January 11: Matiki Island Barbeque

My brother told me about Matiki Island Barbeque about a year ago and ever since then it has been the only place capable of satisfying a particular craving that I get.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/matiki-island-barbeque-anaheim
Matiki is my favorite spot to go for that traditional Hawaiian taste on beef ribs.  And Chris and I were starving and he was in the mood for short ribs so I was happy to bring this place to his attention.  Despite the long drive, it was so worth it since I was able to order  the food over the phone and have it ready by the time I arrived there.

I got the Beef Ribs Plate which included four LARGE beef ribs with meat falling off the bone.  Two scoops of sticky, delicious rice and a side of macaroni salad.  It’s so good I don’t even have words to accurately describe how excited and happy I was to eat this food.  The sweet sauce they have is like liquid crack and again, Sriracha is never a bad addition to a meal.

Beef Ribs

Chris enjoyed his Kalbi Short Ribs, which I even admit looked super bomb.   But I couldn’t spare any room for anything but my beef ribs.  This was one of those days where we both liked what we ordered and we both thought what we ordered was better than the other person’s.  Which I think is the best situation to be in because that means we both really like what we got.

Kalbi Short Ribs

I may regret ordering Matiki so early in the year because I definitely feel like I’ll be craving this again.  Hopefully I can find another Hawaiian BBQ place that’s as quality as this, ’til next year Matiki Island Barbeque!

January 10 (Dinner): Golden Bowl

Since the first place we wanted to go to for dinner was too busy with a 40-minute wait time, we decided to look up an alternative and found Golden Bowl.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/golden-bowl-buena-park
We were looking for a simple Japanese Teriyaki Bowl place since that’s what Chris was craving.  When we got to the restaurant I was a little doubtful since it looked really dead for a Saturday night, but to be fair, so did the Panda Express next to it.

Chris ordered the Chicken Teriyaki Bowl and I ordered a Beef Bowl.  We decided to take it to go and eat in the comfort and cleanliness of our home since the restaurant was pretty small and the table we were sitting at wasn’t the cleanest.

We got home and set ourselves up in front of the TV with my mom.  Presentation-wise, Chris’ chicken looked better than mine since he had the green onions on top.  I asked to hold mine because I didn’t want gross onion breath for the rest of the night.

I was very happy with my bowl!  I’m not the biggest fan of teriyaki in general but I hadn’t had it in a while.  I was not disappointed.  The food was fresh and the meat was tender and sweet.  Chris ended up liking mine better than his own.  The rice that came with it was soft and moist which is how I like my rice so that was good.  Adding Sriracha gave it the perfect heat that it needed in my opinion.

Beef Bowl with Sesame Seeds

Chris’ Chicken Bowl was ok.  I told him that I don’t typically order chicken if at all avoidable because I feel like it’s a cheap meat.  And especially coming from the place we were at, I thought beef was the better option.  Regardless of him liking mine better, he still ate his entire bowl, so it couldn’t have been that bad.

Chicken Teriyaki Bowl with Green Onions and Sesame Seeds

Overall, the food was better than expected–a pleasant surprise.  It was simple but filling.  The only reason that I wouldn’t go back there is because it was quite a drive for okay food.  Unless I get a ridiculous craving for Golden Bowl, I think I’ll try finding more local teriyaki joints.  Be that as it may, I’m glad for the simple dinner and if anyone asks me if it’s good I wouldn’t steer them away.  Well done and ’til next year Golden Bowl!

January 10 (Breakfast): Kreation Juicery

I found myself out in El Segundo Saturday morning so I decided to pick up some breakfast for me and Chris.  I quickly yelped “acai bowls” and Kreation Juicery was the first thing that came up.
http://kreationjuice.com/
I made my way over and immediately fell in love!  It was a healthy-living heaven!!  There were free juicing recipes available as well as a number of pre-made juices for all sorts of ailments ranging from stress to sleep to energy and even sex (that one was pretty funny to me).

I ordered two different acai bowls and asked if I could look around before closing out my tab.  I wanted to buy the whole store but after sampling a number of their juices and smoothies and finding out the prices (a little on the high side) I opted to just buy two juices in addition to my bowls.

My first bowl was a Jungle Amaze Bowl…which actually didn’t have any acai in it.  But it did have coconut milk, kale, spinach, mango, pineapple, and almond butter in it along with an assortment of fruits to top it.  The green color made it look very festive and different and I really appreciated that they dusted it with bee pollen and garnished with a mint leaf.

Jungle Bowl

As far as taste goes, this bowl didn’t blow me out of the water.  I might have become spoiled from bowls and bowls and bowls from our favorite acai spot–Snowflakes (http://www.yelp.com/biz/snowflakes-shaved-ice-cerritos-2).  But this bowl tasted really healthy and I did my best to eat as much as I could!  Unfortunately it wasn’t an easy task.  The kale gave the bowl a very strong taste, and sadly, not a good one.  I didn’t realize just how much banana would be placed on top and I am a no-banana kinda girl so that was a struggle in and of itself to get through.  The granola and strawberry were probably the most palatable part of the bowl, but alas, I wouldn’t order another one in the future.

Close Up Jungle Bowl

The bowl I got for Chris looked more traditional.  It was the Amazon Amaze Bowl which came equipped with Acai juice, blueberries, banana, raspberries, strawberries and almond butter.  I ordered his with granola on the side since I know he’s not a fan of it.  The color was a more traditional pinkish so I hoped it would taste more like what we’re used to, and while I think it tasted better than my bowl, it wasn’t the best.

Amazon Bowl

At the very least these bowls came prettily packaged.  And I’m sure that one day, when we’re as health-conscious as we hope to be then we’ll be able to appreciate what Kreation’s Amaze Bowls have to offer, but until then, bring on the honey and granola!

Close Up of Amazon Bowl

The two drinks that I got, and didn’t picture, were a Destress Smoothie with coconut, apples, and strawberries.  I got it for Chris because he’d been stressing about going back to school and work and stuff like that.  He didn’t think much of the “destressing” qualities but at least he liked the taste!

I also got a Chai-licious smoothie of some sort that included chai, cinnamon, almond milk, nuts and some other things I can’t remember off the top of my head.  Oh protein!  Chris was surprised I had gotten a protein drink, but I liked the taste so much that I didn’t care.  It had a really unique flavor that I didn’t think I would like as much as I did.  I think that’s why I ended up getting it.

While we didn’t have the best experience with their bowls, I am a big enough fan of their drink options that I think I’ll be back here in the near future to try some more smoothies!  I’m glad I found this little place.  And since it’s a juice/specialty restaurant, I can come as many times as I’d like!  See you very soon, Kreation Juice!

January 9: Flemming’s Steakhouse

Thanks to watching multiple episodes of dating gameshows, Chris decided to take me out on a nice date on Friday.  We got to get all dressed up and feel fancy since we were eating at Flemming’s Steakhouse.
https://www.flemingssteakhouse.com/
I had heard of this place before but knew it was way out of MY price range.  Thankfully he wanted to treat me like a princess so I was able to feel like royalty and splurge for a night.  I had eaten at a few steakhouses before, usually on my dad’s tab and knew that we were in for a treat!  Which was perfect because I was craving some protein and had been thinking of prime rib for quite a while.

There was a little of confusion with sampling the wines but I ended up trying two really great sweet wines–Banfi and Ruffino.  The complimentary bread came out hot and delicious with a blue-cheese/horseradish dipping sauce and a really yummy garlic butter.  We ordered a plate of Sweet Chipotle Calamari and like amateurs wondered where the tartar sauce was…until we tried it.  It was so flavorful that we didn’t need tartar.  The calamari came with a sweet tang with red bell peppers and banana peppers tossed in.  By far the best calamari I’ve ever had.  I’m glad I didn’t insist on the carpaccio.

Sweet Chipotle Calamari

For our sides, I deferred to Chris.  He was raving about the creamed corn so we had to get that.  He also recommended the Chipotle Cheddar Mac and Cheese and that sounded good to me!

The Creamed Corn was very rich and sweet and had all the right ingredients in all the right proportions!  Chris told me that it was spicy but I didn’t really taste it until I bit into a jalapeno.  But with or without the jalapeno, the creamed corn was a win.

Creamed Corn with Jalapenos

It was almost not fair to the Mac and Cheese because I was super full by the time I wanted to try the Mac and Cheese.  It wasn’t at all bad, I just didn’t have enough space in my stomach to fit a lot of it.

Chipotle Mac and Cheese

As far as entrees, I let myself be convinced to order the 20 oz. bone-in prime rib with a char.  I was so overwhelmed because my knowledge of steaks isn’t the greatest but it ended up tasting pretty good!  The char was very salty and flavorful and pleasantly surprised me.  The only complaint that I have, and it’s not unique to Fleming’s, is that I don’t like the chewy tendon-y parts of meat that taste like rubber.  I always end up spitting those pieces out, so just in general for me, I feel like the less the better and this steak had a little more than I’d have liked.  But I still finished at least 13 of the 20 oz.  That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!  I made a valiant effort.

Bone in Prime Rib with Char

Making me feel like a fatty, Chris ordered a Petite Filet Mignon that was peppercorn crusted.  He ordered it medium but it came out looking a little more rare so we had to send it back.  It wasn’t anyone’s fault and we weren’t upset but the manager still came over to check on us and offer us a free side.  Too bad our stomachs were both too small to handle another side.  But the good thing is that the steak came back the perfect color and flavor for him to be able to eat it.

Petite Filet Mignon with Steak Sauce

We decided to order the dessert special for the night–Chocolate Lava Cake with Two Scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream–even though we were both practically busting at the seams.  The dish was beautifully prepared and the ice cream was delicious.  The lava cake itself tasted a little too chocolate-y.  It was overwhelming how powerful the flavor was.  A small miss compared to the rest of the night.

Chocolate Lava Cake with Vanilla Icecream

I would give the food 4/5 Stars but I would give the night 5/5!  I think I was just more excited to get to go out on a nice date with Chris and feel fancy and romanced.  I really did feel like a princess.  I will miss this place but maybe it’s good since it’s so expensive.  Alas, ’til next year, Fleming’s!

January 8: Panera Bread

I wasn’t going to consider this a meal at first, and I don’t know that I still do, but it was such a failed attempt that it’s no great loss to us if we can’t eat here for the rest of the year.
https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/home.html
Chris and I went to Panera Bread for breakfast after dropping his car off to get serviced.  We ordered:

1) Four Cheese Souffle (Chris)
2) Spinach and Bacon Souffle (me)
3) B-Green Power Smoothie
4) Cinnamon Crunch Bagel

Within 5 minutes of sitting down and a lot of confusion, they brought over our bagel and one souffle and let us know they don’t have anymore Spinach and Bacon Souffles.  Chris looked at the souffle on the table and lo and behold!  It was a Spinach Bacon one.  So the guy goes back to check and informs us that they actually don’t have the Four Cheese Souffle.  Ohhh Lordy.  The Four Cheese Souffle is Chris’ favorite and pretty much the only one he’ll eat.

The rest of the meal was spent much deflated because this wasn’t the first time nor in the first state that Panera has failed us.  We had finished eating and I had been staring at my smoothie on the pick-up counter for 15 minutes.  The servers are supposed to bring your food to your table.  They have fancy GPS trackers for that purpose, but no one brought me my drink.  Finally fed up, we just left and I grabbed my smoothie off the counter myself, not bothering to explain to them just why we hated them so much at that moment.  Really Panera Bread, pull yourself together.  No lost love here, ’til next year Panera!

P.S. The smoothie sucked.

January 7: L and L Hawaiian BBQ

We were on a bit of a time crunch so for lunch we just settled on L&L Hawaiian BBQ a restaurant that we usually dine at and that my family often has cater.

http://hawaiianbarbecue.com/

This restaurant was originally started on Hawaii and has since been sharing the wonders of Hawaiian cuisine with us mainland folk.  Ever since one moved into town I have been going to L&L with family and friends to get spam musubis, mini chicken katsus, or even burgers and fries.

On this particular trip in 2015, we ordered:
1) Cream Cheese Wontons (which I think are new)
2) Mini Chicken Katsu (me)
3) Hawaiian BBQ Chicken (Chris)

The wait is pretty average, maybe 10ish minutes before our food was ready.  The cream cheese wontons were okay.  They came with this interesting raspberry sauce that I had never encountered before.  To taste, there was a lot of wrap to get through and very little cream cheese.  The ratios were just off.  Not horrible, and they could do in a pinch…or if someone had some that they didn’t want to finish but I doubt I’d ever order these for myself again.

Cream Cheese Wontons with Raspberry Sauce

My Mini Chicken Katsu on the other hand was fantastic!  It was fresh out of the oven or fryer or whatever they use to cook chicken katsu and it was hot, crunchy, and delicious.  Even Chris wanted a few bites.  The rice and macaroni salad that come with the mini meal were good as usual.  The rice is soft and sticky instead of dry and hard and the macaroni salad added a subtle flavor with perfectly cooked macaroni.  L&Ls will be sorely missed by the end of the year.

Mini Chicken Katsu, Rice, and Mac Salad

Hawaiian BBQ Chicken.  What can I say about it?  It’s not a personal favorite of mine but Chris finished the entire thing so I think it’s safe to say that it was good.  The closest thing I can compare it to would be Japanese style chicken teriyaki but with Hawaiian flavors?  I know I said it’s not my favorite but it’s by no means something I wouldn’t eat.  Call me crazy, I just prefer all things fried over anything grilled.
Their regular sized meals are honestly big enough to feed two people with regular appetites or three-four people with small appetites.  No one can accuse L&L of skimping on their portion sizes.

Hawaiian BBQ Chicken

It might not have been exactly what we were craving when were trying to pick a place to eat, but L&L is a very safe default for any meal.  But maybe it’s good that we knocked this one out early in the year so we can keep exploring new restaurants and new flavors.  You’ve been so good to us, but ’til next year L&L!

January 5 (Dinner): Umaya Ramen

It was a long day and lunch hadn’t yielded much success.  I was almost resigned to just go home and eat what was left of holiday leftovers but my boyfriend wanted to go out and eat, and I wasn’t craving anything in particular but I didn’t have a huge appetite so I acquiesced.  I steered him away from the AYCE Korean BBQ house I’ve been meaning to try since I wasn’t in the mood to stuff my face.  We ended up picking a ramen place I had scouted out on yelp a few weeks before, Umaya Ramen.
http://www.umaya-ramen.com/
I told him I had been there once myself at their soft opening and compared to LA ramen, it was not nearly the same.  I filled out a feedback card but never bothered going back after.

I will confess, the number one reason my boyfriend wanted to check this place out was because I had shown him pictures of Deep Fried Oreos and he needed to try them.  Having spent the thirty minutes before arriving, reading yelp reviews, I was very curious to see what kind of experience we would have.  From what I could see, it was either going to be hit or miss.

We walked in and were pleased that the restaurant wasn’t super crowded for 9:40 at night.  We seated ourselves at the bar and gladly received our menus.  We ordered two waters an an order of Gyoza (Fried Dumplings) off the bat.

I was just starting to get antsy thinking about the reviews I read about how they would seat you but not take your order until much later.  I think I was just paranoid, we couldn’t have been left alone for more  than  ten minutes before someone came to take our order.  I got the Umaya Ramen, with no spicy ground pork and add nori (dried seaweed) and spicy paste.  My boyfriend got the Short Rib Plate with rice.

We got our Gyoza quite promptly and were very pleased with the flavor.  It came out with three dipping sauces including a spicy oil, a sweet sauce, and another flavor that I couldn’t quite place.  It was plated nicely with a flavor to match.

Fried Gyoza with Dipping Sauces

My Umaya Ramen was surprisingly good.  I mentioned that I had been here once before over a year ago with my brother and the ramen had been very salty.  This time around the ramen was pleasantly delicious!  The chashu (pork) was tender and the spicy paste added an very unexpected but welcomed kick.  I’m happy to know that in a pinch, I can come to Umaya to satisfy my ramen craving instead of driving all the way out to LA.

Umaya Ramen, no ground pork, add seaweed and spicy paste

Next up, Short Rib Plate.  It came out looking plain but good.  By no means was it a boring looking dish, it was just nice and simple–in a good way.  There was a neat scoop of rice placed beside very tender looking short ribs garnished with…something green.  We were not disappointed.  Upon tasting our meals, we both agreed that Umaya had far and away made up for our poor lunch choice.  We spent the rest of the dinner enjoying our good food and good conversation.

Short Rib Plate

When dessert-time rolled around, we both knew what we wanted.  Deep Fried Oreos with Ice Cream!  We were both excited–my boyfriend a little moreso than myself.  Unfortunately a server came up and told us that they didn’t have vanilla ice cream but would instead give up a scoop of green tea ice cream on the side.  We were a little disappointed but not to be deterred!!  And our determination was rewarded by delicious, chocolate drizzled, deep fried bites of chocolate, creamy glory!  It had been years since I’ve been to the local fair so I had forgotten what this deep fried dessert tasted like, and it was my boyfriend’s first time ever trying the dish.  We were both sold and had to resist the urge to order another one.  The green tea, while not the same as vanilla, didn’t compete with the flavor of the Oreo in a bad way.

Deep Fried Oreos with Chocolate Drizzle

Thank goodness!!  We had finally hit a restaurant that was new and good!  Our efforts were finally rewarded and in a big way!  I’m a little sad that we won’t be able to eat there again anytime soon, but maybe that’s for the best given their hit-or-miss reputation.  I’m glad for us it was a hit!  I hope the quality and service keeps improving because this place has a lot to offer the foodie community.  Thanks for the good noms, ’til next year Umaya Ramen!

January 5 (Lunch): Spencer’s Bistro

My boyfriend was supposed to be at his apartment which is roughly an hour away from where I work but he happened to be in the area in the morning so he asked me to get lunch with him.  I was ecstatic to say the least.  I quickly seized the opportunity to yelp a good lunch restaurant in the area and came up with Spencer’s Bistro.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/spencers-bistro-buena-park-2
It had 4.5 stars out of a good number of reviews and the pictures made the food look pretty appetizing.  I thought I had struck food gold.

We pulled into the parking lot of a questionable looking complex and I had a slightly bad feeling.  Not that this restaurant is located in a bad part of town…it just wasn’t the part of town I would expect to see an Italian Bistro and next to a laundromat to boot.  I was still hopeful though!  We walked in and the inside was just as surprising.  I don’t know why but I still expected to walk into a sit-down restaurant and was surprised when I saw it was the kind of restaurant where you order at the counter, pay, and then sit down for them to bring your food to you.

To their credit they had three or four large televisions that displayed their menu and various slides of their food.  It LOOKED good.  I wanted to try everything since we could only eat there once and it was a completely new place!!  We ended up ordering:

1) Parmesan French Fries with Garlic Aoli
2) Tomato Soup (which I requested to be more of a Bisque) with a Grilled Cheese
3) Greek Grilled Chicken (which the server convinced me would be much better than the ribs I had wanted to try)
4) Smoked Chicken and Champs (ignoring the fact that neither of us knew what champs were)

We ordered and sat down, excitedly awaiting what this new restaurant would bring us and admiring the interior decorating of the spot.  My boyfriend ended up needing to use the bathroom, which curiously enough was located on the outside of the establishment, around the corner, and through the back door of the restaurant.  I’m just glad I wasn’t the one that needed to pee–and that it was daytime because that’s just a little bit sketchy.

The fries came out and I was immediately a fan.  The quality of the french fries was cooked exactly how I like them.  Light and crunchy on the outside but soft and warm on the inside.  The Parmesan added a lot of great flavor as well.  The garlic aoli didn’t taste like much of anything but it carried a strong essence of garlic which was interesting, but we ended up asking for ketchup.

Parmesan Fries with Garlic Aoli

Next up was the Tomato Soup which looked and tasted more like a paste.  It came with two slices of baguette with a layer of mozzarella cheese toasted between them, making a small dipping sandwich.  The soup was great to dip the cheesy bread in, but on its own I wouldn’t have liked it.  At the very least, presentation was very nice.

Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese

Not too long after our appetizers were down, our entrees came out.  If nothing else, the service was prompt.  We didn’t have a painfully long wait to add to our hunger and both our entrees came out together so it wasn’t awkward.

The Greek Grilled Chicken didn’t look too similar to the picture on the menu but was still plated nicely.  It didn’t look like there was any tatziki which I expected there to be based both on the picture and the fact that it was Greek Grilled Chicken.  It tasted…healthy.  Ok, it was bland.  Everything in the dish were ingredients that I generally like but this combination and preparation left a lot wanting.  The chicken was cooked to an odd consistency.  It was both rubbery and tender in a bizarre way and I tried for three mouthfuls to convince myself that I liked it more than I did.  I quickly gave up and just kept eating fries.

Greek Grilled Chicken

Next up, the Smoked Chicken.  I was glad that was my boyfriend’s order and not mine.  The plating was nice but even that didn’t make the food look very appetizing to me.  It just looked like shredded cabbage on top of mashed potatoes with chicken somewhere in between on a plate of green sauce.  Maybe I just don’t have the refined tastes to appreciate something like that…but I’m okay with that.  I sampled a piece of his chicken and it definitely tasted smoked and had that same consistency as my chicken had–not good.

Smoked Mush…I mean Chicken

There were a few awkward minutes after trying our entrees before I finally stated rather than asked that he didn’t like it.  He nodded and we agreed to get out of there.  I took my food to go because at the very least I hoped my mom could eat it, since she’ll eat pretty much anything if it seems healthy for you.  Whether or not she actually did eat it, I don’t know.  I just put it on her desk when I got back to work and walked away.  I felt really bad about this failed excursion and could not stop apologizing for the failed meal.  Thankfully, my boyfriend consoled me and said that he was glad that we at least ventured out and tried something new, even if it wasn’t what we had hoped for.  That made me feel better and it reminded me that that was the point of this whole thing.  There are probably going to be a lot, a LOT of bad meals but it’s all an experience and the good will outweigh the bad by far more.

I was sorely disappointed by this visit and when walking out I said to my boyfriend, “That is why we don’t try new things.”  Alas, I am not to be discouraged and would even be willing to give Spencer’s a second chance, just because everyone deserves one.  Thankfully that won’t be possible until 2016.  But for all it’s worth, there were a number of other yummy-looking things that I wasn’t fortunate enough to try.  So maybe someday in the far, FAR distant future.  And I can only hope that this experience was a result of our poor ordering skills or a bad day in the kitchen.

’til next year Spencer’s Bistro!  Or maybe the year after…

January 4: CY’s California Kitchen

We didn’t go out to eat today.  Another benefit of this challenge is that on days when we just can’t figure out what to eat, our last resort is to make something ourselves.  So yesterday, we grilled up our own burgers in CY’s California Kitchen!

A quick yelp search took us to Luis Meat Market in Bellflower.  When we got there we quickly realized it was not the same kind of meat markets that we were familiar with in Colorado.  It was distinctly tailored to Mexican food and had a number of great food options–unfortunately burgers was not one of them.  But they did have the ground beef that we needed so we bought a pound and they graciously gave us 1.5 pounds for very cheap!

We stopped by a nearby grocery store for the rest of our ingredients and fixin’s.  We grabbed King’s Hawaiian Burger Buns and Heinz Ketchup (for some reason any other brand or even house ketchup tastes so weird to me), lettuce, tomatoes, and an avocado.

Things were going swell until we got home and the propane on the grill read ’empty’.  Thankfully, we figured out that we had just enough propane to grill us up two burgers.  We weren’t cooking for a party after all.  My boyfriend seasoned the burgers with fresh ground black peppers and a medley of Hepp’s Salt.  (Check them out at http://heppssalt.com/ )  He added some Cholula hot sauce to mine since I like a little bit of spice and took them out to grill.  While he was being a man outside I prepped the produce, washing and cutting the tomatoes, lettuce, and avocado and laying out the condiments.  We buttered up some buns and threw those on the grill for a bit.  By the time we were done, the finished product was a masterpiece.

Lettuce, Tomato, Avocado, Cheese and an Amazingly Seasoned Burger on a Perfectly Toasted Bun!!

The burgers came out FABULOUS!!  Even though the chef warned me the burgers may have been more well done than I’d have preferred, they tasted perfectly cooked to me!!  I do usually prefer medium rare but the way this burger was done was exactly what it should have been!  It was rich and juicy and flavorful!!!  I can’t stop talking about it with exclamations!!!  And my boyfriend said he knows how to make it better next time!!!  IT’S ALREADY SO GOOD!!  I don’t think I’m being biased when I say this either, because I tell him if his food is bad but this time around there’s really no need.

The only critique that I had was that the patty was a little too large for the buns we used.  He separated the 1.5 lb. of meat we had into our two burgers!  So that was a lot of meat!  And I just wish I had split my meat into two burgers so I could have had one for lunch and one for dinner.  The meat was very flavorful and tender and the King’s Hawaiian buns were the perfect sweet, buttery, toasted compliment to the burger.

This has been the best food I’ve had since Project Food 2015 started!  AND I can keep eating in CY’s California Kitchen as much as I’d like this year!!  He said he’s going to make Sunday grilling a regular thing so I can’t wait to see what he’ll whip up next!

January 3: Amor y Tacos

Today we were a little lazier and again ordered out.  We picked up food from Amor y Tacos (which translates to love and tacos in Spanish).  It’s a relatively new restaurant that serves an array of traditional Mexican foods with a flair, specializing but not limiting themselves to tacos.

Check them out at http://amorytacos.com/.

Neither of us was particularly craving anything so we were trying to think of something that could suffice for dinner.  My boyfriend who typically HATES Mexican food swears by this restaurant.  It is the only Mexican food that he not only eats but craves!  We had a number of really good visits here so I was a little bummed to knock this off of our list so early into the game, especially since I was still feeling a little under the weather and didn’t have the strongest appetite or stomach.

He ordered the Short Rib Quesadilla and I ordered the Grilled White Shrimp a.k.a. A La Diabla (she-devil in Spanish). And I made sure that they included the complimentary chips and salsa.

A La Diabla (Grilled White Shrimp)

Short Rib Quesadilla with Guacamole (excuse the bad photo #lazy)

For the record, what got us hooked on this place was more than just the quesadilla.  The reason that we fell in love with this restaurant in the first place was because of its great ambiance, considerate and quick service, and the presentation and quality of the food.  We had ordered the Short Rib Quesadilla and Short Rib Tacos, not to mention the Elotes (Mexican corn)–which were the best I’ve had in years and the best my boyfriend had had EVER.  I’m also occasionally partial to the Shrimp Ceviche which can be a little too lemony but they’re so generous with the servings that I can’t really complain because it keeps me fed for several meals at a time.

The Short Rib Quesadilla was amazing as usual and the Grilled Shrimp wasn’t bad either.  Like I said, I wasn’t particularly starving so I was a little picky with what I ate but I liked it well enough.  I don’t know that I’d ever order it again though.  What never fails to disappoint however, is their chips and salsa which are the perfect crisp and spice that they should have.

All in all, an unremarkable but okay day for Project Food 2015. Alas, ’til next year Amor y Tacos!