ryan and i decided to try xiomara one modestly busy saturday night. we were seated promptly, but that’s where the service ended. Our waiter was MIA for most of the night… we waited patiently to order, for our drinks, for our appetizer, for our meal. The mojito was decent, the $13 tamale was good (although miniscule). The seared ahi special of the night was awful– it came out a fully cooked, grey waste of a tuna steak. When we mentioned this to the waiter, he looked confused and was completely unhelpful. There was no apology or attempt to change the dish.

Their famous 45 minute wait chocolate souffle was good, although a bit to cakey for my taste. I might have enjoyed it more if my night had not already been spoiled by the poor, incredibly rude service.

We will not be returning.

we had some suprisingly good food while camping out at the bar here. the curry fettucini was my favorite, but the pad thai pizza was yum, too.

1. seafood egg rolls, 2. pad thai pizza, 3. curry on fettucini, 4. singapore angel with prociutto

william and i went out to our friendly neighborhood culinary arts school for a lunch of escargot and alligator yesterday. as usual, the service was impeccable. the escargot wasn’t as scary as i thought it would be, but it wasn’t something i’d order again. the dessert was fantastic, i loved the gelato with the crunchy crunchy apple crisp.

1. amuse bouche, 2. Ragout of Escargot, Shallots, Garlic, Parsley and Mushrooms, Consomme Film, Malpec Oyster sauce, 3. Alligator and Crawfish Risotto, Parsley, Pear d’Anjou, 4. Strawberry Lemonade, 5. Porcini Crusted Halibut with a Minted Ham Hock Cassoulet, 6. Braised Wild Boar Shoulder with a “Mole” Sauce, 7. Humboldt Fog with a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich, 8. Apple Crisp with Cinnamon Gelato

the newest restaurant to open in old town is fan-tastic… as long as you don’t go when it’s busy. we snuck in early on a weekday for some tongue, seared ahi, and filet mignon with ponzu sauce. so good!

after all the meatiness, we finished with green tea ice cream (covered in maple syrup) and mochi– which you grill until they puff up like little marshmellows. apparently, ryan and i have not mastered the grilling of the mochi yet… ours turned outa bit singed. still quite tasty.  i love me some burnt mochi.

after a long day of being cooped up in the house (i was studying, he was warcrafting), ryan and i ran off to old town. we ended up at malagueta- a brazilian mediterranean restaurant with seat s outside perfect for people watching. i had a fantastic garlic chicken dish. it smelled SO good, and tasted better! it sat on a green (very spicy) sauce and this wierd breadcrumb thing that was al together quite satisfying. ryan had a salmon with a herby tomatoey sauce– also quite good. just… not as good as the chicken.

annie and i got up early for breakfast at the famed pasadena marston’s. when we arrived, they had not opened yet, but there was already a family waiting. right after us, came another couple, and a strange asian man on a cell phone. we were seated right away, and ordred two large glasses of fresh sqeezed orange juice. mmm. as we ate, the place filled quickly, and by the time annie and i left, there was a line waiting outside.

the food is good (although they burned the potatoes), and the portions are huge– we couldn’t finish half of our breakfasts. next time, we’ll try some of the pancakes that everyone else in the joint was ordering.

1. menu, 2. french toast rolled in corn flakes, 3. eggs benedict, 4. fresh squeezed OJ

william met me out in pasadena for lunchy…and we ended up trying this japanese-french fusion place. we ordered bento boxes– which were decidedly more japanese than french. the food was good, the decor strange and unfitting. we left stuffed… and sadly did not try the lavender creme brulee or any of the other cakes so proudly displayed up front.

1. Lobster Bisque, 2. Chawanmushi, 3. My special bento box, 4. Rice, 5. Soba, 6. William’s special bento box

it’s a happy sunny vacationy thursday, so of course, annie and i seized the opportunity to have a leisurely 7 course lunch at the nearby culinary student run restaurant. i had about 6 glasses of iced tea… which was good, i guess, since it cost about $3. it’s the asian in me. gotta get my money’s worth!

this tasting menu was okay… although not as impressive as the last one that i had. dessert was dissapointing, as was the cheese plate (which, btw, was so bad i couldn’t swallow it).  the dessert mangoish-cilantro soup was reminiscent of shampoo with a hint of sugar.

the carica (mysterious new fruit) was the highlight of the lunch– so good! i will find this fruit again…somehow… the granita was refreshing, and the ice tea, oh, the iced tea… quite good.

afterwards, annie swapped her phone down in old town, and is now happily chatting with tech support so that she can once again send pictures from her phone. good times.

1. tasting menu, 2. mmm. bread., 3. amuse bouche, 4. duck liver and orange-onion marmalade toasts, 5. butter poached spot prawns, 6. granita, 7. grilled onaga with pommes puree, 8. pan roasted duck breast, 9. roquefort grossness, 10. mango margarita