Nearby. Set Dinner.

I have no idea when or how my fiance and I got into eating better but we did. I am definitely glad too. She still enjoys the occasional In & Out, McDonald fries, that whole thing. Not too often which is good. I do not care for it. I enjoy my arteries free of fast food. Hahaha, but sometimes I eat it. Once or twice a year I actually say alright I'll eat it. Since I am a strange freak I usually encourage my fiance (and usually friends) to try something new. Just so happens there is a place a quick drive away that has a very good three set course menu. Of course appetizer, entree, and dessert. Pretty decent price $25-30 per person, depends on the day of week.  So without adding more mumbo jumbo crap that comes out of my mouth (and in turn my fingers) here we go:

Nicely toasted bread. I do not mind the size of it, I have a big mouth to accommodate this. Plus, not filthy puns for this one, thanks. The outside is not too hard, and the core is very very soft. With the salted butter, it's a nice filler. They toast it with a bit of butter too.

Unknown Salad. I can't remember what this was. Spinach, bacon, feta. The Caesar was definitely the one that stood out.

Caesar Salad with Anchovies. This was very good. Although the anchovies did sound strange, the chef did not over saturate the salad with dressing. The dressing itself was a little tangy. Pretty good. Tart from a bit of citrus with the savory from the anchovy. Approved. Haha.

Nice shoestring fries. Tasty, but since the potatoes were cut so thin a lot of pieces were hard from being in the fryer for too long. I like my fries with a little tenderness in the middle.

Bone marrow. Not enough marrow. Ever! EVER!

Short Rib Ravioli. This dish was good, but I would say it was not great. The short rib did not stand out in the ravioli. It's weird, I would have to say it was as if the chef has some left over braised short ribs then thought, "Dude I'm going to totally use the leftover meat in some ravioli and just use the same sauce!" That's how I see it anyway ... sauce was good, starchy, seems like a bit of wine was added.

Gnocchi. Usually, we don't order it. But since I went with my fiance, best friend and his wife, we were able to order a little of everything to see what the chef excels best at. I'm not a good judge of gnocchi so for me it just tastes like Chinese rice balls and it would be in dessert. I personally have to pass on gnocchi.

Camping Trip. Camper who? Yeah you heard the dish: Camping Trip. And your mind will trip out all right. You think ... well what the crap did I just order? I thought I received salad already. But wait! There's a sizzling stone with your awesomely cooking salmon underneath all the greens. That's correct ladies & gents, the salmon is still getting cooked (a little) when it is brought out. Don't touch the river stone. The host or waiter will repeat this. The salmon is seasoned well, the balsamic reduction adds a bit of tang then you get the coolness from the greens. Great great dish. Get it.

Chicken & Waffles. This was my first taste of the infamous Chicken and Waffles combination. I have no clue how other places make it but usually I see the gravy/cream crap all over. This ain't a porno. But with this entree, there was some mental moaning. It was good. The waffle was not saturated with maple syrup, the chicken was tender and juicy, there was enough of the secret white sauce for the dish. I enjoyed it. Just depends if you're in the mood for an seemingly breakfast like dinner.

Yum. Peppermint with chocolate. Always a good combo. I forgot what it was exactly but their menu changes depending on what is in season.

Cheesecake. Why not? Was not horrible dense. Pretty good berry sauce. But it's just cheesecake.

Shortbread with ice cream and forgot the reduction on it. I remember it being a lemon shortbread of some sort. Since my tongue is a slut for contrasting flavors, it definitely approved.

Little chocolate cake with ice cream. Basic, light and fluffy. Not dense, not overly chocolaty where you want to pour a glass of milk down your throat.

I guess after all the good appetizers and entrees the desserts seemed ... anti-climatic? They were not bad because my taste buds were definitely satisfied. Usually I need a bit of sweet to end my meals. There was enough sugar to wash away whatever was on my palate. But ... to be honest none of the desserts were whispering in my ear: "Yeah baby, next time you order me." This is a place you do want to try if you live in the area. I would call it a hidden gem. Portions are right, price is fair, service is good.

Owen's Bistro
5210 D Street
Chino, CA 91710
909-638-0452
www.owensbistro.com

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Snooty. Cupcakes.

Sweets. I like em. Maybe that's why my fiance's nickname is Sweety. She's quite sweet to me. Actually, I'm not quite sure how I gave her the nickname. So the infamous desserts. I used to only enjoy candy. Yet, something has changed and I cannot seem to emphasize how picky my tastes buds have become. On a normal day, only having a dessert or sweet item really completes my meal. Without it, my tongue is usually telling my brain: "Yes, the meal was good but something is missing." With it I get this: "Oh baby you treat me so good. I love it when you do me right." Haha, I just really like removing savory tastes out of my mouth using some sweet dessert. Not overly sweet though. So about the cupcakes ... Kara's Cupcakes. Oh that bitch. Not her personally but her establishment. I was at the Walnut Creek, CA location but I have also been to the location in the Oxbow Public Market in Napa, CA.

Cute logo I must admit. Pretty nice location in Walnut Creek. Very close to a lot of other eateries and shopping.

Their cute box. Of course it is a slightly modified doughnut box but whatever.

Their selection.

Like many other places they have a changing menu. Certain days have certain things. Blah blah. We got the plain vanilla, carrot cake, and a chocolate. All were eh. The frosting was a bit sweet for my taste so, as usual, I tossed over three-quarters of the frosty away. Now, my issue with Kara's. Okay, I understand you went on Food Network. I understand you have a lot of locations in Northern California. I understand you company is getting a bit big. What I do no understand is why your managers are hiring employees who are pieces of garbage. Typically, I like to test out red velvet. Is it cliche? Maybe so, but who cares. When I went in to ask for it, your employee scoffs at me and says "Um, we don't carry RED VELVET as you can clearly see." Well I apologize, I thought since it seems to be quite popular in many cupcake bakeries that Kara's would have it. Thus, I went and ordered ... whatever the hell I ordered. Hell, what I said I ordered might have been wrong. We were both so unimpressed I cannot remember anything about it besides being very very expensive and mediocre. Next couple people order a chocolate velvet cupcake. Uh, sounds like red velvet without the red. So I ask this bitch about it. "Yes, it's basically like a red velvet cake except I just told you we don't carry red velvet." Well defecate on my face and call me Donkey Puncher. If I said it needs to be the color purple and have a pair of hairy testicles on it would it make a difference? Chocolate velvet and red velvet ... is it so hard to just inform me you have something very similar and without the food coloring? Wow. Yes, I tend not to judge on service so long as the food is good or great, but these cupcakes were not good and the service matched it. Suck my balls.

Kara's Cupcakes
1388 North Main Street
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
925-933-2222
http://www.karascupcakes.com

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High Tea. Circa Now.

This is not the traditional high tea. No British accents. No floral prints. No heavy tea pots. No Victorian furniture nor decor. Clean edges. Darker colored interior, nice place to chill, chat, and have a bite to eat. I'm surprised I stumbled on this place. The employees really understand their teas. A nice menu that separates teas by typical styles: black, green, white, herbal, fruit. At least I remember it being something like that. Hahaha. The actual food menu is short. Majority of it is quite pleasant. Tranquil Tea Lounge.

My fiance and I love love love this place. Yes, I apologize for the delay in posts (besides being a lazy turd). I had a lot of planning to do and proposed to my better half this past weekend. She said yes. Awesomely happy. Yay. Back to the Tea Lounge. Here's the menu.

Makena's Passion. Deliciously refreshing. We enjoy our teas a little bit sweetened to bring out the flavors of the tea. If anything ask for the simple syrup on the side. You can adjust sweetness to taste. This tea really tastes tropical. When I took my first sip I imagined myself wanting to be on Maui, just on a lounge chair getting serenaded by the ocean. Man. Guava and pineapple just really helped with the whole tropical feel of it all.

Geisha's Kiss. On the lighter side, that's for sure. The flavors are not as bold but the lychee does stand out the most. Was it good? Yes, most definitely. We have been back a number of times and my fiance usually sticks to one of these two because they're her comfort drinks. I'm usually the psycho who tries the new things and ends up complaining to her if I messed up. Haha. Oh well, how else would I find some other flavorful drink?

Teas that are for sale. Well, the ones here are on display and for you to smell. They have them nicely lined up near the register so you can enjoy the perfume.

Love the teas on display. Really. Just lovely to see.

Here's the Makena's Passion. You have the choice of either hot or cold. They give you a nice little extra serving. Great for when you're thirsty or when you're just taking your time chatting with your buddies. I sweat easily so for the most part I always choose cold.

Fiance's Geisha's Kiss. They usually bring out the tea and let you smell it before it gets brewed. The box on the left is the tea pot. Cool double layered cup so it is not hot to touch. We both really enjoyed our tea. If you just give the employees an idea of what type of flavor you are looking for, I'm positive they will be able to give you an awesome suggestion.

Their portion size seems small but high tea is usually like that. But the whole point of tea time/lounge is to just eat a bit, to hold you over, and just chat away. Their portions do just that. When we're more hungry we order separate items. This time we went we got their Tranquil Trio, which is an awesome bargain. Choice of tea, half sandwich, and smaller salad for ... $9 I believe. This one was the turkey sandwich. Nicely toasted sandwich. Enough meat, good tart and savory from the fontina & sun-dried tomatoes, slight bitterness from argula ... good stuff. Lots of flavor.

Roast beef. I'm not sure why I chose roast beef because I rarely ever want to eat roast beef. Usually it's dry and just really beefy. Haha ... does that even make sense? Anyway, roast beef with creamy tomato soup. The soup changes daily from what I know. I love tomato soup so tomato chunks in this soup are wonderful.

Here's another angle. So the sandwich. Remember how I mentioned how I like trying new things and sometimes I really mess up? This instance was not really focus on messing up but reinforces how I'm very indifferent when it comes to roast beef sandwiches. The one real issue I did have with this sandwich was the bread. Kalamalive olives, way too overpowering. Almost like they shoved freshly marinated olives right into the sandwich. If you like roast beef just tell them to change out the bread. Seriously.

I'm a sucker for sweets so I got a scone. Their baked goods aren't bad. They're not the best. Definitely has that home baked freshness to it. I think I ate about half before I decided I was full and did not want to be too full. The sauces are a nice addition if the scone is too dry for you.

I cannot stress it enough but if you have time go. If you don't have time, make time and go with your friend, best friend, significant other ... just live it up, laugh, talk about farts, sex, ugly people, politics, whatever you want. Just take some time to enjoy and relax. Lounge this place is. Tea they do have. Tranquil will come.

Tranquil Tea Lounge
106 W. Wilshire Ave.
Fullerton, CA 92832
714-869-3577
http://www.tranquiltealounge.com/

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Worthwhile. Comfort.

One of the places my girlfriend and I wanted to try.

Yep. Yum. Straight up. It was awhile back but definitely still good. I was glad we got a chance to try it because my girlfriend is a busy frickin' bee. Work work and work. Funny 'cause she stresses a lot and it's difficult for her to put that stress aside. However ... when it comes time to eat she's open eyes, open nose, open mouth, indulge.

Bread. Freshly, baked in house. I recall being pretty hungry so we ate a good amount. Plus, Napa is not very close to many things. Butter was salty, creamy goodness. Actually, maybe too salty ... haha.

Tearing up that basket.

Salad with capers and a sweet-ish vinaigrette. Very refreshing, balanced. Except the chickpeas were a bit salty. Good contrast in texture but I could not eat too many of those things due to the salt.

I did not mention but, if you are unaware Ad Hoc is pretty much a set price per person and the food just comes out. Very much family style. So imagine you come home with your friends for dinner. Your mother is surprised to see you brought guests. (Hopefully, your mother did not shun your friends and kick them out). She'll end up deciding to cook more so everyone can enjoy dinner together. Anyway, I like this aspect of Ad Hoc, very warm, very inviting. Very easy to get your elbows dirty on the table and just shove food into your mouth and not care if you smeared all that sauce onto your cheek.

Back to the Flat Iron Steak with bleu cheese. It was good. It was salty. What do you expect from American/French? Salt brings out those flavors that make you salivate in ecstasy. Oh just talking about it while staring at this picture make my tongue crave more. But don't ever forget to down a couple gallons of water during and after the meal. Cooked perfectly. Potatoes and steak are best buds and just so happens the potatoes pick up a good amount of sauce so when you bite into that steak and pair it with the potato. Yum, chew, slight crunch from the potato, cream from the cheese, savory from the reduction sauce (whatever it was). Dang. Your face will be exhausted just from smiling.

Toasted bread, cheese, and honey. You know, I love Northern Californian food. I love Seattle food. The greatest thing about it is wanting to buy food locally. The quality really shines and your tongue can appreciate it. Your wallet might not but who gives a crap, indulge sometimes otherwise you need to .... alright I won't continue with my sentence. This was simplicity. Thick, creamy, savory (cheese) in one hand (or on one utensil) with toasted bread drizzled with a super, slick, non-excessively, sweet honey. I forget the type of cheese but it was a bit dry, breaks off in chunks, easy to bite into. easy to chew, very creamy with a bit of a musky tart outer layer. There is something about tart + sweet + creamy + crunch. It definitely places with all your oral senses ha ha.

The dessert. Fresh Fig Panna Cotta & Citrus Cookies. At least I think it was citrus cookies. Who cares it was good anyway. The fig panna cotta was damn good. I was just nibbling and enjoying how refreshing it was then my girlfriend devours hers and snatches mine and hurls the mini jar at me in disgust as if I wronged the establishment somehow for not releasing my inner beast on the dessert. Just kidding, my girlfriend loved it though, she loved it so much I gave her a bunch of mine. I was a bit full because she did not want too much of the steak.

Thomas Keller. Oh I want to get dirty with French Laundry. That will have to wait until my food savings account is higher though. It's great. My Better Half and I enjoy this place more than Bouchon. Go, you must eat there since it's easier to get in than French Laundry. I really really wish we got a chance to try their famous Fried Chicken but that's usually on ... Mondays I believe? One day, we will go back for whatever they're serving that day and maybe, hopefully, even that Fried Chicken.

Ad Hoc
6476 Washington St.
Yountville, CA 94599
707-944-2487
http://www.adhocrestaurant.com

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Waffles. Late at Night.

So there aren't many places nearby with waffles. Yes, there's the waffle trucks and whatnot but I'm not the type to stalk those trucks on Twitter follow them to the edge of the planet. Found this place randomly when I craving something sweet. Ends up they serve up coffee too, Coffee Bean coffee. Hoorah.

Menu.

 Beans from the Coffee Beans.

Korean shaved ice. Never tried it and had no idea Koreans were into shaved ice. I am not sure if it was their recipe but I was not a fan of this. The ice was literally just ice. I was not expecting snow but I was expecting finely shaved ice. This was like ice chunks. Hahaha. Not a like of mine.

The waffle. Yum. It was pretty good. I do not like the whipped cream but I usually just sort of push aside all the cream. This waffle is Asian, that should mean something. Not too crispy, not too fluffy, not too sweet. One thing I really must say: the pink scoop of ice cream is divine. I love this ice cream. YUM! It has a slight sweetness to it. Texture is a good balance between creamy and icey. I have no idea where they get this stuff but I want to buy gallons worth. My taste buds love excitement so eating this waffle with a cup of black coffee was just great. Late night snack. Win. Lastly, service is very friendly and eager to help out.

Cafe Haus
20627 Golden Springs
Diamond Bar, CA 91789
909-598-0815

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Back In. Something Sweet.

I have been lazy to the farthest extent possible. Well, actually I've been keeping busy but lazy in terms of not updating this freaking blog. All the blame goes to the photographer, I mean camera. Haha, I think my issue is having a plethora of pictures and just lacking the desire to actually log in to post. Is it the typing? Nah. Is it the pictures? Most definitely not. Whatever it is shame on me. Please remember a lot of my reviews will be quite belated considering the fact I've been to so many restaurants over the past year or so. I got into cupcakes awhile back. Not sure how or why but they're fun to eat so I'm quite critical and particular about my cupcakes.

My Delight CupCakery. Oh my yes it is a delight in my mouth and tummy. However, for MY taste, the frosting is still a bit sweet. I have friends who love Sprinkles. I think those cupcakes are utter crap. I can taste the diabetes from Sprinkles' frosting.

Got three small cupcakes to try. If there's small ones I'll usually get a couple of these as samplers then choose the ones I like after.

Clockwise: Maple Bacon. Carrot Cake. Vanilla.

They're actually quite famous for their Maple Bacon. I'd have to agree, it's pretty dang good. I was a bit confused when I heard about it but figured I'm up to try new things so I got one and loved it. The carrot cake was good but I dislike walnuts so I trashed all those nuts on the side. Yeah, sorry but I trashed those nuts good. The third cupcake didn't stand out. Was fine but I would not pass up the other offerings this bakery brings out of the oven.

Two Red Velvets to go. One for my Sweet Half. Other for my lame ass.  Was good. I tossed the Dove chocolate or whatever that thing is on top. I do not need the extra sugar. I want cake and a little bit of frosting. With all of the cupcakes from this place I still threw away about 2/3rds of the frosting from each cake. As mentioned, my actions do not indicate in any form that these cupcakes are no good, I'm just a weirdo and like x portion of cake to x portion of frosting.

I like this place a lot. I have been back a few times. They've actually grown a lot too, they have a Food Truck or two. I'm sure you could check out their website and chance down those trucks like a dog if you choose so. Try them out if you're craving some baked sweets.

My Delight CupCakery
1520 Mountain Ave., Suite B-108
Ontario, CA 91762
909-988-4151

http://mydelightcupcakery.com

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Snow. Shaved. Where the Throne Stands.

Pa Pa Walk oh man this review is long overdue. This is a Taiwanese Cafe with the best shaved snow (that I'd tried). My friends, better half and I cannot get enough of this place. Their food is decent, has a very home-like feel. Nothing super salty. Their popcorn chicken is delicious. Anyway, this entry is about the dang snowy (because that's what Pa Pa Walk calls it). Soft snowy goodness it is. I have tried all the flavors on the menu and the only one I don't really care too much for is Milk Tea ... only because you can drink it. Yes, the snowy tastes almost exactly like the black milk tea beverage.

Look at the texture, not sheets of snow like Class 302 or La Kaffa. Much finer, softer, delicious. This is a large Mango Snowy (milk flavored snow) with condensed milk mangoes, almond jello/tofu, and rice balls. Most of the time when we come here we order two types but when we're full we'll just order one.

Small Mango Snowy. Cute little cup. Delicious, as always. The mangoes are so fresh every time we order. I bet they captured a Mango Picking Fairy or something because these mangoes are good and plentiful. None of that canned sour mango tiny bits bull crap. Real deal is here.

Green Tea Snowy with condensed milk, boba, rice balls, green tea ice cream and sugar cone. I'm not sure why there is a sugar cone but there is. I don't recall if they serve it with this anymore because the first picture with the square plate is what I think they use now. Before they had this mostly looking leaf plate with the sugar cone. I don't know but it's so good. Enough talking (and reading for you), just go to Pa Pa Walk and devour this soft cold goodness.

Pa Pa Walk
227 W. Valley Blvd., Suite 148-B
San Gabriel, CA 91776
626-281-3889

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Snow. Shaved. Journey Still Continues.

The infamous Class 302. This place is way over-hyped. Is it good? The food sucks. The shaved snow is pretty good. They don't skimp out on the toppings of the snow itself. If you don't live in the San Gabriel area I would say come to Class, otherwise Pa Pa Walk will hold the throne for snow.

I personally think Class only has good milk snow. Their mango snow is disgustingly sweet. The green tea is okay but has a strong green tea powdery taste. Not sure if you know what I'm talking about but if you can just imagine crappy green tea ice cream, the type that leaves your tongue with the strange bitter grainy tea taste. This milk snow is huge. If I'm not in the mood for mangoes I just get an all strawberry one. It's good.

The bad thing about this place is the wait and environment. Long ridiculous waits, especially in the summer. Environment: I suppose you can call it cute since they're following the whole classroom theme. The downfall of following this to the dot is how uncomfortable it is. Did you hate your stiff plastic crap chair in school? Well they're bringing back the old school wooden desks and chairs. If you have no ass and find it difficult filling the rear of your pants I'm pretty sure you won't mind but if you got some meat in your trunk you will find this place irritatingly painful. The other issue: the small (for some). Do you hate stinky tofu? Then if you sit indoors you will throw up and throw up again. Those stenches are incubating in that establishment. Besides that go there and try the snow!

Class 302
1015 S. Nogales St.
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
626-965-5809

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Sweet. Cupcake Love.

Obviously it has been awhile since I have updated anything. What can I say? I've succumb to the infamous I'll-pretend-I'm-on-a-hiatus-but-really-I've-been-lazy-and-putting-things-off-then-getting-more-lazy-and-still-putting-off-updates-even-though-pictures-have-been-taken mode.

As of recent (within the past year) I have fallen for red velvet cupcakes and whatever creative siblings a bakery might be able to conjure up. Also, exploring new places while visiting my better half is always nice. So here it is: Love at First Bite.

Yum carrot cupcake. This is not the first time I've been here but I do not recall if I have pictures from last time. Grabbed some mini cupcakes to go and I like trying the things this cute bakery has to offer. These little cupcakes are a nice intro to flavors you might want to try so I always go for those just in case I might not enjoy the baked goods. The cupcake has a fair amount of air incorporated into the body of the cake without being intrusive. Its texture is not too dense, it does not suck up all the saliva in your mouth when you're chewing and it doesn't make you scream for a cup of water or milk. I like these cupcakes. The cupcake frosting is usually very good, compliments the cake. Some have more sugar than others, maybe a little more tart for some, etc. The bakers at the store have thought out how to make the frosting bring out other flavors in the cake and not just be an overbearingly sweet addition.

I would like to point out my significant other and I both are not sugar heads and probably only consume about 15% of the frosting you see. The rest gets scooped off. Is it nasty? No. Was there a hair in it? No. Did I just say we're not sugar heads? Yes.

We. Just. Don't. Like. Consuming. All. That. Frosting. Period.

Green Tea Cupcake front and center. To the left is the Red Velvet. I'd have to say it has a nice tea flavor without having the bitterness of tea leaves. Consumed it but if you don't enjoy green tea that much I'd have to say pass. The Red Velvet oh yum. There is no ridiculous amount of red food coloring, nicely colored, good cocoa taste, moist, and the frosting just dances with the cake in your mouth. If you're in Berkeley, try this place out. Yelp reviews are a hit or miss apparently. I can say the two times I have been, the cupcakes were moist. Then again can't really count on Yelp for anything accurate (will babble about this later on). Perhaps little hard to find, but right past Shattuck on Walnut.

Love at First Bite
1510 Walnut Street
Berkeley, CA 94709
510-848-5727

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