Bistro Papillote - Costa Mesa

French being my favorite food, there's not much options where I live. I enjoy going to Costa Mesa from time to time and have been discovering little boutique shops here and there. We came across Bistro Papillote in The OC Mix. It was Memorial Day and the place I wanted to try was closed so this was the next runner up.

Their breakfast lunch menu is really straight forward. At Bistro Papillote, you will find escargot, pate, quiches, crepes, croque madame and monsieurs, and sandwiches.

Croque Madame

Black forest ham with gruyere sandwiched between a soft bread baked till crispy around the edges. A Croque Monsieur is just the same concoction without the egg.

delicious

Coddled Eggs

Pomme puree, baby spinach, eggs and baguette sticks. Pommes puree is just French mashed potatoes. 

This dish was simple and elegant. I loved the silkiness of the mashed potatoes. I will definitely recreate this at home. 

Check them out if you're ever in the area. Their dinner menu also looks great.

3313 Hyland Ave Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Astro Doughnuts - National Doughnut Day

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516 W 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90014

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This Friday at Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken (516 W. 6th St) they are serving a limited-edition Cherry Pie Doughnut (cherry compote filling, shortbread crumble, and tart cherry vanilla glaze).

This doughnut will be available for $3.50 on Friday, June 2nd for National Doughnut Day with 100% of sales benefitting Fisher House Foundation.

Fisher House Foundation provides “a home away from home” for families of patients receiving medical care at major military and VA medical centers. 

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Spago - Beverly Hills

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One of my favorite restaurants in Los Angeles. We dined here recently for Angela (Brother's fiancee) birthday dinner. We were seated promptly and complimentary bubbly was poured all around. No better way to start a full tasting.

I've been to Spago once, so this will be my second time. Spago was serving a special Akaushi wagyu that was just imported from Japan that night. Literally, the whole cow. That was one of my highlights from our meal.

Without further ado, below is the giant tasting menu we had.

I am ready to come back in summer.

Kings Row - Tandoori Nights

Chef Sundeep does it again. I've been going to Kings Row for a couple of years now and have always enjoyed their monthly roast pig feast that's hosted on the 3rd Thursday of every month. Chef Sundeep, their executive chef, does not play around when curating a menu for their monthly food haul. This time around, Chef Sundeep had planned for and contemplated for this moment to tie his culture into the food he creates.

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Giant kebabs grilled outdoors on their patio grill. The varieties come with the choice of Tandoori, Garlic, Chili, or Shawarma Chicken, served on a fresh naan wrap with lettuce, onion, and tomato. Choice of Raita, chutney, or hot sauce.

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Each naan is rolled out my hand. Chefs Sundeep's house recipe.

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Margarita Slushies

Ridiculously refreshing. 

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Chef Sundeep hosts a special food event once a month on every 3rd Thursday. Stay tuned to see what he has in store for this month. I wonder.

West Coast Fish - Costa Mesa

There's been a lot of gourmet food brought down to the fast food hype and I am definitely digging it. After seeing the menu and a few photos from local eaters, I wonder what can be so great with grilled fish, "simple" sides/appetizers. From the items I've tried, the first bite was all it took.

I was blown away by how amazingly delicious everything was. With a mouthful, oh my god was the only thing I kept blurping out. 

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Salmon over brown rice with veggies. (broccolini, pickled shishito and fresno chilis.) Salmon, cooked to perfection. Also, they cure the salmon in house making the skin extra crispy when grilling. Will order this again... will be hard to want something else after having this.

“West Coast Fish desires to simplify what it means to have good seafood. Utilizing organic non-GMO herbs, original sauces and wild fish, our produce is hand-picked fresh from farmer’s markets as well as The CAMP’s community garden.”

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faux crab handroll

You'll be surprised with the level of expertise at West Coast Fish when preparing the food. Some inspirations they've adapted to is  Japanese techniques. Cooking with binchotan charcoals for example, gives a nice smokey aroma that doesn't overpower the food. Why I love yakitori so much. 

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cauliflower

Quite possibly one of the best cauliflower dishes I've had. I can't express enough how good this was. Oh, I know, Oh My God.

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It's easy to mess up brussel sprouts. But, not here. Deliciously crispy. Extremely addicting and difficult to share. The same with the cauliflower. That's 2 veggie dishes I just raved about. Says a lot.

The shrimp tacos were ON POINT. Giant and Extremely plump (please, no that's what she said jokes. Even though I just pointed that out...) No skimping here. And what's AMAZING was how well that tortilla held up. As a food blogger, you can imagine the extra minutes I take to capture a photo. But, with that said, it was one tortilla (standard street tacos has 2) that held up the beast. So fresh. Each bite was just decadence.

I WILL BE BACK.

2981 BRISTOL ST. #B5 COSTA MESA, CA 92626