SUSHI NINJAS FOOD TRUCK
La Jolla, CA

Okay, so it ended up taking me seventeen days to fulfill my sushi wish, and not only did I actually NOT die, but it was so worth it. On Saturday the Sushi Ninjas food truck officially opened for business out by the UTC mall. You’d better believe we were there.

So what we have here is a Jessica Albacore hand roll (Included: albacore with crispy onions, garlic chips, cucumber, gobo, daikon sprouts, and garlic ponzu sauce. Not included: herpes.) and an Afro Ninja cut roll (spicy tuna, spicy crab, jalapeno, cream cheese, and avocado deep-fried with eel sauce and spicy mayo). All this for less than $10! We also snacked on garlic edamame — something I’ve never seen before, and now I wonder why because it was not just so good but so simple! — but I neglected to snap a picture. They basically just looked like edamame, so use your imagination.

I’ll be writing about Sushi Ninjas on my website for work later, but I couldn’t resist writing just a little bit now. Hey — if you were eating take-out sushi that looked that good, you’d be bragging, too.

Catching Up: Nozomi Sushi
San Diego, CA

There’s not much to say about this one except for SO CUTE, right? This was quite a few months ago and I can’t even remember what this particular roll was called, but what I do know is that nothing jazzes up a fairly basic tuna, avocado, and surimi quite like an adorable presentation made with tasty spicy sauces.

In related news: I feel like, if I don’t have sushi by the end of the week, I just might die. 

The spoils of Little Italy Mercato, May 28. I got there fifteen minutes before closing, which meant a mad Supermarket Sweep style dash from one end of the market to the other and back again. Here is what I ended up with:

• Basil (Mr. and Mrs. Green’s)
• Blood Oranges (Polito Family Farms)
• Butter and Red Leaf Lettuce (Sage Mountain Farm)
• Strawberries (Sage Mountain Farm)

Not bad! Ran into some friends along the way as well (including Hillary whose cooking blog you should be reading more than anyone’s) which is always a plus. After farmer’s market I headed down the road a couple blocks to Mona Lisa deli for some pears, capicola, and a pound of fresh ricotta. Also pictured is a jar of sage and clover honey from Alpine that I picked up last week from my go-to honey guy. All in all, looks like some delicious times ahead.

Came across this while loitering around Trader Joe’s with April in search of green tea mochi ice cream. Very hipster classy, Trader Joe! One issue, however: the box wine totally comes out to be more expensive than bottles of Charles Shaw. I wonder if it tastes better?

Bon Épi Patisserie & Café
Irvine, CA

Last photo from my Los Angeles trip. It’s impossible to traverse the 405 without a stop at Diamond Jamboree. It’s just tradition at this point. This picture does not do any justice whatsoever to the rows of pastries there for the taking. A cheesecake slice for me, black forest cake for Andrew. A custard cream bun and a mocha cream bun for next day’s breakfast. I inquired after the lack of chocolate coronets, and though they were already sold out for the day, the shop’s angel of a baker made me an approximation fresh on the spot. Oh my god. Highlight of my week? More like highlight of my life.

Rodeo Drive
Beverly Hills, CA

Is it sad that, while spending an afternoon running around Rodeo Drive, the thing that made me the most excited was a candy colored ice cream truck? I feel like I should have my girl card revoked. For what it’s worth, that’s the Dolce & Gabbana store in the background but I forgot to adjust the brightness on my Instax.

Actually, one other place did get my heart racing: the top floor of Two Rodeo Drive is home to Urasawa. Sigh. (I guess there’s something for every girl’s wildest dreams on Rodeo after all.)

Asahi Ramen
Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA

Went to LA on Monday for work and made a full day of it. Asked April for some ramen recommendations and this is where we ended up. It took a couple of wrong turns and and a little bit of panic to get to the tiny little shop front, but it was well worth it. Look at this menu. Look at the size of those bowls. Chashu ramen for the boy, miso ramen for me. Sliced pork, bamboo shoots, green onion, a hard-boiled egg, and tender ramen noodles in a delicious broth. Spicy pickles on the side. Incredibly simple and incredibly good.