We were invited out this cool spot that lets you customize everything on your burgers, cheesesteaks, and fries! With so many cheese, toppings, and sauce options, it was a bit overwhelming, but the staff encouraged our creativity and even made suggestions on what would taste very good together! It was very fun in the end. For example, on our Big Smoov Burger, we got the half-pound patty with a fried egg, muenster cheese, thousand island, caramelized onions, and bacon!
2) Boba Tea Lounge (Covina, CA) - @eatwithadrian
@eatwithadrian spontaneously brought us by this local boba shop after eating at Cafe Cola. Their menu was pretty impressive, with a lot of teas, milk teas, coffees, slushies, and snacks and other food items. We decided to focus on what what they were known for, which were their Signature Candy and Cereal Shakes. Pictured are the Reeses Cup, Oops All Berries, Hersheys Cookies n Cream, and Fruity Pebbles.
3) Chicken Dijon (El Segundo, CA) - @foodiemobbb
We were introduced to a Mediterranean restaurant with a few locations in the South Bay area. As a huge Mediterranean cuisine enthusiast, I was already so excited to try this place out! We ordered the Avocado Wontons, Citrus Avocado Salad, Gyro Fajita Plate with Stuffed Grape Leaves and Hummus, Steak Skewer Plate with Falafel and Mediterranean Fries. Everything was very impressive and so flavorful!
4) Bumsan Organic Milk Bar (Los Angeles, CA) - @tpham @eatersanonymous
We had previously stopped by to check out the soft serve, so we knew of their great products. They were promoting their newest flavor, the Taro Milk Tea flavor. We also tried a flavor that twe did not try last time, the Dragon Fruit Lychee. The Taro Milk Tea had a creamy and milky flavor, while the Dragon Fruit Lychee had a fruity and tart flavor. I enjoyed both very much!
5) Plate & Petal (Glendale, CA)
This restaurant recently opened in Glendale and it was such an amazing fine dining experience! The chef put so much passion and creativity into each of the dishes, and learned that the restaurant had its own pastry chef making the pastries in-house on a daily basis. We got the Beef Carpaccio, Tuna Tartare, New Zealand Lamb Rack, Maine Lobster Mac & Cheese, and Strawberry Mousse. Everything was amazing, and the staff even surprised me with a rose and a box of beautiful pastries to take home!
6) 85°C Bakery Cafe (Pasadena, CA) - @topfoodnews
This media event at 85C Bakery Cafe was a very unique and fun event. There was cake decorating and a ton of photo opportunities with the displays of pastries on trays, boards and stands. It was great for us to each take some unique photos. We got to try a few of their drinks, including the Frozen Marble Taro Smoothie, Rose Milk Tea, Sea Salt Coffee, and Lemon C Duo. We went home with some swag and a 10% discount card for the rest of the year!
7) Jimboy’s Tacos (Anaheim, CA) - @powerhouse_comm
We got to check out Jimboy’s Tacos, who recently announced that it will be opening 20 locations throughout Orange County and surrounding areas. From the items we tried, we were very impressed with the quality and flavor of everything we had. We got the Taco Salad, Street Fries, Tahoe Burrito, Jimboy's Ground Beef and Jimboy's Tacoburger Tacos. I loved the beef quality in the tacos and the parmesan on top of them!
8) Bardot Bars and Coffee (Tustin, CA)
We were invited to celebrate their grand opening! While we came on the day of the grand opening, I was still able to promote the festivities via Instagram stories. This was also my first time checking out the delicious Hong Kong Waffle a la Mode, and I also got a cool shirt to take home!
9) Salt Restaurant & Bar (Marina Del Rey, CA) - @efgpr
I was surprised to get an invitation to visit a restaurant at the Marina Del Rey Hotel! It was a very unique experience and a delicious meal. The dining area was gorgeous and we had an amazing view of the waterfront and the sunset. We started out with two cocktails, Afternoon Delight and House of the Rising Sun. For appetizers and entrees, we got Shigoku Oysters, Spanish Octopus, Maine Lobster Pasta, and Hook & Line Caught Halibut. We finished the meal with some of their in-house freshly-baked baguette!
10) The Wall (Orange, CA) - @topfoodnews
This month’s Behind the Wall Burger of the Month was the PB&J Burger! It was a very flavorful burger, with ingredients such as bacon, a Thai-style peanut butter sauce, and citrus pepper jelly. We also got to try a few items we had not tried before, including the Fish and Chips, Papaya Salad, and Noodle Exchange. We of course had to include a Beer Flight!
11) Honey and Butter (Irvine, CA)
Two of my favorite places came together to do a collaboration! Milk Box and Honey and Butter decided to do a collaboration for a month, featuring Milk Box’s Mustache Iced Tea and Churro drinks, and Honey and Butter’s "Mustache Tea" Macarons. The drinks and macarons were so delicious and the concept was so cute!
12) Dough and Arrow (Costa Mesa, CA)
We got to check out this new coffee and cookie shop, serving drinks, cookies and cookie dough. We got to try the Iced Cookie Cream Latte, as well as some of the cookies, including Funfetti, Red Velvet, Kitchen Sink, Cereal Killer, Chocolate Malt Surprise and Mint Smookie. This was the perfect place to satisfy my sweet tooth and for a pick-me-up!
13) TeaArias (Huntington Beach, CA) - @nstands4natalie
We were invited to check out their premium teas and mille crepe cakes. From the drinks, we got the Matcha Boom, Rose Blossom Latte, London Style Oolong, Lychee Dreamer, and Hibiscus Cooler. The drinks were all very refreshing and were freshly made upon ordering. From the cakes, we were fortunate enough to try out four types of cakes that day: Original, Green Tea, Mocha and Rainbow. It was a fun event and the aesthetics were so perfect for photos!
14) Sharky’s Woodfired Mexican Grill (Sherman Oaks, CA) - @micmacagency
I had always seen this restaurant but did not visit until recently. I was amazed at what they had to offer on the menu. We ordered a Fiesta Burrito, a Spicy 4 Cheese Pizza, Nachos Grande, and Chicken Taquitos. I was surprised the pizza was not your typical pizza; it was basically a bunch of pizza ingredients on a big and crispy tortilla crust! I would definitely return to try more items in the future! They were also promoting their newly launched app where customers could place orders and earn rewards.
Other events and collaborations:
My friend @thefoodie.tographer visited from Atlanta for a week to explore restaurants with me as well as film clips and interviews for his vlog. We had a lot of fun food adventures packed into the week and were fortunate to get hosted by Bardot Bars and Coffee, Lobsterdamus, and Goa Taco during his time here. See his adventures on his Youtube channel here, and I will also be posting a video in the next few weeks.
Check out my monthly Milk and Eggs collaborations from September here and here!