LobsterFEST

I believe this is the 4th year I've been attending this festival known as the Lobsterfest out on the Port in San Pedro. My best bud Eunice and I pretty much do the same thing every year. Drive to San Pedro. Ride the trolley. Buy the lobster tickets. Walk around and check everything out. Head straight to the Goddess jewelry and buy a piece or two. Pick up the lobster and the lemonade. Crack the lobsters open. Chill and enjoy the food. It's still going on today if anyone is in the area!



The star of the show--the LOBSTER! YUM! As pictured: 2 lobsters, my favorite lemonade, and Eunice's tacos (I know, I KNOW!). There are 4 lobsters in the bag to take home for whomever. I added 1 of my lobsters to the bag and only ate one last night.

Another good year at Lobsterfest. Good times.

Baby Blues BBQ

So I was craving beef and decided to take that and look for a good hole in the wall BBQ place. After coming up with a list of a few places, I narrowed it down to Baby Blues BBQ in Venice. What brought me to choosing Baby Blues BBQ? The menu. Period. The options are endless! And it made my mouth water and that's more important! What style of BBQ is Baby Blues? They call it a hybrid. They mix it up Memphis-style, sauce from North Carolina, and a little New Orleans blended up in there.

It is a restaurant that was also featured on the Food Networks show "Diners, Drive-In's, and Dives" with Guy Fieri. So, the question is, did Guy Fieri let me down? Read on...



The dinner low-down



The sauces (clockwise): XXX: Insane hot sauce, BBQ sauce (behind XXX), A Ginger and Tabasco sauce, and Sweet BBQ sauce. Behind in the Jack Daniel's bottle is an Apple Cider vinegar. The winner? Hands down, we both agreed that the Sweet BBQ sauce was our favorite. Slight sweet with the BBQ sauce that pairs well with every meat that was on our plates.


The menu.

My friend Jessica and I started it off with a couple sweet teas. Southern-style drink. Not too sweet at all. Very refreshing.



Meat of choice?

Jessica went with the Beer Braised Beef Brisket Sandwich. The sides she chose were Coleslaw and not just any ol' Mac 'n Cheese. Unbelievable Mac 'n Cheese! What made it unbelievable to me? Something I never really thought of ever doing. They add Blue cheese to it. AmaZING. I love blue cheese and now thinking about incorporating it into my mac 'n cheese. The verdict with her sandwich? She loved it but at the same time thought the brisket was just a little bit dry but by adding the coleslaw to it and experimenting with the sauces, she made the sandwich work.



I had my heart set on getting the Texas-style ribs but found out that they do it differently here. One rib = $21.95. Uh oh. Not going to happen. You can get 5-6 huge ribs at Dr. Hogly Wogly's Texas BBQ for that same price. So I decided to upgrade to a bigger dish for around the same price that would allow me to have leftovers to take home and to be creative with what I had by making other dishes with the meat I had left (which you know would be a lot!)



So I ended up getting the Big Blue deal. I was able to get a Texas-style rib and add on Beef Brisket and Marion County Slow Smoked Chicken for just $6 more. Deal came with corn bread and I got the Baked beans and the Mashed Sweet Potatoes. The result? Loved the rib, so tender. Fell of the bone. The chicken--Easy to get into. Lovely char on it. And the brisket...oh the brisket. I don't know what to say other than I'm not sure I liked it very much. Dry to me. The sweet sauce helped a little, but to me, I just wasn't much of a fan. It's just my opinion. I'm sure others like it just the way it is. Kind of wish I went for the shrimp, but no worries, you live and you learn.

BBQ beans were kind of bland until I added the Sweet BBQ sauce to it and then it was just fine. And the Mashed Sweet Potatoes tasted like sweet potato pie without the pie shell. Yum!

All in all, I give Baby Blues BBQ 3 1/2 stars: ♥♥♥1/2. The service is friendly and fast. Loved our chill waitress. She also loved and appreciated the fact that we made the drive all the way down to Venice JUST for their food. Yes. That's what I do! But what really got us was that out of the 4 sauces, we really only enjoyed 1 of them and the brisket could have been more tender, but all in all, a wonderful meal. I say it is worth the drive down for but I also think that I will leave it to just trying this place once. Keep it special like that. So did Guy Fieri let me down? Not at all. Cruise on to Baby Blues BBQ.

3 Cities In Ecuador

I had an 'en'credible and amazing time on my journey throughout Ecuador. Such a beautiful country that is full of vibrant color, nature, and sightings that make Ecuador a unique country to visit. Even National Geographic says this is the one country you must experience once in your life! The flora and fauna here is endless, unique, and endemic to the country. I absolutely fell in love with this country and you will to when you journey on into Ecuador. Oh and when you go to Ecuador, take this checklist with you: You must visit the following: The Coast. The Amazon. The Andes. The Galapagos Islands. This list is a must. Period.

So the first thing I will be getting into is food! Here are some pictures of the goodness that went into my stomach during my time here throughout the cities of Guayaquil, Coca, and Quito:



Natural Fruit Drinks. They love their shakes over here. Nothing unnecessary added. Just fruit and water (or milk). That's it. This one here is just straight Mango.



Camarones a la plancha at Frallejon Restaurante. Grilled shrimp with a garlic sauce, rice, and small salad of lettuce and tomato. My tastebuds were loving this. Everything here and at all the restaurants were just perfectly seasoned and balanced with great flavor.



Churrasco at Restaurante Vasija de Barro. Beef was tender to the bite and savory. Charred enough to my liking.



Te con leche. My favorite drink in Argentina, besides yerba mate! It was simple and good over here but I really prefer it only in Argentina. I guess it just goes with the environment whereas Buenos Aires is a happening city with cafes everywhere, and Ecuador, the vibe is different, and chocolate is more interesting to me over here than tea.



Did I forget to mention they LOVE their chocolate here?



Yes, a little Westernized but it isn't bothering me or keeping me up at night because I did that! I love churros. The only difference is they stuff their churros here with either sweetened milk or chocolate, so it isn't exactly the same thing we do here in the states. Oh and can I also mention that I love their fried bananas too! I need to do that more often.



*FAVORITE DISH IN ECUADOR* Camarones al Ajillo at the Ecuadorian Food Quito Tempo Restaurante. My mouth is watering just thinking about this dish! The shrimp was cooked to perfection, sauce has a slight cheesy taste to it with a kick from the pepper and lovingness of the green onion. Simple as that. Oh to be able to enjoy this again..NOW!



Another natural fruit shake. This one here is a blend of papaya and maracuya (passionfruit). Wanted something else to add to it, like guanabana, but they were out of it. Sweet and refreshing. The passionfruit used in Ecuador has a slight acidic/sour taste to it so they either let it wrinkle to bring out the sweetness or add some sugar to it so that the dish or drink it is used in is less acidic. I'll show more about the maracuya when I blog about my time in the Galapagos.



Chicken Shawarma at Marhaba Shawarma y Pipas. I'll be honest, the chicken was less tender and flavorful and more somewhat dry. Wish the sandwich was just equal. But I did love the spicy kick from the skhug (mango, vinegar, salt, mustard, turmeric, and chili) with the smooth, calming toum and a hint of tahini. I think the young owners were too busy having fun to notice the chicken! This was a happening place for the young crowd.



Yes, I did. I got meringue at the Pasteleria Deleites. 40 cents for one. I liked it until I got to the middle and it was soft and a little gooey/sticky. Not completely cooked. I just couldn't finish the rest of it. But it was good up until that happened!



How I just love fresh fruit. Delicious.



Fritada at Fritadas Cesybel. Made up of fried and fresh corn, fried goat, fried potato, and fried banana. I think my arteries were fried after this! No, but really, this was very good and is a traditional dish found in the cities here in Ecuador. Put this one on your list when you journey onto Ecuador.



Popcorn. Yes, popcorn. I actually saw this first in the Amazon before here at Cafe Amazonas. I learned there that Ecuadorians make popcorn to add to their soups and sometimes as something to snack on instead of bread or peanuts. We use those oyster crackers for our chilis and soups; Ecuadorians use popcorn. I tried it in my soup in Yasuni but I didn't really like how soggy the popcorn got, so I just ate it as is. :) I will say they make damn good popcorn here! I love the butter and salt!



Caprese Sanduche. All I have to say, besides I love Caprese, is I love how they used that bread.



Los tradicionales Churros rellenos de majar. I actually preferred the street cart churros better!



Pasteles from Panaderia y Pasteleria. Good but I think I much prefer the facturas in Argentina! Either that or I should have tried this earlier on in the day, not in the early evening.



Trucha con salsa cremosa de uvas, papas al vapor y trio de legumbres at the Swiss Bistro. Flavorful and light, yet fatty at the same time with the sauce. I enjoyed this filling dinner.



Peras al vino tinto con helado de vainilla. Delectable. Craving satisfying. Sexy. AmaZING. I would and will make this for any ladies night or a relaxed night in.



My Sanduche de Pollo and Flan de Coco in the Guayaquil airport at 2:30am. I have never in my life had food at this time. Ever. It was free. Long story. All I'll say is don't fly with LAN. The positive though, is that I loved the chicken sandwich and flan!

Next up I'll be digging deeper into the cities and reaching up high in the sky.

Did I Really Eat That?

Ok, ok, I know I'm supposed to be writing about my amazing time in Ecuador, but this just came up a few days ago and had to write about it. I promise my next post and the few after will be all about my travels!

So I came home the other day after my Physical Fitness class to something that I have never seen in my household. Ever. I don't know how to put it out there better than how my teenage sister put it: "It's balls... on a MALE lamb!" Teenagers these days...

Yes, you read right. This was in my kitchen. At first I was in shock, but then, knowing my randomness, I wanted to try it! So I did. They were cut up, fortunately, because I don't think I could have ate them as is, and just sauteed them in vegetable oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Simple as that.

So my mom finds my random ways odd. Apparently I'll eat anything that I can get my hands on, which is so not true! ;) I did not eat the ants that I was told to try recently in the Amazon. I got stung by 3 of them last year in Brazil and it wasn't a pleasant feeling at all! So there, I do have my limits! And this comes from the person who bought these and likes them as well! I get it from her.

What I thought? Not bad at all. Soft and easy to eat. Too easy. Practically melts in your mouth. Would I do it again? Sure, why not. Once in a while is fine. Apparently it is normal to eat this in the Middle East, as in other countries in the Eastern Hemisphere, so I don't find this gross at all. I encourage all those picky eaters out there to try this! I tricked my other sister into trying it and the look on her face was priceless! (I get my joking side, no doubt, from my dad.) She liked it, but it was just funny to make her try it first, not knowing what it was. She loves me still. So now, I say just DO it and give it a go.

Mi Quang, Banh Mi, and a Vietnamese Flan too..

After being told to try Mi Quang a couple months back, I finally tested it out today. Not that many restaurants make it out here and after searching online, the majority of the restaurants that made this dish were in Westminister and Venice. I decided to go with Venice for distance purposes. So I went to test it out at the China Beach Vietnamese Bistro right near the Venice Beach Boardwalk. They only offer this dish on the 3rd week of every month in which I couldn't try it last month because of my travel plans, but this month I was able to make a go for it. So let's start eating....



Mi Quang



This flavorful dish is from the Guang Quang Nam Province in Vietnam. In my bowl, I had a wonderful seafood sauce, bacon, shrimp, chicken, hard boiled egg, peanuts, mint, basil, tomato, carrots, egg noodles, and topped with an oh so good spring roll.




I loved it, but I have an inkling it is so much better in Vietnam. No doubt, this is a damn good dish and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My tastebuds did too. It was very light to me even with the bacon in the bowl! I'd grub again for sure.

My friend Eunice had her first experience today with the Vietnamese cuisine. I just let her pick what she wanted. She ended up choosing Banh Mi.



Her Banh Mi was filled with chicken, sweet fish sauce, green onions, onions, cilantro, and carrots. She loved it and left me eating my dish alone because she had finished it in less than 10 minutes! She said the baguette was perfectly toasted on the outside and the right softness in the middle. Not soggy at all. She's willing to come back again and bring her man too.

Last but not least, I noticed out of the corner of my eye..the dessert menu!! Now I'm not really into dessert but once I saw this, I was curious and had to! So I ordered it.

Vietnamese flan!



What makes this flan a Vietnamese flan? I still don't know. I couldn't taste the difference other than the fact that I enjoyed it being very light. And it being too damn amazing to me! All the waitress said was that it was inspired from the French, but to me, it just tastes like the normal flan you would get anywhere in Europe, South America, and Asia. Either way, I just loved it and didn't think too much into it.



Overall, I give China Beach 4 and 1/2 hearts: ♥♥♥♥1/2. Honestly would have been 5, but I found it to be just a little expensive for me. Eunice paid $5.25 for her Banh Mi, which I thought was reasonable, but I paid $11.95 for the Mi Quang and $4.00 for the Vietnamese Flan. It was more than what I was expecting to pay, but I'm wondering if it is the combination of the beach location, ingredients for the dish, and the dish itself being special.

I did want to say I loved the waitress there! She was really friendly and opened up right away. One minute she was commenting on my full bowl and asked if I even had any of it (I like to savor my dishes so I tend to eat slower, but that's how you should be eating anyway!) to her and her husband wanting to have a baby but her doctor says she is too skinny and can't have one until she gains weight. Her husband bought her "junk food" so she would eat it and gain but he ended up eating most of it and is now 10 lbs heavier! And how she should just quit working, sit in front of the TV, and grub out on junk to gain the weight. Just loved her.

But I have noticed this with all the Vietnamese restaurants I've been too as well. I can tell the Vietnamese are very sociable, warm, friendly, and talkative! The last waitress I had gave me a hug and told me to see her soon. Probably the most friendliest people I have met in all the restaurants I have ever been too here in CA, besides the Middle Eastern ones, as they also tend to be very funny, cool, talkative, and expressive with their feelings. I'll be coming back here if I'm ever in the area. A better alternative than most of the offerings on the boardwalk.

It has been awhile...

So I'm just now finding the time to update with a post. Just recently got back from my Ecuador and Chile adventure. What a great time I had! And again, I wish I was back but already planning for a huge South America 2011 adventure. Anyway, I'll update what I had been able to do and then recap my adventures on and below the Equator.

First, I baked and decorated a cake for my besty Lacey. A pretty pink butterfly decorated with red hots. My original plan was to get the colorful rainbow sugar sprinkles and make a rainbow affect but she is not a fan of sprinkles so had to tweek everything around. She also only prefers the confetti cake and confetti frosting so that is why the frosting on the cake looks bumpy.



All I did was bake the cake in two 9-in round pans, allowed them to cool completely, stuck the cakes in the freezer for a couple hours, frosted and layered them and cut the cake in half and made sure to cut out a diamond near one edge, split the cake in half, and flipped them to make the shape of the butterfly. Frosted the cake and decorated it with the red hots. She loved it!

I enjoyed sushi for the first time in a month! It was nice! Sorry, no pictures. I figured it was just the usual!

And my friend RaraRosa aka rufflesizzle came down from SF and made plans to hang with her and her friend. Bluebizzy and Rufflesizzle reunited! I missed her. Ended up going back to Carnival, the Middle Eastern restaurant I fell in love with awhile back and was craving!


Ordered Tabouli. Tasted almost exactly like homemade! Except I grew up with a secret ingredient that isn't usually added in Tabouli. It's cucumber. My mom always added the crunch to it and that's how I'll always make it and prefer it in my Tabouli. So it was fantastic at the restaurant and I made it even more amazing by finely chopping up cucumbers and added it to the salad when I got home!


Grape leaves aka Dolma. Tastes exactly like homemade. Usually put ground beef into it but it is fine either way.

I also got Kibbeh but for some random reason, I forgot to take a picture of it! Ridiculous. It was splendid of course, and just like the first time I came here, there were only a few pine nuts in each Kibbeh. Ridiculous again! I'd like them to add more but besides that, they are darn good here!

Rosa and Maryanne got the Chicken Shawarma and were completely satisfied with their sandwiches. They took my tahini sauce that was on the side of my Kibbeh and used it in their sandwiches. They loved it. I'm not a fan of tahini so I was happy to let them utilize the sauce in their Shawarma!




I love Kafta so got a small plate of Kafta Kabob with rice, tomato, and onions. Amazing! Perfectly cooked, seasoned, and moist. Superb.



Next up, dessert of course!

Rosa settled with Baklava. It is filo dough with a mixture of walnut and cinnamon/sugar, honey (or most of the time it is actually a simple syrup), and usually topped with finely chopped pistachios. I would have ordered one but they used honey and I'm not a fan of honey. My preference is first enjoying Baklava without the syrup and then Baklava with a simple syrup. She ate it up.



Maryanne tried my dessert, LOVED it, and ordered her own. And myself, I of course got Knafeh!! If I could, I would eat this everyday! So I bought two so that I can keep it in the fridge and drag it out until the next time I have some more! It's shredded filo dough (usually dyed a pink-to-orange color), sweet cheese, and topped with a simple rose or orange blossom syrup and finely chopped pistachios. My go-to dessert. Get it. Now.



'En'credible Ecuador and Chilly Chile next up....