Free Soul Caffe

Snuck out to Tustin for lunch at this super cute cafe.. I've had it bookmarked in Yelp for a while, and finally got to give it a go! It's nestled in the newly restored historic Utt building in the live/work spaces in Old Town Tustin and very reminiscent of cafés in Portland. Their menu consists of Vegetarian/Vegan fair and have an array of tea and coffee drinks, pastries, sandwiches, salads, soups and sandwiches. I had the soup du jour which was Cream of baby portabello with a small pot of morrocan mint tea. I'm not usually a fan of mushrooms, but someone else had ordered it and it smelled so delicious that I couldn't resist! My soup was served with crusty bread and vegan butter. The soup was rich and creamy, and a perfect addition to the gloomy weather. Bonus points for having agave sweetener for my tea!

I should have saved room for dessert because all of the pastries looked amazinggg! The raspberry red velvet mini cake (pictured) is definitely going to lure me back.. Oh and they do serve breakfast during certain hours and have Belgium Waffles made with green tea batter and topped with fresh fruit.. I'm thinking that I'll have to make an appearance for breakfast with M. Very soon!

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Señor Big Ed's

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I've been craving Puerto Rican food since my last trip to the bay area in January. M and I stumbled upon (more like drove across the bridge) a cute little spot in san rafael called Sol Food (if ever in the bay area, check it out!) I have been looking for a good Puerto Rican place closer to home ever since and I'm thinking that señor big ed's definitely hits the spot! It's a down to earth, no frills, family owned sort of place that serves up amazing comfort food. We ordered plantains, pork chops with rice, beans and tostones (smashed and fried plantains), the beef stew, and Flan! Everything was delicious, especially the tostones and the pasteles (beef empanada?) Oh, and the Flan was amazing as well. They have a Puerto Rican menu and a Mexican menu, and not to mention coconut soda (coco Rico!) Plus a million other things to choose from. Definitely worth the drive to Cypress!

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Oh, monday.

Sometimes I wish that my stomach wasn't so sensitive to coffee... it's wonderfully muggy outside and a cup of joe would have been perfect to reward myself with after three hours at the DMV.. I did, however, manage to make friends with the people behind me in line.. but nothing is more agonizing than a super busy, poorly ventilated DMV. 

 On the bright side, I have rose and hazelnut macarons from layercake bakery  to look forward to! M. wrapped each one individually in cellophane and tied them with ribbon before slipping them into my easter basket. He got excited and told me we could exchange baskets early.. (I was told to expect a baby elephant in my basket!..) But much to my surprise, I opened up my basket to find the fjallraven kanken backpack that I had been eyeballing for quite some time. He ordered the light gray, but we both know that my clumsiness and knack for pens will be the death of light-colored anything, so I think I might be exchanging it for the darker gray. Oh, and I got him his super cool stubble trimmer complete with its own built in vacuum to suck up all the trimmings.. perfect to trim his beard with!

midnight taco run!

The other night M. And I had a serious craving for tacos.. which is a nice change from my constant craving for asian food (which cease to operate during the nighttime hours) and it worked in my favor because some taquerias are usually open pretty late. Taqueria de anda is our go to for tacos and not only is it amazing because it's twenty-four hours, but because it sort of reminds me of a gutted out McDonald's-esque fast food joint turned taco stand, kiddie play area included. Also, they have amazing beans. The menu is pretty simple: tacos and burritos only. M. And I got two each of al pastor, carnitas and carne asada. Oh, they also have lengua, and cabeza, but I stay away from that...(it's a texture thing) and horchata to wash it all down. I had a migraine for the better part of the night and this was especially satisfying when the imitrex finally kicked in!

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fukada+new camera ap!

Tuesday and Thursdays are particularly long days for me and usually consist of a full work day followed by school in the evenings. Today, however, M. And I managed to squeeze in a quick dinner at fukada before having to go to class. Seriously, if you're in the mood for udon, this place will not disappoint. Last time we were there, I tried the cold udon and I've been hooked since.. I much prefer cold udon over hot, oh and ofcourse I always get a side of the spicy tuna don.. I have an insatiable craving for spicy tuna and fukada always hits the spot.(M. Ordered a chicken and egg donburi with his meal, which was also tasty)

Also, I'm trying out a new version of Bloggerdroid on my phone, as well as a new camera ap.. So be warned if picture quality isn't at its best.

Testing... One...two...

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spring!

Winter is coming to a close, and spring is right around the corner and it's been terribly beautiful outside. I can't wait to wear and add to my collection of hats, sun shades and sandals. I am especially excited to employ said accessories while strolling through the Huntington Library. Nothing says spring more than a stroll through the rose garden, with an iced tea at hand, of course! It's one of mine and M's favorite places to go..and well, Pasadena in general is amazing.

Speaking of Huntington Library in the springtime, here is an amazing spread from the Band of Outsiders spring 2011 look-book featuring Kirsten Dunst.

 

The last photo is my favorite. I'm in love with the cream colored Frieda Illesteva sunshades, and will be adding them to my easter wish list for the easter fairy to put into my basket. (hint hint*) Also, on that note, I am currently also lusting for this Erica Weiner  Terrarium necklace filled with a miniature ecosystem:

 Anne first turned me on to Erica Weiner, and I have found myself stalking her website. Oh, and She has amazing vintage finds as well! go see for yourself :)
 

Hello, March!

What better way to welcome the New Year than to welcome it three months late? better late than never, I guess.  Never the less, Happy March!

I have so much posting to catch up on: namely my (not so) recent trip to San Francisco, birthday escapades and other adventures that have happened so far in twenty-eleven, that I'm almost overwhelmed! I'm afraid that the longer I wait, the relevancy of the past events get deathly close to expiring... but what is a blog for if not a place to organize and store said memories?

 

on that note, M. and I did some exploring at LACMA this past weekend. I was feeling a little bit under the weather, but Jeff Koons and his balloon sculptures never fail to cheer me up. More pictures and posts to come as soon!

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