Honey Nut Chex

Honey Nut Chex is amazing. This is one of those cereals that when I was little would dread when it went on sale because my mother would buy it. But last week I decided to skip on the Lucky Charms and Fruity Pebbles for a few weeks and got this and some Fiber One. So far both are good and actually make me feel better. That’s the thing about honking up your body for years with “bad” food. When you try something new the results are immediate.

Larb And Ribs At Sammy's Thai

This past Saturday I was talking to Dashuh on the phone and she mentioned the fact that she got ribs. I wasn’t even thinking of ribs until she brought it up and I decided to give Sammy’s Thai ribs a try since in the years I’ve been going I had never tried anything in the form of a barbecue. So I ordered them and while very messy (thankfully I don’t eat ribs in public) getting on my pants and blanket they were very good. But you know I cant stop there. I’m not gonna get something to eat there and get just one thing. They’re that good. I also got a cup of Thai iced tea that I managed to drop while still in the restaurant. It wasn’t my fault. They tied it weird and it was cool because they replaced it for free.

The other dish I got was, of course, the larb. I love their larb. Dashuh looked it up and said that larb sounded like what you’d do after eating it. Regardless, it’s a great meal. I got the spicy one and it wasn’t really that different than the non-spicy one. I had two of the four ribs and most of the larb. Damn it. That is a weird word. I had to fight to make sure that I didn’t head back the next day to get some more of it. I’ll try and get something new the next time I go. Try.

"New" Fruity Pebbles

Fruity Pebbles has a brand new flavor. Well, there is no real flavor. Its the color. They made it brighter which makes it look prettier. Thankfully they haven't messed around with the taste. I was talking to some coworkers that are in their mid 20's and had to explain to them that certain cereals, though they have the same name, taste very different. Most noticeable if you grew up eating cereal almost every morning are Trix (completely different taste and not for the better) and Kix (which used to taste like armpit but it is now sweet). I don't know what I'd do if they ever changed the taste of Fruity Pebbles. Probably riot. Yeah. I'm pretty sure I'd riot. I know it may not seem like a big deal to many but to me this is the best cereal ever made and messing with anything but its color is ridiculous. 

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Last week my Coco asked me to help her make a pineapple upside down cake since I had made one before. Did I? I searched this blog for it and couldn't find it anywhere. Then I checked Dantania and lo and behold there it was! I had written it and made the cake before I ever started this here blog. Isn't it strange that she would remember that but not me? Either way we got started after a struggle to get to Ralph's.

I hate Santa Monica Blvd. traffic. As bad as it is for the person driving, as a passenger not only am I pissed to be in it I have to listen to a pissed off driver and all the other lunatics on the road. And for whatever reason we're getting summer time weather so that didn't help my half asleep mood. The ingredients are very few for making this. Brown sugar, butter, canned pineapples, those sweet ass cherries in a jar, cake mix, eggs, and vegetable oil.

Lots Of Food At Lots Of Places

In the last few weeks I've had a lot of food at multiple places. Instead of doing several tiny posts I decided to just bombard your asses with one semi-long one. The first is from Sammy's Thai which me, Cam, and her Salsa Hooligans ordered during the Academy Awards. It took a while to arrive which was understandable since the awards are like a holiday here. We got pad thai, rice, won tons, shrimp dishes, and chicken larb. The chicken larb was great and I've had it once before at another spot Heidi had taken me to near Hollywood. It was spicy but not kick your ass spicy which was good. What the hell is larb, you ask? There is beef, chicken, and pork larb. So far chicken has been my favorite along with white rice.

Celery Flavored Soda

I tasted hatred. I never knew that hatred had a taste until I had it yesterday. I tried for the first and last time Dr. Brown’s Cel-Ray soda. It is celery flavored soda. That’s right. The vegetable you loved as a child is now a soda that hates you. By “other natural flavors” I assume they mean sugar, rage, and struggle. I’m still not sure why I tried this. Cam, who hates celery pointed it out and in my non-sleeping stupor I decided to get it with my hotdog. What a bad idea! As soon as it hit my tongue I could taste the celery breaking through with sugar sprinkled on it. I would never try this again and suggest you don’t try it once. As I told Jacquese, “It tasted like a felony.”

Burgers At Plan Check

A couple of nights ago me and some co-workers went to this place over on Sawtelle called Plan Check. BS had said it was great and boy he did not lie! I had been over in this area once before with Cam when we got the moving spaghetti, Blue Marlin. I got the Chef’s Favorite which had a cheese…uh…plate, bacon, sauce, and fries that were fried in beef fat. I didn’t get it with an egg on it because I’m not a fan of unscrambled eggs. This was one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. Top three for sure. The fries were amazing and everything was served on baby skillets. Don’t go here if you’re in a rush.

The service is not the fastest in the world but they are plenty nice. Parking is a whore depending on when you go because this area is heavily populated. I’ll be going here again very soon. I doubt I'll remember the name of it though because its really not catchy. The prices are slightly high but worth it for the big ass burger and amount of fries. You could split the fries between two people and be okay. The seating is all around the windows, outside, and a small island indoors for a large group. There is a large selection of things to try and crazy mixed drinks I will attempt to have at some point.

Panini Cafe on 3rd & Crescent Heights

The other day before I headed off to work I asked Cam if she’d be up for grabbing something to eat. I was thinking of going to Toast, but the last time we tried it was super packed and we ended up going to At Bangkok. She mentioned that Panini Café on 3rd and Crescent Heights had opened. She had been to the downtown location before and said it was good. She has the good taste so we headed there. I got the #6 which was a chicken sandwich, chicken soup, and an Arnold Palmer. The sandwich was amazing. The bell peppers were perfectly grilled and so damned good. The chicken soup was real chicken soup and not some canned nonsense.

Cam got a salad, this rice with carrots that was good, and chicken kabobs. Both of us enjoyed the hell out of our meals. The staff there was really nice and the food came in minutes. I was shocked when I saw a waiter with plates and it was our meals. The way its set up is really open and people aren’t on top of each other. There’s also outside seating available. The only problem you may have is parking since 3rd street is not made for people to park easily on. Between both our meals it was less than $25 which is a great deal. If you get a chance to go here you really should. I cant wait to head back here and get some more meals.

Kettle Corn Leveled Up

A couple of weeks ago Cam made some kettle corn for some of her salsa hooligans. Yes, that is the name I have given them. She made the sugar kind which is always good and then made one that had seasonings on them. Not sure which kinds because I don’t pay attention when I am eating things I like. I know it had pepper and was slightly spicy. Damn, it was good! When I came home I was all set to make some of my own. Sugar? Check. Oil? Check. Popcorn? Nope! How in the hell did I run out of popcorn? I guess I made more than I thought the last time I was all about kettle corn. I’ll make some this weekend and let you all know how it turned out.

Lemon Pepper Chicken & Garlic Fries

I told myself that starting this year I was gonna start cooking at home more often. I like to make simple yet good meals that don’t require a lot of preparation or ingredients. If you live near a Trader Joe’s there’s no reason for you not to make your own meals. If you have $20 you have dinner for a week. I bought the bag of chicken breasts for $6.99. I season it with lemon pepper that cost $1.99 and a little garlic salt that you can buy anywhere for cheap. I put it in the oven for forty minutes, turning and seasoning it once. Afterwards I slice it to make it look pretty. I’ve been working on Hell’s Kitchen for too long…

The garlic fries cost around four bucks. You are supposed to season and bake these but that takes way too long and I tend to wait until I am very hungry and incredibly impatient. There’s a pack of garlic sauce that comes in the bag. I suggest you thaw it in a cup of warm water while you cook. I ended up frying the fries which cuts the cooking time but a fourth of the time. I put it in a large plastic container and shook it like it owed me money. In less than an hour I had a delicious dinner that makes about four meals for around ten dollars.

Pinche's Tacos Again

In between seeing Amour and Rust And Bone me and Cam went to Pinche’s on Sunset. Its right near the Sundance Theater and she had never been there. I had been there once before and it was really good. I’ve talked before about how hard it is to get good Mexican food where I live which makes no sense to me. I rarely get to suggest a food place to Cam that 1. We can both eat at and 2. One I think she’ll like. So I was happy as hell that she really liked her dishes. I got the chips and salsa to start. I love these kind of chips since they are super crunchy.

At Bangkok

A couple of weeks ago Cam and I went to King & I again. They have changed their name but its in the same spot. I don’t know what its called now. I should probably check. Okay. Its called At Bangkok. I first went here years ago with Cam and we’ve gone once in a while ever since. They’ve changed the way the place has looked and some of the dishes. I got this lemon sauce and chicken dish while she got a soup and papaya salad that was really good. I also got the cream cheese wontons but they were a bit too sweet. It tasted like they were made me strawberry cream cheese. A bit too sweet when combined with the sauce. Next time I go here I’ll try a new dish in my small attempts at expanding my horizons. Its located on La Cienega just past Wilshire.

Mendocino Farms Firsties

Last week I went to Mendocino Farms with South Paw who had never been there before. I love this place for the fact that their food is good, they have dozens of choices, and the staff there is cool. South Paw pointed out that no one would even know what I ate since I had flattened it and taken a bite out of it. I got the blue cow something or other. Its chicken and spicy and great.

THE New Year's Party

Every year Cam has a tradition of having a lunch/dinner at her place on New Year’s Day. I look forward to it months in advance. Its not some crazy drunken party nor is it something where everyone eats and sits around staring at people. Each year there are different people and familiar faces. I get to meet new friends of hers and friends of her friends. People arrive at different times and we talk about so many topics and personal experiences and its just too damned fun.

Food At The End Of 2012

In the past couple of weeks I have been spending time watching movies, hanging out with folks, and enjoying the holidays. Yeah, there’s been more but if you wanna read/hear all that nonsense check out my other blogs. I’ve eaten at a few places and tried some new things and they have been building so I’ve decided to just cram the into a blog about the last places I ate at in 2012.

First up is this chip exhibit I went to with Cam. She writes about beer and potato chips and someone mentioned this to her so we went. It was at this place called 8 Bit in Echo Park. Or Silverlake. I seriously mix the two up.

They had chips from all over the world so me and Cam decided to buy fifteen bags of them. Sounds like a lot but damn it we’re dedicated! By the time we got there, days after the exhibit started, so many crazy ass flavors were already gone.