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!

Hello Kitty Exhibit

It’s the final week of the Hello Kitty exhibit at ROYAL/T Cafe, and we were there to experience history in the making. It was a celebration of 35 years of Hello Kitty, and it was simply amazing. The exhibit itself was collaboration with a multitude of artistic talent. You were able to see anything from Lady Gaga dressed up in a playful dress made of Hello Kitty plush dolls, six foot tall Hello Kitty with BOOBS and even a Mona Lisa Kitty. There were tons to look at , and I was even able to see some old school Hello Kitty items I had when I was 10 years old.

Since the event was held at the ever-popular cosplay cafe ROYAL/T, we were even able to devour some Hello Kitty dishes, specially made for this fabulous event. I had the ham and cheese Hello Kitty Tramezzini and some ROYAL/T Milk Tea. I even had some dessert, the Super Yummy Waffles (the waffles were ehhhh, but the syrup was delicious and what are you gonna do, they were HELLO KITTY SHAPED!)

Also, each night of this event was themed, and tonight was GYARU Beauty Parlor night! The literal translation of GYARU is simply GAL. GYARUs are typically super tan, crazy hair curled to the max, wear super trendy outfits and are often seen with an insane amount of thick mascara. Therefore, tonight, you could have gotten glammed up and done up by professional hair/makeup artists, get your nails done and pictures taken. Didn’t participate in any of this, but it was certainly entertaining to watch.

Anyhow, it was a fun, sweet night. It was an honor to celebrate Kitty-chan’s 35th year. Yay!

Enjoy all my photos below ^^

Bling Kitty…It’s like the music player.

Lady Gaga with anime eyes.

Lady Gaga in Hello Kitty Plush Doll Dress

This was super tall and had a busty chest!

We love UFO Catchers! (aka crane game)

Cute Hello Kitty Figure

My Hello Kitty Dinner

And Dessert!

Hello Kitty Appliances

More Hello Kitty appliances and gadgets

Do you see the Hello Kitty Eva Airplane in the background?

Mini Hello Kitty Food

Hello Kitty and Toki Doki

I like the skulls and kitty.

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!

“Eye Shopping”

Bao and I love to shop! But we all know that it can also become a very bad habit. When you have bills to pay, it’s certainly hard to buy everything that you fancy.

Nonetheless, we vow to never give up looking and trying on cute things! We’ll get bored on a random day and have an itch to go shopping. That’s when we head out to Melrose in Los Angeles to do some “eye shopping”.

Our two most favorite stores on Melrose – actually the only two that we go to – are Gossip and Paper Doll. Gossip has cute dresses and tops that are unique and trendy. When you get bored of Forever 21, this is your spot. It feels like a boutique, where you can find one-of-a-kind pieces.

Then, we head over to explore Paper Doll, just a few stores down from Gossip. This store has all your slouchy basics that you can incorporate into any wardrobe. The black cardigan is still a staple in my closet.

Most of the time, we walk out both stores empty-handed. But we’re content and happy. We also feel guilt-free that we didn’t spend a dime. We look at each other and say, “I’m so proud of you!”

Perhaps our “eye shopping” escapades are just a lame-o excuse to do just that. But to us, shopping is not just about buying things. It’s like stepping into an art gallery. We look, discuss, squeal and we walk out, excited that we just saw something super cute!

Gossip
7322 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90046
323.939.1286
Mon-Sun 11:00am-8:00pm
http://www.myspace.com/137714001

Paper Doll
7312 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90189
323.857.6647

Secret Tip: So..the exception to this eye shopping policy is if we find something one of us absolutely needs to have.. we will only purchase it after careful consideration (is it something you will love for a long time?) and the approval of the other. Now that you know the rules, time to go “Eye Shopping!!” ☺