My trip to Oahu, Hawaii

Here are some pictures of my trip to Hawaii not too long ago.  I stayed at the Olomana Gardens doing a program similar to WWOOF’ing. If you’re not sure what that is, visit www.wwoof.org.  Its a great way for people to travel if you are on a budget, want to get into farming and organic living, or simply want to live with a family rather than on your own because you get to experience the true culture of the place you are visiting.  This was my second visit to the Olomana Gardens and I had a blast! Every night I ate like a KING because I was making fantastic meals for the whole gang and topping it off with a nice glass of wine or beer. Everyone would pitch in, whether it be side dishes, wine, freshly baked tortillas, etc.  I most definitely left the calorie counting back in LA!  I’m so happy and grateful for all the experiences and most importantly the friendships that I made.  I can’t wait to go back!

The Kitchen, and the great people at Olomana Gardens

My Bedroom, which really was converted from a Van lol

Gorgeous organic papaya freshly picked from the tree

Imagine having a picnic while enjoying this amazing view. Words cannot describe how it felt.

Potlucks are the best! You get a taste of everything!

Our "backyard"

The best spaghetti I've ever made in my life all because of the love and "aloha" that went in it as some called it, also the fresh oregano didn't hurt either ;)

Freshly caught Tilapia!

On the last day of my trip, I spent the whole day making chili guava peach jam :)

Did you like this? Share it:

Tofuya BBQ, Los Angeles

Tofuya BBQ

11267 National Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90064

(310) 477-6075 ‎

If you’ve never done all you can eat Korean BBQ you must try this!!! It is so much fun. You get to order as much as you can eat, but…you have to cook it yourself! If you ask me, I think that’s the fun of the whole experience.  I’ve been to several Korean BBQ restaurants, and this is just one example, a little place called Tofuya BBQ, not to be confused by Tofu Ya, both of which are on or near Sawtelle!  I’ve listed the address and phone number of the one I went to because it can get very confusing if you try to look it up on your own.  This place gives a ton of meat and was about 16.95 per person.  Other places generally tend to be a few dollars less than that.  The place was clean. Service was good.  I do recommend it.  However, I’ll be sure to review some others in the future. If you know of any good ones I should check out, I’d love to hear about it.

Did you like this? Share it:

BRÜ HAUS, Los Angeles

BRÜ HAUS, cool little crowded gastropub on Wilshire Blvd.  Easy to get into, AND they serve really cool food.   As for food, they had a variety of exotic sausages. Unfortunately they were out of stock on a lot of them. My first choice was the habanero tequila chicken, but I had to settle with the duck and somethingerother.  I definitely want to go back and try the other cool stuff that they had.  The great thing is, if you’re not too thrilled about it, instead of driving somewhere else, you can always just go next door in either direction where bar hopping in LA is actually doable!

Did you like this? Share it:

What Kind of Burger Are You?

Fatburger

www.fatburger.com

I was on my way to my favorite burger joint (In N Out), then got persuaded to try something different. It had been a while since I’d been to Fatburger and so I figured I’d go.  I actually really liked it, except I forgot to ask them not to put relish. I don’t like that stuff. I think the most exciting thing was that they had a soda machine with like a million flavors, like Peach Sprite, and Cherry & Lime Lemonade.  The burgers are good too. Real meaty. Real Tasty. Oh and if you’re trying to watch your carb intake, they’ve got a salad version as their “lettuce wrap.”  I guess the advantage of going here as opposed to In N Out  is that you have more options of what you want on your burger like bacon, eggs, mayo, relish, etc., plus their burgers patties are bigger too, of course, their prices are a tad higher.  Still, its good to switch it up sometimes.  What do you think, are you an In N Out fan, or do you prefer other meatier burgers over the taste of In N Out?

Did you like this? Share it:

Guido’s Ristorante, Santa Monica

I went to this place on recommendation.  We ordered the Ravioli Di Aragosta and Eggplant Parmigana.  I liked the Eggplant Parmigana because it had a good amount of melted cheese on top, but overall was not very flavorful.  The Ravioli Di Aragosta is their homemade ravioli with stuffed lobster in a champagne cream sauce.  That type of dish is just so much for one person to take in because it’s just so heavy.  So between the two of us, we split the eggplant and ravioli and still had some left over.  I must say that others told us that this was a really great place to go to, but honestly I wasn’t all too impressed.  The atmosphere was a little dark and somewhat old school Italian mobsterish, but I guess it’s cool if you’re into that!

Did you like this? Share it:

The Penthouse @ The Huntley Hotel, Santa Monica

This next restaurant/lounge is a super fun place to go and one of my favorites in Santa Monica.  I find myself going here quite often because it suits every occasion, whether it be just to get drinks with friends, or celebrate a birthday. But the best feature of The Penthouse is the absolutely GORGEOUS decor.  Overlooking the ocean, it is THE perfect place to go to early in the day for brunch or late enough to catch the sunset and breathtaking views.  The nightlife alone gives it a different feel. We ordered a cabana, had a beautiful dinner, and followed the music to the dance floor.  I ordered the New Zealand Snapper that comes with potato gnocchi and steamed clams.  I have to admit, it was very light and delicate. The fish had a slightly crispy exterior but coated in a delicious white wine and garlic sauce.  The gnocchi was made to perfection.  Of course, the servings are rather small. But if you want the best bang for your buck, order the crab cakes. They’re the best. Everything was of excellent quality. Oh, and apparently I got a little overzealous when they brought my food because I forgot to take a picture of it! Doh!

Braised Short Rib

Brick Pressed Jidori Chicken

Crab Cakes

Cauliflower Gratin

Strozzapreti

Happy Birthday Crissy!

Did you like this? Share it:

South, Santa Monica

Having a lovely time with the ladies of National Ladies Professional Group @ the sports bar South in Santa Monica. There are mixed reviews of this place, mainly because of the service and the fact that it gets too crowded.  However, I went on a Sunday so parking was easy to find and it was not crowded at all. Not to mention, we had our own little private room.  The food looked good and was reasonably priced.  I wasn’t too hungry so I just ordered chicken wings.  If you’re looking for a casual place to catch a game and order some appetizers, then it’s a go!

Did you like this? Share it:

Monster Thai, Sherman Oaks

Was running around, doing errands, getting a car wash, ya know…and came across this tiny little Thai restaurant.  I’m obsessed with Thai soups and this one was da bomb!  Also ordered Thai iced tea, beef & broccoli, and Pad Thai (a classic). If you don’t like peanuts, be sure to let them know when you place your order or else they’ll add it to practically everything! I like that they didn’t use too much oil. Overall, I felt the quality was really good especially in comparison to the price. Actually, now that I’m looking at the pictures, I know what I don’t like about this place. I didn’t like how the broccoli wasn’t covered in the sauce.  I like my food really saucy but, like I said, this was more on the healthier side.  By the way, this was enough to feed two people with a little left over as well.

Did you like this? Share it: