SoCal Round up: Linda Fed Me

Besides eating through SoCal and the mud run, I had a great visit with Linda:

Besides hanging with her, which is always awesome, she also fed me.  Delicious vegan minestrone:

Strawberry shortcakes:

And her cool creation of furikake crostini:

Man, so tasty--she is crafty in cooking as she is in, well, crafts!

SoCal Round Up: Orange County

Man, I miss eating in SoCal! But do I make up for it whenever I'm out there. This time out, I caught the KogiBBQ truck:

And enjoyed a tofu taco and tofu burrito:

Also got to try the new Crispy Chickin' plate at Veggie Grill, featuring Crispy Chickin', Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes with porcini mushroom gravy and steamed kale--so delicious!

And went to the Umami Burger in Costa Mesa. I was excited to visit this branch after my amazing experience at Umamicatessen. The cheesy tots were a great treat--especially after completing a mud run the weekend before it!

And I decided to try the classic Umami burger a try, with a portabello mushroom instead of the beef patty.  Truth be told, I wish I had stuck with the Earth Burger--the portabello mushroom was incredibly oily and overwhelmed any other condiment or flavor. Next time...

The next day, a lovely friend dropped off this Banzai Bowl from Banzai Bowls:

It's this GIANT (see my pen cup for comparison) portion of acai smoothie with delicious fruit like bananas, strawberries, and granola.  So tasty--and bonus--good for you!

Already craving this food again!

Brodards

My friend, Sweet P, took me to Brodard's for some tasty Vietnamese takeout--notably their famous spring rolls.  I didn't even know what kind I'm eating but I LOVED the crunchy goodness inside and their killer sauce.  Honestly, I could have eaten a dozen of these:

I also enjoyed their Banh Khot--these crispy little rice cakes that are wrapped in lettuce and dipped in a light sauce. So tasty and savory. Again, bummed that I only got one order.

Another treat Brodard's are known for--macarons!

And I had to get one of each flavor of the macarons they had: chocolate, coffee, pistachio, mango-passion fruit, raspberry, coconut, hazelnut, salted caramel, orange, taro, green tea, lemon, strawberry, and durian:

They were all tasty, but my favorites were mango-passion fruit, salted caramel, and orange. I will confess that the durian may be an acquired taste if you're not used to it. A slight digression: I remember a long, long time ago, a co-worker told me that I had to try durian fruit--how it was once of the best tasting fruits BUT, she warned me that the smell of the fruit when you cut it open can be off-putting. Her description? Cat litter, she whispered. So yeah, I guess it's an acquired taste, for sure.

Next time I think I'll want to eat here so I can keep stuffing my face with various tasty rolls. I definitely recommend stopping here if making a visit to Orange County.