Sammi's Thai Again

Went to Sammi's Thai with my cousin last week and had another great time. I stuck with my new old favorites since I am afraid of change like some crazy old man that see's a car with doors that open up instead of out.

I got the chicken pad see ew and had my cousin pick out all of the broccoli. You all know my body cant process that crazy stuff. I love it because they give you so much it can last for like three meals.

My cousin got this big ass shrimp and chicken fried rice. It tasted super good.

She also got these egg rolls that had no eggs. They were just vegetables. No, I did not touch them no matter how many times she told me to.

I also ordered the pork wontons. There is seriously not that much pork in it. Can you see it? No? That's because its not really in there. Its crunchy though and I like crunchy.

Aero Chocolate

Got a lovely gift from Canada in the form of this delicious ass candy called Aero. Seriously, how can I say that I live in the land of the free when I ain’t got this delicious ass treat available to me whenever I want it?! Huh?! Tell me! Oh, I don’t even want to finish the bag because I know I cant just go out and grab some more. If you ever get a chance to try these (because I ain’t sharing!) then do it.

Calendar's On Wilshire

Last Sunday I went to Calendar’s. I was gonna call it Marie Calendar’s but have since been corrected that those are different places though they are connected. Kinda like The Cheesecake Factory and Grand Lux Café. I hadn’t been to this place since like 1996 and when I went back then I don’t even remember what I got. Me and Ms. L. headed here and got the buffet. Oh, it was awesome!

I started off with sausage, pulled pork, potatoes, ribs and a biscuit. Every single thing was good. Some places make ribs and the meat will be good but the sauce sucks or the sauce is amazing and you’re eating ribs from some animal that starved to death. No here! These ribs were pretty damned perfect. If I had some grape soda I would have been in heaven.

Ms. L. got a salad (you know I don’t roll like that) and a bunch of good looking chicken that I didn’t have any room for. I’ll try it next time for sure.

On my next plate (yes, next) I got more sausage, macaroni and cheese, pizza, and more potatoes. By this point I could barely stand. This whole time we are enjoying an endless supply of mimosas! The mimosas were really good and they used real orange juice. Who knows what the champagne was. It was good (meaning it worked).

Dessert time! Now, I messed up by eating so much because by the time it was time for sweets I was incapacitated. I got this cherry and something pie. I’m not sure what the something was but it was good. I really need to pace myself better.

Ms. L. got, uh, fruit. And some chocolate on the side. While she was getting it she saw that they had friggin’ tri-tipped steak over there! Why they gotta hide the meat with the vegetables and fruit knowing full and damn well I don’t go over there?! I was inconsolable.

If you got $20 and a big appetite head to Calendar’s on Wilshire (right by the La Brea Tar Pits and next to The Counter). You will get full, maybe drunk, and enjoy a very cool buffet with lots of choices and food that doesn’t look like kids had their hands all up in it.

The Farm Of Beverly Hills

Summer took me to this cool little place literally connected to the movie theater at The Grove called The Farm Of Beverly Hills. I don’t know all of the stuff they have but we had only one thing on our minds: brownies! I got this really good caramel latte that had my head buzzing and this delicious brownie that was piping hot and covered with really good vanilla ice cream and caramel. If you have less than $20 and feel like raising your blood sugar levels and having a comfy ass time, head here.

Shin!

Yesterday for my birthday Cam took me to this place in Hollywood called Shin. Its Korean barbecue (which I am used to seeing on Wilshire in K-Town) and very good. Thank the gods of Groupon because Cam had one and it saved her a lot on the meal.

We started off with this multitude of small dishes which included vegetables, this amazing mashed sweet potato that I’d never had before and tasted great, kim chee, and many other things. There was this one flat bread wheat something or other that was so damned good! You could eat it cold but there is a grill in front of me and I’ll be damned if I’m not gonna use it!

They don’t have a huge variety of vegetable dishes and even the tofu soup contained beef broth. Cam passed on the soup and I got this massive bowl of soup with beef strips. It was spicy and had my nose running but tasted delicious.

The food came and I had the steak, Cam got this weird thing that looked exactly like steak but wasn’t, and we both had the spicy chicken. Funny thing about the steak that wasn’t, we were so unsure about what it was that we grilled it and I tried it to confirm what it was. It was not steak.

I have been to places that allow you to grill you food right at your table and this was the best in terms of ventilation. Sometimes you sit there and the smoke just goes in your eyes and you eat food with blurred vision. If you get the Emperor’s meal it comes with all the small dishes, great cold green teas, hot tea, the three meats, and a dessert.

Oh, the dessert! I have never had a green tea pancake. I didn’t know it existed. We tore this thing up! It was a green tea pancake with the best crust and fluffiness I have ever had with brown sugar and cinnamon in the center, and topped with vanilla ice cream. It was so good and by the time we were done we were stuffed.

If you have some cash to spare head to this place and have a great meal. Shin was nice, the lighting was good, the staff was nice, the bathrooms were clean, and our waiter Mike was really funny, fast, and honest.

Wetzel's Pretzel's

You know what I like about this place? Actually its two things. 1. I have never eaten a pretzel from here (opting instead to get hotdogs wrapped with pretzel) and 2. Every time I am with someone and they do get a pretzel they don’t seem to enjoy it. Its always either too hard, too soft, or the flavor is off. Their hotdogs are great though. 

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

I really like this place. I like this drink in particular. it’s a caramel mocha something or other. Its awesome and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf always puts an assload of caramel in their drinks. I don’t like Starbucks. Never understood why so many people go there. Its not good. Their ice blended drinks are damn near Slurpees and their regular coffee tastes like dirt. Plus the people who work at Coffee Bean (what its called when you don’t have time to say the full name. These places are all over the damn place and shouldn’t be hard to find. Go there and be happy.

Addicted To The Counter

Last week I went to The Counter. This was a new location over on Wilshire near the La Brea Tar Pits. They replaced that punk ass Koo Koo Roo that had been there for years polluting the world with the saltiest chicken this side of the mythical ocean foul. I got a 1/3 pound burger with bacon, grilled onions, and a side of sauce I cant pronounce. I love this place.  I have now been to three locations and each one has been consistent in its goodness. On the side I got the half and half of regular fries and sweet potato. My ass just ate and already this picture is making me hungry.

Pebbles!!!

Marshmallow Pebbles exist. Its weird. I have a feeling that they did at some other point in time and I just forgot about them.  Maybe it was Marshmallow Rice Krispies which were around when I was little and made terrible treats out of. These taste good but are hallow if that makes any sense. They aren’t as filling as Fruity Pebbles (which I have two boxes of waiting for me in the kitchen!). If you like cereal like I do and you like sugar the way I like sugar you will love this.

Natalee Thai

Tonight I went with my friend to this place I have heard about for years but never went to. There’s only two locations so of course I go to the one furthest from me because that’s how I roll, son! Natalee Thai is this place, like I said, I have known about for years but never got a chance to try. It was way better than I imagined it would be and I am glad I now have a third Thai place to go to.

I started with a 7Up and their shrimp and chicken wontons. I am used to getting either big and almost empty wontons or small and super hard ones. These were big and filling. I mean you could seriously just order these and be fine. But since I was used to tiny ass ones I figured that’s what I’d get. I was wrong. These were really good and they used actual shrimp, not shrimp paste.

For the main meal I got the chicken pad se ew (this was taken after I already started inhaling it). Oh, this is good. It tastes very similar to the place I go to on Hollywood in Thai Town. Very large portion and enough for two or more people. I didn’t even get halfway done with it on account of those damned wontons I shoveled into my mouth. Also, I need to point out that they weren’t all greasy like some places make them which takes away from the experience of eating it.

If you get a chance to head to Natalee Thai I suggest you do. Good atmosphere, decent prices, and fast service. Unless you want a refill. Then you may have to wait a while.

Sammi's Thai

Me and Cam headed to this Thai place near me for dinner the other day. I love this place and I rarely go there when I’m at home. I’ve actually had it more often when hanging with Cam than ever alone or whatever. After that whole debacle with that place Kinaree, Sammi’s Thai and King & I are the only places I will be getting my Thai from for the time being.

I started off with a big ass Thai iced tea. You know how I roll. I only got one since I was behaving myself. It was fine because they give you a big ass cup of it. And it was all kinds of sweet!

I got the fried wontons for a starter. I love how different places make these things different ways. These have pork but all you can really taste is the super crunchiness. They are good.

Cam got the vegetable fried rice. No, I did not eat it. But I did get some of her garlic chicken. Damn, that was good! I should have eaten some more but I knew my dish would be big. At least I hoped so. Otherwise Cam wouldn’t have had any leftovers!

I got the lemon chicken. I always get the pad thai (chicken or beef) but decided to try something new. This is me expanding my horizons. This was so damn good! It came with this sauce to dip it in that made the flavor just jump out at you. I’m so glad that I gave this a shot. I’ll definitely be ordering this the next time I head here. So check out Sammi’s Thai on Santa Monica Blvd.

Dorito's Flamas!

Dorito’s Flamas. That’s all I should write. I just got some of these from the store and did a double take when I saw them. I thought it was just some new package for them or something. Nope. These are brand ass new. I made the mistake of trying one with nothing to drink nearby. I popped one in my mouth and damn near spit it out. Its hot. Now, I eat Flamin’ Hot chips like they were bubblegum. No problem. But these are past hot. These are spicy, hot, and damn near uneatable. Wow. I am shocked that is a real word. Anyway, I don’t plan on buying these again. I mean, I’ll finish this bag but there’s no need to eat these again.

Wood Ranch Bar & Grill

After seeing an awesome film (which you can check out reviews for at dnashow.blogspot.com) me and Cam headed to this place called Wood Ranch Bar & Grill. This spot is over at The Grove and I have passed it an assload of times and never went inside. I would smell it and be like “Wow, that smells good…” but never ventured inside. Tonight we did and I’m so glad. We started off with this macaroni which tasted good. Nothing to write mama about but better than average. They also had these rolls that were super good but needed to be eaten immediately lest they get hard.

I was this close to eating a burger (my staple at most places I try for the first time) but decided to get a chicken sandwich. This place has ribs and stuff but I hate eating barbecue like that in public. You who have eaten with me know I use napkins and act all polite but when I eat at home alone I’m a fucking animal. Why lie? I eat like a beast when I’m by myself. Anyhoot, the sandwich was very good and had a surprising mixture on it. A hot mustard sauce, bell peppers, and grilled onion on a whole wheat bun. Very tasty. The prices are about average for a spot like this and you will have something to take home. Unless you’re Cam and order a salad with old lettuce and mystery avocados. I also ordered fries with the meal and some very good strawberry lemonade. I got three or four refills and the waiter was on that shit. It was awesome. Check this place out next time you’re at The Grove.

New Year's Feast

So last night I attended Camille’s wonderful New Year’s dinner and this is the aftermath. Let me preface this by saying that the night before I had drank a bottle  of wine, two shots of liquor, and at a friends house had about four beers. So the next day I was all kinds of hungry but didn’t wanna spoil my appetite so I ate lightly during the day because I knew Cam was cooking some awesome ass food.

Besides the tipsy rum cake I mentioned in a previous blog she made black eyed peas, chicken, some hot stuff for some friend yucca (tasted like fries to me), and some really good yellow rice she makes that I love eating. There was also pie and cheesecake. I love this annual event because I know I’ll be eating good food and hanging out with some cool people that day. As soon as I get home I’m thinking about the next one a year from now. I have already started planning with friends gatherings so we can all eat and have fun.

Tipsy Rum Cake

So Camille made her tipsy rum cake. Then she made one just for me! Yes! I love this thing. It has nuts and rum and goodness and it tastes good every time I have it. I feel all lucky that she made one for me and cant wait to plow into this thing. One year she made it and I actually got lit from eating it. That’s when I officially started calling it Drunk Cake. I had some and was like, “Wooooooo!!!” I know most of you reading this will never get to taste it. But trust me, its great. If you don’t have a friend that can cook then you have a responsibility to be that friend. I’m just saying.