The best day ever.

What happens when my bf spoils me rotten?! He feeds me. Again and again and again.

We happened to be celebrating our 3rd year together... and although we don't live in much of a "city", we had a blast restaurant hopping (driving) around town.

It happened to be Friday, April 13th, when we celebrated. Our first stop was to King's Fish House in Long Beach. We both love us some oysters so we started off with the Oyster Sampler.

We had 12 (2 of the first three and 1 one of the rest). Oh they were amazing. I personally had no idea that oysters could taste so different. Some were overly salty, some tasted too distinctly like the ocean, others sailed smoothly down our throats.

A little bit of fresh horseradish, squeeze of lemon, and tabasco topped off the appetizers. They also served the oysters with what I believe is a mignonette.

Clearly, we enjoyed them.

This is H's clambake. Do you see that steam?! The yellowish sauce is clarified butter and the second sauce to its left is a marsala wine broth. Every thing was delicious, isn't that what butter is for?! Although the lobster was a bit overcooked. But his dish was incredibly well seasoned, brightening the flavors of the sea and bringing forth the distinct sense of summer! (even in April)

Here is my dish: Macadamia Crusted Halibut. And fries. Yes, fries. I love me some fries. So the vegetables are obviously to help negate all ill effects of the fried potatoes. But the fries tasted like they came from the freezer and they were a bit too soft. The fish on the other hand was fresh, fresh fresh! The macadamia was a beautiful paring and wrapped the fish in a crunchy, buttery, smooth texture.


Next stop! Dessert...

Not too far from downtown Long Beach is Belmont Shore, a quaint area with local restaurants and boutiques. La Creperie Cafe is one of those places that always seems to have a long line. I've gone for brunch before but never for dessert, so imagine my excitement!



We had the Poire Belle Helene. What a beautiful name. Chocolate sauce, pear slices, toasted almonds, and Frangelico liquor, topped with vanilla ice cream. The filling was tart, like a pear that hadn't ripened, and didn't carry enough sweetness for me. Also, the crepe was a bit rubbery and it was obvious when neither of us were too keen on finishing it. Maybe next time I'll try the Romeo and Juliet: Nutella, bananas, and strawberries. Yum!

Our last stop, wine!:


The Twisted Vine is a new wine bar that opened up in Downtown Fullerton. It's right across the street from Steamers Jazz Cafe and Table Ten. It's an awkward set up because you walk in and there isn't anyone to greet you. I watched a few people mull in the front for a few minutes before they self consciously walked to the bar in the center of the room. And even at the bar the bartenders stare at you for a few seconds before they point out that there's a waiting list on the table. So you write your name and then what?! I don't know. H and I just plonked ourselves down at a mini seating area that looks like it was meant for miniature children. We asked for menus and waited about 7 minutes before the menus ever came. Isn't the protocol supposed to be like 30 seconds before you start getting angry? I'm just kidding. We had fun just people watching and analyzing the bar's architectural design. Finally we got our server to take our orders and bring out our drinks:

H had the Santa Ema red wine from Chile. His glass was $6 and a very standard red wine. I on the other hand went to a wine bar to have a beer. What do you know about that! Haha, I had the Floris Apple White Beer from Belgium. $8. Sweet, bubbly and tastes like juice. Just my kind of alcohol.


Now on to the real stuff. Clearly, as you can tell, I am not a wine or beer or mixed drink connoisseur, I am more interested in the food. This was the best cheese platter (their current selection) I had ever ever had. The small cheese platter came with (L-R) Blue Cheese with honey, a whipped Brie, and Parmigiano-Reggiano with an apricot curd. wow.

H was PRAYING that they would bring out blue cheese as one of the three. Was he happy when he smelled the stink from a distance. The sharp, moldy blue cheese was the most amazing pairing. Pieces of the honeycomb came swirled in with the honey and if you want to talk sweety & savory, this my friend is it. This is it!

The brie was just a nice way to clean the palate.

The parmigiano-reggiano with the apricot curd was also an incredibly inventive (in my book, which is still in it's first edition so excuse me if that is an ignorant statement) way to pair sweet and savory. But parmigiano-reggiano can be a bit tough to eat with a baguette... so the blue cheese and honey were my favorite.


Shared joy is double joy :)