We ordered the pork and chicken sandwich and oh my goodness, they were so heavenly. The chicken was juicy and I loved the navel orange kick. I wish I had enough space in my stomach to try their frozen greek yogurt but maybe one day, I'll get to stop by and try it out. But in the meantime, photos below of my meal and their chic decor!
My family and I decided to take a quick trip to the Bay Area to check out a few colleges around the area for my brother and do touristy activities since my brother and I have never been to this state. After taking a quick trip to the Google Headquarters - we geeked out and wanted to check the place out - we decided it was time for lunch. See below for my photos and what we ate at Cocina Central!
Time to fill my empty stomach with some good food! How did I find out about this place? I literally googled, after visiting google, "best restaurants near Mountain View, CA". True story.
I couldn't decide what I wanted, I also didn't understand 10% of the menu, so I was studying the menu pretty rigorously before making my final decision.
Just look how good looking that food looks. Keeps scrolling down for close ups and what we ordered. Trust me, you won't be sorry.
My brother decided to order enchiladas but accidentally ordered this one instead of the enchiladas de pollo. I say this was still a pretty good choice though.
You can't really go wrong with chicken tacos and I never saw tacos as something special, but oh man, were these good and fresh.
Let me copy and paste the food description to paint you a picture what my taste buds were experiencing: roasted potatoes, crema, avocado-serrano sauce, shredded lettuce.
This was 100% the clear winner out of all three dishes. Yes, this was off the appetizer menu but this filled me up pretty easily. Seriously, this was amazing. The hard taco shell, potatoes, and everything else was such a good combo -- you must order this if you ever get the chance.
Could you tell I was a huge fan of the Tacos Dorados?
Great price, great meal, great dining experience.
10/10
I wanted to share a few non-food-related photos I took during my trip to Vegas. I guess this would also be a good time to share one of my "moments of truth" from this trip, so here we go: My friends and I purposely decided to stay at Caesars Place due to its multiple appearances in Hollywood films. Can you tell it was all of our first time making it out there? We quickly checked-out Bellagio as well to see the waterworks but ended up missing it by a couple beats, so I just took a few photos of the hotel instead.
I'm guessing you were expecting something a little more gossip-worthy, so sorry to disappoint if you were. See below for photos!
Alize: a french restaurant. Our server was warm, the view was stunning (especially as the sun was setting), and the meal was appetizing and delightful. Even their bread (not pictured below) was amazing - everyone who knows me know I love bread a little too much; hello, carbs. If you're ever in Vegas and you want good food, ambiance, and a quick getaway from the crazy Vegas strip, I highly recommend stopping by this place.
Sautéed Foie Gras: I doubted the caramel peach combination at first but my goodness, this went so well with the Foie Gras.
Potato Gnocchi: I think gnocchi is one of my new favorite dishes. Also, I'm usually not a huge fan of cheese but wow, just everything about this dish. Amazing.
Haricots Verts, Genoa Salami, Pink Peppercorn Vinaigrette, Brown Butter Aioli. Aka, the chicken was very tender and juicy and I liked how this wasn't too rich for my tastebuds.
Smoked Prosciutto, Mushroom Duxelles, Asparagus, Truffle-Shallot Jus. This dish was a little too rich for me but it's also a dish I probably would order for myself if I ever go back.
Falafel, Kefta Sausage, Broccolini, Tzatziki, Apricot-Mustard Jus. Aka, the one thing I cannot eat in this world: Lamb. But my friend who ordered this dish loved it. I was even tempted to take a bite because she made it look so good!
I know this photo is blurry and I'm a little upset about it but I had to upload it anyways to show you how amazing and beautiful our view was. We enjoyed our meal as we watched the sunset. I couldn't have asked for a better group of friends to share this meal with.
In conclusion, I usually don't order a chicken dish whenever I come to restaurants like this but because I really didn't want to eat something that would be too rich for my stomach, I thought the chicken would be a good option. The chicken was still extremely delicious and I'm glad I picked that over something else but the next time I go, if I'm up for something more savory, I would probably order the Veal Wellington. Overall, wow, the meal was amazing and I loved the view and ambiance of this restaurants. 10/10 I would recommend!
Okay, so this was actually my last meal in Vegas, but because I got excited - and hungry - all over again while going through my photos, I couldn't resist the urge to post about this meal (I was going to share my Vegas experience in chronological order). Below, you'll find a few snapshots of my time at the Sterling Brunch Buffet hoping you'll get hungry and I would've persuaded you to visit this place by the time you reach the end of this post.
Get ready to drool. Enjoy!
From salads to fruits to parfait to cheese. The options are already starting to feel endless.
From lamb to beef tenderloin to chicken to fillet mignon. Are you hungry yet? No? Keep scrolling down for more.
Do you see all that lobster on our plate? Top that with some king crab legs, caviar, jumbo shrimp, and bottomless champaign. Are you drooling yet? Because I know I am.
There was a good chunk of time when my friends and I sat in silence as we enjoyed our meal.
Fillet Mignon, Lobster Ravioli, and Salmon. The lobster ravioli was probably my favorite dish out of the three.
Our server was very amiable and did not hesitate when having to open a new bottle for us. He was also great at making sure our glasses were never empty.
I seriously have the biggest sweet tooth, so of course I got extremely excited when my stomach was ready for the dessert table.
They had macarons, chocolate peanut butter tart, key lime tart, mousse, that chocolate popsicle/lollypop (the name is slipping me right now-- what in the world are these called?).
The only way anyone should ever finish a meal. With sweets.
Time to be real: You're probably thinking, "$95 for a meal... that's a lot." But if you think about what you're getting and consider the unlimited champaign and mimosa too, I say the price is worth it. Just make sure you go with a very empty stomach. We had impeccable service, ate our hearts out, and hopped on a plane with an overly satisfied stomach as we headed home. I personally highly recommend stopping by this place if you're ever in Vegas. When you do, I hope your experience is as great as mine! You'll have to let me know how it went.
According to my friends, Taqueria Los 3 Reyes is the best place to get Mexican food near the D.C. area. It's a bit of a drive (about 30 minutes) from the city but if you have a car, I do highly recommend checking out this place. This restaurant is a bit hidden, the food is amazing, and because it's a place I wouldn't have been able to find on my own, it made the experience that much better. See below for photos!
I learned today that the greener the sauce, the more spicy it is. I'm so used to the red being the most spicy, so this was an interesting learn.
Oh my goodness, this was amazing. The steak + avocado + everything else on this-combo was absolutely delicious.
According to my friend, this soda emphasized more on the fruity taste than the carbonation.
Beef Tripe Soup: this is a pretty heavy dish. The meat itself is very tender and almost feels like a tougher version of fat.
Finally concluding this year's graduation-- and being my friends's photographer-- season. Warmest and biggest congrats to two of my close friends for finishing up their masters and undergraduate studies.
Decided to take my camera out for a quick stroll while I was able to catch the - very short - sunny weather. I don't know about you, but the weather has been absolutely gloomy, rainy, and a little depressing here in D.C. lately. I still can't believe we're already entering summer and May is already coming to an end. Time flies so quickly!
I'll let the colorful macaron photos speak for itself but I got the red velvet, fruity pebbles, nutella, salted caramel, lady grey tea, blood orange and pistachio. I also might or might not have ate all of them in one sitting... but hey, at least I split them with a friend!
10/10 recommend!
Okay, you had to have seen this post coming, especially with all the recent commotion about Chaia aka DC's new hot vegetarian taco spot.
My friends and I decided to stop by around 2 p.m. hoping to miss the crowd, but was surprised to see that there were still a lot of people lined up. The store is really small, so after my friends and I ordered our food, we decided to sit outside since the weather was extremely beautiful that day.
I got the Butter Squash, Creamy Kale and Potato, and Spring Greens. My favorite? The Creamy Kale and Potato -- yum!
Overall, I had a good experience. Would I go back? If I wanted a nice healthy lunch then absolutely yes!
P.S. Their tacos looks great in photos.
Dolcezza aka my go to gelato spot for the past 3 years and probably one of my favorite sweet spots in DC. I decided to take some photos around City Center after treating myself to some sweets. See below for a few photos!
Dear DC weather,
You never fail to keep me on my toes. From being nice 60s to a way too hot 70s, then dropping down to 30s and deciding to snow a bit in April; you're literally hot and cold. Hoping the weather will stay cool for a little bit longer before the hot-humid-summer DC weather hits us. But for now, hello, Spring...?
If you haven't already, Graffiato is an Italian restaurant you must put on your list and here's a few reasons why:
I've heard so many great things about this place, you have no idea how excited my taste buds and stomach was. Let's go!
Mozzarella, taleggio, ricotta, prosciutto, & black pepper honey. I was surprised how sweet all of their dishes were but liked how the sweetness complemented the cheese.
I know I took this photo but, dang, this is a good photo. Doesn't this image just make your mouth water? I also wanted to note that this pizza didn't feel - and taste - greasy.
I have so much to say about this dish but I'll keep it short. Basically, if you come to this restaurant, you must order this dish. If I could, I probably would've (literally) licked the plate clean.
One of the main reasons why I loved this dish so much was probably because the sweetness reminded me a bit of home (the Philippines) and the texture of the gnocchi reminded me of a tteok (Korean rice cake). The pork in this dish is what really hit the home run for me.
My friend and I purposely went early to miss the lunch crowd... and also because we got hungry, and I couldn't hold my excitement.
Overall Grade: A
The quality of the food, the price we paid, the service we received; all in all, I had an incredible experience. The pizza and pasta dish we ordered were a bit on the sweet side, but that's the reason why I enjoyed this meal so much.
I'm already trying to plan when I can stop by this place again because my mouth has been watering just blogging about my experience. Actually, I think I just might put all of Chef Mike Isabella's restaurants on my list of restaurants to tackle.
Everyone always raves about the brunch at Founding Farmers, so of course, this place was on my restaurant list to tackle. Overall, my friends and I had a pretty great experience. They had a wide selection of food, the food was delicious, and we had a great server.
My only criticism would be that, when the servers came to our table with hors d'oeuvres, the food was a little cool, which is understandable, but this ended up lowering my rating. What would I grade this place? Keep scrolling down.
Make sure you come with an empty stomach, because, I mean-- just look at all this food!
The blueberry pancakes won this round. No questions.
I know, I can't believe I'm saying this too (I love bread). But seriously, skip the bread, it's not worth your stomach nor did it taste that good.
In my stomach, salad is salad. But they were fresh and helped balance everything out.
I couldn't stop eating the beef pastrami hash and mac & cheese (not pictured here). They were probably my favorites.
Time to dig in!
Baked bacon coated in brown sugar and cinnamon. Oh. My. Goodness. These were so good.
The food was a little cold by the time it got to our table, so this was a little disappointing.
Oh my, where to even start. The custard in the Jefferson Doughnut was a nice surprise. I loved the Chocolate-Mouse thing (bottom right between the cheesecake & doughnuts). They added in crushed graham crackers, peanut butter, and a bit of caramel. I loved this combo.
The S'mores were extremely fluffy, sweet, and nicely toasted.
I'm getting so full just looking at these photos.
Like I said, overall, great experience. My rating? B.
Hello, allergy season -- I mean, spring and cherry blossoms!
No matter how long I've been living in this city, this is one view I can never get sick of. Yes, I will acknowledge that "tourist season" does get a little annoying - especially when they stand on the left side of the escalators - and that the tidal basin-area gets way too crowded. But despite all this, I always still find myself making my way over here. I guess you can say it's one of my favorite date spots with my camera.
McCormick & Schmick's Seafood & Steak. I got the Lump Crab Cake and Salmon Rigatoni. Is it bad if I say the salmon rigatoni didn't leave a lasting impression? It was okay and as I was eating the pasta, I completely forgot there was supposed to be salmon in this dish - that's how little salmon they gave; I was not impressed. This dish wasn't anything spectacular. I did, however, enjoy the lump crab cake, which was the clear winner.
I was running a little late but once I arrived, my friends were telling me how they had to wait to be seated and had table problems, despite the fact that we made reservations before coming in. The service was extremely slow and we sat at the restaurant playing the waiting game for too long. I'm not sure if I'd ever go back with my two feet unless I happen to be in the area already and a friend of mine highly recommends we go.
Overall Rating: C+
I told you I'd write about a ramen place soon (re: Momofuku & Milk Bar Post). But anyways, I believe I finally found my favorite ramen place in DC. The clear ramen winner in DC for my stomach is (insert drumroll): Toki Underground!
We started our meal with pork dumplings and fried chicken steam buns as appetizers. The fried chicken steam buns were amazing! They had a bit of a spicy kick to it, the mayo gave it some sweetness, and the greens and the buns balanced everything out. I also liked how we were able to create our own buns and control how much of everything we wanted. The dumplings were dumplings; you can't really go wrong with them.
Clear winner for appetizers? The Fried Chicken Steam Buns. You must order these when you come here. So. Good. Yum.
Now, to the ramen. I got the Toki Classic while my friend got the Red Miso. For the Toki Classic, I loved how savory the broth was with the pulled-pork kick and, most importantly, how the ramen was not greasy. Once our food arrived, for a good two minutes, my friends and I sat in silence and enjoyed our meal as our taste buds started to tickle. Wow, just everything about this ramen was incredible. 10/10 I would go back and this is, no question, my favorite ramen spot in DC now.
My Overall Rating: A-
P.S. If you're planning to go, which I highly recommend, I also highly recommend you to get there early so you can guarantee a seat and won't have to wait in line.
I now see why these pies are "Dangerously Delicious".
I overheard my coworkers talking abut this place a few days ago, so I decided to drag my friends here after lunch since 1. we were already in the neighborhood and 2. we were looking for a place to satisfy our sweet tooth. I got the Pecan Pie while my friends got the Chocolate Cream Pie and Blueberry Pie; and boy, were they good! This place has everything from quiches to sweet and savory pies. If you're ever around the H-street area, make sure you stop by this place whether it's for dessert or for lunch! Next time I'm here, I'll probably try their savory pies/quiches.
The Pecan Pie was warm, sweet, and crunchy, and I didn't feel like they ripped me off with the number of pecans they gave on this slice. 10/10 -- but then again, you can't really go wrong with pecan pie.
The Chocolate Cream Pie was "rich, fluffy, and delicious", as my friend would put it; and when I took a bite, I couldn't help but agree with her statement.
Lastly, the Blueberry Pie. Like the pecan pie, they were not shy with the amount of blueberries they gave.
The slices are huge and the cafe-feel gave a nice atmosphere for my friends and I to talk about everything and anything as we enjoyed our pies.
Also, now that I think about it, I don't think I've been to a pie shop in DC in the longest time. I'm going to do some research and visit my old go-to pie places so I can do a comparison and pick-out my favorite. TBA -- so keep an eye out for more.
My Overall Rating: B+
After waiting for the opening of Momofuku and Milk Bar, I was extremely excited to be able to finally try out this place. For Momofuku, the experience was... it was okay. Maybe it's because I was expecting a lot from Momofuku that it ended up not meeting my standards.
The ramen and brisket buns were mediocre and, to be honest, I don't think I'd come back for more. BUT the Milk Bar? Oh my goodness. It was: amazing, addicting, mouthwatering, just absolutely delicious.
If you want ramen recommendations in DC, I have a few lists up my sleeves! Keep a look out, because I just might blog about one soon.
Finally made it to Momofuku for the first time after hearing so much about it. I was so excited when I stepped inside and our server brought us to our table.
Momofuku Ramen: Pork Belly, Pork Shoulder, and Poached Eggs and yes, we all ordered the same thing. Sorry not sorry.
Don't let my photos fool you. Although they may appear to be appetizing, they were - surprisingly - mediocre. Sigh, I was not impressed.
Horseradish, picked red onion, & cucumber. I think they were trying to go with a "fusion" take with this. I think they tried too hard.
There's always room for dessert! P.s. you have to try their crack pie and cake truffles - although not pictured in this post - because they are to die for.
Now this. Was the winner of the night.
My Overall Rating: The Meal? C+. The dessert? A
P.S. my experience at Momofuku is featured on my most recent vlog, which you can watch by clicking here
A friend and I went to Old Glory, located around the Georgetown area. I've always walked past this place but never had any interest to step inside. Why? It always looked a bit divey from the outside, so this place never appealed to me. But when you're starving, you can't think of a place to eat, and your friend recommends this place, you just kind of go with it; and oh boy, I'm glad I did and you can bet I'll be coming back for more in the (near) future.
Complimentary mini corn bread muffins
Now this is what I'm talking about.
We got their "famous pulled pork" and sweet potato wedges. I absolutely loved the sweet potato wedges; they were sweet, soft and warm, melted in your mouth -- I could go on. Dip the famous pulled pork in their sauces -- yum!
Just a close up of our food
My Overall Rating: B+
Brunch with a few friends at one of my favorite-somewhat hidden-spots around the Georgetown area. A friend of mine introduced me to Kafe Leopold about three years ago, and ever since then, this place has become one of my go-to spots. Everything on their menu is absolutely delicious; the restaurant, although it can feel crowded, is very modern and clean; and... have I mentioned that their food is great? I always try to get something new every time I make my way over here.
My Overall Rating: A-
GBD doesn't have a grand selection of doughnuts, but the doughnuts they do have are pretty good. If you're looking for fried chicken, a good happy hour deal, and doughnuts to end your night, then this is your place.
I also liked how relaxing and causal this environment was, it made it perfect and easy to catch-up with friends. We had our own little booth, so we easily got lost in our conversation, and because GBD is conveniently located in DuPont Circle, there's an 8/10 chance I would go back for more.
Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, I would give this fried chicken a solid 8/10
Chocolate Glaze, Maple Bourbon Bacon, and Hot Vanilla Glaze
I was surprised with the amount of dark chocolate this doughnut had
If you want something sweet and salty -- this is your doughnut
Okay, moment of truth:
I secretly love the color pink and openly love chocolate and peanut butter. Even when I'm single, I love seeing love around me, as long as it's not incredibly cheesy, so I never hated this occasion. I do, however, believe that Valentine's Day isn't the only day you should express your love and appreciation towards your loved one; this is something you should be doing on a daily basis. But anyways, I wanted an excuse to practice taking portrait shots and photoshop and also happen to wear pink on pink, so I decided to use these images to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day/Single's Appreciation Day!
Decided to make some sweets this weekend and play around with my 50mm lens since its been sitting on my shelf being neglected. Here are a few photos of my Chocolate Covered Strawberries & Oreo Truffles! It's very rare for you to catch me making sweets or somewhat difficult food - I'd rather eat than cook - but this was surprisingly very relaxing and it was nice being able to zone out for a few hours. Maybe I'll start playing around with more recipes (please note the "maybe").
