The Food Network, Aquarium, and Kavika

What a productive week I had last week! I went to a taping of the Food Network Show --The Next Food Network Star, went on a fun date/hang out in Long Beach where I finally got to go to the Aquarium of the Pacific, AND went to a new restaurant to review on here (no pictures though)!

First up, The Next Food Network Star.

I have plenty of dreams in my life that I wish would come true, like travel to every country in the world, step foot on every continent on our planet, and have my own show on the Food Network, just to name a few! Now if I don't get a Food Network show, the next best thing for me would have been to just go to a taping and meet some Food Network Stars----in which I did just that!

My sister, who I'll just say is nocturnal (don't ask me why, I LOVE my sleep), found this taping randomly on the internet and sent the info my way. The second I looked at it, I knew I had to go! Bobby Flay and Duff from Ace of Cakes would be there! The next day, I filled the request to take off a day of work so I could go to the show.

Now I have to cut this short because I am not supposed to talk about what I saw on the set until it aires on TV in June. All I'll say is that I DID talk to Bobby Flay, who was very sweet and genuine. Duff was just hilarious! A very cool guy. All the Food Network Stars there were so genuine and real. Very cool, laid back people. Now that is the reason why I LOVE the Food Network. Everyone on that network are definitely different than the stars you see on other TV channels and movies.

I have also already picked the person who I think should win and become the Next Food Network Star! I can't say who, but I'll announce it after the show aires. I really hope the Food Network DOES NOT let me down this year after being ridiculous and choosing Melissa over Jeffrey in the last season of the Next Food Network Star and choosing Garci over Mehta in the Next Iron Chef Competition. I ran into a few people at the taping who also agreed with me so I'm not the only one who feels this way!

Overall, I had a great time, the weather and the beach in Santa Monica were perfect, even though it had rained the day before. Everyone was so nice and real. I'm really looking forward to this season of The Next Food Network Star. I also can't wait to hear the judges opinions of what they tasted that day and if their opinions were similar to mine. I also hope that if I'm on TV, that I don't look weird! :) After going to the taping, it made me realize that I have to apply for the next season of The Next Food Network Star! I am also starting to combine my own personal recipes and putting them together in a folder so I'm prepared for what happens next. I'm following my dream! :)

Now we have the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.

If there was another career I could choose besides food/nutrition, travel, forensics, and family services, I'd also go down the Oceanography path. I am absolutely in love and fascinated with sea life, mammals, and the ocean. This is a great place to go to learn more about marine life if you are interested in this type of environment.

Admission is reasonable, though I think the price should be a little lower. The Aquarium is beautiful but small. It wasn't what I was expecting it to be like. Nevertheless, there was a vast array of creatures such as many species of fish, starfish, sting rays, sea lions, sea urchin, eel, sharks, lobster, crab, and etc. I touched some sharks and starfish. He challenged me to touch the sting rays but I was like no way! The sharks and starfish were enough for me! It was a great day learning about everything the ocean has to offer. The only suggestion I have would be to go to the Aquarium earlier when everything is more awake and active.

Lastly, we checked out a restaurant outside of the Aquarium, nereby, called Kavika.

I loved Kavika. It's a new restaurant that offers American with Global influences. I saw flavors from Argentina and Brazil. Also Asian influences. There were quite a few dishes I wanted to try out. One on the top of my head is Coconut Shrimp with lemongrass dip. Doesn't that just sound enticing? It was hard for me to choose because there were so many interesting things to try out and at the same time, the restaurant is not reasonably priced. Quite a few dishes were way too expensive.

I didn't take pictures of the food unfortunately, but I ended up getting the Mandarin Chicken because I wasn't really hungry and he ended up getting a hamburger with french fries that I LOVED. They were topped off with mozzarella, chopped flat-leaf parsley, and garlic. Hmmmmm....We ended up ordering dessert ---Tiramisu. It was fantastic but missing something---the ladyfingers! Served in a martini glass along with freshly whipped cream on the side. I enjoyed it but I thought it would have been better with the ladyfingers. I loved the ambiance of the restaurant and the firewall. Very cozy atmosphere. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the restaurant and I'd go back again if I was ever in the area.

Now get your food on, gather up your own recipes, and enjoy some time with the sharks and sea lions!