R Gang Eatery.

Like I said... aside from working... I haven't forgot to eat!

Feeling a little adventurous and wanting to try something new, Joseph, Lourdes, and I went to try this new restaurant called R Gang Eatery by Rich Sweeney, who was a finalist on Top Chef. The restaurant is nestled on 5th Avenue in Hillcrest, about a block or two from our old place.

It was fun to go back to Hillcrest since it seemed like it had been forever that we lived there, even though it's like a (5) minute drive...

We ordered the famous cheese-y tater tots for an appetizer, which were really good :)

Joseph ordered the burger = YUM

Lourdes ordered the scallops = Flavorless

I ordered Mac 'N Cheese = Weird. They had put cinnamon in it and topped with saltine crackers.

Overall I was NOT impressed. The service was amazing but the food was not that good. Especially since it was so pricey!

I'll reconsider going back, but it was a fun night :)

Escargot.

I'm sorry that I have been neglecting you!

I have been SO busy at work.... and then I get tired and lazy and decide not to blog about anything because all I want to do it eat and sleep :)

So here's a little something that I cooked for the first time...

Yes... you're guessed it, it's Escargot! Yummy!

I told my mom what I was making that night and she said "You guys eat a lot of weird things.... like duck."

Haha.

Weird?

No!

French?

Yes!

I'm French, duh!

I simmered some butter, garlic, fresh parsley, and white wine. After it had simmered down, I added the cleaned escargot, and carefully scooped a dozen into each escargot dish that I purchased at Great News (my new favorite store in Pacific Beach... yes, it's better than Williams-Sonoma).

Love.

I baked the escargot until it was simmering and served it with a toasted baguette. Joseph loved it! He scooped each escargot onto his baguette and then soaked it in the wine & butter juice.

Perfection.

Want to try?? Let me know and I'll make it for you next time you're over :)

Something New.

Over the next couple of days...(okay maybe weeks because I know I might not get around to it!) I am going to be playing with colors and styles for my blog. I've been doing this for over a year now and need a little change.

I'd love your suggestions on colors, fonts...etc.

Thanks :)

Finally.

After much anticipation and frustration of finding/buying a new bag, I finally made an impulse purchase that I am happy with. I have always wanted a nice brown leather bag, most of my bags are semi-seasonal and I didn't really have a go-to bag other than my Damier Ebony LV bag, which I was kind of sick of carrying around.

So when I saw this little baby, I had to buy it (aside from the saleswoman who told me it was the last one company wide... I think she was just trying to make a sale)

It's a Burberry Cross Body messenger bag. It's the perfect color, size, and feel.

I really like the leather. It is kind of textured and smooth at the same time. I always loved my friend Bethany's MK bag because of the color and this bag reminded me of it.

The inside has a couple of pockets to hide stuff in as well as a cell phone holder (which most of the time I never use in a bag because I just like to keep my cell phone in my pocket because since I never hear it ring anyway!) and I can fit more than I thought I would be able to, which is a plus! All in all, I really am happy with my purchase. Joseph didn't really say anything about, which usually means he likes it. :)

P.S.
I'm still searching for another bag... crazy I know!

El Zarape.

Last week, after helping Caitlin move out of her apartment in Hillcrest into T's house in City Heights, she wanted to treat me to an early dinner (or late lunch, however you want to look at it)

We both were sweaty and tired so we decided against anything really special so I suggested In-N-Out Burger, Caitlin sneered at the idea.

After giving it some thought, I suggested El Zarape, a little Mexican place that we kept passing as we drove back and forth from Hillcrest to City Heights. She said, "...but you had Mexican food yesterday!" and I replied with "...Caitlin, I'm Mexican, for most of my life all I have ever had is Mexican food!" It was really cute.

The exterior was really cute and the interior was even cuter!

They did a really good job with the setup and decor. They even had a tequila bar in a different room where some kind of tequila sommelier/connoisseur teaches classes about tequila and you can sample different types.


I ordered one of my favorite things, a Carne Asada Torta. Yummy! Caitlin was like "...you ordered a sandwich? I told you it was my treat." I laughed and explained to her how much I loved tortas and that my mom and grandma made the best ones I have ever had. I really wanted a Margarita after trying Caitlin's but decided against it (I'm trying to cut as much alcohol out of my diet to avoid gaining any more unwanted weight)

I would definitely recommend El Zarape to anyone who asked, it was yummy and a true success story for a small business. They started out of a small hole in the wall place that only did to-go orders and had no seating. They now have two locations and are doing great!

Ol' Gang.

Since Joseph and I moved out of Hillcrest, we haven't really been going up there as much. It's about a (20) minute walk through Balboa Park and a very short car ride but for some reason, would rather stay downtown.

Joseph used to have a habit of going to Nunu's (a bar in Hillcrest, that was across the street from out apartment) a few times a week and now he never really goes. However, since the time we moved, our other good friends have moved to either L.A. or City Heights, so to get everyone together randomly on one night was quite nice and meeting at Nunu's had a sense of "home-ness" or celebration of old times.

I'd like you to meet the Ol' Gang:

This is Theresa, or "T". She is just permanently concussed... I think that sums her up.

Michelle, probably the most paranoid person I have ever met in my life but someone who always means well.


Joseph is Joseph, my love.


Caitlin, the most normal drunkest-functioning person I've ever met (if that makes sense) , but also the biggest drama queen ever. She knows it, it's okay :)

Nunu's Bar

The one place I swore I would never like or enjoy, which has actually really grown on me.

Strawberry Jam.

Seriously, who thinks about what jams that they can make...ever... other than our lovely Grandmas, of course...

Joseph was complaining one morning about how we didn't have anything for breakfast. I told him that I would make us some coffee and some toast, he said "fine." And then he was like, "don't you guys have some kind of strawberry jam at your work that you could get?"...

Then I thought, "can't i just make some?"

And that is exactly what I did!

Luckily, we had about (6) strawberries left over in the fridge that I put into a steep container and mashed up with a spatula.

Once all mashed, and in pieces, I placed the entire mush into a small saucepan with sugar.

After carefully simmering the two ingredients, and constantly stirring together...

The mixture was finally coming together and looking somewhat like jam!

After careful and quick cooking... I did it... Homemade Strawberry Jam! The feeling was kind of priceless (even though this was probably the easiest thing I had ever made, ever... other than simple syrup)