Le Diplomate Cafe, Irvine

Le Diplomate Cafe

4237 Campus Drive

Irvine, CA 92612

So, most of you may know that my favorite sandwich place is Bay Cities Deli, but this next sandwich in particular is pretty darn good too.  Although, it’s not nearly as creative.  Le Diplomate Cafe is located near the UC Irvine campus, and is apparently a very popular place among college students.  What makes all their sandwiches so good is their garlic sauce.  I swear, garlic makes everything taste better.  But to be perfectly honest, if you ask me, I’d say their garlic sauce is really nothing more than just mayo and fresh pressed garlic (which anyone can make!).  Not something you want to eat very often, but good enough that we drove 25 min one way just to have it. That’s a true foodie right there! I have to admit it was worth it to have once, but certainly something I can make at home next time.

Garlic Chicken Sandwich

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Marmalade Cafe, Sherman Oaks

Marmalade Cafe

14910 Ventura Blvd.

Sherman Oaks, CA

http://www.marmaladecafe.com/

I had been to this restaurant a few times before at the Calabasas location, and usually for breakfast, but this time I had the opportunity to try the food at the Sherman Oaks location to celebrate my friend’s graduation.  I have to admit, I was really pleased with it.  I felt like eating something simple so I went with the Turkey Melt, and I’m very happy I did. It was filled with enough meat and the cheese, avocado, and bacon added just the right touch.  Also, a very interesting twist to a classic were the Portobello mushroom fries. Soo soo good! Man o man, I loved the texture of it. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside.  I have to learn how to make these at home.  The atmosphere is classy and great for an afternoon brunch or a nice date in the evening. Overall its a great place that can accommodate many different appetites because they’ve got different options to choose from like breakfast, salads, hamburgers, pastas, classics, seasonal items, etc. Try it!

1/2 Sandwich and soup

Classic Eggs Benedict

Fish & Chips (with portobello mushroom fries as a substitute to regular fries)

Portobello Mushroom Fries

Three Cheese Ravioli

Turkey Melt

Love, aka Cutest baby everrr!

CoCongrats Marie, Love youuuu!ngrats Marie, Love youuuu!

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Moonshadows, Malibu

Moonshadows

20356 Pacific Coast Hwy

Malibu, CA

http://www.moonshadowsmalibu.com/

Went here for date night and absolutely loved it!  Although the dinner was amazing, I would totally go back just to have drinks while gazing at the ocean.  It’s incredibly romantic to sit outside and watch the ocean while sipping on some wine. We tried a few white wines and decided on a Viognier. The food was great all around. We ordered the Flash Fried Calimari, a great appetizer because it was delicious, crispy, and great for sharing.  The scallops were ever so delicately seared and they just melted in your mouth, almost no chewing necessary.  We also had the Grilled Pacific Swordfish which was a great choice because it was a thick cut and had an amazing buttery sauce that went perfectly with the spinach and mashed potatoes. For dessert…the souffle for dessert with the spiced coffee sauce and hazelnut ice cream. I mean, Hello!?  How can you go wrong with that.  The whole evening was just magical.

Flash Fried Calimari: Chipotle Aioli Sauce

Pan Seared East Coast Seared Scallops: Fresh Tomatoes, Frisee, Shitake Mushrooms, Lemon Dressing

Grilled Pacific Swordfish: Baby Carrots, Sautéed Spinach, Yukon Gold Mash Potatoes, Lemon Caper Beurre Blanc

Valrhona Chocolate & Gianduja SoufflÉ Cake: Spiced Coffee Sauce & Hazelnut Ice Cream

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Poquito Mas

For a casual Mexican dining experience, check out Poquito Mas. For a burrito filled with tons of vegetables, try the Nature Grill Burrito which has fresh grilled eggplant, mushroom, zucchini, red and green bell pepper, red and white onion with black beans, Jack cheese, fresh salsa and a touch of roasted red bell pepper sour cream.  We ordered this with steak and “wet” style. Split between 2 people, it did the job.

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Indian treats on an Indian beach

One of my favorite parts of my trip to India was my visit to the beach.  It was like going to a carnival.  There’s tons of people scattered around, and so many food stands with typical carnival food like snow cones, cotton candy, and corn on the cob.  I only wish I had more pictures!

Me in my Indian getup

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Miami in a Night

The plan: Get to Miami. Rent a car. Party. Get back to the airport by 6 am. And yes, we did it.  We arrived at Miami, quickly rented out a car which was troublesome at first because a lot of the companies were sold out.  Got ready at the airport since we had to pick up our bags anyway.  Then had a fantastic dinner on the main strip.  Did the whole bar hopping at Nikki Beach. Then actually walked down to beach where some of us were actually daring enough to go in the water that late at night (not me).  Then back to the airport it was to catch our plane to Dominican Republic. No need to get a hotel either. Did the whole thing all over again on the way back. Now THAT’S how you do a layover lol.

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The Misfit Bar, Santa Monica

The Misfit Bar

225 Santa Monica Blvd.

Santa Monica, CA 90401

www.themisfitbar.com

The Misfit Bar…cool little place on 3rd Street Promenade.  For brunch they’ve got an Endless Mimosa option for $12 on weekends.  It was actually pretty delicious because the orange juice was a little pulpy and fresh squeezed. Everything you see here were was quite delicious and filling too.  Everyone was happy with their order.  My favorite would have to be the shredded kale and quinoa salad. Mmm mmm! Great place to spend a Saturday afternoon 

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Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

After doing research to find an affordable Caribbean trip, I found that Punta Cana is the best way to get the most bang for your buck for a beachy vacation.  Basically for a $1000 we stayed at an all inclusive resort for a trip that lasted 9 days.  The itinerary is what made it so awesome….We landed in Miami, partied all night, got on a plane for Punta Cana, stayed there for 6 nights, flew back to Miami, partied all night again, then came back to Los Angeles.  I had the most amazing time with the most amazing people ever!!!!!!!  I did not want to come home at all!  The hotel we stayed at was pretty comfortable and nice.  There was food and drinks around the clock.  Fine dining at various restaurants.  Soooo worth it!  I will always do the all inclusive if possible.

I highly highly recommend the hotel we stayed at which was the Barcelo Dominican Beach…but beware, make sure you read all the reviews and pick the hotel with the best ones because there were a lot of hotels with similar names that had really horrible reviews.  Reading all the reviews also prepares you for the stuff that can go wrong, for example, them not being able to locate your reservation.  This had happened to people many times before, so I actually made the effort to call the hotel to confirm our reservation and whaddya know…..THEY HAD NO RECORDS OF MY RESERVATION!!!!  So I frantically called Priceline and made sure they sorted it out.  Thank god I had done that or else.  But the bad news is that they still did not have our reservations available when we got there!  So as you can see, there is a lot that can go wrong, so its really important to read as many reviews about a place before you go.  Despite all of that though, the rest of the trip was awesome, and I would still go back to that hotel.  I wish you all the best and hope that you’ll be able to experience somewhere awesome this summer!

Mr. Universe hoopla!

Club Imagine….a club in an actual cave…freakin amazing!

Traditional Dominican food

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