Hello from sunny Southern California!
My mom and I have enjoyed two amazing days in Orange County soaking up the sun, playing in the sand and eating frozen chocolate-covered bananas.
I’ve decided that this is where I’m moving once I’m finished with grad school. Job or no job. California, here I come. 
When I last left you, I was about to hop a plane to the San Francisco Bay Area. I spent 24 hours in Berkeley helping my brother move into his new house, chowing down on fro-yo, and filling up on cups of Philz.
Philz is one of those places that makes you feel special. Every cup of coffee is brewed and dripped just for you. I love my mass-produced Mermaid coffee too, but you can’t beat a place whose baristas ask you 10 questions about your coffee preferences before recommending a specific brew.
My brew, the Silken Splendor, was just what it promised: silky, splendid and smooth.
Even smoother than the creamy bowl of fro-yo I enjoyed at Yogurtland in between coffee cups.
I sampled nearly every flavor on the line…
…before settling on cheesecake, peanut butter and mango pina colada, topped with almonds, strawberries, raspberries, coconut, chocolate chips, and a white chocolate drizzle.
Now that’s vacation.
Berkeley is a total foodie town, so I was anxious to put it to the ultimate test: tuna sashimi.
I judge cities by the quality of the sushi found there.
On Saturday, my brother, mom and I had lunch at the Epicurious Garden, which is a gourmet take-out semi-outdoor food court, home to the likes of artisan gelato, contemporary Indian cuisine, a kitchy chocolate bar, and…Kirala sushi.
Kirala sushi is supposedly the best sushi in Berkeley. Since the restaurant usually has two-hour-long lines, the grab-n-go version was my next best option.
The picture doesn’t do this fish justice. It was so fresh. So red. Delicious. I wanted avocado with my sashimi, but Kirala wouldn’t sell it to me, so I snagged a container of guacamole at Picoso—the Mexican place “next door.”
Did you know that guacamole + tuna sashimi is AMAZING?
Who says you can’t couple Mexican with Japanese?
Not this girl.
After getting my fill of delicious Berkeley sips, eats, my mom and I hugged Alec goodbye (I’m going to miss having him in DC!)…
obligatory family shot!
…and jetted farther south, to my childhood home—the land of beaches, burgers and bleach blondes.
There’s so much to share about the two days I’ve spent here, but this post is getting long, and I have better things to do than stare at my computer screen. Like lying by this pool.
So here are two quick highlights:
1. A walk down memory lane at Golden Spoon—where the fro-yo addiction began at the age of three. This place hasn’t changed one bit, since the early 90’s!
I ordered peanut butter cup frozen yogurt without any toppings, because sometimes unobstructed fro-yo is best.
so creamy!
I got my topping fix an hour later, when I picked up mini peanut butter cups from Trader Joe’s.
2. Dinner at Season’s 52.
Last night my mom and I met our good family friends at the restaurant I’ve been dying to for years. I first learned about Season’s 52 from Julie, who has frequented Season’s in Orlando several times.
(I apologize for the hazy iPhone photos!)
The concept behind Season’s is that everything on the menu is under 475 calories. That’s a pretty impressive feat for a restaurant!
My mom and I shared two salads and one entree: The Maui Tuna Crunch Salad…
Sushi-grade seared tuna, tropical organic greens, toasted almonds, miso vinaigrette
the Organic Arugula Salad…
Organic Arugula watermelon, grilled golden beets, goat cheese, jicama, toasted pistachios
and the Caramelized Scallops.
Caramelized Grilled Sea Scallops roasted asparagus, sun-dried tomato-mushroom pearl pasta
We asked to swap steamed broccoli for the scallops, and the waiter happily obliged.
Dessert was the true highlight though. Our table of seven shared nearly every one of the mini desserts!
That cute little rack contained four-bite servings of the following:
- Mocha Macchiato
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse
- Blueberry Cheesecake
- Pecan Pie
- Vanilla Mousse
- Key Lime Pie
- Belgian Chocolate Rocky Road
- Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cannoli
- Market Fresh Fruit (<—who would ever choose this one, when tempted with the choices above?)
They were all fantastic, but my absolute favorite was the Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse. I could eat 10 of these every day for the rest of my life.
Okay, loves, that’s all for today! I’m going to sneak in a quick workout this morning, then head to the beach before flying back to Boise tonight.
I’ll be back Thursday with an exciting giveaway! Here’s a hint: it’s one of my favorite snack foods. AND it’s a food grown in California.
Any guesses?
You don’t want to miss this one.
HUGS!! xoxo
Note to add: the giveaway will be live on FRIDAY, rather than Thursday. See you then!
Questions for you:
Do you prefer “artisan” coffee or chain coffee?
If I have access to an independent coffee shop, I almost always go artisan. However I love the consistency at chains.
What dessert could you eat every day for the rest of your life? Which of the mini desserts sounds best to you?
Self-serve froyo or “serve you” froyo? When did your froyo addiction begin?
I think the fro-yo from the places that serve you almost always tastes better!
Have you ever tried guacamole with tuna sashimi?
You should.
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