otto cake

Otto Cake is a funky little bakery tucked away in Honolulu's Arts District (in Chinatown to be exact).  This little bake shop serves up some of THE best cheesecakes I've ever had. I admit, it's the punk rock roots that first drew me in to this inconspicuous little bake shop, but it's the cheesecakes that leave me wanting to tell everyone I can about it. We recently tried the lilikoi cheesecake, and ohmygod, it was a-mazing. Definitely worth a visit.

P.S. I apologize for the onslaught of Hawaii pics...It's been too crazy/busy around here lately to take pics of daily life. Hope to get back into some form of normalcy soon.

Currently listening to: Belle and Sebastian-"Me and the Major"

guacamole

Made fresh guacamole earlier and paired it with some spicy blue corn tortilla chips from Whole Foods (my fave).

On another note, it's my mom's birthday today! Happy Birthday mom! See you later on.


Currently listening to: Phantogram - You Are The Ocean

yakitori dinner

Looking at these photos of our yummy dinner at Shin-Sen-Gumi makes my mouth water! I know I take entirely way too many pictures of food, but I can't help myself.

Currently listening to: Eisley- "Marvelous Things"

los cotija's

Lunch at my husband's favorite fish tacos in Orange County, Los Cotija's. The hole-in-the-wall places are always the best.

lunch date

I love our little lunch dates. This one was at Ichiza in Chinatown. It's nice to come here when it's not packed with the usual late night crowd...it was pretty relaxing to just sit in a quiet restaurant and talk over some yakitori and Kirin.

On another note, I'm so excited to go on our roadtrip to Orange County soon...I've been itching to hit the road and smell the ocean air. I'm sure this song will be on heavy rotation on the car ride there :) It always puts me in a great mood.

Have a great Monday off for those who have it off...I sure am looking forward to sleeping in on a Monday, nothing quite like it.

atomic#7

We recently discovered a really cool ice cream shop here in town called Atomic #7. They make organic and vegan ice cream from scratch. I tried the Healthy Heart mixed with coconut, almond milk and agave sweetener. It definitely tasted like homemade, and the best part is, it was completely lactose free. The girls who run the shop all wear lab coats, which I thought was really cute. Definitely a great find.

P.S. Another great find recently: a new photo lab located near my old college. I also finally fixed my old A-1, so I hope to take it out soon, maybe over the long weekend.

raspberry bavarian creme

I finally made raspberry bavarian creme- from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Ever since I saw the movie, I've been wanting to try it out before the summer was over. I used organic raspberries and didn't substitute low-fat creme or artificial sugar for the real things...I just don't see the point in skimping on desert. If you're going to indulge, go all the way.


Currently listening to: Tahiti80- "1,000 Times"

french macaroons

I love French macaroons! They're so hard to find here in Vegas though. I finally found them at Amore Patisserie. Speaking of desserts, I've been looking online for different French dessert recipes...I'm thinking of making Rasberry Bavarian Creme (a-la Julia Child). Makes me even more excited for Paris next year :) I wish I could fast forward to next fall. I need to seriously brush up on my verrry rusty French. You'd think after four years of studying it, I'd be able to carry on a simple conversation!
Well, Au revoir for now.

Currently listening to: Cherry Ghost- "Mathematics"

bachi burger

We finally decided to try Bachi Burger , a new Asian-inspired gourmet burger joint. My husband had the "Ronin" burger, and I had the "Lonely Bird" (made with ground "tsukune" turkey & chicken), which was so so good. Even better was the Parmesan truffle fries...to.die.for.
The name of this joint made us laugh at first since "bachi" loosely means "karma" in Japanese, so we always say "baaachi" when someone gets what they deserve. Ok, so I guess it's not all that funny...but interesting name choice nonetheless.

cupcakery

Happy Humpday! Just some photos of cupcakes from the Cupcakery. My all-time favorite is the Red Velvet ("Southern Belle"), but tonight, we tried the "Kir Royale", a raspberry cake with champagne frosting. I have never seen glitter on a cupcake before, but this one was all glittery! It was so pretty, I almost didn't want to eat it.

Currently listening to: Memoryhouse- "Sleep Patterns"

sweets 'n treats

This blog post is entirely dedicated to my undying sweet tooth... and, ice cream sounds so good right about now...it's 116 degrees outside!
These were taken from our trip to SF...some sweets courtesy of my friend Tara. According to her, Kara's Cupcakes are the best in the bay area...and I'd have to agree. We got the passionfruit kind and it was sooo good. To top it off, we indulged in some Ghirardelli ice cream sundaes. Sugar overload!

Currently listening to: Muscles - "Ice Cream"

raku yakitori

-yaki onigiri (grilled rice ball) w/ Kaku Rei plum sake
-Kobe beef fillet w/ wasabi & Kobe beef skirt with ginger
-fried ebi (shrimp) 
-tsukune (ground chicken) skewers
-portobello stuffed with chicken

As much as I love sushi, there's a special place in my heart for yakitori. I wish there were more places that served it in Vegas. Raku in Chinatown is consistently on top of the "Japanese Food" list on yelp, and it's easy to see why. Prime example of quality over quantity. I even tried their Kobe beef, which I'm not convinced is the real deal, but it was delicious nonetheless.

the tipsy pig

We've been wanting to check out the Tipsy Pig since we saw it on that Food Buddha show.  They've got a pretty nice beer selection and the mac n' cheese is insane good (although I had to pick the tiny pieces of bacon off). Pretty pricey for "bar food", but it's a great place for good beer and a baseball game.

summer daze

A little break from San Fran photos...These were leftovers from Memorial Day weekend. Some of my favorite things: flowers, cupcakes, pool+good beer, summer berries...

Ah, lazy summer days....they're my fave. Although summer doesn't seem as monumental when you're in the "real" world outside of school, it still manages to retain some of its magic no matter how old we get. Its amazing how the little things in life often yield the most pleasure and joy. 

Currently listening to: the xx-"Islands"