Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Chipotle

For those who spent any time with me in Berkeley, it is no surprise that I LOVE Chipotle.
I love how BIG the burritos are
and how stuffed the tacos are. I've never tried the other menu options, but I'm sure they are all realistically enough food for two meals.
I also love the combination of salt and lime that make the chips delicious (though deliciousness does vary depending on batch) and the wonderful guacamole that I have a very hard time saying no to despite how ridiculously expensive it is.
Oh avocados, you make me a happy person. Good news, I read on Yahoo! that avocados are a food that helps fight belly bulge.
I also enjoy how easy the menu is, that is once you figure out how it works, tehehe. sidenote: Menus can be so confusing and overwhelming, I think they are the most stressful thing about going out to eat. Most of the time customers are too overwhelmed by it that they just ask you, or the say something they think is right and hope they don't make a fool out of themselves. I have seen people stare at the menu for a while looking around for what they want, and when they can't find it and feel pressure to order they blurt out something like "Caramel Frappaccino" even though that is a Starbuck's drink and they are not at Starbucks. Also, I have put signs on menus like "NOT AVAILABLE" and have watched customers stare and read the sign only to proceed and order the said "NOT AVAILABLE" drink. I tell you, menus are highly stressful.

Today I took my mom to Chipotle, it was her first visit, and I had to explain to her what the menu options are. It's easy enough, but it is kind of overwhelming when the people behind the counter are like "what do you want?" and you're like "I don't know! I don't understand your menu, where are my options!" Fortunately, this was a low stress visit and a low cost visit because I had a coupon for two free burritos! WOOHOO! Saved somewhere around $12! My little brother got the coupon a few weeks earlier from 99.1 KGGI for knowing what the number one song was (Boom, Boom, Pow by BEP). I tried to talk him into going, but he is weird and doesn't like Mexican food. My mom hesitantly decided to try it. She loved her tacos, and I loved my burrito. Well, the 2/5 of my burrito that I was able to consume before my brain told me to stop. I can't believe just a few years ago I was gobbling down a whole burrito in one sitting.
So now I am off to eat some more of that lovely burrito. Yumm!

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Coco's Bakery and Snoopy's Reunion

Happy Father's Day!
I bought this delicious "Peppermint Patty Pie" for my dad from Coco's. Just in case you are wondering, it tastes AMAZING! A dark cookie crumb crust, chocolate pudding filling, topped with whipped cream, brownie bites, green peppermint syrup, and little sugar cookies with Peanut characters coated in sugar.

Kimm bought me a chocolate cupcake while we were there.
The chocolate frosting is so sugary, I got a serious sugar rush from it. I haven't gotten to the cake yet because I'm still waiting for the sugar overload I encountered between the two to pass. Regardless of taste, this is one of my favorite cupcakes because Sally Brown has always been my favorite Peanut. Perhaps a little known fact, Stacey Ferguson (aka Fergie) does the voice of Sally Brown in video productions from the mid-1980s

Coco's is my favorite restaurant right now because of the Peanuts promotion they are doing. The pie was delicious though, that's not just my Peanuts joy talking. The cupcake frosting was too much, and the cake has yet to be explored. I will conclude by saying that you all should buy Snoopy's Reunion! It was recently released on DVD (which is why Coco's is having this Peanuts promotion). It is the show when Snoopy and all his brothers and sisters reunite to visit the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm where they were born. Snoopy as a puppy is so adorable. And Fergie lends her voice to my favorite Peanut in the second feature on the DVD, It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Baker's Drive Thru

Baker's Drive Thru is one of my favorite fast food places. It is a small family owned chain in San Bernardino and Riverside County. The chain was founded in 1952 and prides itself on being "America's First Twin Kitchen." The "Twin Kitchen" is in reference to the American Kitchen (the hamburger grill) and the Mexican Kitchen (the taco/burrito bar). I worked at a Baker's Drive Thru in high school, but I was a fan as a child. After church my family would stop by the Baker's that once stood on Valley Blvd. for lunch. As a young child I never dreamed that I would one day work behind the counter.

Great food, close to home
Why are they so good? Several reasons:
1) The burger patties are lightly salted which really brings out the flavor and I believe helps set their burgers apart from other chains.
2) The milkshakes are hand-dipped and blended by the employees when you order them, so they are fresh and creamy.
3) The French fries are just delicious. Golden, lightly salted, and crispy.
4) Baker's has Haberno Ketchup, JalapeƱo Hot Sauce, as well as the usual mild hot sauce and Heinz Ketchup, which adds delicious spice to the already amazing food.
5) The twin kitchen aspect really is great because sometimes I really want a hamburger and a taco, and I don't want to have to go to two different places to satiate that need.

They usually have great promotions, like right now you can buy 2 bean and cheese burritos, 32 oz. soft drink, and large fries for only $4! That's like a steal, seriously!
My favorite thing to order: budget meal #3, make the burrito big but hold the sour cream. The budget meals are the Baker's equivalent to Kid's Meals. The meals come with a 16 oz. drink, a small order of fries, and the meal item. The Budget number three comes with a bean and cheese burrito. "Make it big" means to add tomato, lettuce and sour cream. Squirt a little Habanero Ketchup on that burrito and I'm set to jet.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Mac and Cheese

The following, my friends, is probably my favorite home-cooked meal.

Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, canned peas, and Lil Smokies Sausages.
This meal takes me back to my childhood. It is the meal I crave when I'm home-sick or overwhelmed with being an adult. This is the meal that, for just a few moments, helps me forget my current troubles and replaces them with warm memories of freedom.
It reminds me of the carefree summer days of my childhood spent outside riding bikes, roller blading, swimming, or sliding down the slip 'n slide. Or those really hot days spent in the air conditioned house playing Nintendo or watching TV. It reminds me of camp-outs in my backyard or sleepovers at Sovanna's. It reminds me that once upon a time I didn't worry about tomorrow because I was so busy enjoying today.
While I can't go back to those days, I can do a better job of letting go of worries about the future and trusting that tomorrow will take care of itself.