Fire It Up! BBQ Competition

Fire It Up! BBQ competition had its third annual event on 20 October 2018 at the Fire Credit Union in Eagle Rock where eight teams of local Los Angeles firefighters/families came to compete for best BBQ champions. Free to attend, but guests got to taste various BBQ food from different teams by purchasing taste tickets. Anyone unable to attend also got a chance to make a donation. The Fire It Up! BBQ competition is a fundraising partnership between two nonprofits that serve and honor the firefighting community. Proceeds benefited the Fire Family Foundation and the African American Firefighter Museum.

Live band producing awesome music with the greatest hits

Winners from each category

Please visit this link for more photos from the event!

Surf City Surf Dog Event

Surf City Surf Dog event had its tenth annual event on Saturday, 29 September 2018 in Huntington Beach, CA.  Dogs and their owners from all over the world come together at the dog beach to compete for the best surf dogs.

Samson loved to surf backwards. Silly dog.

Gigi, the only white pug, also loved to surf backwards. What is it with these dogs who surf backwards?!?!

Upon arrival, I was a little disappointed at how many vendors were there, but once I figured out the best viewing spot was after the first heat of surfers competed, the beach became crowded with many spectators everywhere and all had fun.
Want to see more photos from the event? Visit this link to view more!

Horse Thief BBQ

Guy Fieri travels throughout the U.S. with his show, "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" to feature many small restaurants and eateries. Horse Thief BBQ located at the Grand Central Market in Downtown Los Angeles was one of many.

Horse Thief BBQ has their own dining area (outdoors), however for those rainy days, there is seating inside the Grand Central Market.

Featured on the show were the pork belly (served on apple fennel slaw and spicy mayo) and the fried chicken sandwich. The pork belly needs to be featured on another food show called "Best Thing I Ever Ate" because it deserves to be there. The fried chicken sandwich was crunchy, crispy and juicy.

What was not featured on the show, but was a popular favorite with customers was the beef brisket. Or was it the brisket sandwich? The beef brisket was most likely used for the sandwich as well. It was juicy, tender and flavorful.

Also at the Grand Central Market in Downtown Los Angeles includes a few other restaurants and eateries that were featured on "Incredible Edible America", "Andrew Zimmern: Delicious Destinations" and "The Next Food Network Stars". Maybe "Best Thing I Ever Ate" as well, but I can't remember.

Luigi Al Teatro

Luigi Al Teatro is a new Italian restaurant in Santa Monica, CA who recently had a grand opening. It sits in a historical landmark, a 100-year-old building, that went from an Edison company to a place of worship to a dance theater production. The restaurant is located within a few minutes from the Santa Monica Pier and Third Street Promenade as well as the Venice Beach Boardwalk. You can spend a few hours at the beach or Third Street Promenade followed by a romantic meal at Luigi Al Teatro. It is a true hidden gem, off the beaten path.

The restaurant has a semi-open kitchen so the guests can be entertained by the kitchen staff while their meals are being prepared. Guests can also sit in the patio area. The roof is retractable where it can be open, so guests can enjoy the nice warm air. Also in the patio area is a fresh herb garden to which the restaurant uses for many of its dishes. The wait staff is inviting and personable. They are knowledgeable about the menu and wine list. The wine cellar is impressive and can be seen above the bar area. The menu changes often according to what is in season, so guests who are fans of the restaurants are always trying something new at each visit, but the menu always features fresh seafood and the fresh pasta is made in-house daily.

Chef Luigi Fineo started his love for cooking at a young age from accompanying his mother to local markets while growing up in Puglia, a southern region of Italy. His passion grew and his dreams were realized when he traveled to the U.S. to continue his culinary journey where he worked with many great master chefs. He is very humble and gives extreme attention to detail in many of his creations.

Chocolate Martini

Tuna Cannolo

Baked Split Pea Soup topped with Scallops

Linguini topped with Sea Urchin

Lasagna with Seafood Medley

Lemon Tart

Pastiera Nepoletana (Barley, Ricotta)

For more information about Luigi Al Teatro or for reservations, visit its website here.

Thai Twist

Looking for an authentic Thai restaurant in the San Gabriel Valley? Visit Thaitwist in the Rowland Heights area. This restaurant is fairly new to the area and people are still getting to know about it. Thaitwist is a quaint little restaurant with very friendly and attentive staff. Many dishes on the menu are very tasty.

Don't let the emptiness of the restaurant from the photos discourage you from visiting. I got here very early, few minutes after they opened at 11am for the day. Parking can be a struggle depending on time of day and day of the week as there are many other businesses sharing the same parking area.

Thai Iced Coffee

Rotti With Yellow Curry Sauce.
Rotti is an Indian pancake and this is very popular dish with customers.

Crab Meat Fried Rice with real crab meat. Another very popular dish with customers.

Thai Twist Salad, a signature dish.
Steak, mango, noodles, cilantro, peanuts tossed with mixed greens and spicy lime dressing

Khoa Soi, another signature dish
Northern style curried noodle soup with chicken, shrimp and egg noodle

OEX Sunset Beach

Looking for something fun to do this summer? Stop by OEX Sunset Beach in Sunset Beach, CA where you can rent a kayak or stand up paddle board for two hours. Enjoy the scenery while you paddle through the harbor. If you are a beginner and new to kayaking, the staff will show some basics to you before you head out in the calm waters. They also offer double kayaks where two people share the same kayak. Have small children? Bring them along and they will have a blast! Open everyday all year round, rain or shine for those who absolutely love to kayak or stand up paddle board.

OEX stands for Ocean Express which originally focused on scuba diving back in the 1990s.

Zama Tea and Kombucha

Zama Tea And Kombucha is a very quaint and very cute tea boutique with a tea bar in Old Town Tustin, CA. Products include specialty loose tea (over 100 flavors), herbs, raw Kombucha on tap and tea accessories, including tea pots and tea cups. Kombucha is fermented tea and tea on tap is lightly effervescent (giving off bubbles or carbonated/fizzy). Loos leafs have oils from antioxidants that will absorb into the water and they are better for health benefits. While Zama Tea does carry tea bags in store, there is a limited flavors in stock. You can enjoy tea on tap or a hot brewed tea from the tea bar with a sandwich, salad and hummus or a lively probiotic vegan yogurt or a vegan soup.

Before Zama Tea and Kombucha came, this was the site of the first doctor's office. Then it became a "go to spot" for teens clothing, many lovingly knew it as "Jabberwocky".