EATING & BOOZIN' ABOUT TOWN

EL SIETE MARES (1/16/11,SILVERLAKE)

2011-01-16T14:26:00.000-08:00

Shrimp ceviche, super fajitas (shrimp,beef & chicken),rice,beans & guacamole....yummmers!

NEW CREATION (11/01/10)

2010-11-02T13:03:00.000-07:00

Home made cure for a crazy Halloween weekend: thai soup with glass noodles,scallions,mushrooms,dried squid,crab meat & a dash of chili/garlic oil :)

MY CREATION (9/2/10)

2010-09-03T14:51:00.001-07:00

Homemade enchiladas waiting for the oven!!!!!

MY CREATION (8/19/10)

2010-08-22T11:05:00.000-07:00

Broiled talapia in garlic/lemon butter sauce,chimichurri rice & garlic naan

MY DAD'S INFAMOUS GUMBO....SOOOO GOOOOD!

2010-08-08T14:21:00.001-07:00

NEW SNACK OBSESSION!

2010-08-03T12:23:00.000-07:00

Trader Joe's roasted seaweed with sesame oil & sea salt. And the best part is that it's only 30 cal! I bought 15 little bags @ 99cent a pop! hehehehe :)

MY CREATION (7/19/10)

2010-07-19T14:30:00.001-07:00

Working lunch: salad greens,carrots,mini tomatoes,bacon bits,tuna & sesame oil dressing with garlic & lemon pepper...all ingredients purchased @ 99cent store :)

MIDORI (6/16/10,PASADENA)

2010-06-16T17:10:00.000-07:00

Spicy tuna salad!!!!!! :D

MY CREATION (6/14/10)

2010-06-14T18:02:00.000-07:00

comfort food: rice noodle soup with shrimp,talapia,scallions,sesame oil,garlic,limes,serranos/jalapenos!

THE BOILING SHRIMP (6/9/10,HOLLYWOOD)

2010-06-08T09:09:00.000-07:00

I love stumbling upon new places! And that's exactly what happened when Teddy & I were driving east along Hollywood Bl last week. We initially were enroute to eat at Sizzler, but alas, we found out that the location was closed. As in CLOSED for good :( Such a shame,since as far as i know, they were the only Sizzler that had menudo on sundays. No lie!
As a result we were at a loss for where to eat at next. All of a sudden we pass by a shopping center & i see a neon sign that says "The Boiling Shrimp". "Stop Teddy,go back!!!" i yell at him (lol). He turns around & we head back in the direction of the sign. "How come i've never seen this joint before??" I thought out loud. So i tell him to pull into the lot & check it out. To say he was reluctant, is an understatement. I guess i'm more adventerous when it comes to trying new places on the spot. But i had a good feeling about this place. And the main reason was the name of the place alone (lol). I looooooooooooooooooove seafood!! Can't get enough of it :) And this spot was everthing i hoped for. In a nutshell, you can order pound upon pound of seafood such as shrimp, crab & mussels and pick a variety of sauces to have them marinated in. They range from garlic butter to super spicy. We decided to order 1lb of mussels in a spicy marinade, 1lb of shrimp in a garlic butter & fried calamari. When the waitress lay butcher paper on the table,put a roll of paper towels in front of us & plastic bibs around our necks... i was already beginning to salivate :) First out was fried calamari with seasoned fries,which was a perfect crisp. After that she brought to the table two steaming plastic bags to the table, one contained the mussels & the other shrimp. The mussels had a great spicy kick to them,which was more on a asian marinade side,than a cajun marinade...i liked it! The shrimp was chewy & very tasty,but my only complaint was that i hate working for my shrimp! In other words, i hate peeling shrimp when i'm hungry (lol). That part was frustrating. Thank god we had that roll of paper towels,because it got quite messy...in a good way :) Next time we will order garlic bread to sop up the leftover marinade in the bags (yum!). We asked the waitress how long they've been there & she said only 2 months. I told her that we would definitely be coming back there. Oh, and our bill only came to $33...not bad at all,considering all we ate!

http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-boiling-shrimp-los-angeles-2

OUCH!....

2010-05-31T09:54:00.000-07:00

SOMPUN THAI RESTAURANT (SILVERLAKE,5/19/10)

2010-05-22T19:34:00.000-07:00

I was feeling a lil under the weather,so the best thing for me to combat a sore throat is thai food :) I took a leap of faith & went to a restaurant that Teddy reccommended. I ordered a spicy lemon grass soup with shrimp (chicken extra), fried shrimp (which were huge!) & thai ice tea...definitely felt great afterwards!

http://www.yelp.com/biz/sompun-thai-restaurant-los-angeles

TEDDY DOES IT AGAIN :) (5/22/10)

2010-05-22T19:19:00.000-07:00

Sauteed pork tenderloin in garlic/rosemary, baked kale & roasted asparagas in garlic & olive oil!

LUNCH WITH THE GIRLS @ YE RUSTIC INN (LOS FELIZ, 5/13/10)

2010-05-16T11:54:00.000-07:00

Broiled salmon salad with a Steeeeeeeeeellllllllla! lol ;-p http://www.yelp.com/biz/ye-rustic-inn-los-angeles

I LIKE!

2010-05-16T11:47:00.000-07:00

I got this product at Trader Joe's & suprisingly i like it. Considering that it's vegan, it's pretty darn tasty. I've added garlic,onions & peppers to it & put it on a bed of rice for a quick & easy meal.

http://www.yvesveggie.com/products/detail.php/meatless-ground-round-original

PRE-MOTHER'S DAY LUNCH @ P.F.CHANG'S (PASADENA,5/7/10)

2010-05-16T11:36:00.000-07:00

Teddy & I had a lovely lunch with my mom @ P.F. Chang's,which consisted of cocktails (bloody marys & wine), lettuce cups appetizers, shrimp with broccoli, shrimp in lobster sauce & lo mein.....she throughly enjoyed herself! ;-)

http://www.pfchangs.com/index.aspx

TEDDY & I @ KUNG PAO KITTY (HOLLYWOOD,4/29/10)

2010-05-16T11:33:00.000-07:00

ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.....(L.A. ZOO,4/30/10)

2010-05-03T13:29:00.000-07:00

http://www.lazoo.org/

HOME COOKING COURTESY OF TEDDY (4/27/10)

2010-04-28T08:15:00.000-07:00

Stir-fry veggies & sauteed shrimp in olive oil with fresh basil & chopped walnuts!

MASA BAKERY & CAFE (ECHO PARK,4/23/10)

2010-04-25T14:32:00.000-07:00

Mussels sauteed in garlic/rosemary butter cream sauce & frites for dipping! ;-) http://www.masaofechopark.com/

MY CREATION (4/17/10)

2010-04-17T14:45:00.000-07:00

Sauteed italian spicy sausage, ground turkey meat, red bell pepper, fresh garlic & chopped fresh basil over a bed of herb basmati rice....word!

JONES CAFE (WEST HOLLYWOOD,4/16/10)

2010-04-17T03:07:00.000-07:00

Teddy & I happened to be in West Hollywood today, so we stopped by Jones' Cafe for a quick bite. Normally i like to eat in the restaurant portion for the dark "Hollywood" ambience, but unfortunately that area was closed for lunch. So this was my first time eating in the cafe. I liked it because it definitely gave me the feel of a traditional italian cafe with red & white checkered tablecloths included. We started off with fried calamari rings for an appetizer, and let me tell you,those were the best i've ever tasted! Fresh, slightly chewy & lightly battered. I ordered a yummy chopped salad that was soo big, i took the rest to go :) Teddy ordered a spicy italian sausage pizza,which i didn't get to try, but he seemed to enjoy it.

http://losangeles.citysearch.com/profile/78263/west_hollywood_ca/jones_hollywood.html

PAZZAZ SUSHI (SILVERLAKE,4/4/10)

2010-04-16T19:44:00.001-07:00

Hungry? it's raining? you're buried under the covers watching AMC?? PAZZAZ SUSHI TO THE RESCUE!!! :) Normally my loyalty lies with Sushi Ike (see my previous post),but desperate times call for desperate measures, and the selling point is: THIS PLACE DELIVERS! Teddy & i decided to go all out & order party platter "C" ($60). Not a bad deal! The food was fresh & the delivery was fast....we'll definitely call them again soon :)

Pictured: spicy tuna, salmon, albacore, yellow tail, tuna & shrimp

http://pazzazsushi.com/

TEDDY COOKS FOR "CHURCH" (HOLLYWOOD,4/11/10)

2010-04-13T08:53:00.000-07:00

Pic descriptions from top to bottom:
Lavash pizza with olive tapenade, asiago/provolone/romano cheese & fresh basil
prosciutto melon balls,
mixed nuts with mixed olives
roasted asparagus in olive oil with crushed walnuts & garlic
israeli couscous with chopped red onions, portobello mushrooms, crushed walnuts & shrimp
& marinated beef roast......LOVELY!! :)

I LIKE MY CANDY "SUPERSIZED"!....(CVS, HOLLYWOOD,3/19/10)

2010-03-21T10:09:00.000-07:00

EL 7 MARES (SILVERLAKE,3/19/10)

2010-03-21T09:39:00.000-07:00

Friday afternoon i was checking my friends' Facebook updates & i happen to come across
a mouthwatering pic of a seafood cocktail one of my buddies posted. I was transfixed! I needed to know where he got that meal from! He wrote
back that the pic was take at 7 Mares in Silverlake. I told Teddy, let's go!!! :D
By first glance upon arriving there, it's basically a taco stand. But it wasn't until we finished our meal & i looked next door & discovered that they also have a restaurant (my Facebook buddy said to eat there next time,much more on the menu).
Regardless, i was happy with what they had on the menu......SEAFOOD!!! seafood tacos, seafood
tostados, seafood cerviche, oysters,etc....i could go on like Bubba Gump lol! Right off the bat i ordered the cerviche & 1/2 dozen oysters. Teddy on the other hand stuck to ordering carne asada tacos & a tostado. The food was good & hit the spot on that warm friday. I can definitely see myself coming back during the summer for something cold & light (calorie wise). Next time we will try the restaurant :)

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&source=hp&gs_rfai=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=7+mares+los+angeles+ca&fb=1&gl=us&hq=7+mares&hnear=los+angeles+ca&cid=7005286428087824283

ST. PATTY'S DAY @ TAM O'SHANTERS (LOS FELIZ,3/17/10)

2010-03-21T09:16:00.000-07:00

One word,"AWESOME!"
This was my first time going to this
restaurant & it definitely won't be my last!
And get this,they have a "sandwich bar"
within the restaurant....niiiiice!
The sandwich was the
most delicious corned beef on rye i've
ever tasted! It came with a choice of sides (i opted for the pickles & coleslaw). And it wouldn't be a proper St. Patty's meal with out a cold Guinness ;-p Put it this way, this pic is
my screensaver on my computer. And i'm
still salivating at the thought of that meal lol.
Must go back reaaaaaaal sooooon!
P.S.(it got really "proper" after i downed that carbomb shot in the last pic lol!)

http://www.lawrysonline.com/tamoshanter_gen_info.asp

DID YOU MISS ME?

2010-03-02T15:46:00.000-08:00

I know it's been one helluva looooooooooooooooooong time since i've updated
this blog,and a lot of things have changed in my life....for the good :D
I met alot of cool,interesting people in my drinking & eating "travels" who really made last
year awesome. On top of that, i managed to lose a total of 25lbs by the time my birthday hit in September (yay!!)....unfortunately i gained back 10 of it as of this date (booo!!!). But no worries, it's just a matter of getting back on the bike, so to speak :) And i met a cool new guy,who i will refer to as "Teddy Bear". Part of the problem with the 10lbs i've gained back is that Teddy Bear is such a fantastic cook. It's hard to pass up his wonderful meals (which i'll include in my posts)! So i gotta go back to the frame of thought of "moderation & portion" control is the key. Anyhoos! the above pic is what i had for breakfast @ work today. "Simply Asia" garlic/sesame noodle bowl (from 99cent store), a few large shrimps i got on sale at Ralphs ($7.99lb), & chopped green onions. Yummy!
http://www.simplyasia.net/

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

2009-06-23T16:46:00.000-07:00

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)

2009-06-23T16:34:00.000-07:00

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)

2009-06-23T15:06:00.000-07:00

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)

2009-06-23T14:29:00.000-07:00

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)

2009-06-12T10:11:00.000-07:00

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)

2009-06-03T09:02:00.000-07:00

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)

2009-06-03T08:49:00.000-07:00

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)

2009-05-28T19:15:00.000-07:00

*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)

2009-05-27T09:24:00.000-07:00

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)

2009-05-27T09:09:00.000-07:00

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)

2009-05-26T16:50:00.000-07:00

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)

2009-05-19T14:05:00.000-07:00

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)

2009-05-09T17:43:00.000-07:00

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.)

2009-05-09T16:59:00.000-07:00

*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

A NEW TWIST....

2009-05-05T11:15:00.000-07:00

I started a new diet yesterday that i will be on for 3wks,so my regular blog updates will be slightly different for the next few weeks. For one,i'm not going to be drinking alcohol (oh,the horror! lol). And secondly,my food is pretty much limited...seafood is cool & all,but i won't be going buckwild on tacos for awhile (lol). Trust me,it's all for the good :) In the meantime,i will be posting pics of things i've cooked, sights, and whatever tickles my fancy! ;p...YAY!!

This is a lil sumptin' sumptim' i made last year with some leftovers. It's my version of chinese chicken soup: ingredients: sugar snap peas (luv the crunch factor!), shitake mushrooms,sliced chicken breast,scallions, & carrots. I make different versions of this all the time,and it's a great cold buster :)

PITA! PITA! RESTAURANT,4/29/09 (PASADENA)

2009-04-29T19:29:00.000-07:00

Somedays at work when my stomach alarm clock goes off,i have no fricken idea what to eat! As

i mentioned before,i do eat lots of sushi,but even that get old. I must have driven around what seemed like hours,but was prolly only 30min trying to decide what did i feel like eating. The other problem is that street parking sucks around most of the city,so even if i want to eat at a spot...i gotta circle like a shark waiting for an opening! I've been circling around PITA! PITA! for months trying to get a spot out front. Well today was in the cards for me & i was sooo there :) The place is bright & the cooking staff very friendly. I noticed that they opened up a desert bar (second pic),which everything looked yummy (baklava is...the bomb in my book!). The other nice thing is that the kitchen is open & you can watch as they make you awesome lunch. This time i settled for a tried & true dish of chicken kabob,salad,hummus/pita & taboleah. They gave me soo much,i took it home to eat as a late nite snack tonite :)

http://www.pitapitarestaurant.com/

THAI PATIO,4/28/09 (HOLLYWOOD)

2009-04-29T16:30:00.000-07:00

I took Victoria out for her b-day & this was the place she wanted to have it at. I haven't been to Thai Patio in awhile,but my fondest recollection is after a nite of hanging with pals,I wanted to partake in some late nite thai cuisine. That's the cool thing about my part of town,tons & tons of thai restaurants that stay open really late (i'm talking,until 3am!). The last time i came here they had a guy dressed up like Elvis (well,thai Elvis!) singing karaoke Elvis songs...good time :)! This time was no different,except there wasn't an Elvis impersonator,but a young kid belting out 70's middle of the road tunes. He was good,but the songs kinda depressed me...lovey dovey stuff doesn't sit well with me right now (lol). Victoria & I ordered some Singha beer & i had a hot sake to chase it. Hot was more like volcanic! when i poured it in the shot cup,it burned the hell out of my hand...geez! Since i was still under the weather from having a bought with stomach flu (have no idea how i got it...and no,it's not the "dreaded" swine flu!),i opted for some seaweed/tofu soup (last pic). I told Victoria to order anything she wanted,but she played it safe & had a spicy Tom Khai (?) seafood soup. She couldn't handle the heat...ha!

http://www.yelp.com/biz/thai-patio-los-angeles-3

GO GO SUSHI,4/25/09 (PASADENA)

2009-04-26T09:12:00.000-07:00

Are you starting to see a theme here?
I LOOOOOOOOVE SUSHI! Between sushi & taco binges,i guess i'm a nutbar (lol) ;p I eat seafood (not just sushi),at least 4x a week,so at least i do eat healthy...it's the booze i gotta watch. This is fresh salmon,albacore & a oyster shooter,from another cheap & tasty sushi joint i frequent.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/go-go-sushi-pasadena

DEPECHE MODE FREE CONCERT,4/23/09 (HOLLYWOOD)

2009-04-26T08:01:00.000-07:00

Heard via the internet grapevine that DM was putting on a free concert in Hollywood for all their loyal fans (which i'm not really). Of coarse my friends (Yvonne & Mishi) & I pounced on this right away. The only problem was that we heard conflicting stories that you had to have a ticket. Regardless,we decided to wing it & see if we could get in. Instead of driving we took the subway,which always freaks me out going through tunnels (hello,possible earthquake?!). When we got off at Hollywood/Vine it was everybody in their mother out in force! I had heard that the concert didn't start until 730p,and we had gotten there around 3pm. I didn't want to stand in the hot sun,in line,waiting to get in...screw that! i persuaded my chums to go get something to eat with me...my treat. Passed by Kabuki just in time for their happy hour :) I usually talk crap about this restaurant because i notice their service is like molasses & it usually is. But today it wasn't that busy,so i'll refrain from complaining. The happy hour special is grrrrrrrrrreat! Can't beat the drink prices & the happy hour sushi they have on the menu. To start off our lil adventure we had saki bomb shots....oooh,boy! On an empty stomach,it was a rare case of the giggles for me ;p We placed our sushi orders,along with more drinks & began to relax & gossip (can't tell on what that was!). Once the food arrived in droves,it was one big pigout fest. Another friend of ours,Maritza,showed up & we tied a few more on. Afterwards we headed toward the venue. Well we get there & the line is ridiculous! I'm sorry,i don't do lines! I'm thinking,forget this,let's go hang out at Kung Pao Kitty. But my friends were insistent since we trekked out there. Maritza struck up a conversation with a random girl who told her that she had an extra ticket if she wanted it. LUCKY DOG! that left us in the cold. But not for long because Mishi ran into a former coworker (Mike) & he said he had a total of 3 tickets, if we wanted them. I asked him how he was going to get in,but he wasn't bothered,he had seen them a bunch of times in concert. SWEEET! Mike walked us up to the ticket holders line,but because security wasn't paying attention,he was able to get in on the sly with us...HA! The area were were in was a huge parking lot at Hollywood/Cole & there was a sea of people...i'd say a good 6,000 or so? The concert itself was "meh!",I could've done well without hearing their new material (wrong!). But they really rocked the old stuff ("personal Jesus" for one).I for one was pretty much over it by then,so we left & walked to Kung Pao Kitty for appetizers & drinks. From the kitty it was the Burgundy Room to dance & check out Jeremy Miller's set.

http://www.kabukirestaurants.com/home.asp

http://www.kungpaokitty.com/

http://www.yelp.com/biz/burgundy-room-los-angeles

MIDORI,4/23/09 (PASADENA)

2009-04-26T07:56:00.000-07:00

Midori's is my pick for a quick,cheap Japanese meal. I usually go there because i have a hankering for spicy tuna salad. Today it was for miso soup,spicy tuna roll & salmon roll. Good way to end my work day.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/midori-pasadena

LEE'S HOAGIE HOUSE,4/21/09 (PASADENA)

2009-04-26T07:43:00.000-07:00

I like swinging by Lee's to get a quick bite to eat at work. I've been frequenting this joint for 10 or more years. It's like the "Cheers" version of a sandwich shop :) This particular morning I had a mediterranean omelette that i garnished with peppers & pickled beets ...yummy! The pic of the koi fish was from an apartment building i visited later that day. I've never seen koi that huge before...made me hungry for sushi (lol)! http://www.yelp.com/biz/lees-hoagie-house-pasadena

LA ESTRELLA TACOS,4/20/09 (PASADENA)

2009-04-26T07:36:00.000-07:00

I love their food! Simple,tasty Mexican food :)
lately i've been on a serious taco binge & it's hard for me to say no to this place when i pass by it....ah,such is life!

http://www.yelp.com/biz/viva-tacos-la-estrella-pasadena

TACO NITE @ CHURCH OF OLOPC,4/19/09 (ALEX'S CRIB,HOLLYWOOD)

2009-04-20T16:52:00.000-07:00

We've been waaaaaay overdue for our sunday get togethers due to Alex's fortunate promotion (yay!). But no matter,it was just like old times :) As you can see, we got a new "member"...she's my new BFF (sorry Yvonne!).

WORK LUNCH: SALAD FROM PORTA VIA,4/19/09 (PASADENA)

2009-04-19T14:52:00.000-07:00

Discovered this place last year (1 W. California Bl,Pasadena) & every time i have a lil "extra" money i like to treat myself to their salads. This once consisted of mixed greens,salami & cheese,red onions,garbanzo beans,capers & bell pepper,lemon vinegarette dressing & grilled flat bread....theee best!

http://www.portaviafoods.com/

WORK BREAKFAST: TRADER JOE'S MISO SOUP & ORANGE,4/19/09 (PASADENA)

2009-04-19T09:54:00.000-07:00

My friend Alex turned me on to Trader Joe's miso soup a few months ago. I usually keep a few packets in my work drawer for an instant breakfast. The soup mix contains scallions,mushrooms & little miso cubes, but i like to add large freezed dried shitakes & fried garlic...yummy!

http://www.traderjoes.com/

KOJI'S HAPPY HOUR,4/16/09 (HOLLYWOOD)

2009-04-17T19:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day in the neighborhood! California weather rules :P I ran a few errands then met up with my "church" group (O.L.O.P.C.) for happy hour at Koji's. I went by Alex's crib to pick her up,but prior she told me that there was a special guest there. Lil Aidan! my favorite little person :) He's having a bday party on Sat,but unfortunately i can't go :( So,brought a present for him & he loved it! Afterwards Alex & i left and headed for Koji's. Koji's is located at Hollywood & Highland,a tourist trap area i try to avoid like the plague. But you can't beat the prices for Koji's happy hour! We arrived & Tim and Sean came after. Was good seeing the gang again,since we haven't had church in awhile (horrible sin! lol).

http://www.kojisjapan.com/

TRUE TO LIFE FORTUNE COOKIE

2009-04-15T14:15:00.000-07:00

*this stopped me in my lunch tracks today*

considering how the last few days have been with my ex (asshole!)...this fortune today speaks volumes. Wow! Click on pic to see a closer view....

SO I HAD THIS IDEA

2009-04-15T13:15:00.000-07:00

Besides wearing hats,i dig wearing boots. I have a large collection of motorcycle,cowboy, & short "booties". In fact,my "day job" requires me to wear military boots. So when i saw these studded combat boots online by Free People that were selling for $388 dollars,i thought...OH,HELL NO! there's no way that i'm going to pay that,when i know that i can copy it! And that's what i did :) I went to ebay and found some new combat boots & got them for $25 (score!). Studying the picture,i noticed that their boots were a bit worn in. I didn't have time to drive my boots through the mud,so the the next best thing was to use a pumice stone (ghetto route from sandpaper) & start scraping the hell out of the leather. Not too bad looking,i thought. Now dealing with the studs was a huge challenge. i have a "Bedazzler",but that wasn't gonna cut through this thick leather. And being the lazy person i am,i couldn't see myself painstakingly punching holes to hand apply those studs. Next best thing? call you favorite cobbler! :) There's a shop i've gone to on Melrose that sell handmade leather goods (clothing,boots,jewelry,etc),and the owner's pretty damn handy with applying studs. I brought the pic of the Free People combat boots & asked him if he could duplicate the design. "No problem", he said in his heavy Persian accent. "Awesome!" i replied....but how much?? He mulled over it & then told me,$45. I thought about it,& thought about it,then realized that that was a fair enough price. It took him a week to do it & i was on pins & needles waiting to see them. As you can see from the last pic,they don't look too shabby! So my version of these pricey boots only cost me a grand total of $70.....word!

ART WALK,AKA "DRUNK WALK",4/9/09 (DOWNTOWN L.A.)

2009-04-15T09:31:00.000-07:00

Yvonne has been bugging me for months to come check out Art Walk,and i was alway like,"whatevs" to the whole idea of treking downtown. I always worried about parking,crazy transients & getting too inebriated to find my way back Hollywood. But i thought,what the hell? She had already roped me into getting a thai massage that day ($45 for 1hr massage...can't beat that!),so i guess i was in a pretty relaxed state of mind. I'm glad i went :) Art Walk is held in downtown L.A. in the gallery district,the first Thurs of each month. The galleries stay open late & host showings & there's booze to be had (hehehe!). The general atmosphere is reminded me of SoHo (or imagined it to be!),& artsy fartsy people were ruling the streets that nite. We first hit up a restaurant called,"Pete's" because she raved & raved about their bloody marys....she know's my weakness ;p. The drinks were great actually & they gave a nice presentation. We then ordered & i had calamari (which looked good,but wasn't) & she had some kinda italian meat do-dad (dude,i forgot to ask u what that was!). I was still hungry so i ordered a caesar salad & dirty martini. The salad had fried anchovies on it,which intially freaked me out...all & all it was good. Yvonne ordered a manhattan,so i had to pose our drinks next to each other (match made in heaven!). We then proceeded to go out & check out the sights outside. We saw an open air exibit that featured different artist & a reggae band. Further down the street we checked out a few more galleries, and i saw this neat store window for the "5cent Diner". It was odd that they had manequins in the window,but even odder was the fact they're hair was actually icing. Another one was wearing a pie crust hat (lol). Pretty cool! Yvonne then remembered that there was a hat shop she wanted me to see. As all my friends know,i'm a huge hat freak! i loooooove hats (lol)! She took me to Stella Dottir's shop (430 S. Main St,L.A.),and i instantly fell in love with the place. Her hats are not only beautiful creations,but works of art...and the prices were definitely reasonable. I found a light blue,velvet cloche hat with a rose & feathers on front. Bought it on the spot :) This put me in an even better mood,so she suggested we check out a bar called "The Association". You had to go down a stairwell from the street to enter & it definitely has the feel of a speakeasy. Extremely dark! We ordered two dirty martinis & waited for our other friend,Amanda to come with. Once she got there it was nothing but laughs for us. Yvonne told me to go check out the bathroom,that it was pretty swanky. I had to take a pic against a wall in the stall,i thought it looked pretty cool. Also the ceiling inside the bar was pretty amazing,hence the pic i included. Anyhoos,we went back out into the night air & by then it was preetty busy on the streets. Bohemians mixed with business people getting off from work. Time to hit another bar! We decided to go to Bar 107, and see what was going on there. Well,yeah we had a few more drinks there,and nothing says classy as a dirty martini in a tumbler & Pabst Blue Ribbon (lol).

http://www.bgfa.us/daw/

http://www.petescafe.com/

http://losangeles.metromix.com/bars-and-clubs/bar_review/downtown-nightlife-the-association/840985/content

http://www.myspace.com/bar107

http://gourmetpigs.blogspot.com/2009/03/my-5-cents-on-nickel-diner.html

"HOOKER DREAMESCAPE" ART OPENING @ COREY HELFORD STUDIO, 2/09 (CULVER CITY)

2009-04-14T14:36:00.000-07:00

As you can see,the painting is awesome is way beyond my expectations!! And can you believe it sold for $7500!...niiiice! The rest of her paintings are amazing as well,she's got serious "skillets" (skills..lol). The pics at the bottom are me grinning with Natalia. Great nite :D

http://www.coreyhelfordgallery.com/#/home/

"HOOKERPICNIC" PHOTO SHOOT 2/08

2009-04-14T14:20:00.000-07:00

I've always have wanted to be involved in my friend,Natalia Fabia's,paintings. So when she asked me to participate in a photo shoot (pics courtesy of Kirstin Burns) last year,i jumped at the opportunity. Who doesn't want to be immortalized in a painting (lol)? Anyhoos,the theme was women having an indoor picnic (vodka candy & lil mini cakes) and just having a grand ole time. I had no idea what i was in for,once the drinks started flowing,but it was fun just the same :)

http://www.nataliafabia.com/

FARMER'S MARKET (HOLLYWOOD)

2009-04-14T11:17:00.001-07:00

In addition to the market,Avi & i hit up The Spotlight for NewCastles & bloodys. After that it was Ye Olde Rustic Inn for Long Island ice teas,then Kung Pao Kitty for an early dinner & bloody marys...good times!

http://www.hollywoodfarmersmarket.net/

http://www.spotlightbar.com/

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

http://www.kungpaokitty.com/