California Eats: Le Pain Quotidien

I'm back at it. I'm back on my quest to find good eats in California and to prove to a certain New Yorker that it ain't that hard. I haven't written a California Eats post in quite a while, but I assure you I've been giving my taste buds a good workout. During my pregnancy and even before baby bump, I ate at some pretty noteworthy places. To start it off, I give you the restaurant where I discovered Speculoos.


The Place: Nestled in the village square of Claremont, this casual french bakery serves more than just your run-of-the-mill croissants and baguettes. Sure, that's what my stomach was expecting walking into a place like this, but I was more than pleased with the selection they have here. Whatever you order, you can enjoy your meal inside, which is rustically decorated with wood from floor to ceiling, or outside, al fresco as the french do.

The Menu: I came with a friend who highly recommended their Tartines. I've never had one before so I was game. The first thought that came to my mind when reading their menu was fresh. Their meals include locally grown and organic ingredients which is not hard to find in Southern California. There is an assortment of egg, chicken, veggie, and even a few meat dishes, something to please everyone. Of course, you can't forget the bread. Almost everything is served with a hearty slice of delicious homemade bread. "Le Pain Quotidien"  itself means "daily bread." Bread everyday? Yes, please!

The Eats: I started off with a lemonade iced tea that is sweetened with raw organic agave nectar. It was perfectly tart and refreshing. I ordered the Roast Beef Tartine and the presentation did not disappoint. The tartine is an open faced sandwich which, in my opinion, needs to be eye catching. My friend ordered the Mushroom Kale Frittata which looked delicious as well.

My tartine was perfect. The bread was firm with a deliciously crunchy crust. Perfect ratio of roast beef to mozzarella, drizzled with fresh vinegarette and tomatoes. It was completely satisfying.

And then there's this...

My first encounter with the spread that rivals Nutella. I'll keep this post about the restaurant and not this heavenly treat. The best thing about it all is that Le Pain Quotidien serves this as a condiment along with butter for your side of bread. They just bring it to you like it's a normal thing to do.

I'm a sucker for anything French, but to add a daily slice of handmade bread with a JAR of Speculoos to freely spread as you please....oh...OIU OIU! If this is how the french do it... I'm flying there tomorrow.

Ok, maybe not. Thank God for places like this.

Asian Supermarket Sweep

Did anyone else watch that show, Supermarket Sweep? (Not Asian Supermarket Sweep) Seriously, the best show ever! Don't act like you don't remember those gold wrapped hams.

A few weeks ago, my parents went on vacation to the Philippines, Vietnam, and Korea. I was very jealous. They went to the Philippines because that's their homeland, Vietnam because my Uncle works there, and Korea because that's where my brother was born and they haven't been back since. Ahh, the life of an Army family. Even though I couldn't go, my mom and dad promised to bring me lots of goodies! They DID NOT disappoint!

First up in my bag o' goodies were some real deal chopsticks from Vietnam, these adorable chocolate lollipops, and the coolest toolsknown to man! I will be showing this off in a future post. You won't want to miss it! It makes something that is awesome!

And of course, my parents couldn't forget all the cooking presents!

My mom couldn't find a Korean cookbook that was in English, so she brought me these recipe cards she found at the market. Now all I need is a Korean friend who will traslate. Anyone?

She did find a Filipino and Vietnamese cookbook. I will be making and eating lots of Vietnamese spring rolls this year.

And last but not least, they bought me this BEAUTIFUL apron from Korea to add to my apron collection. It is made to look like a Traditional Korean Wedding Dress. Isn't it gorgeous? I don't even want to cook in it.

..via..

My parents also took a massive amount of food pictures for me! I will be posting those soon,  so we can all take an imaginary trip to Asia.

In the meantime, you can take your own trip to Asia by visiting your local Asian market. Now, don't be shy or bashful. I know it can be quite intimidating to roam around a market that is literally quite foreign to some you, but be brave and see what's in there!

There are aisles and aisles of new and exciting things to try...

Dumplings and tofu? CHECK.

Delicious sweets? CHECK.

Tea choices galore? CHECK.

Instant Curry for when you're in a hurry? Yuppers!

Loads of cute snacks? HELLOOOOO Kitty!

But take heed because there are some unusual items that you might not see at your local Trader Joe's.

But, other than the hanging ducks and rather unique butcher and seafood section, you're good to go! And if all else fails, ask one of your asian friends to take you! I will gladly go with anyone who asks, but only if you buy me some Hello Kitty Crackers.

On my last trip, I loaded up with all these goodies for under $40. That's a steal if you ask me!

Delicious Filipino bakery items.

Some sauces, seaweed snack, ramen, falafel mix, and a $5 steamer!

Dried mango, green tea, and macadamia nuts.

If you ever go to an Asian market, you wont regret it. You will find lots of yummy treats and interesting knicknacks. And for all your girly girls out there, their makeup is top notch! Take a chance and go to one. Trust me, I'm Asian.

Some of my Asian recipes

Pad Thai and Pineapple Fried Rice

In a hurry Chicken Curry

Lemon Herbed Chicken Curry

Soy Glazed Salmon

Dim Sum Dumplings

Filipino Lumpia (Eggrolls) and Pancit (chow mein)

JoMo Sandwich

In all four years of college, everyone I knew called me JoMo. It was a combination of my first and last name. That name stuck like glue and some people even went through the years never knowing my real name. Sad, huh? I kinda loved it because it was endearing to me, but then I hated it because it sounded so juvenile. It made me sound like a little chubby 5 year old boy or an English Bulldog or something.



Fun times.

I had two food obsessions in college, both VERY healthy.

#1-BOBA aka Bubble Tea. If you look at my About Me page, you will see what these evil balls did to my health. I was in love with this drink. Taro or Milk Tea to be exact.



Studious me!

#2- JoMo Sandwiches. I don't care what anyone says, but I was the one that coined this combo first. You can tell me that you had them when you were little, or whatever other lie you can think of, but I don't believe you. I believe me because who dah HECK are you? I used to make these in the dorms, for my friends in college, and in grad school as a study snack. It was protein and healthy hazelnuts and calcium rolled into one! That's what the commercial says right?

Hubby and I have been eating these for dessert lately. To make a JoMo Sandwich, you need to make sure you have the key ingredients.

1. HOT out of the toaster bread so the beautiful combination of gooeiness melts all over your face.
2. Healthy slather of Nutella
3. Messy glob of PB...smooooth.

College was the best time of my life. Every time I eat one of these sandwiches, it just takes me back to those days of partying studying, boys books, and drinking eating good stuff!

• What was one guilty pleasure you ate in college?
• Did you have a good college experience?
• Tell me your NICKNAME!

Corona Farmer's Market

This was my first time going to a morning Farmer's Market...I'm in Love...oooo, I'm a believer. I invited my friend Christine to come along. We had lots of food fun!

Top Five Reasons why I Love the Farmer's Market:

1. Beautiful Fresh Produce- The selection is picture perfect...literally. I was going snap happy with my amateur photographing. The Farmers kept asking if I was a professional....why yes, yes I am. A professional eater... hahah ::knee slap::

Let me just say that this fruit was some of the best fruit I've ever had, except for the fruit from Maui. But that doesn't count because they have magic soil from which they grown their magical seeds.

2. Free Samples and giveaways- One of the best things about the people at Farmer's Markets is that they are very friendly. I could've stayed in their stalls and talked childhood stories and shared favorite recipes with them. I wanted to give them each a hug but they were "busy." So, I settled for their freebies instead, which is equally as satisfying.

3. New and exciting things- The last picture captured one of the best stalls there. The Hummus Guy. Now, I'm not quite sure what his name was, or what his business was called, but all I know is that he offered this glorious array of Hummus.

Need I say more? They were all so delicious. And his pita chip and pita bread selection was OFF THE HOOK! 3 items for $10...mix and match... Hum-a-nah Hum-a-nah HUMMUS!

I also tried new things in the produce department.

This Cherimoya fruit was something I've never heard of in my life. It was white and soft inside, like a banana. I could very much taste every fruit listed. It was good! But it wasn't take home good for me.

I especially loved all the Honey flavors. Lime, sour apple, clove, pina colada...they were all there.

**Random Fact** In college, I took a BeeKeeping Class. I tended to a hive, scooped honey right off of their honeycombs, and studied their bee dances. It was a hard class that involved a lot of math....I got a C.

4. Baked goods- Fresh cakes and carbs...Christine and I agreed that it was heaven.

These cakes were unbelievably moist and delicious. Christine and I were thoughtful enough to buy one for our Husbands as well...if they happen to not like the flavor we chose, we tried. And we'll just eat it.

5. Other knickity knacks- I had a hard time deciding if I wanted to spend all my money of food...or...

~Buy myself a cute new necklace...

~Buy myself an adorable new clutch...

~Or buy myself some flowers...

I refrained from these purchases and just spent on food....there's always next time.

Here's the loot:

All this for $15.00. All the vendors thanked us for supporting their little businesses....

No...Thank you Farmers, for supporting my love of food and my pocket book. Now do you have time for a quick hug?

• Do you shop at Farmer's Markets?
• What new and exciting food have you tried lately?