Jean Philippe Patisserie, Aria Hotel, Las Vegas

I am constantly on the hunt for amazing pain au chocolate. The best I have had was at Amy's Bread in NYC, Bouchon in Vegas and Le Pain Dujour in Santa Monica. Well, Jean Philippe's pain au chocolate trumped them all! This flaky don't-call-it-a-chocolate-croissant was so perfectly buttery and chocolatey that I had two of them (and a half) during my last trip to Vegas. You can find Jean Philippe's Patisserie in the Bellagio or in the newly opened Aria Hotel (beautiful!).

We also got the ham and cheese sandwich, which was no ordinary sandwich. It was a work of art--the bread was braided and was sweet and egg-y. I can't wait to try more of their offerings!

Sumo Wrestler Bento

After being inspired by food blogs featuring uber cute bento boxes, I decided to venture into this foreign territory myself now that it's summer and I have more free time. Brad said that he misses the times I made lunch for him every day (I think that was way back in September), so I promised him I would make him bentos this summer.

Before I started, though, I warned him that these bentos were going to be filled with bunnies and flowers and bears, and that he might be embarrassed by his girlie lunch in front of his co-workers. His response? "The more embarrassing the better." Ah, I love a challenge! :)

So here's my first bento: Sumo Wrestler! Brad has a two tiered bento box, so on the top is a cheese and tomato sandwich dressed like a sumo wrestler. His hair is nori, his smile is tomato and the rest is pepper jack cheese. Next to him are cherries. On the bottom tier is broccoli and carrots, an egg shaped like a bunny (hard to see in the pic), and octopus shaped pork sausages.

Brad's two-tiered bento box

Brad's picture of what happened to the sumo wrestler when he opened the box

Ichiza, Las Vegas

Ichiza is a Japanese izakaya just off the strip in Chinatown in Las Vegas, and it's a really great find. These are just some of the dishes we got. The honey toast dessert shown above is a must: it is fluffy sweet Japanese bread toasted and topped with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of honey. Everyone at the table swooned when they bit into it. For L.A. people, you can get a similar version at Tokyo Table.

Grilled Shishamo (smelt):

Make your own hand roll with mackerel and spicy tuna:

Beef Tataki:

Japonais, Las Vegas

Our friends Mike and Erin got married in Vegas this past weekend! Following a fabulous wedding ceremony which featured the couple driving into the chapel in a pink cadillac and being serenaded by Elvis, we headed to the MGM Grand's Japonais for a multi course feast. The couple picked the menu themselves, and it was absolutely perfect. This was one of the best meals I have had, and definitely the best meal I have had in Vegas!

Here's what we got:

Crispy Shrimp and Salmon Roll: panko shrimp roll topped with marinated salmon

Spicy Mono: Spicy octopus roll topped with spicy tuna tartar and sweet unagi sauce

Hawaiian Hamachi: Thinly sliced yellowtail in a sesame soy yuzu vinaigrette

Lobster Spring Rolls: with mango relish and blood orange reduction (forgot to take a picture of this one!)

The "Rock": thinly sliced marinated New York strip steak cooked on a hot rock presentation

Ahi Tuna Steak: grilled over roasted scallion potato puree, tempura maitake mushrooms and a wasabi glaze

Filet Mignon: with uni butter, white miso truffled potato puree and grilled asparagus

Salmon Japonais: nori skin encrusted atlantic salmon, sweet shrimp, oyster-leek stew and curry oil

Apple Toban Yaki: red and green apples with ginger sugar crumble and honey vanilla ice cream served in a hot clay pot

Ginger Mousse Cake: ginger chocolate mousse cake with raspberry sauce and gold leaf

And did I mention there were unlimited drinks? Needless to say, everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves!

The Veggie Grill, Irvine

With the exception of the cheeseburger and lamb french dip sandwich I had last night at Westside Tavern, I've been eating much less meat lately. It started when I got hooked on a vegetarian restaurant called Govindas. Now I can't get enough of vegetarian cuisine.

When Brad and I were at UC Irvine for a show, we met up with a veggie loving friend at the Veggie Grill. Modern decor + super healthy food = are we in L.A.? I got the portobello burger which was soooo good. The portobello was soaked in balsamic and other yummies which just permeated the whole burger. It came with a vinegary purple cabbage cole slaw which was mayo-less. We also got the vegan nachos--they were seriously better than the real thing.

Good news: there is a Veggie Grill in L.A.! check out their website here

Have your art, and eat it too!

Image from Telstar Logistics on Flickr

Mondrian cake for sale at SFMOMA's Rooftop Garden Coffee Bar.

Japanese Sweet Potatoes

I made these Japanese sweet potatoes recently. Putting something sweet (sugar) on top of something already sweet (sweet potato) might sound odd, but the result isn't cloying at all. Frying the potatoes with honey or sugar gives them a wonderful crunch and sugary glaze. I deviated from the recipe somewhat by steaming the potato first and then pan frying the pieces in olive oil/honey. Click here for the full recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound sweet potatoes
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• Vegetable oil for frying (I use olive oil)

Chego, West L.A.

Prime Rib bowl, $9

Chego, owned by the famous Kogi truck guy, opened somewhat recently here on the west side to much hype. I got to try their pork belly bowl and their prime rib bowl (pictured above). The food is a fusion of Korean and many other Asian flavors, and it really packs a punch (read: It's a bit spicy). I personally prefer their prime rib bowl over the pork belly because there wasn't any protein on the belly--it was 100% fat. I guess I'm not used to that... It tasted good, but I really wanted a textural contrast--it felt a little gross eating pure fat. I really want to go back and try their ooey gooey fries and their kimchi and chicken bowls.

Chego serves all of their meals on biodegradable containers, so it feels like a take-out joint even though there are some tables for people who prefer to dine in. If you do take out, you have to wrap the meal yourself. They provide tin foil, bags, etc...

Finally, parking can get a little tight if you plan on getting there during peak hours (it's a tiny parking lot). Turnaround is fast, though, so you won't be waiting for long.

Chego

Gratitude and Food

I've been M.I.A. recently because I'm so busy at work, but you can expect more posts to come soon, I promise!

Until then, I am in a rambling mood, and I wanted to share with you all something that I've started recently: a gratitude journal. I started this journal after reading about it in a book. The concept is that every night before you go to bed, you are supposed to write down five things that you are grateful for.

Food actually appears quite often in my journal, funny as that sounds. The first time I wrote "pear" in it, I laughed and almost erased it. But then I started thinking, Is it really that silly to be grateful for a fruit? I feel that food is something we frequently take for granted. So I kept the "pear" there. And a few days later I wrote "asparagus"... and then "watermelon". By appreciating our food, we bring awareness into our lives and we are reminded to enjoy the little things. Even pears.

Showing appreciation of your food can be as simple as pausing to give thanks before a meal to the cook, to God, or to the animal/plants that you are partaking in. It's a reminder to slow down, savor life, and recognize all the resources that went into bringing that tasty morsel to your mouth (from the worker who picked your apple to the truck driver who drove it to the market!).

What are you grateful for?

I wanted to share my list for today:

1. You, who is reading this! Thank you for stopping by. :)

2. Carrots, the "poor man's ginseng". So humble, yet it elevates every dish I put it in.

3. Namaste Yoga. On FitTV. It nourishes my body and spirit, and my day just doesn't feel complete without it.

4. The people I work for, who are amazing and teach me about selflessness and gratitude.

5. B-rad. Cannot say enough about how great he is.

Buckwheat Tabouli

My friend recently got me hooked on buckwheat, which is actually neither wheat nor even a grain. It's the seed of a fruit! It's high in protein, quick to cook, and really light and tasty. My favorite way to cook it lately has been in a tabouli in place of bulgur wheat. I got the recipe from the back of the Eden foods packet, but you can access the recipe here.

Ingredients

1 cup Eden Organic Buckwheat, rinsed
2 cups boiling water
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 Tablespoons fresh mint leaves, finely minced
3/4 cup fresh parsley, finely minced
2 medium organic tomatoes, diced
1 small cucumber, quartered
1/2 cup green onions, finely chopped
3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup Eden Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 teaspoon Eden Sea Salt

I soak my buckwheat overnight in filtered water and a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to make it more digestible and to neutralize the anti-nutrients. It gets a little slimy, so you have to wash the slime off afterwards. This is normal!