ice cream: neveria la flor de mexico

stanton is a small city in orange county to the west of anaheim and it isn’t known for much.  other cities in orange county point at them and laugh.  well maybe not anymore, there has been a good growth of QUALITY foodie establishments making stanton their home.  probably because of cheaper rent.

one such establishment is a cute little mom & pop ice cream parlor called neveria la flor de mexico.  the pink & white striped walls remind me of old school ice cream shops.  the people running the place are very helpful and friendly.  i had a ton of questions regarding their wide array of flavors and they didn’t treat me like an idiot.

from what i gathered, they make all the ice creams and paletas (ice cream bar) right there.

my favorite is angel’s kiss (cherry ice cream with almonds, raisins & cherries maybe even marshmallows?).  i also tried coconut pineapple but didn’t really care for the super frozen pineapple bits in it.  their scoop portions are huge, for my 2 scoops i paid $2.60

frozen goodies!

Nevaria la Flor de Mexico

(714) 761-2813

humpday hoppin’

last wednesday afternoon my husband surprised me with a trip to LA. it was our first time leaving the house at 1pm and we didn’t know what kind of traffic to expect… yep, it was bad. it took us about an hour to get there. our first stop was scion space in culver city. i wanted to check out the 2009 vice magazine photo exhibition.

the place is a little bit hard to find since it’s in the neighborhood. it’s a nice gallery though, really spacious and we had a good talk with kenton! he hooked us up with all kinds of shit too. i appreciate good convo with a genuine motherfucker, thanks kenton!

our next stop was the michael kohn gallery on beverly/crescent heights to check out the david lynch show. the photos were inspired by danger mouse & sparklehorse’s music from the “dark night of the soul“. i was a bit floored by the visuals only because i’m familiar with lynch’s films. my 3 year old favored the piece which featured a bloody arm.

the main gallery is connected to either another gallery or an office space. it was cordoned off but we were nosy and it was worth a peek…because there lived a beautiful ryden piece.

afterwards we indulged in chicken bowls at yoshinoya and had yummy scoops. i usually only have a bowl (it’s considered 2 scoops for $2.75 – can ya beat that?!) but the flavor selection was so good i got a refill (2 more scoops for only $1.75!) so in total i had blueberry marscapone, strawberry coconut, mango grapefruit and malt toffee. c had banana oreo and chocolate almond. the grapefruit in the mango grapefruit was a bit overpowering but still good for a hot summer day. i couldn’t resist!

i was hoping tae (owner and flavor creator) was around so i could tell him about my scoops photo that was published in the july/august 2009 issue of LA confidential magazine! THANKS SCOOPS!

there is so much stuff to do in LA, get out and see art! try different food! enjoy the city!

in true southern cali fashion

we didn’t hide colored eggs for the kids.  we got them up, dressed and headed out to LA.  our first stop was at Yoshinoya on the corner of melrose & vermont.  mmm yummy easter lunch!  after that we cruised on melrose to see what stores were open, nothing really caught our eye so we headed up to sunset to hit Meltdown.  they changed the layout since we last visited months ago and i prefer it so much more.  it’s much roomier and you can see the displays better.  the kids had fun playing on the rodys.  C & i picked up the hi-fructose box set.  it’s a beauty.  the 5 prints alone are worth the cost ($39.95) – i’m planning on doing a review in the next couple weeks.  2 things were depressing: looks like the secret base display cabinet is gone?! and that i didn’t have crazy money to blow.

but what we really went to LA for is SCOOPS.  turns out they were closed which we kinda expected.  it’s ok, they deserve a holiday lol  not wanting to go back home we went to check out the idiot box show at gallery 1988.  it was a really good show.  all the pieces were fantastic!!!

click on rudy to see the rest of the idiot box set!

food: restaurant.com gift certificates & lascari’s

i’ve bought restaurant.com gift certificates in the past and given them as gifts to family, friends and coworkers.  i heard about them years ago on ebay, i think they can credit their popularity to them.  sometime in october, i came across a promo code… every $25 gift certificate for only $2.  i was all over it.  the site had a major lag but i was determined to pick up at least 10.  in addition to the lag, their search isn’t by city but by area and a los angeles county search gives you at least 200 restaurants – which wouldn’t be a problem if you didn’t care about specific restaurants’ special instructions, terms & conditions.

most of the special instructions are that the gift certificate can only be used sunday-thursday, dine-in/dinner only, minimum purchase $35 & 18% gratuity.

i bought a few extra so i could treat out C & i, we decided to try out lascari’s italian restaurant.  we got there at 4pm. there were about 7 full tables and i was shocked to see that many people out!  when we sat down i noticed the tent specials and saw that seniors eat for $6.99 everyday from 2-5pm, no wonder they were rollin’ deep.  take note in case you are scared of seniors. the menu seemed a little similar to olive garden (except for the sandwich page), i was expecting a bit more.  maybe it’s the anthony bourdain/andrew zimmern/guy fieri hopeful inside of me.  i settled for a chicken florentine and C chose chicken parm.  each of our entrees came with soup or salad & sourdough rolls.  i went for the minestrone soup and C picked caesar salad.  my soup was tasty but nothing to call my mama about.  when our entrees came out, i was happy to see a little bright green peeking at me.  my chicken was perfect.  good cut, good fresh well cooked spinach on top (not overdone yay!) with a light marinara sauce and real cheese!  it also came with spaghetti and fresh veggies.  the squash was fresh and good. as with most authentic italian restaurants we’ve eaten at, i couldn’t finish my dish!  since we had to shell out $35, we asked for a canolli.  now this is my 2nd time ever having a canolli and the first small bites we shared were just eh.  it wasn’t till the end that i actually enjoyed it.  would we go back? maybe if we’re seniors or we get hooked up with a discount.  lascari’s was good but it wasn’t franco’s.  franco’s is the type of place i would handwrite and snail mail a letter home to mom.

our total was only $17.64!

LASCARI’S RESTAURANT / 16255 WHITTIER BLVD. / WHITTIER, CA / (562) 943-1113

FRANCO’S / 4453 CERRITOS AVE. / CYPRESS, CA / (714) 761-9040

review: Unique LA

we checked out Unique LA on sunday. it took place on the penthouse floor of the California Market Center and you could either pay $6 parking in their underground garage or chance it around downtown. the ticket table was manned by 2 lovely ladies, since i won tickets i let one of them know i won from yelp and she handed me a bag and wristband. as you walked away you could grab a couple bottles of Bossa Nova juice, show guide and bag. C & i walked to the elevators and when we got in, found out the penthouse was on the 13th floor, OOO!

i didn’t really have a game plan except to find Cake Monkey and spend all my monies on their stuff. we passed by a bunch of apparel booths and the free gift wrap tables. very very cool idea! we passed by Rafael Cruz’s photobooth (click Events) and it looked awesome! i wanted to take pictures but hubby wasn’t into it then i saw the myspace/la weekly table and picked up a bunch of freebies… saw the PBR/Izze lounge and checked out the gorgeous view of downtown LA.

there were also a bunch of free gift tag and card tables (THANKS ETSY!)…i really should’ve taken advantage but we got there a little bit later in the afternoon and C wanted to hit fairfax district. after about 45 minutes, i found Cake Monkey but was bummed that their mini cakes were only for display and i had to place an order online for the good stuff! i did pick up one B & W Cakewich ($3.50) and didn’t eat it till i got home but oh my, it was delicious! i wish i bought more actually! the only other downside about CM was that there were 3 people at the booth but they all seemed to pay attention to another lady inquiring about their stuff. i got my questions in but i kinda had to be aggressive lol

i also passed by Merlin Castell and saw his beautiful dresses but i bitched out and didn’t ask to take a picture, stupid me!

other UNIQUE mentions:

• Lauren Ward Photography (awesome white wall backdrop! wish hubby was down to take some pics!)
• Star Foreman Photography (i swooned over her beautiful prints. wish i could’ve spoiled myself with one!)
• Two Rabbits Studios (awesome prints & ZINES!)
• Elizabeth Soule Photography (polaroid prints, cards, etc!)
• Johnny Cupcakes (the girls at the booth were so nice!)
• Stacey Winters (awesome photography creations!)
• CUT + PASTE (craft consignment shop – sooo many cute things!!!)
• Absolutely Small (chickenpants is great! THANKS Claire for the wristband!)

and i thought i picked up a business card/flyer from 2 girls who had awesome art but i can’t find it. i’ll stare at the vendors list till i find their site! they were right beside lauren ward!

FREEBIES:

• 3 bottles of Bossa Nova Juice (LOVE acai!)
  
• 2 cans of Izze Juice (LOVE apple!)
• Swindle Magazine
• various stickers, buttons and prints from LA Weekly/Myspace Music table
• Illume candles
  

so big big props Sonja Rasula for putting on a great event. you picked the right location and right sponsors. everything fit and made for a great day of ditching work! might i suggest seeking out more artsy, crafty and dessert vendors for the spring show? pretty please and THANKS!

MORE PICTURES AT MY FLICKR…

what’s open on Xmas?

i always work on Christmas night (YAY for double time), my mother in law will be flying in for the holidays and i honestly don’t feel like cooking before i go into work. i initially thought we could go out to breakfast but found out that we have time to do it during lunch. i asked around and here’s what i found out: most restaurants in hotels are open! (thanks stephy) also open: benihana (according to them they are open 365 days a year) and my guess would be: chinese restaurants (you watched a christmas story didn’t you?) you can also do a search on opentable.com!

and from past experience, i know that disneyland and movie theaters are open too. grinches.

food: my jalapeno cornbread dressing/stuffing recipe

this is a recipe that i tweaked and i think it tastes better than the original, you didn’t know i was semi-homemade did ya! lol enjoy!

what you need:

• 1 16 oz. package of marie callender’s cornbread mix (or 8 cups cornbread)
  
• 2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• chicken broth

1. prepare cornbread the day before.
2. melt 2 tbsp. butter in skillet. add jalapenos and cook till tender, about 3-5 minutes.
3. put cornbread in a lg. bowl. add jalapeno mixture, cilantro, salt & pepper. mix. while you are mixing add enough broth to moisten.
4. spoon into greased baking dish. bake at 350°F till the top has a crust and stuffing is heated through.

feel free to add pecans, onions, celery.

food: bbq chicken

korean fried chicken? go ahead and laugh! i admit i did but i quickly shut up last night when i tried it.

bbq chicken is the name but they don’t even serve it. bbq chicken stands for (and yes you might want to laugh again) Best of the Best Quality chicken. their secret is in how they fry it, in olive oil. this might be why their 10 piece is so pricey ($17.99). their batter is good stuff, it’s crispy but seems to melt in your mouth. even 5 hours later, the skin was still crispy – almost like a well made chicharron. the 10 piece came with 2 side orders of pickled daikon (white radish), it was made so well and i was happy it wasn’t dyed yellow like the ones you find at your local asian market. the flavor was so clean, i was popping them into my mouth like m&ms! we also ordered 2 sides of steamed white rice ($1 each).

our almost 3 year old LOVED the chicken. he couldn’t get enough of it and asked me for more this morning lol

aside from the price, my only complaint was the slight fishiness smell and flavor. i’m not sure if this is normal for them or maybe an employee decided to cook their fish in the same fryer as our batch lol BUT even with the fish funk, i would definately try it again.