Afternoon Tea at Jin Patisserie

Yuzu is Reading One Fifth Avenue Candace Bushnell

A coworker and I lunched at Venice's Jin Patisserie last week. It took us just over ten minutes to drive there, and we scored street parking right in front of the eatery. There were two showers (one bridal, one baby) going on, so seating was very limited. We ended up sitting on two mismatched chairs with five little "stools" pushed together to comprise our table. Although we had no umbrella to shade us from the sun, we were fortunate to sit by some lovely bamboo which kept us sunburn-free.

We both ordered the Afternoon Tea ($19) as it was our first time eating there, and we wanted a decent sampling of what Jin has to offer. The meal comes with a pot of infused tea of your choice — I went with the Péché Mignon because I like sweet teas. It's a Chinese green tea flavored with peach, passion fruit, melon and wild strawberry. It tasted yummy and fruity, and I didn't even have to add sugar to sweeten it up. A short while after receiving our teapots, our meals came out.

The set we got that day came with two egg-salad finger sandwiches, mini mushroom & spinach quiche, tiny macaron, two bite-size cakes, two mini scones w/jam and clotted cream, slice of butter cake, mascarpone & peach parfait and a caramel clove chocolate. As you can see, the sweets outweighed the savories. Three savory pieces and eight sweets? As much as I like sweets in small doses, I wish there was a better balance.

Not surprisingly, neither of us finished our sweets, so we packed them up to take with us. Before heading back to the office, I had to pick up a box of the much-blogged-about macarons. I went with a pack of eight and asked for a variety with no repeats — there were 10 flavors available.

©2008 Yuzu Eats; Jin logo © Jin Patisserie

I later discovered that the woman packed two caramel macarons, both of which were cracked and oozing caramel filling inside the pretty box. And I have no idea which flavors I missed out on. I made it through the box of macarons in several sittings, with help of my three-year-old niece who loves gulping down pretty macarons like nobody's business. My favorites: vanilla, strawberry and pistachio. Lemon was good as well. Chocolate was okay. Caramel is a never-again. The verdict on Jin's macarons? Way better than Cake House's, and almost as good as Bouchon's.

I would definitely eat at Jin again and maybe try the Lunch Set next time. The savories offered with this particular Afternoon Tea were really tasty, but I'm a carnivore and would've liked something with chicken or fish. So in the future I'll order a sandwich with chicken, prosciutto, shrimp or salmon.

Jin Patisserie
1202 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Venice, CA 90291
(310) 399-8801

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Macarons from Cake House

Yuzu is Listening To Spring Awakening 2006 Original Broadway Cast

©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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Tiny Thai for the Solo Diner

Yuzu is Listening To Jersey Boys (2005 Original Broadway Cast) John Lloyd Young, Christian Hoff, Daniel Reichard, J. Robert Spencer

I have been craving Thai food lately. So much so that I made the mistake of ordering the Thai chicken pasta at The Cheesecake Factory this past weekend (a peanut-allergy sufferer's worst nightmare). It was like eating a jar of Skippy peanut butter, tossed with linguine, chicken-breast chunks, bean sprouts and a can of crushed peanuts. It wasn't completely horrible because I do like peanut butter, but I think it's a little heavy on the peanuts. I wish I took a picture of the plate when the server brought it over — peanuts ALL around the edge. A lot of them.

From now on, I shall not let my current cravings dictate what I order if I'm not in the right establishment to order that particular food. Stick to what each restaurant does best, that's what I learned. Funnily enough, I already knew this a few months ago when I was in New York City and was craving Thai curry..

Dim lighting = blurry photo

©2007 Yuzu Eats

That right there is probably one of the best meals I've ever eaten. I don't know if it was because I was 3,000 miles away from home, and the stewy dish was comforting to me. But gosh...chicken panang curry from Tiny Thai Cafe, you were delicious. It was sweet, slightly spicy, and light...all at the same time. The chicken breast was tender and absorbed the flavor of the curry very nicely. The curry juices mixed with steamed Jasmine rice — yum! I think coconut milk should be used in every dish. ;)

Original image from Tiny Thai

The restaurant, which is located in Manhattan's famous Hell's Kitchen, was difficult for me to spot at first. I must've walked by it two or three times before realizing it was there. The front of the restaurant is that small. Once inside, I was warmly greeted and seated at a table for two (for my party of one). I placed my order and was served my meal with a minimal wait. I ate dinner here before seeing a Broadway show (hooray for multiple viewings of Rent!). The restaurant is just far enough from the craziness of Times Square to not have the Broadway crowds, but it's close enough to only have to walk a few blocks to the various theaters. I am definitely going to eat here again when I go back to New York.

Tiny Thai Cafe
693 9th Avenue (between 47th & 48th Sts.)
New York, NY 10036
(212) 265-2229

Notes to the solo diner: It's not a bad experience to eat at a restaurant all by yourself. Pick a time of day when a restaurant is less likely to be busy so that your servers will be more attentive to your table of one. And don't sit at the table near the window, because people on the street might point and laugh at you (kidding).

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Rice To Riches

Yuzu is Listening To Spring Awakening 2006 Original Broadway Cast see related

©2007 Yuzu Eats

How have I managed to eat at this place several times and not once blogged about it? It's been in my links list since I started this blog. I first happened upon Rice To Riches three and a half years ago. Eatdrink&bemerry suggested I check the place out because...umm, we're Asian and we like rice. ;P But it's so much more than rice — it's all about rice pudding here.

I've eaten here with friends, and I also took my parents here a couple of times. Mom and Dad seem to really like this place because a) their rice pudding is yummy, and b) their public restroom is probably the cleanest non-hotel restroom they've ever seen in New York City. Located right off Mulberry Street in NoLIta, Rice To Riches sticks out like a sore thumb on Spring Street with its futuristic, brushed-metal exterior. Upon entering the store, you see high, white tables shaped like surfboards (or maybe they're supposed to be like rice kernels) and flat-screen televisions displaying colorful, bizarre pop art that mostly has to do with food. I think I recall spotting a doggie on the screen one time, though. Sometimes the TVs display random definitions like "SLEEP: a poor substitute for caffeine."

The ambiance is retro and modern at the same time.

Rice To Riches makes their pudding right in the store, so you can be sure you're getting the freshest rice pudding available. Their flavors carry some interesting names that almost seem to give them their own personalities. Take, for instance, Stubborn Banana or Forbidden Apple. Or maybe you're in the mood for a Cinnamon Sling, Almond Shmalmond, Coconut Coma, Don' Cappuccino or perhaps even Sex, Drugs 'n' Rocky Road. Their puddings can be topped with anything from 'blessings' (toasted coconut) to 'mischief' (graham cracker crumbs). Pudding flavors and toppings vary throughout the year. My dad had a yummy mango pudding last year, but it wasn't there when I went a few weeks ago.

I'm so predictable — I get Understanding Vanilla every time.
It understands how boring I can sometimes be with flavor choices.

It's been a lot of restaurants' and stores' goals lately to be certified green. Using less plastic, more recycled paper and generating less waste in general is what many businesses are doing to help the environment. I've read complaints that the plastic containers in which Rice To Riches serves their rice pudding are not good for the environment. Nay, I say! Why throw away those containers after you're done stuffing your face with rice pudding? From the very first time I went to Rice To Riches, I vowed to save every container I've ever used. The second and third (and fourth) times I ate there, I asked for containers in specific colors because I wanted to complete my collection. I only have the 'solo' sizes, though...not the 'sumo' ones. =O

Their containers are really cute and quite durable, so
I save them and reuse 'em to carry snacks in my bag.

A word of caution: if you are watching your carb intake, it's best to steer clear of Rice To Riches. This place prides itself on being carb-heavy. There's a sign hanging over the cash register that says, "We sell rice pudding. If you don't want that you can have rice pudding. And if you don't want that you can have rice pudding." Rice pudding is pretty much all you get here. And that is totally fine with me.

Rice To Riches
37 Spring Street (at Mulberry)
New York, NY 10012-5723
(212) 274-0008

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La Creperie Café

A great place to dine at on a sunny afternoon is La Creperie Café in Belmont Shore. It's a French café that serves up a variety of delectable savory and sweet crêpes, as well as pastas, salads and sandwiches.

The front of the restaurant on Second Street


The east-facing wall inside the restaurant


A fake window on the west-facing wall inside


Heh...a crazy bicycle stuck on the wall

I always order a crêpe when I eat here. Their pastas and sandwiches are equally tasty, but I think at least one person at the table should order a crêpe, and that person usually ends up being me. Be sure to order a basket of garlic fries to share at the table — they are so yummy, with chopped parsley and real chunks of garlic to satisfy the taste buds.

You cannot have a meal here without the fries!


Au Bon Curry Crêpe
Curry, coconut milk, chicken breast and cilantro cream sauce,
topped with sour cream & mango chutney

©2007 Yuzu Eats

The chicken breast pieces in the crêpe were a good size; actually, they were quite filling. The curry itself was tasty, but I could've done without the mango chutney. Don't get me wrong — I love mango stuff — but I felt that its sweetness tended to overpower the flavor of the curry. When I order a curry dish, I expect to mostly taste the curry. But, in this case, I tasted a whole lotta mango, and only a little bit of coconut milk and curry flavor. About halfway through eating the crêpe, I scraped the mango chutney off of it so that I could enjoy the curry. Not sure about the sour cream on top either. I enjoy sour cream with Mexican dishes, but I've never before had sour cream with curry. It's not an entirely bad combination ('cause it's hard for me to say no to sour cream) — it just caught me by surprise, that's all.

The restaurant is relatively small, so expect a long wait. I've been seated immediately on a week night, but on weekends I've waited up to over an hour to get a table. Weekdays are generally less crowded, especially in the middle of the day when you can also take advantage of their smaller-sized lunch portions at lower prices. If you choose to dine outside, feel free to bring your dog. The major downside about eating outside is inhaling the secondhand smoke of diners who have cigarettes with their meal.

La Crêperie Café
4911 E. Second St. (between Argonne and St. Joseph)
Long Beach, CA 90803
(562) 434-8499

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Bouchon Bakery

Yuzu is Listening To The Best Of Rent: Highlights From The Original Cast Album Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Jesse L. Martin, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Fredi Walker, Idina Menzel, Taye Diggs see related

©2007 Yuzu Eats

When you grab a bite to eat at a shopping mall, you probably think Panda Express, Sbarro, Steak Escape, Hot Dog on a Stick and Cinnabon, right? That's not the case when you're shopping (or window-shopping) at the Shops at Columbus Circle, located inside the Time Warner Center in New York City. But then it's not like the malls most of us are used to, as the building complex is also the home of luxury condominiums, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and the worldwide headquarters of Time Warner. After attending Sunday Mass at a Catholic Church in the Upper West Side last weekend, I strolled down Columbus Avenue and made my way down to Columbus Circle. I went inside a few stores and looked around. But it wasn't until I hit up J.Crew that I was finally able to buy a couple things that wouldn't break the bank. Hooray for "30% off" signage! I was feeling rather hungry after my non-shopping, so I went up to the third floor to check out the Bouchon Bakery, a restaurant I had read about but had never tried.

The express counter had more customers than the actual restaurant.

On a late Sunday morning, you can expect that this place wasn't very crowded. A few couples sat at tables; some families partook in a boulangerie-style Sunday brunch. Since I was dining solo, I opted for the express counter, which serves up delightful sandwiches and a nice selection of freshly baked French pastries. I wanted to try the ham & cheese on a baguette, but someone snatched the last one, and it was going to be at least eight minutes until they brought out some more. So I went with my second choice, a ham & cheese croissant (yes, I do likes me some ham & cheese sammies). I also bought a brioche à tête and a vanilla macaron for dessert.

It was a gorgeous day outside, so I took my food and ate it outside near the fountain surrounding Gaetano Russo's sculpture of Christopher Columbus, right smack in the middle of Columbus Circle. There were quite a few individuals sitting out on the benches, munching away on lunch and listening to their iPod®s or reading a book. I ate my ham & cheese croissant as I perused a Williams-Sonoma catalog. The croissant was perfectly flaky and buttery. The cheese was a bit rich, but it was still yummy. I didn't dig into the macaron until later that day after watching Monty Python's Spamalot down at the Shubert Theatre. It was a nice after-theatre snack. I could really taste the almond flavor in it. The 2½" macaron was chewy, and the filling was rich and buttery. A few hours later, I ate the brioche before catching the evening show of Spring Awakening at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre. It tasted okay, but seemed a bit dry. Perhaps because I waited too long to eat it.

I'd recommend the Bouchon Bakery if you're not against spending around $7–10 for a simple sandwich (or more if you get something fancier). The atmosphere is a nice balance between upscale and casual [mall] dining. If your tummy's not in the mood for a meal, I think this place is worth at least a walk-by of the dessert counter. The way the treats are displayed so prettily will probably make you hungry.

Bouchon Bakery (inside Time Warner Center)
10 Columbus Circle
New York, NY 10019
(212) 823-9366

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Miyabi-Tei on a Sunday

Yuzu is Playing MySims Electronic Arts see related

©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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Mmm...Cream Puffs

Yuzu is Listening To High School Musical 2 Soundtrack see related

©2007 Yuzu Eats

For the most part, I will avoid going to Hollywood — or anywhere in the city of Los Angeles — if I can help it. But two weeks ago my aunt was in town, and my family and I took her around local places so she could see some sights. One of our stops was Hollywood & Highland.

The most exciting thing at Hollywood & Highland (for me, at least) was seeing the hand-, wand- and footprints of the Harry Potter trio in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre. After I put my hands on the cement blocks there, we strolled down to the shopping area and — lo and behold — I spotted Beard Papa. I completely forgot one was located here! ::slaps forehead::

It's so clean and new-looking still. :)


My dad ordered half a dozen, and we ate them while warm — delicious!


I ordered a green tea latte with tapioca, which was refreshing on such a hot day.

My parents and aunt were asking me, "Why is it called Beard Papa?" To which I replied, "The logo has a picture of an old man with a beard." ;P Frankly, I think he looks like a cartoon version of the Gorton's Fisherman.

I generally don't eat at places that have been hyped up on food blogs or TV programs (did you see Pinkberry featured on MTV's The Hills this week? I still haven't eaten there). But I've been wanting to try these cream puffs for a long time. I wasn't disappointed, I'm happy to say. They're so fresh, straight from the oven and pumped full of custard right before your eyes. There was a green tea-flavored cream puff on special the day we went, but unfortunately I didn't try it. :( Sounds like it would've been good, though.

Beard Papa Sweets Café
6801 Hollywood Blvd., Suite 153
Hollywood, CA 90028
(323) 462-6100

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Cupcake & Tea for Dessert

Yuzu is Reading Utterly Me, Clarice Bean Lauren Child see related

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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Frosted Cupcakery

Today my family and I went to Belmont Shore to check out the cupcakes at the new Frosted Cupcakery. It's a really cute little bakery right off Second Street. I bought several cupcakes (because I couldn't decide on just one).

A sandwich board sign on Second Street

©2006 Yuzu Eats

Chocolate Banana Nut


Red Velvet


Royal White Chocolate


Chocolate Vanilla (still in the paper holder thingy)

All their cupcakes are priced at $2.75 each. You can buy one dozen for $28 (at a savings of $5). The frostings on these cupcakes are so yummy. Very creamy and just the right amount of sweetness. The cake can be a bit on the dry side (only slightly), but not so much that it detracts from the flavor of the cupcake. Overall, I'd recommend this cute bakery to anyone who's in the mood for a little sweet snack at a decent price. Plus, the owner is super nice 'n' friendly.

Frosted Cupcakery
195 Claremont Ave.
Long Beach, CA 90803
(562) 987-1080

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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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Giordano's World Famous Stuffed Pizza

You can't visit Chicago without eating a slice of stuffed pizza. I love pizza (who doesn't?), so having some was high on my to-do list on my trip. We ordered takeout from Giordano's on Rush Street. Giordano's is probably the most famous restaurant in the Chicago area for stuffed pizza.

Stuffed pizza with tomatoes and Italian sausage

©2006 Yuzu Eats

The verdict? It tastes all right. The sauce is good, and so is the dough. A bit too much cheese for my liking (but that's what makes it 'stuffed'). I'm glad I got to try Chicago-style pizza in the heart of Chicago, but I prefer New York-style pizza all the way.

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Bananas & Crème

I had a mean craving for a cold blended beverage, so I drove to the Starbucks down the street from my house to buy one of their newest drinks, the Bananas & Crème Frappuccino® Blended Crème. It's like drinking a liquified banana split. That's how strong the banana flavor is. But I like bananas, so it's good to me. The drink combines banana syrup and milk, blended with ice for the ultimate banana refreshment.

©2006 Yuzu Eats

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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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Spaghetti in Little Italy

Another post on Manhattan food! One of my favorite neighborhoods in New York for good eatin' is Little Italy. When I was in the city last week, I made it a point to have spaghetti and meatballs in an authentic Italian restaurant. When strolling along the streets of Little Italy, you tend to get hungry seeing all the signs outside restaurant windows, advertising their yummy lunch specials. It was tough trying to decide where to eat, but we ended up choosing Casa Bella Italian Ristorante on Mulberry & Hester. Good choice!

Spaghetti & meatballs

©2006 Yuzu Eats

This had to be the best bowl of spaghetti & meatballs I've ever eaten. The portion was just the right size. I normally can't finish pasta dishes at restaurants, but this serving was just right for me and my appetite. The meatballs were very tasty and tender...such a wonderful flavor. I can't describe it; it was just so good!

Casa Bella Italian Ristorante
127 Mulberry St. (at Hester St.)
New York, NY 10013
(212) 431-4080

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Breakfast in Central Park

Just returned from New York City. Every time I go there, I love the city more and more. On Friday, we took a stroll up to Central Park from our hotel in the Theatre District. Along the way, we stopped at Le Pain Quotidien on 7th Avenue to buy some breakfast pastries.

Apple turnover

©2006 Yuzu Eats

I took that picture as my dad was holding the apple turnover in Central Park. In addition to the turnover, we had a croissant and brioche (I didn't get to take pictures of those before they got eaten). The baked goods are tasty. Not anything spectacular, but good for a quick bite before a long day of walking around the city.

Le Pain Quotidien
922 Seventh Ave.
New York, NY 10019
(212) 757-0775

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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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Cappuccino

A cappuccino is an espresso coffee that's topped with a combination of foamed and steamed milk. I don't drink cappuccinos, but I sure do like the way they look.

I went out to a long lunch today with my boss, supervisor and several workmates at Hal's Bar & Grill in Venice. One of them ordered a cappuccino after we finished eating lunch, and I couldn't resist taking a picture of it.

©2006 Yuzu Eats

Hal's Bar & Grill
1349 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Venice, CA 90292
(310) 396-3105

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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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