Introducting Solid Food #1: Gerber Organic Brown Rice Cereal

Five days before our Little Bundle of Joy's six-month birthday, say what???  Yes, 6 months, we introduced Gerber Organic Brown Rice Cereal to his diet. He is growing and changing so quickly.

Lazy Sunday

So today was pretty much a lazy day.  We played with our Little Bundle of Joy most of the day, shopped at Babies R Us and Fresh & Easy, then had dinner at Habit.

Brunch at Trattoria Amici

Ordered my all-time favorite at this place Risotto Scampi e Funghi.  Husband had Insalata di Frutti di Mare and Mom had Spaghetti ai Frutti di Mare. Dessert was Brownie with Gelato. Yum!

Friday Night Mexican Dinner

On the table...

• Nachos 
• Caldo de Pescado
• Tacos Asada
• Filete al Mojo de Ajo
• Campechana

Weeknight Cooking

What I cooked for dinner tonight.  Diced pork loin, shitakee mushroom, potatoes and bok choy.  Mmmm mmmm so good!!!  This one is a keeper.  I should make this again during cold winter days.

Our First Vegan Experience

Let me start by saying, we have no intention of going vegan full-time.  We could never give up our meat let alone dairy.  Curiosity is the only driving force for stepping into Vinh Loi Tofu.   I’ve seen friends checked-in here on Facebook several times, this restaurant  is rated 4 ½ out of 5 stars on Yelp by 500+ reviewers and it was featured on KLA 5 morning show. This place must be awesome… why not give it a try.

It was Saturday mid afternoon when we found ourselves in a strip mall on the doorstep of Vinh Loi Tofu, a small family- owned Vietnamese vegan restaurant in Reseda. The owner, Kevin, came to our table to take the order.  If you have read my previous posts, you know my husband has a tendency to order more than we can actually eat.  Husband ordered five dishes.  Ha! Did he forget we’re in a vegan place and surrounded by healthy people. Kevin who is so friendly and so passionate about his food scratched off his order and said, “you don’t need this much.”   Husband replied, “then, we’ll leave it to you.”  He wrote down two dishes – a rice dish and a noodle dish – plus a tofu side dish. Voila!  All came out really delicious.

We are still Carnivores , but are definitely coming back to Vinh Loi Tofu soon.

Udon, Shrimp & Veggies

Shrimp with Hakubaku organic udon, carrots, broccoli and snap peas.  A very simple menu which can be on your table in less than an hour.

Playmate's Baptism Celebration

Earlier today we went to the Little Guy's "playmate's" baptism celebration.

Playing with Daddy

Such a Daddy's little boy!!!  He gets so excited when Daddy comes home or when he picks him up and gives him attention.  So adorable!

Learning to Crawl

Little Bundle of Joy is busy learning how to crawl. I totally adore his sweet little smile!

Omakase at Iwata

Omakase means “it’s up to you” so all dishes are creatively prepared with the freshest ingredients available to the Chef on the day of the meal.  We had omakase twice before – with Chef Nozawa in Studio  City, now retired and replaced by his son’s Sugarfish, and with Chef Yotsuya in Encino.  Both memorable and worth savoring. 

Anyway, back to Iwata,”Irashaimase”, the waitress greeted.  As soon as we were seated, the chef asked, “Your way or my way?”  Went with him and each bite was perfection from beginning to end.  We started off with Red Snapper.  Next was Halibut, then came Tuna Albacore, Aji, Scottish Salmon, Miso Cod, Sweet Shrimp, Tahitian Tuna, Hamachi and Japanese Scallops (we were chatting with the chef and forgot to take a photo of this dish) and Uni served on a block of ice.

I would say Omakase is the way to go here, there’s no other way!

Thursday Evening at Elephant Bar

On the table...

• Artichoke Dip
• Calamari
• Shrimp and Chicken Jambalaya

Loving My Jumperoo

The jumperoo that Grammy bought is the new source of entertainment for our Little Bundle of Joy. He loves the toys around it as well as the music and would jump for almost half an hour as soon as we get home.

Sunday Brunch at The Langham Huntington Hotel

This Sunday we met up with friends for brunch at The Terrace at The Langham Huntington Hotel.  We've been to The Dining Room before when Craig Strong was still their Chef de Cuisine and before they changed their name to Royce, so the bar was set pretty high.  Oh boy, what a total disappointment!   We paid for brunch, yet we  basically got an omelet, some dimsum and some fruits. No carving station, no seafood except for smoked salmon an no desert section.   Oh well, just enjoy the view.