Roy's Restaurant - Pasadena.

So, my girlfriend Allie and I BARELY made it before the 6:30 cut-off time for happy (Aloha) hour at Roy's Restaurant in Pasadena.

Even if we didn't make it before the cut-off, we could have probably skipped Roy's and gone to the Grilled Cheese Truck next door.  Some day I will try you, GCT! 

Well, for $5 an item (specific cocktails, wines, beers, sushi, and other appetizers), I was very pleased with what we ate.  We shared a tempura ahi roll, and it reminded me of my favorite roll back at Tomodachi Sushi in Westwood.  I miss going to UCLA :(

We both got the wagyu beef sliders because come on, how can you resist when they come with sweet potato fries on the side!  They were surprisingly good, but quite small.  Thankfully that + the sushi filled us up perfectly.

I also got the mai tai, which was okay.  I'm not a big alcohol drinker anyway (one shot wonder/cheap date), so I probably wouldn't get it again.  It was just a bit too strong in every sense for me.

Blueberry scones.

New food post on "It's not done until you see smoke."

Enjoy!

Rain, rain, go away...

It's been a while, my friends.

Some news:
-I became Elite for 2010 on Yelp! Applications to be my +1 are being accepted ;)
-First Elite event at The Yard in Santa Monica on January 26!
-I'm almost done applying to grad. schools, which reminds me, CONGRATULATIONS ALLIE NAGATA, my future Trojan OT! My friends are so smart and amazing! We're gonna save the world in a few years heh.
-I've gained like 5 pounds since last January, but I still fit my clothes. Strange. Anyway, a couple of my girlfriends from class and I are trying to all lose 5 pounds. I took a spinning class a few days ago and it kicked my ASS (more like it kicked my quads in the ass.)

I've been using my brother's camera to take lots of foodie pictures, and it's so fun! It makes writing reviews on Yelp way more fun for me. Here are a few of my yummay shots:





I haven't been too good about trying any of the "trendy" places I've been meaning to try, but I'm hoping to knock out a few this weekend. It's rainy, so I'm hoping nobody wants to venture out to Hollywood, West LA, or Downtown.

A couple of date ideas I want to accomplish:
1. Pizzeria Mozza + Ice Pan for dessert
2. Lazy Ox Canteen + Urth Caffe for dessert
3. Girl brunch date at Julienne
4. Casual 5th anniversary date at the Arboretum or Descanso Gardens, then Yoshida or Zelo afterward for dinner.

Food

I haven't had a food post in a while... whoops.

I've been meaning to experiment with making homemade pastry dough, and I've been craving chicken pot pie. I might as well add the two and make chicken pot pie with a delicious homemade crust!

Ina Garten has a relatively simple recipe that I want to try, so if I suddenly become un-lazy I will definitely attempt that either tomorrow or Tuesday night. I'm super busy Wed.-Sunday with work and watching sporting events, but I should have time to make some homemade hummus and 7-layer bean dip for a Super Bowl Party even if I don't have time for real food...

The 100...

Bold things you've eaten.

42/100... wow I'm lame.

1. Venison

2. Nettle tea

3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare

5. Crocodile

6. Black pudding

7. Cheese fondue

8. Carp

9. Borscht

10. Baba ghanoush

11. Calamari

12. Pho

13. PB&J sandwich

14. Aloo gobi

15. Hot dog from a street cart

16. Epoisses

17. Black truffle

18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes

19. Steamed pork buns

20. Pistachio ice cream

21. Heirloom tomatoes

22. Fresh wild berries

23. Foie gras

24. Rice and beans

25. Brawn, or head cheese

26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper

27. Dulce de leche

28. Oysters (technically... like in a pasta/soup)

29. Baklava

30. Bagna cauda

31. Wasabi peas

32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl

33. Salted lassi

34. Sauerkraut

35. Root beer float

36. Cognac with a fat cigar

37. Clotted cream tea

38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O

39. Gumbo

40. Oxtail

41. Curried goat

42. Whole insects

43. Phaal

44. Goat’s milk

45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more

46. Fugu

47. Chicken tikka masala

48. Eel

49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut

50. Sea urchin

51. Prickly pear

52. Umeboshi

53. Abalone

54. Paneer

55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal

56. Spaetzle

57. Dirty gin martini

58. Beer above 8% ABV (I've had IPA... and that MIGHT be >8%)

59. Poutine

60. Carob chips

61. S’mores

62. Sweetbreads

63. Kaolin

64. Currywurst

65. Durian

66. Frogs’ legs

67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake

68. Haggis

69. Fried plantain

70. Chitterlings, or andouillette

71. Gazpacho

72. Caviar and blini

73. Louche absinthe

74. Gjetost, or brunost

75. Roadkill (seriously?)

76. Baijiu

77. Hostess Fruit Pie

78. Snail

79. Lapsang souchong

80. Bellini

81. Tom yum

82. Eggs Benedict

83. Pocky

84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.

85. Kobe beef

86. Hare

87. Goulash

88. Flowers

89. Horse

90. Criollo chocolate

91. Spam

92. Soft shell crab

93. Rose harissa

94. Catfish

95. Mole poblano

96. Bagel and lox

97. Lobster Thermidor

98. Polenta

99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee

100. Snake