What did we learn today class? Truffle Oil makes everything taste good!

This place is weirdly awesome! I have never been to a Japaneses place that has tatter tots. I <3 tatter tots. It reminds me of being a kid again. I order the Tasty Sliders that come with Truffle Oil Tatter Tot. You really cannot mess up tatter tots. I mean you throw them in the oil and bam! You have tasty cylinder fried potatoes. But The Open Door decided to fry them in truffle oil. The best tatter tots I have ever eaten. If I had these when I was a child, I would have been a spoiled little kid! We also order Truffle Butter Edamame. I can compare this food item to KFC. Finger licking good! We also order Sesame Seed Chicken Wings, Fried Rice in a Stone Pot with a Boiled Egg, Sauteed Mushrooms and some kind of white fish sushi that Clement order. The really like this place and can't wait to come back to try all the different food they have and come back for the truffle foods :D

I would have pictures of their food but they change items on their menu and not always service the same items.


The Open Door

122 S Atlantic Blvd
Monterey Park, CA 91754

(626) 282-9829

Notes on a page....

Sound moves you
Warms your heart
Tames your soul
In the depth of it all
It makes you free

Burger Haven

If there is one thing I know, it has to be a good burger. I love burgers. If I can pick one thing to eat for the rest of my life, it would be a burger. You can make it many different ways. I am always in a search for the greatest burger. So far this has to be the best burger I have ever eaten. Every bite of this burger was haven for my heavy heart. I could taste the pickled red onions, roasted red bell peppers, wild arugula, st agur cheese and the garlic aioli brings a powerful kick to this flavorful burger. The truffle fries were ok... The top fries didn't taste like truffle oil, but the bottom half of the fries tasted very good. I think the burger would have tasted better with a more hoppie beer and not the recommended helfiwissin.


Haven Gastropub
190 S. Glassell Street
Orange, CA 92866
(714) 221-0680

My battle with my first love, food....

There hasn't been a time in my life that I wasn't the fat kid. Even as a child I was always the biggest kid in class. When I was in high school I weighed over 265 lbs. I should really get my weight changed on my driver license… As an adult I reached as high as 295. My goal was never to go over 300 and I never have. I have always tried to lose weight, but never had the will power too. I would start diets and stop in less than a month.

Last year I met this wonderful person who gave me a nudge to go workout (she called me fat… JUST KIDDING!) and my close friend introduced me to my 1st diet that I stuck with for months. When I started I was 280 lbs. Today marks the day I lost 40 lbs. It took me less than a year, but you can’t change 30 years of over eating in a couple of months. I still have 20 more lbs to go until I hit my goal of 220, but I celebrated with a Large Fat Burger with Fat Fries :P

Thank you for your support Hoami Bear and Sarah my Cambo. You two changed my life <3

Wish they had Wasabi

The best of two worlds... Sushi and Shabu Shabu. Thought I would mix it up today and get salmon instead of beef. The salmon were thick cuts and tasted good even raw. Now I know some of you aren't willing to eat it raw, but hey I wrote this blog 8 hours later and my tummy is fine :] I recently discovered that I can ask for a hot drop in my soup base, not to be confused with my hot pot. One drop and my soup is transformed into spicy heaven. CA Shabu Shabu always hit the spot on a cloudy rainy day.

I put my hand upon your hip when I dip you dip

Oh yeah... When I dip you dip (thuthu's cool dance moves)!!!! Alhambra is known for there great Chinese food, but there are no good Vietnamese places. Until my bestee Tyana found this little place called Dip's Grill. This place kidnapped your mother/grandmother/aunt/cousin that just came over from Vietnam and forces her to cook all her homemade Vietnamese food on Dip's Grill with a little Vietnamese American twist. The a pile of Banh Beo (steamed rice cakes) with green onions, dried shrimp and the oldie but smelly fish sauce. I like mine with my secret sriracha (I really like sriracha <3).



I call these the Vietnamese Omelet. This is the best banh xeo I have ever eaten. It is so crispy and full of flavor. The sliders are sooooooooo good! Dips has four types of sliders: Fried Chicken, Pulled Pork, Spam Egg and Dips Sliders. Do you remember KFC's Chicken Little back in the 90's. If you want a flash back viva your mouth! You have to try the Fried Chicken Slider, it taste just like a KFC Chicken Little. The Pulled Pork taste like Chinese Roasted Pig. Spam and Egg taste like spam with an egg on top :P BUTTTTTTTTT the best slider is the Dips Slider! It looks like a normal hamburger slider, but the meat is a meatball from 7 Courses of Beef. It is genus! It would only be better if they would add cheese! I think if I keep on asking for cheese that they would add it for me :D There are many types of great food here. You just have to try it out Enjoy

Dip's Grill
1412 E Valley Blvd
Alhambra, CA 91801

Heart Attack Tea

Pick your sweet poison at Half and Half Tea House. Boba is not my favorite thing in the world, but Half and Half is something sweet. I have been having a bad week and my friend Chuck bought me Tyana's favorite from this addictive place. Passion Fruit with lychee. It gave me a taste of sweet happiness.

Half and Half Tea House

120 N San Gabriel Blvd Ste H
San Gabriel, CA 91778

(626) 309-9387

Broken

The soul can only
Bare so much pain
I cannot write the
Words that describe
The gasp on my heart
My mind is intoxicated
With thoughts that would
Damage my soul forever

ThuThu

Comfort

Have you ever woke up in the morning feeling down and need a pick me up or just hung over from the night before. There are only two breakfast foods I will drag myself out of bed to comfort my broken soul: chicken fried steak (which btw is not chicken, it is a steak fried like chicken, unless you get a chicken fried chicken steak) and eggs and a breakfast burrito with sausage. Lucky for me there are two great places that sale these two comfort foods.

On this sunny Friday morning I decided to take a rest from my workout and enjoy a breakfast burrito with sausage from my local Hot of the Grill. Even though this breakfast is a sin to my diet, I needed comfort in something that has always brought a smile to my heart. I make my burritos extra special with my secret ketchup and sriracha sauce. Oh crap..... I just gave away my secret recipe.....

Hot of the Grill
16522 Bolsa Chica Street
Huntington Beach, CA 92649-3511
(714) 377-0238

Pig Tails and a Lab

The dream of pig tails and a lab.

Slurping Away

I have been told that ramen is all about the noodles, but I am all about making me happy. If something makes me happy I am going to enjoy it as much as I can until it starts to disappoint. Santouka Ramen hasn’t failed to live up to the first time the creamy spicy miso broth touched my lips. My foodie buddy MyMy introduced me to my favorite ramen joint. Well it really isn’t a joint. More like a spot because this hole in the wall ramen place is tucked away in Mitsuwa Marketplace. There are about four other places to eat here, but I always come back for the Special Pork Spicy Miso Ramen (large bowl for a large soul). I hear the ramen curry is pretty amazing, but I always fall short when the special pork poster stares at my empty tummy. Please note not to put your pork in the soup until you are ready to enjoy the taste. The meat is so tender that it just melts in your mouth like butter on a hot skillet. Dip the pork into the creamy soup for a few moments and enjoy the spicy broth with the special pork in a wonder of Japanese flavor. Don’t forget to slurp your noodles to show your appreciation to the master ramen chef.


Santouka Ramen
665 Paularino Avenue Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 434-1101

Bamboo Hut

Reflections of water shine on the bamboo hut. Coconuts hollowed out with moonlit bulbs, that light up the dawn morning with a flip of a thought. If only everyday I could wake up to this vision of peace. If only for 30 minutes in the morning. To spend time with my heart open with love. If only everyday I could wake up to you. Life would be better.

ThuThu

CA Shabu Shabu -Costa Mesa

A war of soups have been going on for years between the Costa Mesa CA Shabu Shabu and the Fountain Valley Shabu Shabu. Both have great service, but the fight is not over the service. The taste of the food is what the war is about. Mainly on the sauces. Even though there is only one person trusted with making the sauces on a daily bases.

I like both locations. FV has better service, but CM has better looking waitresses. :D Food taste about the same to me. Not every pot of shabu will taste the same if you think about it. Sometimes you put a little more of this or a little less. All in all it still fills the belly. Oh and its one of the few Shabu Shabu places I know that services brown rice. Which I love because its good for you. I am more about good for you tasting food. See you next time

ThuThu


California Shabu Shabu South Coast
801 Baker Street Suite A
Costa Mesa, CA 92626