Showing posts with label Dining Out. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dining Out. Show all posts

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Just a sweet tip...


This is going to be real short and sweet.

Real sweet.

If you ever get a chance to hop into a Pinkberry this fall I think it's important for you to know that their flavor Chocolate Hazelnut tastes just like a fancy grown up, Wendy's frosty.


His & Hers Pinkberry

And if you order the mini it's only 144 calories.

Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. So maybe another day is a better time to discuss being a sugar addict. 


You're welcome!

HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!!!

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Dreams of Sushi

Yesterday morning I woke up feeling miserable and I still managed to get my jog on. I don't know if that was a good idea or a bad one but mentally I felt better while physically I just wanted to curl up into a ball and watch Netflix which is EXACTLY what I did. 

Husband and I watched a documentary we'd been wanting to see for a while called Jiro Dreams of Sushi.

We both love sushi and initially I thought it would be just a documentary about one of the greatest sushi chefs in the world, Jiro Ono. 

It was so beautifully done. 
The visuals of beautiful works of sushi art set to brilliant music. 

I don't want to tell you the whole story because the simplicity of it is the best part. But I will tell you that people reserve 1 of 10 seats in his restaurant a month in advance...and that restaurant is in a subway station in Japan. Unreal.

At the end I had what I expected, a greater appreciation of the skill of sushi chefs. So much meticulous skill and care goes into sushi and if you enjoy trying new sushi restaurants you know it's true. 

I also got something I didn't expect. More than just an appreciation, I felt a great admiration for this man. He works hard. He expects nothing. He doesn't believe you should ever complain about your job. All he wants is to never stop trying to improve himself. And the best part is that he practices what he preaches. He's also 85 years old and terribly precious.

There's no spoiler alert but if you have netflix and you want to have an evening or afternoon of beautiful images set to classical music you should watch it. It's all subtitles but the message is so sweet you won't even care. 



While we're on the topic of sushi...

Last week Husband and I ventured to Little Tokyo for dinner at Kula Revolving Sushi

You may have seen restaurants like this in movies (like Jiro Dreams of Sushi) and it's as fun as it seems: your sushi is delivered to your table on a conveyer belt.

Also, how precious is Little Tokyo? 

After watching the artistry of Jiro, I don't know how I'll feel the next time we go to Kula but for the price and the taste it's worth the little drive into Little Tokyo and the little wait that is almost guaranteed. 

Most conveyer belt sushi places have a system. Certain color plates are certain prices and at the end a waiter tallies your used plates and you pay that amount.

Kula is great for the mathematically challenged because every plate is just $2. What. A. Steal.

What we both love about Kula is that Husband eats all the crazy stuff while I just eat the moderately crazy stuff. We can both get exactly what we want and as much as we want and only that. They even have the "starter rolls." 

Sushi isn't always bad but and it isn't always healthy. 

You really have to pay attention to what you're ordering because a delicious roll filled with cream cheese isn't necessarily going to be a problem unless you find yourself eating roll after roll after roll. We usually run into the trap of eating more sushi than we are hungry for because we order too many rolls. It's a deadly trap.

Husband was very proud of his work...
This night we didn't go completely off the rails which is very easy for us to do at a sushi restaurant. 

Next time we have sushi I'll certainly be thinking about Jiro and how much effort it takes. 

Maybe I'll even chew a little slower and try to hear classical music in my head. 

If you watch Jiro Dreams of Sushi let me know what you think!



Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Guilt Free Burgers? WHERE ARE THEY!

About a month ago Husband and I went hiking in Calabasas and on the way home decided we were too tired and too proud of ourselves to go home and celebrate with a turkey sandwich. We stumbled into Topz Healthier Burger Grill and have been in love ever since. 


I love their turkey burger and aero fries and I'm confused as to why they seem to only have one location, in the San Fernando Valley. I feel like I'm doing something good instead of something bad when I eat there. AND I'M EATING A BURGER!


We are the epitome of uncool. Husband and I at Topz.

It begs the question, is there a such thing as guilt free restaurant food? 


Most people agree in the standards of subway or sandwich shops that promote their healthy menus, but what about the good stuff?


I try to make it a point to eat out at places that provide nutritional information either in their restaurant or on their website. The fact that Topz does this AND includes weight watchers points is really something special. 

I think more restaurants should adopt this policy. Will it stop someone from ordering their 17 point black angus burger? No. But I know for myself, I make better overall choices when it comes to ordering at restaurants and it doesn't stop me from eating out. What stops me from eating out is NOT knowing what is in the food I'm ordering. So marinate on that restauranteurs of the word!


Are there any restaurants that you love that don't provide nutritional information? Would it change how often you'd go there if they did?


Just a little food for thought on this Wednesday. Oh and photographs of delicious burgers. You can't beat that! 

How precious is Husband? You don't have to say I know ;) 


XO, Andrea

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Fondue Fondon't

Sunday night Husband and I celebrated surviving a rough week of work at one of our favorite places... The Melting Pot!





This picture is clearly the face of a woman who knows she is about to commit a food crime.


No matter what you tell yourself about the fact that they bring you bowls of veggies you are STILL dipping them into cheese. And I can't even explain how amazing the dessert fondue was. I feel no guilt. Zero. It was just too good. Sigh.


I don't know what the appeal is of a restaurant that basically asks you to cook your own food, but this somehow has become our favorite place to celebrate. It's definitely nice that it's quiet and takes several hours so you have plenty of time to talk...which now that I think about it, that could be a real negative if you are with someone you don't enjoy talking to. 


I'm not going to lie. It was delicious. 



Anyone have a guilty pleasure restaurant?