messhallhooligans

i loathe the fact that nursing school has given me this terrible fast food problem. some people seem to think that because i have an affinity for amazing food (sometimes at a ridiculously out of my budget price point), i never eat junk. however, the reality of this is that it’s so far from the truth.

if the world were perfect, which it is not, i would be able to eat double doubles and chicken nuggets all day and all night and not gain weight. however, that is not the case. hopefully after i am done with this soul-sucking program in august, i will continue be able to get back to my love of cooking awesome meals for myself and others. but until then, looks like mcdonald’s spicy chicken sandwiches and del taco chili cheese fries will be my friends, unless someone would like to be my own personal chef, hm???

btw, the above picture was a meal i consumed earlier this year. i ate all of it. yes, by myself. two tacos, a chicken sandwich, a bacon cheeseburger, curly fries and bacon cheddar wedges. no i didn’t share. this doesn’t even include the fat orange soda that i had in addition to all this amazingness. don’t judge me. it was fkn glorious.

- small fry

kitchensurfing?

“hey passing through cdm. are you still at work?”

that was the message i got from small fry shortly before agreeing to rendezvous at r+d kitchen, spontaneously.

fashion island has no shortage of bougie restaurants. it was a toss-up in my mind between this and great maple, despite great maple’s boo-boo reviews. the atmosphere looks cool, okay. don’t judge me.

r+d kitchen is part of the hillstone group of restaurants which also owns houston’s and bandera, both excellent choices as well if you’re in the newport area.

the menu is fairly limited and i figured if i’m going to spend $15+ on a meal, it better not be a burger. i was sure that after the wine hangover i woke up with that morning, i wasn’t going to drink but stella on tap is just such a seductive choice.

the ambiance feels like a great big hug of oak veneer and dim lighting. i like places with shorter ceilings since i barely clear the legal midget mark and this was no exception.

to start, we got the dip duo … the highlight being the spicy queso dip. beyond the crack lace, i need to figure out what is in this. it was fantastic. the guac that accompanied it was standard.

the chicken meatballs, though. chicken is never my first choice for entrees without some serious effort on my behalf to glance over all the more attractive protein options. so the fact that this is even noteworthy speaks to the quality. the only other mind blowing chicken dish i have had is the chicken kabob at bandar in SD.

but i digress.

something about the homemade sauce and chicken meatballs creates the warm and fuzzies in your belly. so good. tons of depth in flavor to the point where you dream about it the next day. or at least i did.

i love unexpected mind-blowings. :)

- stella

r + d kitchen

555 newport coast drive

newport beach, ca

http://www.hillstone.com/pdf_menus/cafeRandD/Cafe_R_and_D_Newport.pdf

double deucing dtsa— the playground AND chapter one for two full meals and drinks. brings a new meaning to beast mode. still needing to roll around to move. literally.

- stella

my first thoughts on having lunch with one of my friends from LA today was not intending to be insanely overwhelmed with good food. this particular friend doesn’t subscribe to the foodie train of thought so my expectations for the lunch choice wasn’t high. however, being that he is of the design profession i should have anticipated the choice’s aesthetic value to be in tandem with great food to follow. silly me.

my friend suggested we meet at manhattan beach pier on such a beautiful day that i couldn’t argue. and naturally, when people mention places i start conjuring up every yelp review i have read in any particular area to at least have some suggestions on hand for the inevitable question of “where do you want to eat?” but when i got there, my friend had a place picked out . . the strand house.

with such a well crafted space, i didn’t think twice about the food selection. my instincts told me it was going to be amazing.

and for quite possibly the first time in life, i didn’t go with the first thing on the menu my eye was drawn to. i’m usually pretty good about being decisive about what i want to try. that dish, in this case, was the duck confit benedict. just didn’t feel like soaking my stomach up with all that goodness today. happens.

so i resorted to the spicy rock shrimp pizza and a few mimosas as my selection and my friend got the belgian waffle topped with fresh berries and blueberry ice cream and a few goblets of the matilda goose island, per my recommendation. a belgian style pale ale generally reserved for the more savory dishes and perhaps a little heavy for a daytime beer, but delicious nevertheless.

i got the donuts for dessert— a variation of three full sized donuts topped with blueberry glaze, vanilla bean, and caramel with fleur de sel.

i also finally located manhattan beach post and simmzy’s on my gallivant from the parking structure to lunch, both suggestions by small fry that were on my hit list since we discussed them. fortunately, my friend was intrigued enough with the space to indulge going into a second restaurant after such a big lunch.

and the star of today’s show …

the mo-pho-jito. not a joke. look it up. topped with a coriander honey. i mentioned to the bartender before i ordered it that i was concerned about the simple syrup content of it so he obliged and lightened it up. i know you’re staring at the pork belly steam bun right there on the menu. don’t worry. i ordered it.

looks a lot like the momofuku ones although the hoisin sauce was a little spicier. delicious nevertheless. perfect dish to order in front of your vegetarian friend. no judgment.

the ambiance is great here also. very casual. nice vintage character. communal tables. big fan.

had to walk off the mojito and mimosas on the beach before heading home.

great day. KTFO for 3 hours when i got home.

- stella 

the strand house

117 manhattan beach boulevard

manhattan beach, ca 90266

(310) 545-7470

www.thestrandhousemb.com/

manhattan beach post

1142 manhattan avenue

manhattan beach, ca 90266

(310) 545-5405

www.eatmbpost.com