Best Gourmet Fast Food Burgers

Scarfing down a big juicy burger may not be so cute, but heck! A good burger makes me and my tummy feel good!

Recently, I visited my boyfriend’s work in Cypress during his lunch break. He took me to this burger place called Paul’s Place. We went in, and there was a sign that said “We’re a gourmet fast food place.”

Gourmet?

As I sat in the cozy burger joint eating a fabulous hot pastrami sandwich, I had a revelation. I want to go on a burger adventure. (Why was I thinking about more food while I was eating food?)

I’ve already had my share of cheap burgers from McDonald’s to Carl’s Jr.
Check!

I’ve had slightly fancier burgers like Steve’s Burgers and restaurant burgers like Red Robin.
Check!

I’ve also had expensive Kobe burgers and even made my own trendy burger at The Counter.
Check!

Well then. Now, I will create a new genre in between Wendy’s and Denny’s burgers.. and I will name it.. Gourmet Fast Food Burgers! (Oh oh! In-and-Out totally belongs in this genre!)

Perfect. Now, after some extensive research and burger munching, here are my top three:

1. Five Guys Burger (restaurant pictured in beginning of post)
Indulge in your dream burger! It’s kind of exciting when there are 16 different sauces and toppings to choose from, and they are all free. The fries are a little salty, but you can get them regular or cajun (we tried the cajun). It’s so big one order easily feeds two.

20700 Avalon Blvd
Carson, CA, 90746
11:00am-10:00pm Daily
www.fiveguys.com

2. The Habit Burger
Onion rings are to die for.. (and I dont even like onions!) It’s perfectly seasoned and super crunchy ($1.95). Their Charburger ($2.95) tastes fresh and juicy, the fries are thick cut and yummy! I liked how they have peppers like jalapeno to crunch on, and they have malt vinegar for the fries.

3829 West Torrance Boulevard
Torrance, CA(310) 316-4048‎
Mon-Sat: 10:30am-9:00pm
Sun: 11:00am-8:00pm
www.habitburger.com

3. McCormicks and Schmicks Burger
I know, this is probably considered a restaurant burger, but I included it in this category because during happy hour, this plate of cheeseburger and fries is only $2.95! This juicy burger (one bite and you’ll know what I mean!) was the highlight of my day. The really hot wings ($3.95) were quite spicy and the zucchini fries ($1.95) were piping hot and delicious!

2101 Rosecrans Ave.
El Segundo, CA 90245
Prices only available during Happy Hour!
Mon-Thurs: 3:30pm 6:30pm & 9:00pm-11:00pm
Fri: 3:30pm-6:30pm & 9:30pm-11:00pm
www.mccormickandschmicks.com

Ahhhh.. With a tummy so happy, who cares if it’s pouring rain outside and your car just ran out of battery and won’t start… (btw, this really happened the day I was burger tasting)

p.s. All these burger places have other locations besides the ones I’ve listed, so peek at their website to find out if there is one near your area!

Glow-in-the-Dark Jello (with Gin and Tonic!)

Glow in the Dark Jello?! Perfect for Halloween! This amazing little food invention was discovered by British food-design / architecture team Bompas & Parr who worked with an explosives expert to create this luminous, super cool Halloween treat for the big kids. The explosives expert came up with an edible ingredient that when added to Jell-O, it would cause this eerie glow. It turns out, when you add TONIC WATER to the jiggly-wiggly dish, it will appear to glow under the black light because of the quinine which is UV reactive! Scary and totally awesome!

Here’s Bompas & Parr’s yum-yum recipe:

INGREDIENTS
• 150 milliliters gin, such as Hendrick’s
• 300 milliliters Indian tonic water
• 50 milliliters Simple Syrup
• Splash of rose water
• 5 gelatin leaves
• UV black light

INSTRUCTIONS
Combine gin, tonic water, simple syrup, and rose water in a large heatproof measuring cup; set aside.

Cut gelatin leaves into fine pieces and place in a heatproof bowl. Add enough gin and tonic mixture to cover and set aside until gelatin softens.

Place softened gelatin mixture over a pan of simmering water and heat until gelatin leaves are fully melted.

Remove gelatin mixture from heat and stir in the remainder of the gin and tonic mixture. Strain back into the measuring cup. Pour into a jelly mold or bowl and refrigerate until set.

Unmold jelly by briefly immersing the mold or bowl in a bowl of hot water, then invert over a serving plate. For maximum effect, turn off all the lights and switch on a black light, then serve the glowing jelly to thrilled diners.

Ta-dah!

Total: 20 mins, plus time to set
Active: 20 mins
Makes: About 3 servings

Source: www.chow.com

Saying Goodbye to Apartment 302

Goodbyes are always bittersweet. If you want to get cheesy, you can say it marks the end of one story and the beginning of another. However, in the end, even the tiniest of goodbyes always make me sad.

Today, our dearest Mari and Bao said sayonara to their super cute apartment #302. And it was funny because I think I was more upset about it than them. It’s not like they lived together for that long, but I just felt that these past couple of years, the girls and I did a lot of growing up. And I felt, a lot of my personal growing up took place at their lovely apartment.  And Bao and Mari sure knew how to make me feel welcome!

Their apartment was really cute. It was a charming two bedroom with really nice tall ceilings. (You can see Mari’s old room somewhere below^^) I remember laughing with Alisa when we saw the (ugly) seafoam green railings, but other than that, the apartment was so perfect for all our little GNOs and all our get-togethers with the gang.

Well, the girls threw a goodbye Bari Apartment (Bao+Mari=Bari) at my request (how sweet of them), and yes, I was the last one standing…or more like, last one out because I knocked out cold on the floor. The night was pretty much a blur, but I don’t remember the last time I had so much fun just talking nonsense for so many hours with all our good friends. I bet if Alisa ever reads this post, she’s gonna roll her enormous twinkly eyes and call me a drama queen, and yea, I’ll admit to being a big ball of melodrama. But I just wanted to take this time, before I went to bed, to pretty much log and close this part of our girly history with each other. So don’t hate.

Group shot in the tiny kitchen.

View from Veranda

Mari’s cute bedroom.

Clair

Beautiful decorations! I think Alisa took the lead on this one.

Jason and Garrett

Bao, Jason and Mari Fruit – kawaii

Mari takes a bite of her first dinner at #302 and vows to only wear clothes that match the front door.

So goodbye lovely apartment #302! We will miss you along with the overpriced ikea couch, super old-fashioned, tiny silver TV from the ’80s, your double-paned windows and beautiful seafoam green door and railings! (and I will probably get killed for posting all these pics…)

Lomo Arigato – Gourmet Peruvian Food Truck

There are not a lot of cuisines where condiments have more fans than the main dish. When most people think of Peruvian food, I wouldn’t be surprised if the first thing that comes to their mind is the mmm.. green sauce. Don’t get me wrong, Peruvian food is absolutely fabulous! But this secret blend makes me sigh, I’m so in love..

(Snap!!)

So the reason why I’m ranting and raving about Peruvian food is because our friend, Eric Nakata has been working on a project called Lomo Arigato, a mobile food truck full of delicious Japanese-inspired Peruvian food, including my long time favorite – the Lomo Saltado. With thin strips of beef, onions, french fries and tomatoes all pan-fried and tossed in red wine vinegar and soy sauce, this steamy dish is sure to make your tummy smile with happiness. AND! Let’s not forget that it includes the (drum roll) Aji sauce, a.k.a. the green sauce. He’s currently working on two kinds, so I’m excited to try them both.

This food truck will be running all throughout Los Angeles and the South Bay (our home town!) and is scheduled to start operating in mid-August.

Tune into www.lomoarigato.com to see where Lomo Arigato will be making its first appearance. They are also busily updating their facebook and twitter so that fans like me can figure out where the heck they are.

Don’t we all enjoy a little chase when we’re in love?

Also, Lomo Arigato was featured in Good Day LA so check it out here!

Keep your eyes peeled for this logo!!

i <3 lomo arigato

Jin Patisserie

Before I landed my current job as a flight attendant, I had the cutest job ever.  I forgot how spoiled I was until I recently looked at their website. I used to be the assistant for Kristy Choo, a chocolatier and owner of Jin Patisserie. I had access to all the chocolates, cakes and cookies in every flavor you could ever dream of.

My absolute, hands-down favorite is the sea salt caramel chocolate. I could not get enough of gooey caramel mixed with just the right amount of sea salt and dusted with bitter-sweet chocolate. The cakes are like art, all adorned with pieces of chocolate, fruit and edible flowers. Words cannot describe how wonderful these sweet treats are.

Hidden away in the city of Venice, this super cute garden café is located on Abbot Kinney Boulevard. If you don’t have your peepers wide open, you may just miss this place. But even if you don’t live in Venice Beach, you can order them online (no cakes, however).

I’m surprised I didn’t gain weight while I did this job. Well, maybe I did, but I sure didn’t notice because I was so darn happy there. While regular jobs get regular brewed coffee in the morning, I got freshly ground Italian coffee, steamed milk and a brown sugar cane stick. Then, I’d prance around looking for chocolate shavings and little pieces of butter cake. That’s how spoiled I was.

I will never take anything for granted. EVER!

Jin Patisserie
1202 Abbot Kinney Boulevard
Venice, CA 90291
310.399.8801
Tues–Sun 10:30am to 7:00pm
Mondays closed
www.jinpatisserie.com

Outdoor sitting area…enjoy afternoon tea!

Girls Only Vacation in San Francisco

So the girls and I went on a trip to San Francisco…one of the many reasons why the site hasn’t been updated in so long. Sorry all!

Anyhow, it was a nice relaxing trip (other than the fact that I got so freakn’ sick). and with the help of everyone, we were able to take some flix of super cute goodies and cute places. Here are some of our finds and adventures:

Free Gold Watch

This is where Miya, Alisa’s lil sis, works. It’s an adorable and really cool work studio plus retail shop.

Loyal Army on Haught Street

Adorable, contemporary tees, bags, backpacks and other knick-knacks.

Cute baby clothes too

The girls looking around the store…

Cute Coffee Shop

OMG, the cutest coffee shop with the best grilled cheese + tomatoes. Really cute outside sitting area. What was this place called again? Bao, Alisa Aisa (nice catch Mar..oops) , help me out!  Oh that’s right, it was called BAZAAR!

Museum

This museum has a centralized rain forest with all the different layers with a bunch of different animals. On certain days of the week, they play music, dim the lights a bit and have cash bars throughout the museum. The museum also had…

Dinosaurs!

Tons of fish! Bao and I like this guy’s big lips.

Albino alligator. Kinda looks like a chicken.

Live roof. Really cool! But really COLD!!!

Renegade Craft Fair

Here’s just a single pic, but this fair deserves a post of its own.

Wine Tasting in Sonoma

How could we go up north and not go to Francis Coppola Winery? The wine was really great. The zinfandel won our hearts. Only available at the winery, some boutique wine stores and a few restaurants.

This one was yummy too.  You can find this one in most wine stores.

Cute Sofia is always on our list.

Ahhh, it was a nice trip. I’d like to say a very special thank you to dearest Miya, who took awesome care of us. It was nice to see you, you were a great tourguide and it touched me so much to see you all grown up.  Hope we didn’t wreck your place too much. Much love!!!!

By the way, Miya also has a book out (for 18 and older only).

Check it out here: www.sometimebooks.com

Cute Izakaya in LA

At LIVINGcute, we like to share cute, cool things. So why not share yummy food at a place called “Musha”!

Cindy talks about our mini get togethers called GNO a.k.a. Girls Night Out. It’s so much fun to round up the bunch for a night to gossip and laugh at our (sometimes) extremely stupid jokes. Add a pitcher of beer to that equation, and the stupid jokes become even funnier.

Quite a few of our GNO’s have been held at a cute restaurant called Musha in Torrance, CA. Musha is an izakaya, a Japanese version of the tapas bar. There you order various plates of food to share and its super fun because everyone can try a little bit of everything! We probably don’t even need a menu because we almost always order the same things – M.F.C a.k.a. Musha’s fried chicken, crispy chicken served with ponzu (soy sauce with a hint of citrus) and grated daikon radish; Ebi Mayo Mayo, deep fried shrimp with a creamy mayonnaise sauce (pictured above); the house salad; and the cheese risotto. Don’t get scared by the hunk of cheese that the cheese risotto comes in. (You’ll know what I mean when you order it!)

So if you ever see a group of four tipsy girls being a teeny bit too loud, giggling away and not acting their age at all…come over and say HI!

It’s probably us..

Tip: this restaurant gets packed real quick! So get there early!

Musha
1725 West Carson Street
Torrance, CA 90501
310.787.7344

Mon-Sat 6:00pm-11:30pm
Sun 6:00pm-10:30pm

Introductions are in Order!

I’ve just been blabbing away these past few weeks, but it looks like it’s time for some intros. I talk a lot about Bao, Mari and Alisa, but who the heck are these people?

Well, let’s start from the top. These three gals are my best friends for many years now. We’re simple girls living throughout LA and we all enjoy cute things, whether it be fashion, makeup, technology…pretty much ANYTHING cute.

Bao, aka Baoie, is our awesome trend-setter and dance machine. She’s a tiny, short lil one with a supreme sense of fashion. She also has some amazing pearly whites. Her claim to shame is going to Disneyland and not being able to find California Disney…

Mari, aka Mar, is everyone’s big sis. She takes care of us with magical beverages. She can sniff out cuteness light years away and her parties always rock. She pronounces “pancakes” as “pain-cakes” which I always found quite funny.

Alisa, aka Ari, is my bff since age three.  She is the epitome of a Scorpio with a touch of Martha Stewart. Bet you never met one of those before.  We are polar opposites. Why are we friends again?

I’m Cindy, the organizer/planner with an obsession for cute gadgets, diamonds and things like Milk Toof. A lot of people love to vent to me, and I can listen to their grunts and moans for hours. Sometimes I wonder if I’m just a nice, caring person or simply amused at other people’s misery. I hope it’s the former…

G is the techy, web guru working all the code behind the cuteness. He doesn’t get enough credit and for some reason, doesn’t want to be associated with this site. I can’t imagine why.

Please don’t hesitate to say hello sometime… <3 <3

We always have waaaay too much fun with our fobby poses.

How to Spot a Bastard by His Star Sign – Gemini Horrorscope

Did you just break up with your cynical Aquarius boyfriend of 3 long years? Or are you in the dating scene and wondering why that date with the Taurus hottie was so insanely boring?

Well if that’s the case, you must not have read this book, How to Spot a Bastard by His Star Sign. This book gives you the darker, funny side of astrology and horoscopes and describes in detail, all the horrible things about the men you date based upon his star sign. It comically explains why the self absorbed Leos always want to be the center of attention and the reason you got suckered by the Scorpio’s smooth-talking, sadistic manipulations.

We’ll begin by highlighting this month’s star sign, the Gemini. Born in between May 22 and June 21, the men born under this sign are said to be possessed with multiple personalities. Here’s an excerpt directly from the book:

Relationships:
Relationships just don’t hold much appeal or a Gemini bastard. The hours are terribly inconvenient. Intimacy is stifling. Monogamy sucks. Rules are stupid. And as for the thought of spending time alone with you –that’s absolutely terrifying. See, you could get too close. Then you’d want to know what’s deep down inside of him. And he’s afraid to show you because he’s not quite sure what’s down there himself. (Our bets are on a primordial black hole.) This is why he’ll prefer to keep you as just an acquaintance. Even after you’re married to him.

But there’s good reason for his behavior: He’s possessed. No, don’t call the exorcist. This isn’t a medieval chant, holy water, and crucifix thing. It’s worse. A Gemini Bastard has many demons-a multitude of personalities living inside him, each of whom qualifies as a bastard in his own right.

How to Intrigue One
Don’t require sympathy. Or consistency. Or fidelity. Or company. Don’t ask where he is going. Or when he might be coming back. Or if he’s coming back. And don’t’ ever ask anything more emotionally demanding than “how are you?” or “Where did you get your shoes?”

If You Dump Him
Gemini will suddenly discover he definitely does have deep feelings for you. Feelings you have hurt. Terribly. Irrevocably. His heart is shattered. His soul destroyed. His life is meaningless. How could you do this to him, you…you…what was your name again?

Taken direction from How to Spot a Bastard by His Star Sign by Adele Lang & Susi Rajah

More info to come on other star signs soon!

Click Here to Buy

How to Make a Cute White Gummy Bear Cocktail

LIVINGcute is definitely huge a fan of Gummy Bears (aka Gummi Bears). It’s a cute, mini, colorful bear treat that we all grew up with and love indefinitely. And of the entire bunch, isn’t the very best flavor the mysterious tropical WHITE bear????

Well, Mari, our very own cute beverage specialist, was informed by a little bird, a fantastic concoction that tastes exactly like the white gummy bear candy. No exaggeration. The recipe is unique and it will definitely taste better and more accurate than any you find on Google.

Required Ingredients:

• 1oz raspberry vodka (or a bit of white cranberry for a virgin drink)
• 1/2oz sweet and sour
• 1/2oz peach schnapps
• Splash of sprite

Mix!

The great thing about this mini-cocktail is that you can adjust to your liking and it will pretty much taste the same. Of course we like our drinks on the stronger side…maybe that’s why I can never wake up after our GNOs…

Enjoy! It’s a cute drink to start any night out!

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