Foodventures I

Playing: Demons-Imagine Dragons
Reading: Out of Oz by Gregory Maguire

Whenever my brother, Ted, comes home from college, we go on major foodventures all over Southern California. We keep lists of places we want to go to and spend time Googling places to visit. True Food Kitchen is one of our better discoveries. The food there is fresh and usually very filling. True Food also serves different drinks on a daily basis and their Strawberry Rhubarb Soda was one of the best drinks I've ordered there. It tasted just like fresh strawberry jam and rhubarb juice.

Ted and I came by The Olde Ship by accident. We went to two restaurants before ending up here and it was definitely a good find. The service was friendly and Golden Cap Steak and Ale Pie was so good. Underneath the buttery puff pastry and gravy was tender beef surrounded by more gravy.  The mashed potatoes were incredibly buttery too. It's also cute how they have afternoon tea every once in awhile and have football game viewings.

For dessert, we ordered the Sticky Toffee Pudding, which was recommended by the waiter. Considering it was dessert, my brother and I were surprised at how it wasn't that sweet/ The bread base was served sticky and warm, while the surrounding cream was cold. It was an odd combination and we were expecting for there to be a toffee sauce. The menu stated that it came topped with toffee sauce and stuffed with raisins, neither of which we could find.

Our least successful foodventure was to Ecco, which served tasty pizza that was unfortunately not enough food. As a petite girl, I was not full after eating a whole pizza by myself and sharing an appetizer. After lunch, I had to stop by Blackmarket Bakery (aka the BEST bakery) in order to fill myself up. What you see above are the Guido (smoked mozzarella, grilled red peppers, caramelized onions, garlic, fennel sausage, and olive oil) and the Guanciale (red pears, mozzarella, caramelized onions, marscapone, and Gorgonzola) with the Guanciale being really amazing. Everything tasted good, but when I think about the price I paid, it would've been nice to leave feeling full.

One of the best places to go eat at is the Anatolian Cultures and Food Festival. Basically, it's a chance for me to catch up on all the Turkish foods I miss and can't find in the states like their dondurma and ravioli. Surprisingly, the baked potato was really good. They mixed in cheese and salt so it would be super flavorful before topping it with olives, peas, corn, and whatever else you wanted. If you have the chance to go to the festival, go. That's it for now. Expect more foodventures, since my brother and I have a lot of places to go to!