huntington beach – Insider Irene

Breakfast? Snack? Dessert? Nutritious and Delicious Bowls in Huntington Beach, CA

Published on March 15, 2019March 22, 2019 by Insider Irene1 Comment

I’ve been on a search to find other healthy options to incorporate into my diet and as of today I’ve found an incredibly fresh ceviche at Mariscos Jalisco and super flavorful vegetarian food at Ashiwad The Blessing. Unfortunately, both options are more than an hour away from me so when I found Blue Bowl, a nutritious assembly-style bowl joint, minutes away from home I knew I had to check it out.

I was picking up some food across the way and noticed the new shop. It was almost closing time and there were a ton of people inside so I decided to check it out – so glad that I did. The set-up is very similar to an assembly-line where you pick your base and your cup is handed off to other people in the line.

On this trip I decided to go for a small with a pitaya (aka. Dragon Fruit) base with blue chia and freshly ground almond butter. Toppings are unlimited so I loaded up and was super happy with the result. It’s extremely colorful and tasty! Highly recommended and there are two locations.

ORANGE STORE
417 S. Main Street
Orange, CA 92868
Monday-Friday 7:00am-7:00pm
Saturday 7:00am-6:00pm
[ Closed Sunday ]

HUNTINGTON BEACH STORE
18051 Beach Blvd.
Huntington Beach, CA 92648
*Soft Opening Hours:
Monday-Friday 10:00am-7:00pm
Saturday 10:00am-6:00pm
[Closed Sunday]

What kind of toppings would you put in your bowl? nuts? fruit? honey?

XOXO,

Rockstar

Popping some tags on NEW items in Huntington Beach, CA

Published on March 6, 2019March 5, 2019 by Insider Irene2 Comments

Over the weekend I decided to check out a few local thrift shops to find some hidden gems. It was cold and dreary, but that didn’t stop me or other thrifters from scoring some major deals. I started my day at the Assistance League in Huntington Beach (Thrift Shop; 8071 Slater Ave # 145, Huntington Beach, CA 92647) and found this new with tags LulaRoe stripped dress for $8! They usually go for $40+ and I also scored a pair of new slacks (not pictured) for $12 (org. $98). I spent more than I usually do when thrifting, but all the proceeds go towards a variety of philanthropic programs, which is a win-win for me!

LuLuRoe Dress and Banana Republic Jacket with Tags

Next I headed to Cross Roads Trading Company (19021 Beach Blvd, Huntington Beach, CA 92648), which is a for profit thrift shop. They had more trendy, day to day type of outfits available, but I found this Banana Republic Navy Blue Suit jacket for half-off their selling price and for a total of $13 – it even had the original tags that said $113 and fit perfectly on me! Score!!

My last pit stop was at the Salvation Army in Fountain Valley (Yelp Page; 16119 Brookhurst St, Fountain Valley, 92708). This thrift shop has an enormous variety of items ranging from furniture to shoes. Additionally, the pricing is very reasonable and I found this near identical light purple purse to accompany one of my favorite cosplays – Lois Lane. And at $4.50 – it was well worth the splurge.

When you’re window shopping what do you tend to look at? Dresses and jewelry are my favorite!

XOXO,

Rockstar

Heros and Villians Compete at the U.A. Sports Festival in Huntington Beach, CA

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

I’m aware that conventions attract the biggest comic geeks such as Los Angeles Comic Con (Day 1, Day 2) etc, but the fandom for My Hero Academia is on a whole other level. At Anime Expo & SDCC fans waited hours to see the show’s creator. Suffice to say there will be a Season 4 and I’m sure many more seasons after that. There’s an arc in the earlier seasons where the first year students competed in various competitions called the U.A. Sports Festival and Cosplayers Undercovercottonswab and Libbubblescosplay hosted a similar competition at Huntington Beach!

U.A. Medals; U.A, Teachers and Sports Festival Hosts

It was a beautiful sunny day and this casual event was hosted right on the beach. Fans of the anime came from far and wide, some in cosplay and some in beach-gear to experience the U.A. Tournament. There were various mini competitions such as the limbo, and jump rope, but everyone was eagerly anticipating the relay-style race to the finish and the contenders were wait for it… heros versus villians!

I had a great time meeting others who also love this anime series and was proud of myself for styling my characters wig (2 hours and a whole can of hairspray later… lol). The things we do for characters we love.

Do you watch/read My Hero Academia? Who’s your favorite character? Momo Yaoyorozu’s mine

XOXO,

Rockstar

Celebrating Miguels JR Grand Opening in Huntington Beach Plus GIVEAWAYS!!!

Published on September 20, 2017September 20, 2017 by Insider Irene15 Comments

Huntington Beach is one of my favorite cities in Orange County. With the beach just footsteps away the ocean breeze blowing through your hair and people walking around in their favorite sunglasses and rainbow sandals the city evokes the quintessential Southern California lifestyle. Recently, Huntington Beach welcomed a new quick bite diner to Surf City, Miguel’s JR, a casual Mexican restaurant and celebrated Southern California staple. I attended their Grand Opening alongside prominent members of the community to welcome this new business.

The ceremony was an intimate one; however, several city council representatives came to present awards of recognition and to congratulate Miguel’s Jr owner. With 21 locations across Southern California Miguel’s JR roots lie in delivering fresh California Mexican cuisine in an inviting environment. The accessible price-point and counter-to-pickup model makes it an experience for people of all ages and backgrounds to enjoy. They have burritos, tacos, various combination plates and breakfast items too! I ordered the Carne Asada Taco Salad and that entree alone could feed several individuals.

I had a great time and want to share the wealth – so I’m throwing a GIVEAWAY!!! through all my social media accounts throughout the month! This week I will give two $10 Giftcards for my blog fans!

To enter (Southern California Residents Only):

Follow http://www.yurockstar.com – top right side of the website on desktop and all the way to the bottom on your mobile device (it’s free!)
Write a comment below on what you’re most excited to try – Taco? Burrito? Quesadilla?

Giveaway will end on 11:59pm Saturday September 23. Winner will be announced on Monday, September 25th.

XOXO,

Rockstar

Disclosure: Post is sponsored. Opinions and content are my own.

Yelp Review of the Day: REPOST Gourmet Sandwich at Deli-Licious @Huntington Beach, CA

Published on August 14, 2013 by Insider IreneLeave a comment

Hi YuBargainRockstar Fans!

I’m excited to announce that my Yelp review on this Deli-Licious was selected as today’s ROTD (short for Review of the Day) for the Orange County spotlight. Woohoo! It’s a great honor and as my first ROTD, I thought I’d also repost my original entry for your enjoyment. This restaurant truly deserves all the credit in serving excellent food and outstanding customer service. Check it out if you haven’t done so already! – Irene

Sandwiches are the quintessential lunch food and while mom’s sandwiches are made with love, there’s something special about eating a gourmet sandwich from Deli licious (Yelp Review) in Huntington Beach. With over 300 reviews and a staggering 4.5/5 average on Yelp, I had to investigate the validity of these positive endorsements. And yes this definitely lived up to the hype.

I was looking for a cute shop, but after only seeing rows and rows of boring gray buildings I stared down at my GPS and realized that I missed the shop. Hmm… that’s peculiar. However, unlike many restaurants, this small mom n’ pop shop was located among the rows of gray buildings. This is definitely not the type of shop that you’d casually drive by and stop to check it out, because it was not visible from the street! Nevertheless the restaurant was pretty busy for a weekday afternoon. So I thought that it must be good if next-door-neighbors are frequenting this shop.

Upon looking at the chalk menu I decided to order their top seller “Sue’s Chicken-Avocado Caprese” while my girlfriend tried the same sandwich with a ½ southwest salad. Mmm… The ingredients used for the salad were fresh and crisp it was a solid choice for a mid-day meal. And the sandwich, wow… tender roasted chicken with sliced avocados, fresh mozzerlla, plump roma tomatoes, and a light lemon caper mayo all between a ciabatta roll. Mmm.. makes me hungry just thinking about it. I wonder if my mom could replicate this masterpiece. Hehe…

Additionally, I loved that it was also a nice sunny day and we had a lovely conversation out on the patio. Good food, great company, you really can’t ask for much more.

What’s inside your favorite sandwich?

XOXO

Rockstar

Gourmet Sandwich at Deli-Licious @Huntington Beach, CA

Published on June 3, 2013 by Insider Irene3 Comments

Additionally, I loved that it was also a nice sunny day and we had a lovely conversation out on the patio. Good food, great company, you really can’t ask for much more.

What’s inside your favorite sandwich?

XOXO

Rockstar

Sushi Lunch Special @Hashigo Sushi in Huntington Beach, CA

Published on June 1, 2013June 1, 2013 by Insider IreneLeave a comment

Sushi is one of those food items that is so simple and so wonderful. Unfortunately, many of the quality sushi restaurants are also an arm and a leg, which is definitely not a sexy characteristic. But alas, a fair compromise for quality and price could only lead to one thing- lunch special, horray!

I discovered Hashigo Sushi (Yelp Review) through a fervent search on Yelp and let me tell you this little sushi shop was NOT an easy find. But after discovering it nested right in the corner between the Java Cafe and the Bank of America, I knew that this was going to be legit. But to my surprise, this literally hole-in-the-wall, was ultra elegant and super chic. Completely caught me by surprise and I was actually nervous on whether a lunch special here would even be a worthwhile investigation… it was, but I’ve definitely been in situations where the restaurant appearance and food taste did not share the same caliber of excellence. Yeah… not fun, but not the case for Hasigo Sushi!

I sampled the three cut roll special, complete with miso soup and salad for $10. It was a very filling meal and the presentation was impeccable. This is definitely the type of restaurant I would take colleagues or prospective clients to impress. Everything was just awesome and if you’re in the Huntington Beach area, this restaurant is definitely worth checking out!

What’s your favorite sushi lunch spot?

XOXO

Rockstar