the playground

April 14, 2012
beer, food
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if you thought santa ana was the armpit of o.c., think again. jason quinn, one of the chefs from the lime truck (the winner of the great food truck race), opened a contemporary gastropub in the historic district of santa ana: the playground, calling all foodies and ipa addicts.

the playground

since this is a gastropub (albeit the contemporary tapas), let me talk about beer, i mean some good selection from breweries indigenous to the state of california (with guest bottles from elsewhere). let me tell you what, i am still fairly new to californian micro-brews and the playground served as an excellent (to say the least) intro to the world of california ipa’s.

an extensive beer list at the playground

for those unfamiliar to what ipa or india pale ales are, here’s my take on the brit’s brew. surprisingly i came across many people who thought, due its ambiguous name, that the brewing style originated from india. contrary to belief, and while india is partially associated, the brewing method originated in england in the late 1700s.

india pale ale is a derivative of a pale ale that was brewed to be shipped to british soldiers stationed in…well, india. to withstand the long journey (since shipping it on c-130s wasn’t an option), ipa’s were essentially more malty and well-hopped than its pale ale counterpart (hops served as natural preservatives). as taxation on alcohol got stricter by the decade, ipa that we enjoy today are much more diluted than what the original one offered (8-9% abv). but i have the monks in belgian abbeys to cover for that end of the spectrum.

communal tables and taps station

because of its well-hopped character, i was led to believe that ipa’s belonged to much colder part of the country, but maybe that’s because i was introduced to the world of beer initially in the great mitten state (read: michigan). now as i think of it, michiganders enjoyed mores stouts, porters, and bocks than they did ipa’s. so it was interesting to see a list of ipa’s on the market in california with a number of breweries touting their version as the best. turns out, ipa’s are indeed the go-to drink in the golden state (like the golden pour of ipa’s!).

the sacred cow

the proprietor offers an impressive list of bottled ales and a handful of micro-brews on tap, some of which i had never seen. the ales were marked up more than what i expected and drafts were no exception, but $5 for a pint didn’t seem so exorbitant. on the plus side, the playground offered free sips of the mirco-brews on tap before you settle on one!

the rotating menu

i give credit to this for the excellent service, and the passion for beer and food. the menu was organized in vegetables, small meat, and large meat. we decided to go for the small plates first, so we ordered hand cut fries, chinese long beans, and roasted beet fattoush. with it we also ordered a beautiful chunk of wagyu (it is wrong to say wagyu beef because wagyu (和牛) already means ‘japanese beef’!).

gastropub extraordinaire!

everything that we ordered was excellent. heck, everything on the rotating menu is probably just as excellent! every bite was a bite of heaven…of celestial bliss (cue chorus). with ordinary dishes, the guys at the playground made it truly extraordinary. what makes this place my fave o.c. gastropub is the fact that there is corkage charge! so we opened a bottle of sangiovese that i’ve been enjoying lately.

santa ana cops on saddles

fittingly enough, there were santa ana cops roaming on police mules in the historic district. the police officers kindly posed for me as i was clicking away drunk. oh i forgot to mention, my absolute favorite of the night was the union jack ipa from firestone walker brewing co. if you haven’t tried this, make sure to try it before you die.

union jack india pale ale
firestone walker brewing co., california
american ipa, 7.50% abv

pig tails with jalapeño crema!

so we ordered too much beer (if there’s such thing) and not much grubs to go with. our obvious choice? why pig tails of course. the only time i had pig tails was at the animal on fairfax in l.a. the one at the playground was even better. the jalapeño crema just nailed every single corner of my tongue.

jason quinn the master chef

just as we were sipping the last mouthful of the sangiovese, jason quinn came up to our table asking how everything was. i was i to do but to flatter him of his work? i told him how his pig tails were prepared much better that they were at the animal. he thanked me saying that he also loves the pig tails at the animal. flattery done right.

he also told me that they do sunday brunches with portola baristas pouring espresso. it now made sense why nicholas, a barista at portola, recommended me to check out this place. next: sunday brunch at the playground.

the playground
220 e 4th st
santa ana, ca 92701

overall: ☆☆☆☆½
price: $$½

plus:
- samples for taps on rotation
- ingenious menu!
- sans corkage!

minus:
- bottles a bit pricey
- no love for deutschland?

verdict: gastropub meets contemporary. o.c.’s micro-brew assembly!

los angelenos in disguise pt. 2

February 21, 2012
attraction
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after the wonderful exploration in temecula and the short-lived night of beer, wine, and tapas, we’re back on the grounds of irvine and its satellite cities. in pt. 1, we left off at the o.c. mart mix where along with its boutiques, offers a small garden of bamboos, reeds, cacti, and flowers that are indigenous to the socal region.

reed stalks!

so why not take an advantage of the backdrop? and we did.

the red carpet walk

there is a hidden gem in costa mesa that many people are either unaware of or take for granted. it’s called the isamu noguchi sculpture park aptly named ‘california scenario’. unlike other sculpture parks that display a variety of sculptures, california scenario is a park that is a sculpture as whole.

the river that is too wide to cross

the park is ‘an abstract analogue of the state of california from mexico to the oregon border, and the pacific ocean to the colorado river’. noguchi was a ‘play advocate’ and meant this ‘sculpture’ to be played on, and we did.

alpha plus angels

not only does it function as a piece of art but also as an artsy backdrop. so we go at it again.

senior portraits?

and this time, i’m not the only one behind the camera. sophie and jina were kind enough to be shutterbugs themselves. the results? quite pleasing.

silly us!

yes, the first time i debut my face on my own blog and i’m posing like a clown. but hey, better than nothing.

classy? i think so

so where is this park located? It’s enclosed by two skyscrapers, hyundai motors america and comerica bank near south coast plaza. if you want to venture out to this place, make sure to park at the mall parking lot and walk over two blocks, as the parking nearby is a whopping buck fifty for every quarter-hour you stay.

twirl, twirl, twirl!

just in case you’re wondering, for all the pictures on this blog, i used a canon eos 40d paired with either a 17-40 or a 50. i know my 40d is a dinosaur, but it gets the job done.

beautiful smiles on beautiful faces

like naïve little girls

did i mention how wonderful these girls are? sophie and jina are witty, intelligent, and culturally refined ladies whose tastes in food, drinks, and music are unparalleled with anyone! perfect travel companions, i say.

best friends forever

sophie being sophie, of course

okay, we got pictures. next: time to hit the beach to watch the sun dip in the pacific. crystal cove, i choose you.

en route to laguna

a brief stroll took us to the ocean, wide open. it was a bit windy, but romantic nevertheless.

sunset at laguna beach

thankfully, we were able to make it to the sunset. we quietly enjoyed as the sun disappeared into the horizon.

back to reality, these girls are going back to the city

until next time girls.

los angelenos in disguise pt.1

February 7, 2012
attraction, beer, coffee, food
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one of the greatest things that ever happened in january was the birth of martin luther king jr.-my utmost respect goes to the reverend for what he had done for the civil rights movement. i too have a dream. I have a dream that one day on the hills of temecula, the sons of los angeles and the sons orange county will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. today, it’s a dream come true.

los angelenos in downtown, laguna!

sophie, jina (remember her?), and i went to college together. these workaholics are working in los angeles day and night. and they really needed to escape the smog-laden metropolis to the rustic country of southern o.c. and to temecula. (sophie keeps a blog about her fabulous daily adventures and the treasures she finds).

l.a. girls surrounded by o.c. housewives at nick's laguna

first stop was at laguna beach. made a popular attraction by not-so-real reality shows, laguna beach satiates o.c. residents with art galleries, wine tasting rooms, bars, restaurants, and a wholefoods market. the town, really, is mediocre at best. nick’s at laguna, however proves there’s still some hope (and serious potential) for laguna.

nick’s laguna beach
440 s coast hwy
laguna beach, ca 92651

overall: ☆☆☆☆
price: $$

at doffo's winery

heading south on the pch (pacific coast highway or ca-1), the drive was more pleasant than i expected. we passed through chains of palm trees, small beach towns, rocky valleys bridged by a rainbow, and finally through vineyards with rows of newly-grafted vines.

i have a lot to cover, so i’ll cut to the chase. the experience at the first winery (oak mountain) was abysmal to say the least. this place is classy, with a pizza parlor, distasteful music, and a sports bar like tasting room (yes, with sports memorabilia in a glass cabinet). the wine? we’d rather drink a box of franzia than to suffer through the flights that never seemed to end. did i mention that they suggested having it with goose meat? but i can see pilot sullenberger enjoying that very much.

'we love full-bodied cabs!'

doffo, on the other hand, made our trip to temecula worth its while. the argentine estate’s vintage collection tinged our faces with the color of their special reserve cab. our sommelier was well versed with top-notch service, wine-tails, and boba. (the man was obsessed with the tapioca drink).

our glasses were never empty to the point where we had lost count of how many we had. he was never stingy with his wine, pouring generous amounts every time. if you’re checking out temecula, make sure you stop by this family-run estate.

doffo winery
36083 summitville st
temecula, ca 92592

overall: ☆☆☆☆½
price: $$½

beer & wine + tapas to go with

i sobered up while the girls enjoyed the third and final stop. not much to talk about here. we headed back for dinner at cucina alessá in newport beach. excellent food and service as always.

on a completely unrelated note, the italian word ‘cucina‘ means kitchen. ‘ristorante’ is a formal restaurant, ’osteria‘, a place where wine and small plates are served (french equivalent: bistro), ’trattoria’ falls in between the previous two, and finally ‘enoteca‘ is a ‘wine library’ or a tasting room. so next time you see this lexicon take part in the name of your local italian, you’ll know what to expect.

day two: south coast tour!

after the dinner, we dragged our inebriated bodies to have some more drinks and food to go with them: chocolate chips, sweet potato & beet chips, rosemary croccantini, fig and olives crisps, german champignon, swedish 20-month cheddar, english 10-month white cheddar, blueberries, raspberries, mozzarella balls & grape tomatoes, and cantaloupe & prosciutto. yes, it was quite a feast.

the stag’s leap cabernet sauvignon 2008 was completely subdued by our lingering palate from doffo‘s, but the unibroue‘s blanche de chambly did not disappoint. jina and sophie passing out at 1am, most certainly did. (yes, we’re getting old).

blanche de chambly
unibroue, canada
witbier, 5.00% abv

light’s out kids.

bright, gorgeous smiles...for brunch!

day two: irvine and the vicinity. for brunch, we went to the old vine café at the camp mall in costa mesa. exquisite brunch for exquisite guests! we went both sweet & savory, perfect balance to start off the day. (sorry i’m too lazy at the moment to upload food pictures, i will cover this later!)

old vine café 
2937 bristol st
costa mesa, ca 92626

overall: ☆☆☆☆½
price: $$

jina, make up your mind!

so we checked out a few boutiques, shops, and the parking lot. because here at the camp mall, at every parking spot there are ‘hipster-quotes’ that read ‘smile’, ‘relax’, ‘take a vacation’, ‘people make history’, ‘drink coffee’, ‘become a barista’, ‘use mac’, ‘drive a prius’ and so on. (okay the last three, i made up).

we camped at the mall (it's really a portable boutique shop)

we had our brunch, a walk around the mall, so what comes next? needless to say, espresso!

en route to portola coffee lab!

thankfully, the weather forecast was wrong and it did not rain a single drop. so we were able to sit outside and relax in the sun, enjoying our drips and espresso. the o.c. mart mix is literally a ‘mix’ of boutiques in a market-like setting. there are flower shop, wine & oil shop, cheese shop, paper, cruiser bike, surfing, spice, furniture, cake, antiques, etc.-all presenting the finest offerings.

single origins and a blend (with a dash of ganache)

after a cup of coffee (and a brief photo shoot), we left for the sculpture park near the south coast plaza. before i jump to the next slide, this post is getting ridiculously long, so i’ll cut it here and start the reel on the next post!

o canada!

January 14, 2012
attraction
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the so-called winter here in southern california is nothing like i expected. the temperature hovers in the high-70s (some days, 80s) during the day and drops below 40 at night. despite such extreme day-night fluctuations, psa for seasonal flu shots are hardly seen.

case in point, a family trip to banff national park in alberta, canada was arranged for the holidays. i never thought that i’d miss the lung-freezing, face-mauling winter chill of the great mitten, but i guess my body felt otherwise.

salmon arm, british columbia

part of the extraordinary rockies, banff national park is located just north of the state of montana. so the drive (yes, we drove) took a large portion of the three-night four-day trip (600 miles from seattle). we left vancouver early in the morning and headed east until we hit the longitudinal center of the british columbia: salmon arm.

on the following day, driving, again, consumed a good sum of the trip that took us further east to the alberta province (named after the princess louise caroline alberta). and waiting for the avalanche control to clear the trans-canada highway did not help us get through the rogers pass either.

banff gondola ascending the sulfur mountain

after two days of inclimate weather and what felt like infinity, we finally reached our destination (play navigation lady’s voice here). the first attraction (and the only one to be quite honest) was the banff gondola. but $30 for a ride up the mountain in an aluminum capsule…seriously?

view out the window of the gondola

it was worth every single canadian penny! the 12-minute ascension alone was worth the time we spent on the road. i can assure you that the expression ‘breathtaking’ has its etymology rooted here at banff.

one of earth's most beautiful gems: canadian rockies!

we got off of the gondola and then…bam! chris tomlin’s indescribable instantly played in my head. ‘awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim…you are amazing god’. amen to that…amen to that.

a stairway to heaven

there was a wooden boardwalk trail that led up to a viewpoint, but unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to climb the stairs. we will leave it for next time.

breathing in the sub-alpine evergreen pines

the other side of the basin was equally as beautiful. soon (too soon), our time was up and we had to catch a ride back to the base.

12 minutes of heaven

whereas the ride up the mountain was marked with merriment and anticipation, the ride down was filled with nothing but silence. simply lost for words at the immense beauty of the astounding views. my visual orgasms did not stop there. we stopped by bow falls where we found thick slabs of ice resting over the frozen lake, a frozen waterfall, and snow-capped peaks in distant background.

slabs of ice over the lake

i know i have been utilizing black and white like an old cliché, but its starkness seduced me like a femme fatale out of a noir film.

cue vivaldi's four seasons here

bear grylls a grizzly bear catching a wild salmon on the glacier island in the photo would’ve completed the scene. but it is still beautiful as it! my sister and i had wondered how the turquoise-saturated lake louise would look dressed in winter attire. the answer was quite different from what we had imagined.

lake louise at a glance

following the trail that intersected with trails sculpted by nordic skiers, we were absolutely stunned to see what lake louise had to show in snow. it was simply astonishing. striking beauty it was.

on top of the frozen lake

trekking past the sign that read ‘danger! thin ice!’, i was able to get a closer view of the valley created by the giant ‘rocks’. the princess must have been a ’10′ to have had this lake named after her. because it topped anything that i’ve seen in my life (albeit my scant travel experience).

crescent moon over the grand rocky bluffs

the night fell softly on lake louise and it was time for us to head back home. to seattle, then to irvine that is.

kayak rentals cabin in winter

you made my heart melt like a block of butter on pan. you lifted up my soul like a hot balloon in autumn sky. thank you canada, thank you queen victoria, thank you princess louise caroline alberta. until next time…

wurstküche

December 19, 2011
attraction, beer, coffee, food
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pronounced “verst-koo-shah” (with hard german accent please), “wurstküche” means meals made with sausage. and that is exactly what our experience was at this bratwurst joint. welcome to the l.a. arts district.

wurstküche

with the barn-red, wooden sliding doors, the entrance of wurstküche reminds you of a meat-packing factory. the somewhat austere exterior carries through the inside of the shop.

entrance area bar seating

the modern interior (perhaps too edgy) is well conceived with the rest of the shop. the ordering area, the bar area, and the picnic-styled communal seating area were well integrated. but i am no architect or an interior designer for that matter, so let’s skip to the good stuff: food.

the menu

the menu is quite unorthodox with alligator and rattlesnake as part of the offering. being the rabbit fan that i am, i went with the rabbit, veal & pork sausage. with the order, i also got pomme frites with bleu cheese walnut & bacon and tzatziki (greek yogurt) sauces.

the grill

the ‘kitchen’ and the register were in the same area. the idea was to order up front, take a number and steins, and have the servers bring out the food to you.

the register

it was a bit crowded at first, but we were able to find a spot in no time. service was quick and smooth as expected.

the biergarten

the beer menu was simply amazing with the following on draft: affligem, chimay, la chouffe, st. bernardus abt 12 to list a few from belgian side; aventinus, köestritzer, weihenstephan from the german side. the list expands with imported bottles from belgië and deutschland. not so impressive was the inclusion of pabst blue ribbon. seriously? pbr?

köestritzer schwarzbier & rabbit, veal, and pork bratwurst

i wanted to get weihenstephan dunkelweizen, but they had ran out of this for the night, so i resorted (as in second best choice) to the köestritzer schwarzbier. excellent, excellent selection to go with my gamey sausage.

köestritzer schwarzbier
köestritzer schwarzbrauerei gmbh & co., germany
schwarzbier, 4.80% abv

sausage fest, literally

the sausage was delicious and so were the fries. my friends from seattle yong-moo and ashley also enjoyed their’s as well. the eating area wasn’t terribly loud even with full seating. after our delicious meal, i couldn’t but introduce my friends to the world of intelligentsia, so i took them to the location in old pasadena.

intelligentsia in old pasadena

it was the third intelligentsia location that i’ve been to. venice, silverlake, now pasadena. (san fernando, wait patiently). unlike the others, this one serves food and (wait for it) beer! the good kind too.

intelligentsia coffee & tea
55 e colorado blvd
pasadena, ca 91103

the serving area

like any other intelligentsia, they had the standard equipment with standard attitude. more chill than venice baristas, but more professional than silverlake kids.

the espresso list

another thing to point out would be a drink named ‘angeleno’, just a fancy name for an iced latte with sugar. my friends ordered these and as always i ordered a macchiato.

bear republic mugs

while waiting for our drinks to be prepared, i took a mini tour of the place. there were small round tables, a couple of long, wooden tables, a coffee bar, a tapa bar, and other generic coffee shop props.

macchiato and coffee cake

so we talked and talked until our mouths and cups dried up.

coffee and photos

we snapped a couple of instax photos and left for downtown again, to go to ‘the edison’. well at least that was our intention. it was closed for sunday.

the interior of the shop

so what did we do? to pick up our disappointed souls, we went to the los angeles county museum of art (or lacma). makes perfect sense right? why in the world would we go to an art museum 10pm on a sunday night?

urban lights

for this. nothing special really. just a lot of closely arranged street lights in various shape and sizes. but we had a blast; we climbed on the posts, took photos of ourselves, laughed obnoxiously and most importantly, we enjoyed the good company.

so, is wurstküche worth a second visit? until i discover a better one in the area, this will be my go-to gastropub. lasst trinken das boot!

wurstküche
800 e 3rd st
los angeles, ca 90013

overall: ☆☆☆☆
price: $$½

plus:
- biergarten setting
- exotic sausages with mind-blowing dips for fries
- huge selection of belgian & german on tap

minus:
- pricey
- limited seating

verdict: sausage fest + oktoberfest = best fest (not really but for the sake of rhyming)

cucina alessá

December 16, 2011
food
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what a gem! i never thought i’d be able to find a good restaurant anywhere in the o.c. in fact, this is the first post with a commendable rating for an establishment in the o.c. behold, cucina alessá brings o.c. residents fresh house-made pasta, prosciutto & mozzarella bar, and genuine italian hospitality.

cucina alessá, huntington beach

located in the newport, huntington, laguna beach locations, as well as in beach corner, cucina alessá serves o.c. residents with knowledgeable staff and unparalleled accommodation. my first encounter of cucina alessá was actually in newport location, which has a rather romantic, intimate vibe than the huntington one i am reviewing in this post.

sopressata calabrese

don’t judge a book by its cover. despite its rather gaudy façade, everything inside of this ristorante is in perfect order. from hosting and seating to taking orders and presenting the dishes, cucina alessá gets it right every time. but first things first, buon appetito!

pappardelle al sugo d'agnello

after the mouth-watering salami as appetizer, we ordered two entrées in the paste fresche menu: pappardelle al sugo d’agnello (ribbons, braised lamb shoulder, ricotta) and taglierini al limone (lemon taglierini, scallops, prawns, in white wine sauce). both fantastic choices.

taglierini al limone

we sat by the windows where the hot californian sun shone through. the ocean breeze also came through the slight opening in the windows. perfect, and so was the pasta.

christmas in socal

since huntington beach was right around the corner, we took a stroll on the beach. yes, in december. it is still a strange concept to me, hence the strange sighting as in the image above.

portola coffee lab

and of course, how can i pass a saturday without a good cup of coffee? so i didn’t and dropped by  portola coffee lab. got myself a quad shot mocha with ganache chocolate, a must try at portola.

coffee lab calls coffee geeks

skip the huntington location and go to the newport one for a more rustic experience and intimate service. sip some wine and fit right in with the rest of the posh newport crowd.

cucina alessá
6700 w coast hwy
newport beach, ca 92663

overall: ☆☆☆☆
price: $$

plus:
- excellent, intimate service
- prosciutto & mozzarella bar!
- family-like setting
- pasta, pasta, pasta

minus:
- just don’t get the pizza

verdict: pasta, check. napa wine, check. this is ‘cal-italy’. 

destination: downtown, seattle

December 13, 2011
attraction, beer, coffee
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home sweet home! the holiday spirit makes everyone giddy, and i’m no exception. for this thanksgiving (i know this post is much past due), i went back home to the emerald city. i picked a day to go downtown and explore the seattle goodies. coincidentally, it did not rain (yes this does happen in seattle).

roasteria vivace

of course, being the snobby seattleite that i am, i started the day with a cup of macchiato at my favorite coffee joint (sorry intelligentsia) espresso vivace roasteria. this place, similar to starbucks, started as a sidewalk coffee stand on broadway street (which still exists today) and garnered international fame. it is a seattle exclusive.

espresso vivace roasteria 
532 broadway e
seattle, wa 98102

the retro italian coffee bar at vivace

located in the center of the hipster scene in capitol hill, espresso vivace maintains its coffee-snobbery status well. the owner of vivace roasteria, david schomer, is known to have developed and popularized the latte art in the united states as well as for having developed better espresso machines and grinders.

barista at work

although the motto of this roasteria is una bella tazza di caffe which means “a beautiful cup of coffee” in italian, my macchiato was rather bland. bad barista day i guess. excellent quality nevertheless.

caffè latte

a quick trivia: the caffè latte was popularized in seattle in the early 80′s and was spread more widely in the following decade. coffee-snobbery means coffee snobs occupying the shop, and this one’s no exception.

grumpy seattleite

next on the agenda was visiting the pike place market. this market is more than a hundred-years old (opened in 1907) and is home to farmers, crafts-persons, and merchants. along with the flagship starbucks store, pike place market harbors a variety of family owned restaurants and shops.

pike place market

it is literally a few blocks from the main shopping area in downtown. seattle is known to be one of the most walk-able cities in the united states. with free ground transportation within downtown, i whole-heatedly agree with the statement.

post alley

within the market is the post alley that akin to the alleyways in european countries, surrounded by street performers, small markets, shops, restaurants, and cafès. the seattle version offers similar experience.

brian and david at the gum wall

my best buddies from junior high school brian and david tagged along in this day-journey. the gum wall is also in the post alley by the speakeasy bar.

early evening at the pike place market

david really wanted me to try the japanese-style hotdogs from dog japon, so i got the matsuri, which is virtually okonomiyaki toppings dropped on top of the sausage. it was fantastic.

matsutri dog (祭りドッグ)

david wanted fried donut holes from dahlia bakery. i’ve always wanted to try the bakery but never had the chance to. thanks to david, i was able to find the fragel-alternative in seattle. fried bagel or simply fragel is an ann arbor specialty that i’ve craved since i left the ace deuce.

autumn in the rain city

even though it was late in the season, i was still able to see fall colors in the city. a quick seattle trivia: city buses run completely on electricity within the immediate city area using power struts that connect to the electricity grid above the buses.

serious pie

being far up north in the country has its pros and cons. one of them would be the length of the day. in the winter, the sun sets at around 4pm (10pm in the summer) in the pacific northwest. so there were more people in the restaurant than there would’ve been in the summer.

serious pie
316 virginia st
seattle, wa 98121

yukon gold potato pizza

serious pie is one of tom douglas’ many restaurants. this one in particular is an american pizzeria with beer and wine. you’d be surprised how well wine goes with a pizza. we ordered the yukon gold potato pizza with rosemary and pecorino. what i really like about serious pie is that it offers rotating taps from local breweries. on this specific visit, i ordered the evolutionary i.p.a. from the two beer brewery.

evolutonary ipa
two beers brewing company, washington
american ipa, 6.20% abv 

the clean, hoppy american ipa went well with the potato-stuffed pizza.

stumptown coffee roasters

after our meal, we headed to the newly opened milstead coffee & co. in fremont, but unfortunately it was closed (it was only 6pm), so we highfived the troll and left for the portland-based coffee roaster: stumptown coffee.

stumptown coffee roasters
1115 12th ave
seattle, wa 98122

original logo decal on the entrance door

located in the edge of capitol hill and near seattle university, stumptown coffee has a more edgy vibe  than the vivace. which makes perfect sense for this 13-year-old coffee business.

shop interior

founded by duane sorenson in 1999, stumptown is a huge proponent of the fair-trade coffee, developing personal relationships with farm owners. following the portland location, this is one of the two shops that opened in seattle in 2007, the second location outside of portland. the third location of this roasteria is in ace hotel, a boutique hotel in the new york city.

modest bar area

the shop itself isn’t huge, but the floor-plan is well thought out as there are plenty of places to sit or stand around. the lower level is dedicated for roasters and tasting bars.

stumptown caffè latte

too full to drink the latte, i ordered a macchiato again. my macchiato art was not worth posting, so the photo above is of david’s latte. surprisingly, the drink was better than that of vivace, which differs from my previous experience.

capitol hill natives

adjacent to this roaster is cafè presse, a french restaurant bar serving coffee and brunch by the morning and drinks and small plates by the night. this place is definitely on my list for christmas visit.

molly moon's ice cream

i was truly prepared to hit every corner of the town. our last destination was at molly moon’s ice cream.

molly moon’s ice cream
917 e pine st
seattle, wa 98122

molly moon’s is known to source its ingredients within the 100-mile radius of the greater seattle area. the best seller is the salted caramel, but i opted for earl grey, brian balsamic strawberry, and david theo chocolate. all fantastic choices. the waffle cones are hand-made using the wooden cones to shape the waffles once they’re baked.

molly's dog licking the ice cream is the logo for this ice cream parlor

the store also has vivace coffee flavor that uses fresh-roasted beans from the roasteria i mentioned in this post. speaking of coffee, caffè vita was just around the corner, so i just dropped by.

caffè vita coffee roasting co.

no i did not drink my third doppio here, but just snapped a photo of the shop. caffè vita, like stumptown coffee, is part of the third wave coffee movement. founded by mike mcconnell in 1995, it is one of the top ten places to get best coffee in america. they source coffee directly from farms in the south american coffee regions.

i have a bucket-list of places to go in seattle. but until i go back for christmas, i will have to find a way to cope with the miserable air and water quality here in the barren land of southern california. until next time seattle.

bottega louie

December 10, 2011
coffee, food
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in the deserted borough of los angles is a gem scintillating its pearl-white facades and golden letters that read ‘louie’. definitely not something you’d expect to find in the detroit-like ‘hood of jewelry district, l.a.

hostess at bottega louie posing

the all-white modern interior, albeit a bit bleak, is nicely compensated with gold-lacquered antiques and similarly gold-trimmed everything. it comes with a pâtisserie. yes, the pâtisserie is absolutely beautiful with a collection of macarons in roygbiv tones, pastries, and candies: a sweet-tooth’s paradise. but first things first: primi.

trenné

burrata pizza

priced moderately at $18 for pizza and $16 for pasta, the quality of the food matched the price. the kale and prime rib in the trenné were well-balanced and the burrata… let’s talk about the burrata pizza. moist burrata on the olive-based neapolitan base, throw in some fresh rapini and savory prosciutto and i could die a happy soul.

casual diners at louie

my co-worker and i got in the restaurant at 5:30pm and it was completely occupied in about an hour. luckily, we came straight from the l.a. auto show which was only a few blocks away from the restaurant.

plenty seats for all to enjoy

because of the high ceiling and flat walls, the noise level was beyond tolerable. the dining crowd consisted of professionals but not couples (probably due to the casual vibe of the ristorante).

the exposed kitchen

we were too full to try anything from the pâtisserie, but i was told that everything on the menu is extraordinary. (gold flakes everywhere!)

diabetes-inducing bites

since we were planning to go to intelligentsia, we skipped coffee. it was probably a good choice.

rainbow macarons

i like macarons, but only the flavorful ones that lab café buys from the french pâtissier. honey-walnut, lavender and absinthe to name a few. these macarons looked too generic to be desirable. in my eyes anyway.

ciao bottega

silverlake, one of the four intelligentsia locations in l.a., was not too far from downtown so we hopped in and left for the hipster town of silver lake.

sunset junction

with a help of the giant sign overhead (which painfully illustrates the type of neighborhood that silverlake is), i was able to find intelligentsia in no time.

intelligentsia at silver lake

intelligentsia coffee & tea
3922 w sunset blvd
los angeles, ca 90029

surrounding it were boutiques, music shops, vegan restaurants, and etc. the typical hipster bucket-list.

interior of the silverlake location

this place was completely different from the one in venice. different type of crowd, attitude, and voice. if venice were lab café in ann arbor, this one would be the comet coffee in nickels arcade; that would be macbooks vs. composition books.

macchiato and sparkling water

what more need i say other than it meets the stringent intelligentsia quality. the ‘latte’ art on the macchiato was simply amazing as was the taste.

the square configuration

two down, two more to go. next on agenda: pasadena location. before you mistake this for an intelligentsia post, below is my verdict on bottaga louie.

bottega louie
700 s grand ave
los angeles, ca 90017

overall: ☆☆☆☆
price: $$

plus:
- top-notch service
- rotating specials
- neapolitan pizza!

minus:
- unbearable noise level

verdict: 3430 four stars on yelp. the l.a. kids know what’s good on the block.

seabirds

November 30, 2011
food
2 Comments

another gloomy weekend in socal, loving every single minute of it. ’bout time it rained! (yes, it rains in the o.c. too). in the city of irvine, there are a myriad of farmers markets in certain areas. the ivc, or irvine valley college, is one of those locations. luckily, ivc is only about ten blocks away from where i live and seabirds truck was scheduled to be there.

seabirds food truck

seabirds food truck, part of the great food truck race on food network, is an o.c. born vegan food mobile serving the not-animal goodness. trust me, i prefer to chew on something more substantial than veggies, but i wanted to give it a shot.

2011's best food truck

i ordered the beer-battered avocado tacos. i like avocados and i sure as heck love beer, so why bother getting anything else. oh i like coconut too so i also got a coconut juice.

beer-battered avocado tacos & coconut juice

yes, my car served well as a makeshift table top. but i didn’t care because these tacos (which don’t look that appetizing in the picture above) were smackin’ good! oh man, i know i’m coming back for more.

seabirds truck
orange county, ca

overall: ☆☆☆☆½
price: $½

plus:
- flavors!
- “fast” gourmet food!

minus:
- on the pricier side

verdict: vegan or not, seabirds or not, you will find yourself devouring the goodies.  

daikokuya

November 27, 2011
food
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that’s pronounced “DIE-coke-ya” and it literally means “big black house” (大黒家). i am not entirely sure of the origin of the name, but please do contribute if you do. after a lunch at father’s office and a stroll at abbot kinney & the beach, jina and i picked up a friend and headed straight to little tokyo to experience the greasy goodness of japanese tonkotsu ramen, a pork-broth based ramen with slices of braised pork.

daikokuya original noodle and rice-bowl

given the time we waited to get in (an hour and a quarter), anything could’ve and would’ve tasted good. but let me tell you that the ramen and the donburi were simply amazing. i ordered a kotteri (richer broth) tonkotsu-men (こってりとんこつラーメン) and a butanegi-don (豚ねぎドン) on the side.

kotteri tonkotsu-men & butanegi-don

the broth was deep and rich, the pork slices were juicy and tender, and the noodles were consistent and chewy. the butanegi-don was on par with the quality of the ramen. it’s no surprise why people wait so long to eat this.

ramen bar to the left and tables to the right

a note to self: go at off-peak times (either end of the dinner time).

daikokuya
327 e. 1st st.
los angeles, ca 90012 

overall: ☆☆☆☆
price: $½

plus:
- thick, full, rich broth
- fast service

minus:
- limited seating
- long wait (there’s always a crowd waiting to get in)

verdict: a must-try for the tonkotsu fan.

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