yummy restaurants in bend, oregon

One great thing about having a triathlete as a husband is that I can pig out with him after the race to celebrate! And being a spectator/supporter isn't an easy job, so I treat myself. So we went to these wonderful eateries after his Leadman Triathlon race in Bend, OR the past weekend (sorry for not posting any recipes!). I have to say, Bend attracts talented chefs. We were not able to try them all. Sad. I guess we have to come back next year. 

Baldy's BBQ  

full-rack ribs

Pilot Butte Burger

Cheeseburger with grilled onion - YUM!

Hola!

Ceviche Traditional - Tuna was very fresh.

Costillitas de Puerco con Aji Amarillo - Grilled Baby back Ribs smothered in a sweet and sour aji-amarillo BBQ sauce - My FAVORITE!

Lenguado al Chorrillo Bay Style - Seafood stew

CHOW

Hummus with awesome flatbread

Chicken Fried Steak with Caramelized Onions & Mushroms, Bleu Cheese, Two Eggs with Gravy

The Locavore - Egg omelet with apple chicken sausage and kale

The Sparrow Bakery 

Ocean Roll

Good job for finishing the race strong - Woo boys!

Lions Tap - "Famous Hamburger"

Happy National Cheeseburger Day, everyone! I have to say, Lions Tap hamburger is REALLY good. If you are in Minnesota, for whatever reason, you're in for a treat! The burgers are just perfect. The seasoning is so yummy and they cook it medium, and all you taste is the juicy goodness of the meat. Yup. I love it and I want to go there again (even though we just went on Saturday - yes, it's that good).

Highly recommended:

• Root beer 
• Fries
• Cheeseburger with grilled onion

a slice of new york - san jose, ca

Our friends introduced this pizzeria to us and it's the only one we go there (besides Costco pizza - nothing can beat the price!) The simpler the pizza is, the better. We like simple margarita pizza and chicken with basil & tomatoes the best. Don't forget to leave some space in your tummy for some garlic knots (yummy, gooey bread soaked in garlic sauce) and for some cannoli. A Slice of New York is easily in our top 5 restaurants in San Jose.

Cannoli... you're so yummy. (It's quite big so you might want to share)

Garlic knots with marinara sauce

slater's 50/50 burger - huntington beach, ca

This place is a place to go if you love bacon! It's called 50/50 because it's 50% ground beef and 50% ground bacon. You can even build your own burger. The food was really good and the best part was the dessert! Bacon Brownies. Yes, there were bacon bits on chewy brownies! That was probably my highlight of the meal. We'll definitely go back again. :)

 

Bacon Brownies with 5 scoops of ice cream. :)

tulsa rib company - orange, ca

Just the other day, my brother-in-law asked a question: What's real American food? We thought of pizza, hamburger, hot dog, etc but we think BBQ is the real American food that reflects American culture. Anyway, I'm on my own little quest for finding best ribs (if you haven't noticed quite a few ribs postings). So far, I haven't found the one that I'm in LOVE with, but it's always fun to try new ribs from different places. Tulsa Rib Company is another rib restaurant (I should make a separate label for ribs, huh?) we found in Orange County. It was quite good, but my quest will probably continue. :) 

Appetizer: Deep Fried Artichoke Hearts - new taste!

Baby Back Ribs with Potato salad & beans. Fall off the bone meat.

Fries. Not good picture of beef ribs (it was yummy, though!)

Country Pork Sandwich = the best meal out of all.

Sausage combo - good sausage & tulsa potatoes were very good, too.

mochilato - fullerton, ca

We are on the road again, that means no cooking for the next few days. I'll introduce some places we've visited (and thought it had yummy food!) Cafe Mochilato is so cute! They have different kinds of small, bite-size desserts. It's a combination/fusion of Japanese and Korean food & desserts. We tried quite a few things on the menu, and we liked the gelato mochi the best (especially Guava flavor - yummy!). They have so many flavors and the texture of mochi is perfect. They also had my childhood favorite manjyu (Japanese confection), Hiyoko manjyu. :) If you are in the Orange County area, stop by and try them out!

Mochilato = Mochi + Gelato

Monaka & blurry cream puff in the background (Beard Papa - can't go wrong with that!)

Japanese cheesecake

French Macaroons

cream pan - tustin, ca

Cream Pan is another favorite food stop in Southern California, near Irvine area. It's Japanese bakery and our favorites are cream pan, strawberry croissant, and Azuki beans puff. If you love bread, you have to try this!

Strawberry croissant

Azuki beans puff - very unique taste!

Half-eaten cream pan - the cream is light and smooth

phil's bbq, san diego

We loves ribs. Can you tell? :) The best ribs we found so far is in San Diego - it's Phil's BBQ. You can read all the good things on yelp.com (just click on the link and look at amazing pictures). This is also our favorite stop when we come down to San Diego. We went there yesterday night and tonight. Yes, it's that good. :)

Baby back ribs = yummy.

extraordinary desserts, san diego

Oops, I missed a post yesterday, but we were traveling to San Diego for my first ever triathlon relay race and I was too nervous to post anything yesterday. But, since I'm done with it (and very sore, indeed), now I can introduce my favorite place to visit in San Diego. It's called Extraordinary Desserts and the name says it all. The desserts & cakes are just amazing! If you're in the area, try it out! You won't be disappointed. :)

smokin' pig bbq

Thanks to our awesome friends who took care of my daughter for the night, my husband and I were able to go out on a date! Our friend told us about this BBQ place in downtown San Jose called Smokin' Pig BBQ . It was awesome. (the food taste better when daily chefs get a break once in a while!) The brisket was the best -- it melts in your mouth. The sweet sauce is really yummy, too.  If you are in the area, try it out. If you are not in the area, BBQ is a great way to spend your weekend with your family and friends.

Brisket (with fat) + ribs + sauce = YUMMY!

Peanut Butter Pie was so fluffy and light! Highly recommended.