Category Archives: pineapple fried rice

Breaking the Chain: White Elephant

I’m starting a new blog series called Breaking the Chain. There are so many chain restaurants out there in the world that you can eat at anytime, and anywhere. I’m breaking the chain and focusing on local eateries and how they stand apart.

Local doesn’t mean only around my area – it means small establishments that are giving it a go on their own, and producing quality food that rivals, and more than often, beats the taste of large chains that manufacture their foods without giving it a second thought. This will include mom and pop places in Arizona, California, Washington and other places I travel to.

My first break: White Elephant.
I discovered this lovely little Thai restaurant about two years ago when I was taking classes down the street. The owner, Nok, is a sweet woman who goes above and beyond to ensure that her guests are served the best tasting, freshest food possible.
Case in point: I ordered a Thai iced tea and asked if they had any soymilk to substitute for the evaporated milk (dairy-free Lent!). They were out of soy, but our waiter ended up running over to the local Whole Foods and bringing back soymilk so I could enjoy Thai tea! I was in shock! Seriously, AMAZING customer service!
My roommate and I ordered the Tom Kha Gai – a coconut milk-based soup with chicken, mushrooms, lemongrass and galangal root. They lit the hot pot as it got to our table which kept the tangy, savory soup warm while we slowly sipped it.
We also split the pineapple fried rice. We requested that it be made with brown rice, and cooked with as little oil as possible. Instead of grumbling over our substitutions and requests, they brought out the most beautifully presented dish I’ve ever seen. The nutty brown rice was encased in half of a pineapple shell, and studded with tender peas and carrots, juicy raisins and chunks of pineapple, succulent shrimp that were perfectly cooked, and crunchy cashews.

After our meal, we were STUFFED!
Or we thought we were… Then Nok sent out a complimentary dessert of sweet rice and mango! Over the years, she’s learned that this is our absolute favorite dessert, and was kind enough to top off our amazing meal with tender, ripe mango and sweet coconut-scented rice sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds.

Okay, NOW were were stuffed!

White Elephant is located at 668 N. Moorpark Road in Thousand Oaks, California. If you want a delicious meal that you know is made on site and not pulled from a freezer and reheated, check this place out – and tell Nok that Becki says hi! This is my absolute favorite Thai restaurant in the Pacific Coast time zone, and believe me, I’ve tried them all!

Is there a local eatery that you absolutely swear by? Please feel free to Break the Chain and write about your favorite one! Let’s support these mom and pop establishments!

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Filed under local cafe, pineapple fried rice, thai food, thai food makes me happy

Potential Pottery Giveaway?

     Today was a very busy day! I had two auditions and pottery class. While that may not sound like much, it takes a lot of prep for someone who doesn’t live in the city. It took quite a few hours, but the auditions went really well. Of course you’ll be the first to hear if anything comes of them :).

     For breakfast, I made an omelette with two eggs and some cheddar cheese and a mini-Monsta made with spinach, unsweetened soymilk, lemon, lime, banana, fresh peaches and some cinnamon! It tasted EXACTLY like peach pie. I have one peach left from the farmers’ market, and cannot WAIT for tomorrey’s Monsta!

Lunch was some leftover pineapple-fried-rice made with brown rice in one of my new pottery creations. Hooray for microwave and dishwasher safe!
     After the auditions, I headed over to the parental unit’s house and we all went out for some frozen yogurt!
At Tutti Frutti I got a small amount of peanut butter and cake batter fro-yo, then topped it with peanut butter cups, cookie dough and brownies. I was craving the sweets today!
     My mom and I stopped at Trader Joe’s to pick up some supplies for pottery class.
We brought some delicious, fancy Monte Ducay “red wine” to share with the class! Cheap and classy :).
Wine out of handmade pottery just tastes more earthy and robust!
This was my setup for the night. I had quite a few bowls and mugs to trim!
I accidentally trimmed one of my mugs too much and punched a hole in the bottom. I decided to make this mug into a berry mug. You all know how much I love eating food out of cups, so now I can throw a bunch of berries in here, rinse them off and have some food to-go!
At least it looks interesting!
My mom made some awesome bowls today! This was made with 2.5lbs of clay. She’s much more brave than I am!
This entire row consisted of all of my creations. I ended up making two handles for my taller mugs. You have to “pull” handles, which is a very, very awkward thing to do. Google it and you’ll understand what I mean. WARNING: Prepare for awkwardness. I’m such a teenager 😛
I think I’ll make all future handles by wrapping coils…
I also got back a bowl that I finished glazing last week!
I have no idea what I’m going to do with so many bowls! Anyone want one? Maybe I should do a giveaway!
     I definitely learned a lot at class tonight! I learned that pulling handles is just not for me, that sipping wine during class makes me more mellow when I puncture holes in beautiful mugs, and that I should start bringing a sweatshirt to class. Fall just might be here – officially!
If I did a giveaway of some of my creations, would anyone be interested?

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Filed under audition, green monster, Monte Ducay, omelette, peach pie, pineapple fried rice, Pottery class, tutti frutti