEL,5/7/09 (DOWNTOWN L.A.)

*HOT IN THE CITY!!!*...geez! Last Thurs was horrible in Hollywood. It was hot & humid,so what's a girl to do? Why head over to the Standard Hotel & chill on the roof top! At least that's how we roll ;p This was my first time doing this,but my partner in crime (Yvonne),has done this many times. I was apprehensive because i thought you had to be a hotel guest...not the case. Sweeeet! We took the subway downtown,then made the uphill trek to the hotel. I wish i had taken pics of the lobby because it's very modern & loungey,but the light on my camera phone isn't the greatest.The first pic is of us in the elevator,on our way to heaven. And as the doors opened up,voila! Immediately Yvonne stripped down & got in the pool. I hung out on the sidelines. Mindful of my diet,i kept it simple & ordered a grilled chicken salad (which we split) & seltzer water. Diet or no diet,it was toooo hot drink in this heat lol. Eventually some people vacated one of the little water bed pagodas,so we grabbed one. So awesome! I laid back on the bed & left my feet lazily drape out...I could seriously get used to this ;p I felt like sharing this expierence with another friend so i called Amanda H. I told her to get her buns down here..stat! Amanda eventually got there & it was peas & carrots after that. She ordered chicken/beef skewers & we all kicked it out the water bed. Here's a funny side note,a couple had ordered a lunch,but one of them didn't finish the other half of their sandwich,so they left it behind. Without missing a beat,Amanda grabbed the plate & brought it inside our pagoda. She split it with Yvonne & had a mini meal out of it...good times (lol)! We were there for about 4hrs,getting nice tans,good food & convo...but then the sun began to set (bah!). Time to get back to reality! Oh well,there's still summer around the corner & i can't think of a better way to spend a Thurs afternoon in the city ;p