[eats] the counter.

The first time Dave and I went to The Counter was Valentine’s Day, 2007, when drove to Santa Monica with a couple of my roommates in D’s 1966 Dodge Coronet. The most memorable part of the night was on the way back when the Coronet’s throttle cable snapped and we ended up on a very narrow shoulder of the 405, one exit away from home, precariously getting picked in a minivan up by his brother & sister-in-law (thank you!) while cars whizzed past us.

We’re pretty thankful that subsequent visits to The Counter have been far less dramatic. Now that one has opened in Irvine, it’s become one of our favorite places to grab a burger. We love the options. And the sweet potato fries. And if their special shake of the month is ever banana split, absolutely order it.

This month, I highly recommend the beef on a multigrain bun with grilled onions, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, sprouts, market selection cheese, and tzatziki sauce. And I really have got to stop staring at the picture I took because I’m a split second away from heading over there right now.

we ate. we adventured. we napped.

it was glorious.

Brunch / Tustin Ranch Golf Club. Lunch / Alta Coffee Warehouse & Roasting Co.

[eats] Yen Sushi.

We’ve typically headed to chain-type restaurants for our sushi, but not too long ago, our friends/next-door neighbors introduced us to this well-priced neighborhood gem.

We really like it.

Perk of sitting at the bar: getting to marvel at the slabs of raw fish.

Husband loves his edamame. [I do, too. It’s addicting].

Aren’t rainbow rolls just so, pretty? And those oranges.

[on the menu] a night at the barre.

when you’ve stood on your tippy-toes for an hour at the barre, you can’t be bothered with meals that take an hour to cook. that’s when panini presses (or, you know, Foreman grills) come in handy.

 the menu:

grilled lemon herb chicken breasts. sautéed spinach with roasted garlic & butter sauce. [leftover] oven-roasted beets drizzled with honey. Breyer’s peach ice cream.

the menu [if I hadn’t been ravenous from working out my weight in sweat]:

popsicles. and frosted flakes.

boudin.

guess who’s sick & trying not to be bitter about it? when I feel the bug coming on, I harness all of my preventative power in the form of cold-eeze, defense drops, orange juice, chicken noodle soup. and when that doesn’t work, I wallow in the epitome of comfort, food.

so when D suggested that we use our coups (we love coups) for our own neighborhood Boudin, I hurried through my Chinese quiz, packed a box of tissues for my sniffles, and jumped in the car for some grilled cheese on sourdough and tomato soup. and girl at the counter must have felt sorry for me, because she threw in a couple of doosies, the technical term for icing sandwiched in between two chocolate chip cookies.

we’ll be back, Boudin. maybe next time for the pot roast in a bread bowl. YUM.

over & out. xoxo.