Aqua and Yellow

White OUt

Spring Styling at Anthropologie

to add to my collection of merchandising ideas... should I ever need them.

Design Inspiration

This is my fantasy kitchen

Exposed brick walls, neutral tones, white granite.

Dan and I have 3 IKEA expedits between the two of us...

Such a great way to separate one big room

Cute, CHEAP way to get consistency with dining chairs

Love to mix and match.. a painted bench would even be cool.

Love this chandelier.

Just like the restroom at Taco Diner :)

Amazing.

The Egg and I

I should probably utilize Yelp.com for this type of blog post but I felt the need to directly share my experience at this delightful little breakfast bistro. I'm a huge fan of the meal itself. To me.... breakfast and dinner have so much more potential than lunch. If I could only eat 2 meals a day.. I'd cut out lunch. In fact, I'd even eat breakfast twice a day over a lackluster meal that usually includes prefab meat or looks like rabbit feed. (I'm just kidding. I love salads -- And Jimmy Johns).

The Egg and I 15203 Knoll Trail Dr. (NW Corner of Arapaho and Montfort) in Addison, TX

469-375-0750

First impressions are everything and this quaint little retro-chic breakfast bistro certainly makes a lasting one. The hazelnut coffee, served with a genuine smile, alone says enough to keep me coming back. (They also offer a pretty great Colombian Roast for non-falavonoids)

I anticipated, OBVIOUSLY, a menu chock full of egg-entrees. And don't get me wrong.. there are MANY to choose from. Omlettes, frittatas, egg-crepes, etc. But it was the "Bananas Foster Waffle and Granola" that caught my eye:

this waffle... STAYS CRUNCHY until the last bite. Really, enough said, it was nothing short of AMAZING.

We went with a large group, with whom I am very close. Therefore, I 'm happy to say that I tried 6 things on the menu in my one visit. This was my favorite Egg dish:

very lite and fluffy. just perfect.

The menu is quite extensive. Also highly recommend: the "famous" 5-berry smoothie (our very French waiter had a had time pronouncing all 5 berries but he sure sold it) and the Whole Wheat Pancakes.

Here's a link to the full menu.

Definitely check it out. Oh and breakfast is served until 2! Pretty late in comparison to some other in-city options. Hours of Operation can be found on the website.

Salt Creek Grille Happy Hour

For those of you who don't know, I got a job hosting at Salt Creek Grille in Dana Point. Although the Happy Hour crowd is a little bit older.. the deals are great and I thought it was worth at least mentioning. The bar is all open seating, full menu, full service. 

Salt Creek Grille Website

Happy Hour M-F 5-6:30

$4 Wells, $4 Draft Beers, $4 House Wine

Discounted Appys

Monday: Martini Madness  $6 Martinis

Tuesday: $3 Draft Beers

Wednesday: 1/2 price bottle of wine

There's also great live Music most Thursday- Saturday nights.

Outdoor Living Spaces

I'd Love to have an amazing outdoor space like this to read and lounge on Sunday afternoons

MONGOLIAN BBQ

This may be more of a philanthropic effort than a true restaurant review. If you grew up in south orange county, I'm sure you're familiar with the history behind the Laguna Hills Mall and the Mission Viejo Mall. During the Late 90s, the Mission Viejo Mall transformed from a ghost town into "the beautiful shops at Mission Viejo", while the  Laguna Hills Mall, still resembles something something straight out of the 70s. In the past few years, El Toro Rd EAST, and the city of Lake Forest has just undergone a huge revamp. Tucked back in a shopping center behind Fudrucker's, next door to Office Depot and Smart and Final is one of MY childhood favorite's Geghis Khan's Mongolian BBQ. They've been there for over twenty years, and are definitely struggling to keep up with the increasing rent prices due to all of the new development. However, they just did sign a 10-year lease and will be around until 2017. This place has been a favorite in my family for years; it's a small-time business, the owners are REAL people, they'll remember you if you're there frequently enough. Please go check it out, it's very special to me, and I promise you'll love the experience and the food.

Genghis Khan Monglian BBQ
 Have you ever been to a Mongolian BBQ in the mall? First of all, this is SO much better! Second of all, there are no noodles here, forget that. Let me walk you through what Mongolian BBQ is like at Genghis Khan. Personally, I think that it's the most fun to go with a large group, and sit in a big corner booth, (there are a few). The BBQ menu is fairly self explanatory ( see image below, copyright... thanks to someone from Yelp) There are choices A-F. All come with various sides, all include rice and pocket biscuits. Some include soup of the day, which is usually Hot and Sour (best I've had, egg drop is pretty good too!). Some include different combinations of Cream Cheese Crab Wontons, Tempura Shrimp and Mini Egg Rolls. One letter is a veggie option and one is chicken, also an all you can eat option. All others are self-serve Beef, Lamb, or Pork. Soup is served first with crispy noodles.

The BBQ bar is self serve, whenever you're ready. First, bowls, next frozen meat shavings, (chicken option is actually brought to the table steamed bc of salmonella scare) topped with lots of veggies (options usually include: green bell peppers, celery, chinese parsley, water chestnuts, carrots, cabbage, broccoli, zucchini, bean sprouts, and  tomatoes). Next there are a 3 formulas of sauce mixtures spicy, medium and mild to follow, combining a variety of sauces to be poured over the stir-fry like mixture. The bowl then gets passed through a tiny window to a BBQ chef, who mans a VERY hot circular grill (he's been there since I was in elementary school!) He whips up the mixture, and with the flip of a stick, piles it all into a new, clean, bowl.

Back at the table, side dishes are waiting. Most people like to rip open the top, and fill their pocket-like biscuits (they aren't biscuit-y for anyone who hasn't had them... more like a very thin tortilla or pita bread) with the BBQ mixture and eat like a sandwich. This place is absolutely delicious, you must try it if you haven't. I'll admit, the decor is dated! Cute Koi-like fountain in front. But the food is to die for. They also have a great chinese food menu, if that's what you're in the mood for. (This is great for take-out in my opinion)

Let us know what you think!

Here is a couple of external reviews:
YELP!
SPORQ
23615 El Toro RdSte PLake Forest, CA 92630(949) 951-8296