Baked Pasta

Make spaghetti, then bake it for that extra crunch and cheesy-ness

Onion and Eggplant

Saute the eggplant / onion and ground meat separately

Then put them together

Then add the sauce, some pepper, cilantro, and of course corn

I like to use macaroni pasta

Lay the pasta out on a oven-friendly pan

Layer the meat sauce on top and top it off with lots of cheese

I like to use Pepper Jack Cheese for the spicy taste

Let it bake until the cheese is a beautiful golden brown

I put more cheese on one side because my sister doesn't like spicy

Dang came over a little later, so I made a miniature version for him (SPOILED)

So simple and delicious

I really should be Vietnamese

Whenever I'm in San Diego, I always go to Pho Cow Cali in Mira Mesa for the best Pho in town! Thanks to Dang, I found a new love.

Pho Banh Mai

Very clean and warm environment

Everything feels clean

Cafe Sua Da- Vietnamese Coffee

The best caffeine to keep you awake all day

Goi Cuon New Nuong- Spring Rolls

A replica of the infamous Brodard spring rolls. It has the extra crunch with the grilled pork inside. The dipping sauce is good, but definitely not as flavorful as Brodard

Banh Xeo- Shrimp and Pork Pancake

It looks like an omelette, but the batter is actually made of rice flour and coconut milk. It was my first time and definitely not my last. The portion is huge and filled with lots of vegetables and meat. I loved it.

Sizzling Steak

This was Dang's favorite dish because the beef is tender and flavorful. I personally thought it was just okay, but I liked how it came with rice and salad.

Pho 

Vermicelli with Grilled Shrimp and Eggrolls

Bun Rieu

They had my ultimate favorite which gave them extra points from me

Overall:  There are plenty of seating, the staff is super friendly, the price is fair, the service was fast, the food is fresh and AWESOME! I will be back here every time I'm in San Diego now.

Future ET + TT (get it?)

I love double dates! On this night, we went out to dinner with Dang's brother and girlfriend. Quan and Ella have been together for 7 years! Crazy amazing. Quan went to UC Davis and Ella went to San Diego State. Exact opposite of Dang and I. How cute.

The Counter (4 of 5 stars)

Create your own burger!

Location: Del Mar

Check what you want!

The "Fifty-Fifty"- Sweet Potato Fries and Onion Strings ($5.95)

This was simply amazing. Not oily with an awesome crisp. I love how the onion rings were so thinly sliced that it was very crispy. They also give you three different dipping sauces- ranch, bbq, and something else I can't remember.

All mine!- $9.95

1/3 pound chicken burger on multigrain bun with soft ripened brie cheese, dried cranberries, grilled onions, grilled pineapples, organic mixed greens, sliced avocados (for $1), and apricot sauce dressing on the side

It was messy but delicious. I think I could have passed with the avocado because with so much ingredients, I could barely taste it. I really wanted cranberry and pineapple because those are things are rarely get. Ella gave the great suggestion of having chicken instead of beef. Overall, I loved my burger!

Dang's- $9.95

1/3 pound of beef burger (medium rare) on regular bun with coleslaw, red onions, roasted corn and black bean salsa, roasted red peppers, guacamole (for $1), Swiss cheese, and chipotle aioli sauce dressing on the side

Of course Dang thought this was BOMB. He was trying to go for a Latin flavor so he came up with this combination. I thought the flavors blended very well together. Definitely messy but not too oily.

Quan's- $8.95

1/3 pound of beef burger (medium rare) on regular bun with lettuce, tomato, pineapples, red onions, Swiss cheese, and honey mustard dressing on the side

He finished the whole thing in 5 minutes, so I am sure he enjoyed it!

Ella's - $10.95

This is one of their signature burgers called "The Counter Burger"

It was definitely magnificent looking especially topped with the onion strings

Cute!

He just wants me to stop taking pictures so he can eat!

All done. Yummy in our tummies

Company:  Dang, Quan, Ella

Time:  Wednesday, 8pm

Location:  Del Mar

Type of food: American

Ambiance: Fun, chill, laid-back

Service: 

Con: This took out a full star. We arrived at the entrance and had to wait 2 minutes before a hostess attended to us. The hostess simply gave us our menus and wandered off. Luckily we yelped the place before we went so we knew how everything works. However, I think hostess should explain the menu to new comers. Another thing, we didn't even receive water for our table until 10 minutes after we placed our order.  

Pro: Thank you to the waitress for suggesting for us to just order one "Fifty Fifty" because it was more than enough. Awesome that the food came out at a fair pace. And awesome that they split checks.

Taste:  YUM

Price: A little high for just burgers. But they were good. Totally worth it since you get to choose your own ingredients.

Overall: I had a great experience and I plan to be back!

The cute couple of 7 years

The cute couple of 4 years

Aw. Ella has definitely seen the many changes in Dang's style

I'm so glad we get to catch up every time I'm back in town

Brotherly love

What a wonderful way to end my summer. I love great company

Tadashi sounds like O.M.G AMAZING!

I always (usually) keep my promises. Since Dang achieved straight Ace his last semester at school, I owe him a sushi meal. I love my nerd.

Tadashi

Homeless roll and Mexican Gone Wild roll

Mexican Gone Wild roll

Definitely my favorite. Spicy tuna in the inside and a slice of albacore topped with some saucy shrimp. DELICIOUS.

Homeless roll
I felt this one was a little salty. There was shrimp tempera inside and then topped with fried soft shelled crab

Honey roll
This one was a little simpler but just as yummy. It was topped with baked salmon

Gucci Roll
The inside had soft shelled crab and then topped with tuna. This one was my second favorite. The other three were all warmer sushi and this was the only cold one. So it felt lighter and not as heavy with flavor. 

The most beautiful rolls ever. Some people may think there is just too much going on. But if you like sushi full of sauce and flavors, this is the perfect place for you!

Ready to eat!

Company: Dang

Time: Friday, 3:00 pm

Location: La Jolla Cove on Prospect

Type of food: Japanese

Ambiance: Simple, nice, comfortable

Service: 3pm is past lunch time, so there were plenty of tables in this small little restaurant. There were only 3 men at the bar. I don't think the waitress knew what she was doing. She didn't know what an oyster shot was! And when we didn't understand something, she felt annoyed to have to explain it again. Rude waitress. But I loved how the food came out super fast!

Taste: There is an overload of flavor and you will not be able to taste the quality. But HEY, if it taste and looks amazing, IT IS AMAZING.

Price: The rolls ranged from $12-$17. The total cost of our meal was $43.65.

Overall: What I liked about today was the great deal! Between 3pm-6pm was happy hour, so the rolls would be 10% off each.  However, we chose the Summer Deal instead which was buy 3 specialty rolls get 1 free. We were super happy with everything.

I captured the process of his "orgasm" face. Simply hilarious. Only some people know what I'm talking about. But if you see this face, that means the food is "bomb dot com"

Chocolate Factory
We had extreme food coma from the sushi. I don't know how Dang found any room to fit chocolate in his stomach. 
This little shop is a bit pricey, but everything is made fresh everyday! There are so many creative chocolate choices.

They have such pretty apple dips

A milk chocolate toffee bar for $3

I hope you enjoyed this amazing lunch!