September 2018 – Insider Irene

Engaging in extreme gluttony at the OC Weekly Decadence in Costa Mesa, CA

Published on September 28, 2018September 22, 2018 by Insider IreneLeave a comment

Halloween is just around the corner so I’ve increased my exercise regime and returned to eating very lean meats and healthy, nutritious meals to prepare for my fall cosplay outfits. While I’ve seen positive results in these changes, I’ve incorporated at least one cheat day a week to balance my cravings. The OC Weekly Decadence event on Friday evening was nothing short of a self-indulgent.

This yearly event was hosted outside of the Segerstrom plaza in Costa Mesa and as a VIP guest I was given admission to check out all the glorious noms and sips at 6pm. I was also given a really sturdy tote bag and later found out was filled with tons of great goodies! As my friend and I wandered around the plaza trying everything, we both agreed that the steak over garlic mashed potatoes from Texas de Brazil and Bourbon Bread Pudding from Sweet Dixie Kitchen were the dishes of the night. There was also plenty of alcoholic libation poured and photo booth opportunities to pose for.

Like many food festivals that I attend this had a great variety of local restaurants; however, the swag bag was definitely one of the best that I’ve seen. The gave away an elegant necklace perfect for a night out on the town along with generous coupons to visit the participating restaurants in the future. My favorite swag item had to be the $20 gift certificate from Mozambique. Can’t wait to try their exotic flavors and see their dessert options.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

XOXO,

Rocstar

Poppin tags – 24 items $16 Thrift Shop Haul

Published on September 26, 2018September 23, 2018 by Insider Irene2 Comments

So sorry for missing a week of posts. It’s just been busy and I’ve only got $20 in my pocket… Okay, so maybe I used a card, but I was super impressed in all the things I bought last weekend when I decided to see what I could find with a strict budget. It’s been ages since I’ve gone thrift shopping and while I usually have obligations and events to attend during the weekend, I decided to check out some old spots that I use to frequent and see what hidden treasure I could find.

I started my day at Artwalk store closing sale and bought two holiday pins for $.50 a piece then headed to NCL Ticktockers (yelp) Sidewalk sale. Typically you’d go inside their store and all items have priced according to what category they belonged to; however, on that day they were switching out their summer for fall items hence the huge sidewalk sale. I came around noon and they announced that everything was going to be half off! Woo!! Talk about massive savings!

After picking up a few NEW tights, and other random things, I headed to Deja New (yelp)- another favorite shop in Irvine. I didn’t find anything on this occasion, but if you’re looking for quality clothes they have a great selection. My last stop was Salvation Army (yelp) in Fountain Valley and boy did they have some interesting things. This store truly is a gold mine and on that day all clothes were an additional 50% off. There was a random couch perfect for therapy and lots of really interesting cat items. meow?

What I ended up getting…

4 tan convertible tights (Bloch) – NEW
2 fishnet stockings (Capezio) – NEW
1 tan convertible tights (Body Wrappers) – NEW
2 holiday pins
10 papyrus holiday cards
1 college sweatshirt
1 plaid shirt (for cowgirl spirit day)
2 college tshirts
1 100% wool hat

It was definitely a fruitful haul and while every trip isn’t always, I think I was excited that I not only could save money but also that my dollar contributed to an organization that helps others. It’s a win win!

What was your best bargain item bought and for how much?

XOXO,

Rockstar

Foodie fun at the Los Angeles Times – The Taste (Saturday)

Published on September 14, 2018September 13, 2018 by Insider Irene1 Comment

Los Angeles is well known for fantastic restaurants at various price-points and the LA Times did a great job to highlight some of the area’s best at their annual LA Times – The Taste event. I along with other foodie friends spend the Labor Day weekend trying different vendors (Friday‘s Post), and was especially excited since Saturday is known to be the day with the highest turnout and arguable the most variety of food.

During this visit my friends and I made it our mission to try every booth at least once and while I loved visiting all the booths, my favorite item that night was the beef brisket that Chef Burt Bakman of Trudy’s Underground BBQ prepared during his Pop-up BBQ demonstration. The fried donut with ice cream from Eatly was my 2nd favorite thing there and hands down the best dessert option. I also had the opportunity to meet Jenn Harris, the new acting editor of the Los Angeles Times Food section and chatted with her on her vision for the year ahead.

More Photos from Saturday’s The Taste Event

LA Times Food Legend Jonathan Gold made an enormous impact on the food community, so it is without a doubt a huge loss for the Los Angeles community when he passed. Yet, his legacy still lives on and the LA Times honored his contribution at this year’s event with a mural and a huge displace of his 5 culinary commandments.

How would you want to be remembered?

XOXO,

Irene

Enjoying Summer + Ultra Art Exhibit at Honey and Butter

Published on September 12, 2018August 29, 2018 by Insider IreneLeave a comment

My Hero Academia has taken the US by storm – so when Honey and Butter in Irvine hosted an art exhibit displaying local artists take on this hit show I was excited to see their creativity juices at work.

The macaroon store was also going to make macaroons of select characters, but I found out too late that it was only on the first day of their exhibit *cries* Regardless, there were some really great art pieces, which is a testament to our talented community.

There definitely a lot of Froppy artwork followed by Deku, Bakugo (no surprise), and Shoto. My favorite characters are Momo and Shoto and part of me is thinking about making some My Hero Artwork for myself perhaps with color pencils as my medium.

Who’s your favorite My Hero character?

XOXO,

Rockstar

Chun Li debuts at the LA Times – The Taste + launches new IG Handle @ChunLiStyle!!

Published on September 7, 2018September 5, 2018 by Insider Irene1 Comment

Cosplay AND Food Festival in one post?! Holy Cow! World’s colliding! and what better way to debut this pairing than in the backlots of Paramount Studios for the LA Times – The Taste ? Entertainment and food goes together like Peanut Butter and Jelly, right?

Shots from the LA Times – The Taste Friday Event

Over the Labor Day weekend, I along with other foodies made our pilgrimage to the annual event to sample some of LA’s best and kick off the three-day weekend with fun, food and flavor! Held right on the sets used for many movies and shows, this outdoor venue made a perfect backdrop to highlight the chef’s tasty bites. There was a ton of seafood options, which I loved including shrimp sashimi, an uni mousse, and scallops. But carnivores also had a wide selection of steaks and tartars. A number of the restaurants and guests asked me to pose for photos, which greatly reminded me of my geek convention days (See Power Morphin Con post, SDCC post, and LACC posts for photos!)

More photos from the LA Times – The Taste Friday Event

I had a great time wandering the streets sampling tons of bites, but my favorite part of this event was interacting with the sculpted characters representing Korea and Taiwan. We danced and did a bunch of videos to capture our memories, and of course ate delicious ethnic food at their booth. The boba from Taiwan’s Tourism Bureau and Korean pancakes from The Korean Tourism Board were on point!

If you’re a fan of my Chun Li cosplay I recently launched a new Instagram handle with all things Chun Li. So all future videos and photos and videos can be viewed there- so to see all those content please Follow @chunlistyle

Would you like to see more cosplay/food posts? Comment below

XOXO,

Rockstar

Getting the VIP treatment at Disney’s Exclusive Club 33

Published on September 5, 2018August 29, 2018 by Insider IreneLeave a comment

Disneyland is known as the Happiest Place on Earth, but did you know that it’s also home to one of the most exclusive restaurants as well? Yup! Club 33 is a private club with an initiation fee of $40k, $10k annual renewal fee, and a rumored 10 year waitlist! Whew! Talk about exclusive! Thankfully, a friend recently got off the waitlist and I was fortunate enough to get an invite to check it out!

As a first timer I was extremely excited to finally see what this was all about. There were some strict guidelines on what we could photograph so I did my best to abide by the rules while also showcasing some of the details for you to enjoy. Nested right in New Orleans Square my friend and I rang the doorbell and were directed to the garden with a glass of ice cold water and a towel. It was so hot that day, so the gesture was greatly appreciated. We then took an elevator upstairs and were given a tour of the facility before being seated.

The intimate space was certainly very classy and the restaurant rotates its menus seasonally. The Summer 2018 dinner menu was inspired by Italian flavors and guests selected one item from each category: Primi, Insalata e Zuppa, Pasta, Entrata, and Finale, although I opted to forgo the Insalate e Zuppa section and doubled up on the Primi. Service was impeccable and the Sauteed Snow Crab Claws and Ahi Tonnato Carpaccio were the highlights of my meal.

Have you been to the elusive Club 33?

XOXO,

Rockstar