26 March 2010.. afternoon

I'm still behind here w/ a few restaurants I visited in the month of February & March that I haven't blogged about yet but don't worry.. I'll get to them, I'm just playing some catch up right now.. but before I do.. let me show you something that's distracting me from getting to those restaurants.

JORDAN SPIZIKE

BLCK/VRSTY RD-CMNT GRY-MLTRY B

I don't know if this Food blog is going to turn into a /shoe blog or not because it's obvious that I do like shoes.  But don't worry guys... the FOOD post will always be first on this blog!! So if you guys see another shoe post, just know it's just another passions that I have that I'd like to share. Feel free to read along or skip to the food! hehe!

I'm not much of a fan when it comes to "Jordan Hybrid" shoes where they grab multiple designs of different Air Jordans and combine them all into one shoe.  Ehhhh I dunno.. I just think it's a terrible idea from Michael Jordan himself @ Jordan Brand.  Come on man... what are you thinking?? what ever happened to "Quality inspired by the greatest player ever"? I mean come on, these Jordan Hybrids are garbage!

Now I'm a hypocrite! when I found out these Jordans were going to come out, my jaws dropped! These Jordans are inspired by the Air Jordan III (midsole), Air Jordan V (Upper), Air Jordan VI (Tongue), Air Jordan IV (Wings), Air Jordan IX (Pull Tab), and the Air Jordan IX ( rising sun logo at the heel).  That's a combination of 6 Air Jordan models.. and Air Jordan models III, IV, V, VI are all probably one of the BEST Air Jordan models along with model XI(not included in design) ever in the history of the Air Jordan shoes.  Well that's my opinion.  Anyways.. to included all those models on a shoe, especially with a color combo of BLK/GREY-RED just sealed the deal for me!  I mean.. when it comes to a shoe.. especially Air Jordans, that combination of colors would be my most favorite!

So the shoes been out for almost a month now but at a retail price of $175.. heck no I won't buy! I don't care if I like the shoe that much! But on this Friday afternoon, I was fortunate enough to have a friend who works for Footaction that hooked me up with an employee discount =)  So I finally got the shoes I've been wanting ever since I found out they were going to be released.

Here's more pix:

(pictured above to the left are the Air Jordan IV models, which this version of Spizike was inspired after)

So far I'm very impressed by this shoe, especially the quality built of it because lately, the Jordan Brand shoes have been low on quality but these shoes were built good.  Just the combination of colors alone on top of a nice design makes this shoe a worthy one in my closet.  I've noticed these shoes aren't selling, maybe because of the high price tag, but if I can get lucky and find a pair for a real low price.. I'll be sure to scoop up another pair!

12 February 2010.. Dinner

So this Friday was the last Friday before Lent.. that means NO MEAT on Fridays! so my gf I were going to end the last friday before Lent w/ a bang! and this evenings dinner was going to be Indian food!! @ the Indian Restaurant in Artesia off Pioneer.

We haven't had Indian food in awhile so this dinner was highly anticipated.  Plus I had a light lunch after a 4mi jog earlier in the day so I was hunnngry!

So we arrived and were seated immediately.  Now thats the best when you can walk into a restaurant and be seated right away.  Don't you hate it when you have to wait? I know I do.. Actually having to wait under 30min. isn't too bad because we all have cell phones to kill time on, but anything over 30mins.  "shits better be good!".  Anyways, after we sat down I asked my gf if she brought her digital camera because I left my DSLR @ home.  She didn't bring it so pictures of our food this evening were all shot with my iPhone in low lighting. Damn! oh well.. at least we had something, but I wish the iPhone had a flash.  But hey, that's what digital cameras are for right?

Let me get to the food already.. enough of all my nonsense!

Keema Samosa -

Deep fried patties stuffed with mildly spiced ground meal

If you ever hit up an Indian restaurant, you always gotta start off with  Samosas..  Every Indian restaurant I've been to makes them all different so it's worth the shot to see if you got a winner or not.  In our case, this one was delicious.  I wouldn't mind even trying it with some ketchup or some Filipino jufran. =) hehe

I took every bite with the lettuce becaause I thought the cold lettuce complimented the warm and cripsy shell.

Garlic Naan

They're going to ask you what kinda of Naan you want.. I usually don't care what others they have because I prefer the Garlic one.  I love Garlic! and if I'm cooking anything that contains Garlic, I always make sure I try my best to have just enough.  So yeah this one is BOMB dude!! I don't think this was free but if it isn't, I know they don't charge if you ask for more so make sure you do because I guarantee you, if you try one of these, shits gonna go quickly! Look how buttery and garlic-ee that looks!! Make sure you jog it off the next day. hehe.  The Naan bread is real warm, soft, and yet crunchy in some areas.  I recommend getting the Naan @ an India restaurant, especially this garlic one.

Lamb Malai (above in dark brown) -

Lamb pieces marinated in yogurt herbs and spices.  Cooked with coconut and creamy sauce.  Tandoored in clay oven.

Chicken Malai (below in light brown)

All white meat marinated in yogurt herbs & spices.  Cooked with coconut & creamy sauce.  Tandoored in clay oven.

What I like about Indian restaurants is that they bring out your orders in different serving dishes so you can add as much sauce or chicken as you want at different times during your meal.  This is could be a good thing where you won't eat so much, or a bad thing where you'll end up eating too much.  Which ends up happening to me when I have Indian food.  I'm not much of a fan when it comes to coconut, but when the coconut is mixed in creamy sauce.. I'm all in!  I had the Lamb chops and my gf had the chicken and both were awesome! Not really spicy but it does have that little kick that's found in all Indian dishes.  The rice was really good too! I'm not sure if I remember, but I think we ordered another plate of rice because the rice above went quick! I'm pretty sure we did.  

The Lamb chops were tasty and tender.. each bite was juicy and effortless and the sauce was ooOHH!!!! you have to try it! I wish I was chef so I could bust all these spice terms to explain how good these dishes are but unfortunately I'm wack in that area. haha.

My gfs dish was really good! I actually liked her sauce better than mines so I would combine my lamb chops with her chicken sauce.  

So if you guys are ever in the mood for Indian food, hit up Indian Restaurant!

Indian Restaurant

(562) 860-5621  

17824 Pioneer Blvd, Artesia, CA

24 March 2010.. Afternoon

Sorry guys, this isn't a FOOD entry.

I took my little puppy girl to the dog park earlier this evening and wanted to share these pictures with you guys.

She had a blast but got shaken up before we left because these big ass aggressive Boxers got feisty w/ her and knocked her down.  Bitches!

5 March 2010

An out of  the ordinary visit to the Lakewood Mall lead me to Footlocker.  I don't really go to the Malls anymore to visit shoe stores like I use to when I was younger but this Friday evening was going to be one.  But initially my visit was to pick up a pair of new running shoes for my gf, because her old Nike shocks were wearing out.  My only priority for my visit was to get her shoes and exit the store immediately.. until I saw a shoe that I've been wanting since it's release... plus they were on sale! May I introduce you to:

Nike Zoom KOBE V aka Chaos, aka The Jokers

Purple/Cyber-White-Black

Can you see why they would be called The Jokers? But these shoes are more known as the "Chaos" colorways.  My 3rd pair of Zoom KOBE V's in a different color.  These shoes are addicting.  Very light, Very comfortable, and very stylish.  The overall shoe design has got me hooked.  Ohh yeah.. and it's KOBE's shoe signature.  

Anyways.. I ended up getting a pair of shoes too! =) haha. along with my gf's pair.

(taken from an iPhone)
Nike Free Trainer 7.0 IV Womens

Black/Vivid Pink/Dark Grey

I already own the Nike Free Trainer 5.0 that I'm currently jogging in.  When I first tried them on, I was amazed by how light they were, comfort, strength, flexibility and durability.  Not to mention the slick style as well.  I told her how comfortable they were when I first tried them on and she kinda gave me that look like  "yeah yeah" haha.  I wanted to prove to her that I'm right about the performance of this shoe that I'll mention every now and then, and after a couple wears in the Gym, she likes them a lot! I'm pretty sure she's very impressed by how light and comfortable they are. 

So if any of you guys are in the market for a comfortable and light weight shoe for either jogging or cross training within the range of around $60-80, I recommend the styles of Nike Free in any number version.

10 February 2010, Dinner

So my gf and I decided to have dinner this evening.. Yes, it's the middle of the week! 2 more days until the VALENTINE's/NBA All Star Weekend and I can't wait!! So I ask my gf where she wants to eat and she immediately says "I want Peruvian".  Hmm... Peruvian sounds good, I mean I don't remember the last time I had Peruvian but I'm down for it. 

So she suggest we hit up MARIO's in La Mirada, which was is about 5-8min. from her house, and who would've thought that a BOMB ASS place would be right down the street from her house!  Anyways.. we arrive and it's empty.. that could be a good thing because we don't have to wait to be seated, or a bad thing because maybe the food isn't too great.  So we were seated and greeted.. Not too bad so far.  We had a nice waitress that handed us our menus before she got us waters, so in the mean time, my gf and I began looking at the menus.  One thing I didn't like about their menu is that it didn't have any pictures of the dishes.. I don't know about you but I like to see a preview of what I might be ordering.

Our waitress comes back with our waters and this..

Bread Appetizer w/ butter and..(look below)

some green spicy sauce

Nothing beats free bread! but they were ohhhkay.. I would've liked them to be warmer but oh well.  If your really hungry then this bread would be good no matter what.  Butter is butter =) and the green sauce added a little bit of spiciness to it.  I'm not big on spicy but I'll always try it.

forgot the name, but don't bother.. this wasn't even that great.

Saltado De Pollo

Chunks of chicken sauteed w/ onions, tomatoes, and french fried potatoes. Served w/ lightly seasonedrice.

This was my gf's dish and it was good! the french fried potatoes complimented the chunks of chicken along with all the juices and sauce.  I think more rice on this plate would've made it even better! haha.  

Arroz Chaufa De Pollo

Chicken fried rice Peruvian style.

Mines and Oh my gosh!!! this dish was freak'n GOOOOOOD!! I almost ordered something else but our waitress recommend this dish and so I went for it and damn what a good decisions I made.  Probably the best decision I made that week! Even when she laid my plate down, my eyes got HUUUGE!! When I took that first bite, I wanted share the taste that was running through my tastes buds w/ everyone I know.  This is when I'm glad I made a blog because I could share with you guys all the good dishes I eat.  And man o' man... this was good.  I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS dish if any of you guys ever get a chance to go to MARIO's in La Mirada.

Chinese fried rice ain't got nothing on Peruvian style fried rice.  The pieces of chicken were good size chunks and crispy!! the dish wasn't too salty like fried usually is but make sure to drink a lot of water during and after your done.  The scramble eggs made this dish even better.  I love eggs and they had big chunks of it all over.  Damn I'm hungry for this rightnow! 

If there was a MARIO's close to my house.. shhiiet, It'd be OVA! I'm not just hyping this dish up. I'm serious,  The Arroz Chaufa De Pollo is the truth!!! It's so freak'n good... I don't even wanna continue w/ this post anymore.

18 March 2010, Lunch & Dinner

LUNCH:
Usually during my lunch hours at work, I use that time to get in some cardio at the gym.  Since the beginning of the New year, I've toned down a lot of my jogging so my legs can take a break from all the jogging i've been doing the last 1 1/2 yrs.

The whole week leading up to this lunch, I've been jogging outside around the base "SCRAMBLING" for "quick training" towards Sunday's Newport Beach 15K race event.  I haven't really been jogging so I knew I might be screwed on sunday morning. haha. 

Well by this thursday, my legs were mad sore so I decided to take a rest off training and hit up the o'l Naval Exchange Market aka "The NEX" for some lunch time grub.  I didn't make my own "baon" today, and for those who are not filipino, that means "lunch". 

This is what I picked up from the NEX:

(taken from an iPhone)

Chicken Salad Sandwhich w/ Ruffles Chedder & Sour Cream chips

What a waste of calories for lunch!! what saved this lunch were the chips! The sandwhich is what I would call, like Howard stern would say... "absolutely HAR-RAH-BLE"

I usually like the chicken salad sandwhiches from the NEX but this one was Shit! I know it wasn't spoiled because I never got sick.  Or maybe it was, I just wasn't affected by it.  Thanks to the Ruffles that saved the meal!

EVENING..
I'm already over the fact that my lunch was SHIT, but it's evening time and i'm starting to get hungry!! So i'm enjoying a comfortable evening in my room playing Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 w/ the Surround sound turned up a little since i'm home alone. Then suddenly I hear a knock on the door and it's my parents.. and what do you know??? ohhhhhhhhhhhh whaaaaaaa!!!

(taken from an iPhone)

IN n OUT cheeseburger w/ animal style fries

I've got a 15K this sunday and I should'nt be eating this Shit, but my lunch was SHIT.. so shit what the hell! haha.  This meal definitely made up for my lunch.  I was so caught up in my hunger and the beauty of this meal that I forgot to take out my DSLR for a nice sharper photo that could be used for this Blog.  But damn, look at that!! you could never go wrong with IN n OUT!!! 

I wasn't even planning on making up for my shitty lunch with something very yummy for dinner.. It just came! =)

Thanks Mom! Thanks Dad!

Valentine's 2010

There's nothing like giving a loved one a dozen Roses, maybe two dozen, a box of chocolates, a teddy bear,  and a Valentine's card on February 14th every year.  Who cares if it's typical! I don't care.. Yeah I did it.. but my plan was to have it delivered at my GF's work on that Friday the 12th but they never got delivered!!  NEVER ORDER from 1-800-proflowers.  Those bastards are unreliable! The order came on Monday the 15th, wtf! I thought I'd like to share that with you guys.

Moving forward.. This year's romantic Valentine's evening meal was going to be ARROZ CON POLLO.  Wondering what restaurant huh?? well no "new" restaurant this time because my GF and I were the chefs! Arroz Con Pollo is one of my favorite Cuban dishes so I decided this was going to be our grub for Valentine's.  What made Valentine's evening special was that it was the NBA 2010 All Star game!!!!!!

We started cooking about an hour before tip-off and already I was excited about how our dish was going to turn out.  To be honest, of all the dishes my GF and I have cooked, this was probably the most intimidating one to me because the whole recipe looked overwhelming.  But I sorta relaxed the night before after we bought all the stuff we needed to make this dish.

So finally we finished cooking around the end of the 1st quarter.  HAPPY VALENTINE's MEAL!

Arroz Con Pollo

Looks like a Paella huh? Wroooong! This thing was freakin good!!! But we both agreed that it needed a little bit more salt, so next time we make this dish for you guys, were gonna take care of that.  I wished I used a bigger pot because I kept thinking the rice was going to cook and overflow the pot but everything worked out great.  My GF and I ate so much while watching the NBA All Star Game.. it was awesome.  We both felt like a King and Queen.  Even my parents loved it!

Here's a view from my first plate, sorry about the quality because this was taken from my iPhone.  But dizzamn look at that!!

The Arroz Con Pollo dish cooked by us would go down as one of our best thus far.  More of our cooked dishes to come in the future..