Domo arigato, holy wafflegato! I had been meaning to drop by OC Mart Mix to try out the genius wafflegato since I first heard about it but was only finally able to do so on Friday. So.very.glad.I.did. It was fantastic! Duc and I chatted with Jeff a bit as he was waiting on the waffles to come and learned some neat things about his handy dandy CO2 powered espresso machine (awesome, right?!). Then the beautiful wedges came and we toddled off to get our gelato from N'ice Cream.


What's a wafflegato? It is a creative innovation that combines a variety of shops' wares together to make mouth-pleasuring goodness. Friday's wafflegato, "The Reduction," had fresh peach, Dauphinoise cheese, and peach balsamic reduction in gelato from N'iceCream, The Cheese Shop at The Mix, and We Olive & Wine Bar at the Mix. That was ordered separately and taken over to the station to be topped with a of Murray River Sea Salt from Savory Spice Stop. Then Jeff topped us off with Single Origin espresso from Portola Coffee Lab (Cokatu from Rwanda). Lastly, a waffle wedge from The Iron Press. 


So what was it like? Cheesy fruity goodness. The espresso had notes of fruitiness in itself already so when paired with the peaches in the gelato, the cup sung. I loved the texture of the cheese in my mouth as I continued rapidly to spoon the delectable concoction in my mouth (though more cheese would've been awesome!). Three cheers for culinary collaborations! If you want a chance to taste a wafflegato which is merely a fun side project for now, you'll need to go here and click "Like" and "Share" so that they'll bring out Wafflegato #4. Do it, do it, do it now!

It's not too late! You can still hit up the 34th Annual Greek Fest going on this weekend until Sunday night at 9pm (June 24). This "Taste of Greece" festival is being held at St. Paul's Greek Orthodox Church in Irvine, and you can read more information about the event here. I had the pleasure of going there last night for a media tasting hosted by the lovely Mona (thanks for the invite!). We got to try an assortment of their food available during their dinner service and enjoy the company of others (saw Austin, Suki, and AnneMarie there!).


So let's see, what delicious wares were brought out? Oh just about everything. We had the keftethes, giant Greek-style meatballs with mint smothered in a slightly tangy tomato sauce. They were so hefty and satisfying. Next was the pastitchio, a Greek-style "lasagna" with bechamel sauce. I'm guessing that it was easier just to call it a lasagna for the crowd eh? I think the burnt cheese parts were the best. Of course who can forget have dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves) at a Greek fest? They made me want to make my version again which are a bit more petite and (excuse me) flavorful - theirs had beef and avgolemono sauce (lemon & egg). You can't forget the "pies" as they are called to the common public. There were the tyropites (cheese pie) and spanakopita (spinach pie). I remember loving these when I was at school and had them at a small eatery on campus. I'd say that these were one of my favorites from the meal because hey, who can deny cheese stacked in flaky dough?


That was just the first round! Mona really took care of us and had us try just about everything on the menu. We were then pampered with grilled lamb chops that were deliciously tender and flavorful, pork souvlaki (kabob) that was substantial but a tad dry, and Greek style french fries which had some kind of sweet spice to offset the fried goodness. I liked those a lot.


Dinner service left us then with some Greek pastries from inside the church itself were a bunch were being sold. I'm not sure what it was but it was rather sweet. Then again, aren't all Greek desserts? I feel like they're always soaked in honey, haha. Anyhow, I had a fantastic time and think that y'all should just go check out the fest yourselves! There was a live band playing with plenty of people dancing, a whole building full of pastries, food food food, and unique vendors selling things from honey to jewelry to clothing. For only $3, why not?

Photography by Minerva Thai. More pictures available on Facebook.

3950 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89119 (Neighborhood: The Strip)
Pricing - $$$$/$$$$$ | Dining - Dressy | Cuisine - French, American
http://www.mandalaybay.com/dining/mix/

I was invited here by some colleagues during a work retreat and treated to an extravagant place with over-the-top prices on food. There were many areas to MIX that ran the gamut of styles. First of all, the entrance to MIX was just a hallway to an outdoor elevator that shot up to the top of the hotel; by the way, it was hot!


Once we got in, there was the lounge and bar area which were club-like and very loud. Vegas, yes yes. We apparently were in the back past the kitchen so we moved from that very dark, very loud setting to a white bubbly restaurant area. Talk about modernized fancy schmancy - even our bread came with square pats of creamy butter and sweet peanut butter. By the way, the pimento bread was very excellent and good on its own without any spread.


So after trying to get a little comfortable in this unfamiliar setting of a swanky restaurant (and staring at the price tags on the food), I decided that since I was already in the situation, I ought to take full advantage of it. I mean, when else am I going to place myself there with a high-priced menu? Therefore, what else to order but one of the chef's signature dishes, the filet mignon rossini? It came with seared foie gras and sliced black truffles. Oh and I believe there was also a side of mashed potatoes for me too. When they came out, they honestly weren't presented in a way that made my mouth water (actually, the waiter set the plate down in front of me incorrectly with the insignia not turned properly). However, the tenderness of the steak certainly played its part in charming me. Was the best I've had though? No but the seared foie gras really helped pull the flavors together. Let's not forget the truffle! The mashed potatoes were also both fluffy and still chunky enough to please my palate. Now, was the whole entree worth $69? I'd say not. Was it delicious and juicy? Yes it sure was. 


I couldn't resist getting dessert with such wonderful descriptions listed on the menu (turn a blind eye to the price tag, Minerva!). I ended up with a hazelnut souffle paired with grapefruit sorbet. Uh, who pairs the two together? I was hoping that I'd get them in some kind of complex mix but alas, they were presented separately on one plate. The hazelnut souffle had too much sugar in some parts so that it was unnecessarily cavity-inducing crunchy. I really enjoyed the sorbet but felt that it was odd to include the bits of sugar in the bowl. The candied grapefruit peel was delicious but again, too sweet. I'm glad I had the experience here but once again was proven correct in my thought that the cost and high profile appearance of a place does not say anything about the food. It's all about the diner, and this diner was only somewhat satisfied that night.

3930 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89119 (Neighborhood: The Strip)
Pricing - $$/$$$ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine - Burgers
http://www.burger-bar.com/lv_main.php
I was staying at the Mandalay Bay for a work retreat last weekend and had seen quite an array of restaurants in The Shoppes at Mandalay Bay. The Burger Bar was one of them and had an enticing concept - I could build my own burger. However, once I sat down, the menu itself with pre-determined types of burgers looked fantastic already. I could've built my own milkshake but their choices rocked already.


So what did I do? I opted for a brewski while my co-worker couldn't resist the Nutella milkshake (seriously, a NUTELLA MILKSHAKE!). I snagged a bottle of Deschutes Black Butte Porter for $5 which wasn't too shabby considering it was Vegas. Her milkshake was probably around $8 and oh so delicious. It was creamy and full of Nutella goodness without being overwhelming. There was nice thick consistency to the drink that a lot of milkshakes seem to miss when they are too thin or too thick. My porter was nice and smooth but didn't pair all too well with my burger. Regardless, I enjoyed it!


I opted to grab some buttermilk zucchini fries with my peppercorn burger (NatureSource beef with fresh and dried peppercorn, Dijon mustard, peppercorn cream, tomato, red onion, and lettuce) since I prefer them over regular fries. Aren't they healthier? Well anyhow, they were deep-fried to perfection and great with the ranch I asked the waitress for. The burger, now that was something. When you price a burger at $18, you get a lot of expectations from the client (well and again, it was Vegas). I think Burger Bar delivered. My peppercorn was just the right amount of peppery spice; I think the fresh peppercorn really gave a sweeter twist to the meal. The patty cooked medium rare really staved off my beefy desire as its natural juiciness made the meat so desirable. Paired with the creamy peppercorn sauce, it was fabulous burger. How did I deal with the guilt of such a huge burger? Whole wheat bun!

Couscous is slowly making its way into our lives a little bit more regularly which is not a bad thing at all. I didn't want to do another curried one so decided to take a little salsa-hit to the grains. We had a lot of stuff to make salsa with since that was the original plan but seeing as we didn't have chips, improvisation time! Here is a sausage and tomato couscous recipe that is very delicious (especially with some sour cream on the side).

Step 1: Ingredients (serving size: 3-4 servings)

• 1/4 cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tbsp ketchup
• 1 cup couscous, whole wheat
• 2 Louisiana hot link sausages, sliced and pre-cooked
• 4 on-the-vine tomatoes, diced

Step 2: Cooking the couscous
Prep the vegetables. Boil the chicken broth and water together. Turn to low heat. Add your lemon juice and garlic salt before adding in your cup of couscous. Stir for about a minute before you start fluffing with a fork. Mix in ketchup thoroughly.


Step 3: Finishing
Add in remaining ingredients and stir for 5 minutes before turning off the heat. Serve and enjoy!


Photography by Duc Duong.

10141 Westminster, Garden Grove, CA 92843
Pricing - $ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine - Thai

I totally forgot to take a storefront shot but that was because I was running late to the dinner here. I was aching for some Thai food (what a Thai food kick I've been on lately) and curry so looked for one near my house. This one was just down the street! It was empty on an early Tuesday evening but that made it nice and easy to talk in.


Thai iced tea was the obvious choice for drink. They made it quite well here and very smooth. It was a great treat after such a hectic day.


Duc ordered the pineapple fried rice (no surprise there - he's a pineapple fiend) which I found to be nice because it wasn't too greasy. However, since I had been craving curry earlier, I didn't pay the fried rice too much attention beyond a courtesy few bites. I'd have to say that there wasn't enough pineapple when I had it - either that or he had gotten to them all already.


Anyhow, I opted for red curry seeing as last time I had green curry at a Thai place. I ordered that with tofu and enjoyed the flavors. Unfortunately, I believe the bamboo used was old but the rest was good. I had to order rice separately though. However, the spiciness was just perfect for my weak self and the curry rich. Delicious!


Duc had never had sticky mango rice before so we ordered that for dessert despite our large bellies. We ate about 1/3 of it before I took some home to my little brother. The rice was overbearingly sweet and the mango ripe enough that it didn't contrast the rice so much as add on the sweetness. 

7554 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90046 (Neighborhood: Hollywood)
Pricing - $/$$ | Dining - Dressy Casual | Cuisine - Tapas
www.vintageenoteca.com

Oh the power of Yelp, how I love it so. I came to Vintage Enoteca after watching my friend's theater company put on a production (she's the assistant stage manager) which was downright hilarious. Then all of the sudden, it was nearly 10pm and we were hungry. I busted out my app to find a suitable place for three who were hungry but not starving. Tapas was my search criteria, and we landed upon this place. It wasn't far off so off we went to find it and park in an actual parking lot behind the building - awesome! This of course meant that we also came through the back entrance which was slightly sketchy but made everything all the more exciting.


The cool thing when looking at the menu of this neat wine bar type of place was that nothing was over $10. Granted, the portion size isn't monstrous but we also weren't famished so the $10 plates were great. We started off with the bruschetta which had 3 orders. Our picks were the chicken pâté, white bean hummus, and artichoke. That pâté was very, very delicious. Smooth and rich, it was a delightful first bite. The white bean hummus was fair and so was the artichoke. I guess they were quite good in their own right but hard to follow up after pâté. All three were presented quite pleasantly.


Our next dish to tackle was their special for the day. It was a skirt steak complemented with rapini and smashed goat cheese yukons. When our waitress said rapini, she saw my eyes light up and knew we were going to order it. The tender meat pleased all of our tastebuds quite well. The crisp rapini made me think a bit of a Chinese broccoli dish my mom makes often which is a good thing. So, so delicious. The mashed potatoes had that distinct goat cheese taste without being overbearing. Fantastic stuff.


Our last shared dish was the mushroom flatbread which came atop some very well-done flatbread. I loved the savoriness of the mushrooms with fontina. The only odd part was the inclusion of the pea sprouts; they were fresh (which is great) but that lent an odd disconnecting taste. I mean, the rosemary and roasted garlic continued on the umami flavor so the pea sprouts were misplaced. Anyhow, the food was good - I'd love to come back for another late night tapas run. The other plus is that it's close to Whipp'd LA!