Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Panera Bread Strawberry Poppyseed & Chicken Salad



Today's random meal of the day brings us the Zagat's 2010 Survey best salad from a fast food chain. We have from Panera Bread, the Strawberry, Poppyseed & Chicken Salad. This is their summer special salad. This is part of my More Leaf, Less Beef theme. Ok, this is more like a special edition.

The funny thing was when I announced to my coworkers around me and asked who wants to come along and eat a Strawberry, Poopyseed & Chicken Salad, I received a bunch of strange looks and almost no volunteers. It is kind of funny how hard it is now to convince someone to go eat a random meal with me now. Maybe it is the fact that I want to go eat random stuff. Now, when I present a picture of lets go eat this, then the response is a 180... I guess I must sacrifice to be the Guinea pig for the offbeat random meals.

The salad was actually the best salad I have ever eaten. Granted, I only eat salads once in a blue moon but this was actually excellent. The salad starts with a bed of chopped romaine lettuce. A mixture of fresh strawberries, blueberries, pineapple and mandarin oranges brings the tart and sweet blend. Chicken and pecans are added along with a fat-free poppyseed dressing. This light, health and delicious meal weights in at only 280 calories.
Found at Panera Bread in Los Angeles, CA.

(Olympus E-PL1, 20mm, f2.8, 1/100, iso 200, +0.30ev)

Monday, August 30, 2010

Bamboo Thai Bistro Drunken Noodle



Our random meal of the day is an order of Drunken Noodle. This is also know as Pad Ke Mow on the menu. I added chicken to the Drunken Noodle. There is a special lingering burn from this spicy dish.
Found at Bamboo Thai Bistro in Redondo Beach, CA.

(Nikon D700, 50mm, f4.0, 1/80, iso 250)

We also have an order of the Chicken Fried Rice.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Teri Hawaii Rainbow Shaved Ice



Our random meal treat of the day is a Hawaiian style shaved ice. We have here the Rainbow Shaved Ice. Unfortunately for me, this was not my random meal. This is two treats in one because there is a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the bottom of the shaved ice.
Found at Teriyaki Hawaii in Gardena, CA.

(Nikon D700, 60mm, f5.6, 1/80, iso 450)

**RMOTD Photographer**

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Bone Daddy's Smokehouse Platter



Our random meal of the day brings us some real Texas Barbecue. We have for today the BBQ Smokehouse Platter. We start with Uncle Porky's spare ribs and continue on with Juke Joint sliced brisket and finally end up with Earl's 'Hot' link sausage. A hot buttered cheese roll and some cinnamon sugar apples round up the random view, I mean meal...
Found at Bone Daddy's House of Smoke in Grapevine, TX.

(Nikon D700, 50mm, f4.0 1/40, iso 6400)

The Daddy's Smokin' Tailpipes appetizer is a must try.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Red Robin Burnin' Love Burger



Our random meal of the day brings us the Burnin' Love Burger. The Zagat survey rated Red Robin the best full service burger this year. It was just a lucky random chance that I had my first random meal at Red Robin before I knew about the Zagat survey. I am more of a Yelp person.

The Burnin' Love Burger contains "crispy-fried jalapeno rings, tangy salsa and spicy Pepper-Jack cheese layered on top of our cayenne-seasoned burger." This was a tasty burger.
Found at Red Robin Gourmet Burgers in Grapevine, TX.

(Nikon D700, 50mm, f4.0, 1/80, iso 6400)

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Five Guys Burgers Little Bacon Cheeseburger



Our random meal of the day is a Little Bacon Cheeseburger. The Zagat survey rated Five Guys the best fast food burger this year over In-N-Out Burger. For some reason I always thought that Five Guys was only located on the east coast. It was a west coast In-N-Out vs the east coast Five Guys burger battle. The guys on the east coast were always talking about this burger joint. Well, to my surprise, there were some Five Guys in Sunny Southern California and it was off to Five Guys road trip.

When we arrived, there was a fire station paramedic truck parked right outside. My first thought was man, this must be some deadly burger. Good thing it only turned out to be a lunchtime pit stop for the paramedics. Well, you must be wondering why I only choose to get the "Little" burger instead of the normal size. Well, I made the rookie mistake when I was asked if I wanted 2 patties. My thought was whoa, double the burger will make a better picture, but I better not after yesterday's massive El Diablo Burrito. Load and behold, my receipt said LBC and was priced accordingly. Now I know the "Little" burger is one beef patty and the normal is two.

My verdict?? Five Guys Burger and Fries trumps In-N-Out Burger.
In-N-Out wins the most photogenic award between the two...
Found at Five Guys Burger and Fries in Carson, CA.

(Nikon D700, 60mm, f8.0, 1/80, iso 500)

About 1/5 of the small order of fries.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

El Gringo Mexican Restaurant El Diablo Burrito



Our random meal of the day brings us a spicy carne asada burrito. This is the flavorful El Diablo Burrito.
Found at El Gringo Mexican Restaurant in Manhattan Beach, CA.

(Olympus E-PL1, 20mm, f4.0, 1/40, iso 1600)

Here's the burrito split open. I opted to hold the beans.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Wienerschnitzel Chili Cheese Burger



We have a Chili Cheese Burger for our random meal. It is sloppy but oh so good.
Found at Wienerschnitzel in Hawthorne, CA.

(Olympus E-PL1, 20mm, f4.0, 1/400, iso 200, +0.30ev)

Monday, August 23, 2010

Elements Cafe Ebelskivers



We have Ebelskivers for our random meal today. The ebelskivers are stuffed pancakes and these are stuffed full of blueberry. Ebelskivers are traditional Danish pancakes made in a special pan to get the distinctive round shape. I first heard about them in Solvang but I have not had the chance to made the trip back yet. I am glad to be able to finally try them without the 2 and 1/2 hour drive. Thank you Yelp for steering me in the right direction.
Found at Elements Cafe in Pasadena, CA.

(Nikon D700, 50mm, f4.0, 1/80, iso 1000)

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Rocket Fizz Salt Water Taffy



Our random meal of the day treat brings us an assortment of Salt Water Taffy. We have numerous random flavors of salt water taffy today. Our feature front row consists of blueberry, pineapple and orange cream.
Found at Rocket Fizz in Valencia, CA.

(Nikon D700, 60mm, f8.0, 1/60, iso 6400)

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Bahn Mi Che Cali Grilled Pork Vietnamese Sandwich



For our random meal of the day, are revisiting the Grilled Pork Vietnamese Sandwich. I find it interesting that they separate the condiments from the sandwich and you get to fill it in yourself. The bread is also freshly baked on site.
Found at Bahn Mi Che Cali in Alhambra, CA.

(Nikon D5000, 35mm, f2.8, 1/100, iso 250)

Friday, August 20, 2010

Johnny Pacific Empanadas



Our random meal of the day brings us a trio of delicious empanadas. We have three different flavors today. We start with the beef flavor from the very left. We continue with roast sweet corn in the middle. Finally we have the chicken flavor on the very right. I split the empanadas in half to show the wonderful fillings. My favorite of the bunch is the roasted sweet corn.
Found at Johnny Pacific in Winnetka, CA.

(Nikon D700, 50mm, f4.0, 1/80, iso 720)

The trios of empandas as a whole.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

California Fish Grill Catfish



Today our random meal brings us catfish. I choose to have my catfish grilled with garlic butter sauce applied. The garlic butter sauce did not marry to the catfish like it does with the white ruffy. Next time I will choose the more traditional Cajun style. I also choose to upgrade to the sweet potatoes fries.
Found at The California Fish Grill in Irvine, CA.

(Nikon D700, 50mm, f4.0, 1/80, iso 5000)

My friend had the catfish traditionally fried.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Big Mike's Philly Buffalo Chicken Sub



Our random meal of the day brings us a different twist to the Philly Cheese steak. We randomly twist it up to make a Philly Buffalo Chicken Sub. This is on the actually menu and not on the board in the restaurant. The biggest change is that I had buffalo sauce flavored chicken instead of beef in the sandwich and this gave the sandwich a different twist.
Found at Big Mike's Philly Steaks & Subs in El Segundo, CA.

(Olympus E-PL1, 20mm, f4.0, 1/100, iso 200, +0.30ev)

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Teri & Yaki Chicken Combo



Our random meal of the day is a Teri & Yaki Chicken Combo. The chicken combo normally comes with rice and stir-fried fried noodles mixed together. I choose to only have the stir-fried fried noodles today.
Found at Teri & Yaki in Pasadena, CA.

(Nikon D700, 50mm, f2.8, 1/80, iso 2000)

You can also choose to have the Teri & Yaki Beef Combo.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Ajisen Spicy Pork Fried Rice



Our random meal of the day brings us some extremely spicy pork fried rice. I only sampled a small portion of this meal but it was enough to leave a slow and lingering spicy kick to the taste buds. This was my buddy's meal and he didn't quite finish it as he did not expect it to be that spicy.
Found at Ajisen Ramen in Irvine, CA.

(Nikon D700, 50mm, f4.0, 1/80, iso 1250)

**RMOTD Photographer**

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Happy Clover Cheese Mushi Cake



Our random meal of the day treat brings us the Happy Clover Cheese Mushi Cake. This is a light a fluffy prepackaged treat.
Found randomly in Japanese groceries stores in Los Angeles, CA.

(Nikon D700, 60mm, f11, 1/80, iso 500)

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Rick's Drive-In Spuderito



Our random meal of the day brings us a Spuderito. Yes, I did not misspell that. We have the Spuderito. The Spuderito starts with a large flour tortilla. You then add french fries, burrito sauce and cheese. Simple, weird and really random at the same time. Today was a truly random meal. The funny thing is that I actually ordered it first, paid for it, and then asked what was in it!
Found at Rick's Drive-In in Pasadena, CA.

(Nikon 50mm, f4.0, 1/80, iso 2000)

Friday, August 13, 2010

Uncle Darrow's File Gumbo Ya Ya



This is the BEST gumbo I have ever tasted. Today's edition of RMOTD Photographer brings us the File Gumbo Ya Ya. Wait, how is this the best gumbo that I have ever tasted and yet not be my random meal of the day? As a first time customer, the owner kindly lets you sample the gumbo, the jambalaya, and some of the beans. I even got a bonus sample of the banana cream pie. Yummy!

Back to the featured random meal. We have the File Gumbo Ya Ya. This is gumbo served over jambalaya instead of plain rice. You then add some sausage and shrimp. Finally they throw in an entire whole small crab. Wow. It is quite a eyeopening random meal. The only sad thing is that they only offer this particular item on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Next time it will be my random meal.
Found a Uncle Darrow's in Venice, CA.

(Nikon D700, 50mm, f5.6, 1/80, iso 500)

**RMOTD Photographer**

Thursday, August 12, 2010

The Flame Broiler Beef Bowl



Today we have a flame broiled beef bowl for our random meal. There is no frying involved in the preparation of the meal so it is a healthier choice.
Found at The Flame Broiler in El Segundo, CA.

(Olympus E-PL1, 20mm, f2.8, 1/200, iso 200)

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

BJ's Flame-Broiled New York Strip



Today we have a New York Strip Steak for our random meal of the day. This smelled really good as there were 3 people eating together and 2 of them had the New York strip steak. This is not my random meal so I will let you figure out who got left out.
Found at BJ's Restaurants in Culver City, CA.

(Nikon D700, 50mm, f2.8, 1/80, iso 5600)

**RMOTD Photographer**

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

The Hat Pastrami Burger



Today our random meal of the day brings us a Pastrami Burger. This burger is not for the faint of heart. We start with what looks like a third pound burger patty (it could be a quarter pounder?) and then you load it with a wonderful layer of pastrami. The cheese between both layers marries the pastrami to the burger. The lettuce is well, a garish to give the burger some color. It has been years and years and years since I ate this monster of a burger and it is still as good as I remembered.
Found at The Hat in Pasadena, CA.

(Nikon D700, 60mm, f8.0, 1/80, iso 2200)

Monday, August 9, 2010

Valentino's Pizza Calzone Supreme



Our random meal of the day is a Calzone Supreme. This calzone is shaped differently from the sample that they presented but was still good. This particular calzone contains ham, pepperoni and salami. Mozzarella and Swiss cheese completed the fillings.
Found at Valentino's Pizza in El Segundo, CA.

(Olympus E-PL1, 20mm, f2.8, 1/400, iso 200)

This is how the calzone was presented and uncut.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Godiva Chocolate Summer Gift Box



Today we have a box of Godiva Chocolates. This is the summer gift box that was given to us by our visiting cousins from New York. This was a delicious treat.
Found randomly in Los Angeles or New York.

(Nikon D700, 50mm, f2.8, 1/80, iso 5600)

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Carl's Jr Western Bacon Cheeseburger



Today our random meal is a Western Bacon Cheeseburger. This edition is the random meal that looks nothing like the picture on the menu. It still tastes good but it looks like fast food served as fast as possible.
Found at Carl's Jr in Hawthorne, CA.

(Olympus E-PL1, 20mm, f4.0, 1/250, iso 200, +0.30ev)

Friday, August 6, 2010

Uncle Darrow's Soft Shell Crab Po' Boys



Our random meal of the day is an interesting Soft Shell Crab Po' Boys. This item is not on the normal menu so it may be seasonal or a special item. Even though the soft shell crab is not the most photogenic item, it is an interesting random meal. I recall watching an episode on the food network about soft shell crabs. They actually ate the whole crab shell and all. It peeked my curiosity about this. My normal perception of crab shell is that you will have to hammer the shell with a mallet to even crack it. So, how in the world do you eat the shell?

Well, the meal finally came and I carefully took a bite of the sandwich. I was able to actually bite right though the shell. It was a unique texture. You get semi hard, to soft crab meat, then back to semi hard shell again. I would say it is somewhat similar to eating shrimp with the shell on it. It has that extra crunch before to get to the soft meat. The only difference with the soft shell crab is that you get more crunch and less meat. Very different but yet I can see why people enjoy this. Mission accomplished.
Found at Uncle Darrow's in Venice, CA.

(Nikon D700, 50mm, f8.0, 1/80, iso 1100)

This is how the random meal was presented.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Houston's Restaurant Barbecue Pork Ribs



Today we have Barbecue Pork Ribs for our random meal of the day. This is an entire slab of fall of the bones ribs. This was not my random meal but I was able to claim a rib.
Found at Houston's Restaurant in Manhattan Beach, CA.

(Nikon 50mm, f4.0, 1/80, iso 6400)

**RMOTD Photographer**

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Zacatecas Beef Taco



Our random meal of the day brings us some real authentic Mexican food based on the central region of Mexico. We have for today a beef taco and a tamale hidden behind the taco. This is another edition of RMOTD Photographer as this was not my actual meal.
Found at Zacatecas in Hawthorne, CA.

(Nikon D700, 50mm, f4.0, 1/80, iso 800)

**RMOTD Photographer**

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

El Segundo Fish Co. Halibut N' Chips



Our random meal of the day is Halibut N' Chips. This is a different twist than the normal fish and chips and the fish part of the chip is made from "tempura battered fresh halibut". This is a serving sized for two people.
Found at El Segundo Fish Co in El Segundo, CA.

(Nikon D5000, 35mm, f4.0, 1/100, iso 640)

The random meal started off with a cup of New England clam chowder.

Monday, August 2, 2010

The Veggie Grill Chickin' Caesar Salad



Our random meal of the day is a Chickin' Caesar Salad. The Chickin' is actually a soy based veggie that is processed to taste kind of like chicken. This is another RMOTD Photographer post.
Found at The Veggie Grill in El Segundo, CA.

(Nikon D700, 50mm, f4.0, 1/80, iso 250)

**RMOTD Photographer**

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Aux Delices Chocolate Raspberry Truffle



We have a chocolate raspberry truffle for our random meal of the day dessert treat. This is a rich divine treat. Yummy!
Found at Aux Delices in Pasadena, CA.

(Nikon D700, 60mm, f22, 1/1.25, iso 1600, +0.33ev)