Dewar's Ice Cream & Candy Shop

*Sigh* Valentine's Day... A regular day or a day to swoon your sweetie? I guess for me, it was a little bit of both.. but not too much of the swooning part.  2 years ago, my love and I swore off Valentine's Day due to 3 disastrous V-Day's  in a row together.  So this year, we spent Valentine's Day together in Bako and kept it low key.  I made Roasted Garlic Chicken with Portabello Mushrooms, Yellow Squash and Alfredo Pasta Shells.  (Sorry no photos! By the time dinner was ready I had devoured my chicken before realizing no photos were taken! But no worries, will be making this again!) After dinner, my love took me to an old school ice cream parlor called Dewar's.  He told me his co-workers informed him that Dewar's is over 100 years old, has great ice cream and is pretty much a must try.  They were right... It was such a great experience and the employees were super friendly! So happy I came here and a nice way to end Valentine's Day.  A sweet treat from my sweetie...

The Red and White.  Vanilla Ice Cream, Strawberry Compote and Marshmallow Fluff with your choice of chopped Almonds or Walnuts.  O.M.G. I am so glad I ordered this.. I love strawberries and it mixed so well with the creamy vanilla ice cream.  The kicker has to be the marshmallow fluff that is added at the top... such a great treat!

The Classic Black and White.. Vanilla Ice Cream, Hot Fudge, Chocolate Ice Cream topped with Marshmallow Fluff with the choice of almonds or walnuts.  If you like hot fudge sundaes you will LOVE this.  Once again, the marshmallow fluff takes the cake.. or in this case.. the sundae

Ninja Sushi

Ever since my boo moved to Bako for work, I have been determined to find local eateries to explore.  For the past few months, I have been avoiding the chain restaurants that are flooded in Bako, and through the suggestion from a fellow Yelper, I discovered Ninja Sushi.  At first, I was hesitant (the week before I ventured into another sushi joint that was just ok and crazy expensive) but I was willing to give it another shot.  It was very slow the night we walked into Ninja Sushi and we were literally the other couple in the restaurant. Overall, the rolls were great and surprisingly, as good as some LA spots.  I am so happy I got to eat here! Now I know if I ever have a sushi craving in Bako, I won't have to settle for mediocre and overpriced sushi.

Side Salad

From left to right: Rainbow roll, surf clam, bakersfield roll, disneyland roll (my fav), salmon cut roll

Gus's BBQ

Part two of my dineLA experience brought me to Gus's BBQ in Pasadena.  I met up with a good friend and a fellow food lover, excited to check this spot out.  We couldn't resist the deal: 3 course prefix meal for $16.00!!! We tried to order different items on the menu so we can try all of the yummy BBQ goodness.  We agreed on everything expect for dessert, we both ended up getting the Old School Ice Cream Sundae and we just couldn't resist! I am glad I was able to experience Gus's BBQ.  I enjoyed the food, the atmosphere and the wait staff was great.  Watch out Gus's BBQ... I will be back! Yumm!

Shout out to my dear friend David for being AMAZING!!!

Chicken Tortilla Soup- I really loved this soup.  It had a good depth of flavor with a nice kick of spice at the end.  

Pull Pork Nachos- Yes, it was as amazing as it sounds.  A MUST HAVE.  

Pull Pork Sandwich with Sweet Potato Fries- The sandwich was tasty but didn't blow my mind.  But the sweet potato fries were very yummy.  

Rib Sandwich with Mac-N-Cheese- This was tasty also, but wasn't very special.  The best thing about BOTH sandwiches was the butter toasted ciabatta bread! The bread was amazing! Crusty, a bit chewy and airy.      

The one thing we couldn't agree to share. The Old School Hot Fudge Sundae.  This mound of goodness is made with Fosselman's vanilla bean ice cream, hot fudge, and honey maple pecans.. One of the times selfishness wins.  

Jar

Thank you LA restaurant week for allowing me to get my fix at Jar Restaurant for a very good deal.  I always look forward to the 1st half of the year and the last half of the year because of DineLA.  For those who are not familiar, DineLA is Los Angeles's Restaurant Week or in this case.. 2 weeks, where participating restaurants in Los Angeles County will dish out prefix meals for reasonable prices.  This gives patrons the opportunity to explore a variety of restaurants and it also helps boost the restaurant business.  Of course, I couldn't resist taking advantage of DineLA, and was able to try out Jar Restaurant in West Hollywood.  The food was amazing, the staff was attentive and even though my bill was pretty hefty ($76.00 total for myself) in the end, it was all worth it.

Amuse Bouche- Char Sui Croissants, very tasty and a nice play on the traditional dim sum buns

Oysters on the half shell topped with thinly sliced radish.  So fresh and when topped with the malt vinegar with shallot sauce, it gave it just the right amount of tartness. 

2nd Amuse Bouche option- Deviled Eggs with Crab

Soup of the Day: Lobster Tomato soup. It had a fantastic depth of flavor and my mouth was dancing the whole time. I had to restrain myself from picking up the plate and licking it clean.   

Jar's Signature Pot Roast: Very tender and super yummy.  

My pot roast came with a side of whipped potatoes, it was so buttery and very delicious.  

Filet of Rib Eye Steak served with baby Arugula, Chimichurri sauce, and roasted onion.  

Butterscotch Pudding

Banana Cream Pie: BEST BANANA CREAM PIE I HAVE EVER EATEN... the crust was amazing and they did not skimp of the amount of sliced bananas in the mini pie.. so simple and so very good

Coconut Sorbet