LinX

Let's talk hot dogs. Finding a good textured, well-constructed, superb tasting vegetarian hot dog doesn't come easy, but when I find those hidden gems out there, I relish every last one of 'em. [Pun intended!]

One of the very best hot dogs I've had the pleasure of ingesting was in cute little Old Town nestled inside Orange, California. LinX had me at pretzel bun and really won me over with all of their interesting housemade condiments.

Jumping all over their vegan dog deluxe on a pretzel bun with grilled jalapeños and onions, I had a really hard time deciding which sauces to try, so I opted for a few while salivating over them all: honey BBQ, lemon aioli and "trinity" (ketchup/mayo/mustard)...all of which paired well with the dog and implemented as perfect dipping sauces for the delicious Belgian frites!

Also notable: they do burritos. Yep, get your bad boys wrapped in a flour tortilla with all the Mexican fixins.





Location: 238 W Chapman Avenue Orange, California 92866
Neighborhood: Old Town

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower

There are so many yummy things about fall and this healthy dish is one of many.

The crunchy yet crumbling texture of these cauliflower florets is perfection.



What you will need:

1 head of cauliflower
3 cloves of garlic
Juice from half a lemon
Olive oil
Salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°(F). Thinly slice garlic and sauté in olive oil on medium, until warm. Cut cauliflower into florets and toss onto cookie sheet. Pour garlic over cauliflower and drizzle a little extra olive oil. Squeeze lemon juice over the top and sprinkle salt & pepper to taste.

2. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes, or until tops are lightly browned. Stir florets 20 minutes into baking for even cooking. Test with a fork for desired doneness. Fork should be able to easily pierce the cauliflower.

(I made this dish vegan, however I've heard good things about sprinkling fresh Parmesan cheese over the top once removed from oven.)

Departure

A small fancy dinner with my two favorite ladies at Departure was in order for my 25th Birthday. This pretty swanky sky-high lounge and restaurant is located on the rooftop of The Nines Hotel in downtown Portland with incredible views of the city. The theme is Asian fusion and what originally drew me to this place was the delectable vegan menu, but what made this experience even sweeter was walking up the hallway (and even their bathroom!) reminiscent of my favorite ride, Space Mountain.


crispy tofu // smoked chili glaze, sweet & sour pineapple


bbq tempeh steam buns // korean bbq sauce tempeh, spicy slaw


garlic fried rice // sunny egg, scallions


a whole mess of birthday soosh


maguro karai roll // big eye tuna, sweet & spicy sauce


big eye poke tuna // chili, avocado, white ponzzu, rice crisp




custom cake from sweetpea, thanks guys

Sushi Ichiban

This is the fourth Ichiban sushi establishment I've visited, all unrelated, and each one has given me an experience I'll never forget.

A lot of my vegan friends have recommended this spot and now I see why. I've always been kind of weirded out by the circular conveyer belt that goes round and round until you decide something looks appetizing enough to snag up. It took some coercing on my friends' part to get me to come here, but with promise of being able to order off menu my mind was put at ease. I was blown away by how good their veggie rolls actually were. This isn't somewhere I'd particularly want to eat fish from (cheap and dirty), but I was into their flat rate plate pricing for everything, $1-4 per plate depending on color. It's awesome when you're on a budget or want to look like a conquistador at the end of your meal with a mile high stack of plates that only cost you $20-30.








The star of the show and must have if you ever visit is the Eliza roll. Yum!

salt city summer

After updating the other day about my most recent trip to Salt Lake, I came to the realization that I'd forgotten to post the photos from my trip home in June. If anything, this blog is a place for me to look back at my travels, all the wonderful food I had the privilege of eating and a time capsule of memories I'll always cherish.







my grama, the beekeeper



sauteed mushrooms with farm egg, potato sticks, parsley and garlic [copper onion]

shoshito peppers [copper onion]







the biggest breakfast burrito [jessie jeans cafe]

a little hike up adams canyon







grilled artichoke hearts with wild arugula and shallot vinaigrette [vinto]

margherita pizze







the perfect breakfast sandwich [sages cafe]

tigers blood italian ice from gay pride festival







avocado toast and soy vanilla latte [rose establishment]

drunk franny and i











pomodoro salmon: spaghettini, plum tomatoes, mozzarella, fresh basil and evoo [trio]

liquid nitrogen ice cream with my mama [sub zero]

vegan biscuits and gravy + tofu scramble [vertical diner]