Thursday, December 31, 2009

Taco Mesa pt 2

Ok seriously...my trip to California is complete now...I went back to Taco Mesa for lunch and had THE blackened chicken breast burrito wet. It is seriously amazing, the chicken is seasoned perfectly and blackened on the outside to create the brilliant char-grilled taste. Of course I ordered the chips and salsa along with another Dr. Pepper. My tummy is happy! xo, B

My mom ordered the Mesa burrito, which is stuffed with grilled veggies. It was tasty too...but not like I could ever order that over my usual.


THE blackened chicken breast burrito, wet.


The innards of my burrito, and of course I had to pile on the cabbage, onion cilantro mix with carrots on the side...this is how I do it!


I have to say, their chips are pretty delish too...light cripsy texture, topped off with the perfect amount of salt...and my fave mesquite salsa.

Last Sunset of 2009

Gotta love how beautiful the beach is at sunset. Last sunset of 2009! xo, B


Big Corona


Little Corona

Rubios Fish Tacos

Breakfast: Rubios fish taco with mesquite salsa and Dr. Pepper. Yup, Mexican again...Rubios is a chain Mexican fast food restaurant known for their fish tacos. They are the fried up crispy kind of fish tacos but still clean, light and delicious! I love that it is a staple at these restaurants to have a full salsa bar with extra lime, jalapenos and cilantro...and of course I'm a sucker for fountain sodas. I'm going to miss all this food...xo, B

Simple corn tortilla, cabbage, fish and white sauce.



Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Long Distance


This has been the extent of my relationship with my BF during my vacay...we skype but sometimes he freezes up. Lol, gotta love technology...xo, B

The Chronic 2009




Thanks to my dad, I was reintroduced to Chronic Tacos for dinner the other night. The carnitas were so crispy and tender, I had to go back for seconds! I went for brunch this afternoon and got the carne asada taco, carnitas taco and a bean & cheese burrito. I stocked up for my afternoon snack as well, haha. The tacos were delish...the warm fresh corn tortillas are totally worth the trip to Chronic Tacos...and you can load your meal with whatever you want. I stuck with the basic on my tacos: meat, onions, cilantro, guac and hot sauce...the carne asada was actually my fave this time around. But, their beans are creamy, and make a good classic greasy bean & cheese burrito. I only took a few bites of the burrito, I'm saving it for later...but it was darn good! I love how the logo is so typical OC...stars and the writing in big block letters, graffitti style...aww this stuff makes me miss the OC. Over and out...xo, B


Looks a hot mess...but it is a party in your mouth! There's something about the smell of fresh hot corn tortillas...it reminds me of being a kid.




A meal is never complete in California without my fountain Dr. Pepper or Mr. Pibb...I don't really drink soda in NYC...but when I'm home, I revert back to my childish ways.

Jeggings

My 200th post...woohoo!

Ahmed just emailed me this article from the Huffington Post, this blurb is hilarious...Jeggings should totally make it into the dictionary! I use it all the time, and I'm trying to get my mom to use it since I did buy her two pairs of jeggings for Christmas. Love it...xo, B


'Jeggings' Waits To Receive Entry In Oxford English Dictionary

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First Posted: 12-30-09 09:41 AM | Updated: 12-30-09 10:15 AM

WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?
Jeggings

"Jeggings" is wait-listed to receive an entry in the Oxford English Dictionary, the Guardian UK reports. The jeans-plus-leggings were popularized by super-skinny starlets earlier this year--and made enough of an impression on fashion outsiders during 2009 to perhaps be considered a real word.

"It has been another rich year," said linguistics specialist Susie Dent. "Last year, we found that 'credit crunch' was the most familiar new word, and the effect of the recession has stayed with us through 2009."

According to the Daily Mail UK, "jeggings," along with "staycation," "Tweetup" and "unfriend" will be closely monitored by lexicographers to see if they become permanent fixtures in the language or if their usages fade.

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Saint Candles

Go figure that after searching the different drug stores in the city for these candles, that I would find them so easily at Target. Too bad they're so heavy, otherwise they would be coming back with me to NYC. I have the perfect spot on my white dresser with gold leaf detailing that I refurnished last year. I thought it was getting a little too girly for my apartment, since I share it with the BF...these candles would definitely break up the space, and make it a little more "gothic" looking. The Virgin de Guadalupe is my fave...and they're only $1.99! Next time...xo, B

I Think I'm Turning Japanese...

In preparation for the New Year, my mom and I went off to Costa Mesa to visit Marukai, the Japanese grocery store. We picked up ingredients for our traditional Japanese New Years day feast. Going to this store is like visiting old friends from my childhood...I totally reverted back and picked up some of my fave things pictured above. The Japanese are brilliant at packaging...and especially marketing to little kids...except the Japanese (of all ages) love the big cartoons and Hello Kitty characters, haha. I can't wait for my mom to cook this big meal...it beats cooking it myself back in NYC in a kitchen the fraction of the size. Comforted again by great eats and childhood memories...xo, B

I couldn't help but buy these cute little Hello Kitty chocolate cookie pies...again sucked in by the packaging...and to my surprise, they weren't very good. Oh well...I bought enough other stuff to replace them with.



Just discovered this amazing mayo a couple months ago at the burger joint, Stand...absolutely to die...and I had to leave it in the store, otherwise bad things could happen with this stuff! lol



Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Taco Tuesday!


Taco Tuesday wha wha!? Headed over to Taco Mesa, fave Mexican joint in my old hood. I've never really had their tacos before tonight, but $1 a pop how could you go wrong! My usual is a blackened chicken burrito, wet...to die! But, since everybody's doing it...I decided to have three tacos: shredded beef, chicken and pork. They were all very homemade like, and my mom always likes to stack everything there with the cabbage, cilantro and onion like relish. There was a little too much tortilla for my taco, but they did it right on the shredded pork, which they put on the smaller and thinner corn tortillas. I will definitely be going back for my usual burrito before I leave this trip...I have dreams about that one when I'm back in NYC. But also my fave thing, is the salsa bar...my fave is the mild pulpy one with the perfect mesquite flavoring...and they also have this carrot, cabbage and onion mixture which is so good! Aww...I miss Taco Mesa just writing about it. Love it so...xo, B


Aww...typical Cali style...eveything is tagged up in stickers...love it! This is the side of their drink machine...but the whole restaurant is tagged too.



Best salsa ever!




And, one of the greatest things about being home are all the avocados...they are so tasty! My mom cut up a plate full for me as an accompaniment to my food!


This is not even half the amount of avocados my mom has in the fridge! lol


Just thought this was funny...typical mom fashion, my mom has a fruit bowl full of tomatoes! This woman is the healthiest person I know, all she snacks on are fruits, veggies and nuts!

BOP

Umm...I found BOP magazine at the grocery store today...I didn't even know they still made BOP! I used to buy these back in the day when New Kids on the Block or Joey Lawrence would be on the cover. This just made me feel old...I don't even know who Justin is, and he looks like a 10 year old! Now I kind of wish I still had one of the BOP mags to look through, just to see who I had a crush on, lol. Hilarious...xo, B

Grub Nation

So I ventured back to Wholesome Choice for lunch...I waited in line for about 20 minutes this time to get my hot sangak, and another 20 minutes for my chicken barg plate. The chicken barg is basically like a shish kebab, seasoned grilled chicken, and it came with basmati rice and a grilled tomato (which my mom ate...not into it), oh yeah, and of course I got the ashreshte soup again. Seriously yum! To be honest it wasn't the best chicken barg I've ever had...Ferdussi's is by far the best...but, for fast food type food, it's pretty amazing! xo, B

The Block


We did a little drive to Orange to check out The Block so I could peruse Saks Off Fifth and Neiman Marcus Last Call. The Block is this typical heinous California monstrosity of an outdoor mall. Everything in these malls are usually the massive chain restaurants and stores...but in this case it is awesome for all the discount shopping it has to offer. Discount stores are getting the best merchandise these days. All the designers sell off their excess inventory at the end of the season to these off price stores, and with the economy the way it is right now there is a lot of merchandise to sell. It will definitely not continue this way, since designers are learning to adjust the amount of units they cut, but right now it's a playground for me to play in.

My first stop was Saks Off Fifth...I looked forward to trying on all the shoes. That is a plus when going discount shopping, all the shoes are at your disposal...no asking pretentious retail "specialists" for help. I hid in the back, playing with Prada, Alaia, Miu Miu and Jimmy Choo all sprawled out as we danced about the shoe department together. I didn't end up committing to any of them...the Alaias were my absolute favorite...but still rang up around $550. The wood Prada platforms were the runner up...but they were a tad small! The only thing I did purchase from Off Fifth, was a pair of black Blank denim jeans with side zip ankles and studded back pockets. Super cool, and will be great pair with any of my heels or kicks!











Piperlime sells the same Blank denim jeans for $78...I got them for only $45! Quite the steal...and the denim is super soft, it's like a legging!


Found these shoes at Neiman Marcus Last Call...just thought the soles were super cute!


These were the only kicks I found at Last Call that were somewhat worthy...I had them on my feet for a while...but I had my heart set on high tops as my next purchase of converse, these were cool black sequined chucks, but maybe a little too much bling. Hmm...what do you think BFFL?

My only purchases were this yummy white plain tee by Romeo and Juliet, with a longer back hem the was really pretty and flowing...will be a great layer under my cardis and leather jackets. My fave steal was more of a necessity than a splurge, I bought a handful of my fave Hanky Panky undies for around $10 instead of the usual $18. They are the only thongs I wear, that are the most comfy and stay in place. Sorry...a bit TMI...but amazing price and amazing brand! Loving the discounts...xo, B