rewind~~~~ some past dishes i wanted to archive (part 3)

hiyashi chuka- cold ramen noodles... perfect for a hot summer day... sliced egg.. tomato.. cucumber.. ham... green onion and seaweed on top... i made a ginger sesame dressing to pour over it....

strawberry daifuku.. alot easier to make than i expected... very hot though.. and you have to work fast to cover the anko and strawberry with the mochi before it gets hard... had burned fingertips for days... ~ _ ~ really good but only last for a couple days.. must be eaten quickly.. 

okonomiyaki... i dont make it very often but when i do i grate the nagaimo by hand and i dont use the premix.... this recipe was taught to me by a good friend and i feel like if i use the premix it ruins it.. its very yummy... well anything with japanese mayo is yummy really... ;)

takenoko takikomi and miso soup....  i think next time i need to add more dashi to the rice when i cook it... came out a bit drier than i would have liked.. other than that it was very good.... the rice was flavorful and the bamboo was really good... :)

another hot day.. another cold dish.. cold korean buckwheat noodles... mul naeng myun...

cupcakes and gelato filled mochi!!?? ^ ^

Babycakes(3766 5th ave. Hillcrest) so many different cupcakes to choose from... the flavors change frequently and they all looked very very pretty :)

from the many flavors that were available we picked pistachio.. blue velvet( blue version of red velvet?).. blood orange... black tuxedo.. and pomegranate..... yummy

Mochilato(14310 Culver Dr. Irvine)
Gelato filled mochi..... i dont think i have to say anymore... :)

filled with pretty decorations too :)

restaraunt catch up--

had some friends come down to visit from northern cali... decided to drive down to little italy downtown and just pick a restaurant.... came across a place called Cafe Zucchero (1731 India 92101)... the menu was extensive.. lots of cool dishes on there that you don't usually see on regular "american" italian menus...

the special of the night was an osso bucco which is a veal shank roasted in broth, wine, and vegetables.. i ordered it and wow... it was the best osso bucco i have ever had.. the meat was perfectly tender.. fell right off the bone.. the meat was flavorful and the pasta was perfect... it went perfectly with my chianti :)

i dont usually go to many teppan-yaki places in california.. but this night somebody suggested it and so we all decided to try it out... the restaurant... shogun kobe restaurant(5451 Kearny Villa Rd.) Half of the restaurant was sushi and the other half was teppan.... the place was huuuge.... and the menu was extensive.. pretty much any kind of meat you wanted could be cooked tableside...  

i ordered the swordfish and squid steak.. not really feeling like beef... but they ran out of sword fish and i had to order the salmon..... everything was good... the chef was funny.... and the atmosphere was nice... it was a bit pricier than i liked but it is teppan so you do pay for the show.... overall a very nice place but i dont think any teppan restaurant will replace my #1 favorite one which requires me to fly to a totally different state... ~ _ ~ *sigh* its worth it :) 

the BEST fish ceviche... seafood cocktail.. and fish tacos ever!~ especially on a nice hot day with one of those mexican cokes that still come in a glass bottle and still made with pure cane sugar.... how nostalgic... :) ...this wonderful ceviche comes off of a big white truck that sits on one of the corners off of university ave in san diego....

the fish tacos are perfectly crispy and flaky and soft all at the same time :) and from what i hear the shrimp quesadillas are the best... they have whole pieces of shrimp and grilled onions and peppers inside...

perfect for a hot summer san diego day :)

drove all the way up to irvine for this one... inside the korean Hmart in irvine there is a korean pizza place that serves bulgogi pizza :) so we ordered a meal with bulgogi pizza and korean spicy marinated fried chicken.... the pizza was good.. but it needed way more bulgogi.... not nearly enough.. maybe next time....

but the chicken was really really good.. perfect... and still really crispy.. :)

 so the roomates and i are looking for good sushi places nearby the house so that we dont have to drive really far just to go the the "good" places.... found this little spot in poway called Poway Sushi Lounge (13132 Poway Rd.) about 5 min from the house..

when it comes to sushi restaurants i always base my initial opinion on the hamachi sashimi i order... it was really good :) of course not the best best ive ever had but i was not dissapointed. :)

this hamburger joint called Hodad's(5010 Newport Ave.) is located just a couple blocks from ocean beach.... its supposed to be really famous for their burgers..the place is tiny and gets packed really fast.. on some days there is a line out the door for these burgers....

the walls of the restaurant has license plates and road signs from all over.... it was fun just to sit there and look around...

i ordered a classic cheeseburger and onion rings.. the onion rings were really really good.... a must order.... the burger was awesome.. i think i liked it alot bcus of the huge slice of tomato in it but it think it would have been good with out it too... nothing special about the burger except that it was just a good burger... and maybe the atmosphere and the smell of the ocean air has something to do with the taste... it was good..

a very big dinner for two people ^ ^

a lovely dinner meant for two people that turned out to be enough to feed four... when i start thinking of ideas for dinner there are so many.. sometimes i overdo it... and make everything all at once.. :)

a simple salad of chopped romaine, cherry tomatoes, tossed with caesar, and generously topped with crispy bacon... simple and good... went really well with all the more complicated things at the table.. its good to have one simple dish people can go back to for refuge.. :)

prosciutto wrapped scallops... half pan seared... half oven baked...  both very good :)

i topped the scallops with a mango cucumber salsa which included lime... cilantro and s+p...  next time i think i will use a firmer mango... this one was a bit too ripe and although still came out really good.. may have been better if the mango wasn't as sweet...

for an appetizer i sliced up a thin baguette... drizzled some olive oil on top... and topped it with leftover prosciutto... green apple slices... and crumbled gorgonzola..  gorgonzola and green apple go VERY well together :) yummy~

not made by me but very tasty and i will definitely repeat it... an avocado split in half... filled with a sort of salsa... that includes bacon.. tomatoes.. green onion.. cucumber... s+p.. lime... basically whatever was leftover from the other dishes were put together to make the awesome dish u see here... it was a good use of leftover ingredients.. was delicious.. and paired well with the rest of the food :)

there is always room for improvement when making a dish... so what would make that other avocado dish even better?.... fish and japanese mayo of course! this second version of the avocado dish substitutes bacon for yellowtail and octopus..... the right side was made with the same seasonings as the last but the left side was mixed with japanese mayo and sliced shiso was also put in.... both sides topped with ikura and masago.... very very good... and all very good for you as well... works as an awesome otsumami for a nice cold beer  :)

care for a drink?

sebastiani pinot noir... very good... lighter than my usual taste but it went perfectly with thanksgiving dinner... also awesome by itself..

3 different red blends.. placed strategically like an at&t ad.. lol... the first one old pine... not what i expected.. drier than a cab blend should be.... the second.. seven daughters... recommended by the guy at the liquor store.. good.. but a bit light.. the last which is ghost pine... smooth.. good by itself.. surprisingly fragrant.....

b cellars blend 24 and blend 25 ..first wine.woot purchase.... very satisfied... the blend 25 was a bit light and dry.. but the blend 24 was perfect!~ smooth.. good by itself... a must buy.. perfect perfect blend.... ^ ^

2 colorado wines... who knew you could make wine in colorado! the first... carmena.... awesome red blend... smooth... well balanced.. suggested by the guy at the wines of colorado store.. at first the packaging was a bit sketchy but after having the first taste was pleasantly surprised... the second rhodes pinot noir... not so good by itself.. but went perfectly with light food fare.. specifically seared scallops...

guinness ice cream floats.... looks good... sounds good... had high anticipation while making it... tastes better seperately :P it was decent.. but not good enough to put them together...definitely needed to be tried though :)

gin and tonic with lime sherbet.... tasted awesome... ofcourse i love gin and tonics anyway and the sherbet was a nice refreshing surprise...  *if the sherbet was more limey it would be even better*

rewind~~~~ some past dishes i wanted to archive (part 2)

Penne pasta with shredded roasted chicken...walnuts.... parsley... parmesan... radicchio... quick... healthy.. yummy...

mapo dofu.... grilled asparagus..... sauteed button mushrooms and onions... 

cheesy risotto.... grilled squash and potatoes.... chicken breast seasoned with oregano.. s+p... thyme...

stir-fried baby bok choy with tofu in oyster sauce.... flour drenched pork with five spice... onions.. sesame seeds on top.. very tasty but oil must be very hot b4 pork is stir fried or else it will get soggy... ~_~

korean rice cake dumpling soup with green onion.. yellow onion... daikon... zucchini squash...dashida

pepper if needed :)

lasagna with sauteed portobello mushrooms and italian sausage....

yakiniku... yakitori.... sashimi.. lettuce wraps... ^ ^

baked chicken breast with fresh mozzerella... goat cheese infused with garlic and herbs... and slices of sun dried tomatoes... perfect with a salad...