We continued on our spring break road trip by driving from Las Vegas to Zion National Park in Springdale, Utah. I want to write a separate post on parking and the shuttle system since it is a little tricky. We rode a shuttle to the Riverside Walk and ate our lunch from Hoodoo’s General Store on a low stone wall.
I am not sure why I placed the stray onions on the sandwich before taking a picture. We were actually pretty impressed with the Hoodoo’s sandwiches–the bread was fresh, and it had a good amount of meat. Our family has had our share of bad sandwiches during national park visits, and these freshly made sandwiches were much better than many of the others.
This was our second time going on the Riverside Walk (1.9 mi. out and back), but unlike our first time, we did not have to bring strollers-ha! I think this is one of the best paved trails that we have been on.
This is the entrance to the Narrows. We had to laugh at the group who was contemplating hiking into the Narrows without any preparation whatsoever. They were wondering if they should just take their shoes off and go in waist-deep. Um, no. There is a company that will rent you the special pants and boots along with a hiking pole, but it is located at the Visitor Center.
Dinner At Zion Pizza & Noodle
We ordered takeout from Zion Pizza & Noodle Co. I highly recommend takeout, as the wait to be seated was about an hour, even at 5 p.m.! I was a little weary of trying this place again since I thought the crust was too soggy last time.
I am happy to report that the pizza was much better this time around! There was one spot where the dough was a little doughy, but overall this was a good pizza experience. There are not many dining options in Springdale, so I am glad that Zion Pizza & Noodle has survived. (I am sorry to say that the same cannot be said about the Bumbleberry Gifts, where had Bumbleberry Pie during our first trip. They had a fire last year and are currently re-building. So sad).
The aptly named Cholesterol Hiker Pizza: Tomato sauce, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, Italian sausage, mushrooms, mozzarella & cheddar cheeses.
The White Sun Pizza: Garlic infused Olive Oil, Spinach, Pineapple, Fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, cheddar & parmesan cheeses. This was a hit!
Disclosure: I received compensation in order to facilitate this post. All opinions are my own.
One of our family’s favorite activities is eating out together. We like to try new restaurants, as well as revisiting our favorites. For as long as I can remember, one of our family’s go-to fast casual restaurants is Rubio’s Coastal Grill.
Rubio’s is a California-based restaurant chain with many locations in California, Nevada and Arizona. Rubio’s specializes in fresh Mexican food that incorporates sustainable seafood and produce that is locally grown (whenever possible).
As you are probably aware, there are many health benefits that are linked to seafood. Seafood provides the nutrients, vitamins and omega-3s that support strong bones, a healthy heart, brain development and the immune system. In fact, both The American Heart Association and American Academy of Pediatrics both recommend that we eat two servings of seafood per week.
We recently had a Saturday picnic lunch with Rubio’s take-out. My son is a taco fanatic, so he ordered his “usual”, the fish tacos. My husband and daughter both went with one of our family favorites, the Wild Alaska Salmon Burrito, full of Vitamin D and omega-3s.
I ordered the Mango Avocado Salad with mahi mahi. According to the Rubio’s website, mahi mahi is a significant source of selenium, which supports immune responsiveness and boost metabolism. Those are some pretty great benefits for eating something that tastes so good. Eating at Rubio’s is a delicious, healthy, convenient and affordable way to incorporate more seafood into your family’s diet.
Find A Rubio’s Near You
Rubio’s has locations in California, Nevada and Arizona. Find the closest Rubio’s location near you.
Rubio’s Coastal Grill Giveaway
Enter the giveaway below for your chance to win five $10 Rubio’s complimentary meal cards!
One week ago, we went on a two-night camping trip in Big Bear Lake, CA. Since school starts in less than two weeks, this was our last hurrah of summer.
It takes about two hours to drive to Big Bear from Orange County. There are a lot of switchbacks up the mountain, but thankfully D drove and I did not get carsick this time.
Boulder Bay Park
Our first stop was Boulder Bay Park. This park, located on the south side of the lake, is quite popular. We arrived around 11 a.m. on Sunday morning and the small parking lot was full. There were cars parked all along the street, despite “No Parking” signs. Acting like lemmings, we took our chances and did the same. (We sat at a bench within viewing distance of our car in case we saw someone starting to issue tickets). Our picnic lunch on a bench consisted of sandwiches, chips, carrots and drinks. The weather was SO pleasant with a slight breeze coming off of the lake. There was fertilizer on the grass, so I would not recommend sitting on the ground right now. I would also note that there is also a well-maintained restroom near the parking lot.
Big Bear City Hall-Happy Hills Trail
Next on our agenda was to do the short (.2 mi each way) Happy Hills Trail hike behind Big Bear City Hall. Since it was the weekend, the large parking lot was empty.
The City Hall building looks nice and new and has beautiful landscaping.
The trail itself was not crowded at all. I think we saw one other party of two the whole time we were there.
This pile of boulders made for some good picture-taking opportunities.
n reminded me of a mountain goat scrambling up these rocks.
This Happy Hills “hike” is more of a walk, and could be done even with little ones in tow.
Big Bear Lake Village
It was still a little early to check into our campground, so we made a stop at Big Bear Lake Village. This cute shopping district has a lot of dining options as well.
Some of the streets were blocked off to cars, which I believe was due to Covid. This allowed some of the restaurants to offer expanded outdoor dining options. It made for a nice pedestrian experience. I was very impressed by the number of people who were wearing masks in the Village.
Since it was starting to warm up, we were yearning for a cool treat.
It was a difficult choice since there were so many options, but we settled on a mix of passionfruit and lemon gelato. The passionfruit was tart and creamy, while the lemon tasted more like sorbet.
D ordered a milk green tea with boba, half-sweet. This did not taste like the boba milk tea we are used to. D saw them brew the tea with a real tea bag, so they do not rely on powder mixes. It definitely had more of a tea taste, and was not very sweet at all. If we had been there when it was cold, I am sure n would have loved one of their outrageous hot chocolate creations.
We did not go into any of the stores, but just walked around and did a little window shopping.
Pineknot Campground
I will go into more specifics about the Pineknot Campground in my next Big Bear post. We found our campsite without any problem and set up our tent. Then we had some time of R & R.
Pizza in Big Bear
For dinner we ordered pizza at Saucy Mama’s back in The Village.
Unfortunately, we were not very impressed with this pizza. First of all, there was WAY too much cheese. Second of all, the dough was extremely uneven, paper-thin in the middle and a thick outer crust. This made the pizza impossible to eat, with all of the cheese and toppings sliding off. D was also displeased with the lackluster service that just seemed like a bunch of younger people who did not really care about their job. This place does have a lot of positive reviews, so maybe we just caught them during a mid-summer slump.
Stanfield Marsh Wildlife and Waterfowl Habitat Park
There is a nice boardwalk that lets you walk near the marsh. (Tip, once the first boardwalk ends, keep walking and you will find another boardwalk if you want to extend your walk).
We were able to see some birds off in the distance.
At the end of our walk, we also saw a large pelican take off from the water (no picture though).
We went back to the campground and had a good night’s sleep. I will write about our next day later this week.
Truffle Fries at Home: Ingredients – Enough fries for 5, with all the Truffle Fry fixings and a recipe card to cook at home.
Bonus! 2 bags of pretzels and Nutella dipping sauce. [Not really two bags, but two very small containers of pretzels.
I thought this was a reasonable amount of food for $24.99. It is also easy to order and pay online so there is minimal contact when you pick it up.
D grilled the burgers outside. I realize this picture looks more like a tomato sandwich than a burger, but the meat and cheese are underneath the toppings. I liked that there was real cheddar as opposed to American cheese.
Five burgers turned out to be the right amount for our family of four:
D: 1 1/3
L: 1
k: 1
n: 1 2/3!
The truffle fries took a lot longer in our oven than recommended. I also cranked up the heat to 400 and then 425 at the end. I am sure they would have come out better in an air fryer, which we have yet to purchase. I did not want to deep fry them in oil, which is the other recommended method. The Truffle Fry seasonings definitely made for some tasty umami-loaded fries, though!
I think it is great how restaurants are using creative ways to overcome the loss of in-person dining business. If you are looking for a delicious family activity, I would recommend the Hopdoddy Quarantined Together Meal Kit (need to enter zip code location to view).
D received a generous gift card to North Italia before the pandemic. North Italia is a mini-chain, with locations from California to Florida. We wanted to use it for a dine-in experience, but like many restaurants, it was only open for take-out. When they started accepting dine-in reservations, we jumped at the opportunity to go.
Although we usually opt to dine indoors, this time we chose outdoor seating since it is more Covid-safe. The Irvine location has a small, but nice patio.
They did a good job of spacing out the tables to be socially distant.
I like to do research before I visit restaurants so I have an idea of what to order beforehand (thanks, Yelp!). Am I the only one who does this? I wanted to try different dishes, so I told my family that we would be ordering “family-style”, which they went along with.
One unanimous recommendation that I read about was to order the White Truffle Garlic Bread ($13.50) house made ricotta, mozzarella, grana padano, herbs as an appetizer. It was good as all the rave reviews talked about! Probably the best garlic bread I have ever had!
I ordered a Caesar salad with salmon ($21), mostly for n (who loves salmon!). This would make a nice entree salad if you are a low-carb person.
I debated ordering the Bolognese ($20) traditional meat sauce, tagliatelle noodle & grana padano cheese, because it sounded a little too simple. However, it is listed as the “House Specialty” so we decided to go for it. The homemade pasta was so good, and we liked the meat sauce too. The only bad thing is that we wished there was more!
Next was Short Rib Radiatore ($22) parmesan cream, fresh horseradish, wilted arugula, herbed breadcrumb. I liked that this was a unique dish that you would not find at another restaurant. It was definitely decadent, which made it a good dish to share.
Finally, we ordered the Italian classic, Chicken Parmesan crushed tomato, aged provolone, mozzarella, parmesan rigatoni. This was a nice rendition, with a fairly large piece of chicken (not sure why the pasta portion was so small in comparison). Again, I am glad we were all able to share a few bites.
For dessert, we had to order tiramisu, because that is D’s favorite dessert. The crunchy chocolate ball topping (not sure what it is called) added a nice texture contrast to the creamy layers. Definitely recommend this if you are a tiramisu fan.
Have you been to North Italia? What is your favorite dish?
It has been a while since I have done a restaurant review. We recently ate at two Korean restaurants that I would like to share about. (In case you are wondering, we are not Korean. But we do like Korean food!)
Holdaak: Far East Chicken Shop
The first restaurant that we visited is called Holdaak. They call themselves a “Far East Chicken Shop”. Their menu is quite simple. The kids and I had the Original Chicken Sandwich and D went for the Spicy Chicken Sandwich. We also ordered two sides of fries.
These were some good Korean-style fried chicken sandwiches! First of all, the portions were quite large for the price. The chicken was nice and crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. I also really liked the addition of the pickled vegetables. The side of sauce that came with the sandwich was also quite tasty on both the sandwich and with the fries. We went to the Orange location, which is located in a strip mall with easy parking.
(Their main location is at 1201 S. Euclid St., Ste. B, Fullerton, CA)
Dosirak Company
Dosirak Company specializes in Korean “bento boxes”. We went here on n’s birthday because he wanted salmon (his favorite!) We also needed a place that did takeout since the shelter in place orders were just starting.
The restaurant is tiny, and is hidden in an Irvine apartment complex. It really is mostly for takeout. D and n ordered salmon bowls, k had a bulgogi bowl, and I had the bulgogi dosirak (comes with more sides). We also shared a classic kimbap (with Spam) and bulgogi kimbap. It was a splurge, but it was worth it since we were celebrating n’s birthday!
n was happy with his salmon bowl! It was nice that the bowl came with plenty of vegetables and some salad too. D said he could eat it everyday. Too bad our campsite was not open yet, and it was drizzly outside. We had to eat our food in the car, but it was still a treat!
This is a picture of the bulgogi dosirak. Korean food has the best side dishes. I especially liked the egg omelette and scallion pancake-yum! I would highly recommend this place if you are looking for Korean take-out. (However, be sure to call first since I know restaurants are having a difficult time staying open these days).
Dosirak: 6280 Scholarship, Irvine, CA 92612 949-769-3476
This outdoor restaurant is actually located between two buildings. You order and pay at the cash register and then find a seat among the picnic benches. It was pretty chilly that day, but there were some heat lamps that helped somewhat.
We ordered the four sausage sampler for $24.95. We chose the Rod Polse, Currywurst, Chicken Apple Sage and All-Beef Frank. In addition, we ordered a side order of fries and a soft pretzel.
Time to dig in!
There was a large variety of serve yourself dipping sauces. The flavors were interesting and it was fun to try them all out.
The pretzel was good, but the accompanying cheese sauce was a little disappointing since it was room temperature.
Aebelskiver Cafe
n started to not feel well all of a sudden, so I escorted him quickly to the car. While he rested, D and k brought back some aebelskivers from Aebelskiver Cafe, which I had seen on Yelp. I thought the aebelskivers were pretty good. However, D said he did not have a good feeling about the place, which was hidden in a strip mall and also offered Chinese food. I guess we will have to try another place next time.
Strolling Through Solvang
D’s co-worker’s relative owns this windmill-winery, so he stopped in out of curiosity.
Love the European-style architecture!
There were a lot of tempting offerings at the several bakeries around town, but we resisted.
Since n was feeling better, we walked up and down the main streets and did a little window shopping. It was fun to visit Solvang in December because the Christmas decorations added another layer of charm to the already charming village.
I was kind of surprised to see a brand new ramen restaurant, which seemed a little out of place.
Solvang is one of those touristy places in California that everyone should visit at least once. Be sure to add it to your itinerary if you are ever in the area!
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Black Angus. All opinions are my own.
Do you celebrate Sweetest Day? I had personally never heard of it, but apparently on the third Saturday of October, Midwesterners and Northeasterners celebrate with those people that make their life “sweet”. Sounds like a great idea to me! In honor of Sweetest Day, Black Angus has a special offer going on this weekend, October 18-20. D and I had a sneak preview of the Sweetest Day Dinner For Two last night.
Every year, the “Sweetest Day,” October 19, celebrates random acts of kindness and spreading love far and wide. This year, Black Angus is celebrating by turning the sweetest day into the Sweetest Weekend! Next weekend, Oct. 18-20, Black Angus will be offering a $47 dinner deal for two, including an option to add a bottle of Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon for $10.
Black Angus Steakhouse is a classic American Steakhouse that has been in business for 55 years! According to our waitress, the location we visited in Santa Ana has been around for about 45 years which is quite amazing in a time when restaurants seem to come and go.
The dinner has an optional $10 add-on bottle of wine: Century Cellars Chardonnay or Canyon Road Cabernet Sauvignon. D went with the Cabernet and said it was very nice.
Black Angus is known for their Molasses Bread, and I can see why. It is warm and soft and has just the right amount of sweetness.
We tried two Steakhouse Starters, the Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail and the Crispy Fried Garlic-Pepper Zucchini. *I believe that the deal actually includes one appetizer per table, as shown in the first picture in this post (I do not want to mislead anyone, so please check with your server).
The Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail is an excellent choice if you want something on the lighter side. The cocktail sauce had a nice little kick to it.
If you are looking for something more filling, the Crispy Fried Garlic-Pepper Zucchini is the way to go. It is so good dipped in the housemade cucumber dip.
Each person has a choice of an entree and two Classic Sidekicks. D chose the New York Strip, garden salad and loaded baked potato.
I ordered the Ribeye (+upcharge), fresh green beans with bacon and fresh broccoli with garlic butter.
We were really satisfied with all of our choices and we ended up sharing so that we could try everything. The steaks were cooked to our liking (medium) and we ended up having to take some of the leftovers home.
A Sweetest Day celebration should end with a sweet dessert, right? We chose the Sky-High Mud Pie (fudge-swirled mocha almond ice cream in a chocolate cookie crumb crust) and it was an excellent way to end our lovely meal together.
Sweetest Day Offer Details
Main – $47 dinner for 2 (+$10 for optional Century Cellars Chardonnay or Canyon Road Cabernet Sauvignon)
Hawaii – $49.95 dinner for 2 (+$15 for optional Century Cellars Chardonnay or Canyon Road Cabernet Sauvignon)
Alaska – $47 dinner for 2 only, no wine bottle add-on
Click here to find a Black Angus location near you and celebrate Sweetest Day with someone that makes your life more sweet this weekend (October 18-20, 2019)!
We spent the first night of our spring break road trip in Tuscon, Arizona. After resting in our hotel room for a bit, we headed out to grab some dinner.
It is difficult to compare a dish to a memory of another dish, but I feel like I preferred the Sonoran Hot Dog at El Guero Canelo (even though BK Tacos came out on top on The Food Network’s Food Wars show). However, k and I both enjoyed the chicken caramelo (quesadilla) and D liked his carne asada torta. Also, BK definitely wins in the ambience department.
I knew that we wanted to try the raspados, but we debated whether to split two mediums or two larges between the four of us. The raspados are made of layers of fruity syrup with chunks of fruit, shaved ice and optional vanilla ice cream and condensed milk.
Better than a birthday cake!
We ended up ordering a large strawberry raspado and a large mango raspado. Good thing too, since we were fighting over the last bites–ha! I would also highly recommend going for the ice cream and condensed milk for just a little over a dollar extra. Totally worth it! Now we need to find a local place that serves raspados like these.
Free breakfast at the hotel was okay…We continued our drive to Las Cruces, New Mexico. There we stopped at Bosa Donuts.
I had read good things about their brisket burritos and apple fritters (kind of an odd combination, right?). Alas, they were out of apple fritters by lunchtime, but we did order a couple of brisket burritos.
This may not be the most appetizing picture, but I wanted to show you the inside. It was chock-full of tasty brisket. The kids loved it!
To top it all off, we made a stop at Whataburger. We saw this regional chain everywhere during our trip, so D had to try it.
We ordered a green chile hamburger, since we were in New Mexico, after all. It was a tad too salty for my taste, but D liked the chopped green chile. We also shared a chocolate shake (that’s allowed when you’re on vacation!). Tummies full, we continued our drive to White Sands National Monument.
Disclosure: A gift card was provided to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.
When our family wants to go out for a casual meal, we have a handful of “go-to” places. One of those places is The Habit Burger Grill. It is definitely a step-up from fast food, but the prices are still reasonable. You order at the counter and they give you a pager that lights up when your food is ready. The service that we had was very friendly and sufficiently efficient considering that the restaurant was pretty crowded when we went.
The original Habit Burger Grill opened in Santa Barbara in 1969. Since then it has been steadily expanding and they now have locations from California to Dubai! See locations here.
It is evident that The Habit is more than just another regular hamburger joint by their drink selection. Sure, they have the normal self-serve soda machine offerings, but they also have agua frescas and other unique drinks for the same price of a fountain drink, with free refills. We tried both the Peach & Ginger Nectar (peach puree, fresh ginger, lime juice and fresh basil) and the Strawberry Limeade (strawberry puree, limeade, and fresh cucumber slices) (large drink, $2.19). The signs say that these drinks are handmade daily, and we could definitely taste the freshness!
We ate a late lunch that day, so we could not wait to dig in.
The kids’ usual order is the Charburger with cheese ($4.19). It comes with lettuce, caramelized onions (yum!), pickles, and mayo on a toasted bun. I appreciate that they grill their patties over an open flame (hence, the “burger grill” part of their name).
We usually split an order of fries and onion rings. Their fries are pretty good, but I really enjoy their onion rings. The batter is not too thick or thin, stays on the onion, and adds a lot of crunch and flavor ($2.59).
For this visit, we decided to try the tempura green beans ($2.99). The batter was more flavorful than I expected, and the green beans still had a nice snap. They went really well with the ranch dipping sauce.
The Santa Barbara Cobb Salad ($8.19) has iceberg and romaine lettuce, diced tomatoes, avocado, blue cheese crumbles, bacon and egg, tossed in a red wine vinaigrette, with grilled chicken breast. This salad is definitely a filling meal! Sometimes D and I like to split a salad and a Charburger or sandwich so we can get more veggies in.
The Santa Barbara Char is a Double Char with cheese and avocado on grilled sourdough bread ($6.39).
The kids split this one this time, and it was enough! The grilled sourdough bread and avocado really elevate this burger.
I like the “California active lifestyle” vibe going on with the decor.
For dessert, we treated the kids to their $1 vanilla soft serve cones. This was our first time trying out the ice cream, and it was a sweet way to end our meal! We have yet to try their shakes. Maybe next time…
Have you been to The Habit? What do you like to order there?
Thank you to The Habit, for generously offering a $25 gift card to one of my readers!
