'Eat it Don't Tweet it" Video - Culinary Paparazzi

Crazy Pita Rotisserie & Grill @ Green Valley Ranch, Henderson

Crazy Pita Entrance

Our favorite Mediterranean Restaurant is Crazy Pita, this rotisserie produces some of the best tasting grilled meats and vegetables around.  It's a reliable, healthy dining choice and lunch is always packed, it's the most popular venue at Green Valley District! (my opinion)

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Starbucks Bearista Photo 1

2012 Year Of The Dragon Bearista

I bought this in Fukuoka, Japan at the Starbucks in Ohori Park on New Years Day.  It is the Starbucks Bearista dressed up in a Dragon costume to mark the the Year of the Dragon!

Cafe De Japon

Cafe de Japon.....can't miss it....

Amongst Chinatown's hustle and bustle, there's a bourgeoning enclave of Japanese culinary gems: Ichiza, Monta, Ramen Sora and Raku where one can find really authentic Japanese fare from the humble and home cooked, to the higher end dining establishments.  And so when we got got wind of  Cafe de Japon, we were excited to make our way over to Desert Inn Road.

Cafe de Japon is a little different than your regular, run of the mill Japanese restaurant; in fact, it's more like Japanese Coffeehouse that you would find in Japan that serves casual comfort food, (it's not fusion-I HATE that WORD)! 

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Vegas Streats Food Festival El Cortez Hotel Las Vegas

It was the first anniversary of Vegas Streats Festival, we were here last year with Rick's Dad where we ventured downtown to try some food trucks;  Rick Sr. had an awesomely fun last time, so we were psyched to return and Marian was with us too!

Totally disappointed that Fukuburger wasn't going to attend, (they were off at the Nascar Races) Rick Sr. was the most upset: 'Say it isn't so'!  He was heartbroken......

But being that the festival occurs while they're here, it would have been a shame not to go.  And now that the whole family has gotten involved with the review process, we were able this time to branch out and try multiple food trucks!!



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Update to Bread & Butter Restaurant-Bakery-Cafe, Henderson

More Pastries!!!

Alright, as we said in our first post, we would try and order different things on the menu: namely more pastries and entrees, (we seem to order the same thing all the time).  So here we go- we branched out and diversified!!

Tsujita La Artisan Noodle Los Angeles

Side Facade of Restaurant

To be honest, I'm trepidatious about eating at Japanese restaurants nowadays; I get disappointed easily when it comes to Japanese cuisine-probably because we've eaten so much in Japan and especially Fukuoka, where my family is from.  Rick will attest to this; he's never seen so much food in his life! (and has never eaten so much in such a short time).

Therefore we had yet to venture out into the Japanese restaurant scene in LA.  Well, I did my research and checked this place out: Tsujita LA Artisan Noodles, where for lunch they're known to have handmade ramen noodles that are out of this world.  This is the US branch of their Tokyo noodle house and it is supposedly a life changer.

Bon Breads Baking Co. Town Square, Las Vegas

Located in a remote side alley in Town Square Shopping Center, there is a hidden carb oasis of a bakery called Bon Breads Bakery Co.  It is a relief and joy to have an artisanal bakery shop open to the public in Las Vegas, and being relatively close to our side of town, we frequently shop there like a corner bakery.

This store is different than a pattiserie, no croissants or danishes here; instead you will find unique and one of a kind bread loaves that will tempt you with their ingredients.

Now that we're starting to see the emerging independent artisan shops popping up in Vegas, it's starting to transform itself from a tourist-centric city into a community of urban dwellers who have the taste level for quality products and service.

Umami Burger Los Angeles

Umami La Brea Front Facade 

Umami is a LA destination, a Burger to be experienced by every Burger enthusiast; it is our Mecca.  Every time we take our sojourn to LA, we make our pilgrimage to Umami and order our usual: the Umami Burger and the Cheesy Tots, with a nice, cool, squat Bundaberg Ginger Beer to wash it down with.  To say it simply, we are OBSESSED with this Burger!!!!! Hands down, The BEST BURGER on this EARTH!!

Umami Tablet

Taken from the Japanese word for fifth taste, Umami represents an elusive savoriness that occurs within various foods containing the amino acid Glutamate and Ribonucleotides.  Serving as a complimentary expansion to other flavors and primary senses, its rich profile with the coating of the tongue and watering of the mouth has been deemed the fifth primary taste.  Starting in LA, they have multiple locations as well in Santa Monica, San Francisco and soon to be in Las Vegas.

The Westin Los Robles, Pasadena

Occasionally, we'll be posting the hotels where we stayed, not in terms of an all-out review but just some highlights and notable mentions...

Fountain Gardens of the Westin

The Westin Pasadena is a beautiful hotel close to the historic downtown district.  What was really amazing was the grounds of the hotel with its lush gardens and flowing fountains located behind the structure.

Lemonade Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice

Cucumber Mint Lemonade

We stopped into Lemonade for a quick drink and snack. The place had a modern, contemporary style cafeteria with sandwiches, salads and hot entree items. Looked like an interesting small chain with a whole Lemonade drinks section.  We asked the kind lady at the cash register what was the best lemonade; it was between the Cucumber Mint and Blueberry-she said definitely Cucumber Mint!  She gave us a sample and we were sold!  We got a Pistachio Macaron to split...hmmm yummy yummy yummy!

Pistachio Macaron

INTELLIGENTSIA COFFEE East Colorado Blvd, Pasadena

Exterior Facade

Staying in Pasadena has it perks, mostly because of the ability to bebop in and out of Downtown LA, we love driving along the streets adorned with beautiful homes and cherry blossom trees and strolling along Colorado Blvd in Old Town Pasadena for some food and shopping. There's a real sense of the locale here; a little quaintness, a little hip, a little college-town and touch of suburb all rolled into a neat historic community within the LA sprawl.   And deep within this microcosm of sun-drenched lollygaggers and tragically hip housewives, we knew of a small urban chain where we were certain to get a, "most excellent" brew.............of coffee. So we boot, scoot and boogied our way to caffeine Mecca!

We had been to other outposts of Intelligentsia Coffee, (Abbot Kinney in Venice, Sunset in Hollywood) and so coming here we had an inkling of its product, popularity and target demographic. And out of all of the Intelligentsia shops, this outpost has been the most subdued and tranquil.

BEYOND THE OLIVE North Raymond Avenue, Pasadena

Exterior Facade

So one of our favorite condiments is Olive Oil; it's a great healthy salad dressing with a good balsamic vinegar and a drizzle on top of any entree accents a well made dish.  We were running out of our own stash, so we stopped by and had a lovely tasting of Olive Oils and Vinegars.  After a really great conversation with the sales person we ended up getting a lot of different bottles and learned a thing or two about the various flavor profiles of the harvest.  Our favorite Olive Oil is the Persian Lime, this time we also got the Blackberry and White Peach Balsamic Vinegar.

ROCKET FIZZ Soda Pop Candy Shop West Green Street, Pasadena

Streetscape Exterior

Walking along in Pasadena, we get to stroll in and out of stores, and it was a really warm afternoon.  I had just been writing a post for the blog in an outdoor square, (really, really annoying staff training happening right next to me the entire time); Rick met me after his work day and we passed by this store.  It is a seriously large store devoted to candy and soda, every kid's fantasy (and Rick's).  We had to check it out.

Entrance

Window

The outside has that nostalgic 50's (?) feel to it; kinda like a soda fountain shoppe.  The inside has rows and rows of candy, but not only is there classic American kinds, but they have British / European chocolates and even Japanese sweets!

It took us at least thirty minutes to hone in on our purchase, I died when I found the Fun Dip.  In the end though, we got a few British chocolate bars-they taste different somehow.....

Blurry photo of the interior, you get the idea!

Cafe Koraku Primm, Nevada

Cafe Koraku inside the Primm Fashion Outlet Mall

Koraku Entrance

So on our drive to LA, one of the places we try to go to get a bite to eat is Cafe Koraku, it's on the I15 South and it makes for a great little stop before the haul through the mountains.  It's located inside the Primm Fashion Outlet Mall, which is interesting and totally out of place since there's nothing in that mall that speaks Japanese, (or really Asian for that matter-except for that Boba Tea stall).  But it's one of those cafes that you would find in little Tokyo, (they have other restaurants throughout LA) where you can find some authentic, casual Japanese menu items.

Bread & Butter Restaurant-Bakery-Cafe, Henderson

Exterior / Entrance

So we have come here many times already and we love this place!!! Located on our side of town, it's the first great bakery cafe that serves not only awesomely baked goods, but gourmet breakfast and lunch items that really represent a confident palate of flavors.  Coming from a big city, I was pretty disappointed by the dismal choices that Las Vegas (outside of the strip) had to offer, especially for the people who live here.  But Bread & Butter serves not only as a place to get a coffee and pastry, it provides that sense of locale that defines the individuality of a community.  It's fastly becoming our go-to place to satiate that need for breakfast or cup of coffee and pastry.