Getty Villa --> I'm not Worthy

For a September day, it was sadly overcast and drizzly. (It reminded me of the drive to CB.)  Surprisingly, it only took us like 45 mins to get there so we arrived well before our 12 pm reservation.  Thankfully, AK had a coupon so we saved on the $15 parking. OMG!!

The first few images of the Getty were beautiful.  The building was very spectacular and the gardens were very serene and beautiful.

Getty Villa Front Entrance

Getty Villa driving back from Malibu Seafood

However, we got bored after like 2 hours.  It wasn't like I didn't want to learn about culture.  It was just that I was B-O-R-E-D.  It wasn't interesting to me.  I guess reading all the romantic books about larger than life heroes made the reality of all of the relics so bland to me.  Of course some of the art was beautiful but it was just not as spectacular as I had expected.  I guess I had built the Getty Villa so much in my mind that by the time I actually went it was like: Meh! What would happen if I broke something.  Uggh! or Dayum! That's old!

The highlights:

Medusa Mosaic

 

Gold Jewelry



Fountain near the entrance of the Villa



Studio near the Getty Villa

Afterwards we went to the Malibu Seafood which was about 10 miles from the Getty Villa.  From the Yelp reviews, it sounded like an awesome place.  Maybe it was the overcast skies but it was very crowded.  Our expections were maybe too high because I think the bees and the flies were more excited by our meal than we were.  We had the large shrimp plate, clam chowder and the squid steak sandwich and fries.  It was very generic. Almost wished we had gone further to The Sunset Restaurant BUT after the experience at Raya, I think we were still a bit flustered about snotty people.  At least the drive back reminded me of the view from Raya.  Overall, I figure one day, I'll be "mature" enough to appreciate art and culture...Sadly yesterday was NOT that day.  Wish the weather had been nicer but it was a nice day trip.



Lunch at Malibu Seafood



Malibu: View from the car

   

My food isn't cooked aka... C'mon now!!!

So I'm on vacation otherwise known as NOT AT WORK so AK and I decided to do a one day excursion to Carlsbad.  Along the way, we decided to try Raya at the Ritz Carlton Hotel.  The drive down was pretty uneventful.  I had made reservations for 11:30 am because I wasn't sure if it would be busy.  Because of traffic possibilities and a woefully out of date toll road rate online (it said 3.00 off peak but in actuality it was $5), we took the 73 toll.  It was a nice peaceful drive for that stretch and it was like a good 25 minutes.

When we arrived, Dana Point was overcast and dreary.  The Ritz Carlton is set overlooking the cliff and we had to valet park.  If you eat at the restaurants, it costs $5.  When we arrived, we were greeted by the concierge and she informed us that the wonderful floral arrangements are changed every four to five days:

Because of the overcast skies, we were able to look outside and see a pretty nice view from our table.  The restaurant didn't have that many people and there is a walkway leading down to the beach where there were surfers and joggers taking advantage of the milder weather.

Because we had a drive ahead to Carlsbad, we decided to do the small plates and share.  In the past, I've had hits and misses with small plates.  They are either really, really small or just right.  I was worried about feeling hungry but at the same time being sleepy since I was driving.  We had a nice little selection of bread with a creamy ricotta like spread, a salsa of sorts and butter to munch on before our plates arrived.  We settled on three plates to share: Ceviche Mixto, Wagyu Beef Churrasco and Rock Shrimp Quesidilla. 

The Ceviche Mixto had the rock shrimp, calamari, octopus, corn, mandarin and heart of palm with a thick anji panca sauce.  It had a side of plantain chips that were very oily but thinly sliced like they didn't have time to drain properly. Personally, I liked the hardier, thicker plantains chips from Porto's.  The sauce was like a thick orange concentrated juice reduction but quite tangy.  However, I did feel like I needed to add salt to it. 

The Waygu Beef Churrasco was cooked medium rare which I was shocked about since AK does NOT eat.  She would eat WELL DONE but she ordered.  It came with the yuca fries and again, the fries came greasy.  It's like they didn't take the time to use a paper towel or a drainer to drain the food.  I'm sort of glad I didn't get the side of fries (which if you've read this blog know I love).  The beef was very tender but I guess I had higher expectations for Waygu beef.  I expected it to be like "buttah".  As expected, AK sort of gnawed the edges off the second slice of beef and even with the chipotle hollindaise and seasoning, it still felt like it was missing something, like a flavor or spice.

The final dish was the rock shrimp quesadillas.  I have to say this:  they look so cute.  I'm sorry but who makes flour tortillas that small nowadays except for restaurant service.  LOL  The quesadillas were light and had nice pieces of shrimp and just enough cheese.  They were so petite that it was difficult to really get a lot of the tomatillo-chipotle salsa and avocado crema on them.  However, it was nicely down.



Our experience was tempered by a rather demanding couple sitting next to us.  I felt so bad for the servers and ultimately the restaurant manager who had to deal with them.  I believed they ordered a calamari dish and split it between themselves.  She had eaten her portion and halfway through he decided he didn't like it and sent it back.  Then they order the Pan Seared Sea Scallops and the drama began.  I believe they must have sent it back at least three times and again, he did the same thing of eating halfway and sending it back.  The restaurant manager got so exasperated that she ultimately gave them something else to try after redo his plate YET again and him wanting to send it back AGAIN.  While I was waiting for AK, she kept glancing over to our table giving me a dirty look like I didn't belong there.  Just because she was a Chanel toting, sunglass wearing woman doesn't mean she was better than me! :P

The Raya was a very nice place to go to but I don't know if I would go back if the patrons are as rude as the experience I had yesterday.  Just because you are over 50 doesn't mean you have class or money.   

Had Enough Sugar Yet?

Today I went to the Boiling Crab with AK, Donna and Jeannette. Afterwards, we decided to go to Tebo Tebo Tea Lounge, a new tea hangout by T place. When we got there, it was so busy. The decor is bright and loud like a typical yogurt or tea bar. The drinks are given fancy names THE STICKY MESS for the Avocado in sweet condensed milk.  We got Choco Choco (Me: Chocolate, Cappuccino and Oreo in non-fat frozen yogurt), J and D got Acai (Acai, Straberry, Cherry, Peach and Banana w/frozen yogurt) and AK got the Tropical Twister ( Strawberry and Lychee w/Lychee bits and Basil Seeds).  We put it in to-go cups instead of their carafes.  We weren't sure if we were going to finish them.  The flavored tea bottle looked like a Gatorade bottle but is actually their bottle that has Tebo Tebo embossed on it.  We actually thought it was a recycled Gatorade bottle at first glance.  We did a double take and saw that it was sealed.  Pretty neat.



Acai, Choco Choco, Tropical Twister, Acai w/Boba



Mango 101 w/Red Bean, Taro and Mango Pudding

We also decided to share The Grinch (Green Tea Snow Ice Topped with Sweet Red Bean and Chewy Mochi) with  Taro and Mango pudding.  However, they ran out and we settled for the Mango 101 (Mango Flavored Snow Ice Topped with Mountain of Fresh Cut Mango) with Taro and Red Bean, Taro and Mango Pudding.  So it was a partial disappointment because the mango was so sour.  Although yellow, it was unripened.  Yucky... I think there was the mango pudding but not sure.  We got HUGE spoons that were like shovels but the other spoon was a teaspoon.  I guess they figured we wouldn't get 2nds. :P

B Mine --> Before

The main event was for the Toast in the Box.  This is called B MINE. Sweet condensed milk toast, custard cream, fresh strawberry, peach and vanilla ice cream.  It took a while for it to come out but that was okay since we had the Mango 101 and drinks.  When the box came out, we had NO idea how to cut this--> middle, side, diagonally?  In the end, the waiter said to cut the "door"... however, the damage was done.  It didn't cascade down like a waterfall but sort of went kerplop.




B Mine --> After

 The inside was pieces of toasted bread that was mixed in with the evaporated milk and cream.  There was only a few pieces of strawberries and it was canned peaches with only one scoop of vanilla ice cream.  The toasted pieces reminded me of the maple toast from 85 Degrees.  They were soaking in the cream and milk and I think we were so overloaded on sugar that it got to be to be a bit too much for us.  A good cup of decaf, unsweetened coffee may have been in order. 



A word of caution though:  per Yelp, Tebo Tebo has been known to have a surcharge of $3.00 per person for those who don't order.  Whether that is true or not, I'm not sure.  Their service is so-so.  Although the waiter repeated our order, the four of us couldn't understand him and we work CS.  I would definitely check the bill and be 100% careful about what you order.  Would I come back?  Not sure.

Is this medium rare?

T and I have been trying to coordinate our schedules to see if we could go to RW. Lunch or dinner, weekend or weekday...it just seemed like we would never make it and then suddenly we were able to go today. But where to go? Whe wanted to go to a restaurant that hadn't been to before so we were limited. After going back and forth, we decided to go to Ecco across from The Lab. It is in an eco-friendly shopping area filled with restaurants and shops.

Calamari Fries



Bruschetta

When we walked in there were only three tables occupied. We chose to sit outside. The menu for RW changed slightly. We had the calamari fries and the bruschetta as the appetizers.  The calamari fries were surprisingly crispy with just enough breading on them.  The bruschetta were a bit bland and large.  It would have been better if they were four smaller pieces instead of two larger ones. 

The entrees were modified.  Instead of the white sea bass, Ecco substituted with the organic half chicken with swiss chard, cannellini beans and chicken jus.  I picked the chicken since I had the beef yesterday at Mastro's while T had the hanger steak medium rare with broccoli rabe and black olive vinaigrette.  I kept saying I wanted to get the mac and cheese but decided at the last minute to go for the wood fired roasted corn.  What we got was an experience in itself... 

The wood fired roasted corn was basically corn that was a bit dry and rolled in grated cheese, salt and chile.  I should have gone with my gut and ordered the mac and cheese BUT if the bruschetta was bland, maybe not...  T's hanger steak came out medium well not rare.  It was brown all the way through and dry.  The olive viniagrette looked like chocolate sauce. I've never seen someone have to send the food back but was the first time.  Mine was actually very moist.  The flavors were throughout the chicken and the breast didn't even taste like breast meat.  The only thing was that the beans were mushy.  Halfway through the meal, the manager came by and said that he would comp the dessert but we were thinking that the dessert is already included so why? 



Hanger Steak with Black Olive Viniagrette and Brocolli Rabe

Organic Chicken with Cannelli Beans and chicken jus

For dessert, T and I shared the tiramisu and zeppoles.  The tiramisu was a small square.  The other plate was three zeppoles that were hot cinnamon sugar donuts that you could dip into hot chocolate syrup or sweet cream.  The waitress gave T an extra serving of tiramisu to bring home.  Overall, this was an interesting meal of returns and service.  Although it wasn't a busy restaurant day, it certainly felt like it.

Zeppolis with Chocolate Sauce and Sweet Cream

Tiramisu



Can you hear me??

The first ever Costa Mesa restaurant week kicked off on Friday and my friends decided to do a girls night out. The guys did not want to join because they said it was "too much estrogen." We decided to go to Mastro's because it seemed to have the best value with an appetizer, entree, two sides and dessert for $40.11.

We parked behind the TGIF to save on the valet parking. Although our reservation was at 6:15, some were late so we didn't get seated until almost 7. It was so dark that it was hard to see the room and boy was it loud. There was live music but we could barely hear ourselves. I think we had to repeat ourselves so many times it was like a broken record.

Mastro's gave a variety of warm breads including French, pretzel and Parmesan toast. It wasn't as good as the Palm Terrace but a close second. I ordered the French Onion soup for the appetizer and it came out in a steel bowl with a thick slice of bubbly cheese, French bread cubes and onions. It was salty but it probably from the cheese and being on the stove for a long time but it was piping hot.  Because of the 20 mins or so wait between the appetizer and entree with sides, I practically got full on the soup. Lol

Bread Basket

  

French Onion Soup


The steak came out on a HUGE platter and nothing else. Why is that? They could have put my scallop potatoes on the plate and then the creamed corn in the separate dish instead of three separate dishes. The song "Only the Lonely" came to mind as my steak came in front to me. Hehehe!!! We ordered the Lobster mashed potatoes after reading numerous recs on Yelp. It arrived and was ceremoniously plopped on our plates. AnK thinks it was claw meat which wasn't was tender was I would have thought it would be.  It was disappointing considering all the recs.  Since we didn't pay for the valet, I chalk it up to a free side.  It was $34.   :( The 10 oz. NY strip was rare and surprisingly tender. I know they just put salt on the strip but it was a bit heavy handed. Jeannette and Jen added scallops but I was glad I didn't since I was full from the soup. The cream corn and scalloped potatoes were okay but you could tell that there was ALOT of cream and butter involved. You know there isn't any low fat options here. It was glistening!!

10 oz NY Strip

Lobster Mashed Potatoes

Creamed Corn and Scalloped Potatoes



Chocolate Strawberry, Pecan Tart, Butter Cake



The dessert was a signature dessert trio which included chocolate strawberry, pecan tart and Mini butter cake. The plate was warm so the cakes and strawberry slid around the plate. I had to take a picture of Amy's plate cuz it looked better. The berry was sweet but WOW were the cakes on the sweet side. If I didn't have to work the next day I would have taken dessert with coffee. It would have been better.

Overall, I would still go for Restaurant Week to try Mastro's at least once. My recommendation is to ask to NOT sit in the main dining room. You won't be able to hear yourself talk or think. You'd be drowned out by the music and the singing and find yourselves speaking as quickly as you could between songs.  The steak was a bit salty but for some it can be okay but the value is good. Most had to go bag but the bags are HUGE and apparently only one size no matter how much food you have to bring home.  LOL  I don't know if I'd do this again but I'd probably opt out of the Lobster mashed potatoes.  

Ceviche from The Lime Truck

After a long hiatus, I'm back with a brief post. On Friday, The Lime Truck came to my work place for a few hours. With all of the hype, would it be worth it????

I was debating back and forth..go for the pulled pork tacos at $4 or blue crab ceviche at $10. I know steep right!!! Sigh... However, I'm a bit of a sucker and decided to go for the ceviche. Try it once especially when I heard they were going to be on The Food Network Great Food Truck Race. I also decided to do the limeade since part of the $ would go to charity.

What I got was a lot of scallops and real crab meat. It wasn't as tangy as the ceviche I've had before. The chips were like pita chips and there was a lot of sauce in the container that it soaked through. The one thing I was impressed with was that the chips did NOT get soggy which was impressive. They were crunchy until the end. The limeade wasn't as sour or tangy as I thought. Maybe too much ice or sugar for me. :(

Would I try it again...probably not but I'd go for the chips in a heartbeat. I heard the pulled pork taco are good so I'll try that if the opportunity arises again.

Adventures in Yakatori

T and I went to Kappo Honda after I tried unsuccessfully to convince him to go with me to eat sushi. Yes I still wanted to go even after going about five different times over the past several weeks. He wouldn't budge but wanted to do yakatori. Sadly it wasn't Shinsengumi affectionately known as SSG.

When we arrived last Sunday, there was a line outside. Oh crud but I thought SSG is right across the street. We could go there. However, the waitress said we could go right in. The restaurant's decor reminded me a little of Matsui. It had an old Japanese style decor and was packed with families.

Beef w/radish and garlic

We went on a total protein fest. I guess it was my error. I kept comparing the yakatori w/that of SSG. We started off with the Tuna Carpaccio and the grilled beef with radish and garlic. The shocking thing was that it was BLAND.  I actually had to use soy sauce and pepper to taste.  It had no flavor to me.  :(  Then it was the plethora of the yakatori.  Bring on the heart, gizzard, chicken skin, cartilage, pork belly, cheeks.  Out of everything, I think we liked the skin and belly the best.  However, I still liked SSG better but I DON'T miss the noise.  My ears thank the silence.



Pork Belly



Heart and Gizzard

Chicken Skin







One, two, three strikes you're out...

I went to my first baseball game today. It was the an inter-league game between the Braves and the Angels. It was a complete last minute thing because Kim had tickets for select games from Costco which included a small hotdog and drink.

We wound up at the the 12:35 game with a slight problem. Kim had no idea where her wallet was. Could someone had pickpocket it? Did she leave it at home? We had a dilemma. Aft searching her car and coming up with nothing, we had to decide whether to stay or go home. So we said: Screw it! We're here and we'll stay and eat and enjoy the game...

Our seats weren't exactly the nosebleed section but it was in the corner. It took a while for me to figur out where and what was going on. However, I was disappointed about the food at the park. I thought it would be better. Not so much. Just average actually...

Btw, Kim did find her wallet. She left it at home in her regular purse. Would I go again? Thinking of going to the Yankee-Angel game on June 4 th. ;)

Heads anyone??

OMG! It was such a beautiful day and I had to go to work today.  Boo!   After work, I decided to go get my passport pictures.  It doesn't expire until August but "if" all goes as planned, Europe will be on the horizon.  Yay!  So I found a place that gave me 8 pics (but only 1 pose) for only $10.  Not a bad price but what to do with the extra pics.  hmmm....

After the last post regarding Hashigo and sushi, I felt that the lack of pics and sushi, I must make that effort to go to Nana San.  I needed to go and I would go even if I had to drag Lauren AGAIN.  After making an unexpected stop at WF, we arrived at Nana San at 7:15 and it wasn't busy which was a shock for a Saturday night.  So of course I went directly for the specials.  I immediately saw:  Live Shrimp.  YES!!!  Here no options for anything except the crunchy heads.  OF COURSE, I ordered it.  ;)



Sweet Shrimp & Blue Fin Tuna

Shrimp Heads



Conch

 However, we started off the meal with Conch and Monk Liver.  The last time I had Monk Liver, it was cold and clammy.  This was warm and smooth and fatty like fois gras.  Too fatty.  I almost felt like I needed a piece of toast to spread it on.  I wish I had taken a picture so you could see it.  It was served on a bed of thinly sliced white and red onions and a light ponzu sauce.  The conch was sliced like pickles but it was so abundant.  We had the whole thing and kept eating and eating it throughout the meal.  If we were shameless, one of us would have taken the shell home.  LOL  However, I think we would have been too embarrassed to do it.  The nice thing about the sushi chef was that he kept tabs on us and wouldn't bring out the next dish until we were almost done with our first two dishes.  That way it wouldn't spoil our experience which was nice.



Blue Crab w/Avocado Roll



Our last item was either going to be the Blue Crab roll with Avocado or the Spider roll.  We decided to try the Blue Crab since it sounded different.  When it came out, it looked like a California Roll but with the avocado on the outside and with salmon roe.  At least the crab was real.  Overall, the fish was good and the sweet shrimp was cheaper than Hashigo but it wasn't as fresh as it was there.  I guess it depends on the stock. 

When we got the check, they forgot to charge us for the conch but we let them know.  They were grateful.  It came out to be the same as the last meal.  Each sushi place has it's pluses and minuses.  Would I come back?  I might but only when I crave sushi again.  I think I'm over it for now like I am with the Boiling Crab. 

Now I've got to plan my diner adventure....

It's Sweet Shrimp Season!

and you know what that means: SUSHI.

I've been hankering for sushi for the last couple of days now but NO ONE seemed to be available.  Finally, Lauren with very little arm twisting agreed to go provided I drive since she has some driving issues.  I wanted to go to Nana San but it would be to late because of traffic.  Maybe next time. So we settled for Hashigo in HB by the TJ's. 

Sweet Shrimp

Lauren had never been there so she was surprised at the decor and quaintness.  I saw that the special was the sweet shrimp and squeeled in delight.  I think the owner thought we were crazy but I was like: You still have the live shrimp, right?  Then he knew I was serious.  They were jumping out of the tank and the bowl he was using so I knew they were alive and kicking.  When asked how I wanted the heads prepared, I said fried please.   I wanted the crunchy heads instead of the soft roe in miso soup.  Nope heads salt and pepper FTW.

While we waited, we also got the Blue Fin Tuna sushi and the Yellow Jack sushi.  The Blue Fin was a deep red and silky tuna but the Yellow Jack is a firmer fish that I've only gotten here.  It is quite good actually. 

We missed the Happy Hour Hand Rolls (50% off) which was a bummer but got the usual Soft Shell Crab HR.  It had the delicately cut cucumber and carrot strips, avocados, sushi rice, salmon roe and radish sprouts.  We also got this roll that I want to say is the White roll.  All I can remember is it said spicy mayo on the side.  sigh..  It had spicy pepper slices on top of each piece with spicy tuna inside and wrapped in kelp.  It could be the Salmon white kelp roll but I'm not sure.  So if you happen to be around HB ~5-7 during the week, maybe it would be a good time to take the family.

Next time, Nano San.  I want to experience the sweet shrimp again before they go away.  :)

Open Sesame and La Creperie Cafe

After a rather testy day at work, I was so looking forward to dinner with Donna, Vini and AK. We had wanted to go to Open Sesame a while back but have never been able to go. So this weekend we just decided to since An and I both got out of work at 4:30 pm and 5 pm seemed like the perfect time to leave from CM to LB.

We arrived but boy traffic is crazy in LB and the Belmont Shores. Who knew that LBC had terrible traffic similar to SF and LA. They have parallel parking, one way streets and rude drivers.  It was like living in SF all over again. We finally got lucky and found parking a block away from the restaurant. However, being girls, with our totally lack of a directional compass,  we wound up walking way farther than we should have. hehehe...

Jalab



We had to wait a little but not that long. The LB locations are Halal which caters to the Middle Eastern population and is actually separated by two storefronts. When we sat down, we wanted to try something exotic and ordered a variety of drinks. AK ordered a Jalab (rose water and grape syrup infused with incense topped w/pine nuts).



Laban

 Donna ordered Tamarind (a sweet authentic beverage with sweetened date syrup). I ordered Laban (a yogurt drink with dry mint and salt) and Vini ordered Green Hot Tea with green mint and orange blossom water. Needless to say, at least for me the Jalab was a bit strong and Donna didn't like the Laban that much b/c it was too sour. I didn't mind but it wasn't to my taste.










Foul M'Damas



The appetizer was actually free b/c Vini had a coupon. We decided to forgo the traditional hummus and baba ghannouj because we were going to go for the platters and they were part of the meal. Instead we had the Foul M'Damas which is the simmered fava and chick peas flavored with garlic, lemon juice, olive oil served with pickles, onion, radishes, tomato and fresh mint. It was interesting although we thought it was served with warm pita bread. I guess not. :)

 

Vegetarian Combo

Open Sesame Combo



For the main course AK, Donna and I all ordered the Open Sesame Combo. It had the kafta (ground lamb & sirloin skewers), chicken tawook (marinated chicken breast) and beef kabob on basmati rice w/a choice of hummus or baba ghannouj and salad. Vini got the Vegetarian Combo of hummus, baba ghannouj, tabbouleh, grape leaf, and two falafel patties and pita bread.



After all of the food, we decided to walk around but I had remember a few years back if you can believe it when I first started at working here, I went to La Creperie Cafe with a bunch of coworkers. So we thought to have crepes for desserts since it was something different.  We didn't mind the wait b/c it was like a "second dinner" so to speak.  It gave us time to browse in Banana Republic and The Body Shop.

When we got inside, we went for the Dessert crepes but for some reason, I had to look at the appetizers and saw garlic fries and escargots.  For a brief second I was like: Hmm... if I was so full I would totally but.... oh well.  We picked the Tiramisu and Chocolate, chocolate crepe.

 

Tiramisu Crepe



The Tiramisu wasn't quite what we thought.  I guess we thought it would actually taste like tiramisu.  The description described it as a tiramisu wrapped in a crepe with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and creme anglaise.  In actuality it was more like the flavor than anything else.   Hmm.. looking at the pic again, where is the ice cream.  I think they put the scoop on the Chocolate, chocolate crepe. (see below pic)  We were very disappointed.  :(

 



Chocolate, Chocolate Crepe

The concensus was that the Chocolate, Chocolate was much better.  The description was a warm chocolate crepe filled with nutella and strawberries.  Who could go wrong with that?  On top of that we added the creme anglaise and the vanilla ice cream. Yum!  It wasn't that sweet but the chocolate was very good and the strawberries weren't that tart but just right.  Overall, I think it was just the right balance of sweetness to tartness for this particular crepe.



Overall, I think everyone had a really nice time.  We did a little shopping, gossiping and talked about things.  It was nice to spend time away from work.  Hopefully our next adventure will be at the "Dark Place". :op



P.S. Thank you Donna and An for not one but TWO delicious meals...  We need to go to the "Dark Place" or "Sushi".  hehehe :op