DRAGON HERBS- LA- Beverly Hills

A health haven. 

A herb heaven. 

PLACE: Dragon Herb has what your mind, body, and soul needs. 

Specializing in au naturel herb remedies for ailments- for things ranging from anxiety, to bad skin, to a broken heart- they’ve got what you need. I am very curious about Chinese medicine and am always seeking more traditional alternatives, and have been curious about what Dragon Herb is about for some time now.

Although Dragon Herb isn't a real grubery, at their Beverly Hills location they have a full elixir bar serving up fresh health tonics to meet any ones needs. I have browsed their website and have been captured by the products they have to offer. They believe in natural health maintenance through Chinese tonic herbalism so the website has pages and pages of supplements, tonics, and mixes for well-being.

“The tonic herbs (used in Chinese tonic herbalism) are defined as ‘herbs that promote a long, healthy, vibrant, happy life, without side effects, even when taken over a long period of time.  Essentially, the tonic herbs are wonderful, healthful ‘super-foods’ which benefit our well being in ways that more common foods cannot. They have a protective, balancing, vitalizing quality beyond that of any other herbs. They are generally consumed as a supplement to a well balanced healthy diet for the purpose of completing our nutritional needs and enhancing our nutritional profile.” (Dragon Herb) 

…Basically, they carry a vast variety of herb combinations that can kick your well being, or even healing, in to high gear, NATURALLY.

As soon as I walked in I knew I was in love. It was like stepping into a sanctuary of wellness- filled with various herb products and an amazing looking bar. I was then greeted by what I would consider as some of the nicest people you could ever meet in LA, who were all also certified herbalists.

On this particular day I was feeling a little drained of energy and a little perturbed about my troublesome skin, so I discussed my current woes with one of the employees. Even though their bar was temporarily closed for a recording of some type of commercial, they made my sister and I right at home in their retail section where they brought us our herbal concoctions.

At first sip, I was a little taken back by the strange flavor. It was very earthy and bitter…and truly tasted like good health and positive energy in a cup. However, this flavor is not like something I haven’t had before.  I frequently treat myself to my personally-invented healthy tea concoctions at Bird Pick Tea & Herb. Be advised that the best drinks for you may not always have the best taste to your tastebuds…but are well worth it long after the last sip is swallowed. After polishing off my elixir and chatting for over an hour, I was at ease and so content I could have sat there forever. The bill came out to be $5 per drink however they said they gave me a break since the bar was closed, so I'm not sure the exact price on their drinks (however they must be on the semi-pricey side). 

After must anticipation, I was delighted by my experience at Dragon Herbs in Beverly Hills. The staff was beyond great, the atmosphere was awesome, and I even got my schooling on some new herbs while reading their massive herb index. 

If your feeling a little out of place, stressed, physically in pain, emotionally distressed, look into Dragon Herbs for something to satisfy your soul...

Check out Dragon Herb products at either of their 2 locations in Beverly Hills or Santa Monica

460 S. Robertson

Los Angeles, CA 90048

(310)860-8965

315 Wilshire Blvd

Santa Monica, CA 90401

(319)917-2288 x101

...or even order some online!

http://www.dragonherbs.com/

Also, if you like tea, Bird Pick Tea & Herb has nearly 100 jars of loose leaf blacks, oolongs, green, whites, and herbal teas. They have locations in Pasadena, Culver City, and Santa Monica.

10 South De Lacey
Pasadena, CA 91105
626-773-4372

6000 Sepulveda Ste. 1319
Culver City, CA 90230
310-313-4372

395 Santa Monica Pl. Ste.153
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310-393-4372

LA- Marina del Rey- Admiralty Way

Another day, another sandwich...

PLACE: Mendocino Farms
DESCRIPTION: Reconstructing “Fine Dining” entrees to the sandwich level and take classic regional sandwiches and give them a modern interpretation


Sandwiches are one of the most simple delicacies around. Found at chains like Subway and Jersey Mikes (or a GREAT newer chain "Which Wich") or local delis and liqour stores, a great wich can be discovered on nearly any and every corner.


I've always been a fan of elaborating on a classic concept...and Mendocino Farms does that with their gourmet sandwiches. All are flavored with more of a real, satisfying, dish-like taste. 
To start off, Mendocino Farms is unlike any other sandwich establishment I've been to. It is artisan-style quality, and a fresh farmers market taste. Sandwiches with crazy-good tastes range from the "Why Did the BBQ Chicken Cross the Road?" ($7.95) (BBQ chicken, smoked gouda, red onions, romaine, and tomato on panini grilled rustic white bread) to the "French Onion Soup Melt" ($7.50) (smoked gouda fondue and cave aged gruyere with caramelized onions on panini grilled Dolce Forno pretzel roll). Today I went with the "Proscuitto and Roasted Chicken" ($9.50)- a grilled ciabatta panini decked out with proscuitto and roasted chicken, fresh local mozzarella, tomatoes, crushed honey roasted almonds, basil pesto, and balsamic vinegar. The ciabatta was crispy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside, the salty procuitto complimented the roasted chicken, the mozzarella was ooey and gooey... and with the almonds, it made a perfect conflicting pair. 
My friend had the "Bacon and Housemade Peanut Butter" ($8.75) sandwich. It featured housemade peanut butter with caramelized bananas, crushed honey roasted almonds, green apples, and applewood smoked bacon on panini grilled whole wheat. IT WAS INSANE. I am a peanut butter lover already, but I am HOOKED on this wich. ...Talk about spin on an old classic! 


SEATING: Mendocino Farms has tables inside, and also a picnic-like setting outside with several tables and chairs. There always seems to be plenty of room for everyone, but the place can get pretty packed when the sun and nice weather is out.


OVERALL: Yet another amazing got-to-go-to eatery. This place has a sandwich to meet anyones taste craving. They also offer salad options of any of their wiches...good for anyone watching those waistlines for the summer ;)


Mendocino Farms has several locations in the LA area:


300 South Grand Ave.
LA, CA 90071
213-620-1114
+
444 South Flower St.
LA, CA 90071
213-627-3262
+
4724 Admiralty Way
Marina del Rey, CA 90292
310-822-2300


Also, check out their website for a full glance at the menu!
MendocinoFarms.com

(Their cute mascot thing!!)

If your a sandwich junkie like me, then Which Wich is also a great spot to hit up! Check out their website to see what their all about!

Which Wich

Conquering Home Cooking- part two!! :)

(THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE POSTED LAST WED BUT APPARENTLY THE INTERNET CONNECTION WAS LOST AND IT DIDNT GO THRU...SORRY FOR THE DELAY!!)

After trying to decide on a simple yet scrumptious snack to satisfy my sweet tooth, apple crisp came to mind. I love apples and have yet to find a form of them that is undesirable- apple butter, apple pie, apple crisp, apples in greek yogurt- love 'em all.

So for this weeks food tid-bit, Conquering Home Cooking is back with APPLE CRISP.

This is one of my classic go-to recipes that always satisfies.

Ingredients: 
4 cups thinly sliced apples
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup sifted flour
1 cup oatmeal (uncooked)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup melted butter
1/3 chopped nuts (optional) (walnuts rock)

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
Lay apples in a shallow, greased baking dish.
Splash apples with lemon juice.
Then mix dry ingredients.
Add melted butter to dry mixture, and mix until crumbly.
Sprinkle crumb mixture over apples.
Bake for 30 minutes or until apples are tender.
Top each serving with ice cream, gelato, or whipped cream for a special treat!


This recipe is affordable at only $ 10 or less depending on what ingredients you may have at home. The time to prepare this dish before oven time is 5-10 mintues...EASY! 

The California Burrito- San Diego

After growing up in the So-Cal city of San Diego, I honestly thought everyone ate Mexican food. If you've never been to SD, then you are seriously missing out on some good chow!! There are authentic type taco shops on almost every corner serving up spicy grub until the wee hours of the morning. 


About a year ago after moving to LA I was SHOCKED to see lack of the familiar "Robertos" and "Los Dos" Mexican joints, then EVEN MORE SHOCKED to find no "California Burritos" on ANY menu ANYWHERE! After some intense google researching, I was able to concur CA Burritos are a staple solely in SD and am not going to find one in LA. 


A CA Burrito consists of carne asada, guacamole, cheese, salsa fresca, and (the coveted) french fries all packed into a warm, fresh flour tortilla. Then to accompany the perfect burrito, you gotta drench it with the good stuff: spicy chili infested salsas and hot sauces indigenous to sunny San Diego. 

While on my most recent day trip to visit the fam, I had to check out a place I saw on one of my favorite shows (Man Vs. Food). Named Lucha Libre, this pint size grubery packs a big punch! Featuring gourmet tacos and burritos (available in vegetarian and meat-eater options) as well as mouth watering specialties such as "TJ corn" (corn with queso enchilado, mayo, chile, and lime). Lucha Libre is decked out with wrestling memorabilia creating an awesome museum kind of feel with plenty to look at while chowing down. 
I couldn't help but order what I had seen eaten on TV- their "Surf & Turf" burrito (grilled steak, shrimp, avocado slices, pico de gallo, rice, and super secret chipotle sauce), as well has the "Champion Fries" (carne asada fries). The burrito was unreal. BUT SERIOUSLY. The savory carne asada paired perfectly with the sweet shrimp and creaminess of the avocado...amazing. The carne asada fries were flowing over my dish and were also superb.
SEATING: The seating at Lucha Libre is pretty minimal but even with the long yet fast moving line there seemed to be plenty of open tables....maybe a lot of people get it to go. But there is one seating option unlike any other grubery... THE CHAMPION BOOTH! --->

This special table can be reserved for those champs seriously loco about Lucha. 

OVERALL: 

Taste/Flavors: 8 
Service: 10 (how hard though can service be though at an order-yourself-pick-up-when-name-called place) but friendly staff none-the-less!
Quality: 9
Return factor: 7 - just because there are so many great carne asada everything places throughout SD...
Must try at least once factor: 10! This place is more then just an eatery, its a semi-cultural and fun experience!


Visit the Lucha Libre website to take a looksy at what they've got goin' on...
Lucha Libre
or head to Mission Hills in sunny San Diego and take on the meaty fries one-on-one!


1810 W. Washington St.
San Diego, CA 92110
(619) 296-8226

L.A.-Chinatown- Fee Fi Fo Fum I LOVE DIM SUM

What’s the heartiest and yummiest way to start a day?

DIM SUM!

 Dim Sum is a Cantonese term for a type of Chinese dish that involves small individual portions of food, usually served in a small steamer basket or on a small plate. 

(thank you wikipedia)

 In a Dim Sum eatery, push-carts are rolled around the tables piled high with steaming dumplings, buns, soups, and various other traditional eats. (By traditional I mean delicacies such as chicken feet :P ) You are served a piping hot pot of loose leaf oolong tea and a dish of spicy mustard and chili sauce, and then it’s time to let your inner grub bug go to town! 


Today I went to PLACE: Golden Dragon in the Los Angeles Chinatown. To start off I had shrimp dumplings. They were so soft, tender, and were pure perfection when bathed in my spicy mustard/soy sauce concoction. I also partook in the sticky rice and steamed pork buns. Part of the fun with Dim Sum is the variety. All the portions are small enough to be able to indulge in several different flavors, and affordable enough at 1.75$ and up to not be afraid to try new things.

As well as featuring savory dishes, they also have dessert-type dishes too- things like eggs tarts and Matuan (a chewy dough filled with red bean paste, rolled in sesame seeds, and deep fried.) I personally think most/all the desserts are a little too "out there" for me and stick to getting Chinese cookies somewhere down to road to satisfy my sweet tooth.


Overall, I can concur that Dim-Sum is delish and I love the selections, however Golden Dragon is not consistently up to par. I have gone in the past and often they will be out of certain dishes or some are far from fresh and seem to have been sitting out for a while. I have always heard San Gabriel or Monterey Park is the place to go for the bomb Dim-Sum, but have yet to make it that way. A couple recommendations from friends for places with great Dim-Sum include:


 NBC Seafood
404 S Atlantic Blvd
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(626) 282-2323



and


Elite Restaurant
700 S Atlantic Blvd
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(626) 282-9998

BUT, if your like me and are a good distance from Monterey Park and want to try out Golden Dragon to see if Dim-Sum is for you- check 'em out!


Golden Dragon960 North BroadwayLos Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 626-2039 ‎

L.A.- Santa Monica- Main St.- #3

After driving down Main St. in Santa Monica multiple times a week its hard not to notice some of the cool looking eateries. A restaurant formerly known as La Grande Orange, recently re-named PLACE: M Street Kitchen became my target to satisfy my T.F.T. {Tasty Food Tooth! :) }  I made reservations, and would probably recommend them on weekends but I didn’t see too many people standing around so it could be a mission possible without one.  The atmosphere was upbeat and fun with SEATING: nice patio seating amongst greenery as well as numerous tables inside. 

This is a great date place or cool dinner spot to hit with the comrades. They had an extensive wine and drink menu and the food menu featured a contemporary blend of Asian-Mexican cuisines.  Ranging from “Pulled Chicken Nachitos” -a nacho dish with fresh guacamole, tomato salsa, cheddar and Oaxaca cheese- to  sushi rolls- this place had the best options that just seemed to work surprisingly great together. 

For entrees they had fresh fish dishes as well as pasta and fried chicken. Because of my recent hankering for fried chicken I naturally went for the “Dixie Pan-Fried Chicken” which came with mashed potatoes and made-to-order coleslaw. It was pretty darn delicious. The chicken was not oil soaked and the potatoes were fluffy and smooth. The only problem I had was lack of dressing for the chicken. Cranberry or gravy would have been ideal…but ranch seemed to hit the spot. A fellow diner I was accompanied with got the filet mignon tacos. At first glance I was entertained by the minimal substance on the plate but figured some people don’t eat a lot? LOL. 

Anyways they were also bomb to which I concluded this place rocks! To finish the fulfilling meal off my party ordered every dessert  on the dessert menu, making me overwhelmingly excited and ready to devour numerous desserts in: 

*THE GRUB BUG vs. THE DESSERT MENU*

(…GaMe On!!) A warm chocolate cookie with ice cream, carrot cake, banana cream pie cake, and lemon pound cake adorned the table within minutes. Then,  within minutes I was ShUt DoWn. The richness ultimately kicked in and left much of the dessert hanging…sad day.  Each dessert was so “just right” I was impressed. When choosing I highly recommend whichever one your gut is attracted to, but highly highly recommend the fresh, chewy, ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookie with ice cream.

OVERALL: M Street Kitchen is yet another personally recommended eatery. The staff was friendly, helpful, and smiley ( <--- current day bonus) plus the atmosphere was bubbly and pleasurable. This is a cool spot to go to on a Friday or Saturday with the hustle and bustle of the bars, restaurants, and nightlife going on throughout Main St, but also a cool spot probably at any time.  They have an American-type breakfast menu with benedicts, scrambles, and pancakes as well as salads, sandwiches, burgers, and tacos for lunch. But the yumminess does not stop there! They even have an adjoining pizza joint, Stella Rossa. …With a big cool looking bar, and awesome smells of pizza no doubt will I check out their pizza soon!

To peek at M Streets menu further, check out their website:

M Street Kitchen

Or just go peek at them directly! 

2000 Main St # D
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 396-9152

Conquering home cooking- part one

While I love eating out, and finding the hidden gems of eateries, I also LOVE home cooking. There’s something about quality homemade food that can’t beat even the posh-est fine dining restaurant. I grew up with my mom cooking constantly for me and the rest of my family with international flavors daily and a great array of ingredients and variety of dishes. I guess this is where my passion for food spawned and here we are. Anyways, I have decided to incorporate my personal home cooking recipes on the blog so I can share other delightful tastes with those who might not have the time or ability to eat out 24/7.

Recently, I have been in search of nutritious and delicious dishes and snacks that will also not break the bank. When I came home today The BF had mentioned he had watched The Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten) make granola bars. awwwww (heavens chimes) WHY have I not thought of making such a scrumptious healthy snack before?! I took a look at the recipe….talk about simple. It called for butter and sugar but since I'm trying to whip my body to be beach ready I figured how bad could it be to leave those ingredients out.

Here’s my rendition of Ina’s granola:

Ingredients:

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal

1 cup sliced almonds

1 cup shredded coconut

1 tablespoon brown sugar (possibly unnecessary if desired to void)

½ cup flax seed

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup agave (honey can also substitute)

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup dried chopped cranberries

½ cup dried chopped apricots

Directions:

1.     Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper

2.     Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan (not the prepared buttered pan) and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the flax seed.

3.     Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F

4.     Place the honey, agave, sugar, and vanilla in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the apricots and cranberries then stir well.

5.     Pour the nutty mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for an hour or 2 then remove from pan and dismember into little pieces.

*Keep note that I turned this into just a loose granola recipe, I believe the consistency differs from Ina’s granola bars due to lack of butter and amount of sugar*

Now all that’s left is enjoy. It’s a great snack on its own, but is heavenly in Greek yogurt and also mixed into plain cereal like Crispix. 

$ - The cost of creating this masterpiece was roughly 20 bucks....but with PLENTY of leftover ingredients to create another batch or two :) 

If your interested in Ina's granola bars, check out her recipe @ Barefoot Contessa Granola Bars