Blue Moon Cafe and Karaoke

I got to admit that I really don't like karaoke -ing. My vocal abilities aren't really good and I think its kind of embarrassing. But, I do like hanging out with friends and having a good time. Another confession, this blog post is a few weeks outdated. A few weeks ago, I went karaoke-ing with two of my friends. And one of them was going to karaoke with her co-worker and his friends.

When we arrived at Blue Moon cafe, we decided to eat before going into the karaoke room. I think they had a pretty diverse menu for being a karaoke place. I decided to have porridge since I wanted something kind of warm and I really haven't had it in a while since the only food my mother ever makes now is fish. My other two friends shared a crepe and boba.

 We eventually joined in the karaoke room and there was about 6-9 people already in there. I'm glad that people were already singing and didn't invite us to sing. Although they did offer us drinks when we arrived.

I found that night to be interesting. It seemed that my friends were having a good time. Also, if I ever do get past my little fear of karaoke-ing I know where to go.

Oscar's Very Mexican Food

I was first introduced to Oscars Very Mexican Food by one of my best friends. The burrito place is right across from her high school, McClatchy High School. It is also close to a lightrail stop, so if you are ever wondering how to get there from Downtown Sacramento or Meadowview without driving, that's how. Although they have their own parking lot, it can get packed sometimes. I think you can park on the street though.

I remember my first experience here because the burrito came with fries. It's popularly known as the California Burrito. I absolutely love fries! I think the burritos here are delicious.

Although I've ordered their beef tacos about two times now, I haven't had the opportunity to actually eat it since I gave it to my sisters. But, they seem to finish the orders just fine. But, didn't really give me their opinions on it.

What I like about this place is that their prices are reasonable. Their burritos are regular size and they are about $4-5, which I think is a good deal. Definitely cheaper than Chiptole. I went there in about the middle of July and the place said it was closing in August for rebuilding and won't open again until Oct/November. However, I went there again about a week later and didn't see the sign, so I wouldn't be sure if they were doing construction or not.

The Cheesecake Factory

Today, I went to the cheesecake factory. It's a place I never been to, but I was always impressed by the exterior decor of the place. When I went inside, I was also impressed by the interior. I also had a glance of the cheesecake before I sat down and they all just looked delicious.

My friend informed me that they were still having a half off offer on Facebook for the cheesecakes because of National Cheesecake Day, which was actually yesterday. I was unsure of whether I should go or not since I'm not a big fan of cheesecake, but I decided to go anyways.

There's this episode on The Simpsons, in which, Marge decides to order a Long Island Iced Tea, so I always wanted to try it because of that. I ordered it and it was a bit sour than I expected. It was also $10, which makes it the most expensive drink I ordered so far. I think when I drank it the top had the most alcohol and when I got to the bottom, it was mostly just the ice and a bit of flavor/alcohol left. I was kind of disappointed.

When we looked over the menu, we noticed they actually had a lot of choices for appetizers. We ended up ordering the Thai lettuce wraps. It looked huge when we got them. I think for the three of us, each person had at least two lettuce wraps. I think it was a nice appetizer and actually made me feel a bit full and the dessert didn't even arrive yet.

I didn't take a picture of the bread individually, but we did get it as a sort of appetizer and it was on the house. Not the most delicious I ever had, but I love eating bread.

I ordered the Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake. I ordered that cake since everything about the description sounded good. Also, when I took a look at the cheesecakes, I thought to myself: yup, that's the cake I want. I loved the whip cream that came with the cakes. Yum!

One of my friends ordered the Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake. It wouldn't be the type of cake that I would choose right off the bat. In the picture, it looks delicious. When I tasted it, I tasted the lemon first; then, the raspberry.

My other friend ordered the Red Velvet Cheesecake. I think this cake was good. It was moist and I could really taste the cheese in the cake.

Arigatos

I first heard about Arigatos through some friends. I think some of them really like the place. Apparently, it seems like a popular sushi place. It's in the Arden area. It's not a buffet, but there is always a half off special for the rolls.

The first time I went there I wasn't really impressed with the sushi that I ate. I really did expect more since people favored the place. I didn't see what made it so likeable, besides it always being half off.

The rolls I ordered

The second time I went to Arigatos, I ordered two rolls. I would mention the name of the rolls, except I forgot their names. But, I do know that I only order rolls if they include shrimp because I love shrimp in my sushi. Although I did consume the entirety of my rolls, I found the roll to be plain and not very sophisticated or special. I was also disappointed in the size of the roll, but I guess that's why it was half off.

The roll my friend ordered

One of my friends ordered a bento box, but I didn't take a picture of that. And, my other friend ordered a sushi roll with fish.

The second time around I still did not find Arigato's impressive. I would prefer to go to Tokyo Fro's, which is just down the street and has better tasting rolls and a happy hour special with half off rolls.

Original Perry's

Original Perry's is one of those restaurants that I've always wanted to visit ever since I could remember. It's one of those restaurants that you would notice as you get off the freeway. I made my first visit to Original Perry's last week after I went swimming. When I entered, I immediately noticed that there were mostly seniors that dined at the restaurant. Then, I realized that seniors really love original (homely) places and breakfast food, which was why there was a lot of them there.

When I was there I was surprised they had a kids menu and with pretty reasonable prices. It also said that kids eat free with a paying adults on Tuesdays after 4-10pm. I would show my picture of what I ordered from the kid's menu for Emily, but I didn't remember to take a picture of it.

Cindy also ordered this dessert. I forgot what it was called. But, it was delicious! My favorite part is the cookie with the chocolate. Mhmmm...

 A chicken strip sandwich with fries. The sandwich seemed much bigger than expected. I didn't eat the sandwich although Cindy offered it to me. I did, however, tried the fries.

I think the pancakes came with one of Cindy's order. I didn't get to the pancake at the place because there was already so much food for the three of us.

Hashbrowns and an omelet that Cindy ordered. I didn't try the omelet, but I had the hashbrowns from Emily's order.

I think my first time was a good experience although it is a slow atmosphere. I did enjoy the food there and they have pretty reasonable prices.

BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse

I been to BJ's restaurants several times now. I been to both the location on Arden and in Elk Grove. I would say that the Arden location is for middle age folks, while the Elk Grove location is more for teens or the college crowd.

I been to BJ's more than I would have anticipated. The first few times I went I wanted to go because my friends and other people I knew raved about it. But, after going their more than a few times, I don't have the same excitement for that place. BJ's is one those restaurants that my friends would usually pick to go and I would be okay lets go there.

When I usually go to BJ's, I would order pasta. But, after a few times there I realize that there pasta wasn't as good as I would have liked it. In addition, there pasta dishes don't seem that unique. For me, it seems like they have the regular pasta options, chicken fettuccine alfredo and spaghetti. I also don't like that their sauces. The sauces always seem to be to light than I wanted.

Besides pasta, BJ's is also popular for their pizza.They have deep dish pizza with different selections for toppings that you can choose or select a special. For about a personal pizza that is 10 inches and it's about 10 dollars. And, yes, 10 inches is less than a ruler and I don't think that's enough to keep one person satisfied. Well, at least not me.

I like that BJ's have many different options for appetizers although I'm not usually an appetizer person. They also have different selections for entrees--pizza, mahi mahi dish with rice and vegetables, sandwiches, hamburgers, pasta, and more. They are also famous for their pizookie.

I went to BJ's yesterday. This time around I decided to order the Barbeque Beef sandwich with potato wedges. I saw in the menu that there was onions, but I forgot to tell them to take it out. I liked that the onions were fried though. It sticks less to my sandwich and was more appealing than usual. I really enjoyed this meal. I liked that the bread was kind of crunchy and that I had barbeque meat, which I usually don't eat.

My friend ordered the chicken fettuccine alfredo. I usually would order this pasta, but decided not to. I love the garlic bread that comes with it. When I usually order this pasta I would ask for extra and they never charged me for extra bread! The pasta itself tastes alright. It could use better sauce throughout the pasta.

My other friend ordered the Mahi Mahi dish. I was glad that she ordered it because I like seeing other dishes. I think the Mahi Mahi looked delicious. But, if I were to eat it I would want more rice.

We all decided to go to BJ's yesterday for a friends early birthday. The friend got a bacon cheeseburger. It was huge!! I thought it looked delicious though. My friend cut a part of it and there was still a 1/3 of it left. She finished the fries though. For me, I would like a burger that I can finish entirely and not save it for later. But, I do like getting more for my money. She also had a drink there and I tried a sip of it. It reminded me of a medicine I use to take, but I liked it.

Krush Burger

Food trucks are getting more popular in Sacramento and other areas in California. There are food truck events that occur occasionally. Also, there are food trucks that like to stop at different places in the city. Krush Burger, Drewski's, Shalah's are a couple of food trucks that come to my mind right away. Although I have yet to try Drewski's, I did try Krush Burger a few weeks ago.

It was a couple of weeks ago when I noticed the hashtag for #sacburgermonth. I, then, checked it out and decided to go to Krush Burger that weekend. Krush burger was at Caesar's Chavez Park in Sacramento. I think the event was Concerts in the Park and there were other food trucks there. Also, I think budweiser was sponsoring the event, so there was a lot of alcohol consumption in the park.

Before I ordered, I checked out Krush Burger online and I liked that they had mini burgers. I also like that they had flavors that were not the usual I can get from anywhere else. I decided to order three of their mini burgers to share with my sisters. I ordered the Original, Philly, and the Cowbell. The burger was better than I expected. I noticed from the menu online that the burger had grilled onions and I was going to take it off my burger, but I didn't feel the onions in my burger or I was just okay with it in my burger. Usually, the onions would be so noticeable or unpleasing that I wanted to take them off. I think their fries were okay, not that special. I think I should have ordered tater tots instead since I haven't had them in a while and because burger places don't usually offer tater tots.

My First Experience at Original Mel's

Last weekend, me and my sister decided to go eat out and we eventually decided on Original Mel's, which was a pretty close drive to where we live.

When we walked in, we immediately noticed that there were mostly seniors dining in the restaurant. In fact, as we both looked through the menu, we noticed that there was a whole page that had items targeted for seniors. I also saw some posters by children, so I guess it is a popular spot for older people to bring their young ones as well.

I think our order took longer than usual for a place that serves burgers. When my burger arrived, I noticed that the bread is a type seniors appreciate more. This place also reminded me of Capitol Cafe in Downtown, which also seemed like a place that better suited seniors. And, they share the commonality of bread that is more like something a senior would prefer.
 

I got to say that I love the chili fries that I ordered. I don't usually order it, but I'm glad I did. 

This is my sisters order. She mostly prefers chicken over beef for sandwiches. For me, it depends on what kind of place I'm dining in.

This place doesn't seem to suit younger people, but rather seniors. I wonder if I would prefer this place many years from now when I reach senior status. 

Ohana's Hawaiian BBQ

I'm surprised I haven't written about Ohana's Hawaiian BBQ. That restaurant is right across from my apartment. It's definitely walkable and I used to go there often during my fall quarter. I would show more pictures in this post, but I mainly stick to one item in the menu, short ribs and BBQ beef combo.

Last time I went to Ohana's was this weekend with my housemate. She ordered the Salmon combo. It looked delicious and I think I might get that myself sometime.

Salmon combo

The BBQ Mix combo comes with Hawaiian BBQ beef, chicken, and short rib. The chicken isn't as noticable since it's on the bottom, but you can still see a bit of it. And yes, I like to have hot sauce with my meals occasionally.

BBQ Mix Combo

I usually order the BBQ Beef and Short rib combo. I don't eat beef as often as I would like, so I guess that's why I like to get that here. Also, I prefer BBQ beef over the chicken meat. I like chicken too, but I think the beef tastes better.

BBQ Beef and Short Ribs

The combo comes with macaroni, a scoop of rice, and some cabbage on the bottom. I usually try to finish everything, which I do if I don't also have the chicken.

My First Visit to The Hotdogger

Last week, my friend decided to eat out and suggested The Hotdogger. I really wanted to go because I haven't had a hot dog in the longest time.

I actually prefer hot links over a regular hot dog, so I got the meal, which included a bad of chips and a soda. I forgot to ask for cheese on my hot link. I asked for Russian mustard and ketchup.

My friend ordered a chili dog. It looked so good! I told her that I'm getting that the next time I go there. The bread that she got looked better than the one I got. The only thing I would change in her order is the hot dog to hot link.

I'm glad I went to The Hotdogger. Now, I can cross off this restaurant from places I haven't ate or been to in Davis.

Carino's Italian

I was supposed to post this a few days earlier and more closely to my Lady Antebellum concert post. Since I actually ate at Carino's Italian before heading to the concert.

Me and my friend decided to eat before going to the concert. We originally intended on going to Chili's, but this place was also in the area. And, we decided to go get Italian food, especially since we don't have it often. It was about a 15-20 minute wait.

When we were finally seated, we were served bread. The bread was a roll and it came with a plate to dip. I tried it and didn't like it since it was garlic flavored.

I ordered the Chicken Balsamico. When I got it, the server helped put cheese on my order. She ended up putting a lot, so it is covered most of the view of my food. However, I love cheese, so I didn't mind. I think I would have ordered a different dish. I didn't know what to expect from this dish and thought the meat would be different.

My friend ordered the Grilled Chicken Bowtie Festival. I think hers looked very good. I like bowtie pasta and I like her meat. I just didn't like that I could taste the garlic.

We didn't finish the meal however. I realized that we had to leave early, so we got boxes and tried to leave early so we wouldn't be late to the concert. We made it before 7pm and the concert began promptly.

Texas Roadhouse

I really wanted to to go to Texas Roadhouse, so me and my sisters went there the other day. It was the first time we had to wait. It didn't take too long though. When we were waiting I noticed that you can get peanuts. And, we can through the shells on the ground. In fact, there were already peanut shells all over the ground. It felt nice that it was normal to get a bag of peanuts and that we can throw the shell on the ground.

When we were seated, there was already a bag of peanuts in the table.

Also, we were immediately served their bread. We love their bread. We immediately finished a tray of bread, which is four pieces each.

We ended up getting four trays of bread when we were there. We also got 8 pieces of bread to go. Luckily, there don't charge for their trays of bread. Delicious rolls of bread. mhmm...

My sister got the Caesar salad. It was huge. She didn't finish it that night. But, I helped her finished it the next day.

I got chili as part of my appetizers. I thought it was good chili. I'm going to get that as my side again next time.

I always try to finish the fries and so we finished the fries. I got the steak done medium well. I didn't like it. I think it was too dry. I think I would have preferred more juice in the meat.

Mikuni's

We went to Mikuni's to celebrate my sisters belated birthday after I came back.

Mikuni's is a restaurant that you have to order sushi and I haven't been to one in a while. I usually go to sushi buffets. We decided to order three dishes: Train Wreck, Benjamin Roll, and Japanese Mafia 

Train Wreck

 I think I like the train wreck the best. It was the first roll that we finished.

Benjamin Roll

I liked the Benjamin Roll second best. It had jalapenos on it, but I didn't think it was spicy.

Japanese Mafia

I didn't like the Japanese mafia roll since there was eel in it and it felt slimy. But, my youngest sister really liked this roll. And, she ate the most from the Japanese mafia roll than the others.

Bon appetit

The three sushi rolls that we ordered for the three of us. We finished every single piece. But, with the exceptions with a few toppings not being devoured.

We also went to Lollicup to get boba. I got honeydew milk tea and my sister got the white chocolate mocha with mini boba. I prefer getting the larger size because I always tend to finish it while I am drinking it at the shop.

Pho King IV

There is a new pho place in Davis, Pho King IV. Most people expected it to be better than the other place since it is a popular chain restaurant from Sacramento. It's also very close to campus. It's less than a 5 minute walk from the memorial union!

Yesterday, I went to Pho King IV. They opened just last week and are giving out sodas for the first two weeks of it opening. I got a coke for free! I ordered the Pho Ga. The noodle soup just looks simple now that I think of it. When I first looked at the bowl, I thought that the chicken looked old. They did give me plenty of chicken, like most other places and I tend to demand more noodles.The chicken also didn't include the skin. Nonetheless, I continued to eat since I was very hungry. Overall, this bowl of pho is what I would expect. Although, the chicken is something they could improve.

Since my first visit to Pho King IV, I been back a few times. I like this place because its close to campus and its pretty cheap. I also think that I like ordering the "tai", which is some steak. "Tai" actually goes well with the Pho Ga. Mhm... Now I'm craving pho,

Closing of Ben & Jerry's in Davis

Chocolate Therapy flavored ice cream @ Ben & Jerry's

On Tuesday night, I learned that Ben & Jerry's was closing through a tweet. I found this fact sad because I like that place. That was the closes Ben & Jerry's in Davis and in Sacramento. Now, the closes one is in Napa.

Chocolate Therapy flavored ice cream @ Ben & Jerry's

When I learned about Ben & Jerry's closing on Wednesday, I just had to go there for a scoop. I went that evening and someone I had in my class before gave me a coupon for a free scoop. The thing was that most of the flavors were gone :(. There were about 4 ice cream flavors to choose from when I was there. I had my mind set on chocolate therapy, but I suppose it was my time to try a new flavor. I choose the Strawberry Cheesecake flavor. And, I got the second to last scoop left of that flavor. It was delicious! I didn't think I would enjoy it that much, but I did, and I actually bought a bucket of Ben & Jerry's Strawberry Cheesecake today.

Strawberry cheesecake flavored ice cream @ Ben & Jerry's

I'm definitely going to miss having a Ben & Jerry's around time. I love their ice cream and their unique ice cream names! If another ice cream place or business were to take over that location, I would hope it's Häagen Dazs.