Strawberry picking

We drove on to the dirt road, admiring the fields of plants. Walking onto the farm property to register for our very first Strawberry tour, the aroma of the freshly baked tamales was in the area. We payed our $17 in just enough time to jump onto the tractor wagon that would take us around the farm. The clouds covered the sky, but the sun was peaking through just enough to keep the air cool, but not cold. As we drove by each field, our enthusiastic tour guide welcomed us with facts about the Tanka Farm, such as it being owned by a Japanese American family for about 75 years. We started with the vegetables passing by cauliflowers , kale, and getting to try fresh and organic cilantro, corn,carrots and green beans that was picked right from the ground. When we continued on we knew we were getting closer to the strawberry fields because the aroma tickled our senses. Eager to pick, we had to abide by some farm rules before we started picking. We started on a treasure hunt of finding the reddest strawberry. As I went after the larger strawberries, and I couldn't help but to snack and pick at the same time. Once our baskets were filled and our shoes were covered in mud, we climbed back onto the tractor and headed back to the main entrance of the farmer. A 45 minute tour that seemed to last only 10 minutes. After we exiting the tractor, we went shopping in their market, where they had great prices on fruits, veggies, salsa, tamales, fruit bars and more. Fun facts: 1. Purple carrots are healthier then orange carrots but not very popular, so they are not often sold. 2. The difference between fruits and vegetables is that fruits have seeds and they come from flowers. 3. Corn is a man made vegetable. If the human race went extinct, corn would only last 2 years. 5. Tankam farm also has pumpkin and watermelon tours.

Saturday Evening in San Diego

We headed down the 405 freeway around 2pm and arrived in San Diego around 4pm right at the end of the farmer's market. Nonetheless when we arrived in Little Italy the air was clear, and the colors from the walls and banners were inviting. The people we passed all smiled and everyone gave off a friendly aura. What was most captivating was the aroma of food that engulfed our senses. Just about every place we walked passed looked good enough to sit down and eat at, however we landed ourselves in La Villa. We walked into their beautiful open patio space with it's tranquil water foundation. We sat at the bar where on the counter top were various fresh ingredients for their variety of cocktails. We chose to indulged in their rich sangria and in their large portions of happy hour foods such as fried shrimp, margarita pizzas, and fried potatoes.

After our satisfying meal we headed over to the Mission Brewery. The building appeared to be an old Wonder bread factory. We walked into a spacious room, with the brewery machines in the back and black cat leering at us from the counter top. Luckily I didn't take this as a bad omen and I ordered the blonde and sat down at a barrel that was turned into table. As my friend and I sat down with our craft beers, we enjoyed the dim lightening and architecture of the place. We also enjoyed all the dogs kneeling by their owner's side.

Our last stop was the Gas Lamp District. It is definitely a place for those a fan of electronic music. However for us hip hop fans the C lounge is an under ground place that plays popular radio hip hop songs. Good music but not to much space to move around and dance. After being at the C Lounge we ventured off a few bars down and stumbled into Serf. A Persian restaurant who had moved their tales to the side to create a dance floor. The dj played mainly hip hop so we decided to end our night there.

Weekend in Review: Food

After a week of carefully counting calories I had a pretty guiltiness carb filled weekend. Hopefully it didn't completely cancel out my hard work during the week. My conscience might not have been happy but my taste buds sure were. My carb rebellion started Friday night. A friend and I went to LACMA for the live jazz. Unfortunately we missed the live jazz, so that review won't be until later. Fortunately in the pavilion they had this outdoor bar/ restaurant called Stark bar. I had already ate before I came so I was in the mood for a nice drink to wash everything down. My friend and I ended up having a little beer tasting. I started with a Hefe. A very light beer, which most Hefe's are. Easy to drink down but not full of flavor or body. I tried the Rasputin beer that my friend ordered and I immediately quenched my cheeks as soon as the beer hit my tongue. A dark beer with a very bitter taste, so if you are a fan of IPA's or Guinness you'll like Rasputin. Next I tried the Downtown Brown, which is an Ale, and had a slightly less bitter taste, and a little easier to drink. Saturday I committed double sins. I first attempted to eat at Simmzy's in Manhattan Beach. A very small, cozy and very popular place located right off the strand. So popular that we waited 45 minutes for two people to be seated. However, after the 45 minutes we decided to head elsewhere and came to and was sat very quickly at Brewco the Manhattan Beach Brewery. There I had a turkey burger and my ultimate guilty pleasure, french fries. My friend had a veggie burger which she devoured in an instant. I also had the Acai Berry beer. Not to sweet despite the berries mixed it. The nice little perk to it was that it is organic and locally brewed. For dinner I ended up at another highly populated place. This place actually had some media coverage in the L.A. Times but luckily I didn't have to wait no more then 10 minutes to order my food. Chego, is definitely the spot for foodies, or anyone that wants to try something they have never had before. I had the Sour Cream Hen House which included: marinated grilled chicken rice bowl w/ fried egg, Chinese broccoli, sour cream sambal, Thai basil, toasted sesame and red jalapeno. I opt out of the Jalapeno. It had a slightly spicy taste, but the basil definitely made the bowl sweeter. Sunday, while passing through one of my favorite cities, I had to stop by the Greenhouse Cafe in Long Beach for the Green House Panini which is packed with locally and organically grown ingredients. Needless to say, soups and salads for the rest of the week.

Cost Rica:You have arrived.

I hope to say the phrase" it was a dream come true" many more times in my life because arriving in Costa Rica was a dream come true. I was simply amazed that I was actually able to save the money, break away from my normal life, travel with people I've never met before and end up in a different country. Blessed is a feeling that I never stopped feeling because I honestly felt so blessed from the support of everyone who helped me make it to my destination. When we arrived it was night time. Our flight was delayed so we got there a little later then expected. I remember listening to the quiet of the night, few cars on the road. As our bus drove us to our location I remember looking out the window and trying to make out the city as I gazed at it under street lights. The ride was bumpy but pretty short, and we made it to C.E.D.C.A.S, the medical facility in which we stayed. There can be a bit of worry when you travel to a different country, one reason being that cleanliness standards vary from place to place but I was more then pleased with the C.E.D.C.A.S facility. We were greeted with a warm meal of spaghetti. Lilian who runs the facility greeted us with the warmest smile and with one shoe on her foot. She was trying to balance herself out after having hip surgery, so the wearing of one shoe wasn't from any type forgetfulness. We had short introductions then we were off to bed for we had an adventure planned for the next day. To find out more about C.E.D.C.A.S and the great work they do visit http://cedcas.org/ ( the website is all in Spanish). C.E.D.C.A.S is a medical facility that offers free and low cost medical care for those that are desperately in need for care. If you'd like to find out how to support C.E.D.C.A.S. feel free to contact me for information.

the counter vs. stacked

Two popular burger joints in my area, I thought I'd compare the two! The Counter I stumbled onto this place because it happened to be right next to my bank and I was starving and in a rush. When I ordered a turkey burger I didn't know I was not taking full advantage of my ordering process. And even before I tried the burger I had a desire to come back solely based on the friendly service. Who doesn't want to walk into a place where they are greeted with smiles and people eager to assist you. When I tried the turkey burger it had this very distinct but delicious taste of freshness. This is what a turkey burger should taste like. On my second visit I actually had time to sit down, eat and order a drink from the bar. This time I actually looked at the menu where I got to choose not only the type of burger but a variety of different toppings. I chose a veggie burger with grilled pineapples and may on a wheat bun. Hands down best veggie burger I've ever had. It was flavorful and not dried out. It is now my new favorite burger. Stacked The most appealing part of this restaurant are the ipads at every table. I really enjoyed ordering my food off the ipad because it gave me complete control of what I want. I could add and take away virtually anything I wanted, and there were no worries of getting my order mixed up. I had ordered a turkey burger and when I had received my food I wasn't completely happy with the taste. The french fries were good but the burger wasn't very flavorful and had some what over an overly processed, I just took this patty out of the freezer taste.

City Reviews: The Green House Cafe

Have you ever walked into a place and felt at peace? That is how I felt when I walked into Green House Cafe in Long Beach. On the search to find a place to read and do some work I randomly yelped this place that had good reviews and was open on New Years day. Green House is a spacious place with two levels and an art gallery. Their name gives meaning to their decor with plants on different levels, wooden table and chairs and earth tones within the walls, couches and love seats. The main room was lit by a bright chandler hanging in the center. While the atmosphere is inviting, the food will get you to stay. Their food and their coffee is locally and organically grown. The freshness and flavor of their food is evident in the taste. Some of their food items includes, the Green House Panini, Mango grilled chicken with avocado, and my personal favor their chicken noddle soup. Green House is the place to be.

Long beach Shoreline village: Short Review

The food: You'll want to go straight to dessert first with their ice cream sandwiches which are ice cream squeezed between two cookies or their funnel cake sundae. There are also an array of different restaurants such as Chills, Yardhouse, P.F. Changs and Tequila Jacks. Things to do Shopping: Walking around you will see man different vendors selling sunglasses, dresses hats and purses and more. You can literally shop by the sea. Relax on the grass. Down my the light tower you will not see any keep off the grass signs, in fact laying on the grass, catching the rays and just relaxing is encouraged. Paddle Boats as well as Boat tours around the harbor The Aquarium of the Pacific

city guide: city eats

So happy to have discovered at 2am in the morning a 24 hour restaurant that isn't Denny's or Norms. Shore House Cafe in Long Beach, is a small but friendly restaurant with a wide variety of food, from pastas, burgers, soups and salads. Located on the Corner of 2nd st and La Verne in Belmont shore, seating is limited so you might want to live the bar early in order to get a good sit. However, once you are in there you will have no problem ordering food from the cafe's friendly waiters. Anyone that is friendly to a group drunk and semi drunk people at 3am definitely deserves a tip from me.