The last few months, I've been looking for a replacement for my papas rellanas (potato ball) fix which is usually satified by a trip to Porto's Bakery in Burbank. Beside the original location in Glendale, Porto's doesn't have plans to open a location in Orange County any time soon. This is sadly noted by my... Continue Reading →
Goodbye, Gilmore Girls
Ah, you were my favorite guilty pleasure every Tuesday night. I was hooked from the first episode. It was something about the speedy, wise-cracking dialogue interplayed with benign pop culture references. And of course, the otherworldly mother-daughter relationship. For awhile, I even believed that Stars Hollow even existed. It did. In Burbank, California not Connecticut.It's... Continue Reading →
Another Irvine food place: Wholesome Choice
I don't like to explore Irvine too much. Besides the train station, my gym, two shopping centers and a handful of other places, Irvine gets pretty confusing. Most of the buildings look alike which makes navigating by landmarks difficult. And nothing looks older than 1980.Irvine is a preplanned town. It's unfortunate that the developers couldn't... Continue Reading →
A lot of UT hits
It's hard to avoid noticing that someone, specifically a few former coworkers from the San Diego Union-Tribune, has taken an interested in my blog (and all its typos). According to Sitemeter, someone has been Googling my name. Hey mystery someone, drop a line or leave a comment so we can talk about what's going on... Continue Reading →
It’s not all food…
Il Fornaio and my super gym.Despite all my food talk and everything related to it, I try to balance it by going to the gym. A perk at my workplace is free gym membership at a very large, national chain. The facility (a block away from my office) is a super gym: it has three... Continue Reading →
Commuting consumables
Fact: I live in one county and work in another here in Southern California. The approxiate distance between my doorstep and the parking garage in Irvine is 88 miles. I could choose to drive but I take the train. I won't go into how some days are worse than others, while other days it doesn't... Continue Reading →
Yeasty (but tasty) liege waffles
Eurorail waffle in 2002.My first experience with a liege waffle from Belgium was on a train from Kolm, Germany to Brussels in 2002. It was memorable because I wanted to try a true Belgium waffle. Unfortunately, the waffle was prewrapped and possibly created for the purpose of a long shelf life. Secondly, it was sold... Continue Reading →
Things to do with leftover Easter Candy
Stop the gorging of the Easter candy! This contest from the Washington Post gave readers permission to play with their Easter goodies and had a Peep diorama contest. Dioramas ranged from scenes from 'Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend' (below) to 'Soylent Green.' Selected entries can be seen here. Via USA Today. And you didn't... Continue Reading →
A trip back east Pt. II: Toronto
When I mention that a day trip to Toronto, the word day should be emphasized for this specific trip. Driving from Cleveland to St. Catherine's where my aunt lives is approximately four hours with an additional one hour tacked on between St. Catherine's and Toronto. Why the day trip? I was only on the East... Continue Reading →
A trip back east Pt. I: Cleveland
The main reason for visiting Cleveland was not for the sights but to visit my brother, Warren. A California native with a prior sentence at Detroit's Wayne State for several years before his current residence at Ohio's CASE Western doing researchy stuff. Warren previously described Cleveland to me as garden within a city. Well, there... Continue Reading →
My Burning Kitchen... on the road 