Category: Event

Some people eat to live, but I certainly am one who eats to live, so when my friend invited me to attend the 1st Annual Eeeeeats Con (yes there are 5 “e’s”) presented by The Infatuation I naturally could not say no.

For my readers who are tilting their heads wondering what “The Infatuation” is don’t worry, I didn’t either. I only learned about the organization AFTER attending the convention. It’s a nut-shell restaurant reviewing app, newsletter, and instagram account that highlights their favorite restaurants and after eight years the business developed their own festival – Eeeeeats Con. But enough history, lets get in on the action!

The festival was a one day Saturday event from 12:00pm to 9:00pm at the Barkar Hangar, a local airport. It was a hot day and after battling some LA traffic from Orange County, we arrived around 4pm. The venue was quite an impressive one as guests walked past private jets before heading to the main building. At the back center of the Hangar, restauranteurs spoke on the stage about their career adventure and gave advice to audience members.

Surrounding the stage were some bright and festive instagram-worthy backdrops for convention-goers to pose and take selfies. I will say that the event planners definitely took their time in designing the layout of the festival and each area had a quirkiness about it that made it fun and lighthearted.

Nested between some of the artwork and backdrops were both high end and hipster Los Angeles restaurants booths. In the lot there were also stands and some trucks that presented their offerings. Afters Ice Cream, The Nomad Truck, Ramen Hood, and Shake Shack were just some of the vendors present. Most items were priced from $8-$20 a plate.

Everything smelled great, and after careful consideration we shared a coffee-rubbed tri tip with cabbage slaw from Chi Spacca, a $$$$ Italian restaurant in Hancock Park. I didn’t want to spread my germs (because I was feeling a bit under the weather), so the vendor was kind enough to split the portion for two people.

I think all in all this festival has a lot of potential. The space, and vendor choices were excellent, and the idea of the convention including active (musicians and panels) and passive entertainment (the cool instagram worthy backdrops) can make it a well-rounded experience. Even the temporary bathrooms were really nice. However, attending was a costly one. Parking was $20, and admission was $40 (Food purchases were additional). I think that if you went in with the expectation that you were attending an upscale food fair and budgeted for the additional costs then you’d be extremely happy.

If you created your own food festival, which restaurants would you want there?

XOXO,

Rockstar

When I think of House of Blues, I think of a great spacious venue with amazing rotating entertainment. I’ve gone a handful of times to the Anaheim location (there are 12 located in major cities across the US – click here to see where!), on Friday evenings usually rocking out to some of my favorite 80’s bands – any Berlin fans out there?! 😀 Yet, the House of Blues is also home to the World Famous Gospel Brunch. Hosted every Sunday, guests from near and far go to enjoy comfort food and soulful worship music. Sounded like a winning combination to me, so I went to get the scoop.

In the evening time the space is cleared out for audience to fist pump and dance along to music legends and other performances, but during the day chairs and tables are lined up for patrons to enjoy an all-you-can-eat southern buffet with complimentary orange juice. Mimosa were an additional charge. Nevertheless, the food options seemed endless. I pilled my plate high with a little bit of everything.

The buffet had a smorgasbord of options including a honey baked ham and prime rib carving station, and breakfast staples like bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, fruit, etc. They also had a ready to order omelette station, but I often went back to their ready-to-peel shrimp station for some refreshing seafood as well as their southern offerings (ie. biscuits and gravy, collard greens, mac n’ cheese mhmm). There was quite a diversity of options for even the pickiest eater and don’t get me started on the banana bread pudding *drool* What a great dessert!

Once 11am hit, the lights dimmed and the curtains went up. The music performance was incredibly moving and before I knew it I was up on my feet with my arms in the air and singing along with the choir. The singers sang a couple of traditional Christian songs as well as some contemporary songs such as “Lean on Me” and “We are family.”
God is Good – Can I get a amen?

I was really impressed with the live entertainment and would love to go again to be feed physically and spiritually. You can get tickets through ticketmasters or on the House of Blues website. Adults are $45 + fees and $21 for children ages 3-11.

What songs get you up on your feet?

XOXO,

Rockstar

Growing up my brother and I always loved baking cookies with my mom, and I’ll be the first to admit that sometimes the cookie batter doesn’t always go on the tray in the oven. *halo over head*  I’d often lick the left-over batter mix on the cake mixer as one of my guilty pleasures. Thankfully, I hadn’t been cursed with contaminated pathogens such as Salmonella and E. coli. Yet, there’s a new store in town where you can enjoy cookie batter without wondering if you’re at risk for food poisoning.     

I attended the Grand Opening for California Cookie Dough (18854 Brookhurst St) in Fountain Valley to try out what could be the newest dessert craze to get the latest scoop. Upon entering the hole-in-a-wall, I was greeted by the friendly manager and allowed to sample their various creations. I was informed that after many attempts at perfecting the flavors before they’ve decided on ten unique combinations.

After careful consideration I decided on their popular “Grey Matter” which has a potent oreo and chocolate chip cookie flavor as well as the “Coconut Delight”. It is quite rich and decadent treat, but great for sharing. It’s fairly dense, so one scoop would certainly suffice. They also have milk on tap that comes in the vintage bottles as well as Nitro cold brew coffee for patrons who need an extra boost of energy.

The store hours are great as they’re open late (10pm on weekdays, and 11pm on Saturday; Closed on Tuesdays), so I imagine that it’ll be a popular destination in the sleepy town.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

XOXO,

Rockstar

Lately I’ve been trying to incorporate more vegetables into my lifestyle and with poke places poppin’ up left and right in Orange County it’s fairly easy to eat a wide selection of healthy ingredients in one bowl. Poki Poki HB is one the newest edition in Huntington Beach with a Buy 1 Get 1 Free promotion at their Grand Opening I decided to try them out.

At the store entrance guests were given the opportunity to “spin the wheel” and I landed on a “Free Poki Bowl” – Woohoo! With that coupon the manager said that I could redeem TWO free poki bowls since there was a BOGO day. My mom and I were extremely happy since we both got a free meal.

Like many fast food poki places, guests pick a base, protein scoop, sauce, and toppings before checkout. I decided on a half-and-half base with spring mix and brown rice, salmon, octopus, tuna, and all toppings with the exception of jalapeños and avocados ($1 extra). Their sauce selection is straight-forward as patrons choose from not spicy, mild, and spicy. I ordered the not spicy and I think it’s a combination of ponzu and perhaps soy sauce.

While this meal was complimentary, I honestly did really enjoyed it. The plate was colorful and the portions were extremely generous. I also loved the diverse fish selection: octopus, yellowtail, salmon, ahi tuna, spicy tuna, shrimp, albacore, scallop and for the non-fish patrons tofu, so there’s something for everyone. The assortment of toppings was also wide as I got to include both western (ie. corn, green onions) and eastern (ie. masago eggs, seaweed) additions. They also have lemon infused self-serve water station which is a nice touch and makes my H2O beverage even more refreshing and hydrating.

The one area that I’d recommend to the owners is perhaps rethink about the vessel in which they prepare these entrees. We eat with our eyes and although the ingredients look and taste wonderful, the bowl cheapens the experience.

What kind of protein would you include in your poki bowl?

XOXO,

Rockstar