Om Rice at Blue Marlin

I am a huge fan of Om Rice which is basically stir fried rice with a ketchupy flavor which is wrapped in a omelet (hence "om" - OMelet Rice). Most places don't serve this because it is considered more of a home cooked dish. The awesome thing about Blue Marlin is that they have all sorts of toppings from Tonkatsu, curry, stir fried shrimp, and hamburg. There is always a weekly Om Rice special which I have never ever seen the same there. Man, that chef is creative or just gets bored with the same thing. Today I had the Fried Tofu with Crab Cream Sauce Om Rice. It was gooooood! Japanese comfort food at its best.

Luncheon at Anisette Brasserie

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My friend Marsha and I were both off of work today so we decided to have lunch together. I have been dying to try Anisette Brasserie so I made reservations. It was a cute place that reminded me of Paris. They had to traditional brasserie food (Croque Monsieur, Fruits de Mer, Steak Frites, etc.). I ordered the Croque Monsieur which is a favorite of mine. It was good....but ok, don't think I have bad food taste, but I actually like the one at Champagne Bakery better. Anyone with me on this one? Anyways, Marsha ordered the daily special which included your choice of entree with either an appetizer or dessert, which was quite a good deal and her meal was pretty tasty. She also splurged and ordered an assortment of raw oysters. All in all a cute place with good brasserie food. I liked the ambience better than the food.

Eating and Drinking My Way Through New York City

Eric and I (my other BFF)

Petey and me (My new BFF)

Party at Eric’s

I got suckered into cooking dinner with Johanna and Eric for a small party they threw at Eric’s place. Jk….it was fun grocery shopping and cooking with them and they never make me feel like a third wheel J We made a taco bar with three kinds of filling, a homemade pico de gallo (by Johanna), homemade guacamole (by Eric), chipotle, beef, and fish taco filling. Good times!

BLT Burger

I had to leave NYC with a food bang….so Eric and I decided to go eat gourmet burgers at BLT Burger (which they have one in Las Vegas as well). Cute place with a big ole cow head hanging from the wall. I had the American Kobe burger which is like double the price, but honestly my beef taste buds did not quite notice the difference. Anyone think there is a huge difference in American Wagyu and good ole American ground sirloin? We shared chili cheese waffle fries and some Vidalia onion rings. Eric had the strawberry banana shake and I had the Black and White. If anyone is reading this and it thinking we are gluttonous pigs, you are correct. Whenever I am with Chang….we go big….green side always up.

My Medium Done American Kobe Burger
Eric's Burger and Onion Rings

Strawberry/Banana and Black and White Milkshakes

Momofuku Ssam, Blue Owl Bar, and Waffle Truck

My good friend Gina who used to be my drinking and eating buddy in the West LA area moved to NYC in August after getting married. So of course we had to go out and eat and drink in New York together. Gina took me to Momofuku Ssam, one of David Chang’s restaurants. The menu was quite eclectic: we had the Pork Belly Bun Sandwich, Fried Brussel Sprouts, and Spicy Pork and Rice Cake Stir-fry. Everything was yummy and had really good flavors. Definitely want to try his 2 star restaurant, the OG Momofuku next time. After dinner, we walked across the street to a cute little bar called the Blue Owl for some martinis. Then after drinks we saw a waffle truck and immediately decided to grab some dessert. We shared a chewy one and a crispy one….we both liked the chewy one. There is something about standing on the street in front of a food truck eating hot food.

Gina and I at her Midtown Apartment

Yum....chewy waffle on the streets of NYC

Gina in front of the waffle truck
Spicy Pork and Mochi

Fried Brussel Sprouts....Everything is better when it's fried!

Pork Belly Steamed Bun

Veselka Black and White Cookie (it mysteriously disappeared the next day...Eric!!!)
My two loves:)

Decibel

After a whole day of eating with my good friend Malcolm we ended up at Decibel a sake bar to meet up with Eric. Having just drunk two large beer steins, I was not only full but slightly buzzed. I got a nice and smooth sake which further the buzzed state. This was cool and dark with lots of kissing couples.

Sake at Decibel

Ippudo

While in NYC, my old high school classmate told me about Ippudo and claimed it was the best ramen she’d ever had. Being Japanese, I am a bit particular about ramen although I am no connoisseur by any means. Malcolm and I continued our eating trek and dropped by to check out this place. It must be good because when we got there, it was a 45 minute wait on a Monday night. It exceeded my expectations…probably the best ramen I’ve had in a very very long time. They specialize in Tonkotsu ramen which is a pork bone broth base. The noodles are thin and straight. I had the spicy noodle and Mac had the miso ramen. Both quite good and the broth was so good I wanted to drink the entire bowl. For a starter we had a braised pork steamed bun sandwich which was excellent and shared some chicken wings which were ok (Furaibo is better in my opinion). Then for dessert we splurged on green tea crème brulee. During the meal we chatted up the kitchen staff…two really nice girls. Mac finagled the girl into giving us some of her homemade butterscotch brownie she was eating behind the counter. I drank two big cups of beer and I was pretty buzzed, hence the redness in the photo.

Green Tea Creme Brulee
My Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen
Mac and I at Ippudo (after 2 large beers)
Mac's Miso Ramen
Fried Chicken...Japanese Style
Steamed Pork Buns (nice thumb)

Shake Shack

One day Malcolm and I kept continuously eating and drinking (lamb on rice, hamburger, beer, ramen, sake, then late night cookie at Veselka bakery). We happened to be walking around Madison Square Park and Malcolm told me about this great burger place that happens to always be crowded. But since it was a bit chilly out, there was no line. We decided to get an afternoon snack so we shared a cheeseburger and shake. I thought the burger was better than In and Out and for $4, comparable in price. Something about the bun….it was the chewiest bun I’ve ever had and the burger meat was quite flavorful and tender.

Mac and Burger
Shake Shack

Rafiqi’s Lamb on Rice

Malcolm….good ole Mac…always introducing me to the cheap but good eats of NYC. Last time he took me to a lunch cart called Rafiqi’s where they specialize in Halal food. Basically gyros type food….I had the yummy lamb on rice. Oh so good. Kind of like sliced gyros over rice, with this red and white sauce. Again with the sauces…have no idea what’s in them, but they are so damn good on the food. I remembered this time to take photos so you can see what I’m talking about. For $5, you get all this food.

Lamb on Rice
Mac in front of the Rafiqi's Lunch Truck

Rice to Riches
After the Arepas, we all stopped by a new place that serve solely rice pudding in all sorts of flavors ( coconut, cheesecake, regular, etc.). I am a lover of rice pudding, but seriously after three bites, you are pretty dang full. Of course unless your name is Eric Chang or you have a tapeworm in your system. They came in these cute plastic rice bowls that were like tupperware. For $6 a bowl, I took my bowl home with me and washed it out.
Haeli, Mac, Eric, and Niroshi
Love this sign!
OH my.....that is a lot of rice pudding (three bites and your done unless your name is Eric Chang)

Caracas Arepa Bar

Malcolm kept talking about the Venezuelan place that specialized in Arepa, a corn based bread that looks kind of like a pita which is filled with a variety of ingredients. I tried one with chorizo, grilled pepper, jalapeno, and white cheese. They had some delicious sauce in a bottle that you squeeze onto each bite. It was so delicious, I immediately started searching for an arepa place in Los Angeles (has anyone tried Coupa Café?).

www.caracasarepabar.com

My chorizo Arepa
Mac and Haeli

Niroshi

Niroshi was my classmate from high school whom I recently have become closer to. We both realized last time I was in NYC that we had so much in common, mainly crafting! This time around, Niroshi was kind enough to let me stay at her place in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Thanks Niroshi and for waking up at the crack of dawn to let me in.

Lemon Tart and Coffee French Macaroon from Thomas Keller's Bouchon
Niroshi and I in Central Park

Joe Shanghai

The soup dumplings or shao lum bao are a must eat in NYC Chinatown. Much bigger than the ones at Din Tai Fung, Joe Shanghai is always on my list of places to visit, despite its crazy long wait and ridiculous fire hazard seating. This visit, we went with a group of 9 which took awhile to seat, but allowed us to get more food. Pork, Pork/Crab dumpling, chicken fried rice, onion cake, flat noodle, fish noodle soup, scallop stir fry, and shrimp. I think I ate 6 dumplings and I was thoroughly satisfied! If you like dumplings these soup dumplings are the best.

Joe Shanghai sampler (pork dumpling, flat noodle, and onion pancake)

NYC is such an awesome place….made even better with the group of close friends I have out there (Niroshi, Eric, Malcolm, and Gina). Thanks guys for making my trip a memorable one. I hope to be back soon!

Luxury Box at the Staples Center...Doesn't Get Any Better Than This!

Tonight I was lucky enough to accompany my cousin Jen to a Clippers vs Utah game. But it wasn't just any game. I got to sit in a VIP luxury box!!!! One thing to cross off my list before I die...definitely something I have been wanting to do for a long time, but never actually thought I would get the chance. We got to sit in the Canon box and even got VIP parking which we didn't have to pay for and it was literally steps from the VIP entrance. It was awesome!!!! We walked into the room and they had chips, nuts, and popcorn along with sodas and beer. Jen and I got some burgers, fries, and nachos. It was so much fun sitting there, eating, and enjoying the game. Even though they lost, I was happy to see the UCLA alum Baron Davis play. Thanks again Jen for inviting me....I will never forget that experience.

Daniela and JR's Wedding - Vegas Style

Today was Daniela and JR's wedding in Las Vegas. The ceremony was held at the Little Chapel of the West located right on the Strip of Las Vegas Blvd. It was a cute little place (see picture), but definitely conveyor belt wedding style where in about the span of 1 hour, I saw at least 10 brides pop in and out. There were young brides, old brides, fat brides, skinny brides :) It was quite the collection of brides. The ceremony was short and sweet....just the way I like it. Then we were off to the Paris Buffet for the post wedding reception. Check out the photos from the celebration (apparently I was the unofficial photographer since I had my nice camera on me).

The Little Church of the West

Putting on the dress in the hotel room The bridesmaids....faux chatting photo

The maid of honor Angie Onoda

The beautiful bride Daniel and her father walking her down the aisle

The Wedding Party

Going in for the wedding kiss

The Chapell's

Daniela

The newlyweds with their baby Marcus

The Groomsmen

The bridal party

Julie, Jessica, and Angie

Julie and I waiting to get our grub on

Waiting in line for food

Daniela grabbing some claws
My yummy plate of food....I love shrimp!