Yasda bento

Man, it's been a minute since I have blogged about my favorite subject: food lol.  I just been working like crazy and whatnot and just been busy. Nonetheless, I always make it up somehow haha.
Today is no exception and I had to make a pit stop in Downton Phoenix to visit one of my favorite Asian fast food joints that serve dishes of Chinese , Japanese and Korean. In addition to having cheap and great food,they have daily specials and $5 dollar deals on Fridays. I went with the bulgogi plate, thin cuts of grilled beef marinated and seasoned with a special Korean sauce that is a little sweet but doesn't over do it and drown the taste of the grilled meat and then covered on a bed of rice. Their udon noodles is definitely another great dish, a wheat flour thick noodle pan fried with meat and a variety of vegetables and highly seasoned as well.
They also sell vegetarian dishes and for the adventurous they have a few spicy choices too. I have no complaints about this place and have always received good service here.  Enough talking,go and check it out for yourself, and I hope you're as satisfied as I was
Until next time,love ,peace and feast (m0de)
              Aloha \m/

Mad Hatter Brew Pub

,,I honestly have to admit that Tempe, Arizona is one of my favorite cities to roam around on my day off from work.
The 3 things that you will mostly see around Tempe are college students, sports fanatics and a variety of places to indulge at. Being that it's Tuesday,the only fitting thing to eat was tacos!!
On the corner across from the Sun Devil's stadium, you'll find Mad Hatter Brew pub,a relaxed roadside sports tavern with an outdoor bar, craft brews & refined American fare, and with such affordable deals they have posted up( c'mon $1 dollar pork tacos had me convinced instantaneously haha),there's something for everyone.
Yes you read that correctly, starting off at $1 dollar,Monday  through Thursday from 2-8pm,you can grub on a pork tacos,or for a dollar more they have chicken tacos as well plus an assortment of different happy hour drink specials. They also have lunch specials from 11am-2pm for any menu item plus a soda for only $8 dollars. I grabbed 2 pork tacos and a chicken taco while I there. A decent serving of season seasoned pork on a flour tortilla with lettuce,tomatoes and cheese and the same goes for the chicken taco too,decent on the size but with with enough flavor to hold it's own and for the price alone, I sure wasn't disappointed with this place.
Whether you stop in to get a drink to unwind from your day,or catch up on your favorite sport on TV or simply just like me,want something to eat without breaking your wallet and hopefully leave with a happy belly,then I say pop in and check it out for yourself.
Love,peace and Feast(m0de) until next time. My next food adventure has yet to be determined ,but you can bet I'll keep my eyes and nose wide open for the next spot to feast at.. Aloha

Dickey's barbecue pit

Aloha everyone!! So in between going out to California last week to celebrate my birthday with my family as well as being busy at work, I knew I had to go out yesterday and just unwind and relax the best way i know how to do so : eat and explore! Haha. So,if anyone who has being following me from my other social media sites knows I love photography and it's one of my favorite things to do. That's usually also where my food adventures come into place, and so in between finding new places to see and trying to capture pictures from a whole new perspective, I also keep my eye open for new places to eat at.
If you ever been to a barbecue or have ever had the chance to visit a legit barbecue joint, the first thing you well smell is the aroma of both smoked meats and burning wood. You can definitely smell both before walking in Dickey's barbecue pit. They slow cook their meats over hickory wood and you definitely can taste it with each bite. I ordered the 1 meat combo which was beef brisket and the sides I chose were Mac and cheese and waffle iron fries.
Their meats are cooked dry and by that I mean it contains no sauce on it, and before I covered and smothered my meats in sauce(which they have 3 you can choose from and I mixed their sweet sauce with a bit of their spicy to give it a kick) I can say it didn't need really anything added to but I guess it's about preference too. Tender,juicy,with a smoky taste and that little added crunch of the burnt edges of the brisket ( which is one of my favorite parts of it), it was certainly delicious and very authentic to the core. The Mac and cheese wasn't overcooked and was nice and gooey and very cheesy and the fries got the wet treatment and I dipped those bad boys in my barbecue sauce concoction. I only wish I had room for dessert after,which I will try to have next time or at least take it with me to go.
Sandwiches, street tacos, meals and catering, this joint offers so many options and if the service is going to be as great as it was when I went,then you definitely can consider me a new customer and I'll come back on a later visit.
Love,peace and Feast(m0de) ..aloha until next time

Portillos

Man,does sure feel great to get my appetite back again. I've been sick for about a week,and after living on a liquid diet of Nyquil,water and soups,I needed to eat some real food for a change. So after doing a few errands, I had to grab some lunch and there's a place I've had my eye set on for a while now.
Portillos is one of those places that has a vintage but yet familiar atmosphere to it.  A Chicago based typed of diner/ eaterie that's decorated with old photos,bright neon lights and signs and serving up good food with great service.
Their menu has expanded a lot since they first opened,which now sells pastas, burgers,desserts,salads and of course hot dogs. I was interested and tried  a Italian beef sandwich, a nice portion of sliced  Italian Beef dipped again in natural gravy served on a French bread with sweet peppers and mozzarella cheese.
Definitely was as mouth watering as it sounds. As I finished up eating I just kicked back and enjoyed the environment all while listening to the music of the oldies that was playing throughout the place. If you love good food and looking for a new place to try,this place I definitely suggest you give it a try.
Well in a few days I'm heading again to California to see my family and besides good times,laughter and memories, well you know we'll find a few good places to dine at too.. So stay tuned for that, and aloha for now
Love, peace and feast(m0de)

Detroit Coney Grill

Yes!! Spring has arrived and with that the weather here in Phoenix is slowly getting warmer and I'll be spending my time outdoors as much as I can enjoying and soaking up some sun. Today the weather was really nice and I ended up spending my day off from work roaming around downtown and taking care of a few errands. Well, you know how it goes when I end up going on my little outings haha yup, my stomach started talking and I had to quiet the beast in my belly.
Here in Arizona, springtime also marks the time of the year where baseball spring training begins and next to baseball and apple pie, hot dogs and burgers is an all American staple.  Detroit Coney Grill can be found in the heart of downtown Phoenix and you can definitely get your burger and hot dog fix on here and then some.
Even though it was my first time here, the service of the staff, the portion of my meal and the flavor of the food itself was top notch. I ordered the coney burger combo: 2 fresh and handmade burger patties, with cheese, loose ground  beef,chili ,onions and some mustard and the icing on top was a butterflies coney dog. A fork is highly suggested and extra napkins are a must, or you could do what I did as I  used my fresh cut fries as a makeshift spoon and enjoyed this  creation in  all of it's messy glory.
I may grab me a few chili coney dogs next time around or even one of the various gyros and pitas they have there as well. They have daily specials as well as everyday combo specials and either way,their prices are very reasonable, then again, I normally don't put a price tag to a meal if overall my experience was very satisfying. Check it out for yourself and see what you think and met me know.
       Aloha for now..love,peace and feast(m0de)

La Casita Cafe

March 20,2016
I'm not a morning person ( then again who really is ? Lol) and I actually prefer and enjoy breakfast for a late dinner instead at the "normal" time, but seeing that I am on my way to work to pull a 12 hour shift, I guess I should fuel up on some food to get enough energy to start my day.
  Well they say that breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day and luckily for me I know a place around the corner which is close to my home and job called La Casita Cafe,a little cafe similar to Starbucks, but with a twist and much friendlier service. So typically what you find at small cafés you can find here such as coffee, Latte's, Frappuccinos, pastries but they also sell breakfast items such as breakfast burritos, sandwiches, oatmeal and crêpes, which is what I ordered.
Crêpes are French syled thin like pancakes are usually stuffed with fruits or cream cheese,which mine had plus a little bit of peanut butter and topped with bananas, strawberries, pecans and nutella.  The fruits were fresh and although my crêpes looks more like a dessert, it was a nice balance of sweetness and wasn't overbearing or sent me to a sugar rush.
I eventually will try out their panini sandwiches on a later visit. I have had their Frappé though,the last time was a caramel frappé. I did enjoy their mixed berries smoothie as well,definitely refreshing on a hot day. So if you're 
on the south side of phoenix and you're looking for a new spot to check out to get your caffeine fix on or you want to avoid the lines or people usually found at some places such as Starbucks, then this is a place I would recommend.
If you know of a place like this I should check out, drop me a message then.
Aloha for now!!
       Love,peace and feast(m0de)

Aloha Festival 2016

Aloha!!! This past weekend I attended the Aloha Festival once again at Tempe Beach park and it was just as amazing as last years event. Being away from Hawaii,my home sweet home, it's nice to have a bit of my paradise brought closer to me. The turnout seemed pretty good and with many entertainment around, a variety of vendors and of course the food court area,there was something for everyone.
  So let's talk about the food haha.. I know it's a festival of different Polynesian cultures and being part Hawaiian, there's more to our culture than just the traditional things,especially when it comes to food. I only can talk about what it's like being Hawaiian and growing up in Hawaii.  For example, one of the most popular thing to eat in Hawaii,which I was able to get at the Aloha Festival is poke ( pronounced po-kay). Cubes of raw ahi tuna mixed with soy sauce,green onions, Maui onions and  sea salt.  For lunch I had Korean kalbi short ribs and teriyaki chicken which of course came with white steamed rice and macaroni salad. Being that it was such a nice day out,to complete my day I had shave ice ( not shaved ice haha, it's just a Hawaii thing) with orange pineapple and lilikoi (passion fruit) syrup on top. Unlike snow cones,shave ice is ice that's shaved down to almost a fluffy and soft mound of ice instead of cubed or chunky ice, which literally just melts in your mouth with each bite.
I  am already looking forward to next year's event already. Luckily I know how to make most of my island favorites at home as well as I have a few spots I can hit up to get my island flavor fix on.
Aloha for stopping by and trust me ,there's more adventures I'll be going on in the up coming weeks so stay tuned..
Love,peace and feast ( m0de)