Boulder’s Best Italian Food: Il Pastaio (by Costa Ricans?!)

Il Pastaio, 30th and Arapahoe, (in the King Soopers Shopping Center) has shown itself to be Boulder’s best Italian food thus far. We have not gotten the chance to go to Pasta Jay’s, which is the only other Best Italian recommendation we’ve gotten, but we’ll try to soon so we can compare the two. We have had Trattoria on Pearl, Antica Roma, Salvaggio’s Italian Deli, Laudisio’s, Pasta Vino, Pizzeria Basta, just about every Pizza place, and then some. Pasta Vino is the only one that holds a candle to Il Pastaio and the rest did something WRONG. Pasta Vino was the best Italian lunch we’ve had in the past year here while Il Pastaio was the best dinner and best overall experience. This is why… they don’t do anything wrong and do tons of stuff right.

The restaurant is small and very compact but you can make reservations, which we did. I recommend you most certainly make reservations for the reason that it is extremely busy during dinner hours because it is so good. We were seated quickly after our reservation, despite a long line and there was a fuss about who was next, but they rightfully seated us at the proper time. I credit this to the owner’s son, who did an exceptional job taking care of us the whole night. He was personable and polite, efficient and honest, and an all around good guy for the job. He spent some time in Brooklyn so we talked to him about the restaurant’s history.

We found out that his father and family are from Costa Rica but his father (the owner) studied in Italy and learned how to cook Italian food there. We could see Costa Rican touches throughout the restaurant as well, including the unbeatable bread that was served with the meal. A hot batch came out of the oven near the end of the meal so we asked for a fresh loaf and they obliged without a question. Great service. Let’s talk about the food.

They have Boylan’s beverages. That’s enough for me and it was the perfect compliment for me. It reminded me of home so much… it was the only Italian place in Boulder that reminded me of home. What’s home? The Italian-American food capital of the world. We got a few appetizers including a caprese salad, a seafood mixto plate, the biggest antipasto platter, bread, and more. Everything was very good and we didn’t leave any leftovers at this point.

Boylan’s and hot bread…who could ask for more?

Appetizers

However, then I was surprised at the size of the portions. The restaurant is not expensive but the quality of the food and the portion size would make you think it should be. Alana got a custom-made mushroom ravioli with a tomato-basil sauce. I got what I get every time I test a new Italian place out… chicken parm platter with pasta. It was HUGE. MASSIVE. I actually couldn’t finish it but it didn’t make it past the next day.

Alana’s ravioli

Chicken parm, baby

Everything was good but they custom make raviolis. You can choose from a huge selection of fillings and then add whatever sauce from the menu you want. The quality is exceptional and allows the customer to get anything they want. Seriously, this was one of our best meals and dining experiences while in Boulder. And it’s not very expensive. I think all of that added up to the 60 dollar range and it was completely worth it.

Gelato

And canoli

So if you’re in Boulder and looking for good Italian food, call up our Costa Rican friends at Il Pastaio and make a reservation. Maybe we’ll see you there. Fueling up on some great pasta and protein can really keep you hungry and fit!

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Jun112013

A Sweet Tooth’s Delight: Peddler’s Creamery (Los Angeles, CA)

While we were back in my home town (Santa Monica, California), we traveled to where my brother lives–in Downtown Los Angeles. Not exactly my most favorite part of LA, but what are you going to do! He shares a really nice apartment with his awesome girlfriend, Sophie. And there’s two Famima!!s right underneath them–you really can’t do better than that. Anyways, onto the good stuff-THE FOOD! Sophie works at a fantastic local ice cream shop called Peddler’s Creamery, and that, my friends, is where the magic happens.

She works there as a “Maker,” meaning she literally develops and creates ice cream flavors. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Best job ever, am I right? And Peddler’s is special because not only is it locally-owned, but the ice cream is made by them using a bike to churn it. Get a workout and then eat ice cream–sounds like a good day to me. I love how unique this place is and that they literally churn their ice cream by using a bike. And not only do they use organic ingredients, but they use fair trade ingredients too! A huge plus for me.

Sophie, my brother, and my mum

It’s a small little shop with some outdoor seating–very cute. You can see an old-fashioned bike in the front and the one they actually use in the back. We met the owner, who gave each of us a handshake and a genuine greeting–it’s not often you get that from the owner of a food joint, very nice guy. When we visited, the scooper was patient and very friendly as we all (my family and Chris) took awhile to decide between all the unique flavors.

The inside…there’s Sophie!

Now the flavors. These flavors change daily and are subject to season (another awesome) and are probably the most unique ice cream flavors I’ve seen to date. Some special ones are Mexican Chocolate, Chile Mango, Honey Lavender, and Kumquat. I got the cinnamon (I have a crazy obsession with cinnamon-type desserts, see: CHURROS) and boy did I make the right choice! Each bite was infused with the creamy “spicy” flavor of cinnamon. It was a melt-in-your-mouth kind of deal and also a where-did-my-ice-cream-go moment too. I was reluctant to share with my family, but I did. They got some yummy ones too like the Honey Lavender and a Mocha one.

Cinnamon flavored ice cream…SO GOOD

If I worked there, I would be as big as a balloon and probably get fired for eating too much on the job. If you are anywhere in the Los Angeles area, GO HERE. I have linked the website with the address and everything several times throughout this post, but here it is again. This adorable, eco-friendly local shop serves top-notch quality ice cream with interesting flavors and great service to boot. You’re missing out if you don’t find this gem! I will always be hungry (and fit!) for Peddler’s Creamery!

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May312013

Hungry Eats… Ramen (Little Tokyo, Los Angeles)

If you read the title you know that there are a lot of good things going on so this has to end well. Hungry’s favorite soup and potentially his favorite food is ramen. Most of you are probably thinking why would Hungry love ramen; it’s not good for you and it’s disgusting. That’s what a lot of people I know say until I get them some real ramen. Ramen is a type of noodle popular in Asian cultures such as Japan and Korea.

You can find it in American supermarkets made by Maruchan and Top Ramen for anywhere from 15-25 cents a package. It’s almost completely nutritionally void or negative with dead calories and large amounts of sodium and abundant processing. But I love it. Ever since my sister ate ramen in high school, I have loved it. Luckily, I live a generally healthy lifestyle so I do not feel guilty or see the negative effects of eating it, even in excess, but you need to be careful consuming these supermarket brands (but the real stuff is okay!). BUT this all is going to be saved for another time because I didn’t mean to say this much about ramen. This is a restaurant review for Men Oh Tokushima Ramen in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles.

Little Tokyo (you can see Fit on the left corner!)

Daikokuya is the most popular ramen spot in Japangeles. It is always packed and it was very busy when we went with our party of 6. We decided to pass it up and continue to Men Oh because of reviews on Yelp. It is not in the main drag of Little Tokyo and is hidden in a strip mall so it can be hard to find. You need to find it. The 6 of us (Fit’s family and family friend) walked in the Sunday night before Memorial Day. It was empty but by the time we left it was completely full although it is small. The menu is tiny but I can assure you that nearly everything is amazing since we had nearly everything. Everything we had was amazing so we figure everything is just as good.

The Menu

The atmosphere mimics a perfect, small ramen shop but not ramen stop. It was very clean and cute. The staff was organized, kind, professional and efficient. The food was ridiculously filling, delicious and cheap as dirt. It also was much healthier than your store-brand ramen. Their theme is ramen influenced by Tokushima Prefecture on the smallest of Japan’s 4 major islands, Shikoku Island. The industry here is based on raising pork so the ramen has broth heavily flavored by pork bones and filled with pork meat. We got 4 of their 3 ramen dishes available (custom) and all were nearly flawless. I was the only one with great ramen experience but even people having it for the first time were as thrilled as I was.

Awesome painting

My dish

Fit’s dish (without meat or pork broth)

I can’t say much more than this is the perfect spot. You get a cheap, delicious, and filling meal that is quickly served by an efficient and kind wait staff in a clean and enjoyable environment. We will go back whenever we can and bring whoever we can. Michelin might not give this place a star, but I certainly do. And that says a lot. Really. Hungry approved. More to come about my obsession and history with ramen in the future!

Hungry & Fit chowing down

Double-fisting…finishing everybody else’s broths

May242013

The Japanese Taco Masters: Sunny Blue (Santa Monica, California)

During my time in school in South Korea, I found it very challenging to maintain my daily caloric intake of 10,000-12,000. One reason is the food is extremely healthy and calorically low. The second is that the servings are tiny compared to those in the United States. Finally, so much of the food is extremely spicy and very painful for me to eat because of my geographic tongue. The result was I first found out how to say, write, and read wrappers for food. The first words I learned were beef, chicken, tuna and spicy/hot.

I learned how to read the wrappers on a portable food called kimbap, or gimbap, or however you spell or say it. The g and k sound in Korean is one of the tricky ones to learn how to differentiate between when you learn the language. It’s pronounced kimbap, if you’re American. I lived on these… I mean I must have had at least 6-12 a day and they were not of the highest quality. They were typically from 7-11 or a local market similar to 7-11 depending on where I was. We had one of these markets in our residence hall on campus so I got all the ones I could from there. Typically, I would have the not spicy tuna with mayo. It gave me the protein I needed, wasn’t spicy, and had some extra calories from the mayo. It was good, it made me happy and it only led to me losing 30 pounds in Korea as opposed to maybe 40. That’s another story I’ll cover in the future when I talk about my fitness journey and goals. So why did I bother to tell you all this history… well this is why.

Tuna

On Main Street in Santa Monica, you can find an amazing little food shop called Sunny Blue. Fit and I went there the first week they opened a few years ago and it was dead every day. The female owner, Keiko, was nearly the only one working there but we frequented it every day during that week in Samo. Why? Because they served omusubi, or onigiri, or rice balls. These are the Japanese twin of my kimbaps and I was thrilled to find it. They are VERY similar and this location does not lack quality control and creating great flavor profiles. They make all of their omusubi fresh for you. The ingredients are prepared earlier but they are assembled to order, and freshly seasoned in the process.

Over the past few years, they have gotten much more popular and now when we visit, the line is out the door. We are thrilled that they have seen such growth and success because they deserve it for their devotion to their craft. They also serve some traditional Japanese sodas, shrimp chips, and frozen yogurt. When we got the froyo when they first opened, it wasn’t quite the quality of YogurtLand nor did it match their level of omusubi, so we’ve never tried their froyo again. Nevertheless, Sunny Blue is a must stop-by food location in Los Angeles, and the brilliance is you can eat one whenever. I don’t care how full you are from lunch, each rice ball is a snack sized treat that can find its way to your stomach.

From our most recent trip, yesterday, the menu has expanded to include daily specials and a long list of classic selections. Popular choices include: miso mushroom, hijike shitaki, tuna mayo, tokyo tori, curry chicken, miso beef, and more. Those are our favorites because of the lack of spice, but richness of other flavors. They are reasonably priced in the range of $2.50-$5.00 depending on what you get. I’ve actually never seen one for more than $4.50 so $3-4 is a more accurate range for the normal menu. PLUS, now they sell very cute t-shirts! Sunny Blue is a hungry and fit favorite. We even learned to make it ourselves so when we depart Santa Monica, we can somewhat resemble the deliciousness. It tastes delicious, is light on the wallet, and can definitely help you stay hungry and fit!

Tuna

May182013

Fit’s Restaurant Rave: Curry n Kebob

Curry n Kebob is a FAVORITE of ours–tons of authentic Indian food on a budget. For a while, Chris wasn’t all about this place because every time we got something, it would be too spicy (even though he said mild). I’ve always loved this place because I always love me some good Indian food. Recently, they have expanded and also have changed their spice levels to “white person” standard so when Chris gets a dish ordered mild, it comes out mild and perfect for him to enjoy.

This place was actually one of our first meals here in Boulder, before we even got our apartment! I was hooked from then, and we’ve been frequenting the place ever since. It’s a family-owned joint, dishing out 4.5 star-quality food (as per Yelp, out of 5 stars) with a nice price to boot. It’s always the mom and pop in the kitchen, with the kids running the cash register and serving the food. You pay up front and they bring you your meal. It’s prompt service and they are always ready to answer questions about food when needed.

We always go for the “Daily Specials” whether that be $7.95 for lunch or $9.95 for dinner. And it is so worth it because I can never finish the endless pot of the main dish they give us, PLUS all the other sides that come with it. It ends up being two meals for me, which I can never argue with. With the daily specials, you have a choice of about 10 dishes (5 meat, 5 veggie). It comes in a big pot, way more than just one serving. In addition to the main dish, you get a full naan (which is split into 4 massive, buttery pieces–oops I’m drooling), huge thing of rice, an onion bhaji, pineapple for dessert, and a red sweet dipping sauce I can’t quite figure out (but love). Sounds like a lot of food? It is!

Perfection on a plate

I usually get the Mushroom Mutter with medium heat and Chris gets the Chicken Masala with mild. I am satisfied every time and leave with a smile. I have no complaints about this place and would suggest it to everyone living or visiting Boulder. I just think how much my Dad would love this place too (I get my love for spice from him). They also have take-out and delivery. I would get this on a regular basis if my budget would allow it. It is an awesome post-workout meal, with enough protein and carbs to re-build muscles and re-energize you. Traditional Indian families don’t know how lucky they are that they get to eat this food every day. This is a perfect place to stay hungry and fit! Cheers!

My mushroom mutter with Chris’ chicken masala in the distance

BONUS KITTY PIC

Cuteness forever

May062013

Restaurant Review: Arabesque (Boulder, CO)

It was a Friday afternoon, we had both gotten off work around 12:30pm and we were ready to eat! It was beautiful out, unlike the few random snowy May days we’ve had. On these kind of days, we want to have a nice slow meal, and enjoy ourselves off somebody else’s food. We went through our options and decided on Arabesque, a highly-rated place on Yelp with one $. We’ve always wanted to try it. Its customers boast that it has the best chicken shawarma in Boulder. We had to compare it to our favorite place, Mediterranean Market.

When we arrived, it was packed. And it wasn’t exactly what we expected. We expected it to be small and family-owned, yes, but there were lots of rich, well-dressed people (and we come directly from work in our YMCA gear) and just had a chalk-written menu. We looked over the (short) menu and decided what we wanted and then took a table outside (the inside–which is tiny–was packed, and it was beautiful out!). This place supposedly also had the best Chai in town, so I ordered that along with water.

Delicious hot chai

Now this chai was delicious. It came in a big mug and was piping hot. But I still love my Tibet Kitchen homemade chai too. The water came out in a tall pitcher with thin glasses–very elegant. And it was flavored with something I couldn’t place…lavender and honey, or something similar. Very refreshing. Chris ordered the chicken shawarma plate and I ordered the hummus wrap.

Chris’ shawarma plate

Our waitress, I think, was near the end of her shift and didn’t take our order down correctly. I ended up receiving a chicken wrap instead of just hummus, but I told the kitchen, and spoke to who happened to be the owner and he was very apologetic and delivered a fresh hummus wrap as quickly as he could. Chris wasn’t pleased with that service, but the wife of the owner (who also was the cook) bustles out to clear off a table next to us and Chris asks if he can have their scraps (yes, we don’t like to waste food). She says, “Of course!” and he says, “Never want to waste food,” and she goes, “Yes, I know! Stupid!” She has an accent…not sure where from. She shoulders me with good humor and says, “You’ve got eat chicken in my place!” Her good humor and friendliness got us back on track.

Wrong chicken wrap (still looks delicious)

My hummus wrap

I ate it up quickly as did Chris. Chris said it was the best chicken shawarma he’s had. And you can tell–he cleared the plate completely. Buuuut, the portion was way too small for him. Not even just for him, I agree that there wasn’t that much chicken and pita. Probably because we’re used to Mediterranean Market’s huge portions. And just because we were enjoying ourselves and–more so–because we can’t turn down baklava, we ordered a big baklava. We, of course, devoured it completely. It was one of the best baklava I’ve had. Perfect texture and structural integrity, filled with goodness–can’t really describe the perfection.

BAKLAVA

If you’re in Boulder, stop by this place. It’s good food, but small portions, so don’t go too hungry. And don’t you DARE skip out on the baklava–it’s just too good. I wish I still had my chai with the baklava, it would have been perfect together. The owners really made our experience that much better, we would come back again. Cheers!

BONUS KITTY PIC

Hi, my name’s Sajah and I’m a firefox

Apr192013

Hungry Reviews… Snarf’s (Boulder, CO)

It’s safe to say that I haven’t tried every sandwich in Boulder. We’ve only been here so long and there are lots of places to eat so it’s hard. I have had a fair share of sandwiches from Deli Zone, Cafe Food, and Snarf’s and only one place knows how to put together a sandwich.

Cubano sandwich (Snarf’s)

Cafe Food is oversimplified to the degree that I can’t distinguish the egg from the mayo in their egg salad, which the owner claims is the best in Boulder. He claims everything is the best there but after the tuna salad and egg salad a few times, I decided there’s no need to return… ever. Deli Zone offers the best bang for your buck as there are plenty of large sandwiches at very reasonable prices. However, they fail to execute on more complicated orders than your basic sandwiches. I’m not talking about gastronomical creations either, just basic stuff like the reuben. Still, it’s on par with Cafe Food food-wise but the customer service puts it slightly ahead.

Then there is Snarf’s. I frequent the one on Pearl, at least once a week. I’ve had it as many as four times a week… and I’m a sandwich snob from the melting pot of great heroes, subs, and hoagies. Sure, Snarf’s is the most expensive of the three but it’s well worth the extra that you pay.

Stack of awesome chips

They offer simple dishes and complicated pieces as well. I usually get the French Dip at least once a week because it is extremely filling and because the au jus is delicious. I recommend not getting many toppings on your order because it distorts the natural flavors of their creations. My typical trip involves a bag of Zappo’s Voodoo Style Potato Chips, a 12″ Pro French Dip with no topping on white bread, and a black and white milkshake.

Amazing milkshake

Zappo’s Voodoo chips

Snarf’s sandwich

It costs a bit but fills me up, makes me feel good, and tastes great. I rarely have been given anything bad there, especially for the amount of times I have been. You have to get used to the crew that works there, and some can get on your nerves, but most of them are great. Snarf’s on Pearl gets Hungry’s seal of approval. Go there and you can stay hungry and fit.

Alana’s choice…Tuna Melt with everything from tomatoes to lettuce to hot peppers

Another tuna melt from another time

Note from Alana (and shout out to Santa Monicans): If it were a competition, Snarf’s could rival my favorite sandwich place from home, Bay Cities. Different vibe, but delicious sandwiches.

Apr152013

Hungry Reviews… Antica Roma (Boulder, CO)

Saturday night and I am recovering from hurting myself, Alana has a cold coming on too. We rested a lot Saturday after working a ten-hour shift so once we wake up we are hungry!

Alana wanted to take a walk to be active since we took the day off of working out. Since it was so nice out, I had no problem limping and hobbling down the Pearl Street Mall to a restaurant that I wanted to go to since our last trip in that area of town. It was a nice looking Italian restaurant called Antica Roma. When we last walked past it, I loved the decor and thought the menu was reasonably priced and had good dishes. I was only partially wrong, fortunately/unfortunately.

Alana was dressed nice and I was wearing… black sweats and a black tee covered in Sajah’s hair but it was a nice atmosphere that tried to mimic the streets of Ancient Rome, to a certain degree. The waitress was nice, energetic, and attentive. Our water was never empty for too long and she was more than willing to refill our bread and help us with recommendations. I was in the mood for pesto or alfredo and they didn’t really have either. Oh well.

Menu and bread

I told myself I was hoping they wouldn’t make the same mistake that Trattoria on Pearl made… but was it really my mistake expecting decent seafood in Boulder? Why would a restaurant serve something bad? Well, who knows but moving on to what we ate.

For an appetizer, Alana got a bruschetta with avocado, goat cheese and other goodness. She didn’t like the sweet chili sauce on it but she devoured everything but the raw red onion. I got the soup of the day, which happened to be a butternut squash soup… a personal favorite. It made me quite happy. The bread was burnt bad on the outside but the inside was delicious and their sun-dried tomato dipping sauce was very good.

Butternut squash bisque

Alana’s bruschette

Alana’s devoured bruschette

Then came the entrees and I don’t know how she recommended this dish as her favorite. It was a lobster and tiger shrimp aragosta on fettuccine, but it wasn’t actually. There were two small shrimp… not tiger shrimp. There were three to five small pieces of lobster claw meat that hadn’t been completely defrosted. The fettuccine noodles were as thick as Chinese biang biang noodles and they all stuck together. It really was awful, and it was one of the most expensive dishes on the menu. This place had me hooked until this point. It wasn’t as bad as Trattoria because I didn’t get sick but I don’t know why they bother serving seafood if they can’t prepare it correctly. I understand its Boulder and it might be easier getting it frozen, but learn how to prepare it. Alana got a spinach cheese dish that she enjoyed.

My dish

All done

Alana’s dish

We took a look at the dessert menu and didn’t like the selection so we got the bill, put our 20% tip, and took our leftovers. We had a nice walk home and got more sleep! It’s a shame I wouldn’t go back because it’s so beautiful inside.

Apr132013

Tony’s Italian Kitchen: Our Favorite Pizza

Watch out, it’s another stop on our New Jersey Easter Vacation! And of course, yes, it’s another food stop… And this time, it’s PIZZA! Who doesn’t love pizza? (Awkward for lactose intolerants…) So if you read our About section, you know I hail from California. Before I went to New York, I thought we Californians had pretty good pizza. Boy, was I wrong! Not that Californian pizza is horrible, but it just doesn’t compare to New York or New Jersey pizza. Especially, Tony’s Italian Kitchen.

Us driving around Chris’ hometown

It’s easy to pass up Tony’s, it’s in a tiny strip mall along with some other offices like Chris’ chiropractor and other little places. But once you discover it, it’s a gem! Luckily, Chris and his family had been getting Tony’s pizza for years, so all I had to do was tag along. The first bite I had, I was able to declare this the best pizza I’ve ever had, and trust me, I’ve had a lot of pizza. More specifically, it has the best cheese pizza. His family very often gets it to bring it home. And then I always eat too much.

So during this New Jersey Easter trip, it was our second food stop after having bagels for breakfast. We had two of our friends with us and split a large cheese pie between us. The wait was tantalizing. And then it came out to us, sizzling and hot. We always let it cool a little so the cheese can settle. And you should always have a Peach Snapple with it too. That first bite into that pizza was awesome. We hadn’t had it for six months or so, so it was that much better!

Drool-worthy

What really makes Tony’s the best is the amazing sauce. I don’t know what they do to it, but it is so fresh. It was really difficult not to scarf it down way completely fast. The crust is scrumptious and dusted to perfection. If you think you’ve had good pizza, come to Tony’s Italian Kitchen and see if you’ve really had the BEST. Cheers!

BONUS KITTY PIC

Cute Sajah

Apr102013

Van Dyk’s: Best Ice Cream in the East

This is another stop during our New Jersey Easter vacation. Make sure you check out the last one, which will make your mouth water for baked goods. Unfortunately for you, you’re due for another drool-session. This time, make it ice cream. And yes “Team Gluttony” (see picture below) went to Van Dyk’s right after Abma’s.

“Team Gluttony”

What is Van Dyk’s? Probably the homemade ice cream store with the best black & white (aka chocolate and vanilla) milkshake I’ve ever had. We always go here on our stops in New Jersey, and during this trip we went too many times. Their ice cream is made right there in the little store and you can tell. Every bite is delicious and never tastes like artificial crap not worth paying for. For the first time, I got something other than the black and white shake (well…ONE of the times we went during a 2-day period). And I can personally say that their ice cream is just as tasty and satisfying as their shakes.

Me gulping down a milk shake

And let me tell you, I was never really even into milkshakes before this place. I am now. This ice cream trip was even better because we got to enjoy it with some newcomers and old timers, both of whom we hadn’t seen in a while. Friends and ice cream–hard combo to beat. [Note to family: my Powell ice cream genes are flourishing right now] Writing about this place makes me miss it…can’t wait until our next trip to Van Dyk’s for some delicious homemade ice cream.