Kat's 9 Lives

Am I burger fan? Not necessarily but I do enjoy a succulent and juicy slab of meat from time to time. After attending so many Burger Bashes how can I NOT be a burger fan? When they are good... they are GOOOOD! I am a picky eater and I make no exception for hamburgers because I rather have a steak than ground up meat. So I never actively seek a burger unless it has been around the block because I am not easy to please! What's all the buzz these days? Five Guys Burgers & Fries have moved to So Cal. With their most recent location in Huntington Beach I had to stop by since I was at another event nearby.
As you open the doors and walk in, the first things you see are not just the red and white tile decor but the massive amount of signs telling you how good their burgers are! Hmm... humble much? lol It's funny how much they are telling you who loves them. Plastered from wall to wall are magazine write ups and quotes. The lines are formed by using sacks of their special potatoes that they use for their fries.
So is all the hype true? Is it all just a gimmick? Does all the advertising in your face really work? Well...
I decided to try their 100% Fresh Beef burgers that are made with no fillers, no preservatives, and trans fat free. All their meat is cooked juicy and well done. You can choose your own toppings or even all of them and it is free. I decided on the Bacon Cheeseburger, $6.29, which has 2 thick patties. For my toppings I chose Mayo, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Grilled Onions, Grilled Mushrooms, and Ketchup. To be honest I do think the burgers are a bit pricey but at least it is one filled up burger. Open up wide to sink your teeth into this thick and juicy burger. They come wrapped up in foil so the burger gets a little scrunched but the size definitely did not shrink nor did it lose its flavor.
Did the gimmick work? After seeing those massive 50 lb. bags of potatoes I thought that their fries must be good! Right? Well I was greedy and got a Large Cajun Fries for $4.49 to munch on. I wasn't blown away by the fries. They were nice thick cuts but the flavor didn't stand out much. Also, those were some pricey fries man!
Don't forget to grab some peanuts to snack on while you wait for your burger!
All and all I enjoyed the burger. I know this is going to stir up some controversy but I think this is much better than In N Out but it is also much more expensive than In N Out... My whole meal with a drink ended up being $15 for burger, fries, and soda. Ouch! That was a dent in the wallet but nonetheless it was tasty! =) Am I willing to drive 30-40 minutes for this burger? Nah, but I left a happy customer and would come back if I am in the neighborhood.

Five Guys Burgers & Fries
18645 Beach Blvd.
Huntington Beach, CA 92648
(714) 861-4448

Today I was invited to a media preview/tour of Whole Foods Market newest store opening in Huntington Beach this Wednesday! Join their Grand Opening October 13th and be the first 300 customers in line at 9:00 AM for their Bread Breaking Ceremony to receive a complimentary demi-baguette. Instead of the tiresome traditional ribbon cutting ceremony they have elected to represent who they really are by breaking bread. Like today, there will be plenty of their products being showcased and sampled.
If you can't make the Grand Opening October 13th, come check the market out on Community Support Day October 20th where 5% of net sales will be donated to the Bolsa Chica Conservancy. So be sure to save all your shopping needs until that day and stock up so that you can spend money on super fresh produce while contributing to the local community.
The produce looked so fresh and tasty that I wish they would let us purchase some for home. The tomatoes looked SPECTACULAR. I really love the assortment of cherry and grape tomatoes that they offer. It's almost as if I were shopping in a farmer's market. Believe it or not, but they will be carrying a lot of local produce. There will be signs posted everywhere to let buyers know exactly where the wonderful produce comes from.
On Wednesday they will be celebrating the opening of their 300th stores after 30 years in a brand new 30,000-square-foot store. 3 and 0's is the theme of the day. At this store they will unveil a new and bigger Bulk Food section to suit their patron's needs.
Local produce suppliers were out in full force showcasing their products. I was delighted to sample the Reed Avocado that was so plump and savory. Ever since my trip to Florida I have been nostalgic for a gigantic avocado salad.
Today we got to meet Mary and learn about Mary's Air Chilled Chicken. No added water, no antibiotics, and gluten free. Her special method of air chilling does make a difference in taste and texture of the chicken. It's definitely worth trying and changing what chicken you use to cook.
Learn about Whole Foods new 5 Step Animal Awareness Rating. They are there to answer any questions on where your meat comes from. After all, they pride themselves on their natural meat.
We also got to sample some delectable treats from Tracey Downey creator of Xan Confections. The chocolates looked wonderful and shimmery. They are not sold individually at this Whole Foods location, but come in nice boxed sets. I also took note of their huge selection of Vosges chocolates! Although I am behind on posting, I love Vosges and go to Vegas all the time to get my fix. It is good to know where I can get the chocolate bars locally now.Here at their Huntington Beach location they will be integrating Surf City USA and the Vietnamese community culture. They will be serving Banh Mi and make your own Pho in their prepared food section. Be sure to come in on Wednesdays when the self served hot and cold food is at a special rate of $5.99 from their normal price of $7.99. On Sundays they have a special $10 pizza and beer special. Any large pizza plus beer for only $10? Not bad!
Don't miss out on trying some delicious honey from Honey Pacifica. I was ecstatic to see that they offer honeycomb. There were so many honeys to try that were great. My favorite was the Coastal California Wildflower Honey. They take their bees to different areas in California to harvest the different savory flavors.Whole Foods Market
7881 Edinger Ave., Suite 150
Huntington Beach, CA 92647

I have been wanting to try Lotus Chinese Eatery in Huntington Beach because people online raved about this place. It's suppose to be Islamic Chinese cuisine. As a family we decided to come here so that we can try something new and we were too lazy to drive to Rowland Heights. It didn't take long for us to get here. We were sat down immediately. There were only a few tables when we got there but then it started to get busier.
We debated for a long time on what to order. Since they have lunch specials every day, we all decided to get lunch specials. They bring you a cup of soup. It was Corn Soup, which is Egg Flower just with Corn added in. The taste was fine, but I make a killer Chicken Corn Soup or a Seafood one. ^_^ We were all fine with the soup.
Next they brought an Egg Roll for each of us. It's interesting that they are Curry Spring Rolls. The flavor was not too bad. I enjoyed the skin, but the curry flavor threw me off a little. It was easily masked or overlooked when I dipped it in the Sweet & Sour Sauce. I will give them some extra points that it's something different, but we can make it better too. =9
We were not planning to get the Big Sesame Thin Bread with Green Onion because we were not really getting dishes that are suited for the bread. Despite 3 of us not wanting to order this, my Mom insisted on it so we just got an order. My family enjoyed the amount of green onion used, but I thought it was a little too salty for my taste. They did complain about it not being thin at all because it still had some thickness to it. We all agreed that the place in Rowland Heights is much better tasting.
I always like ordering Honey Walnut Shrimp so when I saw it on the lunch menu I had to get it. AVOID it at this place. The dish came out looking over fried and raggedy. Everything looked shriveled up and the sauce was one-dimensional. It was just sweet and nothing else. This dish was definitely a mistake. My Dad who eats almost anything wouldn't even eat this dish. I had to sadly finish most of it since it was my mistake to order it. **Okay I admit I took a good picture and edited it well, but don't be deceived by my photo!**
The other dish I really wanted was the Hand-Cut Lamb Noodles. Ever since Ms. Lin took me to Fatima, I have been a huge fan of home-made noodles. The flavor here was not too bad and the noodles were fine although cut weirdly. This was probably my favorite dish of the day. We all agreed that the lamb meat was SKETCHY. It's just tiny shaved morsels that don't even form a solid piece. This dish was mainly Eggs and Vegetables stir-fried with little Lamb. The taste was fine, but I question certain things... hmmmm.
My Dad automatically ordered the Hunan Spicy Lamb lunch because he loves spicy. This dish barely had any lamb at all. It was full of filler vegetables. Again the meat was tiny slivers/morsels of meat. How come there isn't one solid piece of meat? I feel like there must be something wrong with the meat. The flavor was so-so and not spicy at all. It was a big disappointment.
Usually I decide for my Mom what dish to order. For her order we got Lamb with Satay Sauce. When the dish came out it almost looked like over-shredded pork. It's an illusion as well because there was barely any meat and tons of vegetables on the bottom. The satay flavor was light. Okay, even my Dad can make better satay dishes. They really missed the mark on the lamb dishes. We were greatly disappointed with everything. Everyone pointed the blame on me since I did the research. I must say the internet has failed me! BOO!
All in all this place wasn't good. Even I who hates driving would rather go to Rowland Heights next time. As a funny tid bit, I must say it's survival of the fittest when eating with my family! I am an extremely slow eater because I like to take in the flavors and savor the taste. Even though I liked the noodles, my Mom scarfed 2 bowls down before I even ate 3 chopsticks full. Let's just say I went home hungry, but that is okay because the food blew! I told Ms. Lin we should have ordered their Spicy Tendon and Beef dish, but our parents objected. Maybe that would have been better, but judging by the other stuff we had... I wouldn't bet on it! BLECH!

Lotus Chinese Eatery