320 Main - Seal Beach

What I love about trying different restaurants is the different destinations it leads me to. 320 Main is located on Main street along with many small business shops to check out. It feels like the matured version of downtown Long Beach. Just a local friends and family gathering scene though I could be wrong during the evening Happy Hours.

We came to 320 Main during brunch, and it was such a pleasant surprise. 

Pimms Cup

What's a brunch without a cocktail? This simple mixture is nothing short on flavor. Pimm's with some lemon, ginger and cucumber. I had a cold, but this ironically made me feel etter. Must be the ginger.

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Creole Shrimp & Grits

These were jumbo shrimps cooked perfectly. Extremely plump and flavorful. Cooked with andouille sausage with some good ole cheese grits.

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Smoked pork chop

This dish was ridiculous. It's every pig lover's dream. A huge pork chop with seared crispy fat served with some potato hash, sunny side, and an apple fig jam with crunchy toast. This is what brunch is all about. Great to share, but I devoured this all by myself.

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They also serve great food to pair with drinks like duck poutines.

320 Main Seal Beach CA, 90740 562-799-6246

Big Catch Seafood - Downtown Alhambra

Do you guys remember how Downtown Alhambra used to be like? It was nothing. Besides the Edwards Renaissance or Johnny Rockets, and ok from time to time Diner on Main, there was pretty much nothing to go there for. In a huge leap of a decade, it's evolved into this whole beast of, perhaps, gentrification. 

There are so many new restaurants on Main street it's become the new location to hang out and mingle. Big Catch just opened their doors the past week and boy does this change up the scene. Downtown Alhambra now has an innovative restaurant that doesn't just serve great food, but also provides an amazing ambience for date nights, hang out with friends, celebratory dinners, and just a great destination to wow your families in town.

Below are a few, but not limited, of the different dishes I got to try.

Fried Oysters

Truffle Salmon Roll 

Dirty Fried Rice

Truffle Sliders

New England Clam Chowder

Crap Dip

Oysters : Around 7 oysters to pick from.

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Hokkaido Scallop

Uni Pasta

Tomahawk Rib Chop - USDA Prime.

Hickory Smoked Salmon

Vanilla Creme Brulee

2 S Garfield Ave Ste 100 Alhambra, CA 91801

**Recommend to make reservations.

TLT Food - Pasadena

A good foodie colleague of mine recommended this place that just opened not too long ago. Even though I work in Pasadena, surrounded my tons of restaurants, it's still hard to find a place to eat around here. After having dinner at TLT, it definitely felt like a breath of fresh air. There's a lot of variety on their menu with playful ingredients. I didn't find their menu to be boring, but unique to their offerings. TLT used to be a food truck. Like all ambitious entrepreneurs, only a few make it to open a brick and mortar. 

36 South El Molino Ave Pasadena, CA 91101

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Tamara getting her Monday drink on. 

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Shishito Peppers

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Cali Ceviche - Cauliflower, Avocado, Lime, Red Onion, Cilantro, Jalapeño, Corn Tortilla Chips. Additional charge to add tuna.

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Ahi Tuna Tostada - Tostada with Sushi Grade Ahi, Garlic Ginger Dressing, Pickled Veggies, Avocado, Lime, Cilantro, Iceberg & Sesame Seeds

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Beet Salad - Pickled Golden Beets, Roasted Red Beets, Arugula, Mint, Spiced Candied Almonds & Whipped Goat Cheese

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Pee Wee Potatoes - Cheese Sauce, Chimichurri, Scallions (these were freaking GOOD)

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Blue Crab Grilled Cheese - Blue Crab, Cheese Blend, Scallions, Jalapeños, Sambal, Grilled Sourdough. No Substitutions (For $12, this was worth it.)

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Amazing Chimmi Wings - Tossed in Chimichurri & Topped with Chipotle-Honey Aioli. Green Apple & Lime Garnish. 6 Wings total. These were one of the best wings I've had! Not comparing them to your typical bar wings or game day wings, but the flavor of these are so different than anything I've ever had. Must order. The lime does wonders to this as well.

I'm counting on them to stay open, so check them out.

36 South El Molino Ave Pasadena, CA 91101

Happy Hour at Roy's Restaurant - Pasadena

I know a lot of people that like to go straight home after work. I believe the best coworkers are the ones you can consider your friend, and one you are willing to spend time with even after 9 hours of being together. But nothing unites us more than Happy Hour. Eyes light up. Chatters are spread and next thing you know, it's as if we were channeling each other throughout the agent with telepathic communication.

There's a lot of restaurants that serve happy hour near our office. We have a few that are walking distance. Roy's was brought up a few times so after having a glance at their menu, it was finalized. In no time 5 o'clock hit and we were out the door. Maybe a few of us took a short lunch to get the happy started early.

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They have $7 cocktails/wine/sake, to $5 well drinks, to $3 selected drafts.

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These French Fries were a BIG hit. After the first order, there were multiple to follow. The fries were coated with Parmesan, Togarashi, Parsley, Sea Salt and a Housemade Mango sauce. Portions were great for $5 and perfect with drinks.

All other Happy Hours bites were $7. Some things we ordered showed above are Crispy Chicken Spring Rolls served on top of a Citrus Black Bean Dragon Sauce, Szechuan Spiced Pork Ribs Smoked and Glazed in Roy's Original Mongolian Sauce, Lobster Potstickers served on a Spicy Togarashi Miso Butter Sauce, and Tempura-Crusted Ahi Roll with Spicy Togarashi Miso Butter Sauce. Some other items the table ordered were their Kalua Pork Sliders Crispy Onions – Lilikoi Slaw.

Happy Hour starts at 4 and ends at 7. We already planned our next venture next week!

Check it out yourself. Any happy hour recommendations in Pasadena are always welcomed.

Fig at 7th

As we move close to National Cheeseburger day, we should all think about Fig at 7th. I felt like this center has changed so much with so many added additions. I got the opportunity to feast over a few burgers to spotlight some places you should try. 

735 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90017

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George's Greek

Starting with George's Greek. Greek marinated angus beef topped w/ greens, cucumbers, feta cheese & a garlic herb aioli. Super juicy and flavorful. The feta adds a zippy tang that goes fantastic with the greek seasonings in the patty.

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City Tavern

This is City Tavern's pastrami burger. Extremely luscious with fatty meat and pastrami, melted swiss and a delicious slaw to help the jaw out. Perfectly cooked fries added to this burger for an additional charge, but it's worth it. The burger was cooked to a perfect medium. The bun also held the burger together.

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The Melt

From The Melt, this is their Spicy Mission Burger - Pepper Jack, Jalapeños, Avocado, Romaine, Pickled Onion w/ Spicy Ketchup. The bun also held the burger together really well. It's always scary to have sliced jalapenos. I love them, but they are tricky little creatures. Sometimes they are mild, and sometimes you know you are asking for it. These were spicy! love the heat though.

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The Melt

The classic Original Cheddar Burger - Aged Cheddar, Tomato, Romaine w/ Melt Sauce. Sometimes, you just need a simple cheeseburger to satisfy that burger crabe. Again, great bun, fresh condiments, and a juicy snappy pickle.

Check out Fig at 7th if you haven't already. There are other great burger joints like Five Guys which also carries delicious fries and milkshakes, and Morton's steakhouse that also serves a mean burger. 

735 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90017