Review of Philippe The Original

We took advantage of the fact that we were in LA after our photo shoot to visit Philippe The Original, a restaurant famous for inventing the french dip sandwich. Philippe's had been on our list of places to try since I made it #25 on the list of 25 days of sandwiches I gave Tuan for Christmas 2 years ago.

 

The atmosphere of the restaurant was very casual and had a distinct air of age aka the tables were old and there were phone booths available. We got our beef sandwiches with sides of potato salad and macaroni salad. The sandwiches were good but small and the sides were mediocre. They also serve coleslaw, pickeled eggs, pickled pigs feet, soups, beer and other drinks but we didn't try them. We contemplated ordering two more sandwiches but the line at the register has tripled in size due to the fact that a Dodgers game had just ended. I'm glad we were finally able to check that 25th sandwich place off the list! If you are going to visit, please know that this place is cash only.

 

Philippe The Original

1001 N. Alameda St

Los Angeles, CA 90012

213-628-3781

http://www.philippes.com/

 

 

 

[Philippe's since 1908]

 

 

[Classic french dip sandwich]

 

 

[Glad I got all glammed up to pig out!]

 

 

Spring Family Photos with Erin of Hello Pinecone Photography

I apologize that it has been so long since my last post but I promise this one will make up for lost time. Below are a few of my favorite photos from our mini session with Erin of Hello Pinecone Photography. I stumbled across Erin's work on On to Baby and started following her on Facebook late last year. We wanted to book her for our holiday photos but couldn't manage to get to LA in time so I waited for her to announce her spring mini sessions and booked immediately. I love Erin's use of light and the fact that her subjects seem so natural and at ease. All the waiting and the 6+ hour trek to LA was well worth it. Topanga Canyon was in full bloom, Parker was in a good mood and my floral crown didn't look cheesy in photos. That's all a mama can ask for! Enjoy :) I hope we can make it to LA this winter for another session.

 

What everyone is wearing

 

Tuan: Shirt - H&M, Pants - Gap, Shoes - Converse

Parker: Zara Kids from head to toe

Mary: Dress - Forever21, Shoes - Target, Necklace - J Crew, handmade floral crown

  

[Love these two]

[All he wanted to do was hand me rocks]

Snapshots from the Weekend

This past weekend was a whirl of big social events for us. Oh wait, isn't that every weekend in Spring? All kidding aside, we celebrated some special birthdays and bridal showers this weekend. Here are some photos.

 

 

[We took Parker to the park after work on Friday. Nothing like a really happy baby to help you unwind from a long work week. I love these two.]

 

 

[My SIL did a great job throwing a super fun birthday party for Parker's cousin Kaden. The theme was suit and tie. More photos to follow!]

 

 

[I missed my very good friend Thuy's bridal shower on Saturday we got together Sunday morning and celebrated with some delicious donuts and breakfast burritos instead. When you've been friends for more than a decade eating breakfast burritos, fries and donuts to celebrate a wedding is totally ok. I can't wait for the wedding!!]

 

 

[A few snapshots from my sister Karen's beautiful bridal shower on Sunday. Her bridesmaid did a pinterest-perfect job of decorating! It was also her birthday.]

 

 

 

[With my little sisters Tania and Yvonne. It was a girly good time.]

 

 

 

Matcha Love Review

 

A couple of weeks ago at the Ramen Yokocho Fest I saw an ad for Matcha Love and knew I had to go check it out. Matcha Love is a new tea spot that has opened in the bookstore at Mitsuwa. I say spot because it is not large enough to be called anything else. It's a small counter where they sell hot tea, ice cream, hot lattes and other tea based drinks. Unlike Tapioca Express or Tea Station, they do not offer any fruity tea drinks. This place is for those of us who love the taste of matcha, hoji-cha (roasted green tea) and black sesame tea. I visited the counter on my lunch break with a co worker and we had the chance to taste all of their ice cream flavors and order some tea shakes. The flavors were beautiful and my hoji-cha shake was very refreshing. The prices are significantly lower than most other tea shops that I've been to which was a pleasant surprise. If you decide to try it out, don't forget to bring cash. They are a cash only operation at this point.

 

Matcha Love (inside Mitsuwa)

4240 Kearny Mesa Road

San Diego, CA 92111

http://www.yelp.com/biz/matcha-love-san-diego

 



 



 

[Menu board]

 

 

[Beautifully packaged Matcha Love tea for sale]

 

 

 

[My hoji-cha shake]

New - Cotton On Kids Homegoods

I'm really loving everything in the new Cotton On Kids home collection especially the cushions. It looks like they were "inspired" by some popular etsy shops for the cloud and star pillows. I can't wait to hear feedback on the quality of the materials. To see more visit cottonon.com.

Cotton On Kids Bedding by marychu featuring grey throw pillows

Black bedding / Star home decor / Throw pillow / Chevron home decor / Grey throw pillow / Star home decor / queen doona cover, $66 / droplet cushion

Snapshots from the Weekend

Last week I went to Santa Barbara for a marketing conference and came back very late Thursday night. Being away from Parker and Tuan was hard but all of us survived and then enjoyed a 3 day weekend together. Here are some snapshots from our mellow weekend.

 

Side note: my in laws are in town! We are so excited to have home cooked Vietnamese food and are planning to sneak out for a date night.

 

[The Goleta train depot. It's a 6 hour train ride from SB to SD. Look at that sky!]

 

 

[Friday, we had lunch at Boudin at Fashion Valley. Clam chowder and a grilled cheese sandwich since it's still lent for us and turtle bread for Parks.]

 

[We were suppose to go to my niece Audrey's birthday party at Adventure City on Saturday but Parker contracted roseola. Not fun. So we stayed home most of the day instead.]

 

[We went to Rockin' Jenny's in Esco for dinner. I had their parmesan chicken sub which was ok. I wouldn't order it again.]

 

[Parker was exceptionally hungry this weekend and has now doubled his food intake. I'm pretty sure he is going through a growth spurt. Stop growing, baby!]

A Review of Cafe Chloe

We decided to be adventurous and tried a new breakfast/brunch place on Saturday. After getting ready and packing up the car, we headed downtown to Cafe Chloe. Street parking was surprisingly easy to find and, despite some initial confusion over seating with the hostess, we were seated within 15 minutes of arriving. The cafe itself was crowded and loud with conversation. It felt like they tried to pack as many tables and chairs in the dining room as possible. The hard working table busser actually bumped into Parker's high chair while she was clearing a table next to ours because there was so little space in between tables. Our table was located by a large window which looked out onto the street, a great thing for Parker who is a serial people creeper in restuarants. We were served our coffee and tea pretty quickly but had to wait almost an hour for our meals to arrive. Slowest service ever. Mind you, we did not order anything complicated. You can see from the photos below that our meals were pretty basic breakfast fare. The food was disappointing considering how much we spent (a little over $50). I was hoping the preparation or ingredients would justify the cost but Tuan and I were both disappointed by my unexciting breakfast. What a shame! We probably won't be back again. 

 

 

[The brunch menu]

 

 

[Pomme frites with trio of dips]

 

 

[Enjoying his pomme frites]

 

[Tuan's mocha. I'm pretty sure he's tried every mocha in the county!]

 

 

[Croque madam]

 

 

[Parker just loves feeding his daddy. Btw, how crazy do the stripes on Tuan's shirt look in this photo? They are making me dizzy.]

 

[Hot green tea for me]

 

[Two eggs over-easy, applewood bacon, baguette with herbed butter]

 

 

[Walking around outside of Cafe Chloe]