Cheer Up With Food

After watching a whole series of a Korean show, I was craving Korean food (people were eating in every episode!).  I decided to go to E-Jo Korean Restaurant mainly because of its location near Downtown. A small menu compared to other Korean restaurants I've been to I wish I could translate this... We were given small dishes ( banchan ) to accompany our meals:   kimchi , which are fermented vegetables and Korea's national dish, scissors to cut them, and green chili peppers (not spicy). The wall showcasing some of their signature soups  including The Hangover Soup !  I wonder if it really helps... The  Hand-Made Noodle Soup - this soup had a subtle taste (there were spices on the side to add to more to my liking) and the noodles were soft. This was definitely a comfort food to me! This Korean pancake had a lot of vegetables inside and I liked the sauce that accompanied it. I recommend eating this if you enjoy eating ...

I had received an e-mail from a fellow food blogger, Michael, of S.O.F.A.T. Blog asking if I wanted to have dinner with him.  I had never had an invitation from a food blogger before to go eat out, so I said yes (might as well try something new!).  One of his suggestions of places to eat at was  Gordan Ramsay BurGR  in Planet Hollywood .  I haven't been to any of Ramsay's restaurants, so I was curious to eat there and wanted to see what the hype was all about. Since I was with another food blogger, I was compelled to take a lot of photos: The entrance - love the ceiling! The screen menu in front of the restaurant The menu All menus had different photos on the back and they were souvenirs! Ready to eat! Roasted Jalapeño Poppers -  All came with bacon, cheddar ranch, and one fiery surprise.  Since there was four of us, one of us got the fiery surprise (this jalapeño had a lot of  seeds)......

If you're craving for some authentic Mexican food, I recommend eating at Tacos El Gordo (they have a few locations in town): Just half of the menu.  Red meat and organs are mainly served here! I remember getting Sopes  (on the top middle and right). Eating sopes are quite messy, but so worth it! Also everyone is given a side of cooked green onions and pepper (top left)   Since my non-eating meat husband was with us, his classmate asked a cook  if he could remove the carne from the Carne Asada Fries .  All this sour cream, guacamole, and cheese was already filling without the carne!  Another great thing about Tacos El Gordo (the one on The Strip) is that it's open 24/7!

Commonwealth  located in Downtown - East Fremont District is one pub I find to be interesting place to hang out at. Here are reasons why I like this pub: The vintage decor Not your traditional art Chandeliers everywhere Crowded, but great service!  There were some interesting craft beers they had on tap. An upstairs patio!  The night we went electronica, old school 90's hip hop, and trap music were playing... All my favorites! The atmosphere was way more chill than I expected, which I enjoyed.  If this is also your type of scene I suggest to check Commonwealth out!

I had heard Yu-Yu was a restaurant that recently opened in China Town, so of course I had to check this place out!  This restaurant specializes in kushi age  (Japanese deep-fried meat, vegetable, and fruit on skewers).  Their deep-fried delights don't compare to what you eat at fast food chains.  Upon seeing them you'll notice they're not soggy and not leaking thru with oil, they're deep-fried just right! I loved their simple decor, it was splendid! Tofu Salad - this was one good d*mn salad   !! As you can see the kushi age are lightly breaded and small. I remember we had shrimp, water chestnut , lotus root, shiitake mushroom , squid leg, silver fish, Asian pear, etc. I never knew so many foods could be fried and still taste great than just by itself!  The foods are typically dipped into a batter of egg, flour, panko  (bread crumbs); and deep-fried in vegetable oil. Tamago  (Japanese omelette) with a side of da...

A few days ago, California Pizza Kitchen  announced their partnership with Colby Red , a red wine whose proceeds support charities that promote heart health.  Colby Red is specifically a California cuvee of Cabernet Sauvignon , Merlot , Petite Sirah , Shiraz , &  Zinfandel .  This sounds like a wonderful blend and definitely good for the heart! This wine was inspired by Colby Groom who endured two back to back heart surgeries as a child.  He enlisted his father, a winemaker, to create a wine that raises money to help others. To hear more about this story, check out this YouTube video .  After watching this video I was moved: CPK will serve Colby Red on their menu (by the glass and bottle) at all their locations through the end of April. Also CPK has also pledged to donate up to $10,000 to charities focused on heart health this year (very nice!). In other news, CPK's Valentine's Day menu will be available for four days from 2/14 thro...

After a week back home in Las Vegas I still longed for the food back in Hawaii.  Luckily when my husband and I were in Chinatown, I saw the shop  Hawaiian Style Poke .  We had to go there to cure my blues!  As you can see from my photo they make a variety of poke  (poʊˈkeɪ): Modern poke is a raw salad mainly consisting of cubed ahi (yellowfin tuna), soy sauce, sesame oil, limu seaweed, other Asian influenced condiments, etc.  Other varieties of poke include tako (octopus), other types of raw fish, sliced Maui onions, and many more!  Poke is great to eat with rice or poi .  So if ever you need your 'poke fix', come to Hawaiian Style Poke!