Panda Heaven

I rarely ever crave Chinese food, but a few days ago it felt like the best idea ever. Panda Heaven is a random restaurant near the Coventry Mall in Pottstown, Pennsylvania that serves both Chinese and Japanese food. The staff is always friendly and the food reinforced that it was the best idea ever.

House Chow Fun - Delicious wide noodles.

Pennsylvania Roll - I forgot to write down what was in this roll, but it was quite yummy.

Fortune Cookie

Panda Heaven
118 Coventry Square Mall
Pottstown, PA 19464
(610) 970-6953‎

New Years Day Dinner

Every year my family follows the Pennsylvania Dutch (Deutsch) tradition of serving Pork and Sauerkraut for New Years Day. It is a long held belief that this meal will help bring good luck for the upcoming year. I’ll eat to that!

Cookie Party

About a week ago my boyfriend and I baked some cookies!

We made NY Time’s Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie (I found the recipe at Diana Takes A Bite). I really enjoyed these cookies, but my boyfriend found them a little too salty. Which is funny because it seems like he adds salt on everything else he eats.

Then the Gingerbread Cookies. I found the recipe online at the Recipezaar. I don’t own any cookie cutters, which made this to be a fun opportunity to practice our creative, free hand drawing/cutting. I really liked the gingerbread. It was not too sweet, but not too boring. I enjoyed making thicker cookies (less crunch and more chew).

Classic Gingerbread Man

Gingerbread Quadrapus

Gingerbats (And the Dark Knife)

Heart & Mustache

Chipotle

I know I know… a Chipotle review? Well, there are 2 valid reasons for me posting about this (McDonald’s owned) fast food chain:

1. My parents have never been to Chipotle (I don’t think they have even seen one or have heard about them before); although more common in the big cities, they have not hit the farmlands of Pennsylvania yet. So they have no idea how amazing their baby sized burritos, lime seasoned chips, and chunky guacamole taste like. I have never met a person who doesn’t like Chipotle. And I don’t know if I want to meet that person.

2. I ordered the quesadilla! There has always been talk about you being able to order it even though it is NOT on the menu (like the “secret” Grilled Cheese at In-N-Out Burger). Although I have discussed it with many people, I had never met anyone that had ordered it. I don’t blame anyone for not knowing either, because usually people order the burritos which are incredibly large and leave very little room for extras like their aforementioned yummy chips and guacamole or this unlisted and mysterious quesadilla.

Last time I was there I wasn’t in the mood to gorge myself with a giant burrito. Instead, I ordered the soft tacos: chicken, steak, and barbacoa. I don’t go crazy with the toppings: tomatoes, corn, and hot sauce. Sadly, my corn tortillas and meat were a little cold.

And the plain cheese quesadilla that cost approximately 3 dollars (I think 2.75-2.95). Although it is priced close to a taco truck quesadilla, it is not as tasty and a little lacking in cheese. However, since it is rare to find quesadillas this low in price that aren’t from a taco truck, it makes it much more appealing to order at a Chipotle instead of at Mexican restaurant for 8 dollars (which still doesn’t taste as good as a taco truck!). Also, I’m sure Chipotle’s quesadillas would taste better if I had added more toppings, maybe.

Mmm… Chipotle!

Anniversary Dinner - Sushi Masu

A few weeks ago my boyfriend and I celebrated our anniversary at Sushi Masu. What a wonderful feast to celebrate two years together. Delicious.

I. Hot Sake

II. California Roll

III. Tuna Masu Roll

IV. Scallops wrapped in Eggplant and smothered with Special Sauce topped with Shrimp

V. Spring Rolls

VI.  Mochi (green tea, chocolate, and red bean)

VII. Happiness

Sushi Masu
1911 Westwood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Phone: (310) 446-4368

Pitfire Pizza

The night before Thanksgiving my boyfriend and I were hungry, but didn’t know where to go. We didn’t want to drive far and we didn’t want to pay too much. We found ourselves at Pitfire Pizza Company in Westwood. Neither of us had been there before and had no idea what to expect. We walked in to a spacious restaurant and quickly realized it would be in our best interest to claim a table to sit at without the help of a server. Within first glance you can tell this place is listed somewhere on the internet as kid-friendly. Every other table was filled with a rugrat sitting in a high chair. Surprisingly, all the children in the restaurant were well behaved. We did get to hear one misbehaving child get his 3rd and final warning from the table across from us. Awkward, but amusing since we were only spectators.

Although they had interesting sounding pizzas and pastas (and later I found out they had a special pizza with pumpkin on it!), in order to share I had to eat one of the only two kinds of pizza my boyfriend prefers: cheese or pepperoni. I chose the latter. He went up to the register, placed our order, took a number, and came back to the table.

As you can see, or rather can’t see, there is not a plethora of pepperoni and those that are there are hiding under the cheese. It was a crusty pizza, but not crunchy more just..chewy. It was good and filling. I also ordered some Fiery Chicken Soup - chicken poached in a spicy red chile broth with red onions, hominy, topped with avocado, roasted corn and red cabbage. Sadly, it came out looking like it does in the picture - spilled over the sides and with a plastic fork. A plastic fork? (WTF.) With a mission statement starting with “Just because it’s a fast world doesn’t mean you have to eat fast food,” and promotion of organic foods in their menu, it made me a little concerned to find a plastic spoon in my soup. If you know me, you probably are aware of my anti-plastic stance. Or just recognize that I try to avoid using it as much as possible. Aside from the presentation of the soup, I found the taste to actually be very slightly spicy and delicious. It has been a long time since I have eaten anything with hominy in it and I found it to hit the spot.

In the end, my boyfriend and I enjoyed the food. We both are willing to come back again. A fun, relaxed atmosphere. Perfect for lunch or dinner. Also, I didn’t find out until the end, but they sell Auntie Em’s amazing cupcakes. I was surprised and excited to find that the cupcakes so close to my heart have made their way to the west side of Los Angeles. Of course they were sold out of Red Velvet, but it was okay because I was way too full from pizza and soup. Besides, Bigg Chill is just down the street.

Pitfire Pizza Company
2018 Westwood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 481-9860

Vanilla Bake Shop

Although they focus more on cupcakes, I I always buy everything other than cupcakes while at Vanilla Bake Shop. I always intend to post about the yummy chocolate chip cookies, but I never am able to hold onto a pack of their cookies long enough to take a picture. Either my own monster comes out, or my cookie monster boyfriend gets to them. Hopefully one day soon, I will summon enough cookie control to get at least one picture of them - even if it means taking the camera into the store.

Last time I was there I did something I never do - ordered a slice of cheesecake. Although it is one dessert I think is good, I never order it or really crave it. But, when you put “Pumpkin” in front of another word, all bets are off and I become interested. Although a little hesitant about Pumpkin Cheesecake, after first bite, my reluctance disappeared. Insanely rich, thick, and not too subtle, but not too much pumpkiness taste with a cheesecake texture was just perfect. Of course I can’t forget to mention the dollop of cream cheese frosting that officially started the sugar party in my bloodstream. Delicious. I wish I could eat it all the time. I recommend.

Vanilla Bake Shop
512 Wilshire Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 458-6655