LA Mill Coffee Boutique, Silver Lake

We met up with our friends Ron and Fran (and Vincent!) for brunch at LA Mill Coffee in Silver Lake this past weekend. I am in love with this place!

We started with house-made brioche doughnut holes (6 for $3.50). The doughnut holes were so light, it was like eating sugar dusted clouds. They came with an airy vanilla whipped cream (additional .50). We were in heaven.

Brad ordered the Steak and Eggs ($11). Soft scrambled eggs were accompanied by flank steak, chives and a house-made steak sauce.

I got the Arctic Char Tartare ($15) with creme fraiche, capers, hard boiled egg and toasted house made brioche. The arctic char melted on my tongue, its flavor punctuated by salty capers and sweet sour pickled onions. Egg yolk was presented crumbled on the side, and egg whites were chopped up, providing an interesting texture.

We'll definitely be back to LA Mill soon. If you go, don't forget to get the coffee--they're famous for it!

A Confetti Corn Salad Bento

I made Brad this corn salad bento out of these leftover ingredients we had in the fridge:

raw sweet corn kernels cut off the cob

cucumber

tomato

jalapeno yogurt cheese from Trader Joes

ham deli slices

apple cider vinegar

salt and pepper

I love raw sweet corn! The apple cider vinegar balanced out the sweetness, and the jalapeno cheese added a nice spicy kick.

Kogi Truck

Spicy Pork and Short Rib Tacos

I know, I'm a little late blogging about Kogi! I finally tried the godfather of the gourmet food trucks after seeing that they were going to be outside Chego on a weekday afternoon. They were actually an hour late due to "truck troubles", but that's ok. After waiting in line for a few minutes, I ordered a short rib and pork tacos ($2 each) and a short rib burrito ($5).

I enjoyed the tacos more than the burrito. I found it kind of weird to have bulgogi beef and cheese together in the burrito. The burritos also had quite a few tough bits of beef tendon that I had to discard. The tacos didn't have cheese in them, and they had a great sweet-salty flavor. I would definitely get the tacos again, just as long as I don't have to wait in line for too long!

The inside of a short rib burrito

How to make a Japanese Style Sweet Egg Roll

So many bentos! Here is my latest creation... On the top: broccoli, sweet egg rolls (tamagoyaki), asparagus, carrots, okinawan sweet potato sandwich with mayonnaise filling.

On the bottom: brown rice sushi, another sweet potato sandwich, raspberries.

Want to learn how to make tamagoyaki? It's really simple. I looked on Youtube and found this informative video on how to make it. The narrator girl is kind of funny ("ghetto brushes are awesome!"). Click here to view the video.

Take A Bao, West L.A.

I did some wedding dress shopping at Century City Mall (I think I may have found a dress!) and then met up with Brad at their food court. "Food court" isn't even the right term for this place, really. When I think of a food court, I think of gross oily food, dirty dishes left on tables, and crying kids. None of that at this mall. I saw ladies all dressed up clutching their Louis Vuitton purses eating at this food court. Ah, West L.A..

We ate at Take A Bao (clever) and I got two baos (hoisin beef and signature pork) with a huge side of salad for $9. It was surprisingly really good. Brad got the fish bao (that just sounded weird to me, but he said it was good) and the miso pork. At Take A Bao you can choose either a white bun or a whole wheat bun.

We also got a yummy side of sweet potato fries that came with a creamy spicy dipping sauce. We both agreed that we will be coming back here for more--the flavors, prices and portions were great!

C-Level Lounge, San Diego

Lobster BLT

To finish our weekend of feasting in San Diego, we had brunch at C-level Lounge which is located near the airport. The view is stunning--you dine right on the water. Besides the atmosphere, I also loved the food and the portion size (generous!) at C-level. I got the lobster BLT and Brad got the Seared Ahi salad with black rice and mango salsa. Our table shared the fried artichoke hearts and we also ordered a Ginger Garden drink (ginger syrup, mint, lime, basil, ginger ale). We left stuffed and completely satisfied. Great choice!

Seared Ahi with black rice and mango salsa

Fried artichoke hearts

Ginger Garden

Click here for more info about C-level.

Lemon Dill Cream Cheese Spread

Our friend Erin made a delicious bagel spread out of cream cheese, dill, green onion, and lemon juice. Just mix everything together! Sometimes the simplest things are the tastiest.

Baseball Food: The Padres Game in San Diego

Our friends got us a great deal on Groupon.com where we got a ticket to a Padres game, a free hot dog and soda, and a free Padres baseball hat all for $25! We had great seats, and the Padres won!

This was actually my first baseball game in California even though I used to live within walking distance to Dodger Field (I know, shame on me!). I realized that I only eat hot dogs when I'm at sports events. This one was good! Makes me want to try a Dodger dog now...

Chuao Chocolates, Encinitas CA

We took a road trip last weekend down to Encinitas and San Diego to visit the newly weds and one of my first food stops was Chuao Chocolates. I always come here whenever we are in Encinitas. The chocolates are a bit pricey at around $2 each, but they are so worth it! The flavors are outrageous. Here are some of the chocolates I've tried:

Roasted Panko Bread Crumbs with olive oil ganache and sea salt (tasted like rice krispies and chocolate! haha)

Caramel and Sea Salt (couldn't really taste the sea salt)

I also tried...

Strawberry caramel with balsamic vinegar (excellent!)

Roasted caramelized almond slivers with pistachios and orange peel (not a fan of the orange + chocolate pairing)

Green tea and Ginger

I already have my next trip planned... I want to try:

Goat cheese, pear and crushed black pepper butter cream

Lemon tequila dark chocolate ganache

Click here to go to Chuao's website.