Coffee and pastries, beer and ice cream, burrito after burrito after burrito. I had sushi twice in one day, (always a treat) and I made it to two coveted venues, Stone Brewery and 85C Cafe.
The former is like Disneyland for beer-lovers and the latter is a Korean Cafe that's been transplanted to Irvine, CA. Business is booming at both despite the economic turn-down. It goes to show how luxury can come in either a frosty mug or a cellophane bag.
Unfortunately, I've never eaten anything at Stone that I've really liked. This trip we stuck to the hummus. At 85C however, we grabbed some garlic toast, some sweet rolls and a blueberry roll, and a mocha bun - and a Sea Salt Iced Coffee. All the pastry was fluffy and the Sea Salt Coffee had just the perfect amount of salt to make it interesting.
The highlight of the week was a Kava Kava session with one of my closest friends, Kris. He flew in from Fiji where he lives and he brought not only Kava Kava but Fijian snacks like candied plums, Mixed Bhuja, and Salted Peas (Matar?).
He also brought some of Fiji's new beers. For the longest time, there's been only one brewery, Carlton Brewery with its iconic brew, Fiji Bitter, "The Sportsman's Beer." Now a second brewery, Island Brewery, has begun cranking out Vonu. And in reaction, Carlton began brewing Fiji Premium. A beer war has begun.
This week was brought to you by the Carlton, Island, and Stone Breweries.
Crazy Coyote Tacos