Welcoming New Family Calls for Good Food

I can’t believe it’s been more than half a year since our last food review!  We’ve been busy trying out new food places but busier still preparing to welcome new members in the family that we haven’t had time to share our new finds.

Last month we finally got a chance to take our most awaited trip to visit my loved ones, attend a beautiful wedding, and take our little man, who is still taking his sweet time developing in mommy’s tummy, on his first plane ride… and boy did we stuff ourselves silly!

Here is a teaser of all the food places we tried and because we haven’t reviewed for more than 6 months, this post is going to be a mouthful.

…don’t say we didn’t warn you!

 

Our trip to the Golden State a couple of days after our vacation started was filled with great memories of family bonding and delicious dishes.

It all started with a rehearsal dinner which was simple but definitely delicious!  Eat all you can burgers from TK Burgers food truck

I think this photo speaks for itself…

 

Bridal luncheon was set in the lovely Newport Beach Yacht Club

And finally, the special day, the reason we flew half way around the world, the beautiful wedding of my brother to his lovely bride BCA.  The reception was so dreamy and the dishes served at Surf and Sand were amazing!

The next day, we headed to Balboa beach to spend the day with my sister MDJ, her hubby JJ and their adorable son E, and after a morning of dolphin watching and hanging out at the board walk eating corn dogs and ice cream, we decided to get some broth for lunch at Santouka Ramen inside Mitsuwa Marketplace in Costa Mesa
their Shio Ramen never disappoints!

Dinner was in LA to meet up with some good friends at Wood Ranch Grill at the Grove

Our last day in California was spent hanging out with the newly weds with lunch at Umami burger at Laguna beach

and dinner at Javier’s Cantina at Newport Beach

 

Then a quick plane ride took us on our trip to the Lone Star State, which was equally gastronomic, to visit the lovely couple RR and CR and their charming son C.  The Space City, we found out, was a mecca for carnivores!

Spring creek where we started and ended our visit, is definitely my favorite! Jelly soft brisket and pillow soft rolls served from the oven direct to the table…oh my gosh i wish i could take some home!

 

delicious home cooked meals by CR

and perfectly cooked steak and delicious fall off the bone ribs at Salt Grass Steak House

 

A breakfast sandwich from IHOP proved to be a treat before our road trip to the Alamo City

 Bacon and White Cheddar Melt
a breakfast griddle melt layered with bacon, and fresh spinach in a classic omelette, topped with melted White Cheddar and fire-roasted tomato spread on sourdough bread with a side of hash browns

 

A stop over for delicious toasted pecans from the Potter Country Store in Schulenberg

 

Before the river walk welcomed us with huge tasty Mexican dishes from The Original Mexican Restuarant & Bar

Quesadilla
large grilled flour tortilla filled with cheese and beef served with guacamole and sour cream

 

and after a day of shopping, we had to check out the relatively newly opened In & Out in Austin

 

As we are big fans of the food network, we just had to visit to the famous Big Lou’s Pizza in San Antonio before heading back to Houston

20 inch Cheese and Super Topping Pizza
Pepperoni, Mushrooms, Sausage, Canadian Bacon, Green Olive, Black Olive, Beef, Onions, Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, Garlic.  This was definitely worth the trip!

 

Back in Vegas we were treated to this delicious pizza from Sammie’s Woodfire Pizza by the newlyweds

Organic Arugula & Pear
Delicious pizza dough topped with prosciutto, gorgonzola, organic arugula salad tossed in balsamic basil dressing

 

and if that wasn’t enough to satisfy the pizza fanatic in me we had dinner at Pizza Rock, a pizza and cocktail restaurant partly owned by world champion pizza maker Tony Gemignani during the EDC weekend.

Margherita 17
According to their site, they only make for 73 orders per day.  This beauty is made with San Marzano tomatoes, Mozzarella Fior di Latte, basil, EVOO and sea salt

 

Our last weekend was a busy one.  A quick homemade breakfast before heading off for the little man’s first photo shoot in Vegas

 

then dinner at Lotus of Siam

Crispy Duck Panang
The wait took forever but the food was definitely worth it!

 

The next day we had a Sunday Filipino themed lunch and barbecue, organized by our fun extended family to celebrate the little man’s baby shower

Thanks everyone! We had a great time!

 

Followed by an anniversary date at the strip to watch Beatles Love
thanks mom for getting us good tickets!

 

And who could forget Tacos El Gordo, a surprisingly delicious Mexican hole in the wall right beside the big hotels at the strip

Carne Asada Tacos

During our last week, we decided to do surf and turf at home with delicious steak grilled by hubby and steamed and grilled lobsters by his sous chef (yes, that’s me), with sides of veggies prepared by my sisters MDJ and BCA, and crispy liempo by my mom…yes liempo as sides hahaha!

BCA, who at the time wasn’t feeling her best, surprised us with delicious Ghirardelli chocolate brownies topped with vanilla ice cream -thanks dear!
They were so good my mom who rarely eats desserts took second servings! Imagine what BCA could do on a good day!

 

a quick meet with a friend i haven’t seen in a long time at our favorite hotel

then off to Komex, a thai mexican fusion restaurant before heading back home to Manila.

Kimchi fried rice
Now i don’t eat kimchi but i was happy i made an exception.  This was so good!

Bulgogi Tacos
Tender meat in tacos any day of the week!

 

There were actually more food places we tried but there were times we just couldn’t wait to take photos before digging in.  And with all that said and tasted…i still felt our month long vacation was not enough.  One thing is for sure though, welcoming new family is a great excuse to go crazy over good food!
We can’t wait till our next trip!

Advertisement