Category Archives: burgers

by | December 25, 2010 · 4:12 am

Christmas Eve at Ladyface!

     Merry Christmas Eve!!! My brother and his wife (whom shall now be referred to as “the vegans“) are in town for the holidays. They’re home-brewers and total beer snobs (that’s where I learned my beer-snobbery), so we went to Ladyface for an early lunch and beer tasting.

I LOVE THIS PLACE!
Ladyface Mountain!
We all started off with different beers. Starting from the top left and going clockwise: Picture City Porter, Ladyface IPA, Blind Ambition Amber, La Blonde, and the seasonal “O Smokey Night”.
I was very happy with my Blind Ambition – I’ve always been partial to ambers.
 Blind Ambition post-swirling.
It’s always necessary to start with sweet potato fries, especially if they come with red ale ketchup! The taste of the ale was actually present in the sauce and added a malty depth to the ketchup. I could’ve sipped it straight from the cup!
Having “the vegans” in the house always makes me crave meat to compensate for the overload of tofu and legumes that they use to fill our fridge. I ordered the grass-fed, free-range burger with white cheddar on a pretzel bun. It came with sliced red onions bathed in balsamic vinegar, organic tomatoes and butter lettuce on the side.
Dessert consisted of dreamy, delicate chocolate crepes stuffed with slightly-sweet chantilly cream and drizzled with raspberry compote.
They suggested that the crepes be paired with Liefman’s slightly sour lambic brewed with cherries.
It actually had small fragments of cherries in it!
 Obviously we weren’t satisfied with the dessert, OR the beer-pairing.
We were so unimpressed that we bought another bottle to take home for post-church enjoyment.
Such suffering 🙂
After a long lunch, we ventured back to the brewery section of the alehouse and brasserie.
They were in the middle of boiling their La Blanche Witbier, and we got a chance to talk with the brewmaster, David Griffiths, as well as the owner of the restaurant, Cyrena Nouzille.
Some of their seasonals were being fermented in French oak barrels.
     It was a really tough way to spend Christmas Eve, but we felt it was our duty to help support the local business. We’re off to attend Christmas Eve service, and then we’ll be spending the evening sipping fine brews and enjoying some quality time with our little family. I’m feeling extremely blessed this season.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

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Filed under Agoura, blonde ale, brewery, burgers, IPA, Ladyface, Ladyface Alehouse and Brasserie, Liefmans, O Smokey Night, Picture City Porter, sweet potato fries, vegan

by | October 18, 2010 · 8:04 am

A New Journey!

     I’m trying something new for the next two weeks. Let’s see if you can figure it out…

Friday’s lunch…
Today’s lunch.
Friday’s post-dinner snack…
Today’s post-dinner snack.
That would be roasted seaweed. I’m not a fan.
     I didn’t give you many hints because I didn’t take enough pictures over the past few days, so I’ll just tell you: I’ve decided to become pescetarian for the following two weeks. Why, you ask? I really don’t know myself. All I know is that my body is fed up with the crappy eating as of late, and I’m ready for a jolt back into health. I’ve also cut out coffee (waaaaaah!) and alcohol (except for one night I have planned with friends) for a little extra cleanse. 
     For another extra boost, I joined the local gym for a month, and finally feel like I’m in a healthy mindset again! YOU READY FOR THIS?
     I’ll show you how I prepare for two weeks (if not more) of vegetarianism/pescetarianism. 
Seared ahi and avocado salad to prepare my body for the future.
A BIGASS burger topped with bacon, avocado and white cheddar with a huge side of sweet potato fries to bid a farewell to all things meat. Sniff.
DEVOUR!
Have you ever eaten something so good you wanted to cry? That’s what’s happening here.
SO GOOD!
     I’m off to sip some chamomile tea and try to race through my book, “The Lost Girls” to try and finish it before it’s due in three days. I only have three hundred and forty pages (!!!) left. Yikes. Audition tomorrey followed by hanging with Malachi and then work at night. It’s going to be a busy day!

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Filed under burgers, Chimay Grande Reserve, kitchen sink salad, pescetarianism, roasted seaweed, seared ahi, sweet potato fries, The Lost Girls, vegetarianism

by | June 20, 2010 · 6:50 am

Home Sweet Home

     Doesn’t everyone love waking up at 6am? Today was the last day of watching the LBM, so I had to wake up a bit earlier to fold sheets and straighten up around my foster house. I woke up early on my own (I was going to let myself “sleep in” until 6:30am), so I had plenty of time to enjoy my GM.

I like my Monsta with a little extra Monsta on top.
     Do you remember those cookies I bought last night for my date night? Yeah, I brought those in to work with me, in hopes of getting rid of them and not having any more. That didn’t work out so well. I ended up eating another two, and my coworker Vicky helped me polish off the remaining sprinkles that were stuck in the grooves in the bottom of the box.
     Once we were all hopped up on sugar, Vicky and I decided that we needed some coffee, so we ventured out for an “enorme” cup of java, but got sidetracked by See’s and bought some Tipperary bon-bons and caramels. THEN came the coffee, then came the outcome of our caffeine/sugar binge:
I apologize if you like those Zsu-Zsu pet things. This hamster toy was left a week ago by a little girl, and after letting it roam around the store, we decided that we’d had enough of its squeaking, so we made a spit and paper fire and roasted it. Caffeine/sugar highs make us creative!
     I had a BIG crash. Like, dropping-onto-the-floor-in-a-heap-crash. Subway would fix me up!
I had a 6-inch on wheat (threw away most of the bread) with turkey, roast beef, extra spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers and avocado. If I find something I like, I order it over and over again.
     My final break was spent at Paciugo, my lovely gelato store. They had soy mint today, so I was finally able to get a cup instead of drooling onto the glass over all the milk-based gelato. I also introduced Vicky to Paciugo. She’s pretty mad at me for creating a new addiction :).
     Finally, I got to come HOME! I unpacked, organized, went to the bank to cash my check for watching the LBM, then went to The Habit for burgers with the roommates. I didn’t take a picture – I was much too busy swallowing the fries and burger by the handful. 
     Now it’s time for me to sign off and do a little reading of The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud, and prep for FATHERS’ DAY tomorrey! I’ll be spending the day with my mum and pops eating lots of indian food, drinking lots of good beer, and enjoying a hard-earned day off from work. Lots of father-spoiling will ensue. And yes, many, many pictures too. What are your plans for Fathers’ Day?

Have a blessed weekend!

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Filed under burgers, fries, gelato, green monster, Home, Indian Food, little blurry monster, Paciugo, See's Candies, soy, Subway, The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud, The Habit, Zsu Zsu Pets

by | June 12, 2010 · 7:08 am

Friday? What’s That?

     Ahhh, the bliss of a Friday –  a day that everyone looks forward to so that they can start their weekend. Wait, a weekend? What’s THAT?

     My schedule is quite sporadic. I generally work every weekend, and random days during the week with my acting class every Tuesday. I miss the old days when I had a regular school schedule all week and worked towards the weekend, and finally summer.

     Tonight is graduation night. I’ve been listening to the performances of, “I Will Survive,” reverberate through the canyon up to the house as all the seniors bid farewell to their safe little high school bubble. I never attended my graduation – never really saw the point (I’m weird, remember?), but I listen to this and enjoy what I didn’t mind missing back then. Did all of you attend your graduations?

     Today was an early day at work. I woke up and made a GM for myself. My measurements were a bit off, and I ended up having a little bit extra.

These had spinach, half a frozen banana, 1/4 cup of blueberries, soymilk, ice and a tablespoon of flaxseed peanut butter. I finished them both 🙂
     I was hoping the extra Monsta, plus the peanut butter I included would keep me full until lunch, but alas, my metabolism has gone into overdrive. Luckily, I’d thought ahead and sliced up the rest of the strawberries from yesterday’s farmers’ market to take with me.
What? I don’t read at work! I take my job very seriously! 😛
     I packed my own lunch for work today. I’ve been desperately trying to save my money to move out to the lovely Santa Monica so I can have the LA experience while enjoying some unpolluted ocean breeze. Today I had the last of the chana masala and the other half of the TJ’s garlic naan.
     I FINISHED Julie and Julia finally! Not at work… I would NEVER read at work, no matter how dead quiet it was, even if there wasn’t a single customer in the store and there was nothing better to do… I actually ended up enjoying the book! Not a fan of all the kidney/liver/organs-that-filter-out-toxins recipes, but it ended up being a good read. Although I must say, her filthiness really got to me – I can’t stand a dirty kitchen!
     After I finished lunch, I had another hour at work before my stomach began insistently calling to me. To abate it, I went to See’s Candies and got a dark almond cluster – or 4.
Not the smartest move, but 4 of these have 260 calories total, with the fat mainly coming from the roasted almonds, which help keep you full longer. I’m okay with paying that price to calm the tummy.
     I snacked on those almonds throughout the rest of my day whenever my stomach started hollering. When I got home I wasn’t very hungry, but decided to get some more veggies into my system and up my daily green count. I chopped up two small zucchinis and 5 stalks of asparagus.
     I heated up a teaspoon of olive oil in a pan over medium heat, then tossed all the veggies in and let them sear for about four minutes to create a nice brown crust.
   
     After they’d gotten that crust, I liberally sprinkled a big pinch of herbes de provence and a small pinch of salt, then placed a lid on top. If you’re like me, you can’t fancily toss the vegetables without getting them to fly all over the place, so I put the lid on top, then lifted the pan and gave it a good shake to disperse the salt and HDP. Then, I left the lid on for another 5 minutes to let the asparagus and zucchini soften in the steam.
     Now I’m relaxing watching “Build a Better Burger” on Food Network, and prepping for my Friday night! I’m going to enjoy it, even if I do have to work another full shift tomorrow before picking up a roommate at the train station.
     And now, I must admit, I lied to you all last night. I didn’t get a second So Delicious ice cream bar. The Fat Tire filled me up. I promise now that I will have two tonight to make up for the falsehoods that I claimed. I’m so, so sorry. Never again will I lie to you. Now I’m off to enjoy my Friday night! I hope you all have a lovely Friday as well!
Many blessings and happy eatings 🙂

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Filed under asparagus, Becki Kregoski, burgers, Fat Tire, Food Network, Friday, ice cream, so delicious, work, zucchini