Good Morning World!

On a Sushi Frenzy

I'm a really big fan of seafood and can probably live on it for the rest of my life avoiding red meat, pork, or poultry. Sushi restaurants are my favorite place to be and with that said, I've had the opportunity to try a lot of different places without putting a deep dent in my wallet. I enjoy the cuisine very well but I wouldn't say I'm any connoisseur, I still have a lot to learn about the subject.

I spent this past weekend in Palmdale and if you know where that is, you'd know that it is literally in the middle of nowhere. I go there about every other weekend because my boyfriend lives there, but quite frankly, I hate it there. So then, I have made it an adventure to find something fun to do there and so far in the category of sushi restaurants, I have found something.

For most sushi enthusiasts, we look forward to the special Sushi Rolls such as the California Roll, Philadelphia Roll, or Dynamite Roll, etc. Why do we do this? Because these rolls, or maki, were created to cater to Westerners in the first place. For example, avocados first started appearing when one of the first Japanese chefs in the United States, Ichiro Mashita, couldn't get enough toro supply for his makizushi. Avocados, having a cream, fatty consistency was a good substitute for toro and thus, the California Roll was born. Also, most Westerners are afraid to consume anything raw because we are used to having things be cooked and served hot and so, most well-known makizushi are actually more like to be cooked.

But what I find the most delicious is the real sushi, nigirizushi, or hand-formed sushi. Nigiri consists of a small mound of rice, wasabi and whatever topping you desire (fish, tamago, crab, etc.). Or gunkanmaki, a type of nigirizushi, that is a small mound of rice with seaweed, or nori, wrapped around the perimeter with topping filled in the middle. Usually, they are served by 2 pieces, but that should be enough for you to have a taste and still have room for more.

This past weekend, we went to Goldfish Japanese Restaurant (Palmdale, CA) and Harbour (Palmdale, CA) and our menu consisted of:

Lollipop Roll, Spider Roll @ Goldfish

Ono Nigiri, Salmon Nigiri @ Goldfish

Sea Urchin, or Uni, @ Goldfish

Harbour Maki, Romeo Maki @ Harbour

 

Salmon Nigiri, Yellowtail Nigiri, Ono Nigiri @ Harbour

Live Sweet Shrimp Nigiri @ Goldfish

Fried Sweet Shrimp Nigiri @ Harbour

♥ Annie

Andrei's for Valentine's Day :)

This year was the first time I really celebrated Valentine's Day. Although I do agree that it is a corporate invention or "Hallmark Holiday" if you will, I loved every single moment that I spent with my lovely boyfriend. We spent the whole weekend together, since we usually don't spend the weekdays together. For the actual day, we went out to lunch at Native Foods Café, where they had a special Valentine's Day menu. I got the Tempeh Scallopine and he had the Rockin' Morrocan & it was all delicious! I also got their chocolate cupcake, like I do everytime I go there. The frosting on the cupcake is really yummy. Afterwards, we went to Color Me Mine because I've been wanting to go there for awhile and he knows how much I love being artsy. He did a Mickey Mouse sculpture, while I did a Buddha jar thing :) For dinner, we went to Andrei's Conscious Cusine & Cocktails. Not being 21, it wasn't really my crowd since most of the food revolves around wine pairings and cocktails. But the food was really good, although a bit pricey. Originally, we were going to to go Houston's, but the boyfriend forgot to make reservations in time! With that said, we settled for Andrei's, but it was still a really great night. I had the Lamb Tasting and he had King Crab Ravioli, with a small plate of Crispy Shrimp. For dessert, we had the Sorbet & Ice Cream sampler, our favorite was the Peanut Butter Ice Cream & Vanilla Bean! Overall, it was a good night and I enjoyed it very much. :) Oh yeah, the boyfriend got me a LUSH "Be Mine" giftset!!!! I'm really excited to use it. :)

Smell ya later,

Annie

Finally :)