Balloon Journey

The. Best. Travel. Mug. EVER.

2011-02-24T19:13:00.000-08:00

We've all been there. You buy a stylish new travel mug only to find that it leaks, and doesn't really keep your drink cold/hot for more than an hour-tops. Well ladies and gentlemen, trust me when I say I have found THE BEST TRAVEL MUG EVER. IN THE WORLD. Maybe, don't quote me on that. Anyways, here it is!

Featuring, the AUTOSEAL^® Aria Stainless Steel Travel Mug from Contigo. Clever brand name isn't it? I bought these when they were selling them at Costco for $19.99 in a two pack. It came in two colors, blue and green.

I did my own little experiments to test this new travel mug:

1. To see how long it would keep my drink warm, I poured in hot water in the morning at 10:00am and did not drink it until 1:00pm. The result? IT WAS PIPING HOT! I almost burnt my tongue. But nonetheless, I was very excited that indeed this travel mug keeps my drink not only warm, but HOT! :)

2. To see how long it would keep my drink cold, I poured in cold water in the after noon at 12:00pm. I left the mug in the car on a very hot afternoon and did not return to it until 5:00pm. And lo and behold, my water was still icy cold. Ah--so refreshing.

3. To test how leak proof this mug was, I poured in water, closed it, and shook it vigorously several times. No leakage all around. I also purposely dropped the mug on the floor several times and once again, no leaks and the button-top stayed closed. Yay.

Well, there you have it. This is the best travel mug ever. I love it and I have been using it everyday. Try for yourself.

NEW JOINT: Okinawan Dining at Habuya

2011-02-24T17:50:00.000-08:00

As read on Habuya's Yelp page:

ANNOUNCEMENT: First Okinawan Dining Restaurant in Orange County has come!!

Ok, I'm pretty excited to try this place. This article was printed in the FOOD section of the Los Angeles Times today and already, there have been some great reviews on Yelp (4-5 stars!). This is definitely something different to try in Orange County. Read more about Habuya in this Los Angeles Times article here.

Habuya

Japanese Okinawan Dining

14215 Red Hill Ave
Tustin, CA 92780

(714) 832-3323

Tea To Go!

2011-02-24T13:30:00.000-08:00

I'm totally not a coffee drinker, so I prefer to drink tea. It's healthier, since I'm not adding cream and sugar, and it still does the trick to keep me awake. But on a really busy morning, I don't have time to boil water and make tea. I just want to get out of my apartment and go! So, I found this "Tea on the Go" from Crate & Barrel! It can brew loose tea leaves and tea bags. Now, I can make tea even with cold water, which saves me so much time.

OC Restaurant Week: This weekend!

2011-02-23T01:22:00.000-08:00

Nothing but EXTRAODINARY

2011-02-20T14:49:00.000-08:00

Imagine a stylish, architecturally pleasing dessert shoppe that features an endless variety of homemade tortes, cakes, fruit tarts, cookies, creme brulee, cobbler, bread pudding, mousses and of course homemade ice cream. Now imagine that remarkable array of desserts on a menu that changes daily. Sound too good to be true?

Yesterday, I took a spontaneous trip to San Diego's Extraordinary Desserts. Extraordinary Desserts has two locations in San Diego, one in central downtown and the other in Little Italy. This review is for the Little Italy location, which is apparently the newer, trendier spot for late night dessert. If you have never tried this place, oh my goodness, it's a heaven-whipped patisserie that serves delectable layers and layers of extraordinary flavors that melt in your mouth. It really is, that good.

Here's what I ordered:
White Chocolate Linzer Torte

French Pie Strawberry

Devonshire Napoleon

Chocolate Truffle Loaf

Buy 1 Get 1 FREE

2011-02-10T12:25:00.001-08:00

GAME TIME!!

2011-02-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

Okay, we all know the Super Bowl XLV, the biggest annual event in America, is today. But, of course for me, it's all about what I will be eating. The Food Network website featured a special recipe list of a variety of 58, yes FIFTY-EIGHT different tasty Super Bowl snacks! I'm drooling...

Here are a few of my top picks:

See the full array of snacks...

Year of the..MICKEY!

2011-02-02T12:57:00.000-08:00

Happy Lunar New Year Festival at Disneyland Park
Feb. 4-6 and 11-13

2011-02-02T12:52:00.001-08:00

Wishlist: Egg Waffle Pan from Williams Sonoma

2011-02-01T13:06:00.000-08:00

A Hong Kong favorite for generations, the puffy, doughy treats called “egg waffles” are traditionally cooked by sidewalk vendors and enjoyed for breakfast and snacks. Now you can make the waffles at home using this pan from Nordic Ware, a family-owned company famous for its fine bakeware since 1946. Read more

Best of LA & OC Food Trucks!

2011-01-27T19:46:00.000-08:00

Food Truck FASTival.

TONIGHT.

Be there!

Never go hungry..on Thursdays at least

2011-01-21T11:05:00.000-08:00

Food Truck Fare Thursdays!
11:00 AM - 02:00 PM

@ OC Fair & Event Center
Visit twitter.com/ocfair for this week's location.

Free admission and parking.
Food prices vary per truck.

Sometimes, it's pretty hard to follow all your favorite food trucks. Their locations are different every day and even at different times of the day. With my busy schedule, I really don't have time to keep track of all of them. That's why I'm soo happy that the OC Fairgrounds is having Food Truck Fare Thursdays! Now I can try new food trucks all in one place, at the same time every week. I love how its during lunchtime, but I do wish they would consider doing this for dinner time as well.

About this event

Food Truck Fare Thursdays will bring a variety of gourmet food trucks that change weekly. You can follow their Twitter to see food trucks are coming for the week. This past week featured nom-worthy trucks like Calbi BBQ, Piaggio On Wheels, Barcelona On The Go, BaconMANia, Tornado Potato, The Burnt Truck, Chunk N Chip, and Louks To Go!

SPOTLIGHT: Tea Rooms

2011-01-13T14:21:00.000-08:00

Tranquil Tea Lounge | Fullerton, CA

Milk + Honey | Costa Mesa, CA

Chado Tea Room | Pasadena, CA

Lovejoy's Tea Room | San Francisco, CA

The French Bakery | Lafayette, CA

OC Foodie Fest..is back!!

2010-12-18T22:38:00.001-08:00

Since when was fried chicken healthy?

2010-12-16T00:08:00.000-08:00

Olive Oil Fried Chicken - 10 pcs


Marinated Grilled Chicken Lunch Combo

Well, apparently fried chicken is healthy here @ BBQ Chicken USA, where "It's not barbecue...it's BBQ---Best of the Best Quality Chicken"! Featured above is the Olive-Oil Fried Chicken Strips, which were unbelievably crunchy and the Marinated Grilled Chicken Lunch Combo, with Cajun seasoning! I know the chicken is fried, but I guess knowing that it is fried in olive oil makes it a little less fattening...psychologically? Anyways, it doesn't matter because their high-quality chicken was delicious. Most places that fry chicken typically lack in the amount of meat they offer you, but not here! Each chicken strip had a big chunk of all-white breast meat. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. Next was the marinated grilled chicken loaded with Cajun seasoning. Again, it was high quality chicken that was just yummy.

Although they had great chicken..sadly, there were some trade offs. They started off with a free appetizer which I think is supposed to be a salad. It was basically shredded cabbage with a homemade thousand island dressing. Wow, it tasted very odd. I wasn't sure how this salad was supposed to get me ready for the chicken, but it did not complement each other very well. However, despite this one little nub, I will still come back to BBQ Chicken USA! They really do have the Best of the Best Quality chicken--they just have to work on being the best of best quality salads.

A sweet Sunday brunch at Britta's Cafe

2010-12-16T00:03:00.000-08:00

Raisin Scones & Butter

Eggs Benedict


Madame Croque

A refreshing ice tea, to top it all off

I was really craving some old fashioned American breakfast one day and decided to try Britta's Cafe located in the University Center in Irvine, CA. Britta's Cafe is so, so cute. They have two outdoor patio areas, one with a beautiful overhead garden. Inside, the decor is anything but modern and trendy. It truly felt like an American country breakfast joint with its blue checkered tablecloth and fresh sunflower on the table.

Featured above:

(1) Raisin Scones: which were good but would have been even better if they were hot. Oh well, they were free with the meal!
(2) Eggs Benedict in full size: (half means just one egg less!)---I've never had a better eggs benedict, their sauce was perfect. I highly recommend choosing the potatoes for your side, over the salad

(3) Madame Croque sandwich with ham, turkey, fried egg, and cheese--in theory this would've been amazing, however it was not my favorite because the meats were too dry *shrug*

(4) Simple glass of ice tea & lemon--what can I say about this one? Can't go wrong with ice tea

Although Britta's is a little on the pricey side, I wouldn't mind coming here every once in awhile just to have a meal outside in the garden patio. I think it would be quite romantic at night with it all lit up with candles placed on each table. But, since I only came for breakfast...until next time!

Good Morning-from Ikea

2010-11-26T18:53:00.000-08:00

FREE BREAKFAST
Offer valid Friday, November 26 - Sunday, November 28, 2010

Fuel up on a free breakfast before you shop! Limit one per customer. Offer valid for one small breakfast (value 99¢) and one cup of coffee (value 99¢). Offer not valid at IKEA Home Shopping. See your local IKEA store for details.

Not your average deli

2010-11-26T17:49:00.000-08:00

Chicken Di Giorgio


Pulled Pork Sandwich

Looks TASTY don't they? Featured above are two sandwiches from Harry's Deli in Irvine, CA. Aside from their visual appeal, the Chicken Di Giorgio and Pulled Pork Sandwich (two of their most popular customer picks) have such high-packed flavor, it will tantalize your taste buds. Situated in a corporate park area of Irvine, Harry's Deli is somewhat hard to find. I had to circle around the area a few times before I realized the Deli is tucked away around the corner. Yet, their "hidden" location has not deterred customers from flocking in--especially during the lunch-rush--when you may end up having to wait 20 minutes! However, Chef Harry's impeccable customer service truly makes up for the wait time. Not only do they call your name when your order is ready, they actually REMEMBER your name when you leave!

A little bit about Chef Harry:

Harry’s Deli is all about good old fashion food love. We believe in making things the delicious way, homemade! Harry even whips his own mayo, along with making pretty much everything on his menu from scratch. We love making people go, “mmmm” and “ooohhhh,” it’s our goal in life. So come on by for a treat.

MMMM is right! Their Chicken Di Giorgio Sandwich is a crusted escalope of chicken---escalope meaning coated with egg and breadcrumbs---and topped with tomato, basil, garlic, and buffalo mozzarella. The Pulled Pork Sandwich was soaked in a smokey, barbecue sauce---topped with their homemade coleslaw, which really brought out the flavor of the pork. Both sandwiches are cushioned with a large, fluffy ciabatta roll--and of course, served with a smile. Thanks Harry's Deli for a great sandwich experience!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T12:23:00.000-08:00

I LOVE the new festive logo from Google today. Not only does it show all my favorite Thanksgiving foods, if you scroll over the images, you will be directed to Thanksgiving recipes by Ina Garten, my favorite cook from Barefoot Contessa! If you are looking to change things up this Thanksgiving, one of my favorite recipes from Ina Garten is her smashed sweet potato recipe, an easy alternative to the traditional mashed potato. Whatever you decide to make this holiday, remember the meal is never complete without your family, friends, and loved ones by your side.

Eat well this Thanksgiving.

-Balloon Journey

Thanks for the love, Eat Drink Pink!

2010-11-22T15:58:00.000-08:00

My first tweet

My first Facebook link

I just had my first Tweet and link on Facebook! This really made my day, so I wanted to thank Eat, Drink, Pink! for posting. <3 It was an incredible, edible event to raise awareness and support breast cancer. I hope you continue this event next year!

Eat, Drink, Pink!

2010-11-21T11:12:00.000-08:00

Last night, I had the opportunity to attend "Eat, Drink, Pink!" an all pink music and food event to help benefit breast cancer awareness in Orange County. A $10 sampling pass allowed me to try desserts from each vendor from cake pops to bacon cupcakes (it's like a mini breakfast in a cupcake form)!

Top Dessert favs from event:
Chocolate marble & Oreo Truffle cakepops from Pop & Dots

Breakfast cupcake, topped with bacon from My Delight Cupcakery

Coconut stuffed french toast from Chomp Chomp Nation

Top Food favs from event:
Seabass sope from Taco Mesa

Gourmet fried chicken &cheeseburger sliders from The Burnt Truck

Overall, I loved everything about this event, especially seeing everyone (guys and gals) wearing pink. Eat, Drink, Pink was sponsored by Yelp, which had some free giveaways, and OC Weekly. It felt cozy, relaxed, and not overly crowded. It was great that all these vendors came out to support the cause to raise awareness for breast cancer. See more photos from this event on my Flickr account here!

For more amazing photos from the event, Eat, Drink, Pink! is featured on the OC Weekly

Melting Pot...will melt your heart

2010-11-19T20:55:00.000-08:00

Featured above is Melting Pot, a restaurant most noted for fondue-style cooking, with a French-inspired menu for their "Big Night Out". This is one of the most romantic places to come for a date, birthday or anniversary dinner, with high quality food. I would definitely come back because they have more cooking styles to offer! This set menu featured four courses:

First course: Fondue à la France
A rich, smooth combination of baby Brie, Fontina, Gruyère and Raclette cheeses accented with Nueske’s bacon, onions, white-truffle cream and fresh chives

Second course: Salade Niçoise (ni - swaz)
Timeless classic combining haricots verts, tomatoes, hard-boiled egg and Niçoise olives topped with a tangy Shallot Vinaigrette

Third course: Fondue Feast
Filet Mignon, Peppercorn-Crusted NY Strip, Chicken Provençal, Roasted-Garlic Shrimp, Maple
Leaf Farms Duck a l’Orange, Ratatouille & Goat Cheese Ravioli and Fresh Vegetables
Entree cooking style: Coq au Vin
Flavors of fresh herbs, mushrooms, garlic, spices and burgundy wine

Fourth course: White Chocolate Crème Brûlée
A fondue version of the classic French dessert including white chocolate and caramelized sugar

TODAY: 2 Free Tacos @ Jack in the Box

2010-11-16T14:38:00.000-08:00

Free tacos after 2 p.m. today at Jack in the Box

Hungry? Jack in the Box restaurants will give out two free tacos to customers after 2 p.m. today, the company says on its website.

KATE McENTEE; staff writer

Published: 11/16/10 1:22 pm | Updated: 11/16/10 1:24 pm

Hungry? Jack in the Box restaurants will give out two free tacos to customers after 2 p.m. today, the company says on its website.
No coupon is needed for the offer, and no purchase is necessary.
The offer is limited to two tacos per customer.
The deal is good only on Nov. 16, 2010.

Udon with Sansai

2010-11-11T16:55:00.001-08:00

Udon with Sansai, originally uploaded by Balloon Journey.

Fukada is a simple, organic and modern Japanese restaurant located near the Irvine Spectrum Center. Featured above is their Udon Noodle with sansai (Japanese mountain veggies). Simple, hearty, and cheap--perfect for a casual meal.

Local Hawaiian treats

2010-11-11T16:31:00.001-08:00

Unique treats I encountered on a trip to Hawaii.