You Don't Have to be Vegan to Love Native Foods Cafe

 

I was having lunch with a couple of friends and we wanted to try something vegetarian/vegan, to take a break from our carnivorous lives. Since we all worked in Costa Mesa/Santa Ana, we decided to take a hit at The Camp. The Camp itself is an amazing place, but right now I want to focus on a particular eatery there: Native Foods.

We’ve been to other vegetarian/vegan restaurants but by far, Native Foods was all around the best for a group of meat-eaters. Nice space, very open yet close, décor nice, no lights, just sun (this was lunch time) the cashiers were friendly and fast to sign us up, free drink right then and there, it’s a self serve refill drink station but servers are always kind continuously going to you and getting your refill for you. Ask for a to-go cup before you leave. One of my friends was going to ask our server for a to-go cup, but he beat us all to it and gave all of us to-go before she even got a chance to ask. Now that's what I call service!

Twister Wrap

Our asked us if we were first timers at Native Foods and if we were vegan or not. Usually people are reluctant to call themselves first timers, let alone vegan, so we were sort of hesitant to answer. It wasn't because we were shy or embarrassed, just usually whenever we dined at a healthy/meat free environment we got different vibes. (But as you've noticed in my blogs, I'm starting to shed out of that shell and be more comfortable wherever I dine out). We said yes but that did not stop him from giving us optimum service. He welcomed us, explained the first time friendly dishes and offered us his assistance if we needed any. We decided to try the twister wrap, nuevo nachos and chicken burger. These items for specifically marked as first time popular dishes, plus I've seen reviews of these particular entree's online as well. Our food came not more than 10-15 minutes later. The food looked and tasted great, wouldn’t even know it’s not real meat, wouldn’t even think it’s vegan, (some) gluten-free AND healthy. 

Nuevo Nachos

This was truly a great experience. I'm surely going to be a repeat customer. If you're on your meatless/healthy days and you're looking for something healthy and delicious, I recommend  you try out Native Foods Cafe. You'll barely notice this place is vegan. Native Foods gets 5 stars in my book for my healthy eating with their delicious entrees and 5 stars for leaving me with a smile on my face for happy living.

This Native Foods Cafe is located at The Camp in Costa Mesa (Next to South Coast Plaza). Visit their website at www.nativefoods.com for a location near you.

Why just eat? When you can Nobu.

If you enjoy food, like I do, and cost does not bug you. Los Angeles IS your city. The cross between East Asian cuisine, Californian freshness, and social revolutions has created the hot spot of the world for food.

One of the best place for Sushi in LA is Nobu, with three individual dining areas, I was fortunate enough to sit at one of the booths where the sushi masters was an eye shot away. In Japan, you get traditional, the best tasting freshest fish in the world. However, at Nobu, Los Angeles, you get innovative, sexy, once in a lifetime exploration of your senses. From spicy to savory, sweet to bitter, everything is in balance. The food is not traditional Japanese sushi, but they obey the strictest laws of balancing your experience.

The Bar (ask for their sake list) 

Wagu Beef Flambé ('nuff said)

Yellow Tail Sashimi w/ Raw Pepper (perfect blend of flavors) 

Rock Shrimp Tempura w/ Butter Ponzu

Dining at Nobu is reserved for the most special of occasions, their desire is to feed you the best LA can offer. I would argue, there is nothing sexier than an asian man handing you a plate of fatty fish belly meat served with soy sauce. 

If Nobu does not give you a food-gasm, you are either too drunk (from their intense cocktails) or dead. 

--Enjoy

Moroccan never tasted so good

Last Saturday DishClips hosted a Dine-With-DishClips event at Asha Moroccan & Mediterranean Kitchen in Long Beach. It turnedout to be a lot more popular that we had planned and some of our foodie fans had to wait nearly two hours to get seated. But the food was well worth the wait (For those of you who waited ). After nearly an hour of waiting outside we snagged a tiny table by the entrance and got busy. My favorite was the Batatas which are crispy fried potatoes sautéed in our home-made cilantro and garlic sauce. I could eat an order of these on my own, oh wait, I did! The lighting is not very picture friendly at Asha.

Batatas

Next up was the Grape Leaves which have extra lean ground beef, rice, tomatoes, and mint rolled in a grape leaf and are slowly cooked with lemon juice. I like the idea of beef in grape leaves. Most places just stuff them with veggies which is nice but for us carnivores it leaves a bit to be desired.

Grape Leaves

The Lamb with Prune and Chicken with Potatoes should have a more fancy name to match the fancy taste. I'm very big into lamb and I have to say that this was one of the better dishes I've had in Southern California (I'll save my lamb exploits in New Zealand for another post).

 If you're ever in the Long Beach area Asha is your best bet for Moroccan food. Don't forget the extra garlic sauce.

Fuji Grill: A New Way To Experience Sushi

Imagine your favorite sushi and all the contents mixed together in a bowl. Enjoy the authentic taste of sushi but experience it differently.

Fuji Grill is a fast dining restaurant with authentic Japanese food. Although their teriyaki and rice bowls are popular, it’s their sushi bowls that caught my attention. Yes, you heard me right. Sushi. In a bowl. I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to try an Alaskan roll in a bowl. I went here with my cousin for lunch one day after feeling the need to eat healthy since she went to the Orange County Fair the day before.

Half and Half Sushi Bowl

She and I ordered the Alaskan bowl (Alaskan Roll: Salmon (sashimi), Imitation Crab, Rice) and the Half and Half bowl (spicy tuna roll and a California roll in one: spicy tuna, imitation crab, sliced avocado, rice). Along with the bowl comes a side of edamame, which just hits the spot as an appetizer before moving on to the main course. It was a burst of flavor. I mixed the ginger and a dime size of wasabi (just the way I’d make a dipping bowl for my sushi) and sprinkled it with a few layers of soy sauce, sirachi sauce, and their house teriyaki sauce and dug in. WOW. It never thought I could love sushi even more. Yeah, it’s just as great in a bowl like it is as rolls. Granted Rolls as very much cleaner, faster and easier to eat, but if you have the time and want to eat portions of your favorite roll then I recommend trying Fuji Grill.

Alaskan Bowl

Fear not, they do have sushi rolls as well as salad bowls. I love sushi and all kinds of Japanese food. If their bowls are fresh, I would highly think the rest of their menu items are worth trying. My bowl, along with a drink (buy separately) came up to $10. About the same amount you’d pay for a roll, plus it was fast dining and a healthy meal. And to think they couldn’t be any healthier, you can substitute brown rice with any bowl.  Took a liking to brown rice, or at least now I tolerate it and appreciate how healthy it really is. But I tell ya, the brown rice is just a space filler to the meat/fish of your bowl. It’s just a filling, you’ll barely even notice the difference, you’ll just realize that you’re eating something healthy and delicious.

Fuji Grill is located in Orange County with 11 locations, 3 more coming soon. Find one near you, It’s healthy eating, delicious tasting and will surely make you feel the happy living J

www.fujigrill.net

Bagel Me! Not Just for Bagels Anymore…

If you ever find yourself in the mood for bagels, but its lunch time, I have just the place. ‘Bagel Me!’ with its many OC locations, my favorite being in the Orange Circle, has a great variety on their lunch menu including smoothies, salads, bagel sandwiches, and surprisingly amazing burgers! Of course, their breakfast is tasty too having almost an infinite supply of cream cheese flavors for your pleasure.

Omelette & Cottage Fries

Friendly staff and plenty of tables inside and out make this place feel at home, just hand over the coffee to let me enjoy the nice day out in sunny California. As for the food, each morning their assortments of bagels are made fresh at each location. This makes creating your sandwich or bagel melt quite simple. Just start off with a bagel, the toppings you want, or just check out the menu’s choices. If you’re looking for something spicy, choose the cheese jalapeno bagel, sweet, get a Glazer bagel, or take the healthier route with a multigrain bagel. They are pretty customizable too, thinking it has too much dough for a sandwich, no problem; just ask them to scoop out the middle. Wallah, one tasty sandwich, bagel chips and a side of homemade cinnamon baked apples ready to go.

As I said before, their burgers are amazing! Mouth-watering, get messy, split in half and share it kind of burger. Plus something about the cottage fries (small circular French fries) with a side of ranch or
ketchup just hits the spot. Ordering up a Bacon Avocado Cheeseburger topped with Tillamook cheddar, lettuce, tomato, pickles, homemade super sauce and the added caramelized onions as my personal finishing touch comes out towering high held together by a toothpick. Splitting it or not, cut this colossal burger in half unless you plan on getting messy, a classic sign of a good meal.

So next time you’re craving a bagel, get your grub on at Bagel Me!

Chicken Maison: Healthy Mediterranean Cuisine

Even though I’ve lived in the Orange County area for quite some time now, I only really exposed myself to the eateries in about a 5-mile radius from my house and CSUF. Since I work in Santa Ana/Costa Mesa, I asked colleagues where the good eats were. One of them told me to try Chicken Maison. Do you know a person whom you trust their judgment before trying something out?  Like a food maven? Well I’ve got a friend just like that. I told her about Chicken Maison and she checked it out for lunch one day. First thing she said was that the place was dubbed “Healthy Mediterranean” but we’ll be the judges of that. She could tell it was healthy because she said that she didn’t have that “super full” feeling after lunch but she was more than satisfied with her meal. That’s really all it took for me to crave it so the next day I had lunch with a colleague at Chicken Maison. 

Menu at Chicken Maison

We both ordered the ¼ chicken with 2 sides and pita bread for $7 (about $1 more for lemon or spicy-lemon flavored). We decided to get 4 different sides to try a variety. The sides were Greek coleslaw, potato salad a la Maison, hummus, and Maison whole rice. It was respectable to say the least. I asked the owner, who just happened to be my server, how he makes his food so tasty and healthy. His secret: he doesn’t use mayonnaise (which takes away about 1000 calories per 100g of food) but rather uses a tart and very light vinaigrette and his sides are always fresh. The chicken was very moist and flavorful even without the sauce (complimentary on the side), which made it better. It’s pretty cheap for the price of the food but the service was nothing short of friendly and quick.

So on to my checklist: Chicken Maison is in fact delicious. It really is healthy eating. And I left with a smile on my face and a satisfied belly.  Go try Chicken Maison for some Healthy Mediterranean Cuisine and add a check mark to your happy living as well.

Check out www.ChickenMaison.com for a location nearest you. They even do catering!

Fashion, Art, and Food at the Getty Center

The Chinese Theatre, the Hollywood Sign, Disneyland are a few of the most recognizable stops in southern california. However, for artist, foodies, and overall culture enthusiast. On the hills near Westwood, CA off the 405 Freeway exists one of the Los Angeles most visited sites, The Getty Center. This museum holds and hosts some of the greatest art exhibits in the United States.

At the Center, the photography of Herb Ritts is being shown. His revolutionary work in fashion photography is displayed. Including a wall of his cover photos for Vogue, Elle, and Vanity Fair. If you enjoy art, fashion, and photography, this exhibit is something you can not miss. His understanding of the human body in motion, while exploring the muscled lines of a still body, creates a stoic, erotic, and exploratory connection between the audience and the artist.

The Getty also holds breath taking collection of art and artifacts from the Middle ages to modern sculptures, which allows the visitors to explore art throughout the ages and genres. The adventure of the museum is not only about the art. The gardens, and a physical architecture of the museum is also extraordinary. Remember to look down at the floor and the walls and awe at the limestone that built this multi-acer space. Enjoy the openness of this special secret of Los Angeles.

Finally, do not forget to make reservations at the restaurant, the ambiance is a cross between french elegance and californian ease. The food is a excellent example of casual fine dining.

The water mellon salad, dressed with a strawberry jelle, was superb in its balance between sweet and bitter. The addition of the radish also gave it the needed crunch to the soft fruit. While I do not normally enjoy goat cheese, it added a creaminess allowed the flavors to blend properly into a balance.

The roasted chicken, on baby carrots with a sweet potato pure, is an experience that is indiscernible. Sweet and savory the crunch from the chicken skin alone make the price work eating. 

Finally the expresso, chocolate, honey cake is truly a devil's treat. Feel free to dive into this desert head on. The melting moose and the deep coffee flavors is the perfect finishing dish to the casual fine dining.