My weekly food diary features a trip to the Bellagio buffet, Fourth of July bbqs, and a beautiful luncheon at Gracias Madre.{Wednesday} 12pm: Lunch and catch up sesh with my friend at lemonade in Brentwood. This is probably my favorite location as it's never crowded and there's two hours free parking across the street. I get a portion of an old fav, chicken with green beans and a portion of a new fav, a seasonal shrimp salad.
8pm: M has been craving Fresh Brothers pizza for weeks so we finally curb it with a large half bbq chicken, half Da Works on thin crust and a chopped salad.
{Thursday} 12pm: At the Claire Pettibone luncheon at Gracias Madre in West Hollywood, my favorite vegan Mexican restaurant, I dine on the grapefruit salad, the caesar salad, delish flautas de papas with generous heapings of guac, and cauliflower fritos while admiring the beautiful tablescape.
8pm: Leftover pizza and a few slices of watermelon.
{Friday} 12pm: After taking a morning flight to Vegas to meet up M, I'm salivating for a Vegas buffet. At Bellagio, I get plates after plates of food and dessert and am floating on a food high. I always eat more than M at buffets. Must be the Chinese gene.
8pm: I'm still pretty full from lunch so I get a fried chicken salad at Bruxie. The chicken is so good and pleasantly surprised to learn they have a Santa Monica outpost.
1am: We end the night eating cookies in our room at Vdara, one of my favorite Vegas hotels. While in bed looking at the window, it feels like I'm floating in the clouds!
{Saturday} 12pm: We walk around and snack on Bouchon pastries and a protein smoothie from Jamba Juice before heading to the airport for our flight home. 6pm: We decide to go to Chengdu Taste for spicy Szechuan in the SGV. We order the boiled fish soup, string beans, toothpick lamb, mapo tofu, mung bean noodles, and fried rice and love everything. Although my mouth is numb from the spiciness, I can't help but wish we had equally good Chinese food in West LA.
9pm: I finish half of my Bambu drink (assorted beans and jelly in coconut juice) and head home to catch a movie in bed.
{Sunday} 12pm: I have some yogurt and finish the leftover fried rice. 7pm: After working on the house the entire day and going on a short hike at Franklin Canyon, we head to Miceli's in Hollywood for some old fashioned Italian food. I get the spaghetti with mushrooms, onions, and meat sauce, a side of meatballs, and a side salad. The pasta is too salty but I love the ambience inside the oldest Italian restaurant in LA and the live piano serenade is just lovely.
10pm: I enjoy some watermelon and the juiciest nectarine of the season from Whole Foods.
{Monday} 12pm: M makes our first Acai bowl in the new house! It's the best bowl I've ever had as it's less sweet than the ones at the stores. He uses frozen Acai packets from Whole Foods and blends it with frozen bananas and coconut water. We top it off with frozen berries, hempseed, granola, goji berries, and coconut flakes. It's also much cheaper to make your own!
4pm: Ribeye steak, rice pilaf, and fruit salad at a family Fourth of July bbq followed by a piece of brownie.
8pm: We bbq hop and head over to a friend's place in Pasadena. I have a bratwurst with sauerkraut, banana bread, watermelon wedges, and mac n cheese. For dessert, I have apple pie a la mode. So yummy!
{Tuesday}
