National Donut Day

It’s National Donut Day!! Who doesn’t love a good donut every now and then. Of course I grew up eating Winchells as a kid but since those days, especially in the social media age, donut shops are popping up with Instagrammable creations that are fancy and delicious. Poqets in Irvine is one of those social media worthy Donut shops. 

Poqets calls themselves the DIY Donut shop because you can create a Donut that speaks entirely just to you. They also offer the traditional favorites and also you can get mini versions so you don’t feel that guilty.

Their speciality is the Maple Bacon Donut which is absolutely everything!! It’s gives you the perfect salty sweet combo that fulfills your needs. The Apple Pie Donut tastes so much like an actual pie that you’ll forget your eating a donut. The Lemon Meringue is the perfect hint of sweetness that you need to make it through your day. These are just some of my personal faves from here but there are many other yummy flavors to choose from. 

When your in the Irvine area stop by. Poqet has specific hours so check before you stop by. 
Poqets is located at 17655 Harvard Ave #Ste B Irvine 92614
*all opinions are my own* 

Trade Foodhall

There’s a new foodhall in Irvine that’s offering up some delicious grub. I was fortunate to attend a tasting of most of the locations and I didn’t taste anything that I didn’t like. Located on Michaelson right off Jamboree, Trade is a great place to enjoy lunch with co workers or dinner with friends. 

Okay enough chatting, let’s get to the food! 

Two Birds

Downtown LA has Howling Rays, Irvine has Two Birds. This place delivers their version of the new trend of Fried Chicken sandwich  to great reviews. I was able to try this special sandwich, the Two Birds in One Hand,and boy was it messy but in a good way. I was sharing this with other people and we still didn’t put a dent in it. We also tried the Cottage fries and had the perfect pairing. 

Gyro Kings  

If your into gyros this is the place. Gyro Kings is the only original location of the previous foodcourt that was here before it was renovated to become Trade. I’m happy it stayed because it is a gem. These Gyros Fries were everything I didn’t know I needed.

Butterleaf

This delicious eatry is right up my alley and their motto is Vegetarian food for Non Vegetarians. I got to try the yummy Scratch Made Black Bean Burger and it was delicious!

Portside 

I saw soo many yummy things coming from this location and I wanted to try all of them! I did get to try out the Fish and Chips platter which was amazing and also the California Shrimp Burrito.


Pig Pen Delicacy

When I’m really in a cheat mood, this has been my new place to go. Even though I’ve been here before (but at another location), I still enjoyed some of the food items and even tried some I never had yet. We got to try the Infamous Mac Attack Burger (which is great after a fun night out with friends) and standard Tater Tots..

Megadon 

If your into Poke bowls, this is the place for you. This was my fried time having a Poke Bowl and it was enjoyable. I enjoyed the Shrimp Poke Bowl the most. 

Sweet Combfort

The new take on waffles and I’m here for it. Get a Belgium Liege waffle on a stick and made your own creation using the various toppings available. My favorite is the fruity pebbles with cheese cake bites. Nice and Sweet!!

CenterHub

And don’t forget to grab a cocktail while there. The Trade Market has a mini bar called Center Hub that serves up great drinks. You can get whatever fits your fancy like this special Flaming Hor Cheeto Bloody Mary 

Or this delicious Blood Orange Mojito. I’m not normally a Mojito fan but this one just might make me a fan. 

I will defientely end up a Trade regular especially since it’s 10 minutes from my job. There’s so much more food I want to try form each location. So if your looking for somewhere new to dine this weekend, Trade Foodhall should be your destination! 

Trade Food Hall is located at 2222 Michelson Dr. Irvine, CA. 92612

*all opinions are my own* 

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Since I had time before work, I decided to try out the new breakfast/lunch bar in Tustin called Snooze Am Eatery.

 Snooze is located on the Tustin side of The Marketplace. This place is so cute and I will be coming back. 

I’ve been craving pancakes but since my stomach is still acting up, no gluten based foods can be consumed yet. I asked my waitress if I can get gluten free versions of the pancakes and she said yes! I happily ordered some gluten free Sweet Potato Pancakes and they were so good. 

I couldn’t finish them solo so I would definitely recommend sharing a plate with someone. There’s so much more fun food items on the menu that I want to try and next time I’m ordering a breakfast cocktail with my meal! 

*all opinions are my own* 

Comfort LA

Soooo I’m going to be honest with you and upfront. This restaurant is not in the most desirable location in Downtown L.A. Pretty much it’s smack dead in Skid Row BUT don’t let that deter you from going. They serve organic Soul Food and their highlight are their wings. 

Comfort LA is a cozy little alcove where you can enjoy good food, good music, and BYOB. Yes I said BYOB. They offer a Late Lazy Brunch that starts at 3pm and also holds special events. When you walk inside your greeted by a wall full of Soul, R&B and Pop greats and also Simpson characters with an African-American twist.

 There’s a deck of cards or dominos sitting out on the tables so you can play games while you wait for your food.

 Or if you want to enjoy some outside weather, there is a patio outside where you can enjoy yourself or your company. 

One your inside Comfort LA, you won’t even remember exactly what location your in. You instantly just relax and vibe out with your filled to the brim plate and beverage. 

If your ever in the Downtown LA area, I do recommend grabbing some friends and hanging out. Definitely a nice low key spot to enjoy the summer.
Comfort LA is located at 1110 E. 7th St. Los Angeles, CA. 90022 

• All opinions are my own*

Restauration

This weekend, I co-hosted a bridal shower at Restauration in Downtown Long Beach along Retro Row. Restauration is the perfect setting for a cute and intimate celebration. 

We started off with two rounds of appetizers: a veggie platter and a cheese and meat platter. 

Then for our main course we had multiple rounds of Eggplant Pizza and the Boar Sausage Pizza. Both were delicious but the Eggplant was my fave. I ate so much of it without any guilty feelings. 

Most of us enjoyed the cocktails that they have but the Sparkling Rose was the favorite of the day. 

And the staff there was very helpful with all of our needs and even helped me set up the decorations. If your looking for a venue for a cute, small intimate feel and vegan friendly, Restauration is your place.
Restauration is located at 2708 E. 4th St. Long Beach, CA. 90814 
*all opinions are my own* 

Disney California Food and Wine Festival 2017

I’ve been wanting to attend this festival since it first started and finally I got a chance to attend. The Food and Wine Festival is so much better than the Festival of the Holidays Disney has during their Holiday celebration. 

If your an Disney Annual Passholder, the Sip & Savor food pass is the best way to go and only available to APs. It’s $35 with your AP discount and comes with 8 tickets that can be used on food items and non alcoholic beverages. My friend and I just bought one and split it which worked out perfectly. 

In addition to the food kiosks, for an additional fee, you can also attend private seminars for different wines, beers, spirits and food demonstrations. We attended a Wine seminar with a tasting from the Edna Valley wineiries in San Luis Obispo. We sampled a Sauvignon Blanc, Albariño from Tangent wines and Chardonnay from True Myth Wines. Albariño has sort of a salty taste to it but it’s not that bad. 

As for the food, everything we had was delicious!! We didn’t sample every kiosk available but stuck to the ones that appealed to us. We started at the Bacon Twist and Seafood…. Sustained Kiosk. From Bacon Twist we got the Smoked Bacon Mac & Cheese and from a Seafood Sustained we got the Verlasso Sustsinable Salmon Tataki. 

Next was the Garlic Kissed kiosks where we got the Grilled Beef Tenderloin sliders and next to it was the Uncorked kiosks where I got the super yummy Mimosa  flight which consisted of Apricot, Pear, and Mango flavors. 

In the Hollywood Backlot was the LA Style kiosks where we got the Chicken Teriyaki Slider with spicy DOLE pineapple jam and the Korean Barbecue Beef Short Rib Tacos. 

And we ended our food adventure at the Onion Lair enjoying  Braised Wagyu Beef on Creamy Polenta and the French Onion Mac & Cheese. 

The Disney California Wine and Food Festival runs from March 10- April 16th. For non Annual Passholders, you will need to purchase a regular admission ticket ($124) into the park to attend this event. 

*all opinions are my own*

Malibu Farms Restaurant and Bar

I love Malibu. I used to drive up there a lot when I was younger just to hang out and go to the beach. Recently, I went on an hiking excursion to Solstice Canyon with some friends and fell in love with Malibu all over again. After exploring the canyon for a few hours, naturally we were starving and in need of some good food. Once of my companions is vegan so we searched for an restaurant that met everyone’s diet restrictions. Luckily, being in Malibu where skinny is life, there were plenty of eating places to chose from. We were in a good mood and decided to have food on the Malibu Pier at the Malibu Farms Restaurant and Bar. 

Malibu Farms has two locations on the Pier. One location is the Restaurant and Bar and at the end of the Pier is the Café. We decided to dine at the Restaurant and maybe if we were still hungry, order from the Café for a dessert.

The Malibu Farms Restaurant and Bar is so cute and quaint. We walked in during the lunch hour and I knew we made the right choice in coming here. The atmosphere was perfect. The seating gave you a chill beach vibe and even though it was crowded, its a wide space so your not on top of each other. I was loving the furry cushions on the bench style tables and I loved how each table had either a different fresh herb or fresh vegetable as table décor.  

FYI, Malibu Farms is a farm to table restaurant and produce their own organic products. You can taste the freshness in the food.

Okay lets get to the food. I ordered the Malibu Blue Nachos ($12) which was the perfect choice for me. This item came with black beans, cheese salsa and sour cream. I was hungry but not in the mood for something large and this small size nachos was very delicious. You can add protein (chicken, steak or avocado) for an additional price of $4. Remember, you are in Malibu so if you plan on dining out in Malibu, expect to pay Malibu prices. But my $4 worth of fresh avocado was delicious.

My friend ordered the Spaghetti Squash Lasagna ($20). This squash was filled with cream spinach, mozzarella and tomato. We saw this being ordered a lot and now we know why. It was so good. Even though it wasn’t my order, of course my friend shared with me.

My other friend who is the main vegan of the group ordered the Cauliflower Crust Pizza ($16) and The Grilled Vegetable Sandwich ($15). That Pizza was delicious. Whatever herbs they used fro the cauliflower crust made it super tasty and the toppings of mozzarella, tomato and pesto tasted so fresh. Remember Malibu Farms do raise their own vegetable and make their sauces from scratch and you can definitely taste the freshness in the flavor.  The Grilled Vegetable Sandwich was delicious. I had a small taste and almost ordered it. It was a simple sandwich with hummus, arugula, avocado and roasted pepper. 

And last my other companion ordered the Chicken Broccoli Quesadillas ($15). I will admit, these were just okay compared to all the other food and my least favorite. It had a little bit of spicy aioli in it but I still felt like it was missing something to make it great. 

But overall I think the Malibu Farms Restaurant is a great place to dine. While, there we saw a cute set up for a Bridal Shower luncheon and this would be a great place to host an small get together brunch. I loved the atmosphere and the views of the ocean while dining. For pet lovers, you can also bring your dog into the restaurant to dine which is honestly my only negative comment about it. I’m not a fan of dining with pets.

So in the West LA area this weekend and looking for a nice place to dine, I would recommend taking a 15 minute drive up PCH from Santa Monica and dine here with friends. If you park in the structure across the street its a $10 flat fee which is your best option in that area.

 

Malibu Farms Restaurant and Bar- 23000 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu

 

 

*all opinions are my own*

Gratitude

Since I’m on my health kick right now, I’ve been fighting back and forth with my conscience about whether or not I should do Newport Beach Restaurant Week. After browsing the menu, I decided to try out Gratitude which is a vegan restaurant.  I felt like dining here wasn’t really going to destroy the health kick I’m currently on right now.

I’ve heard about Cafe Gratitude in LA from a few of my friends. They told me it was good but pricey. When I saw that Gratitude was on the Newport Beach restaurant week list, I decided to try it.

Gratitude (as it goes by in Newport) is located right off Irvine Blvd and Westcliff in a little cute shopping center. I love the ambience of this restaurant.

I was happy to learn that they have Happy Hour until 6 but I ordered from the pre  fixe Newport Beach Restarant Week Menu. I’ll do Happy Hour next time I go. 

Their Dine Week menu was great. You got a cocktail, appetizer, entree and dessert for $30 plus tax. I went with the skinny margarita which was delicious and boy was it strong 

For my starter, I got the Brussels Sprouts which was a great choice 

For my entree, I order the Mole Abuelita Enchiladas which was hands down the most delicious thing I’ve had in I don’t know how long 

And for dessert, I enjoyed a yummy macaroon treat 

This was hands down the BEST vegan meal I’ve ever had. Hands! Down!. I left wanting to go back there the next day. But again Gratitude is pricey so it’s going to become my new I feel like splurging on myself spot. I can’t wait to go back! 

Cafe Gratitude also has three locations in Los Angeles. 

*all opinions are my own* 

Food Porn of the Year Week

There’s nothing more enjoyable than a simple meal you can throw together and comes out delicious. Who knew something so simple as putting bananas, strawberries, blueberries and granola with honey drizzled on top, could be so delicious and satisfying. Whether it’s for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack, this little meal is perfect. 

Ragin Cajun Cafe

For the first time, I got to experience DineLA. Usually I miss out because I’m to lazy to drive to LA to take part but this time I was able to visit one of the restaurants on the list not to far from me. 

I browsed the restaurants in the SouthBay and Long Beach area and came across Ragin Cajun Cafe. I viewed the lunch and dinner menu online and felt that the price went great with my current budget. Not only was the DineLA price great it’s only about 20 minutes away from me in Redondo Beach. All streets and no freeeays. If you live in Southern California, you know that anytime you don’t have to use the freeway is a good thing. 

I’ve been meaning to catch up with one of my best friends and felt this would be a great opportunity for both of us to catch up and eat good food. 

Ragin Cajun Cafe is a family owned restaurant in Redondo Beach, CA. The family is originally from Layfette, LA. and the food is based on their family recipes. My friend and I decided to go there for lunch to take advantage of their DineLA lunch menu. 

When you walk is inside, there’s Louisiana memorabilia everywhere. You can also grab some beads from the front counter if your feeling festive. I’m sure this place is fun during Mardi Gra Season.

The interior also gave me a southern dive vibe. I kinda felt like I walked into the set of True Blood and all that was missing was Layfette and Sooki lol. All the drinks was even given to you in a mason jar.

What caught my eye on the menu was the Gumbo. I didn’t grow up eating gumbo. Actually the first time I had gumbo was at age 25 and it wasn’t traditional gumbo. I can’t eat crab so the fact that their gumbo is sausage chicken based works for me. The food item on the menu that really caught my eye was the Gumbolaya. Gumbolaya is their chicken sausage gumbo mixed with jamabalaya. 

So we both ordered from the DineLA lunch menu. We both got the Gumbolaya but I got a side of Fried Pickles and she got a Fried Shrimp Po Boy. Our meal also came with complimentary bread that we used to dip into our Gumbolaya. 

We left there stuffed with to go boxes but the food was so good.  I’m definitely going to visit them again sometime this year. The Gumbolaya was a little spicy but not to bad. I can’t wait to go back to try out their Red Beans and Rice and Bacon and Cheddar Cornbread. 

Ragin Cajun Cafe is located at 525 S. Pacific Coast Hwy,  Redondo Beach, CA. 90277

*all opinions are my own*