January 25: Sunrise Cafe

We had to wake up early for another Sunday morning of work and were hungry.  We decided to stop by a place that was on the way to where we were going so we swung by a place I had bookmarked on yelp.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/sunrise-caf%C3%A8-buena-park

I became a little wary after realizing it was in the same complex as Spencer’s Italian Bistro, just a few doors down.  I almost got it confused with the Mexican restaurant next to it–not because I don’t like Mexican food but because Chris doesn’t.  We found the entrance and were prompted to seat ourselves.  We picked a nice booth a perused the menu.

It was a typical American breakfast joint with eggs, bacon, pancakes, hashbrowns, etc.  The only twist was that it was run–apparently–by a family of Asians.  They came and took our orders–a little sloppily because two people came to check to see if we wanted anything to drink.  That kind of thing never bothers me because it seems like everyone is being courteous and catering to us but I can see how it would reflect a lack of communication.

Regardless, everyone was very nice and we ordered Orange Juice and water.  I got a French Dip which came with a Soup (clam chowder) and a side of zucchini fries.  I had gotten zucchini fries with my brother before and they were pretty good.  Chris just ordered Banana Pancakes and we waited for our food.

Clam Chowder

The Clam Chowder tasted like it came out of a can but it was hot and the clams were tender so I wasn’t complaining that much.  The fried zucchini was clearly frozen and didn’t taste anything like the ones I had gotten with my brother so that was a disappointment.

Fried Zucchini Rounds

Chris really liked his banana pancakes so I was glad for that.  My french dip was a little lacking for my tastes.  Preparation-wise the meat was too centered and not evenly distributed enough.  The au jous was delicious and hot so that was a plus and the bun was doughy soft which was great.  Unfortunately I regretted ordering the French Dip but at least Chris enjoyed it!

French Dip and Au Jus

Alas, not my favorite breakfast spot.  But sometimes I think breakfast foods are way too heavy for me.  Just give me a little oatmeal and almond milk and I’ll be happy.  Either way, this was a whim I’ll consider a win since Chris liked it.  ‘Til next year, Sunrise Cafe!

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 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.