The return to Half & Half Teahouse (California - San Gabriel)

     Back post from California - post 3 of 6!  Perhaps what makes posting older pictures more exciting is that I'm going back to California in just a little over a month.  I'm really looking forward to returning to a few of my favorite places as well as visiting a ton of new restaurants. ^___^  Sooooo excited!


     Anyways, a group of us went to visit Half & Half Teahouse in San Gabriel since I was having massive cravings for honey boba.  I'm not sure how they infuse the boba with the honey taste, but keep on doing what you're doing Half & Half Teahouse, because they are out of this world.  Usually boba doesn't tickle my fancy as it only serves as a vehicle for texture contrast, but the honey imparts a subtle sweetness which I <3.  


     The ambiance had changed slightly from our last visit.  Last time it was a rather chill place to hang out and have snacks and boba.  I loved the fact that people were playing WoW (WoW = World of Warcraft) in the back of the teahouse last time!  However, I guess it had gotten a LOT more popular because the place was packed and didn't really seem as conducive to simply sitting down and chilling for long periods of time.  In fact I would have felt quite rude to linger about at a table sipping my boba slowly and snacking with my friends (only because I'm a slow eater) since people were lining up out the door waiting for a place to sit down.  It's good that they are busy though!

     I noticed that in my absence they had added shaved ice to the menu.  Score!  I wanted to try shaved ice for the first time and that was actually on my fooding itinerary for the California trip.  "Find shaved ice," double check!   Since I loved my boyfriend's almond milk tea so much last visit I ordered one this time around (with honey boba, of course).  My boyfriend ordered a sesame milk tea and we also ordered a shaved ice to share.  

     I felt that the almond milk tea had a stronger, more pronounced flavor than the sesame milk tea, but they were both very good.  And it's always a plus when the boba is cooked well, which they were.  No one likes half-way cooked boba!  A few minutes after our drinks arrived, the shaved ice was served to our table.

     I forget what the name it had on the menu, but it had honey boba, custard, caramel, and a scoop of icecream.  I was in heaven, it was just soooo yummy!!!  Each component was flavorful on their own and when tasted all together everything blended harmoniously.  The only sad thing was that there was so much that we couldn't eat it fast enough before it started to melt!  X_x  And melted ice = not so yummy, so eat it quickly!  Well...not too fast.  Too Fast = brain freeze.

     I can't wait to go back, just hopefully it's not during peak hours this time.  XD

Half & Half Tea House

120 N. San Gabriel Blvd.

San Gabriel, CA 91775

(626) 309-9387

RM Seafood (Las Vegas - Mandalay Bay)

     This is yet another back blog from my California trip.  Prior to visiting California we stopped in Vegas for a few days.  I went to a few restaurants in that time frame, one of them being RM Seafood.  I enjoy watching Top Chef and Top Chef Masters, so I was pretty excited to try out Rick Moonen's RM Seafood.  Prior I had visited Richard Blais's Flip Burger in Georgia (which was awesome) and later on in the trip I would visit Bazaar by Jose Andres (where Marcel Vigneron worked for a while...and also very good establishment).


     I had made reservations a month ahead for the general dining room since my friends didn't feel like trying out RM upstairs (mostly due to fears of still being hungry after the pre-fixe).  We were greeted warmly and promptly seated at a table when we arrived.  

     I loved the overall ambiance, it was modern without feeling pretentiousness.  There was a gently rolling stream of water over head near the bar, which I thought was pretty nice and soothing.  Again, I enjoyed the fact that the kitchen was open so you could watch your food being made. =)  

     So we started with an order of the Rhode Island style calamari w/ sweet and spicy cherry peppers ($15).  While it was cooked and seasoned well, I wouldn't say it was anything out of the ordinary for me.  Maybe it's because I live in Florida and always have seafood when I'm home.  My friend from Kansas said it was the best made calamari he had ever had though.  This dish was neither a hit or a miss for me, it was done well but unremarkable.  

     My boyfriend loves BBQ, so we ordered a side of the Mac N' Cheese BBQ style ($12).  We asked for it without jalapeños since my boyfriend detests the taste of them.  Sadly the first one that came out had jalapeños in them. =(  The waiter apologized profusely and then took it back to have another made sans jalapeños.  The second order came and it was cold in the center.  Usually I wouldn't care...but it was a $12 side, so again I asked them if they could rectify the problem, to which they politely obliged.  So it came out a third time, but this time Rick Moonen's son brought the dish over to our table to make sure it was made correctly and that we were satisfied, which I thought was very thoughtful of them and showed that they cared about quality and customer service.  Third time is a charm, it was hot and without any peppers.  =)

     However, despite coming out without jalapeños and freshly made, it didn't titillate our palettes. X_x  It's been almost a year, so I don't remember what about it we didn't like, but it really didn't resonate well with us as a harmonious dish.  Yes, it was mac n' cheese with BBQ in it...but it just didn't really work.  I totally give them an A for effort and customer service though on this one!  Thanks for trying guys, it just wasn't for us.  

     We also shared the "Moon" Doggies which was shrimp corn dogs, cabbage slow, and cilantro mayo ($14).  I think I over hyped the dish after seeing it on Top Chef Masters.  I mean, what's not to love with shrimp in corn dog form?  As much as I loved the novelty, I wasn't blown away by the dish at all.  Again, it wasn't bad by any means, but it didn't blow my socks off either.  It's a corn dog, just with shrimp!  XD

     What did blow me away at RM Seafood was the Oyster Sampler ($3.75 each).  Though I'm totally not surprised that it blew me away, since they emphasize fresh and sustainable seafood.  The oyster sampler exemplifies what RM Seafood does the best: fresh, simply cooked (or in this case raw) seafood.  Again sadly I've misplaced the descriptions of the oysters which I was served (see that little slip of paper in the picture?  I lost that ;_; ), but they all had unique flavors which stood out from your regular run of the mill oysters.    





     For an entrée I had the handmade cavatelli with morel mushrooms, blue crab, and a meyer lemon foam ($25).  Apparently this was taken off the menu at RM Seafood because I can't find the description on the site anymore.  Everything was made well, it's just the flavors were "oh-so-subtle" beyond belief.  I mean, I love subtle flavors, but this was bordering on bland.  =(  My boyfriend told me I should complain, but at this point I felt sooo bad for bugging anyone especially after the Mac N' Cheese fiasco!  Eventually I relented, voiced my opinion (I'm sure I did it very apologetically, I don't like sending food back), and they let me choose something else from the menu.





     I decided just to have something light, so I ordered some sushi: the RM style garlic tuna with big eye tuna, pickled spring garlic, and ponzu and also an order of the RM style red king crab with plum wine gelatin, and shiso leaf.  The fish were extremely fresh, probably one of the best pieces of sushi grade tuna I've had honestly as well as king crab.  I'm not sure the plum wine gelatin did much for me, although the flavor was interesting.  I was pretty satisfied with the sushi overall.





     But with all the ups and downs of the night, the huge highlight of the evening was Rick's tasting game, 16 flavors of icecream and sorbet served blind ($18).  That was all types of fun, trying to figure out what flavors were served just by taste.  There were some eye opening flavors in our mix, specifically I remember guinness, garlic, key lime, and milk (couldn't figure out plain milk for the life of us, lol).  Honestly, it was totally a blast testing out our palettes and arguing amongst ourselves what flavors they could be.  They give you little sheets so you can write down your guesses and when you're done they give you an answer sheet. =)  





     The service at RM seafood was great, the food was hit/miss/middling, and the ambiance was lovely.  Would I return here again to eat?  I probably would, but only for the raw bar and the icecream/sorbet tasting game.  Guinness icecream...how silly. =)


RM Seafood
3930 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Las Vegas, NV, 89119

MILK (California - Los Angeles)

     Back post from California - post 3 of 6!  On our first trip to California we drove by MILK while perusing the Beverly Hills area while waiting for our reservation time at Pizzeria Mozza.  Although it looked pretty interesting, we didn't stop by at that point.  Only after we had returned home to Florida did I look up MILK online and saw that it had some decent reviews.  I made a note of it and the next time we visited Cali we stopped by before our Mozza reservation.  

     I was quite amused since the store is right across the street from the Insomnia cafe, which is used on the Bold and the Beautiful for a set (at least the exterior).  As a result I had a very silly moment in front of the cafe where I threw my head upon my forehead in a dramatic pose (maybe more cheesy than dramatic...) while my boyfriend took a picture.

     Anyways back on topic!  The parking is kind of rough in the area where MILK is located.  There's very limited spaces for parallel parking in the adjacent areas and behind the store.  We had to circle around a few times before we found a spot.  The inside is pretty simple, they have a freezer case with a selection of ice creams and sorbets, and a counter top full of cookies, brownies, and other goodies.  Their menu is pretty extensive as I was just expecting your basic ice cream parlor.  They had soups, salads, sandwiches, pastas, etc.  Pretty impressed to say the least.

     The freezer case was conveniently labeled with what flavors they had available for everything.  Since we were about to grab dinner, we decided to keep it light and ordered some bon bons which can be seen at the bottom of the freezer case in the picture below.  I really wish we could have ordered more; there were so many options and they all looked equally delicious!

     We bought a mix of vanilla and berry.  The bon bons were a tad expensive; I forgot how much we actually paid for them, but in the end I didn't really complain since they were well worth the money.  These days it's a rarity to find a halfway decent bon bon!  The Dibs you find in the freezer section of the supermarket are just not well made and prone to death via freezer burn.  =(       

     The last time I remember enjoying a bon bon as much as the one's in MILK were back when I was a little girl sharing them with my mom and dad at home.  I was really sad when they disappeared off the supermarket shelves and elated when they made a come back recently.  Sadly, Dibs just isn't up to snuff.  MILK's are wonderful though and I wish I lived close enough to indulge in them more than just once every year or two (+ added cost of an airplane ticket).  

     The bon bons at MILK have a light exterior with a satisfying crunch without being too thick.  The ratio of chocolate to ice cream is spot on and the quality of the freshly made ice cream really brought everything together perfectly; there were even random berry bits in the berry ice cream. ^__^  I'll definitely revisit MILK the next time I'm in California, I just don't look forward to searching for parking!


MILK
7290 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 93906455

Jaxson's (Dania Beach)

    In South Florida if you're thinking of going out for homemade ice-cream and over the top presentation (i.e. The Kitchen Sink), you have Jaxson's on the mind!  Jaxson's is a long standing establishment in the Dania Beach area.  I'm not sure you can be a native of the area and not know about Jaxson's to be honest.

   The general ambiance inside and outside of the restaurant is that of nostalgic fun.  There's even an area in the front with candy from both the olden days gone by (I love those wax bottles with syrupy goodness inside them) and today's favorites.  Sweet tarts, pop rocks, rock candy, etc. you name it and they probably have it.

     The decor reminds of of TGIFridays before they turned more modern, back when they were fun and the servers wore nifty hats, buttons, and the like.  The place definitely has personality!  The random humorous  signs everywhere, antique objects, nearly wall to wall license plates, etc.  There's never a dearth of interesting objects to pique your interests while you wait for your food.

     One of my favorite things is the huge popcorn popper they have in their dining room.  I <3 popcorn, it's my favorite snack food ever!  I've made jokes on several occasions that I just want to dive into the popcorn popper ala Scrooge McDuck in Duck Tales (even if it's not THAT big).  Free popcorn which takes the place of a bread service = amazing, in my opinion!  I'm totally biased though on this point. =D

     My friends ordered the artillery dog to share.  The 1lb. artillery dog ($15.25) is described on the menu as "one full pound of the same New York style goodness that made out Mile-Long Dog famous, served in a masterpiece of a toasted bun."  It's massive to say the least.  I mean, it's utterly huge.  I had my friends pose in front of it to give you an idea of scale.

     Sadly I can't comment on how the hot dog tastes, since I've never tasted theirs before.  But I've always been of the opinion, the best compliment you can give to a chef is to clear your plate, which they did. ^__^

     I ordered the Sea Dog ($12.95) which is described in the menu as a "delicious cod fillet beer battered, fried, and served on our famous mile long bun with tartar sauce, coleslaw, and fries."  In all honesty I thought I was getting a sandwich with a fish patty.  Much to my surprise, the picture below is what I received when the server brought my food.

     It's totally a fish fillet cut, battered, and fried in the shape of a hot dog.  I got a laugh out of it.  ^_^ I thought it was cute, creative, and honestly it worked really well!  The fish was moist and it wasn't overly greasy (it's fried fish, there's going to be some grease, tis the nature of fried foods).  The coleslaw and fries were ok, nothing too exciting though.

     The best part of coming to Jaxson's isn't their food, it's their dessert which sets them a class above the other eateries in the area.  They make their ice cream on site and fresh every day.  You can really taste the difference in the quality of the icecream and they have a ton of flavors to choose from.  The icecream is always creamy and has a light texture.  Now depending on what flavor you choose, it can be a bit heavy handed on the sugar, but for the most part I like most of their flavors that I have tried.  In terms of flavors, there are the staples which they always make and then there's also a chalkboard which has the rotating flavors.

     The only downside of eating your dessert inside the establishment is the "sharing" surcharge, which is $1 per person.  I know it's not a lot of money, but it still manages to irk me every time.  The desserts are really big and I honestly don't think the proportions given for most of their desserts are made for just one person to eat.  The only exception is probably the sundae special which you can buy with the purchase of any regular menu item.  The sundae special is basically the equivalent of 2 scoops of ice cream topped with whipped cream.  I feel with the portions being so large, people should be allowed to share their desserts and not feel penalized for not being able to finish it on their own.

     My friend ordered the Black and White goblet which was a mix of chocolate and vanilla with whipped cream, chocolate chips, and a side car of hot fudge.  I don't really have a size comparison for you guys on this one, but it's big (just trust me).  Again I can't comment on the Black and White since I didn't eat it, but it looked pretty!  I'm not really a chocolate fan either, so I probably wouldn't have ordered it.

     I can, however, comment of their waffles!  Their waffles are made fresh to order and topped with two types of ice cream of your choice and then finished with whipped cream.  We just had crunchy peanut butter ice cream on this occasion.  The ice cream was great, it tasted of freshly ground peanut butter instead of the mainstream peanut butter you could purchase from a super-market.  My favorite part of the dessert was the waffle as it was really fun to eat!  The waffle is in the shape of a flower (well, it looks flower-like to me) and you can tear off the "petals," add a dollop of ice cream, and nom away to your heart's content.  ^____^  Om nom nom nom!    

    I've had a few of their other flavors before, some of which I've enjoyed and others not so much.  Their coconut, butter pecan, and praline pecan are outstanding while their strawberry cheesecake is pretty heavy on the sugar.  I could only eat a few bites of the strawberry cheesecake ice cream without feeling like I should be in a sugar induced coma.

     <3 for Jackson's, it's always a great place to go have something sweet.  Just find a flavor that you love and have it any way that you please whether it's in a parfait, sundae, milk shake, etc.  Make sure you come early though because it can get pretty crowded late at night and there can be quite a wait to get in!

Jaxson's Ice Cream
Dania Beach
128 S Federal Highway
(954) 923-4445