Weekend Fun! - Ventura + Ojai, CA

I have just had the most lovely weekend. Scott and I went into Ventura on Friday night for a bit of a staycation. We had dinner at Lure Seafood Restaurant (my favorite!) for a nice meal and a little pre-party for our big night out to celebrate Dana's birthday. After dinner we checked into the Crowne Plaza and changed into more formal attire, it was time to celebrate his little lady.... 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANA! 

We were asked to come in our most sparkly, 1920's glam fashion. Nichole knocked the theme out of the park! From her hair, fringe dress, pearl necklaces and long fur coat. Stunning!

 We had such a nice time visiting with our friends, playing pool on a really bad table and getting dressed up. I love a good theme party!

My ladies of the night, these gals sure know how to have a good time. 

The next day with VC Reporter in hand i decided to try the new Asian Fusion Garden which took over the old Chinese restaurant in Ojai. Upon entering not much is changed. There are less tables in the dining area and things do look a bit more streamlined. I decided to go for a lunch special and started with the Hot and Sour Soup as my starter. It was nice, it is a huge improvement from the previous owner's recipe.

A pretty standard lunch plate of Orange Chicken, Fried Rice, Mini Spring Roll and some broccoli garnish. Nothing about this dish was bad. Nothing. However nothing just sand out as delicious to me. It  filled my empty tank up and provided fuel versus providing this foodie euphoria. I will say I was craving larger pieces of white meat chicken rather than so many connective pieces of dark meat. 

The price is fair for the amount of food you receive just about $10. I am happy to support all new restaurants in my area so now it is your turn. The menu is scaled down tremendously so you can easily explore it all in a few visits. I cannot wait to try the Honey Walnut Shrimp next.

City Bowl Express - Ventura, CA

My girlfriend's were in Ventura doing girlie, fun things so they called me to meet them after I was finished up with the horses. After my chores were done I slapped on some make-up, pulled on the sportiest clothes I had hanging in my closet and bee lined for Ventura. Yee-haw!

Next to the nail salon the girls were in there was a place called City Bowl Express that sold fast food Chinese. I was curious if they possibly served Boba Teas and to my delight they did! Score! What is a Boba Tea you ask? "Boba" are large, chewy tapioca pearls that rest at the bottom on the drink. You are given a large straw to slurp up the boba and drink at the same time. It is weird but really cool all at the same time.  

While they made my Boba drink I looked over the day's selection of Chinese Food. Nothing caught my eye...

But my outfit did! I was surprised I put this fun look together so quickly! The restaurant had a wall of mirrors so selfies were totally easy!  

 And here is my Boba! I ordered the Strawberry and it came out like a smoothie with the boba on the bottom. The drink itself was very refreshing as it was hot in Ojai and I did not drink near enough water.  The boba were plentiful and required lots of chewy mid drink. I thought it was fun for about 5 minutes and then the novelty wore off! Ah well, it was fun while it lasted!

PF Changs - Mesa, AZ

Scott and I have been busy showing horses in Arizona this week so I apologize for my lack of posting. Last night after we were done for the night we drove into town and decided to go to PF Changs for dinner. With a well earned cocktail in front of me, I finally relaxed for the first time all day!

Scott read my mind and immediately ordered the Crab Wontons as an appetizer. What I enjoyed most about these is that they were not filled with cream cheese. They were tasty dipped in the trip of sauces mixed all together.

Scott went big and ordered the limited menu's Spicy Beef dish. Filled with cabbage and peppers made for a textural masterpiece but truly lacked in spice. Paired with white rice it was just lovely.

I went for my predictable route and ordered salmon. It had a miso glaze and say on a bed of perfectly cooked asparagus. I scooped a bit of white rice, splashed teriyaki sauce over the top and went on down to chow town!

Sometimes we dine out and get really bored with what is on the menu but PF Changs mixes that up for us. We don't visit the restaurant often but when we go, it has sure been pleasant. 

Tao Tao's - Sunnyvale, CA

I couldn't kick my Tao Tao's Chinese Food craving from the day before so my Mom and I tried again to score that yummy food! Success! We waited until dinner service on Saturday and even had to wait in a line forming at the door! It is that popular!

We ordered our meal to go in exception to the Tao Tao Salad and a drink to wait. I have read on Yelp that people are ga-ga for their Mai-Tai's. i had never had one before so I figured with my mom behind the wheel, I would give it a go. Holy moly! Do not order it, it is strong! No wonder people love it! it is like three cocktails for the price of one! Very, very potent.

The Tao Tao Salad was excellent. I love it because it has a hot mustard taste, but then is light and airy. The chicken is fried and has a chew to it. Their are cashews in the salad that give it texture, as well as the puffed rice noodles. I wish someone made Chinese Salad as good as Tao Tao's... Does anyone know of a place?

All boxed up and ready to go. We know what to order, this never fails: Two orders of Tao Tao Beef, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Pork Fried Rice, and Chicken Salad... That is all you need.

We brought the goods back so my Dad could enjoy a nice dinner. He was craving the Chinese food from the day before too. I love Tao Tao's - Where are all the good Chinese food restaurants Southern California?!!

Ojai Emporium - Ojai, CA

The morning after my Christmas Shindig both Scott and I woke up craving something other than our party food...

The Ojai Emporium is not a place we think about often so when we were debating on where to go, it came up and we took advantage of the thought.

Scott had a Cheeseburger on his mind to help ease his aching body. He ordered it with a wheat bun, which sounded way too healthy for me when you are craving a juicy, greasy burger. He said it was just ok, I assume this is not the place to order that - it caters to a more healthy crowd.

I love, love a Asian/Chinese/Wonton Salad from anywhere. So when I saw that they had one I jumped on it, extra dressing of course. I loved the fact that they had warm, sliced pieces of chicken breasts was lovely. Usually the chicken served on these type of salads is cold. I hate that! Anyhow, the sald as a whole was ok. My favorite is still at Papa Lennon's in Meiners Oaks.

China Palace - Rancho Murieta, CA

In the little community of Rancho Murieta there are very few restaurants: Chinese, Pizza, Mexican and a Bistro. This particular evening we chose Chinese since we were going to be there awhile we would mark it off the list. Scott joked with the waiter and ordered a Tsingtao, the waiter did not have much of a sense of humor.

I was fighting off catching the cold that Scott had so I figured Hot and Sour Soup was just the ticket. It wasn't very spicy, in fact mild in flavor - and taste.

For my main, I ordered the Spicy Scallops with Cashews... I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the dish! I am not going to lie, I picked around the undercooked peppers and onions but the sauce, scallops and cashews made a trio of lovely!

Scott ordered a combination plate and ate to his content. It was entirely too much food and he didn't seem excited about any of it. It really did look just like chinese food made in bulk.

This was the only night we dined at  the Chinese Restaurant, next restaurant coming up!

Chinese Chicken Salad

I love Chinese Chicken Salad! I make a pretty darn good one too. Buy a bag of romaine and individually tear off the ribs. I hate biting into a salad with ribs in it. It takes a little while but very worth it. Slice up cooked chicken, I used breaded chicken strips. Add in wonton strips, I hand fried mine. Then mix in almonds and a small can of mandarian oranges. Toss with Girard's Chinese Dressing and you have yourself a party!

Del Mar Rendezvous - Del Mar, CA

It was a beautiful day in Del Mar on Saturday so my mom and I made the most of the day by exploring in town. We became hungry for lunch so my mom suggested we go to the "Rendezvous" as she read some good reviews about it online... 

My hunger and desire for food stopped right here with this dish. It was supposed to be a fresh crab and mango salad. This was nasty. We took one bite and our bodies told us silently to stop, just stop. The crab tasted like canned tuna, there was tons of mayo (and I love mayo), unripe mango and absolutely no seasoning. We politely pushed the dish to the edge of the table, encouraging the busboy for rapid pick up. The manager came to our table and asked what was wrong with it, I didn't have the heart to say, "What was right with it?" - I just said it tasted like canned crab, there was no seasoning and the fruit was really hard. She didn't seem like any of those things were a problem, I hope she had it for it lunch.

With our appetites really gone and potential sickness coming on we trudged through a decent Cashew Chicken and white rice. It was ok.

We had ordered the lamb and it was very tasty. Very well cooked. We just were so turned off by food at this point and wanted to get out of there!

Imperial Shrimp on a bed of fried noodles. Done. We were so done. Nothing was tasting good so we ate a shrimp and jammed.

Paid the billed and just left feeling flabbergasted that one plate of food could just turn you off like that. Well, I guess it happened - We hit our food wall in Del Mar, California.

Golden Moon - Ojai, CA

On Saturday Scott and I went to a horse show in Bakersfield. We got back around five, took a shower and i felt like Chinese food. I know the last thing he wanted to do was get back in the car and go for a drive but I didn't want to cook and I had a craving! He is a sport.

Upon sitting down they bring you these fried wontons. I really like that they do this, it is like the chips and salsa brought out at Mexican food. I enjoy mixing the hot mustard with the sweet and sour. They brought out two bowls, it was lovely. 

We both ordered Deluxe meals so they came with soup. Wonton Soup is always delicious when it is chilly out and this cup did not disappoint. The broth was rich and flavor full and the dumpling packed with spices and soft beef. This is like chicken soup for the soul...

The next plate that came out with fried shrimp and an eggroll. This was my least favorite part of the meal. The shrimp was too heavily coated with batter and the egg roll lacked any real flavor that got me going. I did manage to eat the whole thing though so it couldn't have been that bad.

Scott ordered the Hot Pepper Beef served on a sizzling platter. I tried it and it was really peppery, too peppery for me. He seemed to love it but had to take water breaks to cool his mouth in between bites. I ordered the Honey Walnut Shrimp and thought it was awesome. The walnuts were candied, shrimp fried to a delicious golden brown and then served in a fantastic cream sauce that tied it all together. Oh ya, there was broccoli too.  Just kidding! The broccoli was actually cooked though to a soft texture, that I actually prefer.

My fortune cookie was dead on! Happy Monday!

China Poblano - Las Vegas, NV

My sister and I both decided China Poblano was a restaurant that we wanted to try. It combined two of our favorite cuisines, Chinese and Mexican, so how could it treat us wrong? The decor was stunning, leaning heavy on the color red so it was very sultry! Notice the bicycle wheel light fixtures? I just did!

Jennifer researched the restaurant pre-arrival and said she absolutely wanted to try the Salt Air Margarita because the foam served on top acted as the salt rim. Very inventive and very cool!

Cheers!

We started of with Chips and Salsa because don't they normally determine how you the rest of your meal is going to go when you are at a Mexican Restaurant? Well in this case, uh oh... Not the best start. My advice, skip it this and maybe try the guacamole.

Next up the "Don't Be Jealous" also know as Hot and Sour Soup. Jennifer ordered this knowing how much I love the stuff. She didn't care for it but I enjoyed it. I had a couple bowls of it. It was served family style so I kept dipping back into the pot. 

Now onto the Tacos! This version was called, "Viva China" a delicious corn tortilla filled with beef tendon, Kumamoto oyster, scallions, Sichuan peppercorn sauce. If you have never had beef tendon before it is a crunchy, beef jerky like taste in your much... The taco was tasty but I just felt a little wrong eating it. What is wrong with with me?! I am supposed to be an adventurous food eater! I tell you, i am softening in my old age.

Jennifer picked out this dish, "Like Water for Chocolate" - I think she mostly did because she liked reading the book. But anyhow, it was Fried Quail, dragon fruit, rose petals and chestnuts. Call me crazy but this was the best order of the night! I would have never predicted that one going in! Great pick!  

We wanted another Chinese order so when we saw the "Oceans Nest" on the menu we went for it. Scallops, Shrimp, King Crab, Lobster, pan-fried noodles and seasonal vegetables rounded out the plate. Everything was just fine until Jennifer and I felt the texture of the undercooked shrimp slip down our throats. Immediately we knew we shouldn't have eaten them, rare shrimp can do a lot of damage to oneself. 

To soothe our troubled tummies we ordered the Coconut Tapioca Balls served with Mandarin Orange Sorbet. It was delightful. A perfect ending to an interesting meal. China Poblano has a great thing going, there are a lot of items on the menu so figuring out which one suits you best is the ticket. Follow my recommendations and pick a few new ones of your own and you will do just fine!