March Weekend Rundown (2016)

Looking forward your words and shots…

Celebrated my birthday today with a few favorites.

Ecstatic Iced Coffee - Philz
Sweet Unagi Salmon Poke - Ohana Poke Co.
Chocolate Espresso Cake - Proof Bakery
Iced Latte - Proof Bakery
Iced Jasmine Tea - Boba Loca

The salmon poke was a tribute to the chirashizushi that’s traditionally served on Hina Matsuri (Japanese Girl’s Day). The poke was good as ever with crunchy seaweed, earthy edamame, unctuous salmon, and topped off with tobiko and avocado for good measure. Ohana’s my favorite poke joint hands down.

The chocolate espresso cake was moist and incredibly rich - three layers of devil’s food goodness. It was a most welcome adult take on a chocolate cake, as it didn’t succumb to cloying sweetness. Unfortunately the cake didn’t photograph well since the waxed paper marred the surface, but trust me, it’s oh so excellent.

Okay, I’m sneaking in a few shots from my trip to Descanso Gardens today.

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Fantastic!

And to top it off, your b-day this year fell on a four-day weekend!

I kid, I kid.

Happy Birthday.

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Thanks for the birthday wishes, @ipsedixit! I work freelance, so it might be a four-day weekend. We shall see!

Heck, regardless, you should make it a four-day weekend.

You only turn 18 once, right?

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お誕生日おめでとうございます! Happy Birthday @MaladyNelson :slightly_smiling:

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@ipsedixit, how did you find out my secret? Guess I’m gonna have to hand someone a tenner in the parking lot of 7-Eleven, so I can have my first taste of wine. Night Train’s a reputable brand, right?

どうも ありがとうございます, @Chowseeker1999-san!

I still can’t afford Night Train just yet, only Two Buck Chuck fits my budget. Barely.

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Your budget is being stretched to $2.49 now!

Vietnamese comfort food at Mai’s Kitchen in Westminster.

3 dishes for $21. Billed as meal for 2. More like a healthy meal for 1. Sour shrimp soup, on choy, braised pork ribs.

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Damned winos.

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Otanjoubi omedetou!!!

Happy birthday, @MaladyNelson!

どうも ありがとうございます, @J_L and @Pomsmoms! You’re far too kind!

I picked up a few extra goodies at Proof, which I polished off this morning. The savory puff was superlative with thin slices of fingerling potato, a good measure of grainy mustard, and very sharp cheddar cheese. This is my idea of a good savory pastry.

I also had the almond teacake. It was very sweet, but the bitterness of the orange marmalade provided a nice contrast.

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Stopped by Hatchet Hall for some ham, a roll and happy hour oysters. We also tried the seasonal pickles. I left not feeling great for some reason. Everything was tasty, so I’m not sure what didn’t sit well.

Then went to Mitsuwa and tried the Toroniku ramen from Santouka per the recommendation of @J_L. Really, really good. The pork was tender and had great flavor. Loved the broth. Also tried a couple bites of the veggie tempura from Hannosuke. The fried egg specifically felt special. I’d never had one like that before. Oh, and got some coconut/yuzu mochi from the frozen section to-go. Duh.

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Played with a new (borrowed) toy.
Sous vide chicken thighs with a mustard-thyme white wine pan sauce

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Spudd’s Poutine & Burgers opened yesterday in Pasadena on the SW corner of Washington and Allen. Tried the Mexican Fiesta poutine and the Cowboy poutine. Both were pretty good, although the fries could have been a bit crispier.

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Bang bang at gjusta and tsujita annex. The tsukemen was so rich a kardashian wanted to marry it

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“was so rich a kardashian wanted to marry it”

Tsujita Annex tsukemen = Rich

Kanye = ?