Paradise Hawaiian BBQ (musubi's and pupus )

You ever get that urge to eat but you don't want anything heavy and you're trying to resist from gorging out on junk food ? That's where my food adventure begins. See,  back in Hawaii, we have a lot of mom and pop stores as well as lunch trunks known as "da  manapua truck" that sell things that aren't typical here in the mainland, while you'll be able to pick up a soda, a few bags of chips or candy I can guarantee you'll not be able to find such treats as lumpia ( Filipino spring rolls), fried saimin  ( ramen noodles ) ,sushi or what I had today known as a musubi. 
  A musubi is a ball or cube of rice which is then wrapped in nori (seaweed ) and topped with a meat of choice which most notably is spam! The Hawaiian steak lol.  No, seriously, us Hawaiians and residents of Hawaii consume the most spam each year in the United States. After doing an errand today,  and then doing a bit of photography and exploring,  I stopped off in Tempe,  Arizona at one of my favorite spots to eat at : paradise Hawaiian BBQ!
  I knew this place would have what I was craving and I definitely picked me up a few musubi's  ,one of the traditional spam musubi and one of the teriyaki  grilled chicken musubi and since they also sell some typical Korean sides to accompany your meal such as kimchi ( spicy cabbage ), macaroni salad  and various other vegetables, I got me a scoop of mac salad and some kimchi to create me a mini pupu snack. 
Like I said numerous of times before,  the key to life is not only simplicity but also getting out there and discover new things; to step out from your comfort zone and be adventurous.  There's so much out there to see, taste and discover and now is a good time  to start and hey feel free to drop me a line about what you discovered. 

Culver's

So we live in a society where food corporations are always in competition by one upping each other with the craziest concoctions, especially when it comes to size.  I always prefer quality over quantity. As much as I love eating, it's pointless to consume something that lacks in taste which is where my current foodies blog comes in to place.
   Almost nothing can compete with a home cooked meal  but when I'm out and about and my 3 stomachs start talking, well I need something to quiet the beast in my belly. A close friend of ours recommended to us that we should check out Culver's, popular for their delicious burgers and frozen custard ice cream and so that's where our lunch was decided at.
This was my first time here and their menu consists of mostly burgers and their desserts as well as having the option to order salads,  fish and chicken and a few meals such as pot roast.
I went with the sourdough double melt with bacon added and it may not have been a monster size burger but the freshness and taste from my first bite really wowed me and one thing that also stood out was the thick but gooey Wisconsin cheddar cheese, unlike that processed slice cheese that many use instead.  Everything was obvious that they take pride in what they sell and I instantly became a fan of their brand. After I rested for a few, it was time to tackle the dessert menu haha.
  Although each location may vary,  they have a ice cream flavor daily that boasts some delicious choices.  Today's flavor was butter pecan but I choose to go the adventurous route and went with a concrete mixer ( pretty much a thick milkshake like dessert) with Reese's peanut butter cups and marshmallow fluff mixed with vanilla custard. Heaven in a cup is my description for this delicious concoction,and considering it was a typical hot day here in Arizona, this was a great way to beat the heat and compliment another great meal. Definitely was worth it discovering another fun place to chow down at. But since I have restless feet and a endless sensation for finding new food spots, stay tuned as I am on my ongoing quest to conquer the best of everything one plate at a time, no fork, spoon or entree will be left untouched haha

Tommy Pastrami

.Food to me has this amazing ability to transport you to either another destination or trigger some happy memory simply with just one bite. I have been fortunate to have been born and raised in Hawaii and was raised and surrounded by so many cultures and ethnicities and the endless varieties of food to accompany it. I have also been blessed to have been able to travel to many states in the mainland ( so far about almost half so far).
For example Funnel cakes take me back to Virginia when I use to work at Busch Gardens. A piled high fried dessert with ice cream and hot caramel.  For me,pastrami not only triggers my childhood of my mom slow cooking pastrami and roast beef in a crock pot but I am instantly transported back to Manhattan in the heart of New York City. Blocks and blocks of delis, food cart vendors and lunch trucks to suit any craving imaginable. I haven't been to NYC in ages but I definitely remember the pile high of meats in my sandwich and it was as good as I heard about before I ever ventured of to the city that never sleeps.
If you have never had the chance to experience New York City for it's glory, then Tommy Pastrami will help get you there in a heartbeat. In the downtown area of Phoenix sits the location I visited.
Like most NYC delicatessen, the options are simple, from typical deli fares such as sandwiches with your choice of roast beef, turkey,pastrami and corned beef plus soups,sides and of course all beef hot dogs. I went with the pastrami of course. They definitely weren't stingy at all with their portions ha-ha.  As you can plainly see, I got my money's worth for sure. As I got one errand to do next, I only ordered the halfer and by no means is this a small sandwich at all. For the really hungry and adventurous, they sell New York giants sandwich which consist of 3/4 lb double stack of any 2 meats or the NY rueben which both boast that you buy one and can feed 2 easily.  No matter what you decide to order, leaving starving is one that that's not possible.. Trust me.

Kings Hawaiian bakery and restaurant

I had an amazing time in California with my mom and my two kids. We did a bunch of sightseeing and we went to a few museums and of course no trip would be complete if we didn't find a new place to pig out at.. Well mission accomplished haha.
  In the heart of Torrance,California we went to check out Kings Hawaiian bakery and restaurant.  Not only is the company based and founded in this city,  but the owner is a local boy originally from Hilo,  Hawaii. Kings Hawaiian Bakery is definitely known for their sweet bread which can be found in most Walmart  and local markets as well as being  used in some of the bigger fast food chains. Food from Hawaii will always make the list whenever someone speaks about Hawaii.       I have touched on the subject of how Hawaii is one giant melting pot and the way we blended a variety of different ethnicities  and cultures and helped shape Hawaii into our own unique way of living.  This is pretty much the gist of things when eating at this restaurant.
  I must say that everything we ordered was not only delicious and authentic but also pretty affordable. Seriously, my mom ordered the mahimahi and Kalua pork combo that was cooked to perfection.  My son opted for the BBQ teriyaki chicken and fried saimin noodle and my daughter went with the spam musubi and saimin combo.  I can definitely tell you none of us left there starving haha.  For me,  I ordered the huli huli chicken plate( chicken marinated in a special sauce and charbroiled ).  Of course to complete our family lunch outing we had to order dessert which we went with the choice of malasadas ( a Portuguese recipe of a airy and soft ball of dough fried and rolled in sugar after).
If you're even remotely familiar with the kings Hawaiian bakery brand,  then trust me, this place is definitely worth checking out.  I know I may have to stop by again whenever I stop over in California for a bit, even if it's to pick up something to munch on before I return back to Phoenix.  Well once again California you have been kind with your hospitality and I'll eventually see you again.. Aloha for now
      Love, peace and feast(m0de)

Casa sunba

So..let me tell you about this life changing place I read about online and finally went to see if the hype was as great as what I read plus the pictures they had  made a convincing point that had me sold,hooked,lined and sinker. Now think about this for a second, aside from a buffet,where else can you really get some of  your favorite foods in one meal? ( not including paying extra for it,although you can do that here at C.A.S.A sunba, but that's besides the point so stick with me on this lol) My answer is C.A.S.A sunba!
  It's apparent I love food and I consider myself a hardcore carnivore dinosaur ( lol my corny joke of the day) and living in a heavy populated state of Hispanics, I'm never too far from being able to get my Mexican food fix anytime I get a craving for tacos,burritos or tortas, and now that I discovered C.A.S.A. sunba,I can get the best of both worlds. This place,located in the heart of downtown Tempe, has one of the most original ideas and recipes I have ever heard of. Whoever came up with the concept of stuffing a burrito with sweet and sour chicken, fried rice and spring rolls or their infamous Mac n cheese burrito,is an insane genius!
Aside from their appetizers, vegan menu selection and taco Wednesday specials,they boast a menu of 14 original and very epic varieties of burritos, with the option to customize it to your heart's desire.  I recommend you ask what their daily special is before you order,which I did and I definitely got my money's worth!
Their infamous claim to fame burrito is the Mac n cheese burrito and I will try it next time. Some of my favorite foods all came stuffed in my burrito today, such as Mac n cheese, BBQ chicken and coleslaw, which suitably my burrito is called the BBQ chicken dinner! This is almost on the level of willy wonka status here hahaha
The sweety and tangy sauce of the chicken, the gooey cheesy Mac n cheese and the sweet crunch of the coleslaw all came together beautifully in an orgy of flavor. My mouth had a foodgasm for sure.  Hands down,this is my favorite Mexican/ tex-mex  place i have ever eaten at and you're definitely missing out on a unique experience until you try this place out for yourself. So enough talking here, head to Tempe,Arizona if you're near by and hopefully you have a great experience as mine

Z Pizza

So..currently, I'm at the hospital with my brother as we celebrate the birth of his new son to this crazy world.  In between visits, lucky for us the cafeteria here has pretty good food and the hospital is located near downtown Phoenix and near some great eateries. So  today we took a walk to this pizza place that he has eaten at before and he had me sold on it.
  I definitely loved the aroma from the minute we walked in,with garlic,oregano and other herbs drifting in the air and the decorations was very unique,in particular the chandelier was made of old glass bottles.  On display was the pizza slices of the day and man they sell some big ass slices hahaha the roasted garlic chicken looked and smelled really appetizing but maybe another day,today I went with a sausage calzone.   For starters it a pretty decent size and I could see it was pretty stuffed,filled with fennel sausage, ricotta,marinara and some mozzarella cheese..god I'm in heaven.
The calzone was one of the better ones I ever had with the dough flaky enough and definitely not stingy with their ingredients. The ingredients mixed in on my first bite  was bliss and went to town devouring it all. I just wished they sold cannolis for dessert but other than that I'm a happy customer and my belly seconds the motion

The counter custom built burgers

So it's been a bit since I last blogged,being busy as hell up at work and whatnot and now that I have a day off I decided to do what I love to the most: roam my city and explore!
So after capturing a good movie ( paper towns and I must say its a pretty entertaining and engaging movie and of course  courtesy of my friend for the free movie online code ;) thank you )
I decided to check this new food joint in the middle of downtown Phoenix called the counter. The name of this place says it all, having the ability to create any type of Burger to your hearts desire. With summer in full of affect here in Arizona, images of fun under the sun and plenty of barbecues come to mind, particularly grilled burgers.
   Next time I'll get creative and go bonkers with their menu as there's so much variety to choose from, from the bread down to the toppings and a wide range of sides and desserts to compliment your eating experience, this time though the one Burger that caught my eye was the Korean Burger loaded with lettuce mix,grilled onions, Korean BBQ sauce and daikon ( pickled radish) and substituted on a Hawaiian sweet bread. Amazing! The taste alone reminds me of the typical Korean fare I would pig out on back in Hawaii . I really can't describe the taste but I recommend you have a taste for yourself.  The meat was juicy and cooked to perfection and for my first experience here I sure have no complaints. As I wobble out of here now,stuffed to my stomach's content, I promise you I'll be back again. There's still plenty of summer left, so there's more for me to taste and see and discover.  What's your ideal summer eats? I love barbecues, fresh fruits and ice cream to beat the heat. Well until my next food adventure, make the most of your summer and hopefully it's with family and friends... Love,peace and feast (m0de)