weekends / good friends & good eats

On the road again

Snagged a few samples of the Clarins Double Serum and piled it on with moisturizer pre-flight. I quite like the serum! Pat, don’t rub.

Weddings are a precious time especially when you’re allowed to stand on the sidelines.

Eden Gardens

Waiting for brunch at Griddle Cafe.

Finally met my girlfriend’s toddler. I love pudgy little hands and babies in checks.

Tons of quality time with one of my longest friendships!

Tres leches cake from Porto’s.

Fried boquerones drizzled with honey and saffron at Bäco Mercat.

Root beer + chocolate soda at Bäco Mercat.

Finally tried Jeni’s brambleberry crisp ice cream!

Monday Sundae at Big Gay Ice Cream

Back home and back to the routine!

to eat / what i ate recently (more LA)

More LA… Urth Caffe, Umami Burger, Lark Cake Shop, and a wedding.

Urth Caffe – I met M at her new (to me) home on a sunny Saturday morning. I rarely get up before noon on a Saturday but had to in order to “fit” everyone into my schedule. After admiring the many designer chairs, we walked over to the Melrose location of this popular cafe. The sun was shining a bit too brightly for this pale-faced Asian, so I hid in the shade. Their tea lattes looked very popular, so I started with a green tea latte.

I got the “eggs verde” egg dish, which consisted of poached eggs over arugula, roasted corn, baby tomatoes, and asparagus. The salad was so fresh and delicious!

The line to order snaked around the cake/pie case. Their cake/pies are massive (think Cheesecake Factory grandness). You think I could pass it up? We shared a slice of the coconut custard pie. Delish.

Umami Burger – It was my last few hours of freedom. J and I grabbed lunch at the popular Umami Burger in Los Feliz. We started out with ginger beer and root beer.

The interior had an industrial, Japanese schoolhouse vibe.

to eat / what i ate recently

Here’s a smorgasbord of stuff I ate in NYC and LA.

Around home

Brindle Room fresh donuts – Caramel donut made out of mashed potatoes. Surprisingly light. Made to order.

酒釀 (sweet fermented rice) – This is a common winter comfort dessert. My mom has been making this for decades. It smells like rice wine. We usually cook it with eggs, rice balls, or mandarin oranges. I was about to eat some today, when I realized my roommate had thrown my tub out… :(

Bespoke Chocolates – Sadly, this chocolate shop just shuttered last week. They have beautifully crafted artisan chocolate and was hidden in an alley near Houston St. Pretzel-Covered Sea-Salted Caramels, Venezuelan Dark Chocolate Cognac, Southampton Tea Truffle, Strawberry Balsamic, and Lavender Honey Fleur de Sel Caramel seen below.

Pulino’s – Brunch! I discovered sausage gravy and biscuits in my college dorm. I have yet to meet an unsatisfactory version of this dish.

Los Angeles

Newport Seafood – I’ve been wanting to eat at Newport Seafood ever since I saw it on Oh Joy!’s blog. I LOOOOVE Chinese-style seafood. My friend J and her husband indulged me on my quick trip to LA. We had the clams with black bean sauce, their popular beef loc lac, a healthy dose of pea sprouts, and their special lobster.