Lazy Ox Canteen

As promised, I am trying to blog more often and I was lucky enough to go on a foodie adventure last night.!! I am sad to say that my foodie adventures are going to be decreasing in the upcoming months because I need to start saving dramatically due to the fact that I GOT INTO GRAD SCHOOL!!! Yiippppeee!!! I am very excited for the next chapter in my life! Unfortunately, my foodie adventures will be taking a hit BUT that just means I will be making more meals at home... hm....maybe I can write a couple of posts on how to jazz up ramen noodles... sounds like a good idea to me!

Anywho, to celebrate the news and to catch up, 2 of my favorite people took me out to Lazy Ox Canteen, a small gastropub located in Little Tokyo.  It had a fun and lively atmosphere and the only thing that was a little off putting for me was our waiter.  He would occasionally walk over to our table to check on us without saying a word. One time I even said hello to him as he awkwardly stood by our table.  BUT the food was sooooooo delicious and flavorful. I loved all the dishes we ordered and it was wayyy too hard to pick a favorite!  Food is served Tapas style which is great for sharing.  I will definitely come back to the Lazy Ox.

Lazy Ox Canteen  

flying dog schwarz beer and Prosecco 

the blushing bride to be!

iberico Ham with dense grilled bread... I LOVE CURED MEATS

blistered shishito peppers with mojama- not too spicy!!

yellow tail crudo with scallion, grapefruit and papaya salad- super super good!

anson mills polenta with creamed mushrooms and curry- so creamy and the texture was amazing! 

jerusalem artichoke with roasted apples and aged balsamic

our spread 

Nik's Martini Lounge

I've had this place on my list for months and this past weekend had the chance to go there with friends.  The game plan for the night: drink lots of martini's and experience the VodBox.  The VodBox at Nik's is literally a giant refrigerator filled with bottles and bottles of Vodka from all over the world.  Obviously, it was freezing in the VodBox so we put on parkas and hats before stepping in.  Out Vodkatour (I am pretty sure I misspelled that) Allyson was amazing! Very personable, extremely funny and lovely to have with us.  We sampled vodka that tasted like gummy bears, carmel and butterscotch and our favorite was the blood orange.  The entire experience was amazing. I highly recommend everyone to try this at least once in their life.  Food was top notch as well! Great filet mignon, amazing lamb, super tasty rib eye, and succulent duck.. O.M.G. oh, yeah.. their martini's... so good with a great balance of flavors.

Martini's

Hummus, Olives, Feta, Grilled Artichokes, Pita Bread

Nik's Famous Oysters

Duck

London Broil 

VodBox baby!

Mastro's Steakhouse

Wow it has been way too long since my last update! Epic fail on my part but so much has happened since my last post! I had many foodie adventures and I was extremely excited to share them with you all.  I made braised short ribs for the first time, made beef stroganoff with leftover short rib meat and ate at Bottega Louie.  But I was swamped with endless piles of paperwork from work! :(

Also, I got a Macbook!!! Very exciting!!! But I am sad to say that because of the change I have lost ALL my foodie adventure photos!!! :( So I am starting from scratch again.... no worries though! All is well :)

I was able to savage a few photos because they were still saved on my PC, so at least I have that.  So, for the past few months, I have been wanting treat my family out to a fancy steak dinner and at the time I was debating between Cut by Wolfgang Puck and Mastro's Steakhouse.  Both, I would say are excellent choices and needless to say.. I had a hard time deciding but I ultimately went with Mastro's.

I am glad we went to Mastro's.  My family had the opportunity to get dressed up and eat very well.  This was the first time in a long time my Mom went out to dinner with us.  My Mom is way old school, she doesn't believe in dining out often.  She would tell us, "Why go out for dinner when we can make dinner at home? It's going to be cheaper and you know our food will taste better." Most of the time... she was right.. Moms.. they always have the answers.  Enjoy the photos and I promise I will start blogging more often!!!

Seafood Platter of Tiger Shrimp and Oysters 

Steak Tartar with capers, shaved parmesan, cesar salad with a very strong anchovy flavor and toasted bread  

Wagyu Tomahawk Steak- hands down THE best steak of the night but it comes with a steep price tag, $98.00 but it can be shared!!! 

Close up of the Tomahawk

Rack of Lamb

Bone-in Rib Eye Steak- very good, even though my piece was a little chewy.  I loved the nice crust on the steak.  

Halibut Steak with lemon: very moist and tasty

Family Style Sides- Garlic Mushrooms, Creamed Corn, Asparagus, Sauteed Spinach and Lobster Mashed Potatoes. All worth a try.  

Bread Basket- loved the pretzel bread!

Since Mom came to dinner we wanted to celebrate the moment! Happy Non-Birthday Mom!

Mastro's Famous Butter Cake- Butter, Sugar, Ice Cream... need I say more?

Flourless Chocolate Cake- It tasted like fudge and was a bit too rich for me that night

Mastro's is a dimly lit restaurant, so GG showed me that the flash was way too bright! 

One person that enjoyed the bread basket more than anyone: GG.. yay for cracker like flatbread! 

GG and my Mom