It’s a Matcha Yuzu Day… Thanks to my friend, @kristiehang, for making some great suggestions as to good snacks on a Wednesday in Pasadena. “Matcha Tonic” from Mandarin 2 With matcha, Japanese yuzu juice, agave, and fever tree tonic. “Matcha Yuzu Canele” from BU Pastry Bar The drink and canele, a matcha made in heaven! #matcha

I’ve Waited All Day for This! The Saturday Special at Caribbean Gourmet… Shrimp Curry Plate I opted with the Rice and Peas & Vegetables vs. Roti. Both tough choices, since the Roti is made fresh in-house. But, I went with curry and rice. The curry has a small bit of heat, just to make it interesting or to remind you of the tropical weather in the Caribbean. 🤷🏻‍♂️ Speaking of the Caribbean, did you know… A slice of apple pie is $2.50 in Jamaica and $3.00 in the Bahamas. These are the pie rates of the Caribbean. Now you know… #curryshrimp

Happy FryDay! The Country Dinner (Number 2) from Broaster Kitchen in Montebello. 5 pieces of Fried Chicken, 3 pieces of Broasted Potatoes, Coleslaw, and 2 Rolls. I added Corn on the Cob and Ranch Dressing. A friend brought me here over 20+ years ago, her family had been coming here for years before they moved out of the area. I’ve been coming here every so often since she first brought me. Broasted chicken is fried in a pressure cooker and can be less oily, but I really like the potatoes. TGIF & watching the Dodger game too! . #friedchicken

Look what the Easter Bunny brought me… After an early morning cooking Easter breakfast and a lunch service, it was nice to enjoy my Caribbean meal while watching the @dodgers game this afternoon. As a kid, Easter meant coloring eggs, egg hunts, chocolate bunnies, deviled eggs, and egg salad sandwiches the day after. These days, Easter means a whole lotta broken egg shells (for Easter breakfast) 😂 Jerk Chicken with Rice & Peas, Cabbage, and Fried Plantains from @caribbeangourmet in San Gabriel.👍 Although I cooked today, I did have the day off from work, saw some friends, and spent some time with one of my nieces tonight. That’s all folks! Oops, wrong rabbit! #jerkchicken

IYKYK The Hardest Reservation to get in Los Angeles! (some will say the Noma LA pop-up…) Mason of @piscator.ny began doing Branzino pop-ups in NYC. A friend told me about it and said I needed to plan a trip. Since a NYC trip wasn’t in my short term plans, I kinda forgot about it. Meanwhile, @caribbeangourmet and I have been taking about a Branzino that we had years ago with some other chefs, cooked over an open fire at a Silver Lake restaurant that unfortunately closed during the pandemic. Yep, still talking about it 9 years later. To my surprise, @piscator.ny is spending the winter months in Los Angeles, now’s my chance! But hearing horror stories of trying to get a reservation is impossible. I tried for 6 weeks… And I FINALLY was able to get a reservation for one Branzino before he leaves town. It took 1/10 of a second before this day was SOLD OUT, but I was one of the lucky ones! “Luck is believing you’re lucky.” ~ Tennessee Williams We got to watch Mason season and cook each fish to perfection. He told me that he was only cooking on camping equipment, which I told him he’s doing a great job regardless. Piscator’s Grilled Branzino Supper - Mediterranean Grilled Branzino, Served Whole - Rosé Blood Orange Slaw - Homemade Sea Salt Focaccia - Blackberries & Bundled Thyme incl. side chimichurri #branzino

Pepperoni Pie from Bub and Grandma’s Pizza n Highland Park. We enjoyed the sourdough crust, it’s a large pizza, AND we enjoyed the Caesar Salad too. A good pizza day! #pepperonipizza #sourdoughcrust

It’s Tako Tuesday! For some reason, I wanted Tako Sushi (octopus) today. But, where can you get octopus sushi at 3 pm??? I guess I could make it myself, but I wanted to eat within 15 minutes, not enough time to cook rice… So, the next best thing, grab-n-go sushi from Yama Sushi Marketplace in San Gabriel. I opted for a Chirashi Bowl, sashimi-grade seafood over sushi rice. I wish the seafood was a bit bigger, but since I didn’t want to make it myself, I get what I can easily get, right? So, I’m enjoying Tako Tuesday! #chirashibowl

Winner Winner Peruvian Chicken Dinner! A Whole Chicken at Loli Farms in Pasadena. A pollo à la brasa (wood-fired rotisserie chicken) with two sides. We opted for White Rice and French Fries. The rice was ok, but the fries were really good. I was looking forward to a juicy rotisserie chicken, which was seasoned very well and a very good chicken. But the Aji Verde (green sauce) was just ok, I was a bit disappointed. Next time, I’ll order the chicken with fries and plantains. #polloalabrasa #peruvian

It’s Sandwich Saturday! Sopressata Sandwich at Bodega Park in Silver Lake. With molinari sopressata, sharp fontina, artichoke, arugula, red onion, mayo, aged balsamic, olive oil, salt and pepper. I added Marinated Artichokes for an extra $1.50, but it doesn’t look like I got the “extra” So, I guess I’m not extra at Bodega Park. This was one of my favorite LA sandwiches, but on this day, it was a bit disappointing, not just because my extra artichokes wasn’t there. #sopressata #sandwichsaturday

Winner Winner Hainanese Chicken Dinner! Organic Hainan Chicken Rice at Green Zone in Temple City. A poached organic boneless, skinless chicken with lemongrass & garlic infused rice, served with ginger scallion, garlic chilli sauce and sweet soy. “Chicken rice so fragrant, it can be eaten on its own” ~ Anthony Bourdain #hainanchickenrice #chickenrice

t’s Taco Tuesday! I worked today on my day off… I came in for a few hours to get through the lunch rush and to take care of breaks for the crew. After dealing with a car issue, it was time for a late lunch/early dinner. El Tepeyac was on the way home, hmm, it’s been awhile. So, I stopped… A Beef Taco AND Enchiladas in Red Sauce Dinner at El Tepeyac in Boyle Heights. I love the red sauce here, served with rice, beans, lettuce, and tomatoes, I always get the green salsa too. Happy Tuesday #cheeseenchiladas

It’s FryDay! A good day for Fish and Chips. Combo 2 with 2 pcs of Fish, 2 Jumbo Shrimp, and Chips from Pier 1 Fish N Chips in Montebello. The Fish stayed crispy until I got home AND I remembered to get extra Tartar Sauce. A good way to end the week… . . “Life isn’t, and has never been, a 2-0 home victory after a fish and chip lunch.” ~ Nick Hornby #fishandchips

It all started by wanting potato salad… Oooh, then a baked potato. But you can’t just eat a baked potato for dinner OR can you??? So, I got a Ribeye Steak with it! “Steak and sex, my favorite pair. I get them both very rare.” ~ Rodney Dangerfield

It was a late lunch at Pampas Grill in Culver City. Picanha (Sirloin Cap) and Maminho (Tri-Tip) with Collard Greens, Broccoli, Potato Salad, Pasta Salad, Plantains, and Garlic Noodles with Chicken Stroganoff, my usual plate. I’m not on the Westside much these days, So today’s lunch was a treat.

It’s Been Too Long… Chili Cheese Hound at The Happy Hound in Los Gatos. Served with shredded cheddar cheese, chili, and onion. It’s been a long long time since I’ve last been here, when I lived in the area during college. Still the same, with red onions, chili with beans, but I forgot to get the dog grilled (upon request). That’s ok, it was still good. Only thing, I forgot to bring my @bertmanballparkmustard with me on this trip, so I added mustard. Happy New Year’s Eve #chilidog

“I never met a lasagna I didn’t like” ~ Jim Davis Tonight’s Dinner… Homemade Lasagna from Di Pilla’s Italian Restaurant in Rosemead. “If I could have drawn a cat yelling for lasagna every day for 15 years and have them pay me $30 million to do so, I would have.” ~ Berkeley Breathed #lasagna

In-n-Out… That’s what a hamburger’s all about. In-n-Out is a special place for me during the holidays. When I was in college, I worked at Nordstrom. On Christmas Eve, the store closed at 6 pm. Since the Men’s Half-Yearly Sale begins on the Day After Christmas, we spent Christmas Eve setting up. We finished and left the store around 11:30 pm. After working a full day and then another 5 hours setting up, I was really hungry. I didn’t have much food at my apartment, since I was planning on spending Christmas at my parents’ house and a party with the family. It’s Christmas Eve, just before midnight and nothing is open. THEN, I see a line of cars on an empty street. In-n-Out is OPEN! I parked and was the last walk up customer of the evening, just a couple of minutes before midnight. I took home my Double Double, Fries, and Chocolate Shake and it was the Best on Christmas Eve, esp since I was starving… So, on Christmas Eve, I wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!

Rolled Tacos on a FryDay! I would come here late nights for their Rolled Tacos, but since the pandemic, they don’t stay open as late as they once did. I’m not in the area a lot these days, so it’s a treat to pick up my 5 Rolled Tacos from Benito’s Taco Shop in the Fairfax District. I usually take the Rolled Tacos home with Green Salsa, the Red is now too hot for me. Did my Rolled Tacos make it home??? #rolledtacos #tacos

It may look like a mess… BUT, it was a delicious mess! Caught in a carbs-olutely delicious situation. Half Spaghetti and Half Ravioli with a Sausage at Little Toni’s in North Hollywood. A huge plate of Spaghetti and Meat Ravioli covered in Meat Sauce. Stuff happens, especially with ravioli. #halfspaghettihalfravioli

Happy National Pie Day! There are two pie days and I really don’t care, cause I get to eat my favorite, Key Lime Pie. #keylimepie #foodcalendar

I worked on Thanksgiving… I was trying to remember that last time I worked on Thanksgiving…I know I’ve cooked for the less fortunate on Thanksgiving, but I don’t remember the last time I actually worked on this day. Thanks to a nice person, I was given some turkey, stuffing, and gravy. It was ok, in lower case letters. I thanked this person for thinking of me as I worked on Thanksgiving and I appreciated the holiday meal. So tonight, I decided to close out the Thanksgiving weekend with a proper turkey dinner… The Famous Turkey Dinner at Tallyrand Restaurant in Burbank. Roasted daily and served with herb dressing, homemade mashed potatoes and gravy with a side of cranberry sauce. Tryptophan is included at no extra cost. “Thanksgiving dinners take 18 hours to prepare. They are consumed in 12 minutes. Half-times take 12 minutes. This is not a coincidence.” ~ Erma Bombeck #turkeydinner

Pre-Thanksgiving with Friends… At Carney’s on the Sunset Strip in WeHo for a later dinner together. Of course I had a “Carney’s” Hot Dog with chili, mustard, tomato, and onions. But, I can’t remember the last time I’ve had a taco here and tonight is the night. With a chopped up beef patty, hand-chopped salsa, lettuce, and cheese on a tortilla. Happy Thanksgiving! #chilidog

When I worked in a Japanese restaurant, I would make the Spicy Tuna for service. It was a pretty sad recipe, just 3 ingredients and the only flavor was Togarashi (Japanese chili pepper). I added 3-4 other ingredients, I don’t remember the exact recipe, but with the owner’s approval I improved the recipe and Spicy Tuna Roll sales increased. Just because it’s “Spicy” doesn’t mean it’s without flavor. Spicy Tuna Bowl from Tozai Food Market in Rosemead. A better grab-n-go spicy tuna bowl, but I make it better by adding a good ponzu and some togarashi. I’m a sucker for pickled ginger too… #spicytunabowl

Dumplings are like Hugs in Food Form… Combo 5 from Bafang Dumpling in the San Gabriel Valley. 12 Signature Dumplings (Pork and Cabbage) and Corn Chowder on a hoodie kinda night… May the Dumpling Be With You, As I watch Star Wars while having my dinner tonight. #dumplings

Rainy Night Eats… Cheese Enchilada Plate from Pepe’s Finest Mexican Food in Alhambra Cheese Enchiladas with Red Sauce, Rice, Beans, and Guacamole, before being covered in Red Salsa. The best thing, I don’t have to get out of the car in the rain. #CheeseEnchiladas