Ate my way through LA

Went to Los Angeles for a 3 day weekend and went to many different places to try some restaurants that have had some good reviews on yelp! First on my list, Pink's Hot Dogs. I was really excited to try this place since it has had a long list of followers, including celebrities (which they name some hot dogs after). I arrived at 2pm on a Saturday afternoon and, of course, there was a line. I waited almost 2 long hours in line and ordered 3 types of hot dogs, all on their '10 most popular dogs' list. I ordered the Chili Cheese Dog, Martha Stewart Dog and the Planet Hollywood Dog (shown left to right) Disappointingly, the dogs were not that good. Very skinny dogs and not much flavor. I looks like it just came right out of the vacuum packed bag. The numerous toppings were d-lish, but who doesn't like bacon, relish, onions,chopped tomatoes, sauerkraut, nacho cheese, chili & sour cream?!? For the amount of time in line and the cost, I would've been content with eating a polish dog from Costco!

After some shopping, I worked up my appetite for LA's famous steakhouse, Mastro's. I was really excited to eat here since it got rave reviews. The interior of the restaurant was a little dark but it looked nice and had a slightly modern touch. The service was good, but not great. (The forgot the lemon for my water. Asked twice and it never came) I ordered the petit filet mignon, medium, and my partnered ordered the bone in rib eye (medium rare). We also ordered creamed corn and Mastro's mashed potatos. Unfortunately, my steak was well done and my partners steak was rare! What a disappointment! The family style sides come on a large platter and are meant for sharing. The creamed corn was very creamy but a little too sweet. I felt like I was eating a corn custard. The Mastro's mash was very good. Creamy mashed with all the fixin's - bacon, cheese, sour cream and chives. BUT, I did come for the steak, not the sides and it just wasn't very good. Bummer - 0 for 2 in one day! At this point, I'm pretty convinced the food in San Francisco is MUCH better.

Day 2 - Hopeful!

Went to a small burger joint called 'Umami' What is umami you ask? It refers to a taste group. Most people know there are four food groups: sweet, bitter, salty, sour. Umami is the fifth. Some describe this as a meaty or savory taste. Umami is a very clever name for a burger joint! The burgers were juicy and very flavorful but a bit small. I loved the sodas that you could order. I ordered Margo's all natural cane sugar root beer. Not only did it have great root beer flavor, but 100% of all proceeds go to shelters and rescue dogs. (I'm a huge dog lover so anything that helps them out is a plus!) Dessert wasn't bad - We ordered two ice cream sandwhiches: Chai tea and Vanilla. The cookie wasn't very good but the ice cream was! Overall - a pretty good meal.

Diddie Reese - 2 fresh baked cookies and scoop of ice cream. You chose the flavors! How could you go wrong?!

Amazing Potluck

Last night I attended an amazing potluck feast! It was an Asian themed dinner party and I made one of my specialties, pork adobo. I also made some delicious curry flavored deviled eggs! It was a hit at the party! In addition to my dishes, there were also bbq korean beef short ribs and chicken laab, a laotian chicken stir-fry with cilantro, bazil and mint.

You know the food is good when nobody is talking! Mmmmm.....

Sucker for Spam

I'm a total sucker for spam! Yes, this mystery meat comes in a can and looks like dog food, but it's damn good! Fry it up and I'll be your best friend! I usually make spam fried rice or spam with eggs, but a few days ago I made spam sushi! It was so easy to make and so much fun to eat! Since it is already so salty ( I already used the 'lite' version which is low sodium and low fat!) I decided to not eat it with soy sauce. I paired my spam rolls with a salad dressed in a creamy sesame dressing! D-lish!!