Macarons from Cake House

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©2008 Yuzu Eats

A couple of workmates and I went to lunch on Sawtelle Boulevard in West L.A., where there is an abundance of Japanese restaurants and stores carrying cute knickknacks. After spending an hour (or two) browsing the shops, we felt it was time for dessert. So we made our way to Beard Papa. But before crossing the street, I spied some colorful macarons in a bakery window. I rarely get to eat macarons because they're not widely available, and I have to drive far (or fly to New York) to eat some. So I was quite pleased that a Korean bakery named Cake House offered them in their shop. I bought four macarons at $1.50 each — chocolate, lemon, raspberry and green tea — and later enjoyed them with my little niece. Verdict? The chocolate was yummy, as was the green tea (you can really taste the matcha), but the raspberry and lemon ones were rather dry. Perhaps this is because the macarons are not baked on the premises, so who knows how fresh they are when they're sold?

Later that day, I realized there's a Cake House in Buena Park, so much closer to me than the one I visited off of Sawtelle. Apparently, I had been driving past this bakery in Orange County every day, never knowing it existed because it's nestled in a strip mall next to a Ralphs supermarket. One would never expect to find macarons near Ralphs, after all.

The day after I visited the L.A. location, I made a quick trip to the Buena Park Cake House after work and purchased every flavor macaron they had available — coffee, chocolate, raspberry, lemon, green tea and blueberry. I shared them with my mom and dad, who enjoyed them with a cup of hot green tea. The blueberry macaron (which my mom thought would've been taro-flavored) didn't taste much like blueberry. It was more like a plain macaron with blue food coloring. The other flavors tasted the same as they did before. I didn't try the coffee one, as I gave it to my dad, the coffee addict.

I much prefer the Orange County location to the L.A. one because, for one thing, it's much bigger. The shop has tables in the back that you can sit at and hang out with friends. The baked goods, with the exception of the cakes and fancy pastries, are available for customers to just grab and place them in plastic basket trays to bring up to the counter for checkout. I'm glad I got to try the various macarons Cake House has to offer, but they sure don't beat the yumminess that is Bouchon Bakery's macaron.

Cake House 11301 Olympic Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90064 (310) 914 0404

Cake House 5410 Beach Blvd. Buena Park, CA 90621 (714) 522-0101

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Miyabi-Tei on a Sunday

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©2007 Yuzu Eats

My mom needed to go to a Japanese store to stock up on boxes of bagged green tea, so I said, "Mitsuwa Marketplace!" I drove mom and dad to Costa Mesa yesterday to eat lunch and do some grocery shopping. Uhh...12:30 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon? Not the best time to eat there if you want to actually sit down at a table while enjoying your food. My dad was hovering over various tables, waiting for families to leave, while my mom and I ordered the food. We settled on Miyabi-Tei, which had the shortest line of all the eateries in the marketplace.

Almost every time we go to Mitsuwa, we end up ordering at Miyabi-Tei. Probably because it's usually got the shortest wait, but also because I really do like their food. I always get something different when I eat there. Last time I went I had a curry plate. Yesterday, however, I went with the Hamburg Plate ($6.25). It is seriously a bargain, with miso soup, mashed potato, a generous bowl of rice, and a hamburg steak served on a bed of lettuce & bean sprouts, and topped with caramelized onions, with a side of minced daikon.

I normally don't shove onions in my mouth, but these...I had to.

This is probably the best hamburg I've tasted. Either that means it's really good, or I just haven't eaten a whole lot of hamburg steaks in my lifetime. The beef is relatively juicy (not in the least bit dry by my standards — whatever those are), and the flavor of the meat has a hint of sweetness. I don't know how they season it, but it's tasty. I have a recipe for hamburg that I'd like to try. I wonder if it'll taste anything at all like this one.

Miyabi-Tei (inside Mitsuwa Marketplace)
665 Paularino Ave.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 754-7044

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Cupcake & Tea for Dessert

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For someone who doesn't drink coffee, I sure make a lot of trips to Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. I like it so much better than Starbucks. I'm more of a tea drinker, so I guess that explains my preference for Coffee Bean. I had dinner with my parents this past weekend, and afterward we went to Coffee Bean for dessert.

©2007 Yuzu Eats

I tried one of their cupcakes for the first time. It was chocolate with cream cheese frosting. The cake part of it was actually moist. I was expecting it to be dry like the cupcakes at Starbucks. I was pleasantly surprised! The only thing I didn't like about the cake was that there were about 5 chocolate chips in there. But I picked them out as I ate the cupcake. I don't like chocolate chips in chocolate cake. Just like I don't like chocolate cookies with chocolate chips. Chocolate overkill. Okay, now the frosting...the frosting was like eating a cheesecake. You know how most cream cheese frostings taste? This was a bit sweeter, because it tasted like cheesecake. Not that it's a bad thing. But this cupcake was definitely a decadent little treat. I'll probably be eating more of these in the near future...

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
1080 E. Imperial Hwy, #E2
Brea CA, 92821

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Chicken Pomodori Panino

Dinner tonight was takeout from Corner Bakery. It's a chicken pomodori panino, which consists of sliced chicken breast, fresh basil and spinach, oven-roasted tomatoes, provolone cheese and pesto mayonnaise.

©2006 Yuzu Eats

I'm going to invest in a panini grill. First I was thinking about buying a panini-press pan, but it turns out that the electric presses are actually a lot cheaper. Besides, I can make more than panini in a grill, right? I can grill chicken, fish and vegetables too.

Corner Bakery
103 W. Imperial Hwy., Suite C
Brea, CA 92821
(714) 257-9208

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Alone in Avocado Land

The avocado is one of the most loved fruits around. Add some slices to a BLT to make a BLTA, mash some to make guacamole...people just love it. Aside from my big sister, I might be the only person alive who does not like avocados. At Mexican restaurants I always order my meals sans the guacamole, or I just let someone else at the table eat it. People think I'm crazy for not liking avocado. Maybe it's a taste I'll grow to love. But, for now, I'll pass.

Avocado eggrolls

©2006 Yuzu Eats

While dining at The Cheesecake Factory with my family, we ordered a sampler of appetizer favorites. Pictured above are avocado eggrolls: chunks of fresh avocado, sun-dried tomato, red onion and cilantro deep-fried in a crisp Chinese wrapper and served with a tamarind-cashew dipping sauce.

The Cheesecake Factory
Brea Mall
120 Brea Mall Way
Brea, CA 92821
(714) 255-0115

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Crème Brulée

I rarely eat crème brulée. I probably have it once a year, at most. Today my family and I went out for a day of shopping, but before that, we ate lunch at Wolfgang Puck's. I wanted to have something sweet for dessert, so I ordered a crème brulée and split it with the rest of the family.

©2006 Yuzu Eats

Wolfgang Puck Café
South Coast Plaza
3333 Bristol St.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 546-9653

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Mango & Strawberry Gelato

It's right smack in the middle of winter right now, and one wouldn't think of eating a cold treat like ice cream during this season. But, hey, I live in southern California, and temperatures rarely drop below 45ºF. On Saturday when I was out shopping with my family, my brother-in-law and I stopped inside Melt Gelato to buy some of the delicious stuff. I ordered one scoop of mango and one scoop of strawberry.

©2006 Yuzu Eats

Gelato is a lot like American ice cream, but there are some differences. Among them, gelato is made with milk instead of cream. And there is a lot less air pumped into gelato than ice cream, making it denser. As a result, gelato tends to be higher in fat content than ice cream. But I still love the stuff! I eat more ice cream than gelato, but that's only because ice cream is so easy to get at the market. Gelato...not so much.

Melt Gelato
The Block at Orange
20 City Blvd. West
Suite 811
Orange, CA 92868

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Lunch at Alcatraz Brewing Co.

I met up for lunch with some folks at Alcatraz Brewing Co. in Orange County yesterday.

Alcatraz's own original root beer


Breaded Mahi-Mahi sandwich on ciabatta bread w/lettuce, tomato
& spicy tartar sauce, served with a side of criss-cut fries

©2006 Yuzu Eats

Alcatraz Brewing Co.
The Block at Orange
20 City Blvd. West
Suite R-1
Orange, CA 92868
(714) 939-8686

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Roy's Hawaiian Fusion

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On Friday we took my dad out to dinner for his birthday at Roy's Hawaiian Fusion in Newport Beach, CA. We feasted on some of the tastiest food I've ever eaten. It's a bit pricey there, but it's a good place to go for special occasions, i.e. birthdays, anniversarys. The lighting in the restaurant is rather dim, so I had to use the flash on my camera which thankfully didn't make the food look too washed out. Here's what we ate:

Peppercorn Seared "Rare" Hawaiian Ahi Tuna Appetizer

©2005 Yuzu Eats

Slow-Braised & Charbroiled Shortribs of Beef


Tempura Crisp John Dory Filet


Thai Noodle Stuffed Chicken Breast
with Coconut Curry and Sweet & Sour Sauce and Mochi Rice


Mongolian Rack of Lamb


Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi with Lobster Butter Sauce


Roy's Melting Hot Chocolate Soufflé


Caramel Macadamia Nut Almond Tart


Pineapple Upside-Down Cake


Since it was my dad's birthday, our server brought him this —
a citrus sponge cake with vanilla ice cream & raspberry swirls

Roy's Hawaiian Fusion
453 Newport Center Dr.
Newport Beach, CA 92660
(949) 640-7697

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Doggy's Day Out

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We drove down to Corona Del Mar yesterday afternoon (it's sort of like the halfway point between Los Angeles and San Diego counties). It was a perfect day for a drive along the southern California coast. Here's my doggy sitting out on Pacific Coast Highway, enjoying an Ice-Blended® Green Tea from Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.

©2005 Yuzu Eats

I'm not a coffee drinker, but I love Coffee Bean. I really like the way coffee smells when it's brewing, but I don't like the taste of coffee at all. Whenever I go to Starbucks or Coffee Bean, I usually order a blended drink. Green tea is my favorite. At least from Coffee Bean. The one at Starbucks is total rubbish. Tastes like honeydew because of the melon syrup they put in it. Not a good combination, in my opinion. Maybe some people like it, but I don't. Coffee Bean's green tea drink uses a quality matcha, which is the best-tasting green tea.

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
2933 Pacific Coast Highway East, 3A
Corona Del Mar, CA 92625
(949) 673-7062

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Yummy Yuzu

My dad and I went out for Japanese food last night at Kabuki. I've always liked the food there. Tasty and affordable. I took pictures of all the sushi we ate, but here are just a couple of pics of some dishes I found noteworthy.

Watercress yuzu salad (Julienne romaine lettuce, watercress,
daikon, cucumber, endive, sesame seed and yuzu dressing)


First time I tried Japanese snapper - it was delicious!

©2005 Yuzu Eats

Kabuki Japanese Restaurant
11431 South St.
Cerritos, CA 90703
(562) 467-8003

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