Mirchi Indian Cafe

September, already.  Sigh… Weather’s cooling down, kids are back in school, and rain and drizzle are in.  Where did summer go?

For those of you out of elementary and middle school, remember that clichéd essay titled “My Summer Vacation”?  It comes in many flavors, but it all boils down to the same theme of what one did over the summer, and to prattle about one’s favorite activities and events.  Well, if I were to write said essay, mine would involve a story about a random finding while driving in Issaquah during an errand. 

Trader Joe’s Chocolate Brooklyn Babka

“We had that babka!” Jerry cried out to Elaine at The Dinner Party episode of Seinfeld.  Unfortunately for Elaine and Jerry, they had to settle for the cinnamon babka.

Thanks to Kat, my youngest sis, we ended up with the chocolate babka. 

EPIC Bars Bison + Turkey

One year since my first two EPIC Bars, I took two other flavors of EPIC bars for a spin.  This time around, The Hubby and I tried the Bison Bacon Cranberry and Turkey Almond Cranberry bars.  In what better place to take these energy-packed meat bars than to Mount Rainier National Park.  From Seattle looking south east of the horizon, Mt. Rainier dominates the skyline, and from that distance, it beckoned the hikers in us to see the Cascade Range peaks closer.

The Rose Garden Tea Room

How do you like your tea and how do you imagine drinking it?  At The Rose Garden Tea Room, you can have your mini cakes and eat them too, and obviously, it’s where you can have your tea and drink it too.  In fact, you can have your choice from five types of hot tea: Strawberry Kiwi, Rose, Apricot, Estate Black, and Mandarin Rooibos. At that time, I liked my tea non-caffeinated so I went with the strawberry kiwi – it was lovely, tangy, and pink in color.  Our amiable hostess said that the kids love it very sweet.  The kid in me likes the tea, but the adult in me likes it tart.  And I imagine drinking my tea in a peaceful setting… the rose garden in The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens would do beautifully. 

Father’s Office – Culver City

Los Angeles is packed with an overwhelming assortment of places to eat: from places that elicits “I-can’t-believe-they-call-this-food” from its diners, to mediocre restaurants, to one-of-a-kind eateries.  Father’s Office, a gastropub focused on good brews and good food fall somewhere in between average and A-1.  The Hubby’s longtime college buddy, Arthur, made the suggestion to eat in “Fo2”, chosen by us from a long list of other restaurant suggestions.  All he needed to say was it serves great burgers and that helped seal our choice.