r gang eatery

Well, the weekend has come and gone. And somehow, aside from Craft Club and a hike, my entire weekend revolved around food. Shocker, I know. It all started friday with a much anticipated date with two of my favorites, Lauren and Kirsten.

my girls are finally twenty-one

a great time!

mac n' cheese with brussels sprouts [or broccoli or bacon or a sausage]

feastly burger with corresponding rosemary fries

THE BEST THING EVER...EVER I TELL YOU! TOTS! BUT NOT JUST 

ANY TOTS! HOMEMADE TOTS WITH CHEESE AND CHIVES INSIDE! 

Okay I'm done yelling. But they were for sure the highlight. Happy Hour is til 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and the tots are only $4 [in addition to cheapo beers and cocktails].

{stay tuned for more tots - hahaha - and food from the weekend!}

the lion's share

More often than not, I'm craving something. Not chocolate or ice cream, but usually a beer. And not a Bud Light or a Blue Moon or even a Red Stripe [though I do enjoy the latter two on occasion] but a delicious, filling, maybe even "overly" hoppy beer. Recently, my co-worker / new favorite person Amanda and I ventured downtown and with Jade's recommendation, checked out The Lion's Share. The lighting was dim, the decor was ornate and fabulous, the people were lively and the beer list was impressive. Obviously, I was hooked.

in addition, an array of eclectic art hung on the walls throughout the bar and restaurant

parmesan french fries with mustard aioli and ketchup

THE BEST FRENCH ONION SOUP I'VE EVER HAD

so good it warranted a close up

amanda's duck confit flatbread... also a winner

Aforementioned, the french onion soup was... wow. Incredibly comforting, the perfect amount of cheese and bread on top and a TON of broth and onions, all baked together to create a cheesy, warm, melty dream in my mouth [and served with a couple crostinis]. Seriously guys, this was like THE burger experience that [again, in typical dramatic-allie fashion] changed my life. Yum dood.

{the beer was pretty darn good as well...from duvel to manzanita chaotic, i was stoked!}

neighborhood

I had been hearing about this place for quite some time, but for some reason never ventured downtown to try it. to put it simply, I had been missing out. for five years. Neighborhood, located in East Village downtown, is actually my new favorite place - in the world. From the large decal of Jesus on the door out front to the dim lighting and eclectic art around the bar and sitting area inside, Neighborhood quickly won me over.

to make things better, we stumbled upon pliny the younger; the hard to find, not overrated, triple ipa.

 [and no it was not overrated]

entire dipping sauce section on the menu

jalepeno mac n cheese.

the. best. burger. ever. i had my way with it. it left me wanting more. and i talked about it for about 24 hours straight afterwards. incredibly soft bun, gruyere and bleu cheese, caramelized onions and arugula.

friezzzzzz

{if anyone wants to try it, i am always down}

happy hour = happy day

As the school year and my school career come to a close, I've found the best way to combat the inevitable tears and stress is to indulge in some happy hours. After extensive research, my friends and I came across Whisknladle in La Jolla, a pretty pricey restaurant during lunch and dinner hours, but during happy hour, 5 to 7 p.m., their tapas and drinks are not only affordable but delicious and of amazing quality for their price. Tapas run at just $3 per dish and sangria (the white is a personal favorite) for only $5 per glass or $20 per pitcher. Needless to say, this place is cute and comfortable and makes for the perfect study break (or I suppose now, CELEBRATION THAT WE ARE DONE WITH SCHOOL FOREVER!)

True words

White sangria

Wikki Wikki and I

These lamb meatballs almost made me throw vegetarianism out the window. Sio said they were fab!

Garlic shrimp

Crudo ahi tuna with grapefruit and avocado (YUM DOOD)

Grilled asparagus

Holy god, patatas bravas, definitely the best part. These little morsels were clearly coated and fried in copious amounts of butter and were exploding with flavor; potentially the best thing we ordered.