800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria

I'm pretty sure all of you know by now that I love to drink. And if you didn't, know you know that I do. I also love tacos too, and fried chicken... and burgers.. and french fries and pasta and sushi. I know I get carried away.

It was my coworkers birthday, celebrated on a Friday night. I was staying back a bit at work to help out a colleague with some reports. Our anxiety was off the charts. But that's what booze is for. The first stop we headed to was Edward Mills in Old Town Pasadena. With $3 drinks and appetizers till 7, it doesn't get any better than that. Or, does it?

Thinking the party was almost over, I was hungry and ready to roam the streets for food. One coworker was ready to head over to King Taco which is genius after the drinks. I didn't know what I wanted. I just wanted something good.

I don't know how it happened, but we ended up here at 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria. My colleague mentioned an Instagram special where you order their pizza of the day. $5. No substitutions. But, you better check instagram first to know what the pizza of the day was. We were lucky and they were kind enough to let us slide. But next time we don't check, we just get bread sticks.

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This is their Bianca with red onions, spinach and smoked provolone. A definite wowsers.

What I love about Neapolitan Pizzas is how thin they are. It also has a nice chew with a beautiful unique tang/sourness from the yeast. And honestly, the simpler the better. I feel like with Neapolitan pizza, it's all about the dough, the fresh sauce, cheese and just a few ingredients. Drink with a glass of wine or a nice cold brew is something I can envision myself doing on a casual afternoon.

For $5, it's definitely worth it. Seats were plentiful. I left my cellphone, and was definitely thankful no one took it... yet at least.

Find them on Instagram @800degreespizza to figure out what the next pizza of the day is. You might find me there.

Chelo Creamery

I've only seen rolled ice cream in videos and thought how fun and somewhat genius it was. The mixture is basically in liquid form, poured onto a cold stone with the toppings, crushed and mixed up, until it starts forming a paste. The paste is then spread and flatted all around the stone, until it's solid enough to scrape and roll.

I got an invite from @damoneats for the new rolled ice cream served at Chelo Creamery. It was another special event where all foodies and LA lifestyle media individuals, gather to take endless photos of their food. Being a small ice cream shop (in terms of space), it got packed, quick.

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With only 2 surfaces for them to mash and roll, I waited 1 hour, before I received my rolled up ice cream. Now, being that I'm a little lactose intolerant, will I wait 1 hour to get this again? Probably not. But, was it good? Absolutely. I would wait 15-20 minutes max, but anything over for ice cream can make me feel a little defeated. And waiting an hour, would give me the guilt trip that I do not want. That the rolls, might actually turn my stomach into rolls. And then, I would need to eat a salad for dinner. And that can't happen. No.. it just can't.

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I ordered their salted caramel ice cream. It was very creamy, not too sweet, and a perfectly balanced touch of salt. Salted caramel is always my go to. Always. I would definitely order this again along with the strawberry cheesecake that looked fantastic. They also carried gelato, and I believe ice cream waffles (looked great I gained 10 pounds).

Located:

18558 Gale Ave. #158 Rowland Heights, CA 91748

Make sure to check them out tomorrow, Sunday 11/15/2015 to try some rolled ice cream.

By the way, I also want to come back for their durian. Yes. One of my favorite things. Stinky sweet onion flavor, what's not to love.

Happy rolling.

Daisy

Quick Breakfast

John and I get Starbucks every weekend before we do anything. Sometimes, we think it's better if we just have breakfast there. And honestly, I love Starbucks. I think in terms of consistency, they got it to the nail. And hey, if you don't like the drink, they will make it right for you.

I normally order their Americano, but ever since they launched their cold brew, I just couldn't go back. For now at least, I am enjoying the sweet notes of the drink with a strong punch to my face. Seriously, their cold brew is no joke. That stuff is pretty strong. If I don't drink water after, I will feel dehydrated and nauseous afterwards.

My favorite go to sandwich is always their Sausage & Cheddar Breakfast sandwich. It's hefty, and always does the trick to fill me up enough to get me going. Today, I wanted to go for their croissant breakfast sandwiches. I've had it a few times, but just wanted it today to switch it up a bit.

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Double-Smoked Bacon, Cheddar & Egg Sandwich

Smokey bacon, melted cheese with a flaky croissant. So yummy and love how hot and crispy the croissant was. This sandwich not only filled me up afterwards, but it really made me feel satisfied.

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Slow-Roasted Ham & Swiss Breakfast Sandwich

You just can't beat yummy ham with a nice nutty swiss heated together in a croissant. This was definitely a great way to start off our day.

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One day, I will eat these sandwiches combined. Starbucks got the croissant game going strong. I need their super steroid oven to warm up sandwiches everyday in a snap.

Let me get something straight. I love Starbucks. 100% for it. But, I also love other coffee brands out there as well. But why I love Starbucks is their iconic trademark on their brand. They know what they are doing. When I was in Japan, I had to get Starbucks every morning. And luckily, there was one right downstairs of our Hotel. I told John if we were millionaires, I would want to have a big home, with a Starbucks inside.

And don't be one of those pretentious guppies telling me you hate Starbucks and how you love xyz so much better. I WILL DENY YOU.

Cheers,

Daisy

The Counter Burger

It's been a while since I've had a burger. And by a while, it's not having it every other day. I think it's been over a week since I had one, and probably the reason why I've been in a not so pleasant mood.  

Why Daisy?! Why did I stop eating burgers?! Well, to be honest... I was at the dentist one day. And they were working up my mouth for so long, my jaw was stuck, and became sore for the next few days. I had a burger that night because I couldn't say no. But then, the regrets starts to roll in as the pain punches your face. Yes I still ate my burger but decided to give myself a break. 

After a long week of work, I realized, I needed a burger. Need is a little bit of a understatement. I felt like I was almost turning Vegan. I wanted a burger to bring me back to reality. I am a carnivore. 

Witt a slight hesitation, I went with my basic pick. Because I was starving, and really wanted something I know I could trust.  

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This is my 1/3 of delicious Hormone & Antibiotics free beef. John got the 1/2 pounder. It didn't even cross my mind to order a bigger patty until I saw how thick his was.  

Toppings: red onions, corn and black beans salsa, fresh jalapeños, Anaheim chilies, roasted green chilies, roasted red peppers, roasted tomatoes, and coleslaw.  

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The Jaw test. I think I did pretty good. I don't like cutting my burgers in half. Maybe for a photo, but, I like to hold it in my hands. It makes me feel powerful. The slight grease that trails on your fingers, and the constant napping grabbing. 

I've been going to the Counter for 8 years now I believe. The first time I was here, I arm wrestled someone and had my first Fat Tire beer. It happens! but I love to arm wrestle, it helps me take down burgers.  

At the end of the day, the Counter is still one of my favorite Burger restaurants. They have killer onion strings, Allagash Curieux (I love tripels) and Gold Road Hef on tap. 

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From your professional burger eater,

Daisy

Mui Choy Kou Yoke

If I was a comfort food, how will I look like? I've already talked about how rice is a huge necessity in my life, and without it, I would die. But, if I were to look like some kind of Chinese food, it will be this dish right here.

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Muy Choi is some kind of preserved mustard greens which needs to be soaked and re-hydrated before you cook them. My mom should be teaching me the recipe soon, so stay put. But, the work that goes into this is pretty messy. Basically, you are deep frying the skin of the pork belly until it gets super bubbly and golden before you stew it for a few hours until its fork tender. That's how mom makes it. So that's the way. If you zoomed in, you can see the beautiful cracked golden skin from the frying, though it's not crunchy anymore. The sauce is just components of chicken stock, a few soy sauces, some brown sugar and tons of garlic. My mom likes to throw in orange peel, but I like to leave it out.

I had this for dinner last night with a little sriracha drizzled over. I ate this with a giant spoon, baggy sweat clothes while watching the Food Network. How does that not sound amazing? It's pretty cold tonight. And I can barely feel my nose and toes. If this was my last meal, I have no regrets. Why? Because this was my moms cooking. One of those "Come by, I made your favorite" type of phone calls.

So if I really did die (someone please knock on wood), just know, I died in a happy place because I've had one of my most cherished, favorite if not THE one, Chinese dish of all time.

Thank you mother even though you are crazy 95% of the time.

Daisy