If Haven sends me an email saying that all ten of their small-batch brews are going to be on tap for reduced prices for one night only, I make plans to go. That's what happened when they emailed out about their 3rd Anniversary specials going on this past Monday.


I dragged Duc along with me and though it started at 6:00pm, we ended up getting there nearer to 6:45pm and waiting about an hour for our table. It was SO crowded. Though the wait wasn't desirable, I felt glad for them to have such a jam-packed house that night. I mean, an hour wait on a Monday night is quite impressive and a definite showing of how much support your establishment has so cheers to Haven!


So let's focus back on the beers. Ten available equates to ten being ordered. Luckily the tasters were only 5 oz each and split between the two of us, that's only 25 oz. of beer to be had...on a Monday night. I keep it classy, apparently. In the order from left to right of my first picture, here were the brews:

• Hello World ($2 taster): American Pale Ale | ABV – 6.3% | IBU – 73 | SRM – 14.4
  (Hops – Centennial, Warrior, Cascade and Columbus / Yeast – American Ale Yeast)
• Gross National Happiness ($2 taster): Cream Ale | ABV – 5% | IBU – 20 | SRM – 5.2
  (Hops – Summit and Tettnager / Yeast – American Ale Yeast)
• Hafen Hefe ($2 taster): Bavarian Wheat Beer | ABV – 5% | IBU – 13.5 | SRM – 3.9
  (Hops – Hallertau / Yeast – Weihenstephan)
• upRYEsing ($2 taster): Rye IPA | ABV – 6.5% | IBU – 81 | SRM – 17
  (Hops – Columbus, Centennial and Cascade / Yeast – American Ale Yeast)
• Diana Brown ($2 taster): American Brown Ale | ABV – 6.5% | IBU – 28.3 | SRM – 22
  (Hops – Columbus, Nugget, and Willamette / Yeast – American Ale Yeast)
• Sosigenes ($3 taster or 16 oz pour for $7): Double IPA | ABV – 8.2 | IBU – 248 | SRM – 9.6
  (Hops – Warrior, Glacier, Galena, Chinook, Columbus and Centennial / Yeast – American Ale Yeast)
• Brewmaster's Breakfast ($2 taster): Breakfast Stout/Oatmeal Stout | ABV – 7.5% | IBU – 86.5 | SRM – 35
  (Hops – Centennial and Cascade / Yeast – American Ale)
• Brewmaster's Breakfast on Oak ($4 taster or 10 oz pour for $8), The Lion’s Share - Barrel Aged Beer Program: Breakfast Stout/Oatmeal Stout | ABV – 9.5% | IBU – 86.5 | SRM – 50
  (Hops – Centennial and Cascade / Yeast – American Ale)
• 100 Rubles ($3 taster or 10 oz pour for $6): Imperial Russian Stout | ABV – 12% | IBU – 75 | SRM – 37
  (Hops – Galena, Northern Brewer and Centennial / Yeast – American Ale Yeast)
• 100 Rubles on Oak ($4 taster or 10 oz pour for $8), The Lion’s Share - Barrel Aged Beer Program: Imperial Russian Stout | ABV – 14% | IBU – 75 | SRM – 50
  (Hops – Galena, Northern Brewer and Centennial / Yeast – American Ale Yeast)

Of course, food was needed before we could demolish everything in a series of poor-decided-upon gulps. We opted for the corn chowder (with stone crab, leek, and cilantro oil) and the mac-and-cheese (with black truffles, Gruyere, Fontina, and Parmesan) for starters. The corn chowder was delectable and very smooth for a chowder, composed of well-pureed corn and sweetness. The mac-and-cheese is always great at Haven, especially for all the crispy cheese on top of the entire handle.


Since they also had menu items from their other restaurants on hand, we opted to share The Veg burger (cheddar cheese polenta patty, vegetarian black bean and hatch chili, house sauce, fried green tomatoes, pickles, and jalapenos on a roasted shallot potato bun). It was an impressive mouthful to look at and since it was Duc's first time with polenta, I wanted to see the reaction. It was definitely a softer polenta consistency than I have had before but it was still very rich and creamy. I enjoyed the little zing that the sauces gave and the southern touch given through the fried green tomatoes. It was a delightful entree.


We finished all ten glasses by the end (and probably annoyed the waitstaff by telling them not to clear our cups until we had taken a picture). The verdict was that we, as expected, still loved stouts so the 100 Rubles was impressive. I took a liking to the Gross National Happiness, and we shared a mutual respect for the Diana Brown. IPAs in general are not to our taste so we had to chug those down before we gave up, and for me, the oaked stuff was stronger than I liked. Overall, a great variety of beers were had and a great time was enjoyed!

415 S Main St, Orange, CA 92868
Pricing - $/$$ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine - Breakfast, Mexican
www.anepalcoscafe.com

[You can read my first review here.] So much has changed in my life since I last visited Anepalco's Cafe, particularly the whole blogging thing. If anything, I hope that at the very least, my pictures have gotten better so you can fully appreciate what I've eaten, visually. Anyhow, I met up with some friends I hadn't seen in a while here for breakfast on a Saturday and boy was it busy. I didn't know that they had opened up a second location until one of the friends had gotten "lost" by going to the other one. I always had it in my mind that Anepalco's was just a little hole-in-the-wall place but good for them that they've expanded! I still like the hole-in-the-wall setting though.


This post is going to be short as two of us got the same thing, and I had already tried out what the third had ordered. My order (repeated by another) was Anepalco's Chilaquiles. Go for the namesake item, right? I am sure glad I did. "Tortilla chips, scrambled eggs, Cotija cheese, sour cream, avocado mousse, pico de gallo," and some kind of magic, secret sauce made for a much more amazing plate than I had imagined. The tortilla chips had been formed into a mound that screamed corn tortilla soaked in happiness (in the form of a red sauce). The scrambled egg was so fluffy and topped with the vegetables, it was the pleasant soft portion of the dish. I honestly believe that the shining star, however, was the sauce itself which surrounded the tortilla mound. It tasted like the roasted skins of chili peppers which had started to sweeten. It coated my mouth in awesomeness and refused to be denied from being dipped into constantly with the tortilla chips. Heck, I even scooped up some into my mouth without any accessories. What a great place to eat. I can't wait to check out the second location!

The District at Tustin Legacy, 2453 Park Ave, Tustin, CA 92782
Pricing - $/$$ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine - Vegan/Vegetarian
www.nativefoods.com

[You can read my first review here.] My friend and I decided we wanted to be healthy last Friday so we opted to meet up at Native Foods (there's one right down the street from my work). I'm glad we did. I always love their food, and it's always amazing to see what ways they can reinvent some of the more common food items. 


My first choice was for an appetizer as it was Happy Hour still and those were half off. I chose their newest addition, the Maryland Tempeh Cakes (in lieu of crab cakes). Those were labeled (cleverly) as "freshly caught Native Tempeh blended with red onion, peppers, herbs and spices, and seared hot and crisp. Served with a chipotle remoulade." I love them actually. There weren't too salty. If they were trying to imitate crab cakes however, they didn't accomplish it completely. Regardless, delicious appetizer with a great amount of spices and fair texture (not as broken apart as crab cakes but a good alternative).


My entree choice was for their Soul Bowl, a delectable ensemble of their Native Chicken "Southern fried" and accompanied by red beans, brown rice, kale, steamed veggies, BBQ sauce, and a thick slab of cornbread. I love love love the way they recreate chicken as it peels away as perfectly as regular chicken would. As always, there was a lot of flavor in my order. The chicken could have been a little crispier but other than that, bravo on the burst of tastes in the kale and veggies from the BBQ sauce! The cornbread was more like corn cake than bread but man was it still tasty.


My friend got the BBQ Love Burger consisting of thinly sliced Native Original Seitan with an Asian sesame slaw on top and more than plenty of BBQ sauce. I really liked the slices themselves as they were akin to thin pork slices. Since they were so fine, a general person probably would not have guessed they were non-pork. As for BBQ loving, you definitely need to love BBQ to stand all the smothering of sauce. What an indulgence!

111 21st Pl, Newport Beach, CA 92663
Pricing - $$/$$$ | Dining - Dressy Casual | Cuisine - Italian
www.ilfarro.com

[You can read my first review here.] It had been a while since we had visited Il Farro for the first time but we decided to go back because 1) the food was excellent and 2) we had a Voice Daily Deals certificate. Who doesn't like deals? Anyhow, it was a bit busier than the last time we had gone but we were still seated immediately. I still love hearing all of their staff speak Italian! It just makes the experience seem much more authentic, especially since Italian food these days are so Americanized and large.


So in order to expose Duc to a few new things (and to go out of our comfort zones in general), our appetizer after their delicious wheat bread with olive oil came out was their carpaccio di bue e sedano. If you don't know what carpaccio is, it's basically thin slices of raw filet. Theirs had celery, capers, Parmigiano cheese, olive oil, and lemon. These were very, very thin slices which made them easier to consume and enjoy quickly. I loved the addition of the celery and capers as one added a crunch element to eating the slices while the other gave bursts of sour flavor. We devoured the plate very quickly.


My order for that night was their farrotto alla Milanese (the farro was cooked like risotto) which had large tiger shrimp, asparagus, and a saffron sauce. The presentation was so appetizing, and the smell actually hit me before they had even brought the dish into my line of vision. I mean, it was so heavy and distinct. I loved this dish not only for the large granules in the staple portion but also for the savoriness of the sauce itself. The shrimp were cooked perfectly and were very thick ones themselves. The asparagus added a good vegetable touch to the dish but wasn't completely necessary. The saffron definitely spoke for itself.


Duc's order was the gnocchi di zucca al burro el Salvia which was basically gnocchi that had baked pumpkin in it and smothered in butter sage sauce. While not necessarily the best dish visually, its complex, sweet flavors were impressive. I loved how smooth they were able to make their gnocchi texture and how it kept a very strong loyalty to the pumpkin itself. Delicious! The fun part of Il Farro is that since it's practically next door to the pier, you can walk off your indulgences afterward.

2010 Main St, Ste 165, Irvine, CA 92614
Pricing - $ | Dining - Casual, To-go | Cuisine - American, Burgers
www.mickskarmabar.com

After finding out that our fooding venture for the night wasn't going to work out, my friends and I ended up going to Mick's since I had mentioned hearing so many rave reviews about it before. Yelp showed us that it wasn't too far off so there we went. It was a bit difficult to figure out where it was exactly since it's nestled in the corner of a building amongst all other corporate offices but we eventually got in.


When you walk into the front, it's very unassuming and short. The menu items are listed via chalkboard (a growing trend among food establishments lately I've noticed), and the temptation large. We put in our orders and sat down outside where most of the seating was. It was a good area as there were metal modern art structures all around outside.


Our drinks came out first. We wanted to give the most popular drinks a try, so we did the Strawberry Basil Lemonade (delightfully refreshing), Mojito Ice-T (very minty), and Purple Palmer (a mix of hibiscus, pomegranate, cranberry, and lemonade which served a tart but satiating drink). We noticed that Mick himself was walking around and saying hi to people. We were later graced with his presence.


We had gotten three different burgers just so we could try them all. Mine was the Habanero (chilies, queso fresco, garlic mayo), Duc's the original Karma Burger (Karma sauce, American cheese), and Tim's the Club Med (hummus, roasted peppers, Feta). First of all, the presentation was well-done (about which we learned more on later) and the food hot. Since it was pitch-black outside, my pictures are not as up-to-par as they have been recently but you get the gist of the abundance of food per order which was about $6 or less by the way. Across the board the meat was juicy but in no way greasy, well-spaced in terms of patty formation, and fresh tasting. The buns were all lightly toasted and perfectly unassuming next to the other flavors in the burgers. The Habanero was very spicy, forcing me to down as much of the liquids in front of me as possible, BUT it was a good kind of spicy. It was the kind filled with flavor and nudging me, constantly asking why I couldn't eat more since it was so complex a heat. I liked it a lot. I also really enjoyed the Karma Burger - if you need a solid burger, go for this. The Club Med had a lot of Feta in it which really gave it the Mediterranean taste. That was very enjoyable as well.


Probably the best part of the evening, however, was getting to talk to Mick himself. He came out and started up a conversation with us like we were old friends. We learned a lot about how the restaurant started up, got its name, and so forth (it used to be a coffee shop space and then was slated to become a juice bar - hence the "bar" in the name - with a few food items...and eventually became a restaurant). We also got to learn about how he experiments with the way he makes his food, the choices for why foods are presented a certain way, how the restaurant's advertising is solely driven by its customers, etc. He even let us sample some tomatillo chutney he'd been working on to add to a new burger. It was spectacular and tasted both Mexican and Indian at the same time. What a clever mix. By the way, did you know that they grind their sirloin steaks individually so that they can only produce 20-30 burgers at one time? That ensures that your patty is the freshest it can be. No wonder the burgers were to die for! We're definitely coming back and if you want to go, I encourage it!

Teehee. This is from the 70s in Big Bird's Busy Book (source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/foodiggity/cookie-monsters-cookie-recipe_b_1817501.html).

3215 Carson St, Lakewood, CA 90712
Pricing - $/$$ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine - Japanese
www.iluvsushilakewood.com

Hey roll lovers! If you're in the Long Beach/Lakewood area, you might just enjoy I Luv Sushi but more so during their Happy Tummy hour when the majority of their rolls are priced at $5 or $6. Otherwise, you might be spending upwards of $15 for a roll (which I stayed away from even though I really wanted to try some eel). I met up with a friend here on his suggestion as he's been a few times. After a long drive (I was coming from Irvine at 4 in the afternoon...on surface streets), I arrived at the unassuming place and saw a wide demographic of customers. The interior was quite loud (perhaps a result of Happy Tummy hour?) and Americanized. It's okay - I got a warning before I came in.



My friend knew what he wanted to have fairly quickly but I kept wavering as I was trying to figure out what was on the regular menu, which had descriptions, and what was on the specials menu. The first thing that came out was his Fantastic Roll which had spicy tuna and whitefish...and was deep-fried. A sign of Americanization? Of course. Who deep-fries sushi? Well the presentation was nice, and the roll came out fairly quickly. The quick deep-fried batter got soft quickly from the moisture of the other ingredients. I got a piece where some of the tuna ended up getting cooked so it wasn't as good as I think it was meant to be. I tried another piece to see what it was like but the batter overpowered the other tastes. That's what you get when you douse something in oil though eh?



My orders came out next - the Autumn Roll and some Yellowtail Sushi. Shrimp tempura with spicy albacore made for a fun combo since the albacore was on top. That allowed me to taste a lot more of the raw fish and less of distracting tempura. I liked the crunch inside, and the sweet, tangy sauce atop the whole roll lessened any heat from the spicy albacore. It was quite good and the fish fresh. My yellowtail was actually very impressive when I first received it. I mean, I hadn't seen yellowtail that clean and luminescent in a while. It was very clear meat and nearly melt-in-your-mouth. Delicious!



The last order to come out was the Atlantic Roll made of spicy salmon and shrimp tempura wrapped in soy paper. The soy paper reminded me of those white rabbit candies that I had had as a child which were always wrapped in a thin rice paper but a bit thicker and stickier. There wasn't enough salmon in this but as rolls tend to have, plenty of sauce. I wasn't feeling it, especially with the intrusive chunk of avocado inside. Overall, I think the place would be great for a roll lover but for me, I can do with a lot less rice and sauce please...and a little quieter works out better when communicating orders or having a conversation. However, for roll lovers, eat up! I rated keeping in mind that it served mostly rolls, so the bar for sushi judgment isn't as high.

12444 Brookhurst St, Garden Grove, CA 92840
Pricing - $ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine -  American, Breakfast

Omelette House has been on my list of local places to give a try (and by local, I mean that it's down the street from me) for a long while, but it wasn't until an impromptu craving for brunch came about that Duc and I finally made our way there. We were glad to have gotten there right before the rush because after we sat down immediately after walking in, it ended up being almost a 30 minute+ wait for anyone after us. Crazy!


Anyhow, so I always love getting corned beef hash when I go somewhere for a breakfast/brunch, so I opted for that. It was fantastic! The servings were huge for our entrees first of all but I think that they were also manageable because of the food's general lightness. My hashbrowns were crisp to perfection and thin enough so I got my filling but didn't stuff myself on them. The scrambled eggs were also quite good and definitely eggs. I dislike seeing places serve some kind of egg mix that may have been made from reconstituted eggs. My sourdough toast had just the right amount of butter and toastiness. Now the corned beef hash was also fantastic. It was thin but that allowed for it to have an overall crisp exterior with a juicy, soft interior. The potato chunks were small enough to be about the size of the hash itself. I loved it.


Duc ended up getting an omelette Florentine style which had spinach, olives, mushrooms, and bacon. It was so refreshing for an omelette actually (I hold the green onions and cilantro accountable for this!). Despite the smaller amount of bacon than he was expecting, I think he really enjoyed it. I certainly liked seeing more vegetables than salty breakfast meats in his order, haha. The rest of his order included other items such as on my plate, and they were consistent with mine. We had a great breakfast out, and it was an inexpensive place with quality food. I'm keeping this on my go-to list for breakfasts!

What is this? I don't even...why would you eat anything? My younger brother showed this channel to me, and I shuddered at the thought of having to do this myself. I mean, who eats a stick of deodorant like it's an ice cream bar....?

Lately Duc and I have been watching food documentaries, and our views on our own personal food habits have been affected as a result. We have seen "Forks Over Knives" and "The Men Who Made Us Fat," with a few other shows on queue for viewing. The experience hasn't been eye-opening exactly but it certainly has been disconcerting. It had solidified some pre-notions of the unhealthy food habits we face living in today's American world and to our daily schedules, make us more conscious of what we're doing with ourselves.

Unfortunately, we also have to be a little realistic and try to see what can feasibly be done considering our current situations (or are we making excuses?). Is it possible to go cold turkey and switch to some of the healthier diets and lifestyles? Is it something we'll have to ease into and just have more freedom to do later when we have our own domains? I mean, it's a bit hard for me to control what I eat while I'm still here at my parents'. They determine the majority of what is available at home (though I do buy my own foods as well). Also, how hard will it be to resist the ooey-gooey-goodnes of cheese (I mean, LOOK at that picture!) and other dairy products? I thought yogurt was healthy for you! If you don't know my reference point, we've been trying to consider how going non-animal-based foods for our eating habits would work out...and dairy's just something that will be most difficult. Of course, this may all be us making excuses for ourselves. Have any of you done a switch to a whole foods, non-animal-based diet, and if so, what was the process like?

14291 Euclid St, Ste D105, Garden Grove, CA 92843
Pricing - $ | Dining - Casual, To-Go | Cuisine - Teas

My friend and I wanted to grab boba one day, and she suggested that I try someplace new. She took us here to Tra Teahouse where I guess she's been before.


The first thing I noticed when I walked in was the artwork on the walls. In fact, all the walls were covered in graffiti-style paintings. It was really cool. I even liked the artwork that was framed along the main wall because there were many different artistic styles surrounding the theme of bicycles. Neat environment.


However, let's look at the food though. I only got one drink at that moment (should've ordered some food!) because I didn't know how long we'd be there. It was their lavender milk tea, and though I had said no boba, I got boba (and was charged for it too without noticing until later). Hrm. It was decent in my opinion but nothing special. The boba was a bit small, slimier than desired, and even chewier than I liked. I'd come back for the atmosphere but I'm not so sure how the other drinks will be as this one was unimpressive.

I'm sure if someone asked you what some of the most expensive foods were, caviar would be one of the foods you list. However, how much do you know about caviar? Why is it so expensive? In an article from the OC Executive, plenty of information about this delicacy was shared, and after sleuthing a bit, I decided to put together a quick post on caviar for your knowledge too!

So let's remove the prestige. What is caviar? Simply put, it is fish egg. Alright we can get a little more specific than that. Caviar comes from the sturgeon, and the other, less elite term for it would be sturgeon roe. These eggs are non-fertilized, brined, salted, and matured before being sold. So why is it so expensive? We only have ourselves to blame for this predicament as caviar used to be very abundant. However, once the USA and Canada got wind of this deliciousness, they started harvesting and selling 600+ tons per year in the 1800s. Good job, us! The overfishing of sturgeon led to a ban in 1906 and thus began the reign of the hard-to-come-by product. The finest caviar may empty your wallet at $16,000 per kilogram (about $450 per ounce).

Caviar was first discovered and consumed by the Persians who believed that it was very medicinal and would increase sexual prowess. When the concept fell into the hands of the Romans and Greeks, they began parading this supposed cure-all as a delicacy to be revered. This mindset persisted for years until the US discovered a goldmine of sturgeon to get caviar from. At that point, it became so readily available that saloons were serving it for free (saltiness makes people drink more after all). Due to overfishing, it is now a rarer food item and with a price to boot.

Types of caviar

• Beluga - the most expensive from the biggest sturgeon only found in the Caspian Sea; eggs are the biggest (size of peas) yet most fragile as well as silver to dark gray, firm, heavy, separated. The caviar becomes extremely oil when these eggs burst.
• Sterlet - the second most prized eggs which are smaller and golden in color
• Ossetra - the third most prized eggs are smaller than the sterlet, more evenly sized, golden yellow to brown in color, and quite oily
• Sevruga - the least expensive of the eggs (but still not pocket change at ~$65 per ounce), these are very small and light to dark grey clouded in color

To officially be considered caviar, the roe must come from fish from the Acipenseridae family. There are several other caviar substitutes out there from whitefish, salmon, etc, but those are not the real deal. When enjoying caviar as a spread or garnish, the texture may be a little shocking as they are really just small, oil-filled bubbles that burst in your mouth. It will be salty and briny without a doubt, but it will also sate your innate desire for savory, saltiness.

When serving, make sure to keep it refrigerated until needed as it is extremely perishable. To enjoy it best, try not to cloud your palate with other flavors that may overtake its own. Try it with soft scrambled eggs, potato, creme fraiche, or even granita. Even having it on some small crostinis with no other dressings would be fine. Just try to avoid lemon and enjoy. If you have any with you, I'm just a message away and would love to indulge with you!