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

Apple-Walnut Amaranth

In previous posts, I mention that I enjoy oatmeal and peanut butter for breakfast. Lately though, I have been searching for something new.  For a week I was eating 18 Rabbits granola (Pecan, Almond and Maple) with soy milk. But, this was almost too sweet for me to have at breakfast - the soy milk definitely didn’t help the situation. So in search of a new breakfast, I paged through a few cookbooks I have lounging around and found a recipe for Apple-Walnut Amaranth. I had no idea what amaranth tasted like or really what it was other than a “nutty, nutritious grain full of vitamins, minerals, and protein.”  I figured, what the heck and got the ingredients necessary:

1 cup amaranth
3 cups plain soy milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch kosher salt (optional)
1 large apple, skin on, cored and diced
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Place the amaranth, soy milk, cinnamon, salt (if using), and apple in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Cover pan and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 25-30 minutes until amaranth is soft. Top with chopped nuts and serve.

Although the breakfast is tasty and different, there is a dominating soy milk taste. The texture of the amaranth is fun - soft and seedy-like. I don’t think I could eat it everyday, but it is a nice change. Through research I have found that amaranth is high in protein and gluten free.

Sunday Soup

I spent Sunday morning making my lunch for the day (and hopefully the week). I found a recipe for Creamy Chickpea Soup that sounded simple and delicious. I ate a big bowl for lunch and enjoyed it so much that I figured I should share it with the world. It’s not the most aesthetically appealing soup and looks like a runny peanut butter (which I don’t think is so bad), but it is filling, creamy, and most importantly awesome (because I made it). Recipe is included after the jump.

Step 1. Boil / Simmer

Step 2. Blend

Step 3. Serve

Read the rest of this entry »

Ikea Swedish Meatballs

A few weeks ago (I am that behind in posts), my boyfriend and I were shopping at Ikea. I was on a decorating high and was able to ignore the hundreds of rugrats (and their preoccupied parents), stupid cart pushers, and just overall mayhem that is what makes Ikea one of the least fun weekend trips. (Seriously, the weekend crowd at Ikea makes Target’s on Sunday look deserted in comparison). My boyfriend was very reluctant to be there. In fact, he felt tricked into it because I had not mentioned the idea of Ikea until we were already in Burbank. It wasn’t just the environment that frustrated him, but it was more of me. I had no clue what exactly I was looking for - I could come up with no name nor were my descriptions elaborate. At one point, my boyfriend told me “I don’t think they make what you want….anywhere.” I did not give up though and found something resembling my drawer concept. More on that later….

One of the reasons I got my boyfriend to turn into the Ikea parking lot was with one sentence: “If we go to Ikea I will buy you lunch… at Ikea.” It worked. My boyfriend’s food tastes are not similar to mine in anyway. Only he would be persuaded by the idea of ordering food cafeteria style. This is no surprise to me though considering Koo Koo Roo is always a dinner option he pushes (and always an option I veto). So we fought our way through the high traffic showrooms to the cafe. First thought: Kind of gross. Second thought: At least it’s cheap. We got our plastic trays and stood in line. Although the pre-made food was in neat Ikea compartments, the shrink wrapped food was not enticing enough for me to touch or really look at for very long. We moved on towards the “lunch ladies” to order our meatballs. My boyfriend opted against ordering the gravy, and I applaud him on that decision because the gravy looked nasty. In the end, this is what we were given. I think the flag is a cute touch, albeit very wasteful.

Perfectly bite sized. A wonderful combination of savory bread and meat. Although I was only allowed to have 2 meatballs from his plate, I found them delicious. The potatoes were not so bad either. So, if you’re hungry at Ikea or have a grumpy boyfriend at Ikea, check out the meatballs. I don’t know about the frozen ones though. I kind of think you should keep the Ikea meatballs at Ikea.

(Sadly, I didn’t get the $1 frozen yogurt cone on the way out because the line was ridiculous.)

Ikea
600 N. San Fernando Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91502
(818) 842-4532

Brentwood Farmer’s Market

In the past 2 years, I have never walked down the road to the Brentwood Farmer’s Market on San Vincente (and Gretna Green) on Sunday. I have definitely ran past it quite a few times, but never thought to myself what a great idea it would be to stop in. Last Sunday, I made a point to wake up extra early on my day off to beat the crowd, heat, and find some good vegetables. I noticed I was falling into quite the stereotype as I made my journey there:

1. Apple product in tow
2. North Face hooded sweatshirt  - (outdoor performance clothes)
3. The fact that I was going to a Farmer’s Market
4. Searching for organic food

And I’m sure many others…

I got there at 9:15, but the place was already filling up with the yoga pant wearing yuppy moms and their children common to Santa Monica. Since it was early, everything went swimmingly. I came home with these goods:

I’ve only tried one of the eggplants and it was a little too ripe, but I have hope that the others will be better. The broccoli is good. I loved these bell peppers, but am afraid they might not be organic (they look too good to believe they are organic :P). I am used to getting apples from Whole Foods and for the most part they are much bigger than the ones I have been seeing at Farmer’s Market, but I took a chance with a few of these and they seem okay. I was only able to find fuji and pink lady apples, which is great because I enjoy both (especially the latter). However, I wish I could find some that are in better condition. I might have to continue shopping for apples at WF (although that can be expensive), I’m not sure though - I’m still searching for more local options.

One stand that I fortunately was able to try samples from was the Moon Pillow stand. Moonpillows are mochi truffles -  rice pastries with chocolate ganache centers. Exactly like mochi ice cream, but not with ice cream in the middle - but chocolate (the mochi exterior is a little softer). I was able to try the Chocolate Peanut Butter and it was amazing. They are handmade in small batches, so you won’t be seeing these sold at Starbucks anytime soon. In fact, I think the only place you can get them in Los Angeles is at the Brentwood Farmer’s Market (or you could order them online). The flavors rotate. Right now their website states there are Thanksgiving flavors (French Roast, Maple-Pecan, Passion Fruit, and Pumpkin Spice) which will be around until December 2nd. The picture is of the Maple-Pecan.

If I had had more cash on me that day, I probably would have bought some because they are fluffy, chewy, and delicious. Sadly, I had only planned ahead for vegetables and good chocolate is never cheap: $23 for a box of twelve, $12 for a box of six, $6 for a box of three. If you get a chance - check them out, buy a box, and then come over to my apartment to share.

Brentwood Farmer’s Market: 9am - 1pm