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Showing posts from June, 2012

Boudin SF- Irvine, CA: Breakfast & Dinner

During another conference at the same location as some previous ones , I knew where to walk to for a meal: Boudin SF. Having experienced breakfast at Boudin SF one time and recognizing the positives of Boudin's Food, I knew that Boudin SF would be a dependable option this time, and it certainly was! When we arrived at the conference area, we had to make our own dinner plans and since none of us had access to a car, my friend and I walked that one block to Boudin SF. He had already eaten dinner and so ordered a grilled cheese with turkey (7.99 USD), but in my case, I ordered a Soup and Salad Combo (8.59 USD). My friend felt that he had received a mediocre deal after seeing the size of this combo in contrast to his relatively tiny sandwich and bag of chips; it took me much longer to eat all of this food, and I was stuffed for less than a dollar more than what he paid!

California Teriyaki Grill- University Town Center, Irvine, CA

During Celebrate UCI my friend and I visited California Teriyaki Grill, a relatively new addition to University Town Center. It is a small restaurant with only about eight closely packed tables; however, one can easily order take out and just eat outdoors, where there is plentiful seating. All food is packaged in take-out containers. Being a fast food/take out place, California Teriyaki Grill's prices are quite reasonable (especially for University Town Center), and what makes it really different from the competition are two aspects: condiments and its teriyaki sauce. Green onions, jalepenos, and a variety of sauces are available as toppings, and the teriyaki sauce is made in house. Unlike teriyaki sauces from some teriyaki outlets, California Teriyaki Grill's teriyaki sauce is not saccharine, but rather somewhat savory and fruity. In addition, the proteins and veggies on the menu only get a light squiggle of sauce, allowing for greater customization with condiments.

University of California, Irvine: Pippin Commons- Irvine, CA

Four years ago, I used a camera phone and a point and shoot. One of the most memorable pictures was this picture of an engraved watermelon with an UCI anteater, taken when my friend was just entering the university. The food then at Pippin Commons was decent, but there were definitely some setbacks, even at move-in day, where Pippin was trying to demonstrate its quality offerings to parents. For example, the chicken tortilla soup was barely passable; some other items I shrugged about. (Pictures taken during Celebrate UCI, 2012) In between the four years, I got samples from Pippin, such as some chocolate chip cookies (delicious, crisp on the outside and chewy in the middle) or fruit, but I never really got to thoroughly visit Pippin, or UCI itself again. With that said, my companions and I really were in for a surprise when we visited Pippin for the first time again in four years. In comparison to some restaurant reviews that I've written here on the blog

News: New Mandarin Noodle Deli Featured in Easy Chinese

On June 9, 2012, New Mandarin Noodle Deli was featured on Easy Chinese , a new, rebranded season of an existing show on the Cooking Channel with Ching-He Huang as host. At the restaurant, the chef taught Huang about the process of making shou la mian (hand pulled noodles) as well as dao xiao mian (knife cut noodles), and Huang sampled a rendition of tomato and egg knife cut noodles on location.  Of course, Huang proclaimed it as delicious, recognizing the springiness of the noodles. Similar to other restaurant visits featured on Easy Chinese , Huang then proceeded to make her own dish, utilizing the knife cut noodles from the chef. In comparison, her dish was more spicy, with liberal application of chili oil. I found the feature interesting as New Mandarin Noodle Deli certainly hasn't been the most popular of all places, and my review, along with more recent reviews, have not been positive about the place. Perhaps there's something that the Easy Chinese crew that we do n