First of all, a shout out to my niece Channa who celebrates a birthday today--her 24th! It seemed like it was only yesterday when she was just a fiesty little girl, being a big sis to my sons Trenton and Nick. Now Channa has two kids of her own. Hard to believe. Where did all that time go?
Seems kind of odd to be taking a break after I started this blog with a bang! LOL! It was my birthday week last week and I've been celebrating since October 19! I think I've gained 10 pounds and I'm afraid to step on the scale. I was craving Starbucks' Java Chip Frappuccino Ice Cream (I have an unopened pint in the freezer). It's calling my name big time--but through willpower, I was able to talk myself out of it and instead, I am having Sugar-Free Strawberry Jello!
I'm excited about the next upcoming entries to The Princess Gourmet and need to organize my thoughts (and photos) before I can upload. Looking through my iPhoto Gallery, I realize that I do eat out...a lot! Which is why the blog was such a great idea (thank you friends and family who encouraged me and gave me the inspiration to do this)!
I'm excited to be featuring my very first guest blogger...Mr. & Mrs. Cannolihead, who I will affectionately call, "MMC". Their identities will be kept a secret...for now. Hehehe! MMC is from Northern California and Mrs. Cannolihead and I not only used to work together, but we are both HR professionals. They will be regular contributors to my blog (until they decide to go on a diet). LOL!
Back to my birthday week. Seems like I ate through the entire week! On Monday, it was dinner at Cafe Des Artistes in Hollywood with friends. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera with me, only my iPhone. I did take a photo of the Flourless Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Mango & Mint Coulis and a scoop of French Vanilla Ice Cream that was to be my birthday dessert. It was light, airy and very French! I promise to take my camera with me on my next outing to CDA. It is one of my favorite places to dine in Hollywood.
On Tuesday, I celebrated my birthday with my husband and son Trenton at Ole, a Spanish tapas restaurant located in Studio City. I normally go there with friends after work to decompress and enjoy a drink (or two) and their wonderful tapas caliente. This was the first time I was going there with my family and actually ordering an entree! I'll save the details of the dinner and spotlight Ole in a separate post but the dinner was amazing. They even had live flamenco as entertainment that evening. My birthday dessert was their Orange-infused Flan topped with chocolate shavings. It reminded me of the Filipino dessert, Leche Flan. It was just as rich, just as heart-healthy (I'm kidding here) but really good.
Wednesday night, my co-workers and I headed to nearby Sierra's Mexican Restaurant in Canoga Park, about 10 minutes from the office. I go there for lunch on occasion. They have an extensive menu, their prices are reasonable and the food is good. This was my first time going there for Happy Hour. We had two rounds of drinks and shared appetizers. It had been a long day for all of us and we were happy to get out, relax and enjoy each other's company. We each had something to celebrate--a belated birthday, my birthday, a welcome back and a promotion. Sorry to say, I was too slow on the uptake and did not take any photos of this outing. Oh well...
Thursday night was dinner with my friend Conjie at Ole...again! Conjie had never been to Ole or had Spanish tapas so this was a new experience for her. I didn't mind going there again since it is one of my favorite places. We both ordered the raspberry mojito and shared a variety of appetizers. Needless to say it was filling! We were so full, we had no room for dessert! I'll share the details of the meal in a separate post but if you're ever in the San Fernando Valley, you have to try Ole!
Which now bring us to last Friday night...we weren't celebrating a special occasion but after the meal we had, I felt like we were celebrating a new find! Conjie had suggested going to Koreatown after work to check out Music Plaza at the Koreatown Plaza Mall. Music Plaza is where I get my Korean fix on dramas, movies and music. Since we were going to be in K-town, I asked her if she wanted to grab dinner at a Korean restaurant (whose name escapes me at the moment) that I had recently gone to for lunch a few weeks ago. It's one frequented by celebrities and if I can remember what it's called, I'll be sure to blog about it! Anyways, she said sure and I told her that I'd call hubby and see if he wanted to join us since he works nearby. Hubby was open to meeting us for dinner and instead of going to the "restaurant whose name I can't remember", he suggested another Korean restaurant that was introduced to him by his co-worker Ji Won which he thought I might like. I thought to myself, great! Another restaurant for me to review and add to my blog! I was looking forward to it.
Conjie and I never made it to Music Plaza (it closed at 8:00pm and Conjie arrived at my house too late for us to try and make it over there before closing time). We went straight to my hubby's office in Hollywood instead and then headed in one car to the Genwa restaurant in the mid-Wilshire area. I've been to a few Korean restaurants and this one is now my favorite. I'm very excited about sharing this find with you and will do so in a separate post. This place gets a five-star rating in my book!
Look out for future dedicated posts on each of the following restaurants:
- Cafe Des Artistes, Hollywood
- Ole, Studio City
- Genwa, Mid-Wilshire
And, Mr. & Mrs. Cannolihead's first blog post!
Till next post,
The Princess Gourmet