CHICAGO: Food Edition

I think Shake Shack was the culinary highlight of Chicago for me, but we got to eat so many delicious things. A close second was the tea tasting at Adagio, which was amazing because we got to learn about the history of tea, the make-up of different blends, and proper brewing methods. Also, I'm heart broken because my new favorite bar Three Dots & a Dash is too far away for me to become a regular.



Velvet Taco!

Shake Shack!

Dinner made by Anja and I!

Round 1 at Three Dots & a Dash

Round 2 at Three Dots & a Dash

Tea tasting at Adagio!

The teas we tasted



Doughnuts from Glazed and Infused!



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It's Always Sunny in DC: Food Edition

This was the first place we ate in DC, and it was the cutest place I've ever seen. I wanted to Instagram every corner of it. Every detail was beautifully styled, from the boards listing the menu items, to the bar, to the tables, to the menu that was designed to look like a newspaper. If you're in DC, stop whatever you're going and to go Ted's Bulletin right now.

Chicken Caesar wrap from Ted's Bulletin

Key Lime Ted's Tart. That's right, Ted's Tart. Definitely not any other kind of tart you might be thinking of so don't get it twisted.


Another day we had lunch at Teasim, where I had this salmon bento box. I'm not a fan of brown rice at all but this was delish, especially with the beet puree.



And I finally got to try Dunkin' Donuts for the first time! (Sidebar: How can America run on Dunkin' when we don't have it in California? Just sayin'.)


My last dinner in DC was at Plan B Burger, which was excellent. I got the Cuban burger and I highly recommend it.





Not pictured is the ramen we had my first night in DC which was almost as good as Daikokuya, and the sweet tea I had at Ted's (because as I was technically south of the Mason/Dixon, I was in the South). Also not pictured were the strawberry filled chocolate almond milk popsicles Sunny made! I'm so sad I'm going to miss out this summer because Sunny's popsicle game is on point.

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Moles La Tia

Way back in March, my friend Angie took me to Moles La Tia. I didn't actually get to try any of their moles that day, which is a shame (and just means I have to go back), but the food I did get to taste was amazing. First let me rave about their pumpkin seed horchata, which was hands down the best horchata I've ever had in my life. Even the presentation was gorgeous, and I've never had a more well-balanced horchata. The pumpkin seed flavor was perfect, and it wasn't overly sweet the way horchata can sometimes be.

The cochinita pibil sopes I got were also fantastic, along with the quesadillas oaxaquenas that Angie got. The location itself isn't too far from the metro stop, so we took the train and had a nice stroll getting there and back, and had some time to linger over the food. Definitely check it out, and don't miss the horchata!

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Twenty Four

I turned 24 last month! Keeping with new traditions, I had brunch with my mom to start the day. This year we went to Alcove, which was delicious and perfect despite us having to whisper at each other over our eggs because my mom had lost her voice. After lunch we headed over to the Huntington. My membership is about to expire and I'm not going to renew it so it was nice to spend a few last moments in my favorite spot and see the garden in springtime.




That night I went to Perch with my friends and somehow took no pictures at all, but it was lovely. 24, so far so good.

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TimeOut!

I'm super happy to announce that I'm blogging for TimeOut LA! You can check out my posts here, and I'll probably be linking a few of them on this blog as well.

You guys know I've been captivated by Burmese cuisine lately so I was excited to check out what LA had to offer in that regard. If you want to read my recap of some Burmese dishes you should try out, here's the link!

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Podcasts & Tortas Sinaloa

Around Christmas I finally broke down and bought a new auxiliary cord for my car. I did this begrudgingly because I already had a cord, but the plastic on the end was so thick that it wouldn't let the cord sit flush with my phone around it's case, so the cord wouldn't stay plugged in. When I only listened to my ipod while driving this wasn't a problem but after I saw the light of Spotify/started listening to podcasts I realized I needed to stop being so cheap and just buy a new one already. It's been amazing just for the podcasts alone. Previously I would only play Good Food while I was cooking, and the episodes would pile up but now it's a lot easier to listen to more podcasts and stay on top of them. I love Good Food, and some new finds I've been really into lately are the Dinner Party Download, 99% Invisible, Call Your Girlfriend and Radiolab. If you guys have any podcast suggestions, send 'em my way!

So anyway, when I was catching up on the backlog of podcasts, I heard Gustavo Arellano review Tortas Sinaloa on Good Food. I'm a big torta fan, so when he talked about a place that had over 40 different kinds of tortas I figured it would be worth driving to Santa Ana for.


Tortas can sometimes come in overwhelming portions, but not these. They were the perfect size. The Chicken Milanesa was so flavorful, but the Carnitas was even better. The Queso Panela on the Carnitas torta was the perfect touch, reminding me that Mexican cheeses are my fave (looking at you, Queso Fresco).



 The agua fresca on the other hand did come in giant portions, but there's nothing wrong with a little extra agua fresca especially when it's such high quality.


I'm seeing a lot of driving to Santa Ana in my future, because I'm already craving these tortas again.

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Burma Superstar

Speaking of food you can only get in the Bay Area, I was fixated on trying Burma Superstar on our trip. I don't know why out of all the food I hadn't tried in the Bay Burma Superstar was the one I was really upset about, but I couldn't get it out of my head. My instincts did not lead me astray; the food was incredible. It was pretty dark in there so the pictures aren't the best but oh my goodness was it delish.

We split the Oh Noh Kauswer soup and Sesame Beef, and I'm still dreaming about that soup. I know Burmese food is a blend of all the countries that border it and I felt like a lot of those flavors were present in this soup. The coconut base reminded me of Tom Kah, but while Tom Kah is usually light and lemony the Oh Noh was really rich and savory. I could have finished the entire bowl by myself, it was so good. I've been inspired now to try out some of the Burmese restaurants near my house and I'm hoping their Oh Noh will be just as good.

Old Faves

Anytime I talk to someone who mentions they're going to be in the Bay I tell them they have to eat at two places: Homeroom and Tartine. Homeroom is really close to my heart because the first time I went was a few weeks after they opened, and I fell in love with it immediately. I don't know how anyone (except maybe the lactose intolerant & vegans) can not instantly fall in love with a place that only serves mac n cheese. I have the cookbook now so I can bring a little bit of Oakland to my kitchen in LA, but it's not the same as having the real thing. When I was up North I decided to branch out from my usual Gilroy Mac and I tried a Smoky Cheddar Bacon Mac which did not disappoint.


When we went to Tartine though, I stuck to my usual. The pastrami sandwich at Tartine is perfect. The bread is amazing, the horseradish is wonderful, and the spicy pickled carrots they serve on the side are incredible. Sometimes it's best to stick with the old fave.

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Announcement!

I have exciting news to share! I'm officially a food blogger! I'm interning for Kristie and Clarissa of 626foodettes.com, so I'll be contributing to their blog and writing about food in the San Gabriel Valley. My first post is up now. I was so excited to be invited to the social media preview dinner at Pitfire and the food truly is amazing so check it out if you can and check the blog for more food recommendations in the SGV!

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