Aria Resort & Casino, Las Vegas + Lemongrass Restaurant Review (Photo post)

It's been several whirlwind weeks since I last posted and now, a new year is already upon us! By the way, happy new year to all!

Shortly before Thanksgiving last year, I accompanied my boss on a short trip to Las Vegas to attend a convention. While it was mostly for business, we were able to sneak in one day of leisure. We chose to stay close to the Aria Resort and Casino where we were staying at and just spent our time eating and walking around.

Halloween news + Mikomi Sushi

Ten years ago, my 2nd child, a girl, was welcomed into the world on Halloween night. My son, who was just two and a half at the time, had gone for a quick round of trick or treating with his Grandma before arriving at the hospital, just in time to meet his little sister. Ever since then, Halloween has always been more than just a day for dress-up and candy. My daughter loves celebrating Halloween, in fact, maybe even more so than her own birthday so October 31st has always been a very special but super hectic day.

Gerry's Grill (Food Review)

The City Plaza, 11710 South Street, Artesia, CA 90701  Tel. 562-403-1000  http://www.gerrysgrill.com/us/index.php

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you…..happy birthday Veggie Girl.  That’s right, yesterday was Veggie Girl’s birthday.  Weeks before yesterday, I’ve been thinking of what I can give her on her birthday.

Sweet & Savory Homemade Pop Tarts

I had a guest in my kitchen today. It was my cousin, Jetts, who had forwarded me a pop tart recipe from the LA Times about a month ago and said, "Wanna make these?" (or something to that effect). Who can resist homemade pop tarts? Not I! However, one cannot make pop tarts on an empty stomach so we headed out for a quick lunch at a local Mexican restaurant called Tacos Ensenada. Jetts had pulled it up on Yelp and said that the reviews were all positive. The biggest draw for us was that they feature 99 cent fish tacos on Tuesdays which happens to be today! What luck! And to think it's only been a stone's throw away from me all these years.

Garden Cafe (Arcadia) Chow Down

The kids and I met up with my cousin, Jetts for lunch and a movie today. She wanted to chow down at Garden Cafe in Arcadia so that's where we went.

THE REVIEW:

Garden Cafe is a Hong Kong style cafe with a wide array of both Eastern and Western dishes. The decor is simple and modern with booth and table seating as well as a bar area. We arrived at about 12:15 p.m. and were seated immediately since they weren't too busy. I was relieved for a couple of reasons. 1) I've been there before around dinnertime on a weekend and have had to wait (something I have no patience for these days!) 2) Their noise level is awful when it's a "full house". Something about that place makes the sounds of many boisterous patrons + bustling wait staff almost deafening for me. Today, it was actually quite peaceful -- not too dead and not too crowded.