Kat's 9 Lives

I found some online coupons for buy one get one free for their new 31° below drinks at BaskinRobbins. Some locations offer this deal on weekdays during certain hours, so check with your local Baskin Robbins. I told TP & Veggie Girl about this so we made it our goal to go there for some dessert. How can you say no to BOGO! lol We split up in pairs to maximize our coupon usage. O=)
I ordered the Snicker flavor while they ordered the Oreo flavor. Oddly, I liked their choice more. Their was a good amount of Snickers inside but the soft serve didn't mesh with it quite well. Compared to a Blizzard from Dairy Queen. The soft serve at Baskin Robbins tasted creamier, less sweet, and more bland than the one at Dairy Queen. Due to this, I thought the soft serve flavor went better with the Oreos. Since Oreos normally have the creamy center, so the soft serve helped to enhance the flavor. It's like an Oreo factory exploded in their. I wished I had their drink that day. O=) sigh... always want what others have! lolBaskin Robbins
1460 Baker St
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 751-5122

I have to give credit to Ivan for introducing me to Pizza and Chicken Love Letters. At first the title made me stop and ponder, but I had to try out this new fad of Korean fusion. He had me at Bulgogi Pizza. lol One day after I was in the area after a relaxing day at a Korean bath spa I decided to head on over for some good eats. It wasn't very close but I already decided to try it out. Little did I know there is another location close by. At least I have tried multiple locations now, but this one was my first. ^_^ They weren't very busy since I went mid-afternoon. There were so many choices and there were good combo deals as well. Of course I was there on a day where there were no deal and at a time where there is no discount! =*( Still, I was on a mission to try out all the things that my friend recommended and what people raved about.
At first I didn't see the Pizza Egg Rolls on the menu separately and I didn't want the combo it was in. Luckily I asked the people there if I can order it separately and they agreed. They came out piping hot and nicely fried. Impatiently I took the first bite into the piping hot mess. The egg roll skin was very nice, but I thought the flavor was lacking. Maybe the skin overtook the taste of the ingredients. Still, I can't deny fried and melted cheese. It's still good to try it for yourself. If only I had some marinara sauce to dip it in, it would kick it up a notch.
They are called Pizza AND Chicken Love Letters, so I had to try both! ^_^ I ordered a full sized Sweet Garlic Chicken. Maybe I ordered a bit too much, but that's just the way I roll. O=9 The chicken is chopped up into parts, battered, and drizzled with a sweet mild sauce that is said to be made with over 20 different vegetables. I took everything home but made sure to take a bite when it was fresh to give a fair rating. The chicken was nicely flavored and still had a mild bite even with the sauce. It's a very nice tangy sweet sauce that makes the chicken pop. The chicken was very tender, juicy, and hot! If you like Korean wings and at a good price, then this is the place for you.
Last but not least was the Bulgogi Pizza. I had been looking forward to this because the notion sounded very interesting. Like Kogi's Taco Truck, it's a mix of cultures that don't seem to mesh at first look but turn out to be a good mix. Maybe I was a bit zealous about trying this and had too high of an expectation. It looked good, but I was a bit disappointed in the amount of Bulgogi that was given. I already had a feeling that you could not taste the flavor of the meat and I was right. Still, the pizza texture was good but the flavor fell a little short. I actually can't even remember much of the taste. Maybe if there were more ingredients I would like it more, but that didn't stop me from trying their pizza again at the closer location. Despite everything, I still think that it is an interesting try and a great place for a group of friends to gather late at night. It is definitely good night food and a great place to just lay back with some good friends. ^_^

Pizza & Chicken Love Letters
12238 Artesia Boulevard
Artesia, CA 90701
(562) 402-8000

Still trying to catch up... O=9 I will try to start my post for Joël Robuchon, but I will most likely break it down into 3 separate posts as there was 3 of us. This was a jam packed weekend that started out crazy and ended crazy! lol HT and I decided to fly out to Vegas to try Joël Robuchon. We barely made our flight Sat afternoon and we took a taxi directly to the Venetian for some Illy Espresso at Espressamente. It was highly recommended by HT so I had to give it a try. All the times I have been to Vegas, I have walked by this place without stopping in. Finally it was time for me to step in and begin a new adventure. The place was packed full of people and full of food. They have gelato, sandwiches, coffee, and more.
Being that it is Vegas, the weather is never that chilly. I opted for an iced drink whilst HT wanted a huge cup of Cappucino. We also brought one for our companion to help give her a pick me up. The drinks were freshly made and you wait off to the sidelines until your order is ready. I thought the drinks were strong and packed a punch. It is definitely better coffee than what you normally get. The drinks here reminded me of my days in Europe and made me extremely nostalgic. Fair warning that you pay for what you get, meaning this was not cheap. After all we are in the Venetian in Vegas. Those 3 drinks cost me over $15 for drinks that are not so big... The next time I am in Vegas I will have to check out the other stuff they serve there. ^_^

Espressamente
3377 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 414-3408

After a tiring yet relaxing day at the Korean bath spa, we were ready to grab a quick and simple meal before returning home. My "evil" twin, Kat, suggested Lục Đinh Kỳ on Bolsa. It's really close to Asian Garden Mall and there are apparently a few of these around on the same street. Be sure to look at the address below to go to this one. This place is open late at night and tends to be pretty crowded. If that were to happen just drive down the street and there is another location. They offer free Nuớc Mắt, which is a sweet Chrysanthemum Tea. Depending on the day, it can be very watered down or overly sweet. I personally choose water. ^_^ This place is kind of funny because it plays a lot of Chinese music even though it's a Vietnamese restaurant. Service here is ummm negligible. What do you expect in this area? lol There's also a language barrier so just be patient.

Kat recommended the Salmon with Crispy rice. This was super delicious. I like how the chunk of salmon is fried to a crisp that has a crunch with every bite mixed with the crispy rice. They give a huge block of rice. Depending on your luck, you could get a very evenly crisped rice or barely or even burnt! lol Same goes for the salmon, but that night everything was done just right. I like the sauce on the bottom to give everything that extra flavor. There is also the jalapeño soy sauce that gives the whole dish an extra bite. After that night with them, I have been back a lot. O=9 Even twice in one day because of Kat! lol That's how much I liked it! *although the last time I had it, it was not good...*
Since it was the first time PK and I went there we wanted to try more dishes. I suggested we order the Bò Lúc Lộc, French Style Beef, since it's one of my favorite dishes... when done right! This place really missed the mark. It was more like a bad Asian stir fry of beef and onions, nothing like what it should be. =*( We still had to try to finish this dish. At least there weren't too many veggies to work through and we were able to have more crispy rice. lol Our next visits, we only stuck with the Salmon with Crispy Rice and with great reasons! lol
We decided to get a third dish and we weren't too sure what to try. Sadly we chose the House Special Chow Fun. I was a little opposed to this dish but I was fine since the other 2 dishes were more to my liking. This was just a bland version of the Chinese chow fun. There were plenty of meat and shrimp but the flavor was lacking. Again, stick with the Salmon with Crispy Rice! lol Trust me! I think if you look around, most people have this dish. That should tell you something.
All in all the place was cheap and good, but only the Salmon with Crispy Rice. Don't expect any glitz or glamour. It's your typical Vietnamese food joint. Cheap, quick, and simple. Don't expect to hang around here too long because most likely there will be a line at night and the people working there will be in a hurry to get you out! lol You can also get stuff as take out, but if you call in be sure to check which location you called. It can be a bit confusing, but this place is hard to miss since it's located in a more popular plaza than the other location. I wish they were closer because I'd go all the time for the Salmon with Crispy Rice, not that distance has stopped me since I have at least been 20x since the first trip. O=9

Lục Đinh Kỳ

9600 Bolsa Ave
Westminster, CA 92683

(714) 775-8811

5A5 Steak Lounge


Anthony's Cookies
Asia de Cuba (Dine About Town)


Boulevard

Cheeseboard Pizza
Circolo


Grégoire
Guang Dong House


Marlowe